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I have a lot of thoughts on this, so this thread may have a bit of a "stream of consciousness" feel to it, but I'll do my best to keep it coherent. Also, I feel the need to preface this by saying I want JP to do well, but not nearly as much as I want the Bills to win.
In previous seasons, JP has shown flashes of brilliance but has struggled to be consistent and still makes incredibly stupid mistakes- every time he seems like he's past it, he does it again. The guy has the physical talent, but it seems like the game has yet to "slow down" for him.
Through two games, he has performed horribly. No doubt he was hampered by play calls and poor performance by our wide receivers, but that's no excuse. He has missed wide open receivers, been slow with decision-making, and failed to feel the pressure. None of this can be blamed on anyone except JP himself.
This puts us in a tough situation regarding QB. JP has yet to prove that he can be a consistent starter in the NFL, but he does show flashes of that ability (although he has yet to do it this year). How many games should he get (or any QB, for that matter) before we can say he doesn't have what it takes? The team would be much better off if JP could become the QB we need and save us from starting over with the QB grooming process, but at the same time, if JP isn't the guy, the sooner we re-start the process, the better off we'll be in the long run.
So, the real question at this point: Would we be better off with Trent Edwards at QB? It's hard to imagine Edwards being much worse, but "not being worse" is different than being better. The receivers have struggled and the play calling has been horrendous. So far, Edwards did well against a bunch of scrubs in pre season, but hasn't proven himself against a real NFL D (he hasn't even had the opportunity). My concern would be that playing Edwards now would be throwing him to the wolves. In his book, Marv himself said QB's have to be groomed slowly, and playing a QB too soon can "shell shock" him and ruin a potentially good QB.
JP is on a short leash- Bills nation seems to be in agreement on that. The difference comes on just how short that leash should be. My thoughts at the moment: Give JP his last shot until the bye. Open up the playbook- let him go downfield and use his speed (man, Fairchild is TERRIBLE at using JP's speed, but that's another issue). If JP turns the ball over and we lose, so what? We're losing anyway with this Holcomb-esque "dink and dunk" crap. Might as well take the chance.
I think this solves two problems: 1. It opens up the offense and hopefully gets the rest of the offense going. This way, if Edwards does end up playing, we won't be throwing him to the wolves. 2. If JP is given every chance to make a play and still chokes, it will make it that much easier to pull him at the bye.
The only thing I have left to say is: GO BILLS!
In previous seasons, JP has shown flashes of brilliance but has struggled to be consistent and still makes incredibly stupid mistakes- every time he seems like he's past it, he does it again. The guy has the physical talent, but it seems like the game has yet to "slow down" for him.
Through two games, he has performed horribly. No doubt he was hampered by play calls and poor performance by our wide receivers, but that's no excuse. He has missed wide open receivers, been slow with decision-making, and failed to feel the pressure. None of this can be blamed on anyone except JP himself.
This puts us in a tough situation regarding QB. JP has yet to prove that he can be a consistent starter in the NFL, but he does show flashes of that ability (although he has yet to do it this year). How many games should he get (or any QB, for that matter) before we can say he doesn't have what it takes? The team would be much better off if JP could become the QB we need and save us from starting over with the QB grooming process, but at the same time, if JP isn't the guy, the sooner we re-start the process, the better off we'll be in the long run.
So, the real question at this point: Would we be better off with Trent Edwards at QB? It's hard to imagine Edwards being much worse, but "not being worse" is different than being better. The receivers have struggled and the play calling has been horrendous. So far, Edwards did well against a bunch of scrubs in pre season, but hasn't proven himself against a real NFL D (he hasn't even had the opportunity). My concern would be that playing Edwards now would be throwing him to the wolves. In his book, Marv himself said QB's have to be groomed slowly, and playing a QB too soon can "shell shock" him and ruin a potentially good QB.
JP is on a short leash- Bills nation seems to be in agreement on that. The difference comes on just how short that leash should be. My thoughts at the moment: Give JP his last shot until the bye. Open up the playbook- let him go downfield and use his speed (man, Fairchild is TERRIBLE at using JP's speed, but that's another issue). If JP turns the ball over and we lose, so what? We're losing anyway with this Holcomb-esque "dink and dunk" crap. Might as well take the chance.
I think this solves two problems: 1. It opens up the offense and hopefully gets the rest of the offense going. This way, if Edwards does end up playing, we won't be throwing him to the wolves. 2. If JP is given every chance to make a play and still chokes, it will make it that much easier to pull him at the bye.
The only thing I have left to say is: GO BILLS!
Well said.
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