The ones that got away

[KOKBILLS]

Why do you keep illustrating this issue as if it affects the Bills, and the Bills alone?

 

Because he's a Bills Fan and likely does not give a crap about the other 31 Teams? Just guessing...

[DDD]

Drew Brees – as a FA got little to no interest and went to a bad team in NO that was destroyed by Hurricane Katria. We neglected to pursue.

Joe Flacco – drafted 18^th overall. We have Leodis McKelvin

Jay Cutler – Traded for two 1^st and a 3^rd, instead we have/had Aaron Maybin, Spiller, and used the 3^rd to trade up for Levitre

Carson Palmer - Traded for a 1^st and a 2^nd, we have Gilmore and a 2^nd in next year’s draft (he looked pretty good in the game last night, granted I only watched the first half)

Andy Dalton – Drafted 2^nd round, we have Aaron Williams

Matt Schaub – Traded for 2 2nds in 07 and 08, we had Poz and James Hardy

Vick – Free Agent we neglected to pursue.

 

Other guys we could have drafted, without trading up or any other BS include: Aaron Rodgers, Locker, Gabbert, Ponder, Russell Wilson, K Cousins, Colt McCoy, Mallet, Tebow, Brandon Weeden.

 

We also could have tried to trade for Kolb or Cassell or pursued Matt Hasselback in FA.

 

Who knows who I am forgetting, but when are the Bills going to sack up and TRY – JURT TRY – to get a FRANCHISE quarterback?.

 

***For the record I am not saying we should have gotten all of these players, I am just pointing out all of the players we have passed on over the years.

 

You forgot to mention we could of had Ngata instead of Whitner.

[DrDawkinstein]

The Redskins gave up two 1st and a 2nd to move up 4 spots in the draft for RG3. Granted its been one game, but does anyone think they over paid?

 

I don't expect them to 'wake up' tomorrow with a QB, I expect them to go out and get one. They have had over 10 years to get one and they should have gotten a very good one by now. The opportunities have been there. Period.

 

That's actually 2 additional 1sts since they also swapped their 2012 1st. So 3 1sts and a 2nd to move up 4 spots. Which means we would have had to give up even more in order to get him.

 

Unless they make more trades, the next time the Skins will have a 1st round pick is in 2015. Could the Bills afford to give all of that up? I honestly dont know. If RG3 turns out to be a player, then the easy answer is yes. But at the time, you are mortgaging the entire future of the franchise on a gamble.

 

I'd love to have seen to see us pick Newton or Luck or RG3, and Im 100% certain that if we had the chance, Buddy would have wasted no time in picking any of them. But you can only do so much.

 

That being said, after the last draft and FA period, I said "Now we finally have enough other pieces in place to allow us to trade away the future for a QB". And that was before Fitz's poor performance. But that would be in the 2013 draft.

 

So far Nix has addressed the "fan stated" biggest need in each offseason. We were last against the run, and he drafted Dareus. We needed pass rush and OT, and he got Mario and Glenn. Yes, we still have needs, but you cant plug every hole with a star every offseason.

 

Im fairly confident that, no matter how this year works out with Fitz, you will see the Bills aggressively go after a QB next offseason.

 

Does that help us right now? No.

What can you do about that? Absolutely nothing (say it again).

What could Buddy have done about it? Who knows. It's all guessing and hindsight, which isnt reality.

 

Sidenote: Your "10 year" number is complete BS. But it's obvious you dont really read and digest posts that you dont agree with.

[C.Biscuit97]

Some of you are still pining for that girl who got away in 5th grade huh? My best advice: what's done is done. You don't move forward by looking in the past. Personally, I got 16 weeks of Bills football to enjoy to worry about 20/20 hindsight things that you can't control.

[SouthernMan]

Oh look. A 20/20 hindsight post. Never see those around here.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Yep, hindsight is 20-20, but we're just armchair QBs (or GMs) for the most part.

 

I think the question is why are there so many missed opportunities by those paid the big bucks at One Bills Drive to recognize the talent of (e.g. - Dalton) who probably has far more upside than Fitzpatrick. It's not just that one miss, but multiple misses and that are accompanied by complacency on the offensive side of the ball, particularly at what is arguably the most important position on the team - quarterback.

 

With very a average receiving corp, and average offensive line, and a below average QB, the running game will suffer no matter how talented the RB is. What we have basically is...."average" 7-9, 8-8, maybe 9-7 records. Just enough to prevent the team from getting that elite QB like Luck or RGIII.

 

Had the Bills been more aggressive or savvy, they maybe could have had Rothlisberger, Flacco, or a series of other QBs that could be relied on to win some close games.

 

As much as I want to like Fitz, it's obvious he's not an elite QB and never will be. Bills fans should be prepared for an extended period of mediocrity as long as the Bills front office is in denial about their current QB situation.

Edited September 12, 2012 by SouthernMan

[apuszczalowski]

Funny, go back to the end of last season and most here had said that the main focus of this team should be the defence and the pass rush, that they need to fix the defence and things would turn around because the offence was good enough when healthy. No one ever said Fitz was elite, but he was good enough when the offence was healthy to win games. All the focus of the offseason and draft should focus on fixing the horrible defence. They make some moves to fix the defence and its talk of the team being playoff contenders.

 

Now, after Game 1, everyone is coming out to complain because the Bills didn't use draft picks and resources from this offseason to find that Elite, Franchise QB, that every other team seems to be able to find but Buffalo doesn't even try to get. One game and Fitz is run out of town and its all about how the organisation is horrible for not trying to get Player 'X' who was available and passed on because using the magic of hindsight, that player turned out good for that team

[The Big Cat]

Funny, go back to the end of last season and most here had said that the main focus of this team should be the defence and the pass rush, that they need to fix the defence and things would turn around because the offence was good enough when healthy. No one ever said Fitz was elite, but he was good enough when the offence was healthy to win games. All the focus of the offseason and draft should focus on fixing the horrible defence. They make some moves to fix the defence and its talk of the team being playoff contenders.

 

Now, after Game 1, everyone is coming out to complain because the Bills didn't use draft picks and resources from this offseason to find that Elite, Franchise QB, that every other team seems to be able to find but Buffalo doesn't even try to get. One game and Fitz is run out of town and its all about how the organisation is horrible for not trying to get Player 'X' who was available and passed on because using the magic of hindsight, that player turned out good for that team

 

You knock it off! You end that linear thinking NOW!

[You herd it hear last]

Drew Brees – as a FA got little to no interest and went to a bad team in NO that was destroyed by Hurricane Katria. We neglected to pursue.

Joe Flacco – drafted 18^th overall. We have Leodis McKelvin

Jay Cutler – Traded for two 1^st and a 3^rd, instead we have/had Aaron Maybin, Spiller, and used the 3^rd to trade up for Levitre

Carson Palmer - Traded for a 1^st and a 2^nd, we have Gilmore and a 2^nd in next year’s draft (he looked pretty good in the game last night, granted I only watched the first half)

Andy Dalton – Drafted 2^nd round, we have Aaron Williams

Matt Schaub – Traded for 2 2nds in 07 and 08, we had Poz and James Hardy

Vick – Free Agent we neglected to pursue.

 

Other guys we could have drafted, without trading up or any other BS include: Aaron Rodgers, Locker, Gabbert, Ponder, Russell Wilson, K Cousins, Colt McCoy, Mallet, Tebow, Brandon Weeden.

 

We also could have tried to trade for Kolb or Cassell or pursued Matt Hasselback in FA.

 

Who knows who I am forgetting, but when are the Bills going to sack up and TRY – JURT TRY – to get a FRANCHISE quarterback?.

 

***For the record I am not saying we should have gotten all of these players, I am just pointing out all of the players we have passed on over the years.

 

somebody lost his binky right before naptime

[Rob's House]

When I was 19 there was this hot blonde chick named Denise. She had a tight ass, perky chest, and she was good to go. We were out at a party and I was about 12 deep when someone passed me a fat ass J of some bubonic chronic that made me choke. 10 minutes later I'm laid out in the front yard throwing up in the rain. Needless to say, there was no salvaging that one - she got away.

[ny33]

That hurts the most

 

I like Dalton, but half of his success is due to A.J. Green. Stevie's a good player, but can't dominate/carry a rookie QB in the same way.

[Steve O]

re - "Jay Cutler – Traded for two 1^st and a 3^rd, instead we have/had Aaron Maybin, Spiller, and used the 3^rd to trade up for Levitre"

 

Haven't checked the world wide web yet but if memory serves (and it usually does), we passed on Cutler and drafted Whitner (thank you Marv) - received nothing here. We got Spiller and Maybin from poor records the previous season, no trade involved. The third we used to trade up for Levitre was from the first and third we got for Peters (the first was used on Wood)

 

My bad, checked the WWW, the OP meant these are the picks we used 2 firsts and a third on instead of using them to trade to Denver for Cutler. Tried deleting but it didn't work, so editing instead.

Edited September 13, 2012 by Steve O

[Gray Beard]

I don’t think the problem with the FO is them not trying to get a franchise QB, it’s that they keep thinking that they have one when most of us can already see that they don’t. Fitz is the perfect example…we all see his major flaws but Chan and Co appear to truly believe they can transform him into a franchise QB. It’s also why we passed on so many of these QBs…we already had our guy…or so the FO thought. Back to the drawing board.

Agree. Last year Fitz was pretty good until he got hurt. The FO probably thought that this year he would be healed and rested, so he would start off like he did last year. Oops. If Fitz doesn't turn this ship around in the next few weeks, I believe that next year there will be somebody new, either starting or waiting for Fitz to falter yet again. I doubt Tarvaris Jackson is the answer, so we may be stuck hoping that Fitz can somehow get the job done this year.

[Hsp08]

Funny much discussions here about Dalton. I asked the question last year if we should have taken Dalton over Williams and got roasted.

[artmalibu]

They have tried to get a franchise QB, They traded up for JP Losman, drafted Edwards in the 3rd, traded for Drew Bledsoe and Rob Johnson, went outside the Box and signed Doug Flutie from the CFL, etc.

 

They have tried going in all the directions that you suggest above and none of them have worked out, because its not so easy to get a franchise QB

 

Everyone thought Brees was done after his injury, and almost all the teams passed on him except NO

More then half the league also passed on Flacco

Cutler is on his second team and would have cost us the only guy to perform well on Sunday (and for the next few weeks our starting RB) and our starting LG

Palmer has been up and down, and the Bengals were even willing to take a risk on a rookie QB over him, another guy who after his injury teams were hesitant

Dalton was passed on by the entire league and if palmer didn't hold out would have been the backup in Cinncy right now

Schaub, kolb, and Cassell were all guys that were risky moves because they had limited starting experience and so far, only he has really been successful

Vick put up worse numbers then Fitz this week and has been injured alot, along with the bad feelings against him due to his criminal past

Aaron Rodgers was also passed on by almost the entire league, and was given a few years to sit behind and learn from Favre

Locker, Gabbert, Ponder, Wilson, Cousins, and McCoy have all achieved nothing as starting Qbs in the league and a couple are not even starters

Mallet has never even started an NFL game yet and currently gets to sit behind Brady and come in for Mop up duty

Tebow is basically being used as a trick play/WildCat QB player and not a QB

Brandon Weedon had a QB rating of 5.0 this week (And hes the guy that the Browns started over McCoy)

Matt Hasselback couldn't win the starting job in Tenn and is a backup to Locker right now

 

Aside from Rodgers and Brees, how many of those guys can you honestly say are "Franchise/Elite QBs"?

 

very well said!!!!

 

but if we are going to talk about the woulda, coulda, shouldas Kurt warner was avalible a couple times!!!!

[apuszczalowski]

very well said!!!!

 

but if we are going to talk about the woulda, coulda, shouldas Kurt warner was avalible a couple times!!!!

So was McNabb, who he kindly left out off his list...............

[BuffBill]

So was McNabb, who he kindly left out off his list...............

I am glad it worked out that way, but McNabb refused to come here.

[K-9]

Yep, hindsight is 20-20, but we're just armchair QBs (or GMs) for the most part.

 

I think the question is why are there so many missed opportunities by those paid the big bucks at One Bills Drive to recognize the talent of (e.g. - Dalton) who probably has far more upside than Fitzpatrick. It's not just that one miss, but multiple misses and that are accompanied by complacency on the offensive side of the ball, particularly at what is arguably the most important position on the team - quarterback.

 

With very a average receiving corp, and average offensive line, and a below average QB, the running game will suffer no matter how talented the RB is. What we have basically is...."average" 7-9, 8-8, maybe 9-7 records. Just enough to prevent the team from getting that elite QB like Luck or RGIII.

 

Had the Bills been more aggressive or savvy, they maybe could have had Rothlisberger, Flacco, or a series of other QBs that could be relied on to win some close games.

 

As much as I want to like Fitz, it's obvious he's not an elite QB and never will be. Bills fans should be prepared for an extended period of mediocrity as long as the Bills front office is in denial about their current QB situation.

 

All true.

 

But when your defense is last or near last in EVERY major statistical category since your arrival, including giving up an obscene 90.4 QB rating over the course of the season, it has a way of crystalizing your priorities.

 

When that "10-15 year" QB is available to them, Buddy will take him. He's made that clear on several occasions. He hasn't had the chance to pull the trigger on that guy, regardless of all the posts suggesting he did. Clearly, he felt differently at the time. He thought A Williams had more potential as a CB than Andy Dalton as a QB. So did many other talent evaluators at the time.

 

At the time being the operative phrase.

 

GO BILLS!!!

Edited September 13, 2012 by K-9

[DefenseWinzChampionshipz]

Champagne for the pain...

[FanofFredJackson]

Drew Brees – as a FA got little to no interest and went to a bad team in NO that was destroyed by Hurricane Katria. We neglected to pursue.

Joe Flacco – drafted 18^th overall. We have Leodis McKelvin

Jay Cutler – Traded for two 1^st and a 3^rd, instead we have/had Aaron Maybin, Spiller, and used the 3^rd to trade up for Levitre

Carson Palmer - Traded for a 1^st and a 2^nd, we have Gilmore and a 2^nd in next year’s draft (he looked pretty good in the game last night, granted I only watched the first half)

Andy Dalton – Drafted 2^nd round, we have Aaron Williams

Matt Schaub – Traded for 2 2nds in 07 and 08, we had Poz and James Hardy

Vick – Free Agent we neglected to pursue.

 

Other guys we could have drafted, without trading up or any other BS include: Aaron Rodgers, Locker, Gabbert, Ponder, Russell Wilson, K Cousins, Colt McCoy, Mallet, Tebow, Brandon Weeden.

 

We also could have tried to trade for Kolb or Cassell or pursued Matt Hasselback in FA.

 

Who knows who I am forgetting, but when are the Bills going to sack up and TRY – JURT TRY – to get a FRANCHISE quarterback?.

 

***For the record I am not saying we should have gotten all of these players, I am just pointing out all of the players we have passed on over the years.

 

Good players like Rogers, Brees, and Flacco deserve to be with better organizations than the pitiful Bills

[Garion]

Ask Raiders fans how they feel about investing in Jamarcus Russel or Browns fans about Brady Quinn.

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?season=2007&round=round1#round1

 

 

For all that he looked all world against us how many Jets fans the last three years have been second guessing investing in trading up for Sanchez

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/tracker#dt-by-round-input:1

 

Josh Freeman had a good year in 2010 not so much last year beats me if he is the real deal.

 

While Flacco looks pretty good now there has been a running fan debate the last few years in town if he is ever going to be a top flight QB

http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?season=2008&round=round1#round1

 

That is the same in arguably top notch front office that failed on investing a first round pick in Kyle Boller and investing in Elvis Grbac.

 

Even good teams like the Ravens haven't necessarily been good at finding the right QB. It's a crapshoot. As others have pointed out the Bills have invested a lot of resources in trying to get it right. Fitz didn't look like it last week but early last season when us bills fans were going nuts for the Amish Rifle he sure did look like it. Maybe he will be a failure as others have pointed out this team will keep investing in the position if it isn't the right answer.