JohnC

TO should have been a first ballot selection. Old school thinking and old school bias were unfairly involved in the first vote. I have never liked his "see-me" antics on the field. And without question there were locker rooms in which he was divisive. He without question intensified a divided locker room over the qb in Philly. But as time went on even with the chaos surrounding him after his post career due to financial calamity (much of due to his financial responsibility to his babies and baby mommas) I got to see a more favorable and likeable side to him. He was an easy person to caricaturize in a very negative way. But the more I have seen him on sport shows and interviews the more apparent it is that he is a bright guy with a very likeable personality. TO is far from being an angel. But his life story is a very complicated story. His family history is very convoluted. It would leave scars on anyone who was subjected to such chaos. Football was important to him. It was the center of his life and it was his refuge. He had an unbounding passion for the game, maybe too much. He has earned the right to be in the Hall and he deserves it, although it should have been on the first ballot.

It's more than probable that Harrison shot a guy. There is also strong evidence that he may have killed the guy he probably previously shot. It's a standard refrain to say that you should fear the quiet guys more than the talkers. Harrison was known for his reticence. On the street he was a man who should not be trifled with. My sense is that he either killed his fat nemesis or arranged for it to happen. https://deadspin.com/remember-when-marvin-harrison-was-implicated-in-a-shoot-1784882889

The genesis for most of the hostility is from people who don't like the BN and some of its writers. (I'm not including posters such as Hap because there is thoughtful reasoning with his responses.) The disgruntled people in that category can't be appeased. Don't waste your time trying to do so. You can identify them by their classless rudeness. My inclination is that the more people who join the discussion with different perspectives elevate the discussion. Some people see it differently.

Don't want to read then don't subscribe! You act as if you are being coerced. You are not. How many threads on this board are not clear or to an extent deceptive? Magnifying an issue when there is no issue or at best is a miniscule issue makes no sense.

As I stated before there is a simple solution: Don't read and don't click. If you don't like the BN writers and writing don't read the material. It's like going to a restaurant knowing that you don't like the food. Then after the meal you predictably complain about the food. By now you know who the poster is and who he works for. He certainly is not hiding who he is and works for. So the notion that he is participating in a hustle over people who know who is and represents is a stretch. My inclination is I would rather error on the side of participation than restriction. Ultimately you have the final authority by not reading and responding.

Bill, What the hell has happened to you? The Gotham Bill I once knew would be revolted with the idea of drafting a DB in the first round. Even the suggestion of it would set you off fuming at how the Bills have no clue on how to build the roster because of their proclivity for drafting defensive backs. What has gotten into you???!!!

There is a simple solution: Don't respond to him! If he was trying to get people to buy his online service why do you find that so disturbing? There are others who have promoted their twitter or personal sites regarding football. That's not a crime that needs to be policed by self-appointed authorities. Why do you think people like Warrow or another BN sports reporter came here before being driven out? It's certainly not to be around convivial people. They do it to engage and also to enlarge their own followers. That's the world we live in. The notion that in order to post you have to add something of value is a crazy notion, especially on this board. If that was the case many posters would be banned for criminal stupidity. The person in question here could have something to offer. He has responded to questions about stories such as the Watson column. You may not consider that interesting or useful but maybe some others do. This is an open forum. As long as anyone is willing to abide by the TOS then they should be allowed to participate without being rudely harassed.

The NY Times allows for 10 free articles a month. There is no registration for that free service. If you decide to subscribe the basic service is for $9.99 a month the first year and it will go up to $15.99 a month after that. You pay either by credit card or pay pal. My understanding is that the Buffalo News charges $2.99 a month. I don't understand why so much energy is expended on criticizing a service that is so inexpensive. If a person doesn't want to subscribe to the service then don't. But what is there to complain about. If you don't want it---don't get it. I can handle the ruggedness associated with participating in a message board. That's part of the landscape. When the deflategate issue happened I strenuously argued that Brady and the Pats were treated unfairly by the unscrupulous commissioner. That drew plenty of scathing responses. In this SB I'm rooting for the Patriots. So I'm sure that is going to draw some charming responses.

How is it a faulty model? What other option do these newspapers have now that the era of paper is sliding into antiquity and oblivion? I recently signed up for the digital NY Times. It took me quite some time to make the decision to pay a price (reasonable in my opinion) for what I used to get free. If a person doesn't want to pay for the service because there are plenty of alternative sources for the material one is interested then that is a personal decision. But it is clear that the trend of paying for digital services is becoming very mainstream. The business model is changing as it is for many other businesses. This is separate observation from the above post but I thought too many of the comments directed toward JoshBarnett were unwarrantedly harsh. It was depicted as if he was hustling people for clicks. I didn't see it that way. It's not surprising to me that a number of the media who have participated on this board have been driven out by uncalled for rudeness. Engaging doesn't require insulting.

Your guess is as good as anyone else's and is more probable than most guesses. I believe that the Bills would be willing to trade up but they are not going to empty the cupboard to do so. That's why my sense is that they are hoping that Mayfield slides down a little so they can make a less costly move up the board. For the sake of creating a scenario would the Bills even use a first round pick on a qb if they could get a Keenum or Bridgewater from the market? I doubt they would.

The team that is going to be interesting to watch this offseason is Minnesota. Bradford will probably be gone. The tough issues for the Vikes is whether they decide to keep both Keenum and Bridgewater followed by how much will they play one of them or each of them. Or are the Vikings going to commit to Keenum or will it be Bridgewater? Does Bridgewater want to stay or will it be in his best interest to hit the market when there should be a demand for his services? The Alex Smith signing definitely takes away a competitor in the qb draft market for us, and so will the signing of Cousins. This qb market still has a lot of scrambling to do before the free agent market winds down and the draft is upon us. As it stands I have no clue as to how McBeane is going to address the qb issue from either the draft and free agency standpoint. It is both perplexing and intriguing!

I don't see what was wrong with the call. The qb went to the line with options depending how the Jaguars would line up. Based on the read the qb decided to throw a pass. There was nothing wrong in making basically a jump ball pass to KB whose forte was beating the defender in those types of high/ for grab throws. I'm not criticizing Taylor for the throw. The killer mistake was not the play but the blatant push off by the receiver. That was the glaring mistake that dramatically altered the situation. I'm not a harsh critic of Dennison nor am I a supporter of him. If you want to find things to criticize him over his play calling there are plenty of selections to choose from. On this particular play I don't see why he should warrant any criticism.

P51, Terrific job! It's obvious that you put in a tremendous amount of work in this endeavor. Your listing is something I can refer to as the draft process advances. While you have trepidations on Lamar Jackson, I don't. Without question he will need more developmental time than the top three qb prospects. It's my belief that he would be worth drafting with one of our current first round picks. Although Rosen may be the most pro ready and appealing I would take Mayfield or Darnold over him. I'm not sure Rosen is a good fit for the town.

The franchise should not give him a pay cut. It should simply cut him and move on. It would be the best thing for him and it would be the best thing for the organization. The NFL is basically a market place for the players. If he could find another team that would give him a better opportunity to play and be more financially rewarding then more power to him. He is a stellar person who I wish well. The Taylor era is over. He has started for three years with little progression to his game. He is what he is. There should be no debate about what he can be as a qb. That is well known by all. The team should allow him and his agent to find another team to join. Then the organization should accommodate him, even if it means giving him away for nothing. He is a good fellow and teammate. He deserves a fresh start and so does the team.

Don't let perfect be the enemy of the good! You either get it done or you don't. This is the year to make a serious attempt of getting a high end qb on board. If it doesn't work out then try again. Passivity on the qb issue is not acceptable. And there still needs to be some action on the free agent market. The qb issue needs to be addressed, pronto!

You certainly have an excuse. You were simply engrossed with the ND roster. He would certainly fit the mold for the type of player that McBeane want to fill the roster with. Good football player, a good work ethic and high character. With the other first round pick I wouldn't mind selecting either Rudolph or Lamar Jackson. If option A isn't available then go with option B.

DT Harrison Phillips, DT from Stanford. A Kyle Williams style of player. And a wrestler who would be the apple of the eye for the wrestling coach.

I hope you are doing well. This is the time of year in which you shine. When it comes to the draft you are illuminating! You and some of the other "draftinistas" make following the draft fun.

What you are not acknowledging is that if you prefer the top two that doesn't mean you will be able to put yourself in the position to get your preferred qbs. If Cleveland and the Giants want their respective qbs they are going to get their prospect no matter what you are willing to offer. And it is certainly not inconceivable that your ranking of players can be so close to the point that it isn't worth giving up assets to get your preferred qb. You do a value analysis and you make a judgment. In this draft there might not be a big difference in ranking between the top three qbs. Without a doubt there is a major difference between the top three and the six to 10 next ranked qbs. The reality in the draft is that you make the best of your situation. If option A is not available then option B might be a reasonable fallback position to take. As the saying goes: Don't let perfect be the enemy of the good. You are not old. You are just more experienced than most. For me the most intriguing qb in this draft is Mayfield. I followed him as much as possible this past season. He is dynamic and captivating. I would have no qualms taking him over any other qb in this draft. As far as Jackson he is another qb that I wouldn't mind in the fold. My bottom line is that there is simply no excuse for us to come out of this draft without a high end qb prospect in this draft.

The Mamula example is a smart and appropriate analogy.( Most of the youngster here have no idea who he is.)He killed it at the combine. He was a physical freak who aced all the tests. He came from being off the radar to being the biggest target on the radar. The biggest trap for scouts is overvaluing performances at the combine. If you want to learn the makeup of a player it is through the interview and background checks and watching how a player actually plays. Without a doubt the qb position is the hardest to evaluate. A qb can have all the tools but if he lacks vision and an intuitive ability to react on the field he will not succeed. I would prefer a qb such as Lamar Jackson compared to Allen who although is a raw prospect has shown, inconsistently for sure, an ability to play the position at a level that will translate to the pro ranks.

Again, I respectfully disagree with you. If Mayfield is considered the third ranked qb on the Bills board but is still ranked as a high end prospect I would prefer bypassing the more costly prospects and get a qb whom I still believe would be a good qb in this league. There are no guarantees that the two higher ranked qbs in this draft are going to be better than the third ranked qb. So do a value analysis and make a decision. With respect to the highlighted segment dealing with development time I have no problem with investing in the time to prepare the prospect. The problem with your line of thinking is that most prospects take time except for the special players. If it takes time it takes time. Let it marinate and when ready play the player. That's how it usually works. The same developmental process occurs for all positions. Some players are ready sooner than others. But there is still a learning curve for most players. It's simply part of the process as it is for most fields of endeavor.

Where I disagree with the thrust of your response is that I don't necessarily believe that you have to exhaust your draft assets to get one of the top two prospects when there are maybe three or four high quality prospects. I would rather make a lesser move up the draft board to draft Mayfield at a lower cost than use more of my draft picks to get either Rosen or Darnold. I'll extend that logic even farther. If you believed that both Rudolph or Jackson were high end prospects that needed more development time then I would either stand pat and wait or more preferably take a lesser risk of losing one of them with a lower cost move up deal. For me the priority is to get a high quality qb prospect in the pipeline this year, a year in which there are a group of very good prospects. Last year the Bills traded out of their spot thus bypassing either Mahomes or Watkins. The waiting game for another season has got to stop. There is no perfect option. Take the best option you can get when the qb pool is deeper than usual. If not now then when? Next year or the year after? You either get it done or you don't. The cycle of futility has to end.

My fear of a player like Josh Allen is that he fits in with the Blake Bortles syndrome. If you break down the parts he has them in spades, at least on the physical side. But when you watch him play there is a disconnect between the physical talents and production. When evaluating a specimen such as Allen the best approach is to forget about the tape measure and watch the tape. Trust your eyes! Then come to an evaluation. He's a player I am very much wary of.

If you could get a sixth round pick for Taylor I would enthusiastically make the deal. He is definitely not in the Bills plans. Taylor has been a stellar member of the team. You won't find a finer fellow. He should be allowed to find the best situation for himself. The team should then accommodate him. It is the right thing to do for him and the team.

Fred Jackson has a head the size of a bushel basket. He is good mocking material. This is a freaking local charity event! What did you expect? A Don Rickles and Rat Pack styled Roast Production The offseason can be tormenting.