JohnC

I have to salute McDermott and Beane in mapping out a strategy to get a high end prospect qp from this draft class. They were really focused on this endeavor. They made moves to acquire picks and traded Glenn to move up the board and on draft day after exploring their many options executed a deal that got Josh Allen. This was a many layered and complex operation. And they got the deal done for a reasonable price. And as a bonus they didn't give up any of their two first round picks or future picks. On top of that multi-pronged approach the McBeane tandem made a deal to get an exceptional talent in Edmunds for a pick they acquired in the trading of Tyrod. This was a tremendous execution that hopefully got us our franchise qb but also an anchor defensive player. While Whaley took a patchwork approach to addressing the roster this regime was much more strategic in reworking the roster and its structure. Kudos to them.

He should never be forgotten. He is one of the few NFL players who got drafted and the only player killed during the Viet Nam war era. Rocky Bleier from the Steelers is someone who should be honored for his service on this day. He was wounded and returned to play. He's still alive. The link is from a column written by Sally Jenkins. I don't want to focus on the flag debate but rather on the story of Rocky Bleier serving and getting wounded in VietNam. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/ct-spt-nfl-national-anthem-20180527-story.html

Someone else brought it up that he was considering it. So my sourcing is shallow.

I liked the aggressiveness this regime exhibited in getting Allen. However, where I have a nuanced disagreement with your position is if Allen doesn't work out or is hurt that doesn't mean that the franchise is sunk. There is nothing mutually exclusive about dedicating resources to finding a franchise qb while at the same time continuing on with building the roster. The Eagles demonstrated that point. It's clear that one of the primary reasons that the Bills have been mired in generational mediocrity is that they didn't have a franchise qb, and to make matters worse seemed to have a perplexing languid attitude toward addressing that issue. But on top of that demonstration of nonfeasance/malfeasance the franchise was in general poorly run. Poor drafting, poor cap management, bad coaching and front office staffing and the constant churning within the organization have led to a hollowed out franchise competing with serious and focused franchises. I'm not disagreeing with your take. I'm simply adding to it. The source of this organization's historical failure had more to do with how the organization was being run than with a particular position (qb) requirement. Because the organization was shallow (front office and coaching staff) it's not surprising that its output was paltry. If there is to be success in the near distant future it will be more attributable to the selection of McDermott as the HC and Beane as the GM. Smartly working in tandem and sync is what is going to be the most influential factor for future success. Again, I'm aware that we are not in disagreement but wanted to add another layer to the discussion.

One of us is a recalcitrant. Which one? It depends on one's perspective. ?

We are two ships on the ocean passing in the night. That's alright. I have no problem with your take whether I agree with it or not. It is still well reasoned and worthy of consideration. With respect to the Rosen and Allen debate and comparison I had Rosen as my preferred qb. But I understand why the Bills selected Allen. As I have already stated I would have been more than satisfied with any of the top four rated qbs in this draft class. I must note that I disagree with how you interpreted my position. The highlighted comments regarding my acceptance of a consensus view on qb prospects is an over simplification that borders on distortion. But as it applies to this year's class the consensus view was my view. Not every year but certainly this year. And it was reflected by where these upper echelon qbs were taken. Again, I want to emphasize that I'm not saying you are wrong but especially as your position applies to this draft class I respectfully disagree with your judgment.

You have your system and I respect that. Where I diverge from your approach is that I consider evaluating qbs different from evaluating other positions. In my mind every aspect/category in the evaluation of the qb has to be circumscribed with the consideration if the player under examination has the ability to be a franchise qb. With respect to the qb position, more than any other position, it's not about the breakdown of the parts but whether the whole goes beyond the particulars. What I'm saying is because of the nature of the position there needs to be a qualitative difference in the manner of evaluating the prospect. For me, apparently less so than for you, there should be an intuitive component for the evaluator when scrutinizing a player. That is a tricky challenge when you are scoring a player. In my view all the top four qbs in this draft class should have had first round grades attached to them. And from what I have read the top four qbs in this draft class did have first round grades attached to them by the overwhelming majority of teams. Make no mistake what I'm saying here. I'm not saying you are wrong; however, I am saying that I respectfully disagree with you. And so does the corpulent Andy Reid.

You must be relieved. ? As in most endeavors success is predicated on desire as it is on talent. I get the impression that there isn't much you can do to motivate this kid and change his attitude. It is an internal force. I'm sure he is a good kid but he is what he is and is what he will be, at least from a personality standpoint. I salute you for working with the kids. You may not be aware how influential you are with the kids, but you are.

If your program is in shambles with him then wouldn't it be better to have the program in shambles without him? Less aggravation. When it gets to the point that you have to go on Facebook to trap him then you are being sucked into his world of foolishness. Losing with dignity is better than losing with indignity.

If he wasn't one of your more talented players would you put up with his deceit? The other players on the team know exactly that the manipulating and conniving player is not committed to the team and that you are giving allowances to him that you wouldn't give to the other less talented kids. At this level it isn't about winning and losing. It's about respecting the players that are there doing their best and not tolerating players that don't care about the team. Tell the kid to take a hike and not to come back.

The group think you claim not to want to be a part of are made up of the professionals who make the selections on draft day. As an example while you give Mahomes a third round grade Andy Reid who is considered knowledgeable about the qb position was willing to trade a future #1 pick to Buffalo last year in order to move up to select him. He saw enough of him in practice to be willing to trade his established franchise qb in order to risk him being the franchise qb with no safety net behind him. Yet you rated him as a third round prospect. There is a disconnect here. Again, the group think that you want no association with had all the four qb needy teams having Allen under serious consideration with their very high first round picks. Cleveland had the first pick in the draft and undoubtedly they were considering him as their first pick. The Bills were willing to deal with the Giants, Denver,Cincinnati and Indianapolis to move up near the top of the draft to select Allen while giving up significant assets to make a deal. Arizona tried to move up ahead of us to get Allen but couldn't do so then settled for moving up to get Rosen. Gunner, come back a little more to the working pack. Being outside the wide boundaries of the pros for the sake of being an outlier is not going to get your voice heard. If not, your voice will not be heard because it will be too far out in the distant.

I say this respectfully yet critically that your grades with respect to the qb position are skewed to the point that they lose relevancy and applicability when it comes to the draft. The point of evaluating and scoring players relates to the draft. If the draft positioning is left out of your laborious endeavor for the most important position in the game then what is the point of doing it? You need to modify your scoring and incorporate it to the reality of the bigger picture. My point is simple: Being pure is not necessarily being real. Being hard headed may be useful in head butting an adversary in a fight but when it comes to the draft and evaluating qbs it loses its usefulness. I'm offering some friendly advice on this matter that you stubbornly adhere to. ?

Respectfully, you are 180 degrees wrong. On this issue if you look to the right instead of the left you will know where the punch is coming from.

We have entered the Jack Welch business model on steroids. As you indicated it has been going on for a long time but now at a faster pace. Wearing blinders has a tendency to blur what is happening in front of you. Some people are too wrapped up in personalities (like and dislike) while the reality is that the big wave is hitting everyone. It's about the $$$$. Has always been so and will continue to be so. What's obvious to some is not obvious to others. Sinclair is buying up local stations not only for business reasons but also for political reasons. It's getting scary. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/02/business/media/sinclair-news-anchors-script.html

Ask the taxi industry if Uber hasn't affected their business? You claim that the newspaper industry isn't adapting. It is. It is eliminating the paper and going digital where it can. It still has to figure out the economics of a subscriber model. My point in my posts is that the Bucky and Sully personalities are miniscule factors in the altering nature of the business. They are part of the old guard that has little to do with dealing with the changing dynamics of the business that not only affects the BN but is an inescapable fact of life of business in general. That's my central point. Bucky and Sully as individuals have little to do with the forces that are affecting them. It's a fact of life that is happening everywhere in their business.

You are giving Sully too much credit. While you may not subscribe to the BN because of Sully there are others who do so because of him. Overall, Sully's impact one way or the other is not as significant as you think.

It shouldn't be so surprising that readership is down with the Buffalo News. Fewer people are reading newspapers in general. It is not a phenomena unique to Buffalo. It is happening everywhere putting stress on the local media. Newspapers in markets all over the country are dropping like flies after an anti-insect chemical bombing. Younger and older readers are not subscribing to the paper because they are going to digital and other outlets. That's where the impetus is coming for shedding the longer termed and more costly workers. What's happening to Bucky and Sully are happening all over the country and also the world. This is a business dynamic and not a personality driven dynamic as you believe it it. The level of animosity toward them has little to do with their departures. It may be a factor but not the determinative factor. It's happening everywhere in the business. The economics of the business is altering the business model and how the news is delivered. The dynamics forcing changes in the business happens in all businesses. Look at the brick and mortar stores such as Sears and JC Penny. The Amazon model sucked the life out of the antiquated stationary store model. Open your eyes. Change is part the business and it is happening everywhere. What is destroyed in one sector is replaced with another option in that same sector.

You don't understand the economics and dynamics of what is going on in the newspaper industry. The more costly old timers are being pushed out for cheaper workers in order to help stem the tide of red ink. What is going on at the BN is going on everywhere. The same fiscal dynamic of shedding the costlier older and more long term employees has happened and is continuing to happen at ESPN. It's happening all over in the related sports business. What's apparent to me is that you don't have an understanding what is going on in the business. The substantive story isn't about Bucky or Sully being squeezed out. It is about a business model in the newspaper industry that is having trouble surviving in the digital age. Get a clue and look around. It's happening everywhere.

Bucky and Sully's reporting have little to do with the plight of the BN. The newspaper business is being subjected to a new economic reality where the paper news is not viable in a world where many, if not most, are receiving their news through digital devices. Just as record stores are nonexistent because of music being downloaded and mortar department stores are at a fast pace vanishing because of online shopping from Amazon etc. the economic forces are on the one hand killing old line businesses and creating new businesses. The challenge for the BN is to make money from the digital side of their operation. Getting enough subscriptions at a reasonable price is the new challenge that all newspapers are dealing with, including the major outlets such as the NY Times, Washington Post, LA Times etc. The notion that irascible reporters such as Bucky and Sullivan are factors in the steady demise of their company is missing the reality of the landscape for their business. They simply are two provocative columnists who provoke their readers. That's what columnists do. Whether you agree with them or not is not what they are getting paid for. If they are provoking a response, positive or negative, then they are doing what they set out to do.

What is demonstrated with the Bills and Sabres is that the first priority for a new owner is not to worry about making a splash on ice or on the field but to get the organizational and front office staff right. That takes a lot of thought and consultation with people who are knowledgeable about the league. Western NY is very fortunate to have the Pegulas as owners for their pro teams. However, they made some very damaging decisions with their selections of people to run their pro teams. If you examine the front office staff of both their teams under McBeane and Botterill there is a blueprint that adheres to a well thought out philosophy on how to build a roster. For the most part the philosophy revolves around drafting talent and developing it. And it's not just about adding talent so much as adding the right talent to the mix. It's not a splashy approach or a quick fixe approach to fixing damaged franchises but it is the right approach. Overall, I'm optimistic for the future but irritated that the respective franchises were unnecessarily set back with bad staffing decisions.

I hope you didn't ask any of your subjects to do squats? That's a good way to get your puckish face slapped and escorted out by big beefy men. ?

Bloke, I thought I saw you on TV at the Royal Wedding. Were you sitting between Oprah and George Clooney and his lovely wife at the church? I don't want to be judgmental but wearing sweats, cap and sneakers and having your clip board and stop watch with you for your next scouting assignment was a tad gauche for such a solemn ceremony!?

You can be a good qb sooner but still have not reached your full potential until another year or two. That was the consensus evaluation for the bigger and brawnier Josh. It was also the consensus view that Josh Rosen was the most pro ready qb in this draft class. Although jumping to a conclusion over the first OTA is an overreaction. I believe all the top four qb prospects in this draft class are going to turn out to be franchise qbs. For a number of reasons beyond the ability to play, such as durability and personality. Allen was a good fit for the Bills. I'm ecstatic with his selection. However, a more interesting question might be whether the Bills would have selected Darnold over Allen if they were in position to do so?

I appreciate your response. My worry that was misconstrued was that I have been putting off addressing an obvious problem for more than a year. I have continued to go to the gym and ride the stationary bike for 20 or more miles in hope of keeping the leg strong and I rotate days of swimming a mile or more. I'm hoping my hard headed behavior didn't set me back. And thank you for your offer to answer questions after the procedure. The challenge for me is to not over do it and let the injury heal.