RealityCheck

Dude, now that first round QBs aren't getting 30 million guaranteed anymore, I agree that this team should take one in the draft every year until they find one. I disagree on constant first round picking as some automatic thing, but to go and get who they like each year. There is more than one round to consider. I disagree on the idea of bouncing the roster off the cap however until you actually find "the guy". I won't debate that part with you as I am in general set in my ways with how I budget my own business and focus on my "lynchpins" before hitting the throttle. You are clear on your position also. People speak lightly of how others should spend their capital and I have no ear for those types of conversations. It's a point that I will agree to disagree with you on. But yeah bro, this team may not be in the market for a QB with their first round pick, but somewhere along the line I think they should draft another one this year. So on and so forth until they get it right. If this season is more of the same, then next year's first round it is. Bad QB play kills the ROI of the cash spent each season it occurs. Why max out the cap when the QB will handicap the big show? To each his own. Cheers.

I think that the real lynchpin to all of the Bills problems is the QB position. I know that some fans obsess over the Bills finances and the business of the game, but based on these boards, I feel that many are barely qualified to handle their own financial affairs. I have to do all I can to keep mine in order, and focusing on a billion dollar industry's financial mechanics has nothing to do with my enjoyment of watching football. Players come and players go. One thing holds true for the past 15 years. A franchise QB has not come, and they haven't become one when they left. What else is there? That is the problem. I can't possibly agree to anything else.

You speak way too lightly about Elway getting the Manning deal done. There was never a competition for a FA QB like the Manning Sweepstakes. How quickly we forget all the TV talking heads telling tall tales of the demise of Peyton post surgeries and how he is DONE. You act like all he did was pull Manning off the rack and try him on for a season to see what happened. I couldn't stand Elway back in the day, but as a GM he has really impressed me. You make a good point about getting Lucky. Without Andrew Luck, Elway might have been stuck with Tebow Mania.

If the Bills would have signed Byrd, I bet many would feel WAY different about this move and more references to Urbic's career would be made. So much emotion.

The Pats let all of their good players go for nothing. Then again they have a great QB. How does that work? Anyone have any stats backing up the need for a stud QB? I find it hard to believe considering how amazing the Pats drafts have been.

Not really. The QB position makes it all go. Or not. Elway is smart to spend every penny he can to maximize the Manning effect. Teams that have suspect QBs need to address that before bouncing contracts off the roof of the cap.

Perhaps the FO should sign the blizzard.

Why chose to freak out over things that you can't control? It is a choice. We are actually fortunate to be able to enjoy the NFL at all. The main reason that I think the rest of the world sucks is because they don't have NFL football. I am half Canadian so I have a soft spot for them of course. Have a beer dude.

No, I just peaked in your fridge.

And here I thought QB was the problem.

How many games has rotoworld won? More to the point who exactly are the "people" making all of these claims? Why should we believe what they have to say over any other opinion. The stat sheet under Chris Williams' summary didn't include a single statistic associated to O-line play, just a bunch of zeros in all unrelated categories. Nix was the GM presiding over the last draft anyways. This draft will reveal much more of Whaley's vision for the team as he is officially "the man" this year. EJ was picked by Nix. If EJ succeeds or fails, it is a Nix pick in my book either way. Whaley should be judged on the QB situation from after last years draft as GM, not before.

You aren't a ham sandwich either, although I could use one.

Parker is the best.

The problem with these ratings is that, in the case of the O-line, the stats do not calculate the influences of the players next to them, nor, the relative play at QB. None of these stats exist in a vacuum, but fans cling to them as if they indicate the whole story. The eye test of the offense as a whole is required for context. It is no different than the Bills struggles against the run without including the relative time of possession the bills offense had the ball before putting the defense back on the field. The eye test for me this year says that the Bills put hung their defense out to dry early and often to start games. Football is a game of context and situations. Just ask Belicek. Microscopic player ratings without in game situational context is a hyperbolic chinese finger trap.

You know, I get the conventional wisdom in trying to get QBs with prototypical size, but that dude is just dam good. He did a lot with very little help. It's one thing to have a guy like Mike Evans on your team, but's it's quite another thing to get the ball to him the way Johnny Football did. Fearless, relentless, aggressive. The Bills need some of that. Thad had shown more fire in-games than EJ despite his own limitations. EJ is an enigma right now.

Funny how some of the posters that can't except what happened with Byrd are the same ones that are content to let EJ be the starter uncontested. It's 2014, no QB, no playoffs. Of all the FA that everyone complains the FO just let go, none of them were QBs. I think that says it all. Hell, some posters don't even want any competition brought in for Thad. It's just crazy. The Bills have had garbage at QB forever and the fans think losing a FS is the problem. When Brees is your QB, a player like Byrd really helps, but then again they won a Super Bowl without him. Fans need to realize that winning playoff games requires a roster with young talent playing at a high level on mostly their rookie deals. No team wins anything where ALL of their players are paid fair market value. If the goal is to win the Super Bowl, hubris towards free agent negotiations is a self-imposed wound. The Bills are not going to be playing much single high safety, which will make SS the more vital position of the two. I also think that it speaks volumes to what Mike Pettine's new team did at safety. They chose a cheaper safety that has a physical presence on the field despite their massive cap space. But no one wants to address that.

Nix was the GM when Manuel was drafted.

Don't forget to renew your season tickets.

Funny that you mentioned teams with HoF calibre QBs. The Bills ongoing QB struggles are the beginning and end of their playoff hopes, and it is a major handicap in attracting top talent at a more equitable price. No one knows this more than the players themselves.

Did she take the dog too?

Listen, you make perfect sense. It is just that people will paraphrase it to fit their own narrative instead of addressing the specifics of your premise. You are obviously able to evaluate the whole situation with emotional detachment. Some people aren't their yet. Laughing gas gets me through these sorts of things.

He will predominantly be a single high safety looking for the pick. Nothing new.

You mad bro?

Good for Byrd. That is crazy money for a FS. Wow! At least he may actually see some playoffs for a change. Good luck Byrd man, but my Byrd jersey with the ketchup stains is staying with me.