Russell Wilson Once Viewed as Bills Potential Savior

[Shaw66]

11 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

OMG that draft.  We traded up...WE'RE GONNA DRAFT WILSON!  No! TJ Graham.

 

6 picks later Seattle drafts Wilson.  I was wild.  Ugh.

Exactly.  That is exactly how I felt.  I saw the trade up and was so excited.  Then the Bills drafte - whom?   Who is TJ Graham?

 

I don't think I've been more disappointed about a single pick when it happened.   In retrospect, I was pretty disappointed the Bills took Watkins instead of Mack, but at the time I was thrilled.  But Wilson - there was a guy with first-round talent but fourth-round height.   It was clear that he was worth the risk in the third round. 

 

Russell Wilson ran the offensive, was a captain, and starred at NC State.  Then he transferred to Wisconsin, and within a couple of weeks of summer camp, the players made him the captain - it was clear he is a natural leader.  He was outstanding there in one season.   It was about as obvious as it could have been that this guy was a player.  This was the guy that we had hoped Flutie could be.   And the Bills took TJ Graham.  Unbelievable.  

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 minute ago, Shaw66 said:

Exactly.  That is exactly how I felt.  I saw the trade up and was so excited.  Then the Bills drafte - whom?   Who is TJ Graham?

 

I don't think I've been more disappointed about a single pick when it happened.   In retrospect, I was pretty disappointed the Bills took Watkins instead of Mack, but at the time I was thrilled.  But Wilson - there was a guy with first-round talent but fourth-round height.   It was clear that he was worth the risk in the third round. 

 

Russell Wilson ran the offensive, was a captain, and starred at NC State.  Then he transferred to Wisconsin, and within a couple of weeks of summer camp, the players made him the captain - it was clear he is a natural leader.  He was outstanding there in one season.   It was about as obvious as it could have been that this guy was a player.  This was the guy that we had hoped Flutie could be.   And the Bills took TJ Graham.  Unbelievable.  

 

What's more he would have been coming into a lower-rent version of the situation Mahomes was in: the chance to sit behind a veteran QB in an established offensive system and "learn the ropes" until he was ready to start, then to be supported by the same veteran, on a team that had just added a big piece of offensive talent.

[dollars 2 donuts]

12 hours ago, Virgil said:

Of all the QB’s we shoulda, coulda, woulda....Russel Wilson is the one I wish we took. 
 

But that also means we wouldn’t have drafted Allen, so.....

 

 

Virgil, even if he wasn't the same RW we see today this is spot on.  He could have played behind Fitzy for a year, or less than a year and low and behold, all things being equal those WR he would have had in 2013-2015.

 

I'll say this again asI always do...as the Lord above as my witness I was so thinking tat when we traded up in the third we were going to get WIlson.

 

...besides us who on this planet valued TJ Graham over RW?  I saw Wilson play in Wisc...he just really seemed to be a nice, quality package at the position.

[Augie]

1 hour ago, Captain Hindsight said:

I wish I had that luxury. Tragically, my super powers only give me the benefit of perfect hindsight

 

Maybe if you go to user settings, there is a way to fix that?  🤷‍♂️

[Mr. WEO]

Bills had 2 morons running the team.  Predictable error ensued....

[Just in Atlanta]

Not all that healthy to look back when the future's so bright, but, yeah, it's shocking how this team didn't address QB for so long.

 

Among 20 first-round picks in the 2000s before Allen, JP Losman and EJ Manual are it for QBs. That's insane. 

[Royale with Cheese]

I really wanted him.  That proves I'm the best talent evaluator on this board.  

[Just in Atlanta]

On another note, the inability for many experts to look past stereotypical metrics -- and in some cases, like Allen's, let them go -- is frustrating. 

• Russell Wilson - he's short. 
• Julian Edelman - too small. 
• Allen - that accuracy! 

Whenever Allen misses a pass, pundits like Bradshaw et all still glob onto it. It's mindless. You look at the athletes above now and in college and it shouldn't take an expert to see something special. 

 

[TC in St. Louis]

Russell was on the cover of SI, transferring to Wisconsin.  I'm a Wisconsin fan, and I watched what he did for that team.  He was great.  I was lobbying a bit for them to take him, admittedly because I like Wisconsin.  I thought they'd take him in the 3rd.  He's a great talent and leader, and the Bills, along with 30 other teams, passed on him.  It's happened before.  It'll happen again.

 

Regarding Mahomes?  He landed in the perfect spot.  We got an all-pro DB and Josh Allen out of that capital.  I love Mahomes, but I do think we did okay.

[marky]

13 hours ago, Charles Romes said:

Chan is known for maximizing talent, and a good find for the organization in a difficult time. He would not have failed to develop a Russell Wilson. 

 

Gailey's win wins per year here: 4, 6, and 6. First pick, highest in Bills history to set the identity? Marcel Dareus.

 

Ralph Wilson was very ill, and brought in business managers for the sale of the team to help his family. Paul Allen was ill too. But his wealth was outside of his team and he dumped money to win a super bowl. Things like committing pass interference on every play and daring the league to throw 100 flags a game. Wilson's early years were horrendous. Short check-downs and mostly read option. Everyone in the league was afraid of Marshawn Lynch, run out of Buffalo because of drugs. Who cares how big you are or how fast you are if your going to just lay down and punk out? Still going to take your million dollar paycheck.

[Buffalo03]

14 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

This is old news but the Seattle Times ran a nice article today about how the Bills almost picked Wilson.

 

It sounds like David Lee really wanted him:

 

Quarterbacks coach David Lee made a video presentation to offensive coordinator Chan Gailey showing that Wilson’s height wouldn’t be the problem some were thinking, showing “that Wilson’s over-the-top throwing motion made him deliver the ball taller than 6-foot-7 Brock Osweiler, who had a lower release,” per The Athletic.

 

https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/as-russell-wilson-finally-gets-to-play-in-buffalo-its-time-to-recall-how-the-bills-once-viewed-him-as-their-potential-savior/

 

Clearly, TJ Graham was more important 

[Nextmanup]

If pro scouting was close to being competent, Wilson AND Mahomes would both be Bills! 

 

The fact that neither is tells you what you need to know about the conventional wisdom of traditional NFL scouting.

Hey, we did take a mediocre defensive tackle and bad middle linebacker.  I guess that counts for something.

 

 

 

 

[Charles Romes]

2 hours ago, beavis said:

 

Gailey's win wins per year here: 4, 6, and 6. First pick, highest in Bills history to set the identity? Marcel Dareus.

 

Ralph Wilson was very ill, and brought in business managers for the sale of the team to help his family. Paul Allen was ill too. But his wealth was outside of his team and he dumped money to win a super bowl. Things like committing pass interference on every play and daring the league to throw 100 flags a game. Wilson's early years were horrendous. Short check-downs and mostly read option. Everyone in the league was afraid of Marshawn Lynch, run out of Buffalo because of drugs. Who cares how big you are or how fast you are if your going to just lay down and punk out? Still going to take your million dollar paycheck.

Dareus only became a problem after landing the franchise DT contract. He was a force his first four seasons and earned that contract. 

[Nihilarian]

5 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

Exactly.  That is exactly how I felt.  I saw the trade up and was so excited.  Then the Bills drafte - whom?   Who is TJ Graham?

 

I don't think I've been more disappointed about a single pick when it happened.   In retrospect, I was pretty disappointed the Bills took Watkins instead of Mack, but at the time I was thrilled.  But Wilson - there was a guy with first-round talent but fourth-round height.   It was clear that he was worth the risk in the third round. 

 

Russell Wilson ran the offensive, was a captain, and starred at NC State.  Then he transferred to Wisconsin, and within a couple of weeks of summer camp, the players made him the captain - it was clear he is a natural leader.  He was outstanding there in one season.   It was about as obvious as it could have been that this guy was a player.  This was the guy that we had hoped Flutie could be.   And the Bills took TJ Graham.  Unbelievable.  

Afterwards Nix had the audacity to say "see, who says we don't trade up".

 

Look back now at all the Nix/Whaley drafts with so many failures its no wonder the franchise was so dysfunctional for so long. 

[RyanC883]

17 hours ago, QCity said:

“We felt he would be there with our first pick in the fourth round, but he wasn’t there. We waited a half-round too long.”

 

No ****.

 

just a stupid strategy.  and the WR they drafted over Wilson did not project as anything but a no 3 WR.  you always take a qb in that situation.  Just unreal how bad the FO was then. 

[The Jokeman]

2 hours ago, High Football IQ said:

Hindsight is always 20/20, but if Allen continues to flounder it further magnifies all of these franchise altering mistakes this team has made through the years when superstar QB's where there for them to take without having to trade up for.

 

In regards to Wilson though it's almost a Brady situation considering where he was drafted and how many other teams passed on him (multiple times).

What's Allen been flounding? 

[TBBills Fan]

19 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

This is old news but the Seattle Times ran a nice article today about how the Bills almost picked Wilson.

 

It sounds like David Lee really wanted him:

 

Quarterbacks coach David Lee made a video presentation to offensive coordinator Chan Gailey showing that Wilson’s height wouldn’t be the problem some were thinking, showing “that Wilson’s over-the-top throwing motion made him deliver the ball taller than 6-foot-7 Brock Osweiler, who had a lower release,” per The Athletic.

 

https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/as-russell-wilson-finally-gets-to-play-in-buffalo-its-time-to-recall-how-the-bills-once-viewed-him-as-their-potential-savior/

 

 

 

this article provides additional insight into what a joke our front office USED to be and how GOOD it is now.

 

So Seattle picked him at 75, they were worried about another team at 88, but there we were waiting a "half round too long" (pick 105).  Well a good FO would have an idea who wants who and picks accordingly.  A good FO would have known  to pull the trigger with their 3rd to make sure they got their guy.  Apparently we were sold on Ftiz and didnt have a good read on what the teams ahead of us would do.  

 

A Good FO would have known that they didnt have a shot to get him in the 4th.  Obviously we were so enamored with TJ that we let a great player slip through our hands.  

 

As ***** as that all is, we can at least rejoice in the fact that our FO is pretty damn good at playing the game with other NFL execs

47 minutes ago, RyanC883 said:

 

just a stupid strategy.  and the WR they drafted over Wilson did not project as anything but a no 3 WR.  you always take a qb in that situation.  Just unreal how bad the FO was then. 

 

 

yup see my post above.  At least we have pros in our FO now

2 hours ago, Nihilarian said:

Afterwards Nix had the audacity to say "see, who says we don't trade up".

 

Look back now at all the Nix/Whaley drafts with so many failures its no wonder the franchise was so dysfunctional for so long. 

yup

Edited November 6, 2020 by TBBills Fan

[4_kidd_4]

20 hours ago, Sharky7337 said:

We also traded the mahomes pick. 😕

 

Ha, my dad’s head almost exploded that day.

 

He was calling for Mahomes to be our pick for months! 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

20 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

When was Chan the OC?

Always even as head coach 

[BananaB]

I remember them trading up and saying to my brother, why would they trade up for any player but Wilson at this  point. I don’t even remember the name of the guy they took.

 

If Wilson was a few inches taller he would of been a better prospect then Luck and he was viewed as a once in a decade guy.