JohnC

With respect to the highlighted area I never said that he didn't need a redshirt year, or an extended apprenticeship. I also never said double mortgage the house for him although I am willing to go into debt for Mayfield or Darnold. When you enter the draft you can't have a hardened plan because you don't know how it will unfold. Teams that you never expected to move up make the jump. Teams that you believed would go in one direction go in the opposite direction. I see Jackson as a reasonable option at a lower slot if the draft scenario doesn't work out as we want it to do. Where I am taking a firm stand is that I believe that it is past over-do to get one of this year's crop of qb prospects on board. Let's not make perfect be the enemy of the good. If option A isn't there then go for option B, if option B isn't there then go for option C, etc., etc As a player Jackson is better today than he was yesterday. The gamble is whether that upward trajectory continues in the pro game. My bet is yes while understandably others are less confident about him. If I'm going to gamble I willing to do it for a player with raw talent who pairs it with a desire to get better. I'm putting my chips on the table for him. As I stated on many occasions I'm open to many options. My resolute position is that we need to get a high end prospect in this year's draft. I will not waiver on that issue.

Are you suggesting that he would be a good candidate to being a prolific poster on TBD?

Sometimes going for the sedative is the best response to the irredeemables.

Crack is so outdated. Get with it. Try heroin with a mixture of fentanyl. You'll get a kick out of it. It'll also make you more mellow when you duel with Doc.

Dislike is such a mushy word.

How about draining the swamp!

Gunner, Don't fall into the stereotyping trap with Lamar Jackson. Without a doubt he is more of an unfinished product than some of the other qbs in this draft. His game went from being mostly an athletic qb two years ago to being more of qb. Don't be fooled by the stats. The leap in playing a more polished game this year was a quantum leap forward. While you are hesitant to go to the betting window I'm racing up to the window with my money.. I'm confident this isn't a Tyrod situation where Tyrod was Tyrod from beginning to end with little progression. Lamar is a talent and a devoted student of the game who wants to be great. If you want give me some money and I'll place a bet on your behalf. I'll only take a small cut as a service charge.

If you get a chance go back and watch the Oklahoma vs OKState game. Rudolph was very good while Mayfield was stunningly dynamic. I'm not bothered by the fact that a qb plays a gimmicky offense. If the qb is accurate, has a good arm, has good pocket presence and can go through simplified progressions then there is a good chance that his college game will translate to the pro game. Although I am still very open-minded about the qbs my concern about Rudolph is that he is a Matt Schaub type qb. If I'm going to make a mistake on a qb I would rather it be for the qb with upside over a qb that is facelessly bland. Gunner, if you put more jalapeno pepper in your sauce you will get a bigger jolt! Sometimes those tears from intense heat can turn into tears of joy. Don't be fearful---be bold or go home.

You make a terrific point on the repercussions of the crass handling of the Eli benching. But from a franchise point of view it is never easy to remove, temporarily or permanently, the veteran qb, especially when the replacements are problematic as options. The Taylor benching had the same vibes causing distress not only within the locker room but also with the fandom ranks. The sports talk radio business also stoked the fire. My feeling on Taylor is for his sake and the franchise's he needs to go. A fresh start can be invigorating for all the parties involved. The reality about Eli is that he has little left in his tank. To make it worse he has little market value. The most realistic direction if he wants to extend his career is to be a willing backup. If he feels that role is not right for him then he should leave and seek whatever solution he can find. What he will learn is that his appeal is close to being nonexistent as a starter. The same scenario will apply to Taylor. Sometimes what you think you are is not the same as what others see in you.

Your response is well presented and has a logic to it but it doesn't make sense to me. Eli is no longer the center of the universe for the franchise. He is a spent force. The focus of franchise is to find another franchise qb that will be anchored for the next decade or so. There is a simple solution to an Eli rebellion: get rid of him. His value has been depleted. There is little left in that checking account other than loose change. There are plenty of mediocre qbs around that can do what he is now capable of doing. When one is a shadow of his once self there is little force behind that fading presence. The matchup of the draft position and qb need is too glaring. The football people might be willing to act cutely in this situation but the owner/s are not going to allow such wayward behavior. I'm not confident on whom the Bills will draft in the first round and what they will do on the day of the draft. With respect to the Giants I'm very confident as to what the Giants will do.

The reason why I disagree with you on this issue is that it is rare for the Giants to be in this draft position. Seizing the opportunity to draft Rosen is a match between opportunity and need. They are in a fortuitous situation to get that position addressed for the next decade or longer. And to enhance the situation even more they have a fading veteran qb as a one year bridge. The situation lines up so perfectly that it would be foolish to walk away from that opportunity. And as you noted Shurmer was brought into the building because he knows offenses and how to work with qbs.

I don't see your scenario of the Giants auctioning off their pick playing out. What was stated in the NFC playoff game was that Shumer was going to get the Giant job with the expectation/directive that he would be involved with the selection of a qb and also the short-term rehabilitation of Eli who is at the last stages of his career. There were also previous multiple reports that the owners sent out an emphatic directive that In this upcoming draft an emphasis should be placed on evaluating qbs. The Giants are in the rare situation of being in the catbird seat in this draft and having a need to find the next franchise qb. I don't see them squandering that opportunity.

When you watch some of these big time basketball schools in these big time conferences you see a lot of quality high school players sitting at the end of the bench and not getting playing time. To make matters worse when the season is finished another crop of top shelf recruits are brought in to push them further down the bench. If these big college players who are riding the pine would have gone to a school like Canisius and Niagra they would have gotten playing time in a highly competitive setting that only is missing the high profile attention. Take a player like Crompton for Canisius. He is a tweener big man. He has gotten a lot of playing time and has gotten better each year. When his school career is finished his decision to go to Canisius instead of a high profile program where his playing time would probably be limited certainly was a good decision for him. I'm proud of Canisius. They do things the right way. The kids go to class and for the most part graduate. Plenty of them end their careers with graduate degrees because they use summer school to their advantage. I salute them with special attention given to Witherspoon.. Good man and good coach.

Wouldn't it be great for a region that has had to contend with the squalid pro sports scene (hockey and football) to end up with two area teams in the Tourney? UB should be in and Canisius would need to win its conference tournament to get a bid. The NIT would be a disappointing consolation.

Rules of the scouting department: No drinking before the game; drinking after the game is permissible. side note: Canisius won again in Iona. This season has been a pleasant surprise. The college knocked it out of the park when it signed Reggie! The three combo: Right person/right place/right time.

I'm a Bills fan. I don't hate the Pats. I admire them. It is the best run organization in the history of the modern game. I usually root for the AFC team in the SB. Last year, because of the Goodell deflategate fiasco I rooted especially hard for the Pats against the Falcons. I was more than pleased with the surprising outcome. As far as the topic blaming an organization for the criminal behavior of a player is utterly ridiculous.

Will you have a parachute with you or not?

Before OJ the Bills had a prominent former player, Jim Dunaway, who was charged in the killing of his wife. He won the court case but the evidence clearly suggest that he did kill his wife, at least to me. It was an interesting case for Buffalo in that no one was aware that there was a dark side to the former player. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/33449-jim-dunaway-the-true-notorious-big

I'm aware that Jeremiah didn't include trades in this mock but if he did it appears that Denver is in the linchpin spot to make a deal and get additional picks. If Denver was interested in an offensive lineman then this would be a good opportunity for Buffalo and Denver to make a deal. I agree with you that Jeremiah is a sound football man. When he discusses the draft he doesn't simply do it from an individual player standpoint. But rather he usually provides a wider context and analysis and offers a reasonable explanation why the pick makes sense. He is a substance over a style type person.

I appreciate your thoughtful and measured response. However, exaggerating a qb's contribution to a team's success or failure is part and parcel of how a qb is viewed on any team. Not just in Buffalo but everywhere else. That's why a qb's makeup is an important attribute when evaluating a player. Without a doubt because of the dignified manner he has handled criticism TT passes on that category. Is Taylor being unfairly criticized by a segment of fans? Who cares whether he is or is not. Again, those disproportionate credit and blame go with the territory. If you are a politician and can't handle criticism, unfair or not, then get out of the business, If you are an actor and can't handle the critics very often off the wall reviews then get out of the business. There is a context for the some of the harsh criticism of Taylor that goes beyond this particular player. It is that this franchise has not had an entrenched franchise qb for almost a quarter century, since the retirement of Kelly. Think about that! So when you observe some unfair criticism of this particular qb understand that part of the criticism as unwarranted as it may be is due to that frustration with the staffing of that position.

You too often act as if a criticism of TT is comparable to making a demeaning comment about someone's mother. When Whaley wanted to cut TT loose was that because he was biased? If this brain trust decides to let him go will that be because they are biased? Taylor's play in the Jacksonville playoff game was an exhibition of unmatched futility. If after that game and season you don't understand why there is a strong sentiment within the organization to move on then there is little else to say other than this particular player won't be a topic of discussion for too much longer because he won't be on the team. Very often personnel decisions are tough to make. This isn't one of them.

I respectfully but strenuously disagree with your assessment of Mayfield. With respect to the highlighted area I have no interest in Jackson as a dual threat qb in the pros. That's the last thing I want for my qb. My advocacy for Jackson is that I believe in time he will be a good pro qb who can run a full range offense with the benefit of being a judicious runner when need be. If I had the choice between Mayfield and Jackson I would without hesitation take Mayfield. One of Mayfield's best attributes is his stunning accuracy. That attribute easily translates to the pro game.

Buffalo winning 9 games with this stripped down team was a remarkable achievement. It was a tribute to the coaches and players buying in. I still believe that the Bills are in the midst of a rebuilding job and that at least another couple/three years will be needed before becoming a serious team. Of course all that is predicated on getting a franchise qb.

I like Lamar Jackson a lot, as I do Mayfield. This organization needs to identify their top qb prospects and then make an aggressive move to be in a position to get one of them. I certainly have my preferences but I'm still very open minded about the best qb prospect for us. What I don't want to see happen is for us to be passive and then be surprised when another team leaps ahead of us to acquire the player we had our sights on. If the Bills are going to make a mistake in this draft I would rather it come from being aggressive rather than be defensive.

Thanks for the insights. Mike Shanahan loved Cousins. The coach really wasn't interested in RG III and was against mortgaging the future to get the social media qb. The selection of RG was an owner driven decision. Shanahan's son who was the OC had little regard for RG iII while he couldn't hide his bias towards Cousins. One of the reasons why Griffin insisted on staying in the lineup even when he was hurt was that he was insecure over his standing and the shadow of Cousins.