Bill from NYC

OK, that was funny!!!!!

Technically you are right, but some day, both lawyers will have to appear in the judge's court once again. John, never underestimate the power of a judge. When Rudy Giulliani and Donna Hanover were getting divorced they couldn't agree to terms. The judge told them to get out of her court and come back with a deal, which they did. And btw, Raoul Felder was representing Donna Hanover.

Because with the new CBA, draft picks are cheap. Warmack will NOT be paid Donte Whitner type money.

C'mon old friend.....you're certainly not comparing Levitre and Dockery, are you? Levitre has been an asset to this team from the moment he arrived in town. He doesn't make highlight reels because he isn't known for pancake blocks, but he is a top pass blocking left guard, and is no slouch on running downs. And with 10 million guaranteed, this would have allowed them to get out of the contract with little pain if need be. And please be honest.....I assume that you are fond of Glenn. Don't you think that playing next to Levitre was great for his development? With the loss of Levitre, the Bills would appear to be starting the season thin at the guard position. This is a shame because this team will be fielding a running back who is a home run threat and plays best in space, a rookie quarterback who will probably need that extra time, and a vet qb who has already had his brains beat in. Instead of keeping Levitre, they are chasing Eugene Parker and a safety, and drafted 2 more. Sorry, I cannot condone this.

My money says that the judge will order them to settle.

And Derrick Dockery. He got his 49 million dollar contract (18 guaranteed) and never put any more effort into playing football. His uniform was shiny and clean after games. He looked as if he just didn't care. I hope that this doesn't happen to MD. As I said, I always liked the kid.

This post is impossible to argue with from top to bottom. After having watched most of his games at Alabama, I expected more from him, especially on running plays. He did put pressure on qbs, but his forte imo was stuffing the middle as well as making tackles vs. the run. This is grueling work and as you say, one must be motivated to do this, talent level notwithstanding. I always liked the kid, and I hope that he produces. It would mean a lot to this team if he can get himself together and take over a few games.

This would be a wonderful scenario.

1) History tells us we will draft a corner and continue to be a losing franchise. 2) Dareus has a chance to be great or bust out. KW might be done. DT would be a likely pick. 3) FJ will most likely be finished after this year (if he even lasts), and Spiller will be a UFA soon. RB would be another dumb, but likely selection. I don't expect a blocker, pass rusher, or tight end.

I will go with 9th. But I respectfully suggest that you make this thread more fun and ask what position we will draft in round 1 as well.

Yes. I am sure that he was involved in the process. But as he gained stature, the drafts generally worsened. And when he had final say as GM, it was an utter disaster in both the draft and free agency.

The stars seemed to age all at once. Marv did little to replace them; he preferred using his best resources on defensive backs.

OK, that is too freaking funny!!! Staying with the Grateful Dead, I would also go with "Hell in a Bucket" or "Lost Sailor."

You could borrow lyrics from the great Robert Hunter and call it the "Ship of Fools."

There is no evidence to conclude that Levy would have been a great, or even a good GM, but a whole lot of proof does exist that he was, and would have been one of the worst ever. I believe your comment about Levy being influential wrt the Bills drafts of the 90's. The strong emphasis on defensive backs has his signature all over it, and in those days it was less of a passing league. He did little to replace the stars who were getting on in years, instead focusing on DBs. The drafts between 1990 and 1994 were nothing short of ridiculous. http://www.drafthist...php/teams/bills In 2006, he devoted the draft primarily to defensive backs, and hired his clone, Dick Jauron. Levy's tenure as GM set this team back many years. I respect your opinion, but the facts speak for themselves.

Yes he gambled and lost, but in a way I understand this move, however ill advised. Stats and superbowl wins notwithstanding, it's hard for me to consider Flacco a great quarterback. I am probably not correct in this assessment, it's just my gut feeling. In my decades of watching football, I have seen a slew of QBs who scared me more than Flacco. How 'bout you? Ozzie is old school, and I guess that he was thinking the same thing.Then, Flacco look the team to a SB victory, and now a team virtually has to cough up the big bucks. Period. Again, we have entered a new era. If Kap, RG111, Luck, or even a small Wilson were UFAs today, they would all come close to, or even surpass 20 million dollar per season contracts. This was the effect of the rule changes and new CBA. In all, I agree that Ozzie made a mistake this time. He missed the boat by a year or so. So yes, even the greats make mistakes.

And how about Robert Brazile on the outside? He was a GREAT player that nobody seems to know about.

Thanks. There have been disputes on this board as to the guaranteed money to Levitre. One poster claims he got more than 20 million guaranteed. All I can find is that he got a 10 milion dollar signing bonus. If all he got was the 10 million bonus and no other guaranteed cash, that was not a bad deal imo. After 2 perhaps 3 years, he could be cut if need be without taking a huge hit. Or, if his play lessens there is a chance to renegotiate as Dallas did with their RT. Otoh, it looks like Byrd will cost a fortune wrt guaranteed money. And with his agent, a holdout is likely. In summary, we lost our best blocker in order to try to keep a safety, this with a rookie QB who would have had an added advantage with Levite in the lineup. Tough to figure from where I sit, but great dialogue.

As you well know, the game has completely changed due to the CBA and the rule changes. Draft picks are very cheap these days. For instance in 2006, our very own Donte Whitner signed a bigger and better contract than Andrew Luck did in 2012 6 years later.Think about this for a moment if you will.....no coach or GM on earth (save perhaps Levy/Jauron) would rather have Whitner than a young, star quarterback. Whiter if you recall successfully held out for a while to boot. Team are going to pay a million dollars or less for a second round pick before they give 5 million or so to an aging vet. There is no getting around this. And since this game resembles the Arena League, Joe Flacco, who I consider good but not at all great), makes more than 20 million per season. In a capped league, this money has to come from somewhere. Other than the dumb Revis signing, what CBs are making the huge buck as happened not so long ago? I heard on Sirius that Joe Thomas actually lost money by not accepting an earlier offer to stay on the Dolphins at LT. My point is that it is the vets who are taking the hit. It seems to me that today, the only way to build a winning team is to draft the right quarterback,and pay him pennies for 5 years as you build a team around him. And if he is good, break the bank to keep him. This leaves very little room to spend the big bucks on older guys whose bodies have already taken a beating. And yes, there are exceptions. Andy Levitre was one.

LOL!!! Guilty as charged wrt #18!!!!! How many times have you been at a party or a sports bar when the Bills blow a game? Countless times I am sure. When McKelvin fumbles, or Eli Manning goes RIGHT down the firld for a TD, people start looking at you. I am NOT going to give them an animated reaction, pain notwithstanding. It isn't so simple in my case. Defense mechanisms kick in.

How can one be a Bills fan without being at least a partial 9 and 10? Are people, after what this team has done, actually surprised when Stevie drops that last second pass, or the defense gives up that late TD? There is absolutely nothing to be surprised at when it comes to the Bills blowing games.

Wrt Fred Jackson and Pears, their careers will be determined by how their bodies hold up. If FJ loses, or has lost a step, he doesn't really have a step to lose and will not contribute very much. Again, I think more of Pears than most posters. He isn't great, but he is very strong. And while he's not very mobile, he moves better than Langston Walker did imo. If he is healthy, I think that he will be OK at RT. Good point. The world is not a very patient place these days. I personally would rather lose with a young qb. Remember when our starter was Alex Van Pelt? Things were much more hopeless back then.

How about Dareus?

As a Bills fan, it amazes me when people question skepticism, or even negativity. Last season, I thought that the OL was good. Not great mind you, but good. This was the first time I felt like this in close to 20 years. And, we let our (imho) best blocker walk in free agency. Think about it, if the Bills had a good offense and could block, the defense that Wade had with Bruce, Big Ted, Paup (NFL Defensive Player of the Year), and a slew of good lbs, would have been heralded as one of the top 15 or 20 ever. But they are not. The team fielded a semi-pro offensive line. This matters. Look, maybe Marrone is not just a crony of Brandon, and can coach a professional football team. And maybe EJ can play. He DOES have the talent, and he seems smart. I like the pick, given the fact that they got him and another 2nd. But they brought this kid in at the same time they gave away an extremely good LG. Now, they are struggling to sign a safety. This can conjure up bad memories to a Bills fan, no? I will always have an affinity toward posters like Promo who were around (like me and you) in the "good old days." But I do agree that criticizing posters who don't totally toe a losing party line will stifle the discussion that this board (imo) is about. I got my balls kicked in on a weekly post and was accused of crusading for NOT talking about Spiller. This is a bad tone to be set. Did we turn the corner with this draft? Tough to say. We still have holes in a lot of places. My point is that it is OK to say this. And most of all, I thank you personally for making this a better board. And btw, I think that the crew is coming back uo this season. I will keep you posted.

So would the hypothetical punch in the mouth also be considered a "gift?" I know that there are no easy answers. What I also know is that Mario is lucky. Yes, lucky. If he married this girl, had 2 kids and THEN got dumped, he could say "bye bye" to 25% of his gross income, and a judge would let him know when he could see his kids. And the odds of this happening are well over 50%. This woman, based on the info she appears to have released, is no joke. He needs to lick his wounds, get help, and move on. Jmo.