mjt328

I look at it different. In 1983, a total of 16 quarterbacks were drafted. None of the guys drafted after the 1st Round were able to start even 10 games during their ENTIRE NFL career. Out of the top 6 prospects identified by NFL scouts, there were 3 who eventually made the Hall of Fame (John Elway, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino). One of them (Ken O'Brien) was a decent starter for several years. Yes, the scouts were wrong about Todd Blackledge and Tony Eason. But overall, they had a very good idea which QBs had the best chance to succeed, and which ones were the long shots. It was not a total crap-shoot. It was a calculated gamble - and even though certain players had much higher odds of success, there were always risks of them busting. When it comes to drafting a 1st Round Quarterback, I see arguments against it EVERY SINGLE YEAR. That's because drafting a QB early is always a risky proposition. No other position in the NFL has a more difficult learning curve than QB. No other position has a higher bust rate than QB. No other position requires as large of an investment as the QB. No other position has a large of an impact as a QB. If you a draft a QB in the 1st Round (say JP Losman or EJ Manuel), your franchise's success over the next 3-5 years will hinge almost entirely on THAT ONE PLAYER. If he busts, it destroys the reputation of the front office and coaching staff that put faith in him. If he busts, it pulls the rest of the team down to the ground. But if you draft another busted position in the 1st Round (Aaron Maybin), it can be a mistake much more easily swept under the rug, and the rest of the team doesn't suffer as badly. NFL history shows what kind of quarterback you need to have, in order to constantly contend for a championship. You don't pass on a top prospect, because you are afraid of getting Tony Eason. You don't pass on a top prospect, because you are hoping to get Tom Brady in the 6th Round. You take the top prospect, because it's your best chance of landing a guy like Elway, Kelly or Marino.

As already stated, the biggest problem was blocking scheme. Most fans saw it coming the day Rick Dennison was hired, and the ensuing hiring of Juan Castillo on the offensive line. The blocking scheme was moving away from what worked tremendously well in 2015-2016. Our O-Line was full of big strong power blockers. These guys wanted to switch to a zone scheme. It was the offensive equivalent of Rex Ryan installing his 3-4 defense. During the offseason, we kept hearing how the O-Line would be "fine" because they ran "some" zone blocking schemes under Anthony Lynn/Greg Roman. But it's a big difference between incorporating some extra ideas into a gameplan, and making it the foundation of your system. It was never going to work.

Sam Bradford would probably be our ideal bridge QB. When healthy, he's a good player and would be a pretty big upgrade over Tyrod Taylor. This gives our rookie some time to learn on the bench, while our team stays competitive on the field.

Even back in his Minnesota days, Randy Moss was always accused of taking plays off. Especially on running plays or when the ball wasn't coming his way. Same thing during his years in Oakland, and especially at the tail-end of his career when he was bouncing around to different teams. In my opinion, Moss sailed by on talent alone for 15 years and STILL managed to put up (what should have been) a 1st ballot Hall of Fame career. Think about Jerry Rice's legendary work ethic, and imagine if Moss had put a fraction of that into his own play. The guy would have obliterated every receiving record.

In my lifetime: Quarterback: This has always been a battle of what you consider the most important in the position. Do you want a guy who dominates the stat sheet? Or the guy who wins in the clutch? Back in the day, the argument was Joe Montana vs. Dan Marino. Then it became Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. There is a chance Aaron Rodgers joins this list eventually. Running Back: Barry Sanders (best big play RB), Emmitt Smith (best between the tackles grinder), LT (best all-purpose back) Wide Receiver: Jerry Rice alone. Randy Moss could have been the best, but often wasted his talent. Calvin Johnson was on his way, but retired too early. Tight End: Tony Gonzalez by himself. Offensive Linemen: Anthony Munuz. Lots of other great ones, but nobody really that stands out in my mind. Defensive Ends: Bruce Smith, Reggie White Defensive Tackle: Lots of really good ones. Nobody that really stood head and shoulders above the rest. Outside Linebacker: Lawrence Taylor and Derrick Thomas Inside Linebacker: Ray Lewis, Junior Seau Cornerback: Deion Sanders, Darrell Revis Safety: Ronnie Lott, Ed Reed

Listen. It's never going to be "ideal" to trade TONS of draft picks to select one player. But the Bills are in a great position to do it. First of all, this draft is loaded with QB talent. That means that instead of being forced to trade up to the #1 or #2 spot, the Bills (depending on who they like) may only need to trade up into the Top 10. That seriously limits what we may need to part with. Second, the Bills have 4 picks in the first 2 rounds. Although they aren't really high picks, that is enough for us to do some damage. Maybe we trade away the majority of picks this year, but then have everything we need in next year's draft. Maybe we do the opposite. Either way, having that extra ammo makes things easier for us.

Until now, the argument could be made that Buffalo's #1 goal was simply breaking the playoff drought. But now it's done. It's over. Just making the playoffs next year means jack squat. I don't want a roster built with a 10 win ceiling. I don't want a roster built for temporary success. That means doing anything and everything to land a top quarterback. Free agent signings like Case Keenum or Sam Bradford will not turn us into a long-term Super Bowl contender. Waiting on the 4th or 5th best QB prospect or punting until 2019 isn't going to cut it either. I could give a poop less about the other holes on the roster, until the position under center is accounted for. The Bills need to shoot for the stars this April. This is widely considered the best QB class in 10-15 years. They have 4 picks in the first 2 rounds. If they absolutely need to sell the farm for somebody they really like (Darnold, Rosen, Allen, Mayfield), then DO IT. Don't play it safe. Don't let failures like Robert Griffin stop you. The Eagles traded up for Carson Wentz, and they won the Super Bowl only two years later. The Rams traded up for Jared Goff and had one of the NFL's best offenses. I'm sick of stacking the roster with talent, only to watch our quarterback play drag the team down. I would rather trade away 2-3 years of picks and get a total bust, knowing that we at least tried.

I think this is the problem as well. I've never thought Tyrod's accuracy was bad ... at least compared to his recent predecessors EJ Manuel and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Some guys just process what is happening a split-second slow. Unfortunately, that split-second is the difference between superstars, average guys and those who completely flame-out of the NFL. For many quarterbacks, this slow processing results in lots of pass break-ups, poor timing with receivers and interceptions. Not so much with Tyrod. He is more gun-shy, and just holds the ball until he recognizes what is happening. With him, we see more sacks and unnecessary check-downs (which ultimately do not hurt his stats, but kill drives nonetheless). Also keep in mind that Tyrod often makes up for slow recognition with his scrambling ability, allowing him to escape pressure and extend plays. This is where is value lies. But good defenses can often keep him contained in the pocket, and that's why we need an upgrade.

It's funny. When fans talk about the Patriots cheating, they are often dismissed as conspiracy theorists. But here is yet another example of an ACTUAL NFL TEAM taking special precautions against them breaking the rules. Don't forget it was an ex-Patriots coach that brought this whole Spygate thing to the NFL in the first place. It was the Colts who gave the refs a heads-up on Deflategate. Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk and Brian Dawkins have both publicly questioned if they were cheated out of Super Bowl rings. Not to mention the numerous players like Ray Lewis and our own Jerry Hughes have made comments about the refs being in their pocket.

If you want to win, you have to TRY SOMETHING. Unless you have a terrible season and finish with a Top 1-2 pick, then landing a top QB prospect is going to require massive resources to move up. If you are going for someone with experience, it's going to take tons of cash (and picks if a trade is involved). I applaud the 49ers for having the guts to go all-out on a player they believe in. If they are right, this move puts them in great position for the next decade. If they are wrong, they are no worse off than before they had Jimmy G on the roster.

If you want to be competitive in the NFL, this is the kind of investment you need to make in the QB position. The only decent starting guys who aren't getting paid at least $20 million+ are: a) Playing on a 4-5 year old contract b) Playing on a rookie contract I will say this, however... If a team can manage to land their guy in the draft, it does give them a distinct advantage on the salary cap for 4-5 seasons.

Not sure this actually needs to be said. Despite the surprising playoff appearance, the 2017 season was the start of a roster tear-down. They let most of their free agents walk. They traded Watkins, Darby, Dareus and Ragland for draft picks. They would have let Taylor walk too, but he was literally the best veteran available on the market. This draft is the start of the rebuild.

If a "stopgap" quarterback is intended to make us feel more comfortable waiting until later in the draft (and thus getting a lesser prospect like Peterman was)... then I say no. If we are looking to sign a veteran just to help stay competitive, while the 1st Round rookie gets ready to play... then absolutely. The Bills can't wait any longer. This is the year. This draft has more QB talent than 90% of the classes we see. The Bills have more high picks/ammunition than any offseason I can recall. They need to do their homework, identify which guys they believe can be franchise caliber, and then trade up if they don't believe one falls to #21.

If this was related to breaking a minor team rule, Belichick was too hard-headed on this one. And it probably cost them the game. There are many ways to discipline players. Sitting him the ENTIRE GAME was over the top. Just starting someone else in the Super Bowl or sitting him the first drive would have sent a pretty strong message (in my opinion). Think about how that game changes if Butler manages to make ONE third down breakup. Or his coverage results in ONE important incomplete pass.

Actually, I don't think it works that way. Yes. If the time runs out, the next team can run and turn in a card. But I don't believe the clock resets. So if the Bills try and take another 10-15 minutes, I believe the team behind them (the Rams) can run up and do the same thing. I could be wrong, but I believe that's how it works.

Actually I was being sarcastic.

Looks parallel to the line of scrimmage to me! Also, the Music City Miracle was a backwards pass.

So according to the article, Bill Belichick just does a better job of understanding the rule book and studying the refs tendencies? Yeah. I'm calling BS. If that was the case, then why have no other Patriots coaches (who witnessed this brilliance everyday) copied this "genius" idea? Romeo Crennel? Charlie Weis? Eric Mangini? Josh McDaniels? How about some of the front office guys like Scott Pioli and Michael Lombardi? None of the 100+ players who left New England retained what he taught them? Why can't anyone else duplicate the "Patriot Way" unless they are actually IN BOSTON?

Alex Smith just had his career-best season at age 33. In most seasons he is a Top 15-20 type guy. This year, he was arguably among the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Odds are that Smith regresses back to his normal performance. But the Redskins are banking that he's made a jump into the league's elite. I think this bodes really very well for the Case Keenum market.

Obviously you don't "throw him in the trash heap" after one season. But you also have to understand that some prospects deserve more time than others. Guys with a very large ceiling, or guys who clearly seem to be progressing quickly need to be shown priority. You just can't give every quarterback on your roster 3-4 years to improve. It's important for coaches to understand a player's strengths and weaknesses, then watch how they are progressing during practice and during real games. And every player is different. Someone like EJ Manuel deserved more development time, because he already had all the physical tools to become a successful QB and the right attitude to work hard. For him, the biggest problem was mechanics (which drastically hurt his throwing accuracy). Once it became clear that his mechanics weren't going to get better at the NFL level, it was time to cut bait. On the flip side, Nate Peterman just doesn't seem to have the arm strength to make all the throws. It's a clear and identifiable ceiling to his game. That's why he wasn't a high draft pick, and why most don't believe he can become more than a good backup in the NFL. Bills coaches can spend the offseason helping Peterman work on improving his power and drive into throws. But if it doesn't take a big jump by next year, it's safe to assume it's not an issue that will improve.

Take two.

The best scenario is for Kirk Cousins to end up playing for the Giants. This keeps him out of the AFC East, and also helps push the better QB prospects down the board. Maybe it even allows them to release/trade Eli Manning to someone like the Jets or Broncos, and helps kick another one down to us.

We should have a MUCH better idea of trade targets after free agency. Where Kirk Cousins lands is going to shake up everything. If he lands with someone in the Top 6 like Cleveland, New York Giants/Jets or Denver, that will start pushing the better prospects farther down the board. We may be able to get by with just getting ahead of Arizona (sitting at #15) to get our guy. This would probably be the ideal scenario for us. But if Cousins lands with Arizona or someone totally unexpected, we probably need to squeeze into the Top 5. That means targeting Indianapolis or Cleveland's #4 selection, which is going to get really pricey. Probably both #1s this year, and some more.

This is what I gathered from the situation as well. There are a lot of "technical" details that need to be worked out behind the scenes. It's possible that Wood's language and wording at the press conference could have caused problems with either: a) Receiving the guaranteed money he is due b) Allowing the Bills to structure his cap hit the way they want That's why he made it clear that he won't be playing anymore, but never used the actual word "retire."

Unless a team already has the 10-Year Answer already on the roster, they need to make scouting quarterbacks the #1 priority in every draft. It would probably be smart to draft one every year as well (unless you just don't think any in that class will be successful). The worst thing that happens? You end up with two good QBs, and have major trade bait down the road.