Is anyone else here scared to death that Matthews might be our #1 backup?

[THATHURMANATOR]

Matthews is 34 years old and was out of football when we signed him last year. Now he could possibly be our # 1 backup to a rookie QB that may have durability issues. That scares the Crap out of me. Matthews was never that good early in his career. TD get a solid backup in here!

[The King]

I dont think it will come to that, Mularkey has to know Matthews can not lead a team to anything but the showers. Bring in a Vet I dont care who just keep Matthews at #3.

[Kerr]

I would want fiedler instead, but it's their call. What can we do.

[Bill Brasky]

Matthews is 34 years old and was out of football when we signed him last year. Now he could possibly be our # 1 backup to a rookie QB that may have durability issues. That scares the Crap out of me. Matthews was never that good early in his career. TD get a solid backup in here!

This should have been a major concern when all the "dumping DB" talk started... honestly I am frightened about all our options. There are no reliable guys out there that are willing to be a backup... at least none that I would feel confident having on my team.

Hopefully TD has already addressed this and knows something we don't and is gonna bring in somebody reliable. I'm sure he had to have something worked out or at least a plan of attack knowing he was gonna drop Bledsoe... and if he doesn't have a plan, then he will just prove again how inept he is.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I am confident TD will make something happen.

[Mudflap1]

At least SOMEONE reads my posts around here!

Again, I'm all for Losman, let's see what the kid's got. I admit, I'm skeptical at first blush, but we used a 1st round pick on him, so we might as well throw him in the fire and see if he can play.

But the WRONG way to do is to just TELL him in February he's won the job, bar none, and to just play. Normal human nature would suggest that EVEN IF the Bills want/are going to give the job to Losman to start, they need to bring in another guy that gives him SOLID COMPETITION so that along with being spoon fed by Mularkey, Clements, and Wyche, he has someone breathing down his neck, if not going neck and neck with him (at least in his mind) so he practices, studies, and plays his complete ass off.

We all want to see him succeed in the best way possible, right? The best way possible is to have Matthews be the 3rd string guy, and to bring in a guy like Kordell Stewart (not that I'm particularly enamored with him, but at least Mularkey and Clements got the most out of him and got him to a Pro Bowl) or a Fiedler or something and have him compete, at least on paper, for the starter job.

No, I don't want to see Fiedler, Stewart, or any one of those guys beat out Losman, I'd rather have Losman play at this point and see what he can do. But at least if Losman believes he has to perform well to play instead of just being handed the keys to the organization persona non grata, he'll HAVE to play well to warrant himself winning the job.

Not only that, but in case he gets injured, or he's so completely horrid that there is a mutiny on the team (two things I don't want to see happen at all, but it's possible, see: Leaf, Ryan) there is a capable veteran starter who can win games with the team in place.

The reason we're all worried is that TD said in his press conference that Matthews is the kind of guy he'd like to have around at #2, so I'm not very confident at all that he'll bring in anyone better!

BRING IN A WORTHY VETERAN QB!

Jon

[THATHURMANATOR]

At least SOMEONE reads my posts around here!

Again, I'm all for Losman, let's see what the kid's got. I admit, I'm skeptical at first blush, but we used a 1st round pick on him, so we might as well throw him in the fire and see if he can play.

But the WRONG way to do is to just TELL him in February he's won the job, bar none, and to just play. Normal human nature would suggest that EVEN IF the Bills want/are going to give the job to Losman to start, they need to bring in another guy that gives him SOLID COMPETITION so that along with being spoon fed by Mularkey, Clements, and Wyche, he has someone breathing down his neck, if not going neck and neck with him (at least in his mind) so he practices, studies, and plays his complete ass off.

We all want to see him succeed in the best way possible, right? The best way possible is to have Matthews be the 3rd string guy, and to bring in a guy like Kordell Stewart (not that I'm particularly enamored with him, but at least Mularkey and Clements got the most out of him and got him to a Pro Bowl) or a Fiedler or something and have him compete, at least on paper, for the starter job.

No, I don't want to see Fiedler, Stewart, or any one of those guys beat out Losman, I'd rather have Losman play at this point and see what he can do. But at least if Losman believes he has to perform well to play instead of just being handed the keys to the organization persona non grata, he'll HAVE to play well to warrant himself winning the job.

Not only that, but in case he gets injured, or he's so completely horrid that there is a mutiny on the team (two things I don't want to see happen at all, but it's possible, see: Leaf, Ryan) there is a capable veteran starter who can win games with the team in place.

BRING IN A WORTHY VETERAN QB!

Jon

Jon
Great post.

[Bill Brasky]

The best way possible is to have Matthews be the 3rd string guy, and to bring in a guy like Kordell Stewart (not that I'm particularly enamored with him, but at least Mularkey and Clements got the most out of him and got him to a Pro Bowl) or a Fiedler or something and have him compete, at least on paper, for the starter job.

No, I don't want to see Fiedler, Stewart, or any one of those guys beat out

This is what I said a while back.

Stewart makes sense for those reasons, in addition to the fact that they want to tailor this Offense around JP, a mobile QB. As bad as Kordell is, I think he would be the best fit as our #2 and would probably be able to step in if JP goes down and have the most success.

Good post.

[OpIv37]

I wish Drew would have accepted the pay cut- even if they decided to go with Losman now- let them "compete" in training camp just to make the kid work and boost his confidence by making him feel like he "earned" it.

BTW this was my complaint last year when Losman was injured and people wanted to bench Drew- Matthews is like a fire extinguisher. He's there in case you need him, but you pray like hell that you won't.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I would be ok with Stewart also.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Stewart is horrible.

[Typ0]

What does anyone know about Matthews performance? He hasn't had a chance to play at all. What do you guys who are so uncomfortable know about him really? He played in a very tough situation in Chicago...and I watched a lot of those games and thought he gave a very mediocre team a chance to win by managing what he had on the field pretty well. What do you know about how hard he worked when he came in here right before the season started to get prepared? What kind of commitment to the Bills is he showing right now?

This is definately something we have to trust the coaches on. Even if we do bring in a guy like fiedler that is because we think it makes the team better not because we don't have the confidence in Matthews. On the other hand maybe we don't have that confidence...but the confiidence is built through his abilities to do the work.

[THATHURMANATOR]

What does anyone know about Matthews performance? He hasn't had a chance to play at all. What do you guys who are so uncomfortable know about him really? He played in a very tough situation in Chicago...and I watched a lot of those games and thought he gave a very mediocre team a chance to win by managing what he had on the field pretty well. What do you know about how hard he worked when he came in here right before the season started to get prepared? What kind of commitment to the Bills is he showing right now?

This is definately something we have to trust the coaches on. Even if we do bring in a guy like fiedler that is because we think it makes the team better not because we don't have the confidence in Matthews. On the other hand maybe we don't have that confidence...but the confiidence is built through his abilities to do the work.

How much of a chance does this guy need? 20 years? He has been in the leauge for 12 years already and hasn't proved anything.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Stewart is horrible.
He is better than Matthews.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Matthews is a dink and dunker with a rag arm. He is smart and does throw the ball to the right guy. He'll get rid of it and not get sacked. He is a small man though and does get injured easilly. I'm ok with him as long as JP doesn't get hurt in game 2. No way Matthews can play 10 games.

A few years ago, the Bears handed the QB job to Kordell, and he was one of the worst QB's I've ever seen.

Guys I would take ahead of Kordell:

King
Matthews
Jim Miller :up:
Vinny
Cokehead
Gannon with a broken neck
Joe Ferguson

[Typ0]

He is better than Matthews.

He is? It's my understanding that Stewart has not been doing the work very well.

[Typ0]

How much of a chance does this guy need? 20 years? He has been in the leauge for 12 years already and hasn't proved anything.

He's proved that he can play and he might not play like Montana but he doesn't play poorly either.

[OpIv37]

Stewart is horrible.

Agreed- like I said in another thread- he's Doug Flutie minus a brain.


What does anyone know about Matthews performance? He hasn't had a chance to play at all. What do you guys who are so uncomfortable know about him really?

My point exactly- the guy's been in the league for 12 years and has yet to prove himself. Why? Because he's not good enough to get significant playing time. Maybe he's decent, maybe not- but he's old AND inexperienced (at least at starting). Those aren't exactly good qualities in a QB>

[THATHURMANATOR]

Fine no Stewart then.

[THATHURMANATOR]

He's proved that he can play and he might not play like Montana but he doesn't play poorly either.
Tell me that you would be ok if JP went down again and Matthews is our QB for 4 or 5 games. COME ON.

[THATHURMANATOR]

It would be poor planning to go into a season with NOTHING at your most important backup postition.

[Typ0]

Agreed- like I said in another thread- he's Doug Flutie minus a brain.



My point exactly- the guy's been in the league for 12 years and has yet to prove himself. Why? Because he's not good enough to get significant playing time. Maybe he's decent, maybe not- but he's old AND inexperienced (at least at starting). Those aren't exactly good qualities in a QB>

He's not that inexperienced. The bottom line is we are looking at a backup QB and the question is how well he does the work and if his being in that role helps the team win.

I do think Fiedler is a good option for us. Stewart NOT. Fiedler can bring some good things to the team. I don't think Fiedler ever had a starting gig. He won all his jobs in camp by beating out other QBs. At least we know he has work ethic. He likely will respond very well to not winning a job and be there to perform average if we need him.

[ShadowHawk7]

Jeff Blake please. Matthews is fine with me short term, I suppose..

[Typ0]

Tell me that you would be ok if JP went down again and Matthews is our QB for 4 or 5 games. COME ON.

I'm OK with it if the coaching staff is OK with it. 4 or 5 games is not really what the concern is anyway...I really think Mathews would be able to help us win in those games. However, if JP goes down in camp for the season then I would not really want to be going into the season with him as the declared starter and I would not want to be so limited in my choices of QBs available. That's why we need someone like Fiedler...because we'd be poorly positioned for a 16 game schedule with Matthews...with Matthews and Fiedler we'd be a bit stronger for sure. But 4 or 5 games I've seen matthews go out there and not screw up enough and even make plays that I think we would have a good chance to get a few wins with him playing.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Hell, Akili Smith is trying to make a comeback in NFLE. I'd take him ahead of Kordell.

Blake? Isn't he dead?

[THATHURMANATOR]

Yes Fielder is the person I have been talking about.

[Typ0]

I think we're a little quick to discount the work Matthews did here this season. We saw as the season went on what it meant to have a new system and new coaches. Matthews has been here for a year now and if he's fitting in with everything that really is positive for the bills. You can't just throw away investments like that. On the other hand, I expect us to pick up a QB pretty soon and think Fiedler is the best option available for us. Actually, it would be a very good acquisition as he's played in the division quite a lot.

[OpIv37]

He's not that inexperienced. The bottom line is we are looking at a backup QB and the question is how well he does the work and if his being in that role helps the team win.

I do think Fiedler is a good option for us. Stewart NOT. Fiedler can bring some good things to the team. I don't think Fiedler ever had a starting gig. He won all his jobs in camp by beating out other QBs. At least we know he has work ethic. He likely will respond very well to not winning a job and be there to perform average if we need him.

I agree on Fiedler and Stewart. Fiedler as a starting QB scares the hell out of me, but like you said, he can come in and play average ball and that's all you really need out of a back-up.

Stewart's a good match for JP as far as the mobile playing style, but he just flat out sucks.

[EDS]

This should have been a major concern when all the "dumping DB" talk started... honestly I am frightened about all our options. There are no reliable guys out there that are willing to be a backup... at least none that I would feel confident having on my team.

Hopefully TD has already addressed this and knows something we don't and is gonna bring in somebody reliable. I'm sure he had to have something worked out or at least a plan of attack knowing he was gonna drop Bledsoe... and if he doesn't have a plan, then he will just prove again how inept he is.

How is he inept? That is a ridiculous statement. TD is inept if he doesn't have a master plan for the back-up quarterback position? All the veteran quarterbacks that will be available this off-season have some pretty big warts.

[Typ0]

I agree on Fiedler and Stewart. Fiedler as a starting QB scares the hell out of me, but like you said, he can come in and play average ball and that's all you really need out of a back-up.

Stewart's a good match for JP as far as the mobile playing style, but he just flat out sucks.

Another thing I like about Fiedler is his mobility. I know he's not known as a mobile QB but he can move around enough to the extent our playbook won't change that much when he's playing compared to JP.

[OpIv37]

Another thing I like about Fiedler is his mobility. I know he's not known as a mobile QB but he can move around enough to the extent our playbook won't change that much when he's playing compared to JP.

Of course, best- case scenario is that JP plays well enough and doesn't get injured, so we never have to find out about Matthew's ability or Fielder's mobility.

[Mudflap1]

I like Fiedler more than Stewart too, because Fiedler is a good team player, mobile, ok arm (not great), and fairly smart, just not tremendously physically gifted. He's also erratic, but not as erratic as Stewart.

Matthews is an ok backup for a guy like Bledsoe, or for another veteran quarterback, because he can play at spot times if need be. But he's not the right guy to be the backup to a very young, completely unproven quarterback who may or may not be someone who can get injured easily. They need a veteran with a lot of starting experience.

Bottom line, and this is sure to ruffle feathers, but who has a more suspect depth chart in terms of quarterbacks in the NFL RIGHT NOW? Sure, I'm all for Losman, and he may turn out great, but he's COMPLETELY unproven as of right now. Then you have Matthews who has played for 12 years, had a FEW mediocre starts in Chicago a few years back (for a team with a terrible record), was a disaster in Washington (along with everybody else), and hasn't done ANYTHING else and has had very little starting playing time. And Kevin Thompson, who sucked at Penn State.

We need some insurance. Bring in a guy at least like a Fiedler, or someone similar. We don't want Losman to go down in the first 4 weeks and kiss off the season, do we? That's what could very well happen. I don't know about you guys, but I enjoyed this season more than the last few, as most of you probably have, because we got to believe in the team up through the last game of the season. This team with a few key acquisitions is definitely good enough on paper to challenge for the playoffs, we just need some depth and insurance at QB...

Jon

[Jayhawk]

no, we've had worse

[DaBillzAhDaShiznit]

Hey guys, until we go through a camp with Matthews, we won't really have a gauge on where he is within the system. We have to see him work out and scrimmage before we know where he is physically. I think many of you will change your opinions if we get to that point. Realize that the Bills would not even be considering the option if Matthews was as terrible as some of you think he is. Their jobs are on the line...and you don't want to lose your shot at the playoffs because you didn't spend 500k more on a solid backup.

Shane doesn't have a cannon for an arm, but he is far from the worst QB ever to don a Bills uni. When he had mop up duty a few times last season, he looked sharp. If he is on the same page as the OC and HC, and is well prepared, he would be able to handle a caretaker role for a few games.

Bottom line--Matthews is not great..but none of the other affordable options are either. I would rather have an average QB who is familiar and comfortable with the system than and average QB who is new to the system, etc.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I never said to cut Matthews but he would be better at #3.

[The_Philster]

Stewart is horrible.

ditto.
I'd take any of these guys before Kordella without thinking twice about it
Jim Miller
Sage Rosenfels
Kelly Holcomb
Charlie Batch
Tony Banks
Mike McMahon
Doug Pederson
Gus Frerotte
Ty Detmer
Vinny Testaverde
Jeff Blake

[Mudflap1]

Holcomb would work. He can put up numbers sometimes...

Jon

[Mr. Cynical]

This is what I said a while back.

Stewart makes sense for those reasons, in addition to the fact that they want to tailor this Offense around JP, a mobile QB. As bad as Kordell is, I think he would be the best fit as our #2 and would probably be able to step in if JP goes down and have the most success.

Good post.
I said this a looooong time ago as well. Stewart is the best option as #2 for several reasons:

1. Cheap
2. Mobile (so the gameplan won't change)
3. Knows MM/TC (they made him a pro-bowler)

[Typ0]

I said this a looooong time ago as well. Stewart is the best option as #2 for several reasons:

1. Cheap
2. Mobile (so the gameplan won't change)
3. Knows MM/TC (they made him a pro-bowler)

people keep saying that....but what I have been hearing from the league is Stewart hasn't been doing the work. That's all there is to it...he seems to have given up.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Regardless we need another backup QB.

[Dozerdog]

Matthews only scares me as the backup if he's the only one we got- or if we go with a rookie/project - Travis Brown Type as the #3.

I'm fine with Matthews if we have a Testeverde, Blake, Fiedler, Miller, Batch, King, or whomever also on board as the #2 or #3.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Well thats what I am saying Dozer.