JohnC

Few people expect a fifth round selected qb to be a starter in this league. If you look at your very undistinguished list you will find a number of qbs who have remained in this league for quite a while as a backup or a backup to the backup. If you draft a qb in the fifth round and he is able to survive and hold on to a roster spot for a number of years, even if the qb becomes a vagabond qb for a number of teams then that pick certainly can be considered a worthwhile pick. As an example Kurt Kitner carved out a long career as a backup. He certainly was a useful player serving a role and an asset to the teams he played for. You get what you get and use what you got. The backside of the roster is not the front side of the roster. But that is not to say that there isn't a useful purpose for the back of the line players.

This link is a WGR link with Capacicio on the Howard Simon show. He talks about Allen and also about the Dabol offense. It directly relates to what is being discussed. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/07-30-sal-capaccio-howard-and-jeremy

We don't disagree. Nuances are not fundamental disagreements. I'm attaching a link from WGR where Sal Capaccio talks about the qb situation and about Allen. The first half of the segment deals with the qb issue that we were discussing. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/07-30-sal-capaccio-howard-and-jeremy

There is always a faction of people who predict different outcomes. It is nearly impossible to get unanimity on any issue. There are still people who believe that Rex is a good coach! Those people who believe that Peterman is going to be starting based on his performances while in shorts are entitled to their opinion, even if it is a minority opinion. It's not surprising that the starters want the qb who gives them the best chance to succeed. And that is how it should be. I'll even go so far as to make claim that is the exact same way that McDermott and Beane see it. My point in the prior post is that the view as to who will start is not static. It is expected to change depending on Allen's preparedness as the season advances. That's simply my point.

Beane is stating the obvious. What every player and coach is seeing now is that Allen is by far the most talented qb. What they are also seeing is that right now he is not the most ready qb. I don't think that many people doubt that before the season is finished that Allen will be the starting qb. My inclination is that it will be by the second half of the season. The timetable for playing Allen is more dependent on when he is ready more than how well (probably McCarron) the more experienced qb is playing. There is a delicate balance that the HC has to handle. He wants his team to be as competitive as possible but he also wants to take the best approach to get Allen ready to become the starter. What it comes down to is that the qb issue revolves around Allen and not the other qbs. We may not know who starts the season but we know how this qb scenario will ultimately play out this season.

When I read the evaluation of McCarron the first thought that popped into my head was Trent Edwards. That overly cautious mind-set is tough to break.

As you well know I wasn't a Taylor fan. From my perspective he served a useful purpose while here but it was time to move on. But regardless what anyone thinks of him how he was handled was stupid. Denison had a philosophy and he was stubbornly sticking to. That is a dumb approach to take not only in the pros but also in college, high school and Pop Warner football. Rigidity as opposed to flexibility and adaptability is the hallmark of small minds and mediocrity. . McCarron and Peterman are qualitatively different talents than Allen. If they are handled the same way and the game plan is the same for each of then then this offense, as challenged as it seems to be, will stagnate even more than it should. Leslie Frazier did a terrific job of utilizing the talents he had to work with. Make no mistake that the talent level on that unit was sub par. The defensive backfield was high quality but the LBing and DL had deficiencies. Without question he maximized the talent he had.. Hopefully, this year the OCe will be smarter in his utilization of the talent that he has to work with.

I don't see DT Washington making the roster. He will be dealt for a bag of peanuts. McDermott is cleaining out the Whaley/Rex cupboard.

In the NFL a variety of offensive systems succeed. Some are more complex than others. The biggest determining factor for success for an offense is the level of talent on the unit and the caliber of qb leading the offense. For the most part how you execute a play is more important than outsmarting a defense. Teams intensely watch game tapes. Offenses have a good sense what the defense is doing and defenses have a good sense what the offense is doing. Right now, regardless who is coaching the offense this offense is going to have problems. And it will be due to a lack of talent on that side of the ball.

If Allen outplays the other qbs in practice and preseason games he will be the starter on opening day. Then the remaining question will be is who will be the first backup?

The consensus view was of the top four qb prospects (Baker, Rosen, Darnold and ALLen) Allen was the least ready to play right away. My belief is that Rosen and Baker would be the most ready to start right away. From the standpoint of grasping a pro offense Rosen was probably the best equipped. That is not to say that they wouldn't struggle but they would be more prepared. My opinion is that because McCarron and Peterman are understandably more advanced in reading defenses one of them will get the first starting nod. Their advantage over Allen is that they will better be able to more quickly get rid of the ball. . With our caliber of OL it will become a necessity. The issue I struggle with is: Is it better to throw a rookie qb into the fray and let him learn by doing. Even if he gets brutally pummeled? Or is it better to wait and give the rookie more time to practice and absorb the playbook soon when he gets the opportunity to play he will be better equipped to handle the job. My sense is that Josh Allen is a hard worker and very resilient so that set backs won't linger with him. It's a tough call.

You are citing the critical issue if not the most important issue: When will Allen be ready and what is the best approach for his development? Is it better to error on the side of sooner, and if so will that set him back? Or is it better to error on the side of later and have him better prepared when he does start? What complicates this issue is that our OLwill be mediocre, at least most of us believe that to be the case. In addition, other than McCoy there are few playmakers on offense. It's obvious that our receiver corps is less than sterling. Those deficiencies will make it even more challenging for any starter. My preference is to wait until the rugged first half of the season is over with, allowing him enough time to be comfortable with the playbook. Then when he plays he will be better equipped to handle the job. If it materializes that Allen is demonstrably better than the more experienced qbs right from the start then just start the Cowboy qb and begin the new era with him as the starter.

Aren't there any direct flights from Heathrow to Laramie, Wyoming? There is no excuse for your lack of preparation in evaluating prospects. Didn't you read the book "Scouting for Dummies"? It prominently states in the first chapter that if you don't see a player live then what you see on tape doesn't count. I'm very disappointed in you. Get with it!

What you got is what you work with. As I said in a prior post I don't see him as a starter in this league. But I do see him capable of becoming a useful/functional backup. We'll just have to see. Let's put things is perspective here. Your grading of qb prospects is much more rigid than most.If you were a teacher the students would consider you to be a stern taskmaster whose class was to be avoided. You graded Josh Allen as a third round prospect while the league consensus rated him as a first round prospect. Only time will tell whether your rigorous outlier views on many qbs are accurate.

Your eyes are more jaundiced than my eyes. You and many others unfairly (my opinion) continue to use Pererman's disastrous performance in San Diego to cloud your opinion of him. I don't see him as a starting qb in this league. But I do see him carving out a useful niche as a backup. A similar role that Frank Reich carved out in Buffalo. Let's not forget that without Peterman making a couple of critical and tough throws to Benjamin in Arctic conditions in the Colt game the Bills would not have won that game and eventually make the playoffs. So let's be fair and take a more balanced view on what his prospects are as a qb.

I am more confident that each of them can meet the low standard I have set for them. What both of them will be able to do much better than Josh can do right from the start is quickly get rid of the ball. That's one of the primary reasons why I prefer waiting a little longer than you. Let's be clear here. I'm not a zealot on this issue (as you think I am). If Josh Allen decisively beats out his two competitors in training camp and preseason then he should be taking the snaps. The critical and tricky issue is what is best for his development? That will be demonstrated on the field.

You are framing this issue differently than I am. The fundamental issue isn't whether the two qbs will be good or not. It is whether for the short term they will be viable enough to allow this team to reasonably compete and give more time for the Paul Bunyon sized rookie qb more time to prepare. What it comes down to me is what is the best situation for Allen to succeed./develop. Again, I don't think we are on different tracks here. The destination is the same for both of us. But what is in question is the speed of the train. You are more impatient than I am. While I am more receptive to following the speed limit you are more inclined go full throttle. My approach may be more cautious but there is less likely to be a crash. Where we really not far apart. Eeach of us believes that sometime during the season Allen will be a starting qb. Where we disagree is if that doesn't happen you will consider it acatastrophic while I will consider it just part of the process.

You are arguing against a fiction you manufactured. You are exaggerating/distorting my position to make it seem that I'm advocating for him to undergo a red shirt year. That is not close to what I have been saying. Even with good qb play from a record standpoint I don't see us being better than 3-5 by the half way point. But that isn't what I am focusing on with this team. I can see this team getting better but not matching last year's record. I believe the defense is going to be solid to good. McDermott is a superb defensive coach and knows how to fit the pieces together. On offense is where I have a lot of trepidation. I don't want to throw the rookie with the big arm right away into the fray. You seem to be more eager to do so. Instead of going in circles and chasing the argument tail we'll just have to wait and see how this plays out. Our differences aren't as stark as you seem to think. I definitely want him to play this year but I would prefer it be in the second half of the year rather than the first half. What it comes down to is when he plays will be determined by what he shows in practice. If Allen shows in preseason that he is better than the other qbs then I'm certainly not adverse to letting him start right away. But I don't think that will happen.

If the Bills are 3-5 in the first half of the season, the toughest part of the schedule, that would be a pleasant surprise. No one is making the claim that either one of the two experienced qbs are going to be our future franchise qb. But I don't see the basis for putting in the rookie if one of the other qbs is playing well. Will Alllen get playing time this year? Odds are probably so. The longer he is given time to learn the offense the better prepared he will be when he takes to the field. What will be working against playing him right away is how bad our offense is in general. Our OL is less than mediocre and other than McCoy there are no other playmakers on the unit. If you want him to get steamrolled then throwing him out right away will get that done. Getting unmercifully pummeled is not usually the best way to learn. I don't understand why you would be so panicked if Allen struggled to grasp the offense in his rookie year? Most rookie qbs are overwhelmed with the complexity of the offense. Without question Allen is going to be our long-term franchise qb. If it takes a year or even longer to get acclimated to the pro game, then so be it. There would be nothing surprising about that development because it would not be outside of the norm for rookie qbs to go through that adjustment. Of the top four qbs in this draft Josh Allen has the biggest adjustment from college to the pros. I rather wait a little longer and put him in a better position to succeed. Impatience is not usually a virtue. His time will come soon enough.

I thought what would make a retrofit difficult to do is that it would be very difficult to widen the narrow concourses? And I thought that a full throttle retrofit would be a very costly endeavor and making it smarter to use that large chunk of money to build a new facility?

If the Bills are getting quality qb play from either McCarron or Peterman why would you make a change? If Allen isn't getting playing time that doesn't mean that he is languishing and being set back. Not playing doesn't mean that he is not learning how to play in the pro ranks. Goff barely played his rookie year until the end of the season. HIs second year he made a quantum leap. Mahome didn't get playing time until the last game of the season. He showed enough in practice to make the Chiefs comfortable trading Smith and installing Mahomes as the starting qb for the next season. If the Bills are 3-5 in the first half of the season, the toughest part of the season, and the offense is playing well (skeptical of that) then my preference would be to continue doing what you are doing. Allen can still work on his game both on the practice field and in the film room. Regardless what his playing time is he still has the ability to work on his game and get better.

Western NY is a mid-level market that has a limited world class market potential.. I say this while also including the world-wide tourist appeal of Niagara Falls. From a convention standpoint Buffalo and the region is a lower mid-level to niche convention market. In my opinion the biggest mistake for the area (stake holders) to make is to build a facility that is beyond its capacity to fund. The Pegulas and the government authorities are not going to be involved in a Dallas Fantasy World type facility that Jerry Jones built (with government support) because it's simply beyond its ability to pay for. I'm not disagreeing with your take so much as scaling it down. The politics of funding a stadium are challenging. But what is even more challenging after crunching the numbers to finance the project is to make the project financially viable.. What it comes down to is how much of the at least $1 Billion or more project are the Pegulas' willing to pay for? You already are seeing a hesitation (cautiousness) on their part on how much of the burden they are willing to assume. And assuming if this project materializes I don't blame them for their reserve on this issue.

I'm confident that at this point the public doesn't give a dam about the league's drug policy, especially as it pertains to marijuana.

Public opinion has dramatically changed over the past few years The public is much more tolerant of the drug now than in the past. And as time goes by it becomes even more tolerant. If you believe differently that's fine.

The threshold will probably be raised before a disciplinary action would be taken. So it won't be banned so much as be limited.