JohnC

The problem with the EJ selection was that he was drafted three rounds too high or maybe two rounds to be kind. Big difference. That was a wasted pick and a foolish pick.

The attached link is an 18 minute hockey discussion with Mike Robitaille on WGR. It is timely and relates to the discussion we are having hear. You can hear the frustration and exasperation in Mike's voice and comments when talking about this team. What he is advocating is being aggressive in changing the roster because it is evident that things are not working out with the current roster. He makes a keen observation and puts it in a question form by asking why is it that Columbus and Toronto who were behind us last year took a quantum leap forward this year and we didn't? http://media.wgr550.com/a/118137074/01-18-one-goal-show-with-mike-robitaille.htm

Selecting EJ in the first round was simply stupid. Even his coach from college was surprised and amused by his selection in the first round. Trying more doesn't mean that it would be smart to draft Jim Kelly's nephew with a high round pick. Being stupid is not being smart!

There were some tactical personnel mistakes that the GM made that have accumulated to a critical mass that set this team back this year. The first is the trade of Kulikov for Pysyk. It's obvious that the GM prefers bangers to finesse defensemen but that transaction set us back. In Kulikov they got a hitter and a player with impressive physical attributes. They also got a player who consistently makes glaring mistakes that are killers. So the tally is that he gives up a smooth skating defenseman who is smart with his positioning and who effortlessly moves the puck out of the zone for a banger whose positional instincts border on being stupid, and by the way he is injury prone. So if you throw in the Guhle move to the juniors instead of keeping him on the roster, a position he earned by merit, then the defense is significantly better because they would be replacing deficit players. It's inarguable that just by adding those two defensemen the composition of that unit is upgraded. The unit's identity certainly wouldn't be for crunching hits but it would be for its skating and passing skills. I don't want to rehash the Lehner deal but I am infuriated by it. He acquired a goalie that Ottawa didn't want and gave up a first round pick for him. That pick that Ottawa acquired was used for a player who was one of the best players in the world junior tournament. I don't care if that prospect was at least a couple years away from joining the big club. He gave away a promising asset for a player that was no better than Nilsson or Chad Johnson. The accumulation of miscalculations are adding up and has significantly slowed down the pace of this team's rebuild. Toronto was smart and strategic with their rebuild while Murray put in a lot of wasted energy in outsmarting himself. As far as Falk and Fedun they certainly are not exceptional but on the positive side they have lively legs and keep up. As you pointed out and so has everyone else Franson simply can't keep up. The only positive attribute he brings to the table is his so called talent for shooting the puck. As far as I can tell even that supposed talent is non-existent. His shots are not just off the mark, that are wildly off the mark.

It was rumored that Nix was waiting for the fourth round to take either Wilson or Cousins. When asked about which qb he was eyeing for his fourth round selection he wouldn't say. I always thought that it was Cousins because Nix always favored bigger over smaller players. His size profile prejudice was probably the reason why EJ was taken in the first round when he was determined to come away with a qb in that draft. That high selection even surprised EJ's college coach. It goes back to the issue that you referred to: this organization's ability to scout qbs. These type of wrecking ball draft selections also demonstrate that what is keeping this woebegone franchise down is its own ineptitude.

The link is from Buffalo News and written by Mike Harrington. It speaks to K-9's comments and the comparison between the two teams' rebuild. It was a fair and good analysis. One keen observation by Harrington was that the Sabres have too many dead weight players (which not also noted) that have served to be a drag on the team. They were the GM acquisitions. http://buffalonews.com/2017/01/17/mike-harrington-sabres-getting-left-dust-leafs-rebuild/http://buffalonews.com/2017/01/17/mike-harrington-sabres-getting-left-dust-leafs-rebuild/

Isn't there a military commitment?

I don't know how you can consider that the Sabres are a better or equal team to Toronto. They have more younger players who are good and there is a cohesion in play reflected in their speed and up and down style of play. They certainly are not a banging team but that isn't their identity or forte. Over the last couple of years they smartly got rid of some of their talented high cost players for picks and younger players. They did a good job of parlaying those transactions into a talented young roster that is getting better and more confident. The best part of watching Toronto is that they are entertaining. They don't have as many stinker games that squeeze the life out of you.

Even a Buffalo partisan can see that Toronto is a better team. The Leafs are faster and quicker skaters and have a larger collection of good young players. The Sabres hit more often and harder but our defense lacks the talent to keep up. I got to give our neighbors to the north credit for collecting and developing such a good young group. In a couple of years they should move up the ranks to be a seriously contending team. Without a doubt their organization executed their rebuilding play better than our organization.

As you point out we are not really disagreeing. It's not about looking back as it is about moving forward. It just seems that this franchise continues to allow opportunities to pass them by because of their reluctance to boldly act with respect to the qb position. Let's look at the Cowboys. They desperately wanted to select Lynch with their next pick, and were aggressively attempting to get back into the first round. The Broncos beat them to the punch and moved back into the first round to select him. The next qb the Cowboys wanted was Connor Cook. The Raiders who were drafting higher in the round selected him, even though they already had Carr on the roster. So the Cowboys then selected Prescott and it worked out stunningly well. Moral of the story is to keep at it until things work out. Is Cardale our jackpot qb? It's hard to say. But what I can say is that the Cowboys selected a qb who demonstrated he was ready right from the start. And the Bills selected a qb who they acknowledged wasn't ready to get on the field in his rookie year. As far as the TT retention or not issue I would prefer to keep him. That will buy you some time for the development of another qb or maybe he can turn out to be a good qb under the right circumstances.

There is no need to take Mahomes at 10 if you believe that he is the best qb for you. Trade down if you can and get another pick or two and then get him at a lower draft position. If you aren't willing to take the risk of losing him then go ahead and select him at 10. As I said in other postings we traded up in the third round to draft a track receiver, TJ Graham, instead of taking Russell Wilson. The Bills could have selected either Derek Carr or Terry Bridgewater with a trade down. If not willing to take the risk then bite the apple and take the qb with your high pick. If you are going to take a risk on a player then do it for a position that can have a significant affect on your team.

This organization had opportunities to select quality prospects but we let them pass. The Bills moved up in the third round to select a track receiver in TJ Graham instead of taking a chance on Russell Wilson. The Bills had an opportunity to select Derek Carr with a trade down in the first round but we didn't, so he went to the Raiders at the top of the second round. Last year we drafted a lazy and undisciplined DT, Adolphus Washington, in the third round when Prescott would have been a good prospect. The Bills could have drafted a good (not special) qb in Bridgewater's draft year, even with a trade down. My point is that this organization has had opportunities, and they let those opportunities pass to other teams. The Falcons gave up a lot to trade up for Jullio Jones. Was it worth it? Yes, because they had their franchise qb, Matt Ryan, already in place to take advantage of Jones's stunning talents. If you are going to take chances in the draft do it for the position in which it will have a major affect on the team. As I have previously stated Khalil Mack was a top of the draft pick who is also an all-pro defensive stud. Yet the player who has dramatically changed the fortunes the most for the Raiders is Carr, a player we let pass when we were a qb starved team. Especially if we retain TT now would be a good time to take the opportunity to draft a high end qb prospect because there wouldn't be the pressure to play the prospect right away. Too many people make the point that drafting a qb with a high pick is a waste because we have other immediate needs that can be filled by a draftee who can play right away. That line of thinking is what I am strenuously disagreeing with. That same argument has been used for the past generation.Where has it gotten us? It has resulted in us not having a good enough qb to get this franchise out of its generational malaise.

You are punctilious.

This is the year to get away from the patchwork drafting mentality that has been the hallmark for our generation of failure. It's time that this dullard franchise break away from its typical timid approach to the draft. It's time that the GM and the organization expand their ambitions from being a wild-card contender and be more ambitious in their goals. My recommendation would be to identity the qb prospects that you have a conviction on and then do what you have to do to select one of them. If you can trade down in the first round and collect an additional pick or two that would be a smart hedging move. Assuming that the Bills retain TT (??) then it would be even a better time to select your qb prospect because you wouldn't have to rush an unprepared qb. The model for my scenario is the Raiders. They got Carr at the top of the second round and it is unarguable that his selection changed the trajectory of that franchise. Doug Whaley took a bold act by giving up a lot to move a few spots to acquire a scintillating talent in Watkins, a receiver. The return on that investment has been minimal because the caliber of qb throwing to him isn't capable of maximizing his abundant talents. It was an assss backward approach to take. Get an authentic qb first and then address the skill positions. For those people advocating for selecting one of the many top safety talents in this draft with a first round pick I say to you that you have learned nothing from a generation of failure. Selecting a good safety prospect might add a good player to the roster but it is inconsequential in changing the fortunes of our bumbling team. When your team has been mediocre for a generation and you still continue to advocate for taking the same rutted road to nowhere then you deserve what you get. It should come as no surprise that when you are lackluster in thought you will continue to be lackluster on the field. Something to consider!

If we apply your logic then the Bills should get rid of all their players because none of them got their team into the playoffs. The problem with this team is a lack of good players. Getting rid of one creates a deficit and doesn't enhance its chances. The Bills might not be able to keep Gilmore for contract reasons. That is understood. But dismissing his talents in one of the most challenging positions in the game is not the right approach to take in making a judgment on keeping him or not.

He's an Eichel fan.

With respect to the highlighted area I have come to the same conclusion about keeping him and giving him better receivers and improving the pass blocking, starting with dramatically upgrading RT. As far as Alex Smith there comes a point when you are what you are. He is too cautious of a passer to the point that there are too few downfield passes that whether completed it or not would open up the field. Is that the fault of his coaches or does he have the Trent Edwards mentality where he prefers to go safe and small instead of more risk with more reward? To me it doesn't matter. He is what he is. I would prefer TT to him. What I have said all along about TT and the qb situation is that whether he stays or goes the front office should still be in pursuit of an upgrade at that pivotal position. If TT develops into a sterling qb then you won't here me complain. This franchise pre-TT and with the addition of TT has had opportunities to acquire talented qbs but for whatever reason were reluctant to pull the lever. In my view it would have made more sense to make a bold move to acquire a highly rated qb in the draft instead of making a bold move and using his chips to acquire a dynamic receiving prospect in Watkins. As it stands his golden talents are not sufficiently being utilized because of the caliber of qb/s throwing to him. What's the saying: Putting the cart ahead of the horse? We are in accord and we are simpatico.

Hallelujah! We agree. Are you the type of person who drives from Buffalo to Cleveland via Baltimore? You are so brilliant that you make a basic point that good qbing is fundamental to success by referring to the specific isotopes in a nuclear plant's ability to process material for a nuclear bomb. Sheesh! You are a good fellow but you can be exhausting to deal with. Rule of thumb for wizards: Simplicity is to clarity as Complexity is to confusion.

Can you imagine if Chad and Evander Kane decide to hit the town together???? Chippewa bouncers beware!

How do you roll a blunt with your leg? If that isn't dexterity then nothing is.

Hopefully the Sabres saved those potential scores today for actual scores tomorrow when they play the Leafs.

Let's start off with the easy part. The Chiefs had virtually no chance to go to the playoffs with the caliber of play exhibited by Alex Smith. It's too limited! If you want to quibble I will compromise and say that you have an infinitesimal chance of getting to the SB with the caliber of play he displayed. With respect to Roman and Lynn designing an offense that was appropriate for TT I agree with you. But that isn't the problem. The issue with him is whether he can elevate his limited game and play a more sophisticated offense that gives a team a good chance to go beyond a wild-card contending team at best. I'm not saying conclusively that he can't but I do say that I have my doubts. As far as a WCO that would be out of the question for TT for the obvious reason that rhythm passing and pin point accuracy on short to medium routes are not skills that he currently possesses or will ever possess. I'm not a TT basher. Far from it. I believe that he should be retained. But that is not to say that I'm not aware of his limitations and flaws.

Was PTR complaining about the fans when he caught his junk on the cold icing on the cake? If Beerball shows up wearing a thong and a feathered scarf gugny needs to shut and lock the door and then call the police. There is a lookout for a ballzy neighborhood menace.

Your large number of options has my head spinning. If you don't keep it simple I become perplexed. With respect to the highlighted area how would a FART protect our qb? Stinking the opposition into submission?

I only caught the second half of the game but saw the clips of the scores. In this game I thought Lehner was stellar. He seemed very composed and his play was a demonstration of an economy of movement. Jack seems comfortable playing with Rhinehert. The pass by Rhineheart to the side of the net where Jack shot it in showed how synced in each is to the other. How can anyone not be happy for Ennis?