JohnC

If a little hyperbole is not acceptable on draft day then when is it? What did you expect Whaley to say? That he drafted a player with no potential and that his chances of success are improbable? Expecting Whaley to declare that his third round selection was a dud before he even stepped on the field is like new parents proclaiming their baby is ugly. The notion that Washington is going to feel added pressure because of the glowing comments the GM made about him at the draft makes little sense. Every player drafted, top to bottom, was praised by the GM when they were selected. There certainly are pressures on players selected by their respective teams. I'm confident that they have nothing to do with positive descriptions of the players and the roles they might have on the team. WEO, you are reaching here. You are reaching to the point of absurdity. Striving to be the designated curmudgeon doesn't suit you. You can do better---you usually do better.

When asked "don't you know who I am" the officer replied I didn't recognize you with your clothes on.

Ehroff's contract ran through 2021. There was a compliance buyout but not sure what that means as far as the continuous yearly cap hit. This link is old but it reported on the Ehroff buyout. http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/24601008/report-sabres-begin-process-of-buying-out-christian-ehrhoff

Being a jerk doesn't mean that your evaluation of any player is disqualifying because of personality deficiencies. Belichick is certainly not an engaging personality but his distasteful personality traits don't diminish his football judgments. Bill Parcells was beyond being arrogant yet his football judgments were for the most part very good. My point is not that Marrone is comparable to either of these HOF coaches but rather it is likability doesn't detract from one's evaluation of players, especially when their judgments have mostly proven to be correct. There are certain traits that are essential for particular positions. Kujo has slow feet and lacks athleticism. No amount of coaching can overcome that deficiency. As time has gone by DM has been proven right on his assessment of the lumbering tackle. With his impatience with EJ I'm not going to criticize a HC who wants to win now. As far as developing EJ the reality is that Whaley has come to the same conclusion that Marrone quickly made. EJ has a flaw that for a qb can't be overcome: he is not an accurate passer. You can criticize Marrone for a lot of things but on his assessment of EJ he was correct.

Regardless of the trade down EJ should never have been a first round pick. He was a third round caliber of prospect who was drafted too high. If he wasn't a first round pick there is a good chance that he wouldn't be on the roster (my opinion). I say the same thing about Kujo. If he wasn't a second round pick he not only would not now be on the roster but he would not have made the roster in his rookie year. Marrone made the decision to start the out of shape Orton because he forcefully made it clear to Whaley that he was not going to put up with EJ as a starter. There were rancorous public exchanges between Marrone toward Whaley that the qb situation with EJ playing was not only untenable but was not going to be tolerated by him. That wasn't a difficult call for him to make because it was evident to him that he was not only not ready to play but it was improbable that he was ever going to be a starting caliber qb in this league. His lack of accuracy even in practice was stunning to witness. It is acknowledged that Marrone isn't the type of person that most people would find endearing. He is insufferable and tough to take. But to be fair his almost immediate judgments on EJ and Kujo were correct. I agree with you that Whaley made the right call on not picking up EJ's option. There comes a point where what is obvious becomes blatantly obvious that as a starter he isn't good enough.

In this draft class there is a grouping of highly rated defensmen of which one or two should be available when our turn comes up to pick. That doesn't necessarily mean that each of them will be ready to play right away but it is at least a talent addition to the organization for a position of need. http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftprospectbrowse.htm

Excellent post. The problem with over drafting a qb (or any position) as we did with EJ is that the tendency is to be too invested in that player because of the cost. What happens is that evaluation decisions are then influenced by draft positions rather than performance decisions. As I said in a prior post regarding the EJ pick is that if he would have been drafted in the third round where he was generally ranked by most teams his fading prospects wouldn't be so much highlighted. Nix took a risk because of a need and he ended up losing more chips than he should of with his calculated gamble.

If the Bills would have taken that aggressive qb stance in prior years maybe they wouldn't have boxed themselves in when Nix was ready to depart. It is not too difficult to understand why Nix felt pressure to make a move that year. In hindsight, it was a mistake because from a drafting standpoint they drafted someone much higher than his ranking. That is not something Ozziie Newsome and some of the more astute GMs would have done. Buddy Nix said on a number of occasions that before he drafted a qb he wanted to upgrade the roster so the qb he selected would be in a better position to succeed. I understand his position but it was the wrong approach to take. The priority for any organization is to get that critical position addressed as soon as possible. It should be a constant search. That doesn't mean that you reach to fill that need as they did in the EJ draft year.

I'm not comparing him to anyone. That's not the issue. What I am saying is that he has been a disappointment for us, especially as a second round pick. If you want to categorize him as being a productive player that is fine. I'm saying so far he has performed below expectations.

The mistake in drafting EJ was not his selection but rather it was taking him with the first round pick. As a prospect he did have some impressive tools that made him an enticing developmental prospect. The Cardale Jones selection is in a certain respect similar to the EJ selection i.e. developmental player. The difference is that CJ was drafted where he should have been as a raw prospect. In drafting EJ they forced the issue while in the Cardale draft they let the draft come to them. It seems as if the organization learned its lesson on how to approach the draft.

Robert Woods has really disappointed me. The qb play certainly hasn't enhanced his production but overall he didn't come close to playing up to his draft status.

Take the advice of the bug at post #9 and Flutie Flakes at post #11. Don't go the exotic route. Keep it simple and basic. The last paragraph of Flutie's post at #11 is the best route to take.

Anyone who for comparison brings up the name of Belichick when Rex's coaching competence is being discussed should be reported to Beerball for immediate discipline for outlandish commentary.

The Bills don't have to become world-beaters this season or next for me to make an evaluation of a person who has been a HC for seven years. Last year more than ever reinforced my opinion on Rex. A Rex Ryan team is not a disciplined and smart team. It reflects him. The manner in which he handled and tolerated Mario was inexplicable. That's not good coaching. Rex's record as a HC is not an opinion. It is a fact. In the NFL of today few teams keep their rosters in tact because of the cap and contract issues. That is the norm in the NFL. It is an inescapable part of the landscape. Few teams go without a number of additions and subtractions. If you want to make the weak argument that the Jets dramatically improved because of roster additions compared to what Rex had to work with in his last year with the Jets, then you have to acknowledge that Rex took over a team that was better than it was the prior year. The result was that it underachieved. Coaching matters! No more excuses!

The Jets went from a 4 win Rex team to a 10 win team when coached by a more mature coach. The team that Rex went to underperformed, especially on the side of the ball that he specializes in. Even when adding Rex's record beating his former team it is not a record to brag about.

They were smart enough to get rid of a bloviating and obnoxious coach who had a losing record and they know what the value of an adequate backup qb is who happened to start for them.

What the organization did with the drafting of Cardale is do what they should have been doing in past drafts i.e. regularly select qb prospects (wherever in the draft) so that the quantity of qb prospects will from a statistical standpoint give you a better chance to find a good prospect. The most successful franchise in modern era, the Pats, takes that approach. If a qb prospect doesn't progress then they move on to the next prospect. They certainly are not debilitated because a qb doesn't work out. They just move on with their constant quest of searching for another qb to work with. The Packers also do that. They regularly draft qbs. If some of them show promise and they can't play them because they have Aaron Rogers then they trade the enticing prospect (asset) for a draft pick higher than where they selected the player. It's obvious that Cardale Jones has physical tools. It's also obvious that he is a raw prospect. By bringing him in the fold the coaching staff will have a good grasp as to whether he is capable of developing into a franchise qb. If not, then do what the Pats and other teams do, bring in more prospects. I not only liked the drafting of Cardale Jones but I especially liked where he was drafted. Whaley not only had a good draft but he also had a smart draft.

The best approach to handle McCoy is to use him as a rotational back. Is he going to be the primary back? Yes. But because the Bills appear to have depth at his position they can rotate him with the other backs and still have him get enough carries to be our primary back. As I stated in a prior post most backs today, even elite backs, are not used as workhorse backs. There is simply too much punishment and wear and tear to allow a back to work at an optimal level as the season advances. There are valid complaints that he is over-paid. I don't dismiss that point of view. However, that doesn't bother me as long as he is a productive player on an offense that is more predicated on the run compared to most teams. If I had a do-over would I support his acquisition including his increased contract? With no hesitation I say no. But given what seems to most to be a contradictory stance (it isn't) I have no problem with him being on the roster.

It turns out that he is not a workhorse back? So what. That doesn't mean that he is ineffective or that when used in tandem with Karlos and other backs that the running game is ineffective. Most teams rotate backs on offense. That is the norm, not the exception. The Bills because they emphasize the running game more than most make it difficult for any one back to carry the load. Is McCoy overpaid? Yes. So what. Some players are underpaid. It balances out. The bottom line is that he is a primary contributor to our offense. I don't get dismayed when a good player/productive is overpaid; I get dismayed when a mediocre player/non-productive player get over-paid. I don't disagree with anyone who says McCoy isn't the caliber of back that he once was i.e. one of the top backs in the league. However, that doesn't mean that he isn't now one of the top backs in the league who has to be used more judiciously than he was a few years ago.

Don't discount the possibility of the Oilers trading some of their young forwards for some defensemen. Edmonton has a lot of good young talent on their top two lines but they need to balance out their roster. It is going to be interesting to find out if the Sabres are still in the running for signing Vesey from Harvard.

You fairly characterize what McCoy brings to the offense i.e. flashes of big plays. Does it rise to the level of adding a different dimension to the offense? I would say yes when he is on the field. But at this point in his career he isn't used as a workhorse back because it wouldn't be smart to use him in that way. The McCoy/Karlos tandem is a an important element of the offense. Our offense emphasizes the running game more than most other teams do. So from that standpoint the backs as a tandem do rise to the level of adding a dimension to the offense.

The offensive line play on the right side last year was atrocious. That side of the line needs to be addressed. I'm now aware that Henderson was dealing with a health issue but it is stunning to see a player (at any position) whiff so much. Having impressive physical attributes does not necessarily translate into performance on the field. Miller at RG was too often abused by the players he was going against, especially when pass protecting. His nickname last year should have been rag doll. I've never seen a player get thrown around so much. He was adequate in run blocking but a disaster when pass blocking. Maybe he can make the sophomore leap? The Kujo pick was a damaging mistake that reverberates throughout the line. I give you credit for being spot on in your assessment of him when he was picked. If you are an offensive lineman and have slow feet you have a fatal flaw that can't be overcome. Incognito turned out to be not only our best performer on the line but he was also one of our best players on the field. It is fair to say that last year he was one of the best guards in the league. Every time that Cordy Glenn and Eric Wood pass Richie in the hall they should say thank you.

This is a link from WGR with Kris Baker on Shoop and the Bulldog show. He talks about some of the prospects in this draft and the players the Sabres should be interested in when they make their pick. He indicates that the Sabres should be in a good position to get a high quality defensman when their turn comes up. I like Baker a lot. He knows his stuff. It is a 23 minute segment. If someone else has already posted this link I apologize for the duplication. http://media.wgr550.com/a/115068164/5-6-kris-baker-sabresprospects-with-schopp-and-the-bulldog.htm

The best way to get more value out of Shady is to improve the right side of the line so it is better balanced. Without a doubt he is a top tier back who can make plays even when there is not much room to maneuver. Also, our running game is more essential for a successful offense than it is for most teams. So it is critical that the right side of the line is strengthened. I'm a believer in TT. But I don't think he is the type of qb who is going to be a prolific passer. Getting a good running game going with McCoy and the other backs will help our qb play. That is another aspect where McCoy's presence has a positive effect for the other skill players on the offense. Having other backs to rotate with McCoy will enhance McCoy's production and value to the offense. If he can stay relatively healthy for the next couple of years then I believe we will have gotten good value from his acquisition. In hindsight would I have traded for him and then given him an enhanced contract? No. It is the new contract that he was given when he came to the Bills that gives me pause.