JohnC

There is a good reason why Peterman started the season as the starter: The organization blundered. The mistake was in thinking that McCarron was a viable temporary option. He got hurt and in training camp and preseason he was outplayed by Peterman. On top of that he made it clear early on that he didn't come here to be a backup and mentor the rookie. So he was dealt. The irony is if he would have been more patient he would be playing now. I'm not going to jump on this regime too much because I don't know what other qbs were available. Those that were available didn't necessarily want to come here. So when the market is barren then you do the best you can with what you got and can get. I'm not letting this regime off the hook for allowing themselves to be placed in such a precarious position not only with the qb position but also on the OL and receiving unit. But the backdrop for bringing in and playing so many mediocre players was the players they wanted were for the short term. Especially on the OL and qb positions they were bringing in players that they were not going to commit to for a longer period of time. So it is understandable that their options were limited in bringing in players. As I have said on numerous occasions I consider the organization being involved in nearly a full scale rebuild. So I am exhibiting more forbearance than most. But when this season is finished and they enter the offseason with plenty of cap space and a full complement of draft picks I expect this regime in a major way add talent to bolster this thin roster. Many people don't agree with the rebuilding approach that McBeane took on. Tough! That's the reality whether people like it or not. Now we are at a point where they have accomplished the first phase of cutting players and contracts which should lead to the next phase of adding players and contracts to bolster this roster so that it can more seriously compete. Whether you like it or not he is our backup in this league. While you luxuriate in booing him I will be rooting for him in the Chicago game.

The Bills put in a lot of time and effort and resources placing themselves in a position to draft a qb in the first round. As demonstrated by their extraordinary effort to draft a qb in the first round they certainly didn't consider Peterman a reasonable option as a starter. That doesn't mean that they don't consider him as an option as a backup. The limitations that you in detail describe about Peterman are the same limitations that most designated backup qbs have. As you stated in a prior post Colt McCoy is limited. My response then as it is now is the reason why he is a backup, and has been for nearly a decade. That is the at best role that this regimes envisions for Peterman. Where I disagree with you and others who have a similar view toward Peterman is your depiction that this staff over-estimated his abilities and hoodwinked themselves. That is not the case. They know what they have in the third string qb i.e the same abilities that most third string and most backups have.

The mistake that was made was in thinking that McCarron could have been a temporary viable option. He wasn't. And to compound the issue McCarron made it clear when he was here that he wasn't interested in mentoring the rookie. So he was dealt. As much as people rag on Peterman he did beat out McCarron when they were competing against one another. Peterman is a backup at best. He was moved up as a starter because of injuries to the two qbs ahead of him. Any team, not just Buffalo, is going to be in trouble when they have to resort to their third option at qb. I wish for the near future that the Peterman neurosis stops. The raging spleen busting animus toward him is out of proportion to his role. I am expecting him to play adequately in the game against Chicago. That will disappoint many fans who are invested in his failure.

When the Bills drafted the big arm qb they were well aware that he was a project and that it was going to take time to get a return on him. That's not an unusual development because it is the norm for most rookie qbs, even tor top of the shelf prospects. They felt that of the qbs that were available to us in this draft that he would be the be the best qb in the long for them.There was an expectation that Josh was not going to be immediately ready. My understanding is that the Bills did make a serious effort to get Brown. But there comes a point that if the talent level doesn't match the amount of money that is warranted for a caliber of player like him. Even if the Bills would have offered him a little more money it is not surprising that he decided to go to Baltimore. Their qb situation was overwhelming better than it was in Buffalo. That certainly is an influential factor to sign there and not here. Whether one agrees with the McBeane robust rebuild approach or not that is the approach that is being taken. There is no hidden agenda here. It is a full scale rebuild in which all the holes that now exist because of the aggressive jettisoning of pre-regime players and contracts will have to be attended to. There is no way that all of our deficiencies were going to be filled in one or two offseasons. When you take a certain road you take that road and deal with the unavoidable expected bumps the best you can.

I consider Johnson to be a superlative player. But if the Bills are going to use a first or a second draft pick on a receiver (not recommending) then they need to add a receiver who has an attribute (speed) that can enhance the offense. Zay Jones is starting to play well. He was a super productive college player who is starting to progress and play well. What he needs is a receiver with speed that can complement his more medium range game. I'm not criticizing Johnson but bringing up the issue of fit/need for this team. If the Bills made a trade down deal and acquired a lower second round pick for him I would be more than happy. But I don't think using a high second round pick on him would be the best approach to take. Again, I believe that he is going to be a good pro.

I'm sure that if he was there he was not only scouting Johnson but other prospects. The issue isn't whether the players under examination are prospects so much as in what round will you draft the prospect. The only issue I have with Johnson who is very productive is his speed. Is he worth a second round pick if his time isn't in the fast range? If not, then I wouldn't consider him in the second but would do so in the third. There is no doubt that Johnson is going to receive a lot of attention by the scouts, and deservedly so.

The Bills are one team that can't afford to make a mistake if they end up drafting a receiver with one of their top two picks. Of course there are no guarantees but this is a position that can be upgraded in free agency.

I'm not trying to spoil anyone's enjoyment of a victory. My point was simply that in two games where the defense knew what the offense was going to do (Army and Miami) they could not stop the opposition. This game was certainly entertaining to watch but it is evident that one side of the ball is very deficient.

Why do you assume that in a deal to move up that we would have come away with a LT if we gave up a first round pick this year? As it turned out he got (hopefully) his franchise qb and also a talented MLB who will be the center piece to our defense. This year we will have all our picks and will be drafting from a high position. I'm more than satisfied with how last year's draft transpired and the position he placed this franchise for next year's draft

No question this regime wanted out of the contract but because he was dealt we were able to move up the draft board and select our qb. In my mind the priority was getting the qb. The overall price was steep but it was necessary. On balance it worked out for us.

I understand your stance but under certain conditions I can go along with taking a different route. I'm assuming that the Bills would be drafting at a high position (safe assumption). If the Bills traded down and got additional picks and then selected a caliber of player such as Derwin James or an Alabama safety such as Deonte Tompson who are both ball hawk type of players then I wouldn't be automatically against that type of move. I'm not so much focused on a particular pick but looking at the body of work that includes all of the draft and free agency. For the sake of an argument if the Bills get two to three additional offensive linemen and added a couple of quality receivers through the draft and free agency then I'm not going to be critical of adding a play making DB. The issue comes down to not how you bolstered the roster but if you bolstered it and how much did you do so. Assuming we are going to have a high draft pick my preference right now would be to trade down a tad and add picks. Although you have an aversion to drafting DBs with high picks in this pass oriented league good defensive backs are at a premium. Last year, Cleveland used a very high first round pick on Ward from Ohio State. What their staff recognized is that although their DL was able to consistently pressure the qb their mediocre DBs couldn't cover well enough to take advantage of the line pressure. And by the way Ward is in the running for rookie defensive player which is an indication of his utility.

When you can't stop a team when you know what it is going to do then you are not a complete team. The Bulls knew what Army and Miami were going to do yet their defense continued to be gashed. Pin ball football is entertaining to watch but it doesn't represent high standard football. The record is great but the defense is to put it modestly very porous.

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I found it to be very illuminating.

Colt McCoy has been in the league as a backup for nearly a decade. Although he will not be a starter his role as a backup is useful. That's the same role that I see Peterman playing i.e. as a backup. Peterman, as like McCoy, will never be a starter in this league. Most everyone will agree on that point. His presence on the roster has hardly anything to do with the failure of the offense, especially when he is not playing. There are plenty of objects to be derided on the offense. Why get so exasperated with a player who hardly plays? The attention and the scathing criticisms he receives are out of proportion to his current role as the third qb. You and many others may relish rooting against him but I don't. I'll be rooting for him to do well when he starts against Chicago. No one is suggesting that he is going to be a future cog for this franchise. There is a reason for it: He is a freaking third string qb! Concentrate on the bigger issues and don't bother with the bulllllshitt issues unless that crap is on your cowboy boots. Then immediately clean it off or you will smell like shiiitt!

As I told Kelly the Dog there are bigger problems associated with our OL and receiving units than with our backup qb. Peterman was a fifth round pick for a reason. He was drafted in the lower part of the draft because he wasn't a scintillating talent. He is a backup at best. And for some peculiar reason that bothers a lot of people. You can make the same arguments that some backups and third qbs don't belong in the league. The Bills bigger problem is that there are too many starters who fall in the category that they don't belong in the league. With respect to the highlighted segment entering the season the Bills were not considered by almost all NFL analysts a seriously contending team. The backup qb on a rebuilding team is not one of the priorities that I am worried about.

There are bigger and more substantive problems than who our backup qb is.such as the below mediocre caliber of our OL and receiver units. Those are the more critical issues that need to be addressed this offseason than who our backup qb is.

So many people here (not referring to you) neurotically fixate on the backup qb as if he is the primary source of the team's struggles. Whether he is on the team or not is mostly irrelevant to what ails our offense i.e. a general lack of talent. If this talent deficiency, mostly on offense, is not addressed this offseason it will be an organizational failure that will result in another change of the staffing.

The offense's struggles have little to do with Daboll's play calling. When you are bereft of talent on offense you have little to work with. The only solution is to add talent to a unit that is devoid of talent.

Was it a used toy that had a certain kind of scent?

I fear not.

I will not shut up. I still consider him an acceptable NFL backup. Gunner and Kirby can harangue me all they want---- I will not yield! My prediction is that he will play respectably and the Bills will win. When that happens the haters are going to be disappointed. I will be ecstatic but being humble as I am I will not scold.

If these scalawags are hitting a series of stores the police will certainly be interested. Even if an individual case is not resolved the accumulated information from a number of jobs can contribute to an eventual arrest. As I told you in a prior posting my credit card theft in addition to reported other thefts led to the arrest and conviction of those involved in this particular network of criminality. It takes time and effort. If you don't believe me then ask the main arsehole who is in jail.

I understand your sentiment but disagree that they should have been directly engaged. What if one of these criminals when confronted pulled out a gun and shot the intervening party in the head? Would it have been the right response for the engaging citizen? The best response was to get as much information as possible of the crime and those involved and give it to the police. This was a case where all the information from witnesses, surveillance video, tag and vehicle information were all in hand. Even if the police couldn't/wouldn't have responded immediately this was a case that could have been easily solved with the thief being charged.

You are entitled to your skepticism because it is merited. This regime had a road map. It was to redo the roster and restructure the cap. They accomplished that. Now they are in a situation that they desired and created. This offseason if they don't utilized their accumulated assets (cap space and draft picks) to significantly upgrade the roster they will not only have damaged the franchise but also jeopardized their jobs. I believe they are on the right path but I can not say it with overflowing confidence.

Borderline unwatchable? For me that masochistic Rubicon has already been crossed. If the weather is good I go out and enjoy it. I tape the games and then if I find out, whether they win or lose, if it was worth watching.. I'm not pessimistic about our situation and the future. I'm not going to allow myself to wallow in misery. I understand what this regime's strategy is, and I see it being followed. There is a path to success and the leap forward is this offseason. It that quantum leap of bolstering the roster isn't done this year then this franchise and regime will go through another cycle of turmoil.