Was Allen the top prospect on the Bills board?

[ProcessAccepted]

3 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Let's hope that wasn't the case.  You don't want Pegula anywhere near that type of hands-on micromanagement.

 

 

I don't think they forced Beane's hand or anything like that but I've heard Beane say that the Pegulas told him how much they really like his attitude and drive.

[SoMAn]

8 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

They were down to Allen and Darnold and I have that on very good authority. If it wasn't one of those 2 they were trading back and taking Rudolph or Lauletta later on. 

 

Everything the Bills have said leads me to believe that of the two Allen was their guy. But had Allen gone in the top 2 and Darnold had fallen he would have been the pick. 

I never wanted Darnold-mostly because it’s a stupid name.  Its not Donald. It’s not Arnold. It’s an awkward mashup of two names that doomed him from the start. 

[MrEpsYtown]

I definitely believe he was the top our board. It makes sense. Josh embodies everything we have been looking for here for quite some time. 
 

But, I also believe, that the year before they wanted Mitch Trubisky and were ready to trade up a bit for him. When they knew they had to get up to number two and what the cost was, the punted to plan B, which was trade down, get a QB next year. I have no proof, just my gut. 
 

So thank you Bears! If they steal Ryan Bates I will consider us even. 

[HOUSE]

Brandon Beane is a sneaky fella, I personally believe he was high on Baker Mayfield but the Browns saved the day for us.

 

I love Cleveland, they can screw up a one man band

 

 

[Apocalypse Nuts]

8 hours ago, Lieutenant Aldo Raine said:

I for surely thought Allen was going to the Jets.  At every Wyoming home game, I mostly saw Jets scouts moving in and out of the press boxes.  

This is very interesting intel.  Thanks for sharing.

 

And think about how Josh would have probably turned out by now had he gone to the Jests or the Browns.  I can't imagine he would have turned out quite the same without all the incredible support from the Bills organization. 

 

But all this talk about our Joshie not being a Buffalo Bill (hypothetically) just makes me so sad.  😪

[ganesh]

10 hours ago, BillnutinHouston said:

 

Yes, it's been reported that the Pegulas were particularly smitten with Allen.

Also, I believe the Bills top brass called Allen on Draft day morning and spoke to him for 30 minutes about the twitter post that surfaced the previous night,   You gotta believe that the must have been on the top of their board for them to have reached out and discussed with him.  Go Bills!

[Logic]

Imagine if Dave Gettelman wasn’t an idiot, and the top three picks had been Mayfield, Allen, Darnold.

 

Assuming the Bills didn’t like Rosen or Jackson, it’s depressing to imagine a world in which they drafted Kyle Lauletta or Mason Rudolph.

 

Good lord. I don’t ever want to think about this again.

[4BillsintheBurgh]

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

Also, I believe the Bills top brass called Allen on Draft day morning and spoke to him for 30 minutes about the twitter post that surfaced the previous night,   You gotta believe that the must have been on the top of their board for them to have reached out and discussed with him.  Go Bills!

I always thought the Bills put that out there themselves, they would have been highly motivated for Josh to drop. 

[ToGoGo]

56 minutes ago, 4BillsintheBurgh said:

I always thought the Bills put that out there themselves, they would have been highly motivated for Josh to drop. 

 

Or Belichick. 

[Turbo44]

4 hours ago, FFadpecr said:

 

LOL what? Darnold would have been a Top 10-15 QB with the Bills?

 

Um.......NO! Absolutely not a chance Darnold is a Top 10-15 QB...ANYWHERE! Not with the Bills, not with the Chiefs, not with Belichick, not with Sean McVay.

 

Sam Darnold is Sam Darnold. He's Sam Darnold anywhere. He's just a really really bad QB, a really really bad football player. He's the classic "Can Do" player - "Darnold can do this, Darnold can do that"....the guy who looks the part, but can't play AT ALL. He's a deer in headlights; the game is simply way too fast for him. There isn't a single NFL franchise that Darnold could have been a "top 10-15 QB" on. Not one.

 

This was a truly terrible QB class after Josh Allen. SOMEONE had to be ranked #2 behind Josh, so I guess having Darnold ranked #2 can be justified because all the guys ranked after Darnold also suck.

Lamar says otherwise…

[jayg]

The best thing about this is that the Bills have the best quarterback that they have ever had. Dynamics have changed from 30 years ago but they are building a team to win , now,  even if it's only one I will be happy forever! GO BILLS!

[Alphadawg7]

8 hours ago, SoMAn said:

I never wanted Darnold-mostly because it’s a stupid name.  Its not Donald. It’s not Arnold. It’s an awkward mashup of two names that doomed him from the start. 

I wasn’t a fan of drafting Darnold after watching him make so many bone headed decisions at USC so often.  I liked his potential based on just his physical gifts, but my biggest concern was always his poor decision making.  I was thrilled to learn the Jets move up to 3rd was for Darnold.  

[Alphadawg7]

7 hours ago, FFadpecr said:

 

LOL what? Darnold would have been a Top 10-15 QB with the Bills?

 

Um.......NO! Absolutely not a chance Darnold is a Top 10-15 QB...ANYWHERE! Not with the Bills, not with the Chiefs, not with Belichick, not with Sean McVay.

 

Sam Darnold is Sam Darnold. He's Sam Darnold anywhere. He's just a really really bad QB, a really really bad football player. He's the classic "Can Do" player - "Darnold can do this, Darnold can do that"....the guy who looks the part, but can't play AT ALL. He's a deer in headlights; the game is simply way too fast for him. There isn't a single NFL franchise that Darnold could have been a "top 10-15 QB" on. Not one.

 

This was a truly terrible QB class after Josh Allen. SOMEONE had to be ranked #2 behind Josh, so I guess having Darnold ranked #2 can be justified because all the guys ranked after Darnold also suck.

On draft night, this was considered a high potential QB draft class.  And it was looking like 3 to 4 guys were on their way to being good to very good QBs after the first season.  But Baker has regressed and Darnold never got any better.  Allen went on to be elite and Lamar is still very good.  
 

I was not high on Darnold even though I had him at 3 behind Baker and Allen.  I preferred staying put and drafting Lamar  if we missed out on Allen.  I had no interest in trading up for Darnold or Rosen.  
 

Darnold was a guy who at times would be a terrible decision maker in college and that was a concern.  Rosen had obvious bust written all over him, I was praying we didn’t draft him.  His ceiling was Jay Cutler and his floor was Ryan Leaf.  Terrible.  

[GunnerBill]

9 hours ago, FFadpecr said:

 

Look at the 4th post on the 1st page. That is the real ranking they had in the room.

 

1) Josh Allen

2) Sam Darnold

3) Baker Mayfield

4) Josh Rosen

5) Mason Rudolph

6) Kyle Lauletta

 

 

 

Again this may have been a ranking at some point. It was not their draft board. 

2 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

I wasn’t a fan of drafting Darnold after watching him make so many bone headed decisions at USC so often.  I liked his potential based on just his physical gifts, but my biggest concern was always his poor decision making.  I was thrilled to learn the Jets move up to 3rd was for Darnold.  

 

I am still not sure their move to #3 was for Darnold. I think it might have been for Baker. It only became clear the Browns were really into Baker in the final 10 days. Long after the Jets traded up. I don't know and they would never say, but I believe they had Mayfield top of their board.

[Doc Brown]

My board was Rosen, Darnold, Mayfield, Jackson, Allen in that order.

 

I'd look smarter completely flipping it around.  I KNOW NOTHING!!!

 

[BobbyC81]

18 hours ago, Lieutenant Aldo Raine said:

I for surely thought Allen was going to the Jets.  At every Wyoming home game, I mostly saw Jets scouts moving in and out of the press boxes.  

You went to Wyoming home games?  Did you have a premonition?

[GunnerBill]

23 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

My board was Rosen, Darnold, Mayfield, Jackson, Allen in that order.

 

I'd look smarter completely flipping it around.  I KNOW NOTHING!!!

 

 

Yea that was the order I had them too. I always give credit to the now departed Bandit because he spotted the overstriding in Allen's delivery on his college film and he and I discussed it at some length. He was pretty convinced that was the reason for his inaccuracy in college and after his rookie year you know the thing Jordan Palmer spent most time working on? The overstride in his delivery. Fixing that single issue was the key to unlocking all that potential, which even I as someone who didn't like him as a prospect knew was there. If Bandit had managed to convince me that it was as simple as fixing that I'd have enjoyed the pick a lot more because Josh was always a guy who if he did hit was going to hit very big. 

[maddenboy]

11 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Yea that was the order I had them too. I always give credit to the now departed Bandit because he spotted the overstriding in Allen's delivery on his college film and he and I discussed it at some length. He was pretty convinced that was the reason for his inaccuracy in college and after his rookie year you know the thing Jordan Palmer spent most time working on? The overstride in his delivery.

1)  I (a pure novice who wanted Claussen and the wrong Josh) wanted Rosen because I wanted "the smartest man in the room" because "quarterback's most important trait, by far, is between the ears."   So why were all of us "wrong josh" people so.  very.  wrong?  Is it as simple as "dont pick players who are already rich and/or dont eat-sleep-breathe football?"

 

2)  I hadnt thought of Bandit in a while.  w/out divulging anything but just in case i missed some common knowledge, whatever happened to him?  I do recall his was a name when, scrolling through a topic, I would automatically stop and digest his stuff.

 

3)  You would think that the Bills also discovered/suspected the over-stride.  But would they have?  because if so, then surely at least a couple other teams would have too, and would have similarly concluded that fixing that one very-fixable thing would unlock the potential.  I mean, if Bandit could see it and Jordan Palmer could see it . . . (nothing against Palmer who I think is quite excellent, after I watched his video about next-gen analysis and training and de-bunking old wives' tale myths about how to play quarterback, mechanically).

 

 

Edited March 24, 2022 by maddenboy

[GunnerBill]

2 minutes ago, maddenboy said:

1)  I (a pure novice who wanted Claussen and the wrong Josh) wanted Rosen because I wanted "the smartest man in the room" because "quarterback's most important trait, by far, is between the ears."   So why were all of us "wrong josh" people so.  very.  wrong?  Is it as simple as "dont pick players who are already rich and/or dont eat-sleep-breathe football?"

 

2)  I hadnt thought of Bandit in a while.  w/out divulging anything but just in case i missed some common knowledge, whatever happened to him?  I do recall his was a name when, scrolling through a topic, I would automatically stop and digest his stuff.

 

3)  You would think that the Bills also discovered/suspected the over-stride.  But would they have?  because if so, then surely at least a couple other teams would have too, and would similarly concluded that fixing that one very-fixable thing would unlock the potential.  I mean, if Jordan Palmer could see it . . . (nothing against Palmer who I think is quite excellent, after I watched his video about next-gen analysis and training and de-bunking old wives' tale myths about how to play quarterback, mechanically.

 

I think bandit had a bit of a falling out with people and decided to move on which is a shame. He was an excellent and very knowledgeable poster and while we didn't always agree on everything I learnt an awful lot from the way he evaluated players. Super guy. 

[Alphadawg7]

3 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Again this may have been a ranking at some point. It was not their draft board. 

 

I am still not sure their move to #3 was for Darnold. I think it might have been for Baker. It only became clear the Browns were really into Baker in the final 10 days. Long after the Jets traded up. I don't know and they would never say, but I believe they had Mayfield top of their board.

I agree, I think they made the trade knowing there were multiple guys they would take there regardless.  
 

However, Darnold was never at that point in many talks about going number 1 overall, so the safe bet when they made the move was likely they would take Darnold because he was likely the top guy on their board at the 3rd pick.  
 

Baker and Allen were getting some first overall rumblings, but mostly Baker.  So I think they knew they were most likely getting Darnold even if they had Baker higher as the draft was approaching.  

 

My excitement was knowing they weren’t taking Allen.  Once it was clear Browns were down to Baker or Allen, there wasn’t any talk of them drafting anyone other than Darnold the rest of the process leading up to the draft, and for that I was excited.  
 

I just didn’t want Darnold or Rosen.  I was more ok with Darnold, but I had real concerns about decision making after watching him so much at USC, especially in important moments.  And as I am sure you remember as we discussed it a lot, I hated the idea of trading up and drafting Rosen.

 

I was very confident Rosen would be a bust.  I had too much inside info here in LA about his character and personality that made me confident he was a high bust candidate.  He was a well known douche around LA and even towards kids.  He is totally self absorbed and a fake tough guy who couldn’t take criticism or coaching well.  Where as everyone one I knew that had insight on Darnold was just the opposite…great guy on and off the field.  
 

Unlikeabke QBs don’t rarely make it and stick around in the NFL, and most flame out bad.  So Rosen was a hard pass for me.