Bill from NYC

This was a top quality post. I too think that Manziel will go first. The team that selects him will immediately boost their ticket sales. I will go as far to say that teams that play against him will sell out. Imo, ticket sales matter in the draft. When the Bills drafted Spiller, Mr. Wilson said that the Bills needed "more excitement." I thought then and think now that he was talking as a business man, certainly not as a football man. Think about it.....if Manziel drops to the Bills, they would have nothing to lose by drafting him. Fans would be screaming for EJ's head after 1 bad game. With the rookie cap, even the first pick of the draft costs next to nothing compared to just a few years ago. The Bills could probably pay Manziel's entire salary on increased beer and team merchandise sales. PS: I am not trying to say that the Bills ALWAYS draft to sell tickets. If they did, it would have been an improvement. They would have selected QBs in lieu of running backs and of course defensive backs. Our drafts could be closer defined as simply inept.

Yeah, I like big guys and Crimson Tide players no doubt. But today quarterbacks get you to the playoffs.

Do you think that either was worth a top 10 draft selection for the Buffalo Bills?

My post was wrt the suggestion that the Bills hire Wade. My premise was that Marrone had few credentials (imo) other than being buddies with Brandon. Of course he doesn't deserve a huge salary! Why would anyone think that the Bills would pay big bucks to Wade when they don't even want to hire an expensive head coach?

Ya think? Glenn was a steal, but Gilmore was a top 10 pick! Just throwing it out there my friend.

Sorry to say so, but I completely agree.

As much as I would love to have Wade, I assume that you are joking. Was Marrone hired because he was/is a Brandon crony? I will leave this for others to decide. But crony or not, my guess is that Marrone is one of the top 5 lowest paid HCs in the NFL, and it wouldn't surprise me if he is THE lowest paid. To take this a step further, I would be willing to wager that Wade was paid more in Houston as DC than the Bills paid Marrone this year. So yeah.....I hope Pettine stays.

I find it interesting that he likes McCarron. I hope we can draft either him or Murray.

The following will surely fail to qualify me as "signed up." This is a link from a draft site that I often visit: http://www.drafthistory.com/ In it, he explains just how early the top DL and OTs are drafted. He also mentions Jason Peters, but I won't dive into that and bring up bad memories. In summary, most of the time teams have to draft top linemen. Very few teams will let go of their best blockers, let alone OTs. In 2008, the Bills drafted Leodis McKelvin at #11.Clady went next at 12. Branden Albert (on the list and a fine LT) went 3 picks later at 15. Btw Flacco went at 18. This is an example of why we are in such a mess. Wrt Albert, he entered the league as a guard. He's one of the very few college guards who moved to OT in the NFL. Would he be a good fit on the Bills? Sure, but expect to pay him 12-15 million per season. Oher is on this list. They have him rated poorly, but I always thought him to be a good player. That said, I barely saw him this year. He would cost far less. To put things in perspective, I am well into my fifties. I'm 6'2'/206. Good size for DB and wideout, no? Of course I would be dead after 1 NFL play, but how many people do you know that are at least 6'4" /320? Now, can they bench 220 35 times? Do they have long arms? Are they coachable? And can they run the 40 in approx. 5 seconds, with a burst of speed? My point is that teams keep these guys because they are so hard to find. PS: There is a sliver of hope. The Chiefs are trying to extend Alex Smith, who will surely make 15 mil. per year plus. The QBs are getting the money that the owners saved on the rookie cap, NOT positional players. Still, the best things for bringing in blockers remain good scouting and good drafting.

That's true, and it's a situation more likely to occur during the playoffs. And I don't know what the stats are, but I do wonder if teams get just a tad more conservative in the winner take all format. I have always thought that the Bills should be a team that is well prepared to play in the elements. That said, it's now a league which is primarily about quarterback play.

I hear what you are saying. What makes the above hard to do is that other teams know that the importance of the QB position has taken a new level. I have not seen much of Boyd, but I have watched Murray and McCarron for many years. I like them both, and would not be surprised if they are both gone before round 3. I have said this before.....trading down and selecting Manuel WORKED, but it was a very odd move imo. If I was GM and truly believed that EJ was going to be a top 10 QB at some point, I would NOT have taken the chance. My fear would have been that 1 other GM saw what I saw in him and would grab him before we picked at 16. I will always believe that the Bills had another QB (Geno Smith?) rated about as high as EJ or they never would have traded down. This of course is simply my opinion. Sorry to ramble. My point is that if the Bills are up at #9 and see a player that they think will be a franchise QB, they need to grab him. EJ has not shown enough to make me feel safe at this vital position. He MIGHT down the road, but this year I felt just as much confidence in Thad Lewis. Once again, jmo.

>>>>>13 Buffalo Grab Darqueze Dennard Michigan State CB<<<<< Please get him off the list ASAP!!! The Bills would be better off with a guard projected to go in round 3.

Spiller, although talented, is not a player to build a team around. He is a situational player.

Yes you Have, and please keep posting!!!

Dareus is in a good spot. Kyle Williams is not young. If this kid can keep his head on straight he can be as good as he wants. I admit that giving him untold millions in terms of a signing bonus appears to be a risk. The Franchise Tag is a good thing.

We still don't know what Mallett can do, or has this been determined? Serious question, no hostility at all.....who would you rather have on the Bills as we speak, Mallett or EJ Manuel?

>>>>>Asper (6-7, 325) was the first to join the club when he was signed to the practice squad on Sept. 1st after he was released by Jacksonville at the end of the preseason. A former sixth-round pick of the Bills in 2012, it’s his second go round with Buffalo. He was promoted to the active roster in mid-October following the release of Colin Brown. The 28-year old saw action on field goals and extra points in six games this season for a total of 26 plays. He’s worked mainly at guard in his time with Buffalo.<<<<< 26 plays at age 28? Yeah, he sounds great.

The point is that good blockers sustain drives. Can you at least acknowledge this CB? It's tough to hold a lead when you can't pick up that time killing first down, or your rookie qb is being chased. So sure, there is plenty of discussion about letting a fine blocker walk.

Your excellent posts are starting to become a habit. Yes, teams have been reluctant to select guards (and for that matter TEs) early in the draft. This, as you said, is changing. The thing is, when guards WERE selected early their success rate was high as compared to other positions. Remember, Levitre was a second round pick, but the Bills traded up to get him. And btw, the same applies to RTs. Aside from the Mike Williams debacle, who was selected as early (#11) as Fluker, who I am impressed that you saw fit to mention? I am not seeing a hard working, coachable, brutal RT to compare to Fluker in this draft, but I watch mostly Alabama games. Otoh, the value of corners seems to be decreasing before our eyes in this new NFL. Aside from TB, who stupidly guaranteed Revis 16 million dollars, were there any big bucks contracts extended to free agent corners? There were none that I recall. Anyway, the Bills need for a solid, talented guard is obvious, as is their need for depth at OT, let alone TE. Pears is far from great and probably is declining, but I still fail to comprehend some of the venom towards him. I can remember posters actually defending Jerry Ostroski at RT. Again, I am NOT an expert, but I can tell you that Pears is 10x better than Ostroski ever was. Thanks again for a top shelf post.

Thanks for the kudos but I do not consider myself to be an expert. It is however what I watch. Yesterday, I spent the day watching DJ Fluker lol. Here's my quick rundown: 1) Glenn is a fine LT. 2)LG? NOT to hijack the thread but Levitre was a perfect fit for this passing league and especially this team with inexperienced qbs. The only college guard I have seen this season is Gabe Jackson and I like him a lot. 3) Wood is a mauler and stayed healthy this season. I'm very glad we kept him. 4) Urbik is a middle of the pack guard. No more no less. 5) Pears is interesting. I have no idea why posters think he is so bad. He is extremely strong and sometimes his movement surprises me. That said, I am not a doctor but I suspect that he is a little beat up. Keep in mind that he is a PURE RT and has no hope of playing the left side. And wrt Hairston, will he even be in the NFL next year? I have no idea what is/was wrong with him but he was a fine backup. Notice the "was" and without him I am seeing zero depth. Regarding Koundjio from Bama, I remind you once again that in 2012, he was the 4th best blocker on the team. I like him, but #9 seems just a bit early. In summary the Bills have a dire (self created) need at LG. RT seems less pressing but one injury changes this. Ino, they need to strongly address the OL in the draft. You must be very surprised to read this! PS: If you want to have some fun, focus on big #76 on the Chargers(Fluker), and keep in mind that he is a rookie. But remember, he was drafted unusually early (#11) for a RT. WOW can this kid play!!!!!

He was last season. Glenn was a rookie and Wood was nursing and recovering from injuries.

Yeah!!!! Screw us idiots who want our team to win and don't goose step behind every dumb thing the Bills do for decades!

Actually, I am still trying to figure out what happened with that pick. If they thought that Manuel was a franchise qb, trading down was a huge risk, UNLESS they had another qb with a similar rating.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/482670/kevin-norwood This kid has lower numbers because he is surrounded by other star players. He gets open and has great hands.