Bill from NYC

This board is underrated imo. Many, many solid posters as well as most mocks had Sammy going before us. The possibility of trading up was raised. It is very unlikely that he would have fallen to us. Perhaps we both agree on this. That said, would he have been my choice? No, sorry. But, he does appear to be very good. The tapes from camp are pretty sick. But I respectfully remind you that a player being "good" doesn't always translate to building a winning team. Is Spiller good? Sure. Is Gilmore good? Probably so. Was Whitner good? I suppose. But what "good" did they do us in terms of wins? I am glad that you brought up Julio Jones. As a Tide Fan, I am quite familiar with him. The thing is that he has Ryan throwing him the ball. And, it sucked for the Falcons when he got hurt, no? If the Bills stood still and drafted on of the Tackles, you do realize that they: 1) Would have a first round pick (perhaps early) in 2015. 2) Would NOT have drafted Kuandjio in round 2. Kujo by the way is another player that I spoke of before the draft, remember? Now there is a lot riding on this kid and we really need him to develop. In any event, we both need to hope that EJ can get Sammy the ball because if he can, it looks as if he can win us games. If not, we have long term, serious problems. The thing is, opinions are a good thing, no? Maybe I'm just more risk averse than you in this situation, or in general about the Bills. I'm not seeing what is bad about this. Fill me in if you get the chance. Be well and GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having learned more about him, there is reason to believe that he might be a fine player. This doesn't necessarily make him a good pick, let alone trading away a future first round pick in the process. Can EJ get the ball to him? I think that the answer to this will go a long way to determine whether or not it was a good trade. Of course, if one has lots of confidence in EJ one would absolutely love the pick.

Not agreeing with a draft selection and thinking that Watkins is a bad player are not the same. If EJ sucks (which perhaps you think is not possible), trading away a very possible top 10 pick for any receiver is stupid or so I think. What do YOU think? And btw, do you think the Bills gave up too much in that trade? Better yet, is there ANY price that would have been too much? You are lucky. I wish I could love everything the Bills do and be offensive and act in a sanctimonious way to those who dare disagree with me, or this winning management team. Carry on!

Dibs, NOT to single you out, but too many posters who know a lot about football, let alone this team, are apologetic. "Untrained eye?" You and many of us follow this team more than sportswriters. Your opinion has merit. First round picks are given a ton of room by fans. Spiller is likened to Sanders. Gilmore is a young Mel Blount. EJ is on his way to greatness. Fans are smart to think this because what can we do to control how the Bills allocate resources? Obviously nothing. But that doesn't make the above statements true. And btw, the "pros" who have been running the team have been SO unthinkably bad that a team would almost have to try to not make the playoffs for 14 years. So please, keep posting opinions. I will do the same. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you think that Kujo was a road grader, what did you think of Warmack and Fluker? These were the physical beasts on that OL. Kujo was strong, but was never THAT type of strong. And remember too, he blocked for backs that were superb (Lacey, Yeldon, etc.) Let's just hope that Kujo gets WAY better. I am rooting for the kid big time as a lifelong Tide Fan AND a Bills Fan.

No concern at all. He is an elite "shutdown" corner, no matter how he plays.

Koundjio was considered an agile left tackle in college, not a road grader. Saban moved Barrett Jones to center and placeded Koundjio into the LT spot, and Barrett Jones was a very good player. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_Jones He would have been drafted earlier but he was injured. I think that the Bills banked on Koundjio's potential. He doesn't seem healthy; it may or may not pay off. That said, Henderson looks a lot better so far, but it is early.

Badol, as much as I like the Tide, I was not that excited about the Koundjio selection. In 2012, he was the 4th best player on the Bama OL, and #5 (the RG) was close. Fluker is a pure RT, the best I have seen in many, many years. He has already made a difference at San Diego. I don't view Koundjio as a difference maker. Do you? I AM glad to hear how much you like Watkins because the truth is, I was baffled by that trade because of our situation at QB, let alone the failure to draft one in the later rounds. Btw, do you view Searcy as a good player or a product of Pettine? I am high on Searcy. I think it's obvious that he is a hard worker and listens to his coaches. Kyle Williams was praising him big time on Sirius and I would love to hear your take on him. We are trying to get up there this year and I will send you a PM. It's great to see you posting!!! GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think what separates the greats from the rest is not that they can find an open receiver. It's the ability to quickly see who is NOT open and find another option. The above may sound like semantics, and I might not be explaining it properly, but I know what I am TRYING to say. Any HS QB can find a receiver who is wide open. The ability (and perhaps instinct) to look off of a covered Calvin Johnson is another matter. It's unpopular here, but I think that if EJ rolls out (and yes, runs), it might buy him time to improve his decision making. It's clear that he has talent. It's not clear if he is a good pocket passer. Just my $.02.

I couldn't agree more. They were 28th in time of possession with all of those runs out of a hurry-up. I still can't figure out what they were doing.

Similarities: 1) Both struggle big time with the long ball. 2) Both can run. 3) Both have accuracy issues. 4) Both are smart. Differences: 1) Fitz gets injured less and appears to be tougher. 2) EJ, because of size and arm strength has a far higher ceiling. Summary: At this particular stage there really isn't much difference.

Not only that, they traded away a first round pick in 2015 in order to draft a receiver. This in a draft that was loaded with wideouts. And, while the team is very talented, how surprised would you be if the pick was a top 10? Seriously. Whaley and Marrone are just completely sold on EJ. I think that they know that their careers hinge upon EJ being a good player. Others disagree and like the trade. It might work out too. But I don't think it will if they plan to use EJ as a complete pocket passer. Jmo. And I must say that it truly is great to see you posting again and I hope all is well!!!

5) Yes, it sure looked easy for Bryce Brown. Put it this way.....I am thinking that he isn't too worried about getting his snaps. Why should he be? 9) Found money indeed!!! Put it this way.....if the Bills suddenly cut him today, I think that every team in the league would want to pick him up. Hyperbole? Not really. The kid is the size of a mountain, agile, and strong enough to push defensive ends away by extending his arms. Not many humans can be described as such. I wasn't too pleased when Marrone was hired, but I like some of the things he is doing. A few weeks ago he was on Sirius and said that Henderson was looking good but had a lot to prove. The implication was that the leash would not be a long one. I praise this. As for EJ, I am putting my eggs in the basket (once again) that he needs to, and CAN run. It will buy him time to learn what to do.

EJ needs to run. Not so much in preseason mind you, but the threat of him running (which he seems good at) might just buy him time to figure things out. He might be one some day, but he doesn't appear to be a pocket passer imo.

1) Nice to see Duke Williams get his number called a few times. I have no concerns about the secondary on this football team, at least not yet. 2) Nigel Bradham played as if he had something to prove, and he does. I am going to credit Marrone and the staff for this. 3) I have a feeling that Cordy Glenn will soon have a miracle recovery. Yes, I'm feeling it. Seantral Henderson was special to watch last night. 7th round pick? First game??? He will remind many of Glenn, but not me. I liken him more to Jason Peters; I kid you not. He extended his arms and sent people such as JPP flying!!! More on him later. 4) Thad was very disappointing. On one play late in the game he had tons of space to run and got sacked. Yeah, I am bummed out about his performance. 5) Bryce Brown looks like a keeper. I think he might even win us a game or 2. 6) No Hunter lyrics today. I have them but I'm saving them. 7) Tuel was Tuel. He has no fastball. Fitz has to put his entire body into a pass to throw it hard but he can do it at times. In other words, I doubt that he will ever be as good as Fitz. BUT, I think that his read option run was a VERY impressive play. They need to call this play for EJ and/or Thad during the season. It works. 8) Watching EJ was depressing. Not much more to say. 9) The Bills should hire off duty canine cops and post them outside the door of Henderson's room. If this kid gets in better shape and stays clean, his potential is simply HUGE!!! 10) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I strongly disagree. At Bama, Fluker and Warmack were the road graders. Koundjio played LT and is somewhat agile. I truly hope that he can produce for the Bills.

Nah, I was busy kissing his ass about the great job he has done, and praising him for banning smoking in designated areas. We sure are lucky to have Brandon, no?

As a Tide fan, I warned you guys about Koundjio. In 2012, he was the 4th best player on the Crimson Tide OL. Yes, 4th best. I am not saying that he won't get better. He might, and he is a great kid from what I have heard. I am pulling for this kid in a huge way but I suspect he needs some work, which isn't unusual.

I get your point, but Marrone and Whaley went all in with EJ and now Watkins in a HUGE way. I can't emphasize this enough. No #1 draft selection in 2015!!!!! So Promo, if they really do tank the season, should we keep Marrone? Should we really? Absolutely.

Sad but 100% true.

I completely agree with this post except for the last sentence.

If his third ranking that you speak of made much of a difference, he would be universally acclaimed as a great player. He isn't. Spiller doesn't score many touchdowns, does he? He cannot block and he might be just a bit mentally challenged. Toss injuries into the mix and a third is a good deal. A 2nd would be an absolute score and let's remember, he will be gone when his contract expires, or so I think.

This team needs draft selections.

A third would be a nice score for Spiller in a trade. Sure, they wasted a #9 on him but that isn't the issue right now. The team just got finished depleting our 2015 draft for a wide receiver. They need to get some picks back. If they can get a 3rd round pick for a situational running back, I'm all for it. And if Watkins is as good as advertised, it won't hurt much, if at all.

Promo, your question is fair. That said, the Bills put themselves in this position by: 1) Not placing enough emphasis on the QB position. 2) Making poor decisions when they did allocate resources to the position (RJ and Losman). The latter caused moves such as drafting Whitner over Cutler. Again, your question is valid. But if we are to be honest, the Bills sealed their own destiny by devoting their best resources to running backs and the secondary. The damage that Levy/Jauron caused to this team should not be under estimated.