JohnC

In many ways RGIII is the source of the controversies swirling around him. He simply can't refrain from talking. The attention he received in the offseason regarding whether he would be ready to play was mainly a creation of his own doing. He and his father were making public comments insinuating that his injury was mainly due to Shanahan not protecting him and not holding him back when he was the one insisting in returning to the playing field. He and his father were also making public comments that the HC had to be more attentive to his protection by altering the offense to limit his exposure. The issues he was bringing up are legitimate issues that need to be addressed and worked out between the player and the coaching staff. But it was his public proclamations that raised the frenzied response by the press. He is a dynamic young qb on a high profile and scrutinized team. What did he expect from his public criticisms of the coaching staff and organization? Silence? When you are the starting qb on any team you are going to be the center of attention. That is the nature of the position. Whatever you say that has a tinge of controversey or conflict is going to be magnified by the media. Again, that is the nature of the position. Why do you think the qb position is paid so much? You are not simply a player but you are also the face of the franchise. RGIII is a very smart and engagin person. His problem is that he has brought a troublesome diva attitude to the business. When things are going well that aspect of his behavior will be overlooked. When things are not going well that diva act becomes less tolerable to the media and fanbase. The best way to settle the situation down is for him to be more discrete with his comments and take more responsibility, fair or not fair. It goes with the territory and it goes with the position. RGIII in his second year is not what he was (dynamo) in his rookie year. That was too be expected because of his serious knee injury. He and the coaching staff are learning on how to adjust his style of play in order to be less exposed as a player. That unsurprisingly has not gone very smoothly That is not an easy transition to make. It is a process that is going to take time. Whether the media is treating him unfairly or not is not the issue. The real issue is how you handle the scrutiny. His propensity to excessively talk is getting him in trouble on the public stage and within his own locker room. Being loqacious and undisciplined at the podium is causing him friction with his teammates. This burgeoning problem is of his own doing. The antidote to this problem is simply being humble and less talkative.

Do you really believe that the Bills are going to franchise Byrd at $8.2? If Byrd reaches the market what are the odds of the Bills matching a Skins' offer that will more likely contain more guaranteed money in the contract? More often than not the contract claims put out for public consumption are meaningless. What is most important in an NFL contract is the guaranteed money. If the Skins are competing with the Bills for Byrd's services this offseason odds are that the Skins will offer more guaranteed money. Unless the Bills franchise him again he will probably be wearing another uniform. That would be a loss and a shame.

I know how much you lamented the fact that Levitre was allowed to leave, especially without a credible plan to address the void. What happens next year when Byrd is on the market after playing at a high level? The Redskins are desperate for DBs, especially a safety. Next year they will be off of their $36 M cap penalty ($18M per season). Unless the Bills franchise Byrd again at $8.2 he will be an unrestrictive free agent and an attractive player who will draw a lot of interest. In my opinion not getting Byrd signed when the parties were not that far apart will come back to bite this franchise. The Bills have had a history of mediocre drafts. It is difficult to tolerate losing players that they do hit on. Moving one step forward and then one step back doesn't move you forward.

Your timetable for mechanical excellence is too quick. EJ is a work in progress. Smoothing out his mechanics to the point where it becomes a natural throwing motion will not fully happen this season. It is going to take at least an offseason and more of hard work before he has mastered the proper techniques of throwing. The word "process" gets overused to the point that it becomes a meaningless cliche. But especially with the quarterback position developing competency takes time. At that position there are more failures than successes. Clearly, I'm not making any premature declarations on how he is going to turn out. Too much shouldn't be made out of one stellar performance from a rookie qb. But what I can say for sure is that in the Jets game he did show that he has the talent to be a legitimate franchise qb. Although I'm not foolish enough to offer any assurances about that. What I can say is that I am now more encouraged than not about his prospects.

Marrone was very candid on WGR prior to the Steeler game when he told the hosts that they shouldn't expect too much from EJ. EJ had the type of injury where he couldn't even practice. You can do an extensive amount of studying and tape work but unless you practice and play you won't return to form. Adjusting to the speed of the game just takes time.

Excellent observation. It did seem that he was much more composed. He was decisive in going into the plays without rushing, as you noted. I think part of his problem in the Steeler game was due to the fact that he hadn't played in awhile.

After one very good game I'm not declaring him a finished product. How could I or anyone who is reasonable do so? He is a rookie qb who has had due to injuries limited playing time. I'm certainly not the best judge in critiquing one's passing form but from my layman's eye it seemed that he had good mechanics in this game compared to his other games. With respect to comparing EJ to Fitz and their respective mechanics it is irrelevant. No matter how tight Fitz's mechanics were he had a fatal flaw that couldn't be overcome, at least as a starter: his limited arm strength. Manuel might be a good franchise qb while Fitz will never be a quality long term starter. If you don't have the tools you can't do the job.

He is one of the most instinctive DBs in the league. If McKelvin had JB's hands he would be premium player. I don't understand your comments regarding his throws. This was a game where EJ's passes were on the money. He not only hit his receivers but his ball placement in general was impeccable. One example is he hit Chandler over the middle in stride that enabled him to gain yardage after the catch. If you factor in the erratic and forceful wind conditions for the game then you should give him additional credit for his marksmanship. There is no doubt that Goodwin has great speed. He also has great hands and has a talent for attacking the ball. He is immensely better than TJ Graham. Just an observation: I thought that Kyle Williams was the best defensive player on the field.

When analyzing prospects in this era you have to recognize that college and high school offenses have changed. This is the era of the spread and pistol approach to offense. There is no doubt that the pro game is different from the college game, but that is not to say that the college game hasn't influenced the pro game. There was a time, not long ago, when young qbs were "groomed" over a period of years. Not now. The economics and the adabtability of the college offenses to the pro ranks has shortened the period of apprenticehip. There is no doubt that an AJ McCarron (Alabama) type qb would comfortably fit your preferred qb profile for a prospect. But a couple of years ago Cam Newton was the first pick taken in the draft. Why? As I have stated in a few prior posts your qb profile makes a lot of sense. But as the pro offenses have evolved your profile has to be more expansive to include qbs such as Newton, Kaepernick and RGIII with different skill sets. If you asked who the best qb in the game is I would say Aaron Rodgers. If you asked me to pick one qb in the game I would most covet it would be Andrew Luck.

In this game EJ recognized what the defense was going to do and quickly went to the right option with an accurate pass. His ball placement was impeccable. A lot of credit for the efficiency of the passing game has to go to the receivers who made the catches with few drops, if any. Graham and Goodwin caught the long balls but the receiver who kept the chains moving and the offense on the field was Hogan. He plaayed well.

I apologize if I am repeating myself but the problem I have with your qb intelligence paradigm is that it is too restrictive and exclusive. Different paradigms can also prove to be successful. Using your standards Cam Newton would not be a qb prospect you would consider having. I would! There were multiple reasons why he was the first player taken in the draft. He may not fit your mold but there were other molds that he certainly fit. While there were attributes you felt he was weak in, such as pocket awareness and ability to make quick reads, there were other different attributes that compensated for the other deficient categories. I don't know if you are aware of it but Kaepernick was intensely recruited by Stanford, but declined the scholarship offer. He aced his SATs and could have gone to an Ivy league school. But from my standpoint those aren't qualifying or disqualifying attributes. The issue comes down to whether he can play or not. Bret Favre wasn't the most cerebral player on the field. From an academic standpoint he was a dullard. But the bottom line was that he could play at a very high level. Trent Edwards snugly fit into your mold for an exemplary qb prospect. His struggles didn't relate to his level of intelligence or physical attributes. He had a psychological makeup that wouldn't allow him to pull the trigger unless he had a clear view and clean situation. He couldn't stop resorting to the checkdowns because he was simply too afraid to make a mistake when the situation wasn't perfect. Some players are impressive practice players who can't play when the real game begins. Some soldiers outperform their comrades when training but when the real bullets fly they can't be counted on. As I stated in my prior post my criticism of your view is not that it is wrong but that it is too self-limiting. There are many different ways to succeed. If it works, then it works! With respect to your assessing of Manuel I again suggest that you be more patient and see how he develops. It's a process. I'm aware that one game doesn't tell you too much about a player's prospects for success. But if you are as fair-minded as I think you are I'm confident that you saw something in his game today that made you more positive than your pre-game view of him. As I have already recommended you need to ride this horse a little longer before you get off the saddle. You may be pleasantly surprised how things turn out.

It appears that you have already made an iron-clad judgment on Manuel. You have a specific qb profile that you adhere to when evaluating prospects. You would have passed on unconventional qbs such as Newton or Kaepernick and favored more cerebral qbs such as Schaub and Alex Smith. Another way of describing your position on qb prospects is that you have a script and unless a prospect matches with your self-limiting script you will not deviate on your approach to grading qb prospects. My problem with your position (approach) is that it is too restrictive. Open up your playbook and add more pages to it. There are different styles of running that can be successful. There are different types of receivers that can be successful. There are different coaching styles that can be successful. There are different philosophies that GMs take in building teams that do well. I don't know if EJ is going to be a successful qb. No one does. But that is the point. It is simply too early to make that determination on him. What you witness this year is not necessarily what you will witness next year and the year after. It's a process. Sometimes the road to a destination is smooth and in a straight line. And more often than not the road follows a circuitous route with a lot of pot holes. I have no problem with you being uncertain about EJ, as I am. But I do have an issue with your declarative position on him at this stage of the game.

Right from the start the Bills were going to play a rookie this year. That precluded us from being a serious playoff team this year and probably next year. I'm not criticizing that approach because I agreed with the organization's stance of developing your own drafted qb. In my view it is going to take more than a couple of years to get to the point that he can be effective enough to be a good franchise qb. Coming out of college his game was not mature enough (like Luck, RGIII or Russell Wilson) to propel this team beyond its average talent level. Your example of Rodgers is misplaced. He sat for three full years before he started. Drew Brees was not an instant success story. EJ should never be compared to a Peyton or Brady or be mentioned in the same sentence with those two historically good qbs. When this new regime took over ((Whaley/Marrone/Brandon) it was clear that they were working on a rebuild . It was going to take at least three years (my view) before this team would become a serious team. People are constantly using the hypothetical argument that if they had a Rodgers or Brees type qb this team would be an immediate playoff team. The problem with that scenario is that the hypothetical scenario is not the real life scenario. We are working with a rookie developmental qb who is going to take some time to become an accomplished qb, assuming that he can ever be that type of franchise qb. That is still a big question mark. Buddy Nix made a disasterous mistake when he bypassed Russell Wilson to draft TJ. Graham. It set this franchise back by years. The trajectory of this team would have been stunningly higher.

I consider Greg Cosell as one of the best draft analysts around. He considered Barkley to be a very low round caliber of player. He basically believed that Barkley's arm strength disqualified him from being a NFL starter. He felt that the best he could develop into was a backup qb with little prospect of being a franchise qb. His take on EJ Manuel was much more positive. He felt that he had intriguing physical abilities but that it was going to take some time for him to develop. My gentle recommendation to you is to be more patient and ride this horse a little longer. http://www.nfl.com/n...ves-cosell-says

There was absolutely no chance that this team was going to be a playoff team this year. The Bills were rebuilding around a rookie starting qb. What is unfolding this season is not a surprise. Maybe for you, but not for me. The lack of depth on an average roster is not a recipe for success. All teams will face numerous injuries. It is the nature of a crash sport. If you don't have adequate depth to replace the predictable injured players then you are going to struggle as the season advances. You don't think that being $20 M under the cap is a factor in the lack of depth? I agree with you that the qb issue is the most important issue. But this team has a lot of holes on the OL, receiver corps, defensive backfield and LBing corps. The league is not static. Just because a team may be getting better that doesn't mean other teams are not getting better at a faster rate. Every year your version of an inflated assessment of this team is declared. Every year the end results prove otherwise. I'm not throwing in the towel but I realize where this organization stands relative to its competitors. The Bills still have a long way to go. The Bills are not going to be a playoff team this year, and I don't believe this franchise has the talent base to make it next year. That's my opinion. I respectfully disagree with your judgment.

You are absolutely right that there are no guarantees that your first round qb is going to be an automatic success. That isn't what I have been saying. What I am saying is that for most qbs, including first round selections, there is a developmental stage. There are few instant successes. Drew Brees is going to be a first ballot HOF inductee. He didn't have instant success. Aaron Rodgers sat on the bench for three years before he got an opportunity to play. He used that practice time to learn his craft so when he got the belated opportunity he took off like a rocket. There are no guarantees. A high percentage of first round picks don't make the grade. That is the challenge. Where I strenuously disagree with you is that I'm going to give him a fair opportunity to succeed before I declare him a bust. If he doesn't work out then you simply go on to the next option. How else are you going to do it? Aaron Rodgers is arguably the best qb in the game. There is no doubt that qbs such as Peyton, Brady and Brees elevate their respective deficient teams. All these qbs are HOF players. If that is the standard you are holding out for then that position for the Bills will be vacant for a lot longer period of time. At this point my desire is for a competent franchise qb. Let's not get too greedy or outlandishly wishful.

One of my major problems I have with your "quick" assessment of EJ is that you are to a large extent making a judgment on highlight films that you have observed. That is a very small slice of his performances to make a judgment on. You don't think that this organization expended a lot of time and effort in comparing EJ to the other top qb prospects in last year's draft? All the candidates were thoroughly vetted and compared against one another. The staff to a large extent was investing in the success of their careers with their selection. Will EJ develop into a legitimate franchise qb? I'm not foolish enough to say that I know for sure. What I know for sure is that it is too early in his injury riddled rookie year to make a confident judgment. Whatever assets that Barkley and Nassib have over EJ are negated by their physical limitations. If you are going to take a risk on a qb then I would rather do so with the qb who has greater physical tools. Let me be blunt to the extent that it will irritate a lot of the apologists who follow this team. EJ Manuel is not playing on a good team. This current team as it was constituted was not going to be a playoff caliber team nor even capable of having a winning record. EJ is a rookie qb on a mediocre team. That is also a factor that has hindered him. Let me also add that the Bills will not be a playoff team nexr year no matter how much EJ improves. This team has too many holes to fill for this languid organization to fill next year. When you are $20 M under the cap this year and are rolling in salary into next year what does that say about the organization's determination to get good as soon as possible? My point is that the qb position is a critical issue but there are so many more issues that need to be dealt with before the team becomes a serious team.

You are being too quick with your assessment of Manuel. Whether he dramatically improves his performance or not in the Jets' game will not be as telling or conclusive as you are making it out to be. As a prospect Manuel was rawer than many other prospects. Without a doubt Barkley and Nassib were better prepared to play sooner than EJ but both lacked his potential upside because of his more imposing physical talents. No one can argue that EJ's his side lining injuries in preseason and during the season didn't set him back. Let's now allow him the opportunity to struggle and learn the game. Do I have some early concerns about his game? Absolutely. His footwork and resulting inaccuracy bother me very much. But it is still very early in the developmental process. This current staff was determined to find their franchise qb in last year's draft. EJ was their selection. So there is not going to be a quick jettisoning of him or another high draft pick used for a qb in next year's draft. My fundamental point is that for now this is the horse that is going to be ridden with no other option in the barn.

I apologize for not being on topic but I'm having a terrible time with positing on this site. My problem is that I can't move the cursor around when I hit enter or the tab key. It is impossible for me to start new paragraphs. Somehow I screwed the settings. If anyone has any suggestions to correct this problem I will appreciate it You can either post a recommendation or email me with your suggestions.

If you put together a physcal profile for a high end qb prospect EJ would easily fit the bill. He has the size, athleticism and high character traits to entice a lot of scouts. However, when you watch him play and compare him to other high end prospects who developed into quality franchise qbs then your eyes tell you another story. His mechanics are awful. His footwork is atrocious. How bad? Tebowesque.! At this point I'm not as concerned about his ability to make the right reads as many others are. What has me fretting is his lack of accuracy and touch on the simple throws. In The NFL you have to be able to throw into tight spots and have the ability to trust yourself to make anticipatory throws to spots before the receiver makes his move. So far I haven't seen him be able to do that. It's still very early in his career but what I have seen so far makes me queasy.

From a Bills' business model standpoint you have a point. But from building a contending team it makes no sense. In his third year he will be a free agent who will be walking out the door. You will be having a top tier player in his prime leaving the franchise when it (hopefullly) will be in a better position to be a serious team. This churning of players to slice off payroll is the same approach that has made this franchise irrelevant for the past generation. The wider context in the Byrd and Levitre contract situation is that the Bills are dramatically under the cap. The process of developing players only to see them leave is like walking up a down escalator moving at a faster pace than the clueless person walking up. Where does that get you? The argument being made that paying a talent a little more than he is worth makes little sense for a franchise that has a history of overpaying lesser talented players. Kelsay, Dockery, Langston Walker etc etc. The Bills over payed for Mario Williams. But at least they got a good player who can make plays. The Bills are over $20 M under the cap. They let Levitre leave without bothering to negotiate with him and in the end Byrd is going to be leaving. When a team has had losing records in 10 out of its last 11 seasons and has been out of the playoffs for 13 consecutive years and still counting how about showing some desire that you want to turn things around. Where is the urgency? When your owner is 94 yrs old what is the point of continuing to squeeze the franchise to make an additional nickel or two? Byrd is no one's stooge. He knew what was in store for him right from the beginning. Any player who has been in the league for a few years has a good understanding of the business side of the NFL. The bus Parker is driving is the bus that Byrd consented to ride on.

If they franchise him for two consecutive years they are paying him at a premium price. They are not getting him at a discounted price. You have to take the two years as a unit. A two year deal at $15.2 is a high end deal. Then in the third year he is a free agent again. My position, as you know, is that the parties were not so far away in an initial three year contract deal. The context was that the Bills were $20 M or more under the cap. They let Levitre walk away without bothering to negotiate with him. There was plenty of cap space to get a deal done. What to many seemed like a wide chasm was not in reality not much of a gap that couldn't be closed. It doesn't take much of an imagination to see how this scenario is going to be played out. He is going to be a free agent at the end of the year and he is going where he wants to go. It is certainly not going to be a team located in western NY.

How is franchising him again going to improve his trade market value? There is little that can be done to improve his trade value before the season ends, especially since he is working on a one year contract. The end result is that he is going to walk at the end of the season with the Bills getting little (compensatory pick) in return .As a free agent he will go to where he wants to go. The Bills didn't even bother negotiationg with Levitre. When he walked away creating a hole on the line the orgnanization replaced him with a much cheaper and less able player. The scenario is going to be repeated with Byrd. Anyone who thinks that the Bills are going to franchise him at $8.2 M in order to spite him is deluding themselves. Cash is King!

The Bills from their own perspective, not the player's perspective, will not franchise him again. It would make no fiscal (cap sense). If they did do that they are acknowledging that he is a premier player at the top of his position. What do they do in the third year? Franchise him again? Of course not. The end result is obvious. After this year he will be playing for another team. Just as Levitre walked out the door, so will Byrd. It's business, nothing more or less.

He is not going to be franchised again. From an organizational standpoint it would make no financial sense. If they franchise him again then it is a recognition that they should have given him the contract he wanted from the beginning. The injury he has is a tough injury to get over. I realize that my view on this issue is a minority view but I agree with him that he shouldn't play until he is ready to play. Most people on the outside think he is faking it. What one hasn't heard so far is the people within the organization complaining that he isn't doing everything he needs to do with respect to treatment and his limited/cautious practice routine. Byrd is not off on his own sending in reports on his condition. He is working with the training staff within the organization and doing everything he can to get ready to play. Even Russ Brandon has publicly stated that he regularly sees Byrd and has noted that he is diligently doing everything he can to get better and get back into the action. Not only is it in Byrd's self-interest to get healthy but it is also in the team's interest for him not to prematurely get back on to the field. Byrd is known to be a quality and responsible person by everyone who has dealt with him. The team wouldn't have franchised him if they thought he was the type of person who would act out of spite. Byrd is acting prudently to protect his interest in this situation. He is a strong enough and smart enough person to not allow the assaults on his integrity prevent him from doing the right thing for himself.