JohnC

The problem with the contract that the Knicks signed with Melo is not the money amount. It is the terms where he has the right of refusal to a trade and then the escalator clause that his contract rises if traded. Don't criticize Melo for getting the most out of a deal criticize the fool organization that agreed to it. Melo is Melo. He has never changed as a player and as a person. If they didn't know what they were getting then they were the only people in North America who were fooled. I absolutely agree with you that keeping Melo on the roster dooms it. You can't rework the roster until he is cleared out. And you can't rebuild the roster by adding battered former all-stars such as Noah and Rose. The Knicks' approach to rebuilding has been utterly stupid with the strategic thought brought into consideration. Short term quick fixes don't work. No matter how many times you try! I love the NBA. Having a serious team in NY is good for the league and everyone. But when you have a clown owner you get a circus. And with a circus you get a lot of elephant crap. It stinks!

Dolan is a fool and a diletantte and few people would argue otherwise. Putting aside the Oakley combustion the chaos in the franchise can be attributed to Jackson, who as a GM or whatever title he has is a fraud. The problem he has with Melo is of his own making. The problem isn't the money in the contract-- it is the foolish terms that chained the organization to him. The smart approach would have been to let Melo walk instead of signing him to a contract that imprisoned the organization with this albatross who has limited value. Then players could have been added and fit together on a more rational basis. This disjointed roster was put together by Jackson. Now he is playing public mind games (which he has always done) with the player that he locked in. I'm starting to have suspicions that Jackson is deliberating creating havoc so that he would be fired and then take the money back with him to California.

Bill, I have come around to your line of thinking. I blame you for making me into a zealot! It seems that every year the cycle of blandness repeats itself. Resorting to such a restrictive approach to roster building while remaining stuck in the muck of mediocrity becomes less tolerable to take as the years go by. How does an organization go through 20 years of not having a legitimate franchise qb and continue to be so passive in addressing the most important factor that determines success and failure?

Bandit, You and Gunner should quit your jobs and join forces to run a college player rating service. You and he would be formidable competitors to the Kiper/McShay duo. Of course you would start off being poor and have to survive on a diet of beans and franks. A lot of protein and farts. You and he can start a podcast called "Gunner and the Bandito" . If the price is right I would be willing to subscribe, on a trial basis of course, to your podcast. If you both are not especially good looking I would recommend that you do an audio instead of a video podcast. Just a thought?

There's no need to apologize. I have never been on the Whaley must go bandwagon. Far from it. In general, I would say he has done a good job. And I have often stated it. That is not to say that I haven'y been critical of him regarding the qb issue.

One can "what if" oneself to insanity by going over the games where we let slip some points. But if we could have secured just a few points from the shoot out games the outlook would be so different. Most reasonable fans acknowledge that this team is still short of talent, especially on the back end. But there is no doubt that this team is still in the mix with the crowd of teams fighting for a playoff spot. In hindsight some of the deals that I have questioned now seem more reasonable. The Kane and Bogo for Meyers plus players is in my view a plus because of Kane. Bogo is a disappointment. I have been a critic of the Lehner deal because of the first round pick dealt away but Lehner has shown that he can be a number one goalie, so it now seems to be a more balanced deal although I would have rather not traded a number one pick to acquire a goalie. The Kulikov deal for Pysyk is still questionable but it is still an open issue. On balance I'm satisfied how things are developing. This is far from being an elite team but it is moving up the ranks.

Whether he is ready or not having a talented player on the roster is better than not having that player on the roster. Whether he starts immediately or not it would become evident to the coaches that he is the better player, sooner rather than later. I don't give a dam whether a qb prospect plays right away. My priority is to get a more well rounded qb on the team and let his talent take him wherever it will be. Russell Wilson was a third round pick. In training camp it became crystal clear that he was the best qb on the roster. The rest is history. If the coaches believe that a rookie qb needs more time then so be it. If the coaches believe that the rookie qb should start then so be it. Romo started ahead of Prescott. When he got hurt and Prescott got an opportunity to play there was no looking back. The bottom line is that talent will speak for itself when given the opportunity. The first step is to get that type of player on the roster and stop scrounging around to fill the position.

Whaley was very interested in Prescott last year. As someone else stated (Kirby or Corner??) he met with Dak on at least three occasions prior to the draft. There was a lot of speculation that he was going to take him in the fourth round. Waiting too long is a persistent problem with this franchise. With respect to the highlighted area that Dak would have been a third string qb except for the injuries that isn't the point. The point is that he turned out to be a very good qb even in his rookie year. The point is that the Cowboys hit on a qb that was available to us. A team with a qb need again bypassed a good qb prospect and gave the opportunity to another team. They benefited and we again lost out. You are over-exaggerating with your hate Whaley comment. That is a major mis-characterization. Just because people question a particular draft decision that doesn't rise to the level of hating him as a GM. In general I have been very supportive of him and the job he has done. On the other hand I have been very critical of him for not adequately addressing the qb position. And that isn't an unfair or unreasonable position for anyone to take.

From what I have read from a variety of sources the Bills were eyeing Prescott last year. As usual they waited too long and instead took a known immature lineman from Ohio State with their third round selection, the spot they would have needed to take Prescott. It's infuriating! You already know my position on this qb class and what my position is with respect to the draft. I'm hoping for the best but preparing for disappointment. If Whaley doesn't select a qb with a high draft pick this year that might be a clue that he feels that Cardale is a viable option not too far down the line. As with the EJ example, Whaley, like most GMs, have a tendency to be too invested in the players they selected. It is understandable but it can also be a fault. The mistaken selection of EJ resulted in this organization bypassing better prospects in the following years. Mistakes compounded by more mistakes.

Great work Bandit. I'm hoping that we come out of this draft with a good qb prospect. Odds are that we won't. We will instead come up with a player who will give us more immediate help. That will make me very disappointed.

How many trips to the urinal did you make?

Screw the job. Quit it and start evaluating the prospects. Start your own podcast and live off the paltry proceeds. If you live on a diet of mostly pasta you can survive with a very low budget for food. There is something noble about following your dreams and being poor. Stop complaining and just do it!

That was a terrific post and analysis. What concerns me is usually (almost always) if a qb isn't accurate in college it is unlikely that he will be accurate enough for the pros where the game is much quicker and the passing windows are really tight. That is not to say that I disagree with his selection in the fourth round because it was worth the investment. There are plenty of qbs that have enticing tools. JP Losman is a good example of an appealing prospect. Another example of a qb with classic traits is Rob Johnson. But something in each player was missing regardless how much effort they put into preparation. That trait was a feel for the game that isn't very measurable but it is visible when watching the players play. My problem with a player such as Cardale is that there are going to be some wow plays that will entice you to continue on with him. But the problem arises that with an inconsistent qb those stunning moments will be sabotaged by the predictable lapses along the way. At that position those are killer traits. As with a surgeon consistency is an essential quality. That is at the heart of my problem with Cardale.

I'll say up front that there are no day one starters. And I'll say upfront that none of the qb prospects will make an impact their rookie year. There is nothing wrong with that. That is a strong argument to keep TT. Because we have a good bridge qb that is the best scenario for bringing in a qb prospect this year. Why start a rookie qb who isn't ready and have your team regress? With TT as a starter and with better coaching this team is a competitive team. Is it a playoff team? I can't say. But already having an experienced qb is a better situation to have than jettisoning him and then scouring the market for a lesser veteran qb to buy you some time for another qb's development.

If you saw him flipping a coin with the brass intently watching then you know we are in trouble.

I was salivating so much that I had to wipe out the drool. To be candid I'm not locked in on any particular prospect. Each prospect has his own strengths and weaknesses. This behind the curve franchise has to do its due diligence and then act. If option A is not available then take option B who can end up being a better selection. Let's not continue to go by the failed mentality of allowing the seeking of perfection to be the enemy of the good.

My preference is to trade down somewhat (not dramatically) and get picks instead of going back into the lower first round by giving up picks. There are no guarantees as to what other teams are going to do. You group your prospects (in this case qbs) and if your top option is snatched from you then go to your next option. Sometimes it works out well as demonstrated by the Cowboys selecting Dak. The Cowboys locked into Lynch but Denver jumped ahead of them. They then wanted Conner Cook but Oakland took him. So they went with their next listed player who was Prescott. No need to finish the story.

That's the point I have been making in my obnoxiously numerous postings on this issue. A qb starved franchise should not be passive on selecting a qb they find appealing. If the team is going to make a mistake in drafting a qb let it be the mistake of selecting the player sooner rather than later. The same sickening scenario played out with bungling Country Buddy in the Russell Wilson and Cousin draft year. Ether one would have had a dramatic effect on our team. Instead the outdated GM took a track receiver. This bloody organization has to stop this foolishness. This franchise is crippled by its own devastating mistakes. I'm not criticizing this organization if they over draft a qb and it doesn't work out. I'm criticizing this franchise if it again allows a respectable qb prospect go by only to allow a team behind us to take advantage of our lassitude. Please poster don't bring up the EJ selection. What the EJ selection demonstrated is that this organization took a 3rd or a 4th round prospect and took him in the first round. That was an glaring exhibition of this organization's inability to not only be able to properly evaluate qbs but also players in general.

I'm not disagreeing with you that Goff struggled last year. The team expected it. My point is simply that it is very premature to make a judgment on him. It takes time. Wentz was a ball of fire when he started but the flame was extinguished as the season advanced. That is not to say that both Goff and Wentz won't be good qbs. I think each of them would. If the Rams offered Goff for a first round pick I would gleefully accept the offer.

The problem with waiting for the second round is if the top drafting teams don't draft a qb in the first round passing him for higher rated players they would be more likely to take him at the top of the second round ahead of us. You could also add into the mix a lower first round team such as Houston might be interested in him. My approach is to identify the best qb prospect for you and then be brave and snatch. If the transaction can me made with a trade down in the first then do it that way.

Who is to say that Goff might turn out to be the better qb? Only time will tell. Prescott was in a good situation with Dallas. Goff was in a poorer situation from a team standpoint. When the Rams selected Goff they did it with the intention of him not playing his first year. The book is still open on both of these qbs.

What I want this team to do is not mess around and lose out on a qb prospect that they like. There are qbs in this draft such as Kizer, Watson, Trubisky who will probably go somewhere in the first round or top of the second. I don't care which one just identify the one you like and take the plunge. Ideally, if you can trade down and get picks that would work out well. If a qb such as Trubisky or whoever is more likely to be taken sooner and we have targeted that qb then just be brave and make the selection from where you are at the ten spot. In this qb year Gunner has done a tremendous job it sketching their strengths and weaknesses. No one is an elite prospect yet there are enough good prospects to choose from. From that standpoint we are in a good position. There is no excuse for this downtrodden franchise not to come out of this draft without a legitimate qb prospect.

Highlights from the game: http://buffalonews.com/2017/02/08/video-sabres-5-sharks-4-ot/

There are always issues of mechanics when Cardale is brought up. You are familiar with him as a college player. Is he in general an accurate passer? Can he make anticipatory throws? I realize that he didn't get much playing time in college but did he exhibit those traits in college?

The problem with waiting for him in the second round is that there is a good chance he won't be there. There are numerous qb needy teams ahead of us that would also take him in the second round. If the organization is serious about him they should trade down in the first round and then select him. The history of the Bills when waiting for a targeted qb is that we get bypassed by a more enterprising team.