Mainly because of the NFL draft coming later this month and the appetite for information growing each day from football fans in general and our readers specifically, I’ve received an inordinate amount of emails and Twitter comments of late.  After burning away far too many brain cells over the weekend courtesy of Coors Light and Canadian whiskey, the clock in my head finally went off that it may be a good idea to have a mailbag column rather than respond to each individually.

Therefore, and with full intentions to actually make this a regular weekly feature I actually stick to, I’m going to debut our new “Monday Mailbag.” While the crop of emails, questions and comments I’ve gotten over the past several days have exclusively been related to all things Buffalo Bills, I’m inviting this weekly column to be about any Buffalo sports.   Sabres, Bisons, Bandits, college and high school, I’m willing to answer and banter with you about anything, as long as you don’t jump clear across that proverbial line.

For example, I’m not going to respond to Jason from Tonawanda’s email asking why I’m such a “no-talent, hack assclown.”

For the rest of you, start sending your emails in now for next time to pmoran@buffalosportsdaily.com

And away we go…..

Q: What is your take on Da’Quan Bowers? Is he a legit possibility with the third pick? (Tom-Buffalo, NY)
A: As far as him being a possibility, I think he absolutely is a very strong possibility.  To be honest, he scares me.  His knee scares me, his fit on this team scares me and his lack of an effective long college career scares me.  It’s totally unfair to compare any prospect to Aaron Maybin, but try as I may, I can’t get the association out of my head.  Both Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey, while conceding they will implement a full-out hybrid defense, both have said in ideal situations they would rather draft for 3-4 personnel.  I don’t see Bowers being a strong 3-4 guy as his best fit, at least to me, is clearly a 4-3 end.  Having said all that, a lot of people and presumably some over at One Bills Drive are mighty high on his talent ceiling, so it wouldn’t shock me if he were the pick.

Q: I’ve seen you talk an awful lot about Cameron Jordan and even have him going to the Bills in your mock draft. Yet, I see countless other mocks out there and they mostly have Jordan going around the middle of the first round.  Do you know something no one else does or are you just rooting for him because you like him personally. (Richard- Walsh NY)

A:  Richard, I think Jordan has a specific fit for the Bills that’s better than anyone in this entire draft, and that even includes guys like Marcell Dareus and Von Miller.  He’s the only prospect in my opinion in this entire draft that can be equally effective as either a 3-4 or 4-3 defensive end… and the Bills want to run both schemes.  Dareus could be a great five technique end in the 3-4, but I don’t like the thought of sliding him inside in the 4-3 with Kyle Williams and Torrell Troup (not to mention Spencer Johnson) already in the mix. Jordan may not be the next Julius Peppers but you’re almost guaranteed to not get another Maybin situation.  Safe isn’t always sexy, but it’s usually effective.   In regards to most mocks having him much further down, I can see why.  The biggest part of what makes Jordan attractive to Buffalo is his ability to play in their hybrid defense.  But not all teams run that.  Bowers and Quinn are more gifted ends if you’re running a 4-3, Dareus could dominate in a lot of situations and Nick Fairley is a penetrating beast in an exclusive 4-3. If the Bills don’t draft Jordan at three or trade down a few spots and grab him, he could slide out of the top ten easily.  To me, the only decision Nix has to make regarding him is if it would be poor value to draft him at three if he’s unable to trade down, assuming he’d even consider trade offers.  Lastly, I don’t think I know something about Jordan no one else does, because I’ve been reporting for quite some time now that Nix has a great interest in him.   Does that translate into him being the third overall selection? I have no idea, but I’ll continue to hold it as a real possibility all the way through April 28. Every year a guy goes off the board much higher than anyone else anticipated, I think Jordan could be that guy this year and I think Buffalo could be the team to do it.

Q: Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert… Do you think either are truly on the Bills radar?  Unless Denver shocks the world and drafts a quarterback with the second pick, at least one of these guys will be available to Buffalo at three.  (Donald, Baltimore, MD)

A: I think if the draft were tomorrow night, they’d pass on both.  Given the situation and the gargantuan holes on the defense, I don’t see any way the team doesn’t go front seven with that first pick, whether it’s at three or via trade down. If the Bills take a quarterback early, I think they’re more likely to go hunting for Christian Ponder, Colin Kaepernick or even Andy Dalton in round two.  One thing is for certain regarding the quarterback situation– the Bills are going to find another guy, not necessarily to compete with Ryan Fitzpatrick for a starting job though.  Brian Brohm will not be back and Levi Brown isn’t ready to be a number two yet.  So whether it’s through the draft or free agency, whenever that begins, they’ll be adding someone for sure.  Having said that, I can’t completely rule out Newton or Gabbert either. More than any players in their draft, Nix and Gailey are keeping their true feelings about both guarded tightly.  Let’s be honest here; you’re a 4-12 team and can go in many directions picking this high.  Maybe, they feel they may not get another chance to get the top rated quarterback in the draft.

Q: What do you think is an item with the Bills worthy of discussion, but something no one talks about? (Ken- Grand Island, NY)

A: I think this one is easy.  Whether Fitzpatrick is the guy to lead the Bills back to the glory days is the hot topic for debate, but his future in Buffalo could be a two way street and not entirely up to the organization.  Fitzpatrick is going into the final season of his three-year deal.  If the Bills don’t extend him at some point and he does go on to have a huge year, he can really put the team behind the eight ball to give him a big pay day.  Don’t forget, he’s only 28 years old and this is a quarterback driven league.  A strong season could make plenty of quarterback-needy teams want to be in play for his services in 2012.

Q: Last year Stevie Johnson came out of nowhere and emerged as a star.  Who do you think is the front runner is to be the Bills’ big breakout player in 2011? (Lamont- Keansburg, NJ)

A: I wouldn’t say this guy would be coming out of nowhere because he’s a former first rounder, but Leodis McKelvin could be primed to have a big season.  He showed great promise as a rookie before having his 2009 campaign derailed with a broken leg.  Last year I thought he was just ok.  With another year in the league and hopefully, plenty of lessons learned from last year, he may be ready to finally have his breakout season.  He better be, because to this point selecting him over Dominque Rodgers Cromartie as the first cornerback off the board in the 2008 draft hasn’t worked out so well.

Q: Will Drayton Florence be back in Buffalo when free agency finally begins? (Keith -Buffalo, NY)

A: That’s an excellent question. I think Florence is extremely open to returning to Buffalo, but I don’t think he’d take less money than elsewhere to come back.  For him it sounds like it will be a business decision and he’ll end up where the most money comes from.  Can’t really blame the guy— at 30 years old this may be his last shot at a lucrative, multi-year deal.  Personally, I’d be happy to see him back. He may not be a Pro Bowler, but he helps the defense, not to mention I’m wary about Terrence McGee’s future in Buffalo.

Q: What big named veteran could be in trouble in Buffalo, now that Marcus Stroud is already gone and with New England? (Timmo- Waterloo, NY)

A: As I just said above, I think McGee could be a goner before next season. I think the talent is still there but it’s hard to discount the fact he’s becoming a major injury liability.  He missed seven games last year and has missed 14 over the past three seasons. He’s been in the league for eight years and has only been on the field for all 16 games once. He’ll be 31 next season and is scheduled to earn over $3 million in salary.  The team has McKelvin, could bring Florence back and Reggie Corner is a decent backup.  If they draft a cornerback anytime early in the draft, especially Patrick Peterson, McGee’s days could be numbered.

Q: Who are a couple of under the radar guys the Bills are interested in drafting? (Sandra- Buffalo- NY)

A: This information doesn’t come from me, but rather my colleague Sal Capaccio over at SalSports.com.  His sources tell him the Bills are very interested in defensive end J.J. Watt, possibly in a trade down move in the 8-12 pick range. He also claims the team is high on Tennessee tight end Luke Stocker.  The only thing I’ve heard myself that I consider concrete regarding a specific player not entirely known is a serious interest in inside linebacker Kelvin Sheppard. I’d be shocked if the Bills didn’t jump on the LSU product if he’s available in round three.

Q: Who are three players that you absolutely, positively don’t want to see the Bills draft in the first round? (Larry- Grand Island, NY)

A: I’m not sure there’s anyone rated near the top I’d say would devastate me if we drafted, simply for the fact Buffalo is a bad football team and any of these guys could make them better.  But for the sake of playing along, I’d go with Bowers for reasons I described previously above. I also think Nick Fairley would be a lousy fit in Buffalo, has a big “bust” factor, and even if he were joking, I didn’t like when he said he didn’t want to play in a cold weather city a few months back.  Lastly, I’d go with Peterson— not for the reason he doesn’t have immense talent, but because I just can’t fathom a 4-12 team taking a cornerback above all else.  And trust me, I believe he has the ability to be the next Charles Woodson.  But unless you improve your pass rush, he’ll have to cover receivers for seven seconds per pass play for the next two to three years.  How effective could that be for him?

Q: What are you hearing about Von Miller? (John- Niagara Falls, NY)

A: Nothing really that hasn’t already been reported by many others. It seems the only drawback to him is a concern that his size, or lack thereof could be a concern to teams over the long haul.  Besides that, he’s widely regarded as an elite talent and I’ve noticed a strong contingent of analysts have him going to Buffalo in their latest round of mock drafts.  The Bills have plenty of quantity at outside linebacker, but little proven quality aside from Shawn Merriman, who of course is a tremendous injury risk. It’s more than just conceivable that he could end up being the pick at three, and I’d have a hard time finding any fault with Nix if he goes down that road. Earlier, I talked about my fear with Bowers because of my Maybin complex. I don’t share the same trepidation with Miller.

That’s it for this week. A reminder– we’re going to make this a regular Monday feature, so send in your emails and/or Twitter comments and questions and I’ll try to get to them next week.  And it can be about anything Buffalo sports related, not just the Bills.

Email: pmoran@buffalosportsdaily.com

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