Hi folks. We're doing a first round Mock Draft at Buffalo Rumblings and I've been assigned the Vikings. So I'm here to ask your advice on who I should take.

Now the obvious pick would be USC OT Matt Kalil. But I've also herd that you guys are very interested in CB Maurice Clairborn. As well as I've herd rumours that you guys may be willing to trade down, which is actually possible in our mock.

So my question for you is as per your knowledge of the Vikings, what do you think the Vikings will do come draft time? I've provided a pool, and if you could explain you mentality into why you voted for what in the poll, via the comments section, it would be really appriciated.

Thanks!

Ok so it's been over a week, sorry for my tardiness, but I've had a hellofa week. If you missed my previous post, here's he long and short of it: I lost a bet saying that Mario would never sign with the Bills (for the record I've never been happier about loosing a bet before). The original bet was that I would eat my shoe if he signed with us. Now knowing that that would be absurdly dangerous, I turned my fate over to the masses, and am letting you decided my fate.

Before I get to the top 5 rec'd suggestions, I'll start by eliminating one myself (btw it was actually the option that got the second most rec's):

i think

we need to make Stevie know about that bet. So, he will be able to make Canadian meet with Mario at Training camp. Then he will put Canadian against Mario in that crazy drill, i cant remenber the name, that one when he lines up against mario in one-on-one and try to block him. That would be sweet!

by Fernando brazil on Mar 15, 2012 9:21 PM EDT actions 34 recs

The reason I'm eliminating this one is just because too awesome to be a punishment for me. I would do it in a split second if it was possible. So with that said, if someone can make this happen, I will do the TOP TWO voted punishments of the poll. SO MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!!!!!

So without farther adieu, here are the top 5 suggestions from my previous post:

Number 1, from buffalobacker, with 36 rec's:

Cut

Get a Mario tattoo or a #Mario haircut and post on this site.

Number 2, from Dr. Brackish Okun, with 30 rec's:

I know this isn’t nasty, but it promotes further Bills fandom, so I’m putting it out there. Buy two tickets to a game and give them to someone who wouldn’t otherwise be able to go.

Number 3, from NordicBillsfan, with 23 rec's:

I propose two slices of pizza with the following toppings:

1) Sauerkraut
2) Horseradish
3) Wasabi
4) Gerber’s Baby Food – Pea Flavored.
5) Rocky Mountain Oysters cut into pepperoni-shaped slices

Number 4, from Brad Bishop, with 16 rec's:

wear a tom brady jersey and have the biggest hard hitting guy you know wear a mario williams jersey and let him hit u so i can see how great that will look for 6 years to come. two bonuses you buy the jerseys so u get a mario williams jersey out if the deal then you burn the tom brady jersey and post it on a new england fan based site and you own up to your bet. oh thats three bonuses.

Number 5, and perhaps the most cruel and sadistic of them all, from Der Jaeger, with 12 rec's:

Dress like Lady Gaga. Go to a dance club. Dance. Have someone take video. Post it one Youtube. Link it here.

So those are the top 5 options. The Poll will end on April 7th, and remember, if you can get me to actually be tackled by Mario Williams I will do two of these. So have at it, start voting!!!!!!

As many of you know, in late January I made a bet that Mario Williams would not only never be a Bill, but wouldn't even reach free agency. Well it's now two months later and I am ecstatic to have lost! Because this is the most excited that I have ever been as a Bills fan. (Don't believe me? just take a look at my new avatar!)

Now in my original bet I had said that if by the crazy, no chance in hell occasion that Mario Williams does become a Buffalo Bill, that I would eat my Chucky T's. And I must admit, the moment that Mario got on the private jet bound for Buffalo, I started to realize that "hey, i just might lose this thing." So I started to do my research on the feasibility of me making good on the bet. Well my research made me realize just how bad of idea it would be to just blindly follow through. So because if the different risks of eating canvas alone (intestinal blockage, hemorrhaging, DEATH!), not to mention the chemicals that the shoes are treated with and the chemicals that they absorbed simply by walking on the streets, I decided against it. And to his credit, bluecollarbuffalo (the winner of the bet) gave me his go ahead to seek other alternatives to eating a shoe.

BUT, a bet is a bet and I am a man of my word. So I came to the conclusion that the best way to find the most original, entertaining and non-life threatening punishment was to let you guys decided what my punishment would be (POWER TO THE MASSES!).

So here's how this is going to work, it's going to be a two post process (this being the first one). In this post I will let all of you propose different ideas as to what my punishment should be. If you like the ideas that people post, REC them! On Monday I will take the 5 suggestions with the most rec's and put them in a poll (that would be part two), and the winner of the poll will decide what I will do. (after which I will film/take pictures of the result and post them).

So have at it people, I am letting the masses decide my fate!

On January 24 I made a bet with mob16151 and bluecollarbuffalo that A) Mario Williams would not become a free agent; and B) that he would most definitely not become a Buffalo Bill. Now Mario Williams is definitely a free agent (congrats mob), but the simple fact that we're his first in free agency makes me fell generous too.

So without farther adieu (and with quite a bit of joy on my part)...

mob16151 and bluecollarbuffalo You ARE MY SUPPERIORS!!!!!

Now I'm just waiting on Buddy to make the third art of the bet complete. COMMON BUDDY, MAKE ME EAT MY CHUCKY T'S!!!!!!

I don't usually do what if scenario's, but this is an interesting one. PFT is reporting that the Falcons are willing to let Lofton walk instead of overpaying him to stay. He's been a starter for them since his rookie season, but has consistenetaly been a liability against the pass as a Middle Linebacker.

So here's my "what if". If the Falcons do let him walk, do you think that the Bills should go after him with the goal of making him our starting strong side LB?

Seeing that it's his first time as a UFA, Lofton wants big bucks, which the Falcons may not be willing to pay. Now he's not elite talent, so he shouldn't cos too much, but would still fetch big money, which the Bills have to spend. He's been a Middle Linbacker for them for a while, but played his first season and a half as an OLB, so he's got expirience there too. He's also spent his entire career in a 4-3, is a fast LB that is excellent against the run and be a better fit at the SAM spot than Krik Morrisson.

What do you think? Should we go after Curtis Lofton?

Just read this on PFT, and I'd usually submit it as a fanshot, but I think this news is a bit of higher importance.

Basically to get down to it, the folks at PFT are continuously reviewing the new CBA to find things that might be relevant to current situations, and they just found a biggy. According to the new CBA teams can carry over the unused cap space from one year to the next simply by having the owner write a letter to the league within two weeks of the end of the league year citing their intention to do so.

Think about that for a second, that means that the Bills can overspending on next year's cap by 20.9M dollars. That is a HUGE advantage when it comes to free agency, The Bills (and just about every other team that left huge amounts of money under the cap) can go out and give more money to big names on extremely front loaded contracts.

Take this scenario for example. The Bills could go out and sign Vincent Jackson to a 5 year, 48M dollar contract and have the first year pay him 15M and have the other 4 years pay him an average of 8.25M, making the deal much more manageable on the future cap as well. So if teams get creative, and smart, on how they spend they can save up one year, build threw the draft, then apply that amount to the next year in free agency and become an instant contender.

Now Nix has already stated that the Bills will spend to their cap this year. It also turns out that the Bills cap will be 20 million dollars higher than the league's cap. This should make us a very aggressive team in free agency, and could make us a considerably better team for next season.

Ok this Mario Williams stuff has been driving me nuts lately. So instead of going on a rant about how he's not going to hit the open market (because in my mind, he's not) I figred that I might as well have a little fun with it. So here goes...

This is an open invite, Sireric make-a-post type gentleman's bet. Now seeing as betting the Williams will not be a Buffalo Bill would be too easy, I am willing to bet that the Texans will Tag and Trade Williams rather than let him walk.

So here are the terms of the bet:

-If I win (aka if the Texans Tag-And-Trade Williams) the loser will have to write a post stating my superiority.

-If I lose (aka if WIlliams hits the open market) I will write a post stating the winner's superiority.

-If Williams stays a Texans, it is a tie and neither party wins.

Added Adendum: If Mario Williams becomes a Bill by any means, I will cook and eat my left shoe, smuthered in gravy, with a side of mashed potatoes. And I will post picks. (also added a poll for the heck of it)

Now this is an open bet, but I will only take one person to go against. If you guys want to choose your reprisentative go ahead. Otherwise I'll pick the opponant.

So do I have any takers?

Before I start talking about RG3 I'd like to flat out admit that before about a week ago I was against the idea of drafting a QB in the first. Then I realized that we'd again be picking in the top 10, maybe even as early as 6th, so I started doing my research. And I've gotta say, I LOVE THIS KID!

We all know the obvious, he's got a cannon arm, is precise with the ball (more than most realize I think) and does not lose any accuracy on the run, is a good decision maker, and runs a cross between Vick and Tebow. All of that is obvious.

The Bleacher Report does a great early scouting job on him in this link, giving him an 8.85 out of ten. To put that into perspective they list him as their second best prospect (overall) behind Andrew Luck.

But it's not why I love this kid, because let's be honest, there now seems to be one of those types of QB in every draft.Why I love him as our potential franchise QB comes from what I've read about him off the field. He's a team first guy. He's gotten involved in the college community. And perhaps most importantly, has never let any of his success get to his head. Here are just a few quick Youtube links with interviews with him an teammates to show you what I'm talking about.

From 2009, when he was emerging as a star at Baylor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozzERd-boi8&feature=related

From 2010, before Baylor's first Bowl game in a long time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4DJ4U5luwo

From Spring 2011, ESPN during spring training: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUSMxEipedU

From 2011, after his final game saying that BAYLOR probably won its first Heisman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQPH28fbp3M

From 2011, after learning he'd be a finalist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd7L_BpCRk0

From 2011, the interview the night he won the Heisman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JZ6udHgqQU&feature=related

What strikes me about all of these interviews is how he never, and I mean never places the glory on himself, but places it on his team, talks about why he's doing it for his community and how much everything meant for the team and the city of Waco. And did you notice how he never once said I won? Whether it be for a game or the Heisman, it was always WE won and BAYLOR won. That`s an attitude that I LOVE to see and hear, and one that falls perfectly for the type of mindset the Bills and Buffalo needs from a QB.

This kid impresses at every turn. And even though he has yet to declare (he says he wont make a decision until after his Bowl game), if he`s available when we pick, then I think that the bills should jump on him. Heck even if we have to trade up and give up our 2nd or 3rd rounder I think we need to do it. This kid just seems tailor made for Buddy Nix, Chan Gailey, the Bills, and more importantly, the city of Buffalo.

I don't like how everyone is up in arms about how "CJ Spiller isn't a feature back." Especially when you consider that just at the start of last season, and even at the start of this season, everyone was saying that we should have a dual back system. I think that now that CJ is finally coming out of his shell as both a running and receiving threat, we have the perfect situation for that.

Think about it, once Freddy is back next year we could be in line for a killer duo. One that much resembled the Thomas Jones/Jamaal Charles duo from the Chiefs last year. CJ is showing the same flashed that Charles did when he started coming out of his shell 2 seasons ago, and last year showed that he was probably the most valuable back in the NFL not named Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson. Yet Charles, to his own admission, IS NOT A FEATURE BACK.

Now imagine the Jones/Charles duo if Thomas Jones was also good enough to lead the league in rushing. That's the possibility that we have in Freddy in CJ. We have a hard nosed, between the tackles, complete back (rushing, receiving and pass protection) in Freddy. We also have that change of pace, "can take it all the way on any play" back with CJ. Now spread the touches out between both of them, turn our offense into a run first offense and we really have something.

If Chan is smart enough (and I think he is offensively) then I think that our O will much resemble KC's O from last year, where the two back get a combined 30 to 35 touches per game, and the passing game is centered on quick, possession passes. This would maximize the use of our running backs and diminish the effect of our receiving corps that doesn't have a real deep threat.

And perhaps most importantly, much like Matt Castle is in KC, diminish the glaring weaknesses of our QB. Fitzy is not the answer at QB. That's clear. But in a run first, possession passing offense, he can be a very good QB. An offense based around that is much more sustainable than the spread type, pass first, offense that we have been running (mostly unsuccessfully) for most of the year.

You can say that I'm a hopeless optimist if you want, and I'll fully admit to it, but the emergence of Spiller does give us this great option next season.

Added note: I'm not saying that we're going to see a duplicate of KC's offense. After all Charles>Spiller, and Jackson>Thomas. So it would obviously still centre around Freddy as the main back, with CJ going in for a change of pace. As opposed to KC's offense that used Charles as their main back and Thomas for the hard yards and 3rd down situations. But the ability to use both Jackson and Spiller as the focal point of the offense is there.

Here's a poll just for the heck of it.

Note I added one paragraph near the end in Italics. It was kind of supposed to be the entire point of the post. Incredible the things you forget when your son wants to play Wii Bowling.

I've been mulling over this for a while, and since it is not a subject that is talked about a lot here I thought I'd put up a post about it. It may also be a bit early to write this... but i honestly don't care :P

Looking at how the "Inner Circle" approached the draft, and how Nix and Chan approach the draft. AND THAT'S A GOOD THING!!!!

I think that Jauron ran the draft when he was here, and he did a poor job of it. One of their big mistake, or at least what I think their biggest mistake was, was always drafting on need towards the system that they ran. Had to trade McGahee? Ok let's reach for Lynch. Thin at Cornerback? Reach for the best cover 2 back in the draft and draft McKelvin. Anemic pass rusher. draft the fastest DE in the draft with Maybin.

Jauron continually and consistently ignored the talent that was available in order to draft the most suited player for his cover 2 system or to fill a gaping hole in the offense. Now this approach has worked with team before. The Ravens and the Steelers have been doing it for years. But for this to work you need to things to happen before hand. First you need all of your players and your current system firmly established. Second, when you draft the system players you must draft them BEFORE you need them to start.

That's what the Ravens do so well. They established a great 3-4 system, they established the started, and then they started to draft the replacement players 1-2 season BEFORE they are needed. A great example of this is Mount Cody. They still had Kelly Gregg in place at NT, with Ngata switching between DE and NT. Cody barely played his rookie season. and this season he's splitting NT reps with Ngata. He should be their full time starter at NT next season.

Essentially, this is the drafting system that an already established team uses, and that only an established team can use successfully. That was Jauron's biggest mistake when it came to drafting. He ignored the talent that was available on the board that would have helped establish his defense and went after the holes in his system without the ability to develop the players for the roles that they were going to play. Jauron drafted for immediate need while totally ignoring available players.

Meanwhile Nix seems to be a BPA guy in regards to BUILDING a system. Yes need is taken into consideration, but it does not trump who is available. I believe that's how we ended up with Spiller. Almost everyone projected CJ to be a top 10 pick. And while HB was not a need, he was arguably the best player available. Also I don't think that Nix ever intended to keep Lynch, and he didn't know what he had in Freddy (to be honest, no one did). So CJ was the choice. Troup remains a puzzling pick, but Carrington was spot on. DE was both a developmental need, as well as being one of the best players available at that pick.

This year's draft is an even better example. Dareus was the best player available at number 3. Sure arguments can be made for both Green and Peterson, but when taking into account that Nix is building from the inside out, Dareus is the obvious pick. In the second round everyone here was surprised with the Aaron Williams pick, but he was one of the best talents available, and as we're seeing this year, he's already good to be a starter. Sheppard was also a great value pick that helped build the system. He might be starting per-maturely, but he is showing good potential and is a great pick for the long haul when it comes to establishing needs and long term vision.

In all of this I think that what Nix, and Chan, have done so well is drafting football players that are great at what they do and then adjusting the scheme around them as opposed to plugging holes with players that he hopes will be immediate starters. This is how good teams are built threw the draft. And it's also why I think we're on our way to being a good to great team.

We're definitely not there yet, but I do think that we are on our way once our picks start developping.

Listen I love Andy Levitre.  I honestly think that he, not Fred, has been the MVP of this team so far this season.  With that said, he's just horrible at center.  It's just not his position.  He never played it before becoming a Bill and after today's game, I'm very confident in saying that he should never play that position again.

Which is why I think that the first thing that Buddy Nix should do tomorrow morning is call Shaun O'Hara's agent.  O'Hara has multiple Pro0Bowl's under his belt and for years anchored a great Giant's line.  He's still a free agent, mostly because he is starting to show his age, but he's could still be a very good center, and a much needed veteran presence on our O-line. 

More importantly, signing O'Hara would also push Andy back to LG where he belongs.  I truly believe that Levitre is a Pro-Bowl, if not All-Pro level LG.  But he can't actually show it unless he plays the position.  A position that he has not played since week 4, and the quality of Offense as a whole has slid ever since.  I for one do not think that that is a coincidence.

What do you think?