Matt in KC

No love for Derek Schouman, huh? I think he could well be one of our top two most productive TEs by the end of the year.

Travis Henry made it into the deck, but McGahee didn't. I love it! I'm not sure Henry is really deserving to be included, but since it drives home the dis' to McGahee, I'm all for it.

I think the question is about current players, not say OJ, Thurman, Bruce (etc.) in their primes. You can find/post those the the semi-annual "who's the best Bill ever?" thread.

Good question! I'm talking from a talent perspective, comparing the players to who we have on the team now (ignoring salary/value). I'd like to have any of the following back: Pat Williams Antoine Winfield - I saw several Vikings games last year and thought he looked great. Travis Henry - again, looking at talent; I realise he would have a problem splitting time with Lynch and is at risk for a one year suspension. Nate Clements - purely from a talent perspective. No way is he worth near his salary. (btw, I saw 5-6 49ers games and he looked a lot worse than Winfield to me.) Ross Tucker for O-line depth Mike Shneck for long-snapping duties (unless there was an unreported personality/behavior issue that got him cut) Sammy Morris - I think he could still compete, though I suspect he wouldn't make the final roster given the potential of the young guys on the team at RB. Rusty Jones - I had to throw him in here Darwin Walker - This one is cheap, but qualifies if I look only at talent. I think attitude and history means we should pass however

http://www.buffalobills.com/team/Transactions.html

Hey thanks for posting, Bill. I'm glad to hear your take. It certainly makes the negatives they list for him seem less worrisome. I'd love to have a few more defenders that can rotate in, make a big play and fire up the defense.

I respect your opinion that the McKelvin pick wasn't the best availale, and even your desire to defend your opinion. Could you (and the others responding to you) at least do it over in the McKelvin thread, or start your own? Re: the Ellis pick (legal and taking downs off), and Hardy (legal probs), does it look like the Bills' stance on character players is shifting? I always took the character comments to be more about football character (passion, focus and drive). But, for Ellis, it looks like this is nearly the definition of his negatives. All that said, I like the pick. Talent at a position of need (Hargrove departure) and a young player in the development pipeline for the day one of our vets departs.

I completely agree. Not a bad way to start the draft, huh? I might have to watch a few more Chiefs games this year....

Congat's on finding and embracing a passion. Am I a geek for thinking you should have used Excel?

as many times as you like, assuming of course someone wants to trade with you. Supplemental picks cannot be traded (even once).

W - Sept. 7 Seattle Seahawks 1 p.m. W - Sept. 14 at Jacksonville Jaguars 1 p.m. L - Sept. 21 Oakland Raiders 1 p.m. W - Sept. 28 at St. Louis Rams 4:05 p.m. L - Oct. 5 at Arizona Cardinals 4:15 p.m. Oct. 12 Bye L - Oct. 19 San Diego Chargers 1 p.m. W - Oct. 26 at Miami Dolphins 1 p.m. L - Nov. 2 New York Jets 1 p.m. W - Nov. 9 at New England Patriots* 1 p.m. L - Nov. 17 (Mon.) Cleveland Browns 8:30 p.m. W - Nov. 23 at Kansas City Chiefs 1 p.m. W - Nov. 30 San Francisco 49ers 1 p.m. L - Dec. 7 Miami Dolphins (at Toronto) 4:05 p.m. W - Dec. 14 at New York Jets 1 p.m. W - Dec. 21 at Denver Broncos 4:05 p.m. L - Dec. 28 New England Patriots* 1 p.m. 9-7 <-- That's my bold prediction

Here are my guesses. None are really of the Greer / Wilson mode... Felton Huggins - okay, I'm just kidding. McCargo - he shows he's a legit NFL starter this year, I think Mcgee - he's a playmaker who did better than expectations last year. I think he continues to improve his zone coverage and adds a few INTs / TDs Ryan Denney - reminds the fans he was an important part of the defense before gettng hurt last year

He also said he's close friends with Sam Wyche and they talk often. I of course started responding as though he said Dick Lebeau, and he quickly pointed out Sam worked with the offense and changed the subject... oops.

You know, he specifically mentioned the Rockpile and said he remembered playing in the snow there, and that there was no heat in the locker room (wasn't sure if he was being literal). He mentioned OJ, Kemp and Joe DeLamielleure as Bills he remembered (and a receiver Im lanking on). It would be nice having a pro bowl center who would anchor the team for 11 years, wouldn't it? He said he only got hurt once, when after snapping for a punt someone clipped him.

I met a nice guy and talked with him on a two hour flight tonight. After talking about business for quite a while, our conversaion shifted to football. After a bit, he said he played professional football. I asked if he was a receiver, but he said no, he was a Center back when he played. After talking awhile he mentioned the Bengals, then later mentioned going to the pro bowl, and later still being drafted in the first round. Eventually he told me he was the first Bengal ever drafted (in 1968) and was pressed into duty as a player representative because they knew he'd make the team. Anyway, he was a cool guy, and I connected with him as a person first, and secondarily as a football player, one I admittedly had never heard of before meeting him (and researching him a bit now that I'm back on line). Apparently Bob is the only Bengal to ever have his number retired (#54). Anyway, our conversation was pretty mundane, but it was very cool to talk to an old NFL player. I still can't beleive I thought he was a receiver! I guess he did retire almost 30 years ago (1979) and the guys weren't nearly as big back then. So, I know this is a bit of a LAMP. I just thought I'd come share my experience....

Also, updated daily at Slate.com: The Hillary Deathwatch. They currently give Hillary a 9% chance, which I think is a tad generous (I'd say somewhere 3-6%).

And, from the Huffington Post, adding more fuel (but no fire): Maura Harty: State Department Official In Charge During Two Of The Breaches An Ambassador Under Clinton

Get 'er done ! (the conviction that is!)

I just sent in my donation. Have a great walk!

I'm only defending Fletcher, and only compared to a rookie, not all of our LBs. I personally think our run D deficiency was mainly due to three things: poor play by our DTs, injuries at LB (Crowell, Spikes), and "rookie" mistakes (many made by our vets!) as players got used to the NFL and our new defense. Fletcher and Spikes were not the solution long-term and that's not what I'm saying. I think if our 1st rd LB plays on the outside, he may well be an upgrade over Spikes this year. If he plays in the middle, it's not likely he'll be better than LFB this year, but I'd love it. I really hope we do draft Willis. But, I think he's only likely to be more of a heavy-hitter than LF-B in his first year, not a better all-around player. I do think that LFB had an "off" year, even though he recorded 146 tackles, 4 INTs, and 7 passes defended. He was very durable and played at a high level for us every game, and was perhaps our most consistent player over his years on the team. He might be starting his decline, so signing him for 5 years was not wise IMO. The MLB is singled out for deep pass coverage. Yes, they need to be all-stars and read the plays, including play action and draws, and either get deep or crash the LOS. I personally think that Fletcher cheated toward pass coverage to help protect the rookie safeties but this cost him a bit in run coverage (more downfield). Now that I'm getting into a Fletcher-Baker rant, let me throw this in: the most common criticism I've heard of London is that his 146 tackles came too far down the field on running plays. How the heck did the opponents' RBs get so far down the field without hitting other defenders? And we criticize Baker for being the only Bill there (recording the vast majority of his tackles solo)?? In the next year we'll get to see if London's stat's were largely a product of him being the MLB in our defense, or if he racked up higher numbers than his replacement due to something else (talent?).

We definitely need to add another safety after losing Bowen and Wire (to LB corps). I tend to agree with the posters above, that the third round might be a little high for taking another safety, given that they are unlikely to start (knock on wood). I'd think we would take a FS if we drafted one early (to compete with Ko). The only way we could afford to use 3B on a safety is if we draft a LB, RB and CB who we hope can play in their first year, and have another LB targetted who we think will be available in the 4th. I also think we need a second FB/RB in the middle rounds. I would not be at all surprised to see a safety drafted in rounds 6 or 7, but think there is a good chance (30-40%) that we just pick up another Bowen-like free agent. This would let us grab a prospect at one of the other lower priority positions: WR, buckup/future OG/C?, DE? (though others seem to think DT is more likely), TE?. Also, I think grabbing a QB project in a late round is likely.

Many people whined that London was overlooked for the pro bowl... again. Now, you and a few other posters think that Willis could come in and be an immediate upgrade. That is quite a difference of opinion. It's about as big as we ever see on the board. It's much bigger than the (McGahee | Gandy | Bledsoe | M Williams) is a bust vs. relax, he just needs better players around him arguments which are the norm. Sorry, I don't have much to add to the conversation. I'm just pointing out how extreme your position is. I agree with MDH; and even if Willis comes to the Bills in the best shape of his life, he has little chance of contributing at the same level as Fletcher right away. We should be very happy if he reaches that level by the end of his first year, and ecstatic if he passes it. A college kid coming in and being better than all but 5-10 athletes at his position in the NFL is phenomenal.

About Turner, Marv said "there are so many complexities to the deal that if it's done I've got to tell you it'd be a surprise." In other words, they have worked out a deal if Peterson and Lynch are selected before the Bills first pick. If that happens, they will trade this year's second round selection and another pick next year for Turner. ...Surprise!

I'd take Brian Leonard, who is listed at NFLDraftCountdown.com going eight spots after the Bills' 2nd round pick. http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/sub/mockround2.html

Kyle easily played above a fourth round level his first year. Marv was only wrong about guessing the future (picks by the other teams, Vincent getting hurt) not his assessment of Williams' talent. If Marv was voting for Kyle in the 4th, I definitely think it reflects well on him. And that he wanted Kyle over Ko dispells a bit of the "Marv is obsessed with drafting DBs" conspiracy theory. Where is this mentioned? Is it in the Marv video? I read the articles, but didn't see this mentioned. Thanks.