starrymessenger

Not sure I agree with this lack of mobility stuff I see all the time. He's pretty much a a traditional pocket passer of course but within that class of QB he is mobile enuf to execute outside the pocket occasionally and/or when required. In the land of world class athletes he maybe doesn't stand out, but the guy is a good athlete. If he couldn't move/react with decent short area quickness and composure he would not have been a promising tennis player.

Ok. Well actually that makes more sense to me personally. I mean who really knows for sure what all is out there?

If that is true then I would give higher marks to Mr. Beane than to McCoach. If faith is a "key attribute" because of a personal belief system then I think you are unnecessarily limiting an already small talent pool from which to choose a player. I think religious conviction has as important a place on the gridiron as it has (or should have) in government. If OTOH faith is a "key attribute" because it can be a source of motivation that can translate to the field well then fine. But again this can't be the whole story. A player (or person) can find all the motivation needed if he believes in himself even if he doesn't believe in God. Specifically regarding Rosen I suspect that his relationship and feelings relative to his community and religion are complicated and evolving (he's a young kid). I know many Jews of all stripes, orthodox and secular, including some extremely WASP Jews (if you perceive me). For every one of them being Jewish is more important than some of them can admit even to themselves. They can react to it indifferent ways, including denying it, but it is always there and perhaps more so than for most other people. It is probably a by product of culture and history. Anyway speaking for myself I'd love to have that Jewish atheist suit up as a Bill.

If memory serves they did more to limit his mobility and confine him to the pocket. In projecting him to the next level that's the red flag. I don't know that he survives if asked to execute from an NFL pocket, take snaps under centre etc...

I think the Bills have Sam and Rosen at the top of the board. They likely have a preference but would be overjoyed to land either one. To make their dream come true they need to secure the 2 spot. I think Beane will go all out to get there. Don't know if he makes it.

I would be (more than) fine with Allen but he would certainly not be my first choice from amongst the top five guys. In fact he would be near if not right at the end of the line. But really that is because I'm risk averse and my risk aversion probably stems from the fact that I've got a day job and I don't see/know enuf about these prospects to be confident that I can even trust my own opinion. Even if I did I'd be handicapped by a lack of tools/knowledge to properly evaluate. But I can certainly see why people like him (based on the eye test). As others have mentioned when he is on he is simply playing in a different dimension than the surrounding talent (even when the surrounding talent is good as at the Senior Bowl). Stands out like a sore thumb. He is also clearly capable of doing the things you want him to do. So you say he can't throw with accuracy? I've seen him make plenty of throws with pinpoint accuracy and excellent ball placement. Can't throw with touch when on the run? Sorry, I've seen him do that too. His footwork/throwing mechanics are bad? Nope, give him a clean pocket and a little time to set up and you would have to nitpick to take issue with them (as in "I'd like to see him roll his hips a little more as he follows thru on his delivery" lol). So he just needs to be more consistent - unlike a guy like EJ who could never really do the things he "couldn't do" and provided no evidence that he could. There are some important unanswered questions to be sure -pocket presence and reactions to,pressure, decision making etc...but if you are an astute pro talent evaluator and you see enuf to believe that he can get there then you've got to be all over this kid because if you are right is going to be a prodigy. Wherever he winds up I'm really intrigued to see how he turns out.

Yeah I get that and I completely agree re keeping that stuff in house. And I'm not second guessing management's decisions either. But for the good of all concerned (mostly the team) I'm hoping cool heads will prevail and therefore that the front office too is capable of showing some maturity. I don't see Boldin as a reasonable comparable. He had no history with the team. Ritchie has been a good teammate and lockerroom leader and a leader by example on the field as well. The team gave him a chance and he turned things around. I'd like to continue that narrative if at all possible. I love me some red-a$$ guard.

Ritchie went on a childish rant. It would have been better had he behaved as a mature grown up person and a professional. Having said that, there are a few things to take into consideration. Some speculate that one of those things is cocaine. My take is that arrogant pride and an over abundance of testosterone is the more likely suspect, part of the psychological make-up that makes him an outstanding guard. Often the personality is at least partly a reflection of the position played. And then there is the time-line. Ritchie agreed to a pay cut to help the team manage the cap. Then he sees the Bills back up the truck for Star, a guy who hasn't been very good for some years and has been to exactly zero pro bowls (Ritchie has been to 4). Maybe thats why he fired his agent. I hope this gets smoothed over. I love good guard play.

Let him out of his contract? - No! Trade him? - Sure, if you are getting more value than you are giving up. I'm hoping this all just blows over and he's good to go.

Ritchie is probably just p'd off. Star, who has underperformed for years gets a big contract from his friends. Ritchie, who is one of the very best run blockers in the game ( and has been for years) and also good (if not great) in pass pro, is asked to make concessions. Sure he's just a guard, but a blue chip prospect at the position who hasn't yet even proven he can play in the league is probably going top 10 in this year's draft. Shady knows how valuable a player he is, even at his age. Some guys are just physical freaks. Ritchie is one of those. The guy ran a 4.84 40 back in the days. Maybe Ritchie isn't quite as crazy as some would think. I hope to see him back.

I agree except I have a strong feeling that they like Darnold a lot more than Mayfield. With respect to Allen I too hope he goes to the right team (which is not the Bills). I say that because I like to see people succeed and speaking as a football fan Allen's talent is so prodigious that if he can develop he'd be awesome to see play.

Unless there is a whole lot of pre-draft headfaking and smokescreening going on (which is possible) I think his QB ranking is a bit of an outlier. I think Jackson could turn into an other wordly elite playmaker at the next level but I don't believe that his # 1 grade reflects the consensus of scout/GM opinion. I also doubt that a lot of teams have Mayfield ahead of Darnold, and that would make sense to me. If I'm guessing (can't do otherwise) I'd say Beane grades these guys as follows: Darnold Rosen Allen Mayfield Jackson For what its worth my pecking order is Rosen Jackson Darnold Mayfield Allen Depending on where in the first you get to draft them I'd be happy to have any of them, with Rosen, Jackson, Darnold top 10 (or lets say top 12 to personalize it more) Baker mid round and Josh Allen back end (though I'd be fine with # 22).

Not clear whether or when he will be ready to play in 2018. Bad foot injury requiring skin grafts. Altercation with a golf cart while on vacation.

Not sure I see him going through progressions. On plays that take a little longer to develop he is good at not telegraphing his intentions and he can look the secondary off but he likely knows where he is going pre snap and he throws to that spot.

True, but 2 is still out there and that's a better number than 3. I don't know if it gets done but for sure its a possibility.

Since they are sitting in the 12 spot (for now) they most definitely have one and likely more than one backup plan to deal with the many contingencies and outcomes that they cannot control. I did not mean to say that they had it in their heads to go all out for one guy or bust. It would certainly make sense to me if they liked and might draft any one of the top five QBs should the opportunity present itself. This is a good class. But I do think that these prospects are definitely not all the same to them and that they have them graded differently and have preferences. If they felt the same way about Lamar as they might about Rosen or Darnold I really don't think they would have tried to move from 12 to 3. They would have been well positioned at 12. You don't burn draft picks if you don't have to, especially when you have lots of holes to fill. JMO but I think Rosen is the clear front runner from amongst these QB prospects, so I would not be surprised if he was their first choice if they can get to where they need to be. Having said that I'd be really intrigued to see any of the top 5 in a Bills uni. With respect to Jackson there is reason to believe that he can develop as a pocket passer. I tend to doubt that he will ever be top shelf in that department like a Brady or a Brees but I think he could very well be good enuf to keep NFL defences honest and drive opposing defensive coordinators crazy because of his playmaking ability. To me he has also provided evidence that he has good football IQ, despite his 13 test score. So I like Lamar, and maybe Beane does too and would draft him - but he is not the guy he most wants.

I like Lamar but his detractors need not be concerned. He is not the target. Beane would not have been trying to move up to the 3 spot to draft Jackson.

If Ritchie had'nt been mentally ill he might have made it. Don't get me wrong, when he wasn't crazy he was always very good, but I don't know that he was ever proficient enuf in pass pro to make it to Canton anyway. Speaking for myself, I'm going to really miss seeing him out there.

Exactly right imo. I'm actually surprised to see how many people think Rosen's privileged background will compromise his motivation to succeed. I don't see that at all. Having those advantages is great compared, you know, to not having them. But rich or poor you have to prove yourself, including, above all, to yourself. I'm pretty sure that Rosen is a hard bitten determined guy. I wouldn't let his laid back LA personality fool you. And I actually think his religion is part of his mental makeup, in a positive way. I think he probably wants to be the first Jewish QB to win a superbowl. He wants to be the next Sid Luckman. That kind of achievement will give him tremendous profile in a community he continues to identify with, not to mention with the world at large. He's about to walk onto a very big stage under a very big spotlight. I think he is up to the challenge. He will be hard on his mates, but he will be harder on himself. I like this year's class a lot. The talent is there imo and above all its deep. A number of these guys could very well turn into franchise players. Having said that I see Rosen as a clear cut above everyone else at this point. I think he will be as good or better than Matt Ryan. Sure hope he is the guy.

Sure, its certainly possible. I'm in the group that thinks that there is a lot to like regarding Allen. I would'nt myself have the stones to take him ahead of some of the other guys but I see him as a legitimate top half of the first type prospect. Looks like he is going top 10 for sure. I would'nt be surprised if Beane likes him.

I would not be at all surprised if the Bills are fine with any one of a number of QBs. Maybe that number is 2, maybe 3. Could be like Philly when they picked Wentz after Goff went #1. If the Rams had taken Wentz I'm pretty sure the Eagles would have taken Goff. They moved up to the 2 spot to pick a QB and had no control over what the Rams were going to do. In the same way if the Bills moved up to #2 in this year's draft, they might be fine picking a guy even if the one they most coveted was taken by Cleveland. So for example if the Browns drafted Rosen it would hardly be surprising if the Bills picked maybe Darnold or Mayfield even if Rosen was higher on their board. Of course teams always claim they got the guy they most wanted all along, as the Eagles did, but its not necessarily true. This looks like a strong class to me. Would'nt be shocked to see a number of QBs, including guys picked after day 1, turn out to be good. In fact I almost expect it.

People talk alot about Rosen's concussions but Baker has twice been concussed too Bills need a linebaker or two. Should have that cop in for a visit.

I would have liked to see a comparison of college / pro success rate for the games best active QBs, notably including those that were drafted before 2010, and to have seen it for all of the years they were active, not just over their rookie deals. That success rate for QBs should generally diminish in the pro game doesn't really surprise me and I suspect has little to do with a meaningful QB performance metric. I think the writer might agree with that. But I'm not sure either that success rate is specific enuf to be valuable as a QB performance measurement tool to begin with and probably no more reliable as other QB metrics, and maybe even less so. Anyway everybody knows that Allen is a risky pick who could bust. I would not move up for him for that reason but if the other guys are off the board I'd certainly be ok rolling the dice at #12. Its a valuable spot, especially if guys like R. Smith are still on the board, but its just one pick and we wouldn't be gutting our whole draft. I expect he goes top 5, top 10 almost for sure.

Gargantua vs Chicken Little. Muhammed Ali vs Pee Wee Herman. Bruce Smith vs Boomer Esiason. Anthony Munoz once threatened to kill Boomer himself if he didn't stop trash talking Bruce because he was having to deal with the fallout.