DazedandConfused Posted July 4, 2009 Posted July 4, 2009 Wasn't the topic "your favorite Bills backup QB"? Favorite, not best Backup, not starting Stats are not usually a good way to judge a backup QB. Yeah, but the question of WHY someone is your favorite is a big part of what makes this interesting and the quality of their play which is often indicated in the stats and the question of who was BEST are keys to why many judge a player as their favorite. For me Reich is my favorite in a large part because Buffalo became my hometown through marriage and I had not Bills favorites during the day of Darryl Lamonica when my heart was still in my hometown of Chicago. In the past 20 years and a little change which saw me become a true Bills fan (my birthtown Bears won an SB in 85 and as the love of my life drew me to Buffalo prior to the end of the 80s my allegiance to the Bears was done as my life changed (ironically I root for Buffalo where they have pro teams in the NFL and NHL and have left the Blackhawks and Bears in my rearview mirror, but I still maintain a significant rooting interest in both the Cubs and the Bulls where we have no major league alternative). I can see why LaMonica makes the list due to his accomplishments but I tend to think of his total career and categorize him in my rooting heart as a starter quality player with the Raiders and his Buffalo back-up duty though critical to the Bills championship runs is actually still a blip on his career screen. Reich epitomized the favorite back-up QB in my mind, because he actually could be a back-up starter who gave the Bills a good chance of winning whenever he started. AVP was a good back-up because he could come in off the bench when called upon and save the team (largely in my opinion because the other team gave up and rested on their laurels to some extent because they knocked Kelly from the game- something I have dubbed the well-documented AVP effect). However, if the opponent got the least little chance to prepare for AVP (there was a NE game here he started where they prepared for an owned him and a game against the Jets were their coverage scheme designed for him fooled him badly) he was great as a fill-in but sucked as a back-up starter. Reich actually was not as good of a fill-in as AVP, but he was an unparalleled back-up starter. One of the main advantages he had was that there was no illusion he was gonna take Jimbos job. The QB controversies inherent in RJ being injury prone and JP being mismanaged at best made Flutie and potentially JP good QBs but actually lousy back-ups. Reich could come off the bench and the team play one of the best games ever and in retrospect have us not miss losing Kelly for up to 3 games, and best for a true and my favorite back-up QB there was no QB controversy. The lack of a QB controversy also gave the starter a trusted second set of eyes on the game as well.
The Dean Posted July 4, 2009 Posted July 4, 2009 Yeah, but the question of WHY someone is your favorite is a big part of what makes this interesting and the quality of their play which is often indicated in the stats and the question of who was BEST are keys to why many judge a player as their favorite.effect). Of course. And I don't think anyone has argued that using quality for your personal judgment is wrong/bad/etc. I also understand some don't feel a bond to a player they have really never seen (so to them Lamonica really an option...fair enough). To some, it might be a guy who they looked at as a coach on the sidelines. Etc. All are legit reasons for one being a favorite. But should we be telling people their reasons for their favorite is not a legitimate reason? (I didn't think that was really the spirit of the thread.) I thought that was going on, that's why I posted that comment. As it turns out, that may not have been what was going on there. I can see why LaMonica makes the list due to his accomplishments but I tend to think of his total career and categorize him in my rooting heart as a starter quality player with the Raiders and his Buffalo back-up duty though critical to the Bills championship runs is actually still a blip on his career screen. I get that. I included him (at #2, I believe) because he really was the #2 for his entire Bills career. So, to me he is a legit candidate for these "honors". Happy 4th, Yevl
San Jose Bills Fan Posted July 4, 2009 Posted July 4, 2009 I'll add also that Alex Van Pelt was not a great player or anything, clearly he only had the ability to be a backup. But he's an example of a guy who got the absolute most out of his ability. Yet, statistically-speaking he is among the worst Bills starting QBs when he was on the football field. [edit] Therefore your point is... What's your point? That his short, chubby body "maxed out its ability" with a backward ball cap on and holding a clipboard? Since people usually come here to discuss football play, as in on the field, saying he was great at not playing is a nice little tap dance. I thought my point was pretty clear but to clarify a bit more, Alex Van Pelt was a guy who made a career in the National Football League, playing for 11 seasons before retiring. He was an 8th round draft pick. There have been multitudes of more talented players who didn't even make the NFL or had very short careers with more talent. So my point Sisyphus, when I say Alex Van Pelt maximized his talent is that he outperformed many more talented quarterbacks. Personally this gives me great respect for the man. I like guys that maximize their talent and overachieve.
VJ91 Posted July 4, 2009 Posted July 4, 2009 Ditto on Marangi, remember when he came into the Miami game and led the Bills to victory, back in the 70's. Your memory of that victory had to be a dream. The Bills went 0 for the 70's against the Miami Dolphins.
Sisyphean Bills Posted July 4, 2009 Posted July 4, 2009 Another slam at a guy who wasn't even mentioned in this thread. Very classy Sisyphus. Slam? It was a joke and I even included a smiley; and, of course, he wasn't mentioned in the thread -- that was the point of the joke. Comical that you mention "class" and "slam" in some ad hominem comment.
Fezmid Posted July 4, 2009 Posted July 4, 2009 For me, it's Gale Gilbert, only player in NFL history to appear in 5 straight Super Bowls. Seriously though, I did enjoy watching him -- he always looked great in preseason, and looked decent in the few games he played in. Wish he would've had more real playing time in the NFL instead of being 3rd string for years.
San Jose Bills Fan Posted July 4, 2009 Posted July 4, 2009 Slam? It was a joke and I even included a smiley; and, of course, he wasn't mentioned in the thread -- that was the point of the joke. Comical that you mention "class" and "slam" in some ad hominem comment. Edited. Sorry I misunderstood the joke. It was an unfamiliar smiley I guess. Perhaps I was offended by your statement about "a semantic shell game." I don't think I could have spoken more directly or more plainly. Perhaps the shell game statement was directed at something else? Anyways no prob here. Do you understand my point about Van Pelt?
Chandler#81 Posted July 5, 2009 Posted July 5, 2009 Lamonica. So instrumental to the league champs' success, another team traded their Starting QB AND best WR just to get him. After leaving the Bills, he led his new team to the playoffs routinely (every year??), a Super Bowl and helped immortalize his head coach as the winningest coach of all time. After Reich left the Bills, well, nevermind.. H.M. Warren Rabb
Rockinon Posted July 5, 2009 Posted July 5, 2009 Mine will always be Frank Reich. I always felt he could come in and win the game if Kelly went down. My second favorite is Doug Flutie. Who is yours?????? I remember that Houston come back game. I remember when Kelly got hurt. Nobody really thought that Frank could fill such big shoes. It looked bad. We were getting creamed. Something happened out there that day though. The Bill's scored and then again. Suddenly the game got interesting. The team began putting together drive after drive. They were determined. I remember thinking to myself that Houston was so far ahead that they probably never thought it would be possible to come back. Frank Reich pulled off the greatest come back in NFL playoff history. It was truly an amazing game. It didn't even matter what team you liked. If you were watching that game, you were rooting for the Bill's to win it at the end of that game.
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