Clausen was the pick?

[4BillsintheBurgh]

One of the things Nix said about Tebow was that we can't afford to wait for someone to develop, we need these guys to play right now. If I remember correctly he talked about taking players who were better than what we have on the roster right now. Taking into account that sentiment, it seems like they thought Jimmy would not be able to come in and start this year so they did not select him. It would have been interesting to see if either him or Tebow made it to R3 if they would have pulled the trigger.

 

I realize the vet qb's haven't shown much, but at this point I can't blame OBD thinking the offense/coaching was so bad last year that they don't know what they have on the roster.

 

The issue when you don't select perceived need players, your fans get irritated pretty quickly. So Nix needs to hit on Troupe especially as well as CJ and Carrington. The rebuilding process that we have completed so far is pretty much in line with what Buddy has said were his goals. It will take time unfortunately, and some good player evaluation. Hopefully this front office can get that done. Until I see differently, I can assume they made the right choices.

[BuffaloBaumer]

Clausen looks like that dude from Police Academy.

 

Totally Tackleberry...

[Snorom]

Clausen would of been a horrible choice for Buffalo and would have set this franchise back another 4 years.

 

I am exteremly happy we didn't reach for any QB in this draft. teh only QB worth considering in the 1st 4 rounds was Bradford. After that none of them were worth it.

 

Levi Brown in the 7th was a solid move. If the Bills are still looking for a QB in 2011 then next years QB class is much much more promising then this years lame ass class of QB's

[stuckincincy]

My football philosophy - for what it's worth - revolves around getting the best LBs and OLs I can get my hands on. Reluctantly, I advocated drafting a qb in the 2nd. Reasoning being that why not roll the dice? Their qb problems in recent years are well known.

 

When they announced the change to a 3-4 defense, I felt that they pitched the upcoming season...generally, such a switch comes with growing pains. With cart firmly placed in front of horse, they had to pull the trigger for a NT.

[Max997]

Clausen again, really?

 

He isnt any better then what is on the roster already so why waste a pick on him when they could use it on another player that will play and help them this year

 

Clausen holding a clipboard on the sidelines or Troup clogging the middle and helping the team this year?

 

Is it really that hard to accept that they are going to take this year to see what they have in the QBs already on the roster before spending a pick on another similar QB...Is it really that hard to imagine that Gailey can get Edwards to play like he has shown he can in flashes or turn Brohm into the QB everyone thought he was going to be in college

 

and seriously, how can anyone honestly judge the QBs currently on the roster with them playing in the cracker jack offense the Bills were running the last few years under that god awful coaching staff

[Canadian Bills Fan]

Thanks for your response. Not so sure picking the wrong QB in the second round at 41 sets a franchise back as much as you and others think? That is why I wanted the pick so bad at 41. Now, a top ten QB selection that doesn't work out indeed sets a team back years...I believe the Bills are going to pick a QB in the top ten next year. Big risk hope they get it right.

 

 

Just think about why Clausen fell that far

[stuckincincy]

Which is exactly what you're doing. Nothing more.

 

"Assess our QB situation for this year. It is perhaps the worst in the NFL."

 

Perhaps, you're not familiar with the QB situations on the Cards, Browns, Jags, Chiefs, Fish, Raiders, Eagles, Bucs & 9ers. All of them, like Buffalo, have a bunch of unproven 'hopefuls'. Toss in a couple more situations where bad teams risked high QB picks this year to try and settle their dilema: Broncos, Rams and your boy with the Panthers -a team so bad, the Bills whooped them despite a ridiculous effort to try to give the game away..

 

Most people don't share your opinion of Claussen, including pro scouts for 31 teams through 2 rounds of the draft.

 

Hmm...CAR picked a wr in the 2nd, another in the 6th, and qb Pike also in the 6th. I'd say they knew that they had a problem with their passing game, and are trying to correct it. What's wrong with that?

[Brand J]

I think if the X Factor Brian Brohm wasn't on this roster, Nix and co. would've pulled the trigger on Clausen at 41. It's nice to say, "they are unsure of the QBs on the roster, due to the OL, OC, etc." but good QBs find ways to make plays, even in the most dire of circumstances. There were numerous plays that were there to be made (when Trent or Fitz had ample time to pass) and the QBs failed to make those plays. Evans, Owens, and even Edwards have stated as much. "There were plays out there to be made, but for whatever reason, we didn't make them. It's frustrating." On a second note, please stop with the logic, "all teams passed on this guy, so there's no way he's capable of being a franchise QB. These guys get paid to do these jobs, so if he was a franchise QB, why did he last until the middle of the 2nd round?" GMs, with all of their resources, do not have the ability to forecast success. If so, the Montana's, Brady's, and Warner's of the world would never make it past the 1st round...

[Lurker]

could have given many of fans a reason for some excitment this year.

Definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result....

[stuckincincy]

I think if the X Factor Brian Brohm wasn't on this roster, Nix and co. would've pulled the trigger on Clausen at 41. It's nice to say, "they are unsure of the QBs on the roster, due to the OL, OC, etc." but good QBs find ways to make plays, even in the most dire of circumstances. There were numerous plays that were there to be made (when Trent or Fitz had ample time to pass) and the QBs failed to make those plays. Evans, Owens, and even Edwards have stated as much. "There were plays out there to be made, but for whatever reason, we didn't make them. It's frustrating." On a second note, please stop with the logic, "all teams passed on this guy, so there's no way he's capable of being a franchise QB. These guys get paid to do these jobs, so if he was a franchise QB, why did he last until the middle of the 2nd round?" GMs, with all of their resources, do not have the ability to forecast success. If so, the Montana's, Brady's, and Warner's of the world would never make it past the 1st round...

 

Good point.

[Thurman#1]

I think you logic is flawed. First off, I don't think its fair to throw JP, Cutler, Edwards, or any other QB into the conversation. You can "what if" forever. Secondly, you don't have to start Clausen right away. If a QB is a top ten pick then the pressure is enormous. But a second round 41st pick can wait and learrn, develop, and progress. The pressure isn't there. SO I very strongly disagree "he would have been our starter at the latest in the 2011 season. " Just look at Brian Brohm. Where was he drafted?

 

 

 

OK, you're clearly not listening. So this is my last post to this thread.

 

"What if" is the only thing we can discuss. We're guessing about the future. Of course we're what iffing. What else is there to do when you talk about the future, for Pete's sake.

 

And again, pressure is a factor in development, sure. But it's beside the point in this argument. Because absolutely ANY starting QB in the NFL has massive pressure. It's in the job description.

 

You want to say that guys picked early start right away while guys picked later can wait and learn. Sometimes. Sometimes not. Rivers was picked 4th and didn't play right away. Edwards was a third-rounder and he did. Was there more pressure on Rivers, sitting on the bench, or on Edwards playing in the NFL as a rookie? Clearly the pressure was much greater on Edwards.

 

Your Brohm point is absolutely ridiculous. I mean, outlandishly ridiculous. You don't think that Aaron Rodgers had something to do with Brian Brohm not starting? Where is the Aaron Rodgers, the franchise QB, on the Bills? If we had picked Clausen in the second, he would absolutely have been starting by his second season at the absolute latest, the one exception being as I said before if one of the guys above him made a Drew-Brees-like huge leap upwards in 2010.

 

And the Cutler thing wasn't some guess. Modrak has been quoted as saying that he loved Cutler and that the decision makers wouldn't let him pick Cutler because we already had JP. When you think you already have your franchise QB on the team, you don't pick another QB in the first. If we picked Clausen, it would be the last high-rounder we would see for three or four years. And if Clausen was a bust, it would thus be a huge setback for the organization.

 

Outta here.

[Thurman#1]

At least 32 teams did not have a franchise grade on Clausen. If he was that good, he would have been selected in the 1st even by a team set at QB. Plus, he seems like a 1st class Ahole. I think you wanted the hype of a franchise QB more than you wanted Clausen.

 

He's not the guy.

 

 

 

Actually, what you're doing is guessing.

 

Teams generally only have one first round pick to use, and lots of needs and lots of guys with first-round grades. It's extremely possible that teams thought he was first-round material but didn't feel that their need for a QB was their most important need. The last thing you want to do is use a first-rounder on a QB when you already have a guy you're developing. QB controversies tear teams apart and devalue players. Whoever lost that QB controversy sure wouldn't bring in a first-rounder in trade, so you'd have wasted your first-rounder.

 

About all you can really say is that it is quite possible that many of the teams didn't have a high grade on Clausen, though it is absolutely not a sure thing. Anything more and you're just showing more about yourself and your hatred for Clausen than anything about GMs.

[Brand J]

OK, you're clearly not listening. So this is my last post to this thread.

 

"What if" is the only thing we can discuss. We're guessing about the future. Of course we're what iffing. What else is there to do when you talk about the future, for Pete's sake.

 

And again, pressure is a factor in development, sure. But it's beside the point in this argument. Because absolutely ANY starting QB in the NFL has massive pressure. It's in the job description.

 

You want to say that guys picked early start right away while guys picked later can wait and learn. Sometimes. Sometimes not. Rivers was picked 4th and didn't play right away. Edwards was a third-rounder and he did. Was there more pressure on Rivers, sitting on the bench, or on Edwards playing in the NFL as a rookie? Clearly the pressure was much greater on Edwards.

 

Your Brohm point is absolutely ridiculous. I mean, outlandishly ridiculous. You don't think that Aaron Rodgers had something to do with Brian Brohm not starting? Where is the Aaron Rodgers, the franchise QB, on the Bills? If we had picked Clausen in the second, he would absolutely have been starting by his second season at the absolute latest, the one exception being as I said before if one of the guys above him made a Drew-Brees-like huge leap upwards in 2010.

 

And the Cutler thing wasn't some guess. Modrak has been quoted as saying that he loved Cutler and that the decision makers wouldn't let him pick Cutler because we already had JP. When you think you already have your franchise QB on the team, you don't pick another QB in the first. If we picked Clausen, it would be the last high-rounder we would see for three or four years. And if Clausen was a bust, it would thus be a huge setback for the organization.

 

Outta here.

 

This is true with ANY QB selected near the top of the draft. If none of the QBs step up this year, we will be in this exact predicament next year. This is the risk you take in drafting a QB with a high selection. Any QB...

[Thurman#1]

The crop next year is much better!

 

 

 

Or not. That's just a guess. How great will the QB crop look if Locker decides to play pro baseball, Luck stays in school for another year and Mallett has a lousy year? All those things are quite possible.

[Thurman#1]

Just think about why Clausen fell that far

 

 

 

If he becomes a franchise QB, he will have fallen that far because a bunch of teams didn't need a QB and the teams that did made an idiotic mistake.

 

If Clausen is a star, this will have been an absolutely awful decision, one people will talk about for 20 years. But if he busts, it will be a truly brilliant move, laying off him being yet another good decision by the F.O. Because again, picking the wrong QB handcuffs an organization for years.

[xsoldier54]

I feel that the Bills front office really made a poor decision not taking Clausen at pick 41. I understand not taking him at pick nine. Too risky and too many good players on the board like Spiller. However, I believe at pick 41 he was a "STEAL." The risk is greatly reduced and he would have filled a HUGE need. Assess our QB situation for this year. It is perhaps the worst in the NFL. All we can say is that we are waiting for next years draft because that QB class is better. In my humble opinion, that doesn't "cut it." Wait til next year.....I am tired of waiting and besides those guys are going to 'BIGGER RISK" if we select a QB with our first pick. (likely a top 5 -10 pick)

 

Also, I think from a fan prospestive this year would be a lot more exciting with Clausen on the roster. Remember the TO signing...It was fun to have TO in the Buffalo limelight and have some media attention. Right now, all of us would be glued to the Clausen updates and hoping he is the one. Today, I read that Fitz took the snaps today and Edwards yesterday. BOY IS THAT EXCITING...Perhaps Clausen could have stepped right in and started for us. What do we have to loose? Heck, I believe this season is a bust anyway. Its a season of learnng, growing, and building for the future. Which hopefully leads to winning soon. This season isn't about winning despite what you hear from the front office. Objectively, look at the rosters and you have to conclude we don't have the players. PLAYERS win games not coaches...Coaches can aid in the winning process no doubt but they still need the personnel. Our personnel is subpar.

 

In concluding, Clausen was a "low risk" at pick 41, an instant upgrade to our QB roster, and could have given many of fans a reason for some excitment this year. It was a win win for all of us. Instead we reached for a guy named TROUP who noone has ever heard of prior to the draft. What a collosal blunder...

 

Tell me what you guys think?

I couldn't disagree more. This team has too many holes and in rounds 2-7 the front office did a good job of addressing needs at DT, LB, WR, LT and DE. Clausen would not have made this team a winner because they just had too many holes to fill. QB is a high risk position in the draft and I like the way this team addressed every other area of need. Spiller is a playmaker who will help them score points, which is sorely needed. Most of the other guys will help the D, particularly against the run. No way would I have taken Clausen in the second round.

[Green Lightning]

One more time....

 

They didn't like Clausen. They weren't going to pick him in the top four picks. We needed and instant starter with our second pick and Clausen would have been just another question mark at QB, to add to the three we already have. Unless Clausen could have plugged the turnstile middle of our run defense, we did the right thing by drafting a NT.

[stuckincincy]

If he becomes a franchise QB, he will have fallen that far because a bunch of teams didn't need a QB and the teams that did made an idiotic mistake.

 

If Clausen is a star, this will have been an absolutely awful decision, one people will talk about for 20 years. But if he busts, it will be a truly brilliant move, laying off him being yet another good decision by the F.O. Because again, picking the wrong QB handcuffs an organization for years.

 

Football is loaded with variables. An inch or two there, a tackle is missed and and an opponent is off to the races. An oval ball that bounces this or that way as if it has a mind of its' own. A sudden breeze 25 feet above the turf turns a sure completion into an interception. A refs' judgment call.

 

The unpredictability is football's allure.

 

QBs are drafted out of college with hope aplenty. It's a gamble. If your quarterbacking stinks, you try to fix it.

 

What should one do? Bite fingernails worrying about how to calculate the future? CAR picked Clausen and Pike. They perceived a problem, and went ahead and tried to do something about it.

[starrymessenger]

Basically, I wanted Clausen. On the other hand, Nix knows a lot more about football than me. But he's not perfect, so the "Nix did it, so it's OK" defense isn't a good one. One thing is for sure, though, if both Clausen and Troup are successful, this will have been a bad pick. It's a lot harder to find a franchise QB than any other position except maybe franchise LT and franchise pass rusher.

 

Not much to say about this, it's all been said before. The bottom line is this ... if Clausen turns out to be a franchise QB, this will go down as one of the franchise's greatest blunders. However, if Clausen bombs, it will make this draft look a lot better, a great deal better, that it does already, because picking the wrong QB really sets a franchise back.

 

I wanted Clausen. I think Clausen is going to be a major success. But who knows. We'll see in the next three years.

My thoughts exactly.

[Chandler#81]

Hmm...CAR picked a wr in the 2nd, another in the 6th, and qb Pike also in the 6th. I'd say they knew that they had a problem with their passing game, and are trying to correct it. What's wrong with that?

 

Nothing. Carolina had less to address than Buffalo. What they did have that soured was a terrible QB, whom they kicked to the curb. Then added players to take some heat off Steve Smith. We, on the other hand, well.. you know what we're undergoing..

 

I was countering the challenge our QB situation may be the WORST in the NFL. Not thatwe're not bad, we just have lots of company.