Dibs

I agree with your sentiment there Bill but.... Are you seriously ready to deem every blocker selected after Whitner a non-bust? I know you have not said that but that is how you are coming across. Whitner was considered before the draft to be one of the closest draft prospects to being NFL ready....or to put it a different way....one of the surest picks in the draft. I cannot comprehend why this attribute in a draft pick is not considered(by all) to be one of the major ones to look for. 50% of the 1st round are busts....Including top 10....let alone 2nd+ rounds. Even if you made the trade down, the odds of getting a non-bust player with the extra 2nd round pick are what??? 40%....30%....?? It looks like the assessment of Whitner was correct. He has stepped into the NFL & has already started making plays. I too want us to draft OL in the first day....pretty much every year. I don't however want us to blindly draft players based on that concept. If we are more sure of player A than player B....take player A...unless we have so much talent that we can afford the luxury of gambling. In the end....the goal is to draft players that can play football....not to simply draft players.

I pretty much agree. What a lot of people forget is that until proven....at least 50% of 1st & 2nd round picks are total BUSTS. Therefore a proven player(one who isn't a bust) has more value that a draft pick ever could.

I think it's more to do with his bulk. Parrish 5-9 168lbs Smith 5-9 185lbs Moss 5-10 190lbs Parrish is VERY lithe for a WR. I'm not saying he can't do it.....just showing the stats.

Also, just look around at your peers here. Some here if asked about Levy would reply exactly the same way. One voice is not a majority....though it might be.

Just to play devil's advocate here..... 1997 Marcellus Wiley - pro bowler 1998 Sam Cowart - pro bowler 1999 Peerless Price - 2a WR & netted a 1st round pick from trade 2000 Travares Tillman - Starting at Mia 2001 Aaron Schobel - future pro bowler 2001 Travis Henry - pro bowler 2002 Josh Reed - 2b WR 2002 Ryan Denney - 3 sacks this week Our history of 2nd round picks is pretty good really.

The reality is that a lot of teams have disagreed with your assessment over the years. Kickers & punters have been taken in round 1 etc. If a players perceived ability is so much greater than the norm at a traditional lesser impact position, then his selection higher in the draft is generally considered acceptable. I think Ray Guy is an example of the concept being acceptable. You obviously disagree with the concept of EVER doing this. That's all well & good but empatically stating it over & over does not mean that people of the oposite opinion are wrong....and honestly, the existance of a Ray Guy should give you pause to reconsider your stance. RAY GUY Is RP one of those rare guys??? If he ends up getting 3 PR TDs a season for the next 6 years you'd have to say yes....We'll have to wait & see.

JDG....what's up with The Losman-Meter??? It's starting to bug me heaps. Any way you look at his stats, he does not have a 60.4 Rating as you state. Do you need the QBR formula? He has a 67.2 rating(career) You said you choped off his 1st filler years stats....this gives him a 68.5 rating.

Not that I'm superstitious but......hell, keep him on the list. I don't want to be the cause of a Bills loss(through complaining to you, you taking him off the list, Lindell subsequently missing a game winning FG). I don't think I could take the pressure if you took him off now.

Some of you are a bit weird. If you had us slated down as a loss @ MIA.....& we are performing at or above your original expectations.....how can you predict the same as previous? Logically you should increase your prediction by 1. Just a thought.

Hey Boony....re: your probationary list..... What's Lindell doing on there??? I'd think Reed & Wire should have moved a little after their performances this week. IMO Wire=5....Reed=8

yes it is

15-0...wow! Who'd you pick for the Monday night game?

Says the guy who has all the power rankings in his sig. good one.

IMO "mediocre" would we today's performance....with a pick. Controlling the game with no turnovers & a QBR of 90 is "solid". 183 yards I might call "very solid" or "good".... & 2 TDs "top" or "very good" Why all the quibbling over how one words his performance? We won the game....JP didn't stuff up....he is showing improvement as he progresses....why worry whether it was "solid" etc? solid=workmanlike

So I guess today's unexpected win bumps up your season prediction to 7-9 then.

Hey, the Losman-Meter is a cool idea....which Bills fan isn't interested in his progress? Personally I think you should simply have his career stats...after all, that is what he will eventually be judged upon & adding 3-5-32 & 1 INT isn't gonna change things too much. *your QBR is incorrect...it should be 68.5*

That was an absolute delight to listen to.

Absolutely! Where was the shutout? It was begging to be had & we muffed it. Why can't this team just show some improvement.

No tackles or any stats to speak of.....doesn't mean he didn't play OK though. Doesn't mean he won't become a star either.....it's not a race. As long as Whitner is playing well, that's all I care about. With over 50% 'busts' in the 1st round, to have a 'player' instead already is a relief & a bonus.

I agree totally. I'd love to know the win/loss stats in the modern era against prevent D & non-prevent D. All I ever see it doing is giving confidence to the other team. Mind you.....even though they scored on us, we still won.....showing that effectively the prevent worked. I'd love to know the stats.

Respect.

I assumed that was when we went into @#$% prevent defense.(was listening/not watching so I don't know)

His QBR was 90.74 today.....that implies not too many bad decisions....no fumbles....2 sacks. Your Losman-Meter goes up to..... 51.8% passing, 5.91ypa, 1.00 TD/INT, 67.15 Rating *What are the stats at the moment in your Losman-Meter?....they are waaaay out*

What about John DiGiorgio? He may not have been drafted, but he is still a rookie.....and he contributed 1 Tackle. 4 Rookie starters, 6 contributors.

Nice way to start the article too.... Class