Here we go with the Sabres brainwashing campaign against making trades. We all know that the Toronto Maple Leafs were wheeling and dealing this weekend with acquiring Dion Phaneuf and Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Look, obviously we have no clue who got the better of the deals, and the Maple Leafs would have to go on a hell of a run to even make the playoffs.
But the Sabres and their watch dogs are already on the prowl with saying that the Leafs gave up a ton for Phaneuf and Giguere. Look, I know that Giguere has struggled, but he was pretty good two years ago. But the biggest key to the Giguere deal is that he’s an upgrade over Vesa Toskala. As for Phaneuf, he’s only one of the best offensive defenseman in the NHL.
This isn’t the first or last time that Sabres apologists have said “it’s the end of the world” when it comes to trading. I keep hearing Kathy Bates character in the “Water Boy,” where she says that “Foosball is de Devil” to Adam Sandler. Which is how I would compare the Sabres reactions to NHL teams trading during the regular season. I’m still waiting for someone to send me a multi-player deal from the last five years where a team was burned by giving up prospects for a star player. Sorry, but the Eric Lindros trade doesn’t count anymore.
I’ve said this before, the Sabres need to make a deal for a playmaking center or defensmen. I know that most Sabres apologists are saying, “Bro, the Sabres are fine, man. They can beat anyone in the east.” That may be true now, but don’t think for one second that the Penguins or Capitols won’t try and get better at the deadline.
Yeah, I know, no one has won the Stanley Cup after making a huge trade deadline deal, but they haven’t hurt either, folks-
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Look, I hate the NFL Draft. I think it’s the most over hyped event in all of sports. I understand that the draft builds your team for the future, but having experts grade drafts even before a player walks out on the NFL field is a joke. I remember in 2002, when all the experts gave the Bills a A- for their draft. That was the draft where Mike Williams and Josh Reed were picked.
With that being said, I have to agree with the experts on their thoughts on Tim Tebow. I don’t want to knock the guy before he ever puts on an NFL uniform, but I wouldn’t want him starting on my team. There’s just way too many red flags about him.
When you hear these words: Slow release, bad footwork, lack of arm strength, and a project. It just doesn’t really enhance my confidence. Now it’s possible for him to cure all of these bad mechanics over the next couple of years. However, what scares me the most is how he’s been exclusively in the shotgun for all of his years in college. That’s a big red flag for me. You have to learn to see the field under center and hearing how he fumbled a number of snaps at Senior Bowl practice last week isn’t a good thing. He also didn’t help his stock with his performance at the Senior Bowl on Saturday either.
Look, I get that Tebow is probably the greatest college football player of all time. But so was Ty Detmer and Charlie Ward. I know he’s a leader and a blue-collar (hate that word) type player that would probably captivate Bills fans. But he’s not the guy that the Bills should develop for the future. Now if Tebow falls to the 4th or 5th round, I’m down for drafting him as a wildcat quarterback, like the Dolphins did for Pat White.
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As far as my draft strategy for the Bills goes, I’ve always been a big fan of teams trading down. The Bills have a number of needs for their team and I think this is the time to try and stockpile picks. Heck, if Buddy Nix’s resume is comprised of all these great draft picks he helped make in San Diego, then the team should give him as many picks as possible.
Fans have to realize that the Chargers were built not only through drafting, but for trading down. They traded the first overall pick in 2001 and 2004 to gain extra picks, which set the foundation for the team’s competitiveness for years to come.
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I’m still not sure what the Bills should do with their first pick. Part of me wants them to draft an offensive tackle, but I don’t think they will because they traded Jason Peters last year after refusing to pay him. So why would they draft and pay for a unproven LT, when they already had Peters.
You could always draft a quarterback in the first round, but history has proven that you can find a stellar quarterback in the later rounds (Hell, “Double G” was jumping up and down for the Bills to draft Drew Brees in the second round), the big question is do the Bills have the scouts who can find that diamond in the rough? Eh….
As of today, I’m going to go with drafting a linebacker. Even if the Bills go to a 3-4 defense, they need to address their linebacking core. In the last 10 years, The Bills have only drafted one linebacker within the first two rounds. The Bills need a linebacker who can go east to west and can be adequate in pass coverage. I’ve already stated that I’m not a big fan of Poz, whose shortcomings have outweighed his pros. But maybe if Poz gets a little help, I may change my tune on him. Either way, the Bills have a ton of holes on their roster.
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