JohnC

I'm swooning over Stanford's Harrison Phillips. I can handle only one infatuation at a position at a time. The addition of Dabol to the coaching staff should give the organization some good insights into some of the hidden gems at Bama. Bill, I'm not enamored with the bench numbers. More interested on the feet and use of leverage. Strength can be added through training. You either have the feet nimbleness or not. If you are sluggish and lumbering you are not going to make it as an offensive lineman in the NFL.

The NCAA is a hollow encrusted bureaucratic organization that for the now should stay out of this sick episode that mercifully ended because of the action of these brave young women. They paid a horrible price but in the end their courage and persistence brought this evil enterprise to an end. What needs to happen now is a comprehensive investigation of everything that happened. All the parties involved from the police who took the reports, the people who received complaints, administrators, board members, everyone, from top to bottom, should be held accountable. There involved in this multi-layer of silence and complicity have to be held accountable. This evil doctor thrived in this cesspool of silence. The oxygen that allowed him and his evil kind to exist was silence. Whether it is the church, military, schools, corporate world when there is a complaint related to sexual assault it should be handled outside of where it occurred and treated as a police matter. That's how you put a stop to it. And one way of forcing those in authority to take action is to hold them accountable for what goes on underneath them. In that way you are forcing them to stay engaged and not have the excuse of "I didn't know" when it is your job to know what is going on.

What round do you think would be reasonable to get him?

Take the deal and then run.

I agree with you that Chris Kelsey had a good career. He was a solid player who played within his talents. However, different defensive systems have different requirements. With the McDermott and even the Schwartz systems pressure is mostly applied by the linemen without much reliance on the blitz. I am not and have never been harshly critical of Lawson. But what I am not going to do is inflate his importance as a defensive player. In my view he is a responsible player as a DE but he is not close to being an impactful player. The difference for the defense when he played compared to when he didn't play was not evident to me. This is just my opinion but I don't see him as being a McDermott type of lineman.

Are you teasing me to make me crazy? Are you raising my expectations in order to crush my soul? Are you toying with me? Do you consider me easy prey for your sadistic games? I would love for you to be right. However, my dream scenario is to make a less blockbuster deal to get Mayfield and pay a lesser price.

That is an excellent comparison. A solid player with longevity.

What GM doesn't say that or indicate that in order to get a sense of the market? If another team was willing to give up a boatload of high picks of course he would be willing to consider option B. If he believes that one or two qb prospects in this draft are going to be top shelf pros then he would be making a mistake (my opinion) not to select a qb. Another consideration is that it is rare for the Giants (as compared to the Browns) to enter the draft in such a lofty draft position. If not now then when?

I'm not disparaging his role. Far from it. The point is that what he does can be done by many other players. There is little that is unique about his game where you would say that if he was not on the field that it would be a noticeable loss. You can't say that about Hughes or Kyle Williams. Right now I would consider him a solid player. Does he have more upside? My sense is that there isn't much more to tap into. From a value standpoint relative to his draft position it is disappointing. Even you agreed with that judgment.

Excellent post and analysis. What you are basically saying is that he is your typical jag (just another guy). That's a fair assessment. However, when you consider that he was a first round pick and what he appears to be is your standard interchangeable player. At best he is a solid player, and at worse he is an inconsequential player who can be replaced by another inconsequential player without a trace of difference.

Someone in a prior post gave the college scouting report of Peterman. It stated his limitations that appear to be evident in the pros. That is not to say that he can't improve because he can. But if one takes a realistic view of Peterman it is fair to say that he can be a functional/useful backup who can run a pro offense. That's what I see him as.

I'm just responding to your Ragland comment and not to your Lawson position because I agree with it. The Ragland trade is easy to understand because there was no way for Ragland to be suitable for the McDermott defense. This same process also occurred in the defensive backfield where players were brought in who were more suitable for a zone scheme as opposed to Rex's more man scheme. The Ragland trade is an understandable deal for the Bills and a good deal for KC. McDermott's defense required LBs to cover. Ragland is a thumper who plays the run but can't cover in passing situations. The Ragland scenario happens when there is a churning of coaches and systems. Players that are suitable for one system are not suitable for another. The past is the ugly past. Hopefully, McDermontt and the front office are more in sync so this once turbulent organization becomes more stable and makes more coherent personnel decisions. The cycle of one step forward and two steps back has crushed this franchise. I'm expecting that foolishness to stop now.

Cleveland has one of the largest cap room in the league. I'm confident that if they offered him a "blow away" offer he would take it. He has smartly put himself in a position to repeatedly be franchised and on a yearly basis get top shelf money. Cousins is a smart guy who knows how ruthless the football business is. When he and his agent couldn't get a deal done a couple of years ago with the Redskins (their GM got too cute squeezing the nickel) he and his agent mapped out a strategy to maximize their value. Cousins bet on himself by taking one year deals and forcing the Redskins into a very difficult situation. From my vantage point he is going to the market for a maximum deal. The leverage he has in his grasp is the leverage that he has been using.

I'm more confident that Peterman more likely to be on the roster than TT. If he isn't then so be it. He is an inconsequential player and an exchangeable player. I don't consider him starting material.. He has the smarts for the position but lacks the physical talents. He reminds me of a second-class Frank Reich type of player. If he is on the roster he will be as a backup. The more intriguing qb issue is: Which qb is the team going to pursue in free agency? And associated with that issue is: Are the Bills going to use a high pick for a qb? If the Bills acquire a qb such as Bridgewater then they may concentrate their efforts on addressing multiple needs instead of using pick/s to get a high-end qb prospect in this drafty. I don't want to be categorized as a Taylor basher because I am not. He has served this franchise well. However, the Taylor saga has played out. It's over!

What isn't hyperbolic is that Peterman is more likely to be on the Bills roster next season while Taylor will not be. The Peterman San Diego fiasco is over with and the stench from that game will not have any carry over on his future here. At best Peterman is a reasonable backup. Considering where he was drafted it was a good investment. The Taylor experiment has played out. He has been given three years to demonstrate what he can do. He is what he is. I don't say that dismissively or derisively. But what is evident is blatantly evident. He has had more than enough time to exhibit some progression to his game. He hasn't done it because his limitations are inherent and can't be grown out of. The adherents of Taylor should be the strongest advocates for letting him go and giving him an opportunity for a fresh start. He is a terrific person who deserves it. And the organization for its own interests should let him go and have a clean break. Both parties in this saga need to go in a different direction and have a fresh start.

If he is paying then he is also doing the ordering. That means a bagel overloaded with cream cheese and ice water. And since he is paying the guests have responsibility for the tip.

Gunner, I'm riding on the tame train as you are. But not necessarily in the same car. You rate a first class seat while I am in the back of the train with the rest of the ragamuffins. The British class system is still tough to break through. Because of my humble roots I can't break through! For the chosen few being snooty is a class privilege that must be exercised in order to retain one's status.

There are a variety of roads to success. So if they take the strategy that you indicated in your prior post then it in the end could work out. The Giants were a lackluster team last year that seemed to lose its heart and will. So trading down and getting multiple picks is a good way of injecting young talent into a tired roster. Make no mistake that my position is skewed because of the Buffalo neurosis of avoiding the long-term qb issue.. One of my major criticisms of Whaley is that he over-rated his roster. He too often thought it was closer to being a serious team than it actually was. I understand that he wanted to break the ignominious playoff drought but in the end not addressing the qb issue have cost him his job and plagued his franchise. Shumer knows what a franchise qb looks like. It's still my belief that if Rosen is available he will be captivated. It can't be lost that the ownership is emphasizing getting a high end qb prospect. After recently being pilloried they need a new interest point to deflect the depressing negativity. That's how I see it.

Eli is at the end of the road. Although is a stout person it is hard for a qb to be the leader of the team when at this stage in his long career he is a faltering qb. If the Giants would pick up a qb such as Bridgewater because of the complicated situation in Minnesota then I can see your scenario play out. If Shurmer and the front office believe that Rosen or their preferred qb in this draft is going to be their long term franchise qb then I don't see your scenario playing out. Shurmer's speciality is the offense and working with qbs. For his own career interests it is better to get a high end qb prospect on board in the beginning of his tenure than later in his tenure. As a Buffalo fan you should know very well that when you wait you fall into the category of aint!

He's one of my favorite players in this draft. He should be a kindred spirit to the wrestling coach because of his wrestling background.He reminds me a lot of Kyle Williams because he is so good using his leverage.

I respectfully but strenuously disagree with your assessment. There is no question that there is a demand for his services. But if he demands top of the pyramid money the suitors are going to vanish. When the cap calculations are tallied signing Cousins (who I like a lot) it will become apparent that a team willing to take a plunge at his asking price is going to be straitjacketed for quite some time. No doubt there are a few qbs that one would mortgage the future for and have it be considered reasonable. However, he is not one of them. One of the reasons that Cousins is willing to go to the brink with the Redskins is that he wants to get into the market and see what his options are, and he simply wants out. He has the leverage and he is using it. That doesn't mean that he is going to fully distort the market for a player of his good but not elite talents.

If a qb is two years away from playing that is the least of the team's worries. The issue isn't how soon the qb will play as it is when he is ready to play how good is going to be? There are two parts to our qb situation next year. One is to get a bridge qb who can play the position at an adequate level and also play in a full range offense. That would be in contrast to adjusting the offense to the limitations of the qb. The second part of the qb issue is obviously finding a franchise qb from this pool of prospects. It is improbable that the qb we select (assuming we do so) will be ready to play immediately. I'm not looking for a quick fix. Odds are against a rookie making an immediate splash. What I want is a credible prospect in the pipeline who in the not too distant future will be ready when he is the one taking the snaps.

Your point goes to the heart of the matter. If the player is going to go public then he should have been more explicit as to what was actually said. The issue of racism is more volatile than most issues. You have to be very careful and understand that even an implication or insinution that a person directed a racist comment to you can wrongly or rightly label the person as a racist, again wrongly or rightly. Incognito has a history. So he is prone to not having the benefit of the doubt. That isn't necessarily fair. Instead of making a vague claim and then not explaining what was said he placed Incognito in a no win situation as to whether he should respond to the accusation. If he responds one way or the other it only keeps the issue alive and makes him appear even more guilty of something he didn't intend to do. In this case instead of making a public comment he could have gone up to Incognito after the game and let him know how he felt. I wouldn't be surprised if Incognito said something that was questionable but he didn't meant it to be cast as a racist comment.

Good! I'm rooting for the quality qb pool to be expanded. I'm not looking with jaundiced eyes to eliminate prospects but rather looking with receptive eyes to expand the pool and increase the options.

716, Terrific job. Fair and balanced. My fear is that he is a Matt Schaub type of player. Bland but acceptable.