2020 Our Year For Sure

Its tough trying to figure out exactly what Barkley is missing. Everyone points to arm strength but I've seen him sling it 60 yards in the air and I've seen him put it on a line in the 15-yard range. He has great touch but can also put zip on the ball when he has to, and nobody seems to question his intangibles or his accuracy. Like you said, last year he was looked at as a #1 overall and he had a great year in 2012. I think we'd be lucky to get him at 8.

He seems to have more athleticism than Geno. I wouldn't be surprised if the Eagles' interest in Geno is a smokescreen and their target is Scott in the 2nd.

Hey ya never know! Personally I think it'd be really cool to see the Bills locker room lead the way and set an example.

Any examples of players who were as good after a torn achilles tendon as they were before it?

I completely disagree with that, CardinalScotts. Nelson is a solid possession receiver who makes for a convenient target for a quarterback on third down, with his size and his sure hands. It's actually not important whether he could beat starting corners, what matters for him is that he could beat linebackers. Remember he was a very strong blocker with nearly TE size. If the D lines up in the nickel, Nelson gives you an advantage running it by serving as another TE. If they line up in the base D, he has a chance to get open over the middle. I do not mean to suggest that DCs lost sleep out of a fear of David Nelson, but this was a nice little thing we had going for us that Gailey did a good job of utilizing. Nelson isn't a guy you want as one of your starters, he's a helpful roll player. All that said, the point others have made about his injury is a fair one. I don't see anyone else rushing to sign him either. But when the time comes I hope we're in play.

Your link also points out that Davis has been a pass-catching TE who does not excel at blocking, stuck in a run-first offense. The Bills are likely to be more of a passing team, making him a better fit and giving him more opportunity. It also points out he was productive with Rex Grossman, so he's done it before. On the other hand, I wonder if there are many examples of players coming back from his injury and being the same player they were before. Or if most guys, if they get back at all, are like Takeo Spikes where they can still be a decent player but never have the same explosiveness.

Great post, San Jose. Completely agree. If we take say one in the 1st and one in the 4th this year, it's kinda hard to turn around and take one in the 1st next year. But if you only take one QB this year you leave that door open, and you want to do that considering the elite prospects in next year's pool.

Why did Greg Jennings sign on to play with Christian Ponder? There's this little thing called money.

If you can move well in the pocket and make good decisions you don't need a good forty time. The many great pocket passers we've seen over the years prove it. I get that seeing guys like Wilson, Kaep and Griffin doing it a different way is exciting, but it's far from the only way to move the ball.

Unbelievable that a solid hand like Nelson is gone while this completely worthless player stays for twice the money.

Fair enough. It still sounds to me like it's moving away from the way Buddy Nix is accustomed to doing things, which was all I meant to suggest.

I'm not sure how to approach your question. You know as well as I do the Bills are now using analytics to aid with player evaluation. They haven't shared with the public the details of what exactly analytics means to them, so as for how it effects our approach to free agency, your guess is as good as mine. The rest of your post I could not agree more with, and with the familiarity Moore has with both Marrone and Pettine you'd think a marriage would make sense for both sides.

This is the only explanation I've seen for Nix still being in place that makes sense. We have Brandon taking over who has watched Nix fail miserably for three years, and who is pushing an analytic system that Nix knows little about. Together with the information we got from their choice of Head Coach, a scenario in which Brandon has allowed Nix to remain an all-powerful GM seems farfetched. So why is Nix allowed to continue to collect a check and pretend to be General Manager? Your scapegoat explanation makes a lot of sense. I'll also throw out there (as has been pointed out by GG) that we had our best draft in a number of years in 2009, getting Wood, Byrd and Levitre under Brandon as de facto GM. No doubt Brandon is aware of this fact. It's possible that Nix as figurehead GM allows Brandon to again take direct control of the football operation.

I think I should've been outta here after my first 5 posts! Correct, it was meant as a cheap shot.

Oh I thought that was Nix

That was said by a scout, not a GM.

Is he THE WHIP?

Round 1- Barkley, Manuel, Geno Round 2- too late

I agree. Tough and accurate.

Faith doesn't require reason. You can use logic and consider that the people who have made mostly poor decisions over the years are more likely to have made a poor decision on Whaley than they are to have made a good one, or you can Billieve.

This is where I am too. Nobody is gonna win a Superbowl today without strong QB play. Trent Dilfer is already a long time ago. Never in the league's history has it been so crucial to be able to pass the ball. What that means is that if we don't get a good quarterback, nothing else we do is relevant. I completely agree, just draft one every year until you get it right.

Snazzy chart

Says who?

Nickel corner is an important spot in today's NFL. Most of the time he will be on the field as opposed to your base defense. Brooks may have a chance to be a player, Aaron Williams appears hopeless right now. CB is a real question mark right now. I'm not certain Gilmore is a number 1, and I'm not certain McKelvin is good enough to start full-time. Certainly LB is more dire but I'd think we have to look to at least add depth.

That was an incredible few days. We've had too few moments like that to celebrate over the years. What utter mayhem. I remember people checking airline sites trying to figure out if Mario was actually incoming. Just an unforgettable roller coaster ride.