JohnC

In general, qbs who play more in college are more prepared to play in the pro ranks. However, in the real world of money and economics more often than not intrude on the harsh reality of life. My intuition is that Darnold is more likely to stay in school than Jackson because of economic considerations. There is no doubt that playing another year under Petrino would make Jackson a much more prepared qb as a pro. The bottom line for me is that I would rather invest in a qb such as Jackson, who is admittedly an unfinished product, rather than invest in a qb such as Peterman who is much more of a finished product but lacks the upside. I haven't soon too much of Rudolph while I have seem more of Mayfield. I like him a lot. My primary criticism of him is that he needs to tame his game and not improvise so much to keep the play alive. If he has any Johnny Manziel's tapes he needs to burn them or use them as an example of what not to do.

Although Lamar Jackson is very athletic and can run like Tyrod he is not the same kind of player. He is immensely better. There is no contradiction that a qb who can run can also play from the pocket. He has dramatically improved from his first year to the second year under Petrino. Anyone who stereotypes Jackson as simply being a running qb without the ability to play the full scope of the position is making a mistake. Jackson is going to be a first round pick while Taylor was a sixth round pick (I believe?). In my view he would be a worthy pick. Too many people are making the assumption that a rookie qb has to start right away. That's not how I view most qb prospects. You coach them up and play them when they are ready.

I would add Lamar Jackson and Mayfield to the list. I wouldn't be surprised if Darnold stays in school another year. The only issue I have with your post is that I would without any hesitation use a first round pick on a qb who had a lot of potential. Lamar Jackson is a qb that I have in mind.

The qb we select should be taken with our higher first round pick. There are so many teams, including legacy teams such as the Giants, Steeler, Cardinals, Chargers etc, that will need qbs. Why risk losing a qb you prefer by waiting at the risk of another team jumping up ahead of us? Although at this point I am not wedded to any particular qb I like Mayfield a lot. If we wait until the bottom of the first round there is a good chance he will be gone by then. There comes a point where you need to be committed to take action and address the qb position. The history of the Bills is that while it has acted passively on the qb issue other teams have taken the qbs we were considering. Making a mistake because of you are aggressive is less of mistake than making a mistake because you are too passive. Enough is enough!

Whose blood is going to be splattered?

Don't bother with the ignore feature. Just ignore!

The Bills are coming off of a bye and are playing at home. I'm comfortable in predicting that Buffalo will win. I'm also predicting that Taylor should have a good passing day because although the Bucs are good at stopping the run they struggle putting pressure on the qb. Count on McCoy being involved in the passing game.

Your response is somewhat odd. No college qb has played in the pros until after he has been selected and played. So what is your point? Saying you don't know how a prospect will play before he has played in a pro game is stating the obvious. Of course almost all qb prospects have question marks. If you are waiting for the perfect prospect you will be waiting for perpetuity. So what if Watson wasn't taken at the very top of the draft? What's your point? He was available when our turn came up in the first round. Need you be reminded that he is playing well in his rookie year? Arguing that passing on a rookie qb who is playing well in his rookie year was the right approach to take is not a very strong and convincing argument for a fan of a team that hasn't had a franchise qb in a quarter century. The bottom line is Houston has their franchise qb while the Bills are still in their multi-generation search. I agree that the Bills upgraded their defense. Much of it had to do through free agency with the addition of the two safeties and better coaching. Whereas you are happy that the Bills selected a good CB (who I like) I would have preferred selecting either Mahomes or Watson with our first round pick. When a losing and boring franchise hasn't had a franchise qb taking the snaps for a quarter century arguing to wait another year with the inevitable question marks on the next class is not an argument that I find very appealing.

With respect to the highlighted segments in what way has Peterman demonstrated potential and promise? I'm not arguing one way or the other. It's just that I haven't heard any reports indicating that he is doing well or not. In my view Peterman represents the failed approach that this organization has too often taken towards qbs. Instead of taking an improbable fling at getting a good qb in a lower round why not invest in a more highly rated prospect? Again, I'm not saying you are wrong just wondering what it is based on?

Stop being so punctilious! In this era of dumbing down elitism is being scorned.

The problem with having too many "old school" scouts in your system is that their biased eyes end up having a limiting effect on the pool of players who may be good players in the pros. Being a conventional thinker in a system that prizes conventional thinking allows organizations that are more progressive and expansive in their views to have that competitive advantage. Being behind the curve may be comfortable for the old timers in the profession but being open-minded and willing to learn new concepts is what separates the laggards from the inhabitants at the front of the pack. To give a specific example to my point the hiring of Rex represented the old school anachronistic approach to the modern analytic world of the NFL of today. It not only was a disastrous hiring that set this franchise back but it was outright weird. Getting back to the issue of qbs what are your thoughts on Mayfield? I see a little of Brees in him. Not tall but can spread the ball around, is accurate and highly competitive. He may be a tad too rambunctious for McDermott but he would be an appealing prospect, especially if he could be acquired without giving up draft picks. What you say????

I know exactly what you said in your statement. I didn't miss anything. You brought up the point that the Bills did well in their draft. You extolled the wisdom of getting a terrific corner but it was at the expense of getting a franchise qb. That isn't smart---it's actually very dumb. I'm very well aware that the Bills are not going to rebuild this franchise in one year. Who more than I have stated that the Bills are in the midst of a rebuilding process? But the most important task in that is procuring a endeavor is procuring a franchise qb. In my opinion (maybe not in yours) we could have accomplished that excruciatingly difficult task last year by using our first round pick and then have more drafting options with our added picks. What you and so many misguided others are recommending is a recipe of failure that has not worked for this bedraggled franchise i.e. put off the qb issue and wait for a better situation that rarely comes. This strategy of built in futility has gotten old. If you don't believe me then look at the pathetic record of non-playoff games over the past generation. What bothers me about you and others is that you work yourselves into exhaustion explaining why successful qbs that we pass over were not viable options after they have become viable options for the teams they are playing for. You and so many of your excuse-making cohorts enthusiastically detail the warts on successful players that we have passed over while being casual to the point of being dismissive about the fact that the Bills haven't had a franchise qb taking the snaps for a quarter century. Being patient is one thing but you and your acolytes are taking it to an absurd level. I'm not looking for the perfect prospect. I'm looking for the next HOF qb. I'm not looking for the best of the best. I'm not standing squarely for only the best option or nothing. That is a mentality that has suffocated this gagging franchise. What I want is to sooner, rather than later draft a legitimate franchise qb that will in time give this befuddled franchise an opportunity to seriously compete. And let me add with supreme confidence that I know that Taylor is not the answer. Bridge qbs are bridge qb who buy you time to be somewhat respectable until you find a better option at qb.

He's a very engaging guy. It's not surprising that he was well respected in Philly and I'm sure here.

I don't understand you reasoning. Any player at any position is more likely to perform better on a good team compared to a bad team. Why would you pass on a franchise qb for a lesser team that is a lesser team because it doesn't have a franchise qb? Getting a young qb on the roster doesn't take away from the process of adding more talent to the roster.

With respect to the highlighted segment I'm not bothered by players who speak up. Although my bias is toward the "old school" do what the boss wants and keep your mouth shut it is a different world. When "why" is asked it is not good enough to say because I "say so". He asserting himself a little more is not necessarily a bad sign. There is no doubt Rosen is more outspoken than most college players. A lot of it has to do with his well to do upbringing and that he is a smart guy who has a tendency to ask why is this better than that. When you deal with a player or person such as Rosen then you need to have good and not rote simplistic answers. Leadership comes in a lot of different forms. So I wouldn't shy away from it rather I would adjust to it. As it stands I'm a Darnold fan but realize that there is still work to do. If Darnold comes out and he is on the board when our pick comes out and we pass then someone deserves a kick in the nuts. I'm all in on using our first pick on a qb. If not I will be very disappointed.

I have a simpler solution: Stop reading his posts.

With respect to the highlighted segment you can make that same claim for any player drafted, regardless of position. The top three qbs taken were by teams that gave up high round picks to move up to select them (Trub, Mahomes and Watson.) The Bills were in a position to select either Mahomes or Watson with their designated pick. As it stands the Bills are still in search of a franchise qb, something they haven't had for a quarter of a century since the retirement of Kelly. If you believe that Taylor is a franchise qb that is your right. I don't think it is unfair to believe that most people don't accept that view, and that probably includes the organization that he now plays for.

How about bringing back JeffisMagic? His crusade might have been never ending but at least he was right.

EJ was a fourth round talent taken in the first round by a stupendously incompetent organization. It was more than a bad job scouting for a qb---- it was a grotesque evaluation of a football player. The person most surprised by his selection in the first round was his HC at Florida State. The organization should be ashamed of itself for this incomprehensible fiasco. Marrone quickly saw what he was handed and immediately revolted. He was right!

Most often when you over focus on weaknesses without balancing out on the strengths you end up convincing yourself that the selection isn't worth the gamble. Because the position is such a high profile position there is a reluctance/fear of making a mistake because it gets more attention than other positions. Also, there is too much of a temptation to draft for a position where the selectee is more likely to give you immediate help instead of being patient enough to go through the usual developmental period that a qb takes. The Bills have not had a franchise qb for a quarter century, since the retirement of Jim Kelly. There is no excuse for that!

Mahomes was going to be a more developmental type qb who needed more preparation. Watson was going to be ready to play sooner than Mahomes. I preferred Mahomes but found Watson to be a worthy prospect. My feeling is that the sooner you get a qb prospect in the better it is because there is a developmental process that needs to be started.

Bill, Buffalo's lack of ability to scout qbs is one of the underpinning reasons why this franchise has gone nearly a quarter of a century without a franchise qb. I have often said that teams that don't have a franchise qb have to be not only more aggressive but more discerning in pursuing prospects. As you stated Dak did have a DWI charge against him it was an aberration from the way in which he usually carried himself. With out a doubt he had the tools, the character, football intelligence and the work ethic. This stupid organization gratuitously gave up a pick for the Ragland deal in which we could have selected him. Demoralizing stupidity!

Jeff the Magic Man was right and (so was Gunner) not with his fanaticism for the Mahome cause but that the draft provided us with an opportunity to draft a legitimate franchise qb prospect in Watson or Mahomes. What's more insidious and destructive than under-analyzing is over-analyzing prospects to the point of paralysis. This franchise has had its opportunities to address the position but as usual froze waiting for next year's opportunities My belief is that there are few opportunities to get a savior qb prospect but there are enough opportunities to get a good quality franchise qb prospect. Dithering is not a solution; dithering is the problem. When you make perfect be the enemy of doing good you are not acting smartly.

I'm sure this is going to sound like a tired cliche but winning in of itself does breed an attitude of confidence while excessive losing is demoralizing. It can permeate a whole organization creating an the atmosphere poisoned with negativity. As you smartly observed Cleveland does have a lot of very good young talent. Team sports are very much about non-measurables such as attitude, cohesion and confidence. When you do a complete tear-down you are taking a big risk that things are going to fall in place. Most often it doesn't. That's why that the rebuilding process that McDermott and company are doing although not a complete tear-down is a smarter way to go.

The question that I would love to know is whether Whaley, if he had the authority, wanted to draft a qb in the first round? The next question I would love to know is whether he had Watson above Mahomes or vice versa. There were reports that he wanted to part ways with Taylor but the new regime was willing to keep him with a lesser contract. Hindsight can be so visionary!