Bill from NYC

This will not be a popular post but it's a tough one to argue imo. Speaking of "tough to argue with," you don't leave much wiggle room here. What I WILL say about Chandler is that the son of a B word got open. There were plenty of time where I was calling his number during a game and he would catch a first down pass. The trouble is that he wasn't as strong as he was big and thus prone to injuries. I wish him well. Sadly, he might be the best TEs this team has had since Metz.

It occurred to me that many of our lucky posters are too young to remember this. Several years ago I had coffee with Jumbo Elliot and (what a surprise) was picking his brain about blockers. I will never forget his comments about Bruce. He drew a clear picture of what it was like to play against him, and Elliot was great imo. JJ Watt is one of only 3 other DEs that I put in a class with Bruce and a rookie is calling him out!?? History truly does repeat itself and if these two ever play, I would bet my car against 10 bucks that JJ kicks his ass.

I wish him well, but he was an absolutely abysmal draft selection, and I am not one bit sorry to see him move on. Too many holes in his game such as running out of bounds when we are trying to kill time inside the deuce, untimely fumbles, and a total inability to block.

It reminds me of when Mandarich said (as a rookie) that he was going to rip Bruce Smith's face off. How did that work out?

Well, Andy Levitre was selected at #51 in 2009. And as I am sure you recall, they traded up to select him. He seems to have lost quite a bit after he left, but he played extremely well here and was a fantastic draft selection.

Why misquote me? I thought we were having a serious conversation. I DID say that for a period of time, Levitre was the best blocker on this team. YOU recently said that Glenn went downhill due to playing next to poor guards. How did he look next to AL? I don't want to bet against EJ. I want to cheer for him, if in fact he shows enough in camp to see the field. Optimism is a wonderful thing but not everybody is mandated to be this way, nor to agree with you (or of course me) on every topic. PS: Jauron's wonderful record was due to 1 season with the Bears. Did he ever have another winning season after that? He was a flat out disaster in Buffalo. Along with Levy as GM, they set back this franchise many, many years. You can try but you can't clean this up with nonsensical, self serving stats. Oh, and do be well. The dialogue is always a pleasure. I mean this.

You never seem to tire of using stats to prove just how good EJ is. The eyes tell a different story. That said, does he have a better chance at being good than Mallett? I suppose. EJ's character and work ethic are not matters of concern, he seems like a great kid. The only edge I would give to Mallett is that he has an arm that only comes along once in a long while. I liken his arm to that of Bledsoe. Is arm strength enough in this league? Absolutely not. And my friend, I hope that you will be much more correct in your assessment of EJ than you were in your never ending praise of Dick Jauron as a coach. Didn't he go from head coach to defensive backs coach? Reminds me of you know who, no?

If BV thinks that EJ is a sub-par qb he has the right to his opinion. I happen to agree with him. He MIGHT develop into a top 10 qb but if he does it won't be due to us wishing that he will do so. Why are you offended if a particular poster isn't all over EJ in terms of being a good qb and saying so on a Bills board?

Thanks, nice catch!!!!!

While I can agree with the above I must add that I said the same thing about one Rob Johnson, and he threw a nicer pass than EJ by a wide margin.

Coach, I thought that he was WAY overrated in college. Barrett Jones was a superior LT and I think that Saban moved Jones to Center and CK to LT because it was Jones's last year and he had to fill the LT position for the following season. This of couse is just a theory. Again, I hope that he kicks ass but he has injury issues and the fact that he didn't see the field last season in a real concern.

Sure, Henderson fell off at the end of last season. That said, CK couldn't see any time at all. He was THAT bad. You know that I am Crimson Tide fan and have seen all of his games. My take is that he is injured and never was so great. He is however a great kid and it would be wonderful for him, Bills fans, and the Bills if he could produce. Counting on this to happen, imo, is not smart money. Jmo and hoping to be wrong.

Great stuff Jay!!!!!!!!!!

You're right about that. The 2006 draft was stocked with talent and the Bills squandered every other pick, and even traded up to do so. Other than Kyle, it was the dumbest draft I for one have ever seen, and I seen a few, ya know? If KW was taken by a team somewhere in round 1, he would have been worth it.

This board is chock full of posters who truly do pay careful attention to the draft. I deeply appreciate this. I am not into it as much this season because I am busy, and the truth is that the lack of a first round pick probably decreased my drive to delve into it. I am not going to name all of the posters who provide great info about the draft for fear of leaving one out. That said, I think that the Bills need a player who played LT in college but is projected to guard. Why do I say this? Easy. Because of Ruben Brown and Andy Levitre. These were absolutely solid LGs. Both played LT in college and their agility was there, big time! It's a passing league and our qb situation if far rom great. This football team needs a LG who can offer good pass protection, especially if EJ gets the nod. Levitre didn't play so well when he left Buffalo. I am guessing that this was due to injury because he was a fantastic LG for us. If a healthy Levitre was on this roster, the sky would be the limit imo. One last thing.....I am a lifelong Crimson Tide Fan. Kuondjio may come to mind for some, but I am not feeling it. He is a wonderful kid but I never thought he was a very good prospect and posted this. I would be thrilled to the max if he turns out to be a player but I am not seeing it. So, does anybody meet this description? GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I strongly agree. Count me as one of the few with serious misgivings about restructuring Mario's contract because of the cap, and btw he is my favorite player on this team by a wide margin.

Sure, but imo many forget that before selecting EJ the Bills traded DOWN. This clearly indicates that the Bills were willing to take a chance on losing him. You just don't trade down when you are desperate for a QB, and relatively certain that your franchise QB is sitting there. It is very likely that they had someone (Smith?) rated about as high for them to have made that move. Winston is a head case no doubt and I would be worried about his character if I was thinking of drafting him, but he is 10x better than EJ. The expectations for EJ on this board are through the roof. That's great too but you and I saw the same thing with Losman, remember? Personally I think that Cassell will win the job and take us to the playoffs. We shall see, old friend.

You wouldn't have had to listen to my arias of discontent.

Thanks for a wonderful reply (as expected). My problem if you will is I simply am incapable of believing that EJ will be a good quarterback. I just cannot see it. This would obviously steer me in favor of a trade. EJ (imo) is a kid who was bigger, stronger and more gifted than other college kids AND surrounded by a great system and supporting cast. That said, he is what, 6'4" and his passes seem to get blocked often. He ran like a deer in college but not with us. He reminds me of a QB equivalent of Mike Williams as an OT. Few things would make me happier than to be wrong, but it's not looking good for EJ imo.

My projected depth chart is Cassel/Tyrod/EJ.

Your course of action is sound, but are you saying that you would rather have EJ on the Bills than RG?

Of course. But I think if this was to happen, we would have to give up way more than the above. WAY more!!! EJ is highly regarded on this board because he was a first round pick. It is a modern day version of the Losman Syndrome. There are posters who STILL think that Losman was "misused," etc. But, EJ is not highly regarded around the league, or even by Bills management. If he was, they would not have acquired 2 new qbs. Actually, it's hard for me to understand why some people cannot see this, but dialogue is why we are here.

I for one have been critical of Gilmore when he screwed up in terms of giving up long, crucial first downs and commiting dumb penalties. That said, I have heaped praise upon him when he played well. It is far from a given that he will be a great corner imo, but I happily add that I now think that it's a distinct possibility. Did it take longer than I would have liked? Yes. Oh, and just a word about "smart football people." Virtually NONE of them watch the Bills as much as some posters on this board. They write about the Bills, but there is no way that they see them as much as we do. No way. And, poster's lines are even stolen at times. Once I was complaining about the OL and posted that we got ours from the "garbage bins and trash heaps" of other teams. A few days later it was written in a newspaper article, word for word, by a reporter we all know. And before anyone thinks I am comparing myself to a pro sportswriter, I am absolutely NOT!!!!! But, I follow the team more than most of them, are there are posters here that put a lot more time into it than I am able to.

Very cool!!!