JohnC

You are right that the main issue the scouts had with Wilson was his height. In college he rarely had his passes tipped because he had an high overhand throwing motion and he was adept at finding the lanes to throw threw. The irony is that qbs who were half a foot taller than he was had more passes tipped and knocked down than the smaller, quicker and more intelligent qb did. Nix like a lot of other talent assessors were blinded by the measurables instead of focusing in on the production. I can understand why GMs were reluctant to take a risk on Wilson in the first or even second round, but not doing so after that was a major misjudgment.

Romo is not the type of qb that will carry a team. Only an elite qb, such as Rodgers, can do that. Romo is far from being elite. I would rate Romo in the solid to good caliber qb. Surrounding that caliber of a qb with a solid roster on both sides of the ball will at least give your team a chance to consistently compete and possibly make it to the playoffs, not necessarily on a regular basis. The Bills have been a wretched team for a very long time. Their roster has had major deficiencies on both sides of the ball for a very long time. The roster has been in a state of decrepitude for a very long time because the organization is well recognized for its instability and incompetence. There is no magic to success in the league. You need a legitimate franchise qb and also a decent lineup on both sides of the ball to be a serious team. If you can't acquire an elite qb you don't bypass a quality qb that will at least make your product watcheable. In my view adding a Romo type performer to this roster will dramatically elevate the competiveness of this non-competing team.

What the Bills have clearly demonstrated is that if you don't have a legitimate franchise qb you can't compete let alone dream about the playoffs. When it gets to the point that a franchise goes without a credible starting qb for more than a genertion then I will be the last person to scoff at a team that over pays for a solid to good qb. How does a franchise in a system designed for parity not make the playoffs in 13 years? How does a team in a system designed for parity have a losing record in nine out of the last ten years? The most important reason among many reasons is that they don't have a credible qb. Odds are that the slow GM is going to draft a qb in the first or second round. And odds are that the selected qb will not develop into an elite qb. But that's alright. If the qb turns out to be a solid franchise qb then that is a dramatic upgrade that will allow this franchise an opportunity to be a credible team instead of an afterhought team.

The qb issue in Seattle wasn't that Flynn wasn't good but that right from the start Wilson demonstrated that he was going to be a special player. It didn't take the coaching staff very long to recognize what they had with Wilson. I give the HC and staff credit for having the courage to start the rookie over their free agent acquisition.

Your son gave an excellent analysis. It was also a fun read. I think your son is too enamored with Flynn. Although there is talk that he is going to the Raiders with the Raiders letting Palmer go. With his release the Cardinals are supposedly interested in his services. As it stands I have no strong feelings toward any of the prospects other than it is imperative that Nix draft one of them in the first or second round in order to get someone in the pipeline. His hesitancy to pull the trigger on a qb has set this franchise back.

Newsome is simply one of the best GMs in the game. What he and the other top shelf GMs do is assemble high quality staffs. That is why their evaluation of players is so much better than third rate (Buffalo) organizations. In general, their drafting approach is simple. They usually take the highest rated player on their board. In Flacco's draft year they didn't take him with their first first pick because he wasn't rated at that level. So what they did is after their first round pick they maneuvered back into the first round to select Flacco at a lower first round point. Do you think that Nix is capable of pulling off that type of manuever? Teams such as the Steelers, Packers and Ravens understand the complexity of the cap and how it impacts teams now and in the future. They not only make decisions for the now but also for the future. The Bills are playing a different game. Nix is playing checkers while the competition is playing chess.

You are correct that securing an impactful qb changes the dynamic of a franchise and the perception of how a franchise is viewed. A number of serious roster flaws can be overcome with an upper tier franchise qb. When the Packers won a SB with Rodgers as their qb they had no running game and a questionable defense. When the Saints won a SB with Brees taking the snaps they didn't have much of a running game and had a problematic defense. You don't have to be a professional analyst to recognize that securing a good qb is a necessity for success. Now let's assess the Bills situaiton. They haven't had a legitimate franchise qb since the Jim Kelly era. That is literally a generation ago. I don't want to rehash the Nix approach to building a roster because that issue has been worned out. But you can't avoid the obvious that has so much crushed this franchise. What should have been a top priority from the start was put on the back burner until the roster was bolstered. During his tenure the team's record was 16-32 with an inability to beat teams that had winning records. His passive approach to finding a franchise qb never made sense.His lack of urgency (until now) never made sense. What is most aggravating with the qb issue for this very troubled franchise is that there was a number of opportunities to address the most critical issue for any franchise. Nix played it cool and waited for the perfect situation to materialize. It never did. And now he and the franchise are desperately scrambling to make amends for something that should have been on their agenda right from the start. It's simply another example of stark incompetence that has handicapped this lackluster franchise for a very long time.

How many times have we seen this same cycle of futility of building it up to then tear it down again to be in the same position of starting over again? What is odd, if not disturbing, is as you noted the offseason passivity in the free agent market. I not worried about the organizatiion not participating in the top tier free agent market but I am puzzled with us not seeming to be very much involved in the second level market where the value/quality ratio is high. One GM I highly admire is Ozzie Newsome of the Ravens. He has lost a slew of players to the free agent market and retirement. He has recovered a lot of lost talent with players such as Dumervil and Huff for a lesser price than the players he lost. When you compare Nix matching wits with Newsome you walk away with the sensation that you don't stand a chance against the big boys.

Your analysis is very sound. If Geno is there they should select him. If Geno is not on the board I would love to see them trade down and take Barkley/Nassib/Manuel lower down in the first round. I'm not suggesting that these qbs aren't second round rated players but there are too many teams ahead of us in the second round that could take our preferred qb in that round. Where I somewhat disagree with you is that I don't see the Jets taking a qb in the first round. They have a lot of needs and the remaining qbs left for them to consider aren't special enough to take at that point in the first round. One qb that intrigues me is Tyler Wilson. He fits Nix's mold of playing in the SEC and has southern roots. He was a much more promising prospect after this junior year compared to his senior year in a program that was subjected to a lot of turmoil. He would be an interesting prospect in the second round. From a qb perspective this draft year is much more interesting than last year. The two elite qb prospects simplified how the top of the draft was going to fall. This year there are many conflicting views on the qb prospects. Russell Wilson was the surprise of last year's qb prospects. No one could forsee how good he was going to be. In this year's draft there could be a couple or more surprise prospects who down the line will outperform the declared top prospects.

It that is the case then I am relieved.

If this isn't a red flag player/person then no one is. He is not a malicious person so much as he is a dope. He is simply contemptuous of the authorities and the laws.He just doesn't care about the consequences. He was under the league drug system. So what. He continued to smoke the weed He ends up being suspended for four games. He has gotten 29 traffic tickets in less than five years, mostly for the same offenses in the same area. Fred Davis was starting to emerge as a player. Then he submarined himself with his immature behavior. As a talent he is an intriguing player. As a person he is far from being dependable. When the Bills drafted Marshawn Lynch they were well aware of his history. Now they are pursuing Fred Davis knowing his history. Buyer beware! http://privateoffice...ateofficer-com/

What does being a viable team mean in a system designed for parity? No one is talking about being a SB caliber team, at least I'm not. You are bringing up a red herring. Over the past three years of Nix's tenure the Bills have almost not been able to beat teams with winning records. What does that tell you as far as being a measuring stick? What does a 16-32 record tell you in comparison to the rest of the leauge? That success is right around the corner? Let's get real here. I'm far from being emotional when I bring up the simple fact of the team's record over the past three years. Are the Bills better? That is a meaningless question? The issue isn't how much the Bills improved so much is how improved are they against their competitors. You point out that the both of us are simply conjecturing about the Bills. When I point out the team's record under Nix I am not conjecturing. I am stating facts. You don't win one game out of every three games you play because you have a robust roster. You win at that paltry rate because of a roster having a lack of talent in a wide array of positions.

Last year, against two very good teams, 49ers and Seahawks, the Bills gave up 47 and 50 points. Over the past three years the Bills have been almost incapable of beating teams with a winning record. The record of the Bills during Nix's tenure is 16 -32. His drafts for the past three years have focused on the defense. Our defensive rankings is near the bottom of the NFL. The Bills have a number of issues beyond the qb issue. They are far from being a serious playoff contending team. You need to trust your eyes more than your heart.

When he was at the Univ. of Maryland he was benched and replaced by a much lesser talented player because of his lack of effort and work effort. The Hc, Friedgen, said I would rather play the lesser player who gives maximum effort than the more talented player who is lazy and doesn't care.

We have one zealot fan who is a regular poster who believes the failure of the organization is due to the lackluster support of the fans. His line of reasoning is when your eyes tell you that something is bad the solution is to close your eyes. He believes that chiding the battered fans is the solution to breathing new life into a deflated franchise. LOL

Whatever deficiencies this team has, other than the qb position, can be adequately and temporarily fixed with mid-level free agent acquisitions. If we come out of this draft with a qb prospect that demonstrates that he has the potential to be a quality franchise qb then the trajectory for this franchise is upward. It might not be reflected in this year's record but capable qb play will give this fanbase hope that this can be a serious team. The one qb in this draft who is most prepared to start right away is Barkley. He is well schooled in the type of system that Hackett wants to employ. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that in the long run Barkley will be the best qb in this draft for this franchise. Geno Smith has more tools (athleticism and arm strength) than Barkley. But it will take him a little more time to get acclimated to the pro game. Manuel is another qb who has more physical assets but is much rawer as a player coming into the pro ranks.

Out of curiosity do the winters with long periods of darkness bother you or did you simply adjust to the lack of light? Alaska is majestically scenic but especially in the winter the cold and trecherous weather can be difficult to handle for most people. It must take a special breed (tough/rugged) person to be comfortable in such a unique landscape.

There certainly are no guarantees in business or life for that matter. If elevated would Whaley do a better job than his predecessor? No one knows for sure because it is impossible to know for sure. All you can do is play the odds and do your best to hire the best qualified person for a very challenging position. The problem with the Bills is that under the current incompetent owner (now not involved) there never has been a serious hiring (search)process. The owner had a whimsical decision-making process where he resorted to hiring people he knew and was comfortable with. That inane way to staff your $1 Billion business was a recipe for disaster. What is even more crazy is that this clueless owner kept repeating the same failed hiring process. Will Marrone be another one of the standard failed HCs? I can't say. What I can say is that the hiring process in which he was selected was done in a much more professional and comprehensive manner. I may be reading too much into that particular hiring process but at least it is an encouraging sign. I'm also encouraged that Nix and his staff are belatedly fully engaged and determined to come out of this draft with a legitimate franchise qb prospect. That is also a very promising sign.

It is impossible to evaluate the potential replacement but it is certainly not too difficult to evaluate the current GM. If a 16-32 record is good enough for you then you have very low standards. Not holding someone accountable because you don't know how the next replacement will do makes little sense. The current GM selected the HC who didn't work out. The current GM focused his three drafts on defense that has resulted in it being ranked near the bottom. The current GM has had three full draft years to come up with a qb prospect. He didn't even bother to try. He miscalculated in giving an erratic and weak armed qb a starting contract when he was never more than an adequate backup. There are always the same lame excuses explaining away what can't be explained away: a pathetic record in a system designed for parity. The bottom line is an ill-equipped old scout was hired by a weird owner for a job he was never suited for. You don't send in a checkers player to play in a masters chess tournament.

As WEO noted your response is concise and substative. Your on the mark response contains keen observations that are loaded with meaningful information. Excellent post.

I doubt that he will get in. He was a unique player for us who made a disproportiante impact compared to the number of plays he was involved in. A roster having a number of rare character guys can't necessarily be measured but they do make a difference. As much as I have a high regard for him as a player and person I agree with his assessment that he doesn't deserve to be in the HOF. Putting him on the Stadium Wall is a worthy tribute to this special player and person. You can do better than that. My mind is not great! I struggle to climb the mountain of mediocrity. LOL

When Steve Tasker was asked if he should be in the HOF he said no. And then he went on to explain how many other great players there were who have not been selected. Steve is the epitomy of what you want an athlete to be in effort, character and attitude. Never an exhibitionist on the field. Simply all class. There was a short period of time when the Bills had injuries to its receiver corps. He filled in as a receiver. He was terrific. Had glue like hands and was able to find the holes in the defense. He could have been the pre-Welker if he was allowed to just play as a receiver.

I got this clip from WGRZ. It showed some tape of Luke Tasker, a receiver from Cornell. He probably is a free agent type prospect who might be more suitable for the CFL. What is so evident is that the father is gushing with pride over his son as a football player and as a person. http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/207734/37/Luke-Tasker-Following-in-his-Dads-Footsteps

No team is going to trade up ahead of us to take a qb. That would be foolish considering the qbs that are in this draft. I'm not saying that there aren't good qbs in this draft but not good enough to give up picks in order to make that leap forward in the first round. If a team or two does move up it will be for other positional needs. There are some defensive studs that might entice a team to move up such as Jarvis Jones and a number of DE & DTs that would be attractive players to go after. The CB from Alabama is another player that another team might covet. The problem that the Bills are facing is that if they don't take a qb in the first round there is a number of teams drafting ahead of us who could select a qb we like in the second round. Also, teams might be more likely to jump ahead of us in the second round (less cost) if we don't go after a qb in the first round.

The only way to make a new stadium viable is to have it be a multi-purpose facility. A combo stadium and convention center makes sense. The model to copy is the new multi-purpose facility in Indianapolis. The current convention center in Buffalo is small and antiquated. Instead of putting any more money in that facility or build another facility it would make sense to merge a stadium project with a convention type facility. One of the major stumbling blocks in moving forward with a stadium project is that no one knows what is going to happen after Ralph Wilson passes. Until that issue is resolved I see little progress being made on stadium project.