Ghost of Dwight Drane

They really went with the jackhammer today. Sanders looks like he can shuffle well in close, but can't pull. People were talking like he was a 2nd or 3rd and I didn't get it. He's cool here. I'm guessing the LB was a lot better against the run? He looks like he can go sideline to sideline very well but if you catch him on play action, he is dead in the water. Good looking kid though. The only pick I hate today is Brooks. Watch for a mysterious "injury" crop up and they stash him on IR for the year as to not embarass themselves and cut him. I see nothing redeeming in the film. Buddy loves shopping at LSU though. Carder is meh as an athlete, but everyone says it's all about instincts with him. He sounded sharp in the interview today for sure. I'm rooting for Owusu in the 7th.......the WR from Stanford.

I loved Kendricks and Philly gobbled him up. All my guys I liked (Kendricks-Philly, Osemele-Balt, Adams-Pitt, Heyward-GB) went in the 2nd and the TE Allen was 1st in the 3rd. .......I'll take that as a positive with those teams drafting the guys I liked.The only guys left as #2-3 targets are Givens at WR who I like 10x better than the Bills pick, and Dennard who just got arrested the other day after my writeup. The encouraging thing about Glenn that I had no idea about is that Nix said the new staff got him to put on an extra 15-20 lbs and he should be lighter. I wasn't thrilled with his tape at all and have him relegated to guard...which he may be very good at....but that is an example of a possible bad system where the Bills think they can really work with him. At that spot I can understand the pick. The WR....holy cow.......he caught about 35% of the balls at the combine where the average guy takes in 90%. I have no idea what they are thinking, and even his speed is poorly distributed on a football field. I hope they know something, but I am not a fan at all of the pick. Gilmore A+, Glenn B, Graham D

It's natural to get scared by late risers.....but one of the things about the combine is that everyone does the exact same thing. On gameday you could be the only good DL on a bad team, get double teamed and chipped all day, and end the year with 3 sacks. You could also have a bad coach that doesn't know how to use you or a bad system. At the combine, you get to show the goods.....and Gilmore showed it. There is no hiding behind anyone else.......and no inflated results because you are surrounded by great teammates. While most scouts have their minds made up on guys from watching all their games, I think Nix said that is about 70% of their board grade and workouts and interviews and such make up the rest. I haven't watched a lot of college games, so some of these kids I like may have a tragic flaw....but the better the pure athlete, the better chance a good coach or right system can get more out of them. That's why I didn't like Kuchkley. He will probably have a chance to get manhandled at the pro level the way he carries himself. He is a solid athlete, but he put up numbers on the field and that is what got him drafted there. I will be interested to see his career progress and see if I am wrong. I say zero pro bowls. Yeah, this is by far the most prep I've put in for a draft in a while. I feel good about pegging an overrated Tackle group. Now let's see if the Bills avoid the overrated round 2 WR group landmine. Givens is the only guy there I would be happy about, and he may make it to 3.

Good question. Absolutely. Like anything else, it can be hit or miss. I think some people get confused between "workout warriors" and the numbers put up by guys, and guys that show pure athleticism in the combine drills. That is why I was trying to point out the differences in Claiborne and Gilmore. Look at the wasted energy and drive Claiborne uses compared to Gilmore in the 40 yard dash. If you are just looking at times, yes Gilmore is faster.....but if they ran the exact same time Gilmore is still preferred because of the way he did it. I've missed on plenty of guys. I liked Jason Smith as a franchise left tackle and he is playing right on a crappy team. As far as Bills picks go, you could see at the combine that Maybin was a one trick pony. I was swearing at that pick and loved Orakapo. Maybin has explosive north/south quickness.....but that is all he has. He is horrible laterally and undersized. I called GR and talked to Howard and Jeremy after the draft to lament over the "gimmick" picks Modrak would go with. Maybin/Hardy.....those guys are not built properly to excel, not to mention the lack of brainpower.This current group avoids the flashy rhinestones. Even a guy like Marshawn Lynch.......I liked him, but he is bowlegged. It still may be up at the football board, but I said he will probably have a history of ankle and back issues because of it and retire early. As a competitor and power athlete though, he is fine. The horse industry has plenty of different tastes that end up working well. I have had by far the most success with horses that aren't blazing fast in their workouts but move so efficiently that they avoid injury and can carry themselves longer distances because they are so smooth. When you see one that has power and can move efficiently, it is the type of horse I target for the Derby. Instead of a draft, most horses if sold in public go through an auction, so it is the exact same thing as the combine except you open bid instead of give draft picks. When it is all said and done, it is about value though in both sports. My favorite Bill the past 2 years in the combine and who I think can still be a force, is Moats. I love his ability. Just a little small and not much reach, but he has good instincts to make up for it. He could have been a late 2nd or early 3rd and I wouldn't have cried. Maybe in the 3rd? I don't love him. He is built a lot like Bell though, so the Bills might. I am in love with Osemele in this spot about as much as I thought Gilmore should be the pick. I'm glad Buddy agreed with me when asked if he is suprised so many tackles are left.....and he said no, he was surprised Rieff even went in the first. That's the honesty I love and the eye for value that has me so excited for the Bills in general.

Thanks for the feedback. This is pretty much my wheelhouse and it is a lot easier and friendlier I guess to give opinions based on concrete visual examples as opposed to subjective psyche analysis. :P The biggest turning point for this franchise was bringing Nix to the top and getting rid of Modrak. I haven't agreed with some of their picks the past few years, but on a whole they do a much better job at finding pure athletes that seem to have character as well. One of the best horsemen I know and who I learned from early used to be a track and field coach at UCLA. His motto was "an athlete is an athlete." The dynamics and skillset between a horse and a football player and the process to identify them are almost 100% the same. It doesn't transcend to hockey as well, but the power, fluidity, smoothness, and toughness of football is a perfect match. Power is generated from the lower body, and that along with efficiency of motion are the biggest aspects in my opinion. Why I am in love with Kendricks the LB is that he has both. You also have conformation of the body compared to the ideal physical prototype. That aspect is where Claiborne beats out Gilmore. On a pure "meat" level, on sight you would want Claiborne. Then you have the intangables of intelligence, competitiveness, and then any medical issues. 2nd round should be interesting. The only WR I have worth the pick is Givens, but at tackle if Osemele or Adams are there, that would be my pick in that order. If Martin keeps slipping, he is worth a 3rd rounder.

I of course am thrilled with this pick. Gilmore is such an efficient athlete in his movement, almost perfect. When you don't waste motion, you save energy and have more time to cover for mistakes or when making the correct read, coming up with a big play. Here are the two combo tapes of Claiborne and Gilmore. Click on the first video for Claiborne. I am much more impressed with Gilmore as a pure athlete. Here is what to look for: In the 40 yard dash watch Claiborne bring his knees up high and almost form a 90 degree angle with the knee. He looks like he is trying to power through to run fast. Then watch Gilmore as he does not bring his legs up nearly as high and has more of an arch to his stride that is quicker because it is close to the ground. He may lose a few inches in stride but the rapidity lets him cover more ground in quick fashion. Because of the ease of his stride, he also looks as if he isn't working as hard to run. In the cone drill, look at the difference again in smoothness. When it comes time to round the cone, Gilmour is in much better control of his upper body and cirles a tight arch while Claiborne gets topheavy on his turn. The most impressive thing and where many scouts will drool is the hip flip when backpeddling. Watch as Claiborne has an extra stutter step as he rotates. He is efficient, but when you look at Gilmore, it is one continuous motion. He can't be turned inside out easily because he flips without effort. This should be noticable to pretty much everyone here. The one thing where Claiborne is closest is in changing direction straightline and front facing. The thing is, Claiborne has been the #1 prospect the whole time yet Gilmore is faster, taller, more efficient, and just flat out a better pure athlete. Where Claiborne is better is that he is a little wider and chisled up top, has a bigger reach to help jam at the line, and has more bigtime experience. http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/morris-claiborne?id=2533059 http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/stephon-gilmore?id=2533062 Just for giggles, here is Brown from North Carolina. He is a mid to late round pick. See if you can notice the obvious differences and clunkiness as an average athlete as opposed to Gilmore. He is built more like a RB however and could be durable when making hits. I am not endorsing him, just showing in comparison. http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/charles-brown?id=2532806

It's not huge, but I'm sure it happens. It used to happen much more decades ago when players didn't make big time money and the "family" had a wider influence on things. People will ask me if horse racing is rigged. I can only be honest and say, bet the big tracks and the big races with nice purses and you will never have a problem. It's too tempting for people when the purse is $5000 and the winning jockey gets $300. If he's on the favorite, it's a heck of a lot more profitable to blow the race and have the 6-1 shot go by you with $200 bet on his nose. Even in those types of tracks and races it doesn't happen very often, or else someone would kill somebody. If you watch the toteboards very closely you can pick up if something is fishy. 95% of the time there is nothing to worry about.

Pete Rose is dead to baseball. It's pretty funny how the NHL whistled past that one.

Maybe Gretzky isn't the best example considering his wife laundered millions worth of wagers for NHL executives.

What I noticed too is that even if you ran out of + points and tried to do it, it still registered in your rep feedback. That was interesting. I had quite the kick confirming who dung me and a few others for 70 consecutive posts, and who pluses every little thing said in opposition to certain posters. Another tool that some may not know about that has always been around is to display who visits your profile. You can see who looked at you. So if you want to know if Santa Drane knows if you've been bad or good.....just look at the display on your profile. Again, kudos to Scott for being a neutral party the entire time.

It's a good point. I have no idea what it means for the Sabres. We did get confirmation the other day though that he drove the Canucks batty. There were plenty of articles over the past 3 years saying Hodgsons dad was involved heavily.......that's the only reason I found out about his political escapades. It was just a giant red flag that perked my interest, leading to another giant red flag. When you add them up.......it's a lot easier in my opinion to temper the excitement of a homerun. As a player in himself...I like Hodgson's vision....i really do. He has a nack that many top centers in the past have had of anticipating where the puck should be before the guy even gets there. Haven't seen that on a consistant basis in Buffalo in a while so that is a huge plus. At the same time like Gillis said, if Vancouver develops Kassian properly, he is one of 5 guys in the league that would be a monster. You can't get those guys. It goes to the old debate of who is more valuable to a team....Lucic or Spezza? That's the upside for both these guys.

I don't know if there is a way to see that, but if you view someone's profile, you can see which posts they thummed up. Back in the day you could thumb down too. There are some posters who thumbed down almost every post certain posters made for a period of time.

WOW! If you want to have some real fun......look at the reputation updates. It goes all the way back. If you ever wanted to know who +/- you......who has an agenda.......who ran PA away(hint, look fast for the rules may change)......or maybe even what type of sense of humor someone has........this is the function to browse. Props to SDS for pretty much staying out of it. LOOOOOOVE IT!!!!

Well aren't you a regular ol' Danny Greene I don't see Cody as a violent type. Last I saw he was on the floor, in a pink shirt, drinking a Shirley Temple as he played with a toddlers plastic stick. That's "C" material if I've ever seen.

I'm sure they knew his Corsi number! Did you read the stat where in January the team went from deploying him in the offensive zone from 33% of the time to 83% of the time? That stunned me. It also makes Gillis look honest when he said they built him up in order to trade him. Who knows how it all will work out. We just have one heck of a story to chew on in my opinion.

If he made a move in free agency and weighed his options on who could give him the best chance to win and excel.....then I can respect that. The guy ran interference on the team and whined about being on the best team in the league. To me that shows weakness and selfishness, not confidence. He had no choice where he would end up...could have been Columbus. I'm sure Gillis probably tried Columbus from the sounds of things. As for the band analogy, that is for each person to decide. When you are 4th trumpet playing with the Tonight Show Band, people know those ahead of you are monsters, and if anything, by definition your rep may be INFLATED, not looked at as a no-name. You don't think some of that might be happening here? He was surrounded by some top talent and got some free riding I'm sure. Now the pressure will be on to carry a team in the near future. What if Andrej Sekera bugged Lindy and Darcy all year because he wasn't getting 25 minutes......and went to his own doctors while shunning the team, didn't show up for camp, and complained he was stuck behind Myers, Ehrhoff and Regher??? He would rather play 1st pairing minutes in Columbus than be the #4/5 in Buffalo. How do you think the reaction here would be from people?

I think it comes down to reading comprehension. I was begging people in late '07 and early '08 to protect themselves from the imminent collapse of the banking system. I was being made fun of as I said there were trillions of dollars on the books that money would have to be printed for because it was worthless. I was made fun of for that, and projected that when the system finally does collapse, it is pure end of the world stuff given our technology, weaponry, and status. This is when everyone was in sunshine land.....before any of the events like Bear, Lehman, TARP, Tea Party, Zerohedge, Occupy Wall St., the Dow going from 13K to 6K, Gold going from 700 to 1900, etc. took place. Trying to be honest about the pending financial carnage and being attacked was a huge eye opener for me. It helped me learn much about human psychology, and it is why I can fully understand peoples' hold of entertainment value with the Sabres through forms of denial. The few at the time that understood what I was saying and followed through are quite happy I am sure. I feel great pity for those who have suffered financially and fret even moreso for EVERYONE who is slowly adjusting to a new standard of living and will have the rug pulled even further out from under them in the near future. The Sabres are a pimple on an elephant's butt compared to the damage that was done and will be done. I made a choice back then to be honest and try to convey knowledge. There was not an organized form of warning from reputable websites like today. It has all been about hanging on to any sense of normalcy as the deckchairs on the Titanic are rearranged and the 1st class passengers have fled on the lifeboats. I give the government credit for one thing, and in retrospect understand why warning so drastically was looked down upon. If people truly understood where things are...it would be over. At least some sense of normalcy has carried on to this point. I just find it appaling that honest people get rammed, and those behind the scenes get made whole and have zero downside risk. You have always been astute. If you followed the whole thing I know you understood where I was coming from. A parobolic rise in technology and population can only go on for so long.....just like a parabolic rise in record can only go on so long before things need to go "poof" and normalize.....just ask the Sabres. Sorry about the hijack, but considering a few here brought it up....... I would love to challenge Ted Black to a debate on GR. GR lets only the calls get through that they want. The call screener even tweeted that he was mad someone lied to him with a fake question then asked Black something different. I think it was Dan Cave. Everyone wants more ice time. When you are the cause of headaches for your team because of constant whining and interference.....then say you want to be traded from the best team in the league.....by definition that is a selfish player. I've played lead trumpet in many bands......but my most rewarding experiences came with playing 2nd and 4th trumpet with one of the better bands in the land. I would do that 100 out of 100 times. You appreciate the talent around you and you support those ahead of you with your own talents and making it the most kick-ass thing going. Hodgson just went from 3rd trumpet in the Tonight Show Band to lead trumpet at ECC.

Perfect response. That's what I'm talking about. Given past deadline snuckers...Moore's broken hand, Torres out of shape, Bernier out of shape......is it not fair to at least question if the research was done? It's fine to say "no big deal".....but after I presented the fact about Hodgson's father, the day that his former GM said he caused more problems than the entire team.....then to be told I am trolling or whatever.....no, it's a valid point. If someone isn't concerned or doesn't find it interesting, fine. If Justin Simpson was a potential stud QB in Green Bay, and OJ was forcing him to go away from team doctors, skip practice, and constantly harass the coaches for more playing time or to get a trade done......then he was traded to Buffalo.....what would the reaction be? It's pretty much the exact same thing. Thanks for a thought out analysis. Personally, I find just the fact a guy on a team of 20 who came within 1 goal of winning the Stanley Cup and who was a good player on a President's Trophy team....not my cup of tea if he thinks he's so special that he cares more about ice time on a crappy team than winning when slotted behind a perennial MVP candidate and one of the best 2 way centers in the game in Sedin and Kessler.

There is no arguement there. This is the kind of thing that tends to happen at year end press conferences where teams and their management and coaches are held accountable. considering the Sabres are the only team eliminated that has not held one......I guess it's hard for some people to understand what accountability looks like. You now have the GM on record saying that Hodgson was a problem. At the time of the trade......a rational person would ask themself, "Why would a team get rid of a young prospect who seems to be doing well?" At the time, the issues of Hodgson's dad being involved was well reported. He had his son get treatment away from the team medical staff, and the next year had his son skip developmental camp. There were reports that his father wanted a trade. Hodgson himself wouldn't comment on it, and Vancouver did the right thing and waited until the season was over to address it. Now....a rational person would also ask, "What's the deal with this guy's dad getting all up in the business?" Whether or not Hodgson himself is immature or has the potential to become a leader, stories like this don't bode very well in my opinion. So, the day of the trade I did some research and was shocked to see that Hodgson's dad was the central figure in one of the biggest canadian Scandal's the past few decades. i don't expect everyone to have the initiative or time to research the issue at the time, but to dismiss the situation as "manufactured drama" is a joke and shows either a lack of understanding, laziness, or attacking the messenger. Chris Hodgson is Cody Hodgson's father Chris Hodgson was the head of the Ontario Parks department A Native Indian tribe took issue that Ipperwash Park was being used for public activities when it was an Indian burrial ground There was a lengthy protest that was very public and very ugly Chris Hodgson was in communication with the police in charge of controlling the park and protests Chris Hodgson was quoted by the Sollicitor-General as telling the commanding officer to "Get those F'n Indians out of MY park." Hours later, police opened fire on unarmed protestors, leaving one man dead This was a national scandal that took years to sort out and testimony of dozens of people were brought to a National Inquiry and hearing In the end, Hodgson was not charged because another government official stated they thought someone else in the room made the racial comment and order. The SG stuck by her story that she knew Hodgson did so. Now.....Villie Lieno's father could be sitting in a jail in Finland for selling tainted herring for all I know, and I wouldn't care. This story from day 1 however centered around a young, talented player who didn't make sense to be moved. The issues of his father disrupting and pressuring Vancouver were public. Is it not logical in the least to at least take interest in the people involved given Hodgson was the most heralded acquisition in years? Would you not also expect the Sabres to research the people and issues involved. Maybe they did, that isn't the point. The point is, this is a highly relevant story that was brought forth at a year end press conference from a team who sadly disappointed yet bit the bullet and faced questions and gave answers, whether people like them or not. The Sabres denied the fans and the press the same "priviledge", so we are left like so many other times, to ask questions and form opinions on our own. I highly resent when people dismiss an obvious valid issue because they lack either the will or work ethic to discover the facts for themselves. It is fun to pigeonhole someone that constantly brings solid facts and opinion to the table against their viewpoint. Instead of bringing the information forward for debate, protect the clique and the "denial bubble" as DeLuca so rightly put it. I for one have always been a Sabre fan, but have grown tired of trying to help someone that doesn't want to help themselves. The Sabres and the characters involved almost seem to be some fantasy cult that needs to be protected at all costs. If it is good enough for you (not you Shrader, you the candyland gang as a whole), then it should be good enough for me, as the Buffalo Sabres character, values, effort and accountability have failed to represent me for quite some time. In the spirit of tradition and sport, I held out hope that things would change. I am far from an optimist, but I still had hope. Considering Mr. Pegula and Lindy Ruff were sipping Mai Tais at Pegula's lake house a few weeks ago and were playing practical jokes on the kids, this group is too interwoven for honest assesment any further, if there ever was any. While there are still plenty of fans who are objective and appreciate well thought out discourse, it is obvious a certain faction have become as entrenched and pleased with mediocrity as those which they verbally protect. Thank you for your time Dwight Drane - not a PhD

And I see a bunch of people not willing to put the work into understanding the true dynamics behind anything that may tarnish their lollipop view of those they adore. You guys really deserve this franchise. You truly do. In the span of 24 hours we have: 1) Confirmation from players that Lindy Ruff's system is based on overthinking and not instinct 2) Hodgson caused more problems than the entire Vancouver team 3) Ruff ruined Kalinin with his overbearing tactics according to Paul Hamilton's sources. You kids keep it real. I've made 2 posts in 3 weeks, yet when browsing the board see some of the lollipop gang telling others.....I quote..."Shut the F### Up!" Take your little clique.....and your franchise full of pussies...........and shove it up your collective ######.

Go look up the entire incident. That was Hodgson's testimony. The SG said Hodgson ordered the police to get them out.

Wow......you read that in 2 minutes???? You must be one of the chosen ones! I warned you...stop the ###### with Drain.....you will adress me properly or I will adress you with the same regard.

Gillis is on record as having to deal with Hodgson's dad. Here is Hodgson's dad.....a Canadian politician, who when head of the Ontario Parks dept., after a long standoff with Native protesters was quoted by a high ranking government official as telling the police to "Get those F'n Indians out of my park!" Moments later the police opened fire and killed a protestor. http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/inquiries/ipperwash/closing_submissions/pdf/ChristopherHodgson_ClosingSubmissions.pdf Isn't it cute when someone does some real due dilligence? Red flag came out at deadline time with articles about how Hodgson's dad was involved with micromanaging his kid and it pissed off the Canucks. Looked into his dad. I tried to point out nicely at the trade what the deal was...but nobody seems to want to follow breadcrumbs around here.

When a guy who ordered the murder of a group of native american protestors gets on you about something...you tend to listen.

That's true. He's fine. I don't know if White is good on special teams, because he has zero acceleration towards a hole. I'm just getting excited thinking about what you could do with Freddy/Spiller/Johnson/Floyd/Nelson on the field at the same time. When you have WR's that can block, you can spread, have 5 in the box, and Freddy can run wild. Sneak someone up and you will have Floyd/Spiller in single coverage.