Bill from NYC

He's somewhat better than this. As I HUGE Tide Fan, I do know a bit about McCarron and the team..... This particular team is of course good, but nowhere near as good as 2012. Not even close. If they didn't have the greatest coaching staff on the planet their record would have been far worse. The 2012 Tide had the best offensive line ever assembled imo. I wondered why they played Kouandjio at LT when I viewed him as the 4th best blocker on that line. Last night what I suspected became clear.....Saban knew that he would need him at LT this season. Not even Coach Saban could replace the likes of Barrett Jones, Chance Warmack, and DJ Fluker, who might wind up as a literal top 5 RT in football history. Additionally, the Tide lost a ton of defensive stars over the last couple of years. One after the other. My point? McCarron had a cakewalk last season, but NOT this year. He is a good young quarterback. He is smart, very coachable and tough. His life sure does look great now but he came up very poor and is a fighter. I would like to see him, or for that matter Murray on the Bills. I am no expert but I imagine their chances of success are fairly similar to those of Manuel.

I am sorry to see that he re-signed. This could cause one team in front of us to draft a qb in round 1. Even if we choose not to do so, it will not help us in terms of value if they are looking to trade down.

Good to see you Cindy. Happy New Year and God bless.

Very true CD.

I am going to give you a chance to take this back, depending on your definition of "a long time." TJ was a literal steal in the draft as compared to Whitner and Maybin. I could name many others. Btw, TJ WAS a bad pick but remember, we are talking about the Bills! Happy New Year!!!

Please do remember that these are opinions on a message board. Also do take into account that I am as likely to be "right" as I am "wrong." You want proof? I thought that Rob Johnson was going to be a franchise quarterback. How sad is that? Now wrt JP Losman, I knew that he was a horror show from day 1. It was clear as a bell. Imo, Manuel has a much higher ceiling and a MUCH lower floor than Thad. EJ is bigger, and this means a whole hell of a lot imo. When I watch EJ, he appears to be moving in quicksand. He is good on short tosses but not so good on longer throws, which one would think would come easier to someone with his skillset. He can run, but he waits too long and sometimes appears to be lumbering. I wanted this to be something that he uses. He will NEVER be Andrew Luck in terms of being so insanely accurate that he can avoid called quarterback runs. He truly needs to run to be really effective imo. Maybe it's because he has been in the league longer, but imo Thad is much better able to time plays. His throw to Lee Smith against Miami was flat out great. The TD to Graham vs. NE was something that he set up. He reminds me of Fitz with a slightly better arm. Manuel is a smart kid no doubt, but Thad attended Duke. I have a strong opinion that Lewis will get at least a little better. I am not sure how much better EJ will get, so I really do hope that the Bills draft another qb sooner than later. That is what it's all about these days, QB play. I am not afraid to state opinions. This is why we are here. Do I think that EJ will ever be a top 10 qb in this league? I truly hope so, but my prediction is no. How about you? Do you care to predict how good EJ will be? If so, please do explain why.

I'll see this post and raise you letting Byrd walk, and drafting a defensive back in round 1.

Which is very scary because at this point he is playing better than EJ. Where would that leave him?

AKC was good as well.

No!!! Not another first round defensive back under any conditions!!! And btw, I am a HUGE Bama Fan and I am telling you that while Clinton-Dix is good, he is nowhere near a #9. Not even close.

Thank you for your response, despite the fact that you are an idiot. Yeah, let's keep Kolb, and even place him above Lewis on the depth chart. Fantastic. And you, after posting something this outrageous, refer to me as a troll? Great. I contend that you are either a troll, a nitwit, or both. I am leaning heavily toward both. But again, thanks for stopping in.

They are in a tough spot. I count a full 6 teams in front of them that need a QB. If they do not draft a qb in round 1 (and I doubt that they will), I hope that they draft blockers and/or a TE. Trading down is nice when you are going after non-LT blockers, but it might be tough to do because the QBs will be gone before we select at 9.

Maybe you are right, but Thad played well enough to win the game yesterday. This in the elements, on the road, and with NE needing the game. As we speak he just isn't a worse quarterback that Manuel.

1) As we all know, the kickoff team was disgraceful today. Absolutely sickening. 2) I think that I have been negligent wrt my praise of Fred Jackson this year. Look, he isn't a superstar, but he is a fighter. I have tons of respect for this man. And to his credit, Spiller continued to fight for yardage too, even with the season being over. 3) Dareus disappointed me today big time. The dumb offsides play was bad enough, but we needed him to help stop the run, and apparently he keeps screwing up. 4) We simply are not a good enough team to withstand drops like the one Chandler had at the end of the 1st Quarter. He played well after this, and I understand that the weather sucked. But he has formed a very disturbing pattern. 5) There is NO doubt in my mind that Lewis is a better QB than EJ RIGHT NOW. Seriously, if the Superbowl was tomorrow and the Bills were playing, which one would you want to start? I am not talking about floors, ceilings, missed time in camp, missed time due to injuries, etc. I am talking about NOW!!! This tells me that: a) We will have a very interesting off season. b) The entire situation isn't pretty. That said, Lewis played well enough today to have beat NE on the road. The loss was not his fault. 6) I sent a letter to a man I know, it said, "one for the money, two for the show." I waited all summer for his reply, He said, "three to get ready and four to fly!" 7) The TD pass to Graham was one of the finest plays by the Bills in 2013. 8) I had no issues with Marrone going for it on the 4th and 1 in the second quarter. It was the right move. 9) Pears of all people looked strong today. But the OL didn't have one of their better games in terms of pass protection. 10) I make no secret of the fact that I have not been terribly impressed by Marrone. That said, this team was fighting back the entire game, and he deserves credit for this. Bellichick smelled blood wrt our rushing defense without Dareus. It was a tough situation and the team could have laid down but they did not. Yes, Coach Marrone can be praised for this. 11) Is Thad a UFA now? If he is, it might cost more to keep him than Manuel is paid, or close to it. I hope that he stays in town and is given a shot to earn the job in camp, along with a high draft pick. 12) Listen, my sincere thanks to all of you for responding to, or just reading my rants. And yes, this fully includes those who get angry with some of my comments. I don't know when but some day we will be rewarded for our loyalty. I believe this. I won't give up. I can't. 13) Happy New Year my fellow Bills Fans to you and your loved ones! 14) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A good, but strange move indeed. Pretend if you will that you were the GM of the Bills in 2013. You are sitting at #8 and there is a QB that you are extremely high on. Or, you are less sure but expect him to be a top 15 qb in the NFL. Would you trade down and risk losing him to 7 other teams? I surely would not. This makes me wonder what they would have done if another team did draft EJ. From where I sit, I am thinking that they rolled the dice because they had another qb with a similar rating. I can't see any other reason to trade down, but we ARE talking about the Bills. So to answer the OP, I readily admit to having higher expectations from first round picks. Professionals get paid a lot of money to make these decisions. Wrt EJ, his draft slot does raise my expectations but less so because of the above.

Again TBC, this is a hunch. But I can see us winning this football game with our defense and Lewis. NE doesn't have a great defense, and our strength is our defensive line, as well as our defensive coordinator. I would not be surprised if the Bills front hits Brady several times. I would LOVE to see Thad take off and run and I predict that he will. He does this better at this than EJ who imo waits too long to decide. Yes, I am psyched about this game!!!!!!!

I don't know what you mean by the above CB. Do you mean to us as fans or to the team as an organization, or both? I'll tell you what it means to me.....I am going to be in Virginia on Sunday to visit my daughter. She and her husband are taking me to a famous Bills Bar. I TOTALLY want the Bills to win this football game, and I think that they can do it. I also think that Lewis gives us a better chance and btw, a NE corner agrees. I heard this on Sirius. I am just short of predicting a Bills win. Marrone has a lot to prove, and a lot to improve. My gut feeling tells me that he thinks that Lewis gives us a better chance to win this football game. If my hunch is correct, I praise him for making this move. And btw, thanks for the dialogue. I hope that this wonderful forum never turns into a place where we are forced to agree with each other and talk in cliches. There is a reason why this board is SO good. The reason is dialogue.

I don't think so in terms of winning this game, but I do agree in terms of EJ showing what he can do. Honestly, I think that Marrone feels that Lewis gives us a better chance for a win. This of course does not make me "right." Call it a gut feeling. I openly admit that at this point, I think that Thad is a better qb than EJ. No matter what happens, I hope that the Bills draft a QB in round 1 or 2. How about you? Because it is a Bills board and not every poster here sucks up to every move that the Bills make be it good or bad. Some of us don't even freak about sportswriters who do not say that our team is great. Some even dare to think it is ok to complain about no playoffs for 14 years. I for one am glad that Lewis is starting. To take it a step further, I think that the Bills can actually win this football game. Who irks you more, the Patriots or Bills Fans?

I see your point but times have changed wrt the rule changes and the CBA. First round QBs used to cost teams untold millions (Jamarcus Russell) Now they cost very little. And the position has become twice as important due to the rule changes. In 2013, the Bills selected a first round qb, yet they still managed to score big in round 2. In short, if they think that they have a chance at a QB that they think will be elite, they should not pass on him simply because Manuel is on the roster. Jmo.

Would another 14 years be too little time?

I just caught this LOL!!!!! :) Gotta toss in another QB and a TE too.

They are also (imo) a few sustained drives away from the playoffs this season. Levitre was a crippling loss for this team.

Upgrading an offensive line is never bad, but I disagree wrt less running. In fact, I hope that he works to improve his running, to include called qb draws as well as making the decision to take off earlier. There is no reason to nursemaid him. The chances of him being an elite QB exist, but they are far from great. EJ needs to utilize every weapon that he has to excel in this league. That said, I hope to see Lewis start on Sunday because imo, he gives us a better chance to win the football game. Jmo.

I think that unless things dramatically change, you are correct. He would be relatively easy to replace and it would cost next to nothing. Eddie Lacy was the 61st pick of an NFL draft. He might have actually been the first RB selected. I would MUCH rather have him on the Bills than CJ Spiller.

You know what they say about blind squirrels..... This was a superior move, one frankly I didn't expect. I don't even know the contract numbers and I don't care. The Bills have tons of cap space.