JohnC

I don't understand your concern that he be forced to face the obvious reality that he will never play football again? If his delusion helps him to stay motivated and intensely rehab then what is the harm? Surgeons and rehab teams usually know the unvarnished truth about a patient's condition but often don't brutally dash the hope of their patient when they are in a vulnerable stage facing a long and rigorous rehab. What the medical team very often does in this type of situation is tell their client let's see how this goes and take it from there. Their message would be let's concentrate on the day and see where it leads. If the patient is being unrealistic then so what? Without a doubt there will come a time where he will realize that ultimately what he is aspiring to won't materialize. And if he is not receptive to that reality it will be forced upon him when he doesn't get the medical clearance to play. The job of the doctor and the rehab team is not to depress the patient and make his journey harder. The job of the doctor and the team is to uplift the patient and get him to the best outcome that is possible.

When Russell Wilson was drafted he made an emphatic statement as a draft commentator that it must be understood that he would never be a starter in this league. He stated that he will never be anything more than a backup. I have heard Polian speak about his philosophy in drafting players. He was very committed to analytics relating to the physical profile for positions that included not only physical measurements but also athletic measurements such as speed etc. For his time he was very advanced in that area. The one area of weakness that seems to become more pronounced now that he is not involved in running a franchise is that he has not expanded and used more flexibility within his own methodology. If Polian was still in the business he probably wouldn't be interested in drafting a qb such as Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson.

Who has bigger ears? Micky Mouse or Siciliano?

I'm very confident you will be wrong. It's not about the timing as it is about the outcome. Trust the process.

John Guy was an awful pro scout. He over-rated the talent and over paid for that lagging talent. If I recall he stayed in his position for a decade or longer. A classic example of a mediocre talent burrowing in an organization. The biggest disappointment was Donahoe. I thought he was going to be the fix for this plagued franchise. He was a disaster. And his crony hires weighed this organization down even after the owner dismissed him. The biggest weakness that Donahoe had wasn't his football acumen. Although he over-rated himself. It was Donahoe the insufferable and arrogant person who ended up sabotaging himself because he was Donahoe the arrogant and insufferable person.

Good post. If the Bills move up I have no problem with them taking any of the top three rated qbs. From what I have seen of Darnold I think it would be a big mistake to make his an immediate starter. I wouldn't hesitate to immediately start either Baker or Rosen. As you noted there is a maddeningly erratic nature to Darnold's game. He struggles and then there is a flourish of great plays. That type of inconsistency is not going to work well in the pros. The one special trait that Darnold has is his stoicism . He is able to handle his struggling sequences without getting down on himself. There is a resiliency about him that makes him unique. He must be a fan of Star Trek and Commander Spock with his stoic persona.

When Marv was asked what his role was with the organization he said he saw it as a "facilitator". The reality is that he didn't want to be a GM. He succumbed to the owner's pressure out of loyalty to him. Marv was smart enough to know he was out of his depth in the job. He was a man of dignity and left on his own accord when he could have stayed on. The way the organization was structured and the chaotic and incoherent way it was managed was an embarrassment. The Bills during the last stage of the owner's stewardship were an archaic and relic of the past that had no chance of winning. Brandon took over when Marv left. A lot of people criticize Brandon for how the team was managed. But in my view he took on a job thrust on him and to his best ability held things together. If I'm not mistaken didn't Modrak as the primary college scout work out of his home in Jacksonville?

My sense is that the Cardinals still believe that they can be a competitive team and quickly get back on track. I see them as much as any other team going the free agent route and pursuing a qb such as Kennum, McCarron or maybe even Bradford. I think that although Lamar has some stunning and explosive talents he is from a pro standpoint a raw prospect. In my view any team that takes him is willing to groom him for at least a couple of years without getting much immediate return from him. If the Bills stayed pat and drafted him with one of their first round picks I would have no complaints. However, I don't see that happening because he doesn't seem to fit Beane's profile for a qb. The GM has stated that he wants a qb that makes plays from the pocket. My guess is that Rudolph fits the preferred mold than Jackson does.

It doesn't matter how shriveled the market is as long as there are a few teams willing to pay a premium price. Denver and the Jets appear to be seriously interested in him. There is also a scenario where the Browns might be interested in him if they want to be competitive sooner rather than later. When it is all tabulated Cousins has played the system as well as it can be played. Over the past two years under a franchise tag he has gotten elite money, and very soon he will be a free agent attracting some big time offers. Although there are some cheaper options with qbs such as Keenum there are still bidders for his service. Cousins has smartly timed the market and it will soon respond to him.

From a financial standpoint he has marvelously worked within the system. When the Redskins didn't get a deal done when they could have the qb and his agent made a decision that there would be no compromising on what they believed his market value not only was but could be. Being tagged for two consecutive years not only put big money in his pocket in the present time but it bought him time as the market was skyrocketing up. Cousins basically placed a bet on himself. He is now close to winning the jackpot. It's not so much that he is going to the market as it is the market is going to him.

Steve Wilks is the new Head Coach for Arizona. Arians retired. Not sure if it was of his own volition or not? Does Arians's evaluation of qbs remain the evaluation of the new regime's? Not sure? I am also a fan of Lamar Jackson and believe in time and in the right system with the right coaches he will be a good pro if not dynamic player.

Are you sure you weren't writing about Lebron or Magic Johnson?

Buffalo is in a very different situation that Houston was in when Carr was a rookie. The Bills were a marginal playoff team last year but they are still substantially better now than Houston was when he played there. I'm simply amazed how much effort many people make to justify not drafting a qb. The Bills have not had a legitimate franchise qb for almost a quarter century. Yet the chorus for let's wait longer to get a prime prospect qb is still loud. I'm not with you and will never be.

I agree with you that the Bills don't have the talent that the Rams and Eagles had when they pursued their respective qbs. In my mind the Bills are still in the process of rebuilding. But no matter where you are in the process if you don't already have a franchise qb you have to seize any opportunity to get one, and the sooner the better. The Rams upgraded their OL with two good free agent pickups in Whitworth and Sullivan. The bulking up of the OL had a significant affect on the running game and offense in general. They also revamped their receiver corps with the free agent pickup of Woods, trade for Watkins and the drafting of another receiver, Kupp, in the second round. By being aggressive in moving up to draft Goff the team is set for the next decade at the qb position. As I stated before the priority is to get the qb situation settled. Improving the roster is a continuous process whether you have a qb or not. But if you don't get a qb when you have an opportunity to do so you are making a mistake. I'm not diminishing the importance of the other transactions to upgrade the rosters for the two teams you cited. What I am emphatically saying is that the most important transactions that these two teams made was getting their respective qbs. If the qb is not ready to play or the team isn't stable enough to give the young qb a chance to succeed then the solution is to not play the qb at that time. You develop players and put them a position to succeed. If it takes time before the young qb is ready then wait until the situation is right. When you have made a major investment then you need to handle it smartly and properly.

When you look at the Rams they brought in offensive linemen from the market and receivers through the draft and market. What you are not very often going to get from the market is a franchise qb. The same scenario applies to the Eagles. They accumulated talent through deals and the draft. They got their MVP caliber qb by trading up to get Wentz. My point is that you can get players in a variety of ways. What is usually not available from the market is that upper tier franchise qb. To me the model that the Rams and Eagles represent is being aggressive in the draft to get your qb. Being aggressive to get a qb in the draft doesn't mean that you stop building up the draft through other avenues. What I know for sure is if you want to be a serious team you have to have a top tier qb in place. That is usually (not always) the best approach to take.

How did moving up work up for the Rams when they got Goff and the Eagles moving up to get Wentz who probably would have been the MVP this year? You may have forgotten that the Rams a couple of seasons ago were a bad team. In one year after drafting the qb the team turned it around to participate in the playoffs. Also, if you have forgotten the Eagles won the SB with the qb they moved up for was instrumental in the team's successful season. Do you need to be reminded that Petyon Manning will in the not too distant future be a first ballot selection to be in the HOF? What you are selling is what I am not buying.

You and I are riding the same horse.

The "what if" it doesn't work out argument makes no sense to me. It doesn't matter what position you draft for there is a chance that the selection won't work out. No one is suggesting that you make a pick simply because there is a desperate need to fill that position. You do your research and evaluation and use some common sense and good judgment when making a pick. It would makes sense to use a lot of assets to move up for Rosen, Mayfield or Darnold. It wouldn't make sense to use the same amount of assets to move up to select Rudolph. As it stands the Bills don't have a franchise qb. They haven't had one for nearly a quarter century. Being passive is not a solution as much as it is the problem. Again, don't fear failure----pursue success!

If you come out of this draft with a long term franchise qb nothing is too much. Ask the Rams or the Eagles if they paid too much for their respective franchise qbs? The Bills have been meandering on the qb issue for a long time. It's time to do what has to be done to get the job accomplished. Don't fear failure----pursue success. Rumor has it he has very wet lips. You don't want his lips anywhere near your ears. Just too sloppy!

There have recently been out of control incidents on flights and now the combat is happening on cruises. This cruise was advertised as a Cruisng and Bruisingexcursion. There was a rumor that Gugny instigated the brawl by inappropriately grab assssing someone's wife. When he was confronted by the wife's menacing husband he said he didn't do anything. He then pointed to Boyz and said that was the piggish culprit. Gugny then stealthily slipped away and used his iphone to record the melee. https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/18/asia/cruise-ship-brawl/index.html

I know you addressed this to Kirby but I'll give you my unsolicited opinion: The answer is yes. He not only knows the playbook but also the concepts. Trent Dilfer ran an elite qb summer camp. It is a tough camp with highly competitive players. He has stated that Rosen had a better grasp of the playbook and concepts than any other player has exhibited. He said that the student qb showed him things that he didn't know.

He reminds me of Marino with his natural and beautiful throwing motion.

Gunner, Great job and very plausible. I still strongly disagree with you regarding what the Giants will do that will influence our draft. It makes no sense for them not to draft Rosen. Even if they stick with Eli for another year it is more unlikely than likely that they wouldin the future be in a position to draft such a highly rated prospect. If Rosen and Darnold are off the board will the Bills trade up with the Colts to draft Mayfield? I would but not sure they would for Mayfield. If the Bills can't work out a deal I see them staying pat and drafting Rudolph with one of their first round picks. That wouldn't be a bad fallback position because they would be able to address some other needs. As you projected Rudolph going to Pittsburgh does make a lot of sense. Smart teams organizations make arrangements to replace a qb before they are in a dire need. Again, great job. Very thought provoking draft.

Great work. You are illuminating! There are a few participants on this board who thrive during the draft period. You are in that lofty group. I made a point of watching Mayfield as much as possible this season. I saw him in at least three to four games. What I can say about him, even against some very good teams, is that he was always the most dynamic and compelling player on the field. There wasn't I game that I watched where that wasn't the case. Rosen in some ways reminds me of Marino in that he throws a beautiful ball and can make all the pro throws. But for me the most enthralling player in this draft is Mayfield. I covet him!

Canisius beat Monmouth, a Jersey powerhouse 78-60! All the local teams UB, Bona, Niagara and Canisius) are playing well this season. UB and hopefully Bona will make the tournament. Canisius will have to win their tournament to make it to the dance. If you want the scoop on Canisius Kirby's the man to talk to. As of today he has banished me from his select circle because of my unyielding position on Tryrod. Eventually he will see the light.