The 2012 Senior Bowl is underway in Mobile, Alabama this afternoon, with most of the nation's top senior 2012 NFL Draft prospects on the field for the all-star game. Leslie Frazier (Minnesota) and Mike Shanahan (Washington) are coaching the teams up this year, and we're sure a few of you want to talk about the game as you watch it. (Also, to those few, congratulations on having NFL Network.)

You can check out the North and South rosters before tuning in to familiarize yourselves with the bigger names. Which prospects are you most interested in keeping track of today?

In the highly unlikely event that you haven't heard by now, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson is an impending free agent. Team GM Buddy Nix told reporters in early January that he'd like to re-sign Johnson, and all indications are that Johnson would like to continue playing in Buffalo, as well.

Johnson's chatty agent, C.J. LaBoy, told WGR 550's Joe Buscaglia yesterday that 18 days removed from Nix's season-concluding press conference, the two sides have talked, but have not formally negotiated terms on a new deal for Johnson.

Here's the thing, though: that's fine. As difficult as it is sometimes to negotiate a contract extension, they're always a matter of timing, and they never take long to actually complete. With well over a month to get through before free agency starts, the lack of negotiating dialogue between the two sides is barely concerning. Buscaglia touches on that in his article; this is useful information for the back of one's memory, but also hovers on the verge of being a non-story.

I have no idea why - I'm an off-season blogging veteran - but this year's off-season seems to be really dragging. Perhaps it's because I got too used to the excitement and allure of the No. 3 overall pick last year. What do you think?

Still No Contract Talks Between Bills And WR Johnson - WGR 550 SportsRadio
"We did speak to them following Buddy’s press conference, but we have had no contract talks," Laboy told WGR on Friday.

Inside The Bills | Fan Friday 1-27
Chris Brown answers questions on Reggie McKenzie, the Bills and free agency, who the Bills might add as a pass rusher, the holes in the linebacker corps if the team does switch to a 4-3, and the Bills improving both offensive and defensive lines.

Bills great Andre Reed waiting for the call - WIVB
"I just sit back and let the chips fall where they may, man." Reed said. "I'm not gonna go jump off a bridge or do something crazy if it doesn't happen. I'd be disappointed, but you're only disappointed because of the way it went--you're not disappointed because you have no control over what they do."

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In the annual "everyone with a pulse releases an NFL mock draft" rat race, things can get highly repetitive for fans of a team with an obvious need. Such is the case for the Buffalo Bills, who enter the 2012 NFL Draft with an obvious - and admitted-to - need to bolster their pass rush.

As such, add SI's Don Banks to the list of names that project - three months in advance - that the Bills will use their No. 10 overall pick on Alabama outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw.

Another theme that typically comes about, particularly with mock drafts that occur so early: players at the same position come "off the board" in almost exactly the order that they're ranked in the court of public opinion. In Banks' mock draft, Upshaw - as he is in virtually every other mock draft - is the second pass rushing prospect off the board, following North Carolina's Quinton Coples.

Who else can't wait for a time when mock drafts are actually interesting?

When Fred Jackson was lost for the season with a broken fibula, the Buffalo Bills lost their only legitimate contender for the 2012 Pro Bowl. Even with injury substitutions, borderline Pro Bowlers weren't selected from the Buffalo squad. That doesn't mean that no players with Bills ties will be in Hawaii this weekend, however.

The AFC roster has one former Bills player in running back Willis McGahee. The former first round pick of Tom Donahoe will be making his second appearance, as he also made the Pro Bowl in his first year in Baltimore (2007). McGahee ran for 1,199 yards and four touchdowns this season.

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Top 10 Performances: Nick Barnett vs. Tennessee - BuffaloBills.com
Barnett's late-season game against the Titans is one of the top performances of the year. Dave Wannstedt helps break it down.

Inside The Bills | WR class lacking burners
"Based on what Bills GM Buddy Nix said at his end of the season press conference it seems as though Buffalo is looking for a player with a bit more to offer in the way of speed on the outside knowing Stevie Johnson and David Nelson (who were 1 and 2 in receptions last season) aren’t burners. That’s why there appears to be a good chance the Bills will look to free agency to address that position."

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There's been a lot of on-blog discussion lately about the types of argumentative discussions we've been having, how Buffalo Rumblings is moderated and rules enforced, and how we can go about being more respectful toward each other within the context of heated, football-related discussions. No single partial sentence better summed up the true problem here - in my opinion - better than this opening blurb to a recent FanPost:

Obviously no one knows me too well on this site...

No. This site has expanded rapidly and widely in popularity over the past two years, and as the readership and commentariat grows, the less we know each other. That needs to change, because it's far more productive and rewarding to argue your case with someone you know and respect, as opposed to some random Internet username.

Therefore, during the off-season, we're going to run an open thread each weekday evening for folks to get to know each other a little better. Each open thread will ask you to answer one Bills-related question, and one non-controversial, non-confrontational off-topic question to get slightly more personal. These are meant to be harmless, to allow people to relax a little bit, and to establish a little camaraderie. Readers, moderators and editors all will be taking part in these from time to time.

There's no better time to start something than the present, so here we go! Your two questions for the evening:

Who is your favorite player in the history of the Buffalo Bills, and why?

What is your favorite memory, childhood or otherwise, from a live sporting event you took in?