Bill from NYC

I agree. The opener vs. the Jets means quite a bit. We need Mario and Marcel to take over that game!

C'mon old friend. How could you make a definitive statement such as the above?

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/shutdown-corner-podcast-greg-cosell-2012-rb-wr-063953621.html Above, Greg Cosell calls Trent Richardson the best player in this draft. And he might well be. Richardson is an every down back as compared to Spiller, who appears to be more situational. He is fast enough, hits like a truck, and is a great blocker and receiver. And if Buddy truly did think that Spiller was the bpa, I fully share your belief that he was wrong about that.

You are making sense. The thing is I view the draft as a process to build a franchise for the long term. This is part of the reason why I detested the Spiller pick. Running backs, let alone small ones, don't last, but I digress. Reiff, from where I sit, looks like a guard. And a great one. I think that we need a LT who is agile enough to fit into this new game they are playing, which involves passing way more than it used to. This would (again, imo) call for a very agile LT. Agility is the reason Bell was OK. He was weak, and I don't believe his listed size. He always seemed small to me. I think (and hope) that if we draft Martin, he can gain weight and strength. He, out of the 3, looks like he has the potential to be a very good all around LT. But do read my disclaimers.

I agree with the premise of your post, except the bolded. Fina was decent for a couple of years, and he fell apart. At 10, I would be thrilled if they obtained a LT with the productivity of Matt Light, who was a literal steal in round 2. A Brad Hopkins would be great too. I would want a player who would be part of the foundation of this team for a decade.

If you take a chance on a qb, he is worth his weight in gold (in trade value alone) should he happen to pan out. Players like Hasselback and Schuab come to mind.

Nice post. I will always believe that many pros who write about the Bills get some of their material from this board. Jmo.

LOL thanks my friend! I saw the boys on 4/7 in Wallingford, Ct., and they rocked the house. Next stop is Falls Church, VA for the John Kadlecik Band. "Nobody told me there'd be days like these."

Imo, Walter Jones was the most agile LT I have ever seen. He wasn't as strong as Pace (not close), but he moved around with more dexterity than most TEs. Oddly, I see him as the perfect LT for the game today, which focuses more on passing. Pace otoh would open holes at scrimage that a car could drive through, and then go wipe out some poor corner. And he was blocking for Faulk! But you are 100% correct. It does come down to personal preference.

Kalil might be great, but Pace was probably stronger than him when he was 18. Roids? I don't know, but Pace would knock the same defensive end down twice on the same play. He afforded Kurt Warner ALL DAY to throw in the superbowl win. I can't stress "all day" enough. And he came from the (in those days) bruising running program of Ohio State. He was a flat out monster. His career was shorter than others, but I for one never saw a LT who could dominate like he did. And Rico, I couldn't agree more about Erik Williams. Bob Brown played longer than him, but when he was healthy, Erik Williams was the best RT ever.

I hope that you are right, and that he can stop me from regretting this selection.

Do you think that pounces will stop bouncing off of his hands for interceptions?

Disclaimer #1: Although I focus on blockers 10x more than the average person watching a football game, I am not trying to purport myself as an actual "expert." Disclaimer #2: The only college team I spend a considerable amount of time watching is the Crimson Tide. I am basing the following comments ONLY on what I have seen on youtube. So, take them with a large grain of salt. Now, the following comments are based upon Orlando Pace being the best LT I have ever seen in a lifetime of watching football. In other words, he is the model, perfect LT, or so I see it. And btw, my dear friend R.Rich thinks Ogden was better so there ya go. 1) Reiff When Bulaga came out, I was on the phone with R.Rich telling him that Bulaga is a Right Tackle. Reiff, imo, is a potentially great GUARD. There are running plays where he even rolls out like one. He is game, and in good shape. Could he be a dominant LT? I suppose, but it's hard for me to see how. He uses his hands very well, but even with the wrestling background, I didn't see extrordinary agility. If he could play at a slightly above average level for 10 years, it would work out well for him, like it did for Jeff Backus. But again, I am missing where he will be a dominant LT. 2) Glenn: If the Bills draft Glenn at 10, I will be supportive of the fact that they are finally devoting early draft resources to the OL. That said, I hope they steer clear of him. In college, huge, strong players such as Glenn, can at times dominate defenders. Mike Williams did. It's as if they engulf them. Not so easy in the NFL. Imo there had to be reasons why this kid was a guard until his senior season. I don't like his balance at all. And while he is strong enough to take down defenders from scrimage ala Pace, I can't see him being able to take it upfield (ala Pace). A frequent poster likened drafting Glenn to "swinging for the home run." He is correct. But there is a very long drop. I am not 100% convinced that Glenn will even be a very good RT. He looks like something of a plodder to me. And we already have 2 players (Pears and Hairston) who I think are more than enough for the RT position. I will go out on a limb and label Glenn a "poor man's Hairston." 3) Martin: I am concerned that he benefitted from playing in front of a qb with a superb quick release (which Fitz has imo), and next to a top LG. And, I am not liking the 19 reps with 225. BUT, he is very agile. And his combine bench was more than twice what Bell did (19 vs. 9). I would like him to gain weight and get stronger. And I think that he can. The Stanford factor impresses me as well. He is a smart kid and hopefully will be easier to coach than Bell. Will he ever be as strong as Pace or Cordy Glenn? No. But his agility could elevate him to the status of Levi Lones (a #10 pick), or D'Brick imo. How bad is that? So obviously, of the 3, my choice is Martin. Again, my opinion means little if anything, but I just thought that I would toss it out there. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obviously. And if a team has player that they think will be a star and win games for the them, there would be no reason to trade. But again, I suspect that with the new CBA the price of trading up will increase. I'm anxious/curious to find out.

This is correct. http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2011/12/23/2657384/buffalo-bills-ralph-wilson-ryan-fitzpatrick Admittedly, reading the sentence it sounds a bit odd, but it is not to be taken lightly imo. Mr. Wilson is certainly of advanced age, but he surely knows what HE wants, and how to make the big bucks. Right after, and based on these comments, Ramius and I predicted that the Bills will draft a wideout at #10. At the time, I knew nothing of Floyd. I can't speak for Ramius but my prediction stands. I must respectfully disagree old friend. Last year, Nix said that there were "multiple trade down offers in every round." Andin your scenario (moving down 10 spots), the price tag would be a lot higher than a #2 imo. In 2001, we picked up an extra #2 for moving from 14 to 21, and this was long before then new CBA. Now, there is less financial risk for owners in terms of early picks busting out. To move back 10 spots, I would want a second round pick, and another in 2013. Perhaps more.

This is an impossible question to truly answer, but I like it! I am guessing mid to late second round. Only because it is still very hard to gauge his agility, and I focused on him a lot, believe me. Hairston is a bruiser, but honestly, so is Pears. Dareus said that Pears should have been in the probowl. Questions, and threads like this really do point to, and spell out the difficulty in acquiring a left tackle. And these guys fly off the board early almost every season. After the Bengals drafted Levi Jones at #10 in 2002, commentators were calling him a "reach." He turned out to be a steal.

Do you expect a contribution from Justin Rogers? That would be a great thing!

I completely agree. And with the new CBA, the price more than likely went even higher.

Or a tackle for a loss on a run, a fumble, an interception, pick-six, a hurried, incomplete pass, or a QB with a broken rib.

In 1966 they played with 2 wideouts, no? A shutdown corner took away 50% of a team's receivers. TEs weren't even used that much in those days. Thanks for helping me make my point. And like I said, I won't have a fit if they select Floyd.

Jeff Burris. Thomas Smith, Antoine Winfield, and Nate Clements. These are 1 contract and out 1st round corners who were drafted by the Bills, but we already knew this. Back in the day, many of us were furious to see us draft players in the first round and let them walk. Things change. Check this out: http://nyjetscap.com/darrellerevis.html And this: http://www.sportscity.com/NFL/Philadelphia-Eagles-Salaries Darrelle Revis is, imo, the best corner in the NFL. His cap hit in 2012 is $11,503,000, and it appears he will be eligible for 3 seperate 1 million dollar bonuses (reporting, workout, roster) to boot. Wow! Asumugha comes with an 11,300,000 cap hit for the Eagles. How did that work out? Many posters are quick to point out that the teams with perhaps the best Left Tackles failed to make the playoffs (Miami and Cleveland). Well, look at the financial hit the Jets and Eagles are taking on these corners! It hurt the Jets SO bad that they had to extend, and give more guaranteed money to Sanchez, who imo is not all that. A huge chunk of their entire cap is devoted to a corner, who can cover 1 receiver, and today, we see 4 and 5 wide sets. Paying corners the big bucks after the first contract might actually lend itself to letting them walk, the way the Bills historically do. The thing is, Bills fans know better, because we have seen the results of wasting first round picks on DBs and RBs, and seeing them depart with nothing (or a 4th round pick) in return, and this would be losing football games. Now, as for the 2012 draft, I fully expect the Bills to draft Floyd. I don't want them to mind you, but if they do, I will not have a "Donte Whitner at #8" type of meltdown like I did in 2006 LOL! And I would want to see him play at an Eric Moulds level. If he could, I would be more than satisfied, because this could win us games. What I hope is that we grab an LT who could play at a Brad Hopkins/Takik Glenn level. That would be just fine, if of course one exists. If not, I hope that they trade down, and take a look at Hightower. It would be pretty freaking hard to run against the Bills with Hightower behind Dareus and KW, not to mention our pass rush. I think the Bills will be a playoff contender if they don't tank this draft. And it feels good to be able to even go there. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nor do I. If I was the GM, it would come down to exactly how good I think the LTs (after Kalil) are. If I thought for example that Martin could play at a better than average level, I would grab him in a second. The Lions signed Jeff Backus to a 2 year, 10 million dollar contract (though incentive laden). Perhaps they think that all of the top LTs will be gone before they pick, which is probably true. Backus was never a star, and their qb is VERY good, and perhaps even prone to injury. But as we know, LTs are extremely hard to get. Wideouts are easier to find. SJ was a 7th, and I don't even think that Wes Welker was drafted. I would not want to use a #10 on a wideout unless I truly believed that he would be great, which of course is an objective term. That said, I fully expect the Bills to use the #10 on a wideout.

Are we forgetting Whitner at #8?

Nope. We made some great moves in free agency, but we are still the Bills.