Why draft a QB?

[4thAndLong]

Bledsoe has 5 more years left as it seems right now....If we draft a guy he'll wait in the wings 5 years, and we're paying a huge rookie salary for him to sit on the bench.

[TigerJ]

Good question. Did someone actually suggest that we do?

[LABillsFan]

It was brought up on another thread. ....Stinking it up...

[kgun12]

I don't think we draft a QB, but I wouldn't mind upgrading our #2, AVP is OK, but if Drew were to go down for any length of time we could be hurting. AVP doesn't have the arm for our vertical attack!

[The_Philster]

We shouldn't have to stretch the field all the time though. Alex can get it downfield when he needs to but short passes and runs (i.e. ball control offense)are what win championships most of the time.

[Cntrygal]

yeah... I seem to remember in the first patsie game where Brady threw almost nothing but underneath.... and we couldn't catch on.
The gained first down after first down.... :madfire:

[kgun12]

You guys are right you don't need a vertical passng game, but I remember last year how teams shut our passing game down with AVP starting and after the San Fran game. They new we couldn't go deep and just played Zone and took away all the passing lanes.

[4thAndLong]

If we draft a QB, what do we do with Travis Brown. Wasn't he suppose to be our QB of the future before Bledsoe came?

[mybills]

If I remember right, the same people who think Drew is so great are the same people who can't stand AVP. Not to mention, they're also the same people who call anyone who says anything negative about Drew, "Brown Lovers". Maybe that's why it was brought up?

As for the original question, if only there were quality QB's out there to chose from, by the time our pick came around, since someone already mentioned what happens if Drew gets hurt
and since the Drew lovers feel that way about AVP & Brown,...well, I think you get the picture. ;)

[4thAndLong]

AVP is a good back-up....But not a starter. He is one of the better back-ups in the league and if Drew goes down we're still in good shape as far as the QB is concerned.

[mybills]

Yes, AVP is a good back up, I never said he wasn't.

[mybills]

On the other hand....if Drew is so great, and AVP is just a back up, then let's say more people see Drew for what he really is (or isn't) as a QB, and it's a neg view and also 3 years later...
Do we bring in a new QB then and hope AVP is still here? Or do we pick up some young talent to be groomed sooner?

I guess it depends on;
1) ones opinion of today's Drew...
2) what pick the Bills get/in what round...
3) what's out there to chose from at the time...
4) will AVP still be back up....
5) if not, more ?'s right there...
6) what's our cap..

Those are just some of the things I'm thinking about...

[The_Philster]

We need to at least start bringing in possible successors at QB. Have the young guy, once he's chosen, take most of the #2 snaps (AVP can still be the #2 in games...he's smart enough to do the job with fewer reps).

[WG]

Originally posted by 4thAndLong
Bledsoe has 5 more years left as it seems right now....If we draft a guy he'll wait in the wings 5 years, and we're paying a huge rookie salary for him to sit on the bench.

5 years, eh?

I think that at the rate Drew takes sacks, as he enters his 30s he'll be lucky to finish most seasons. The guy's a statue w/ cement shoes on top of it. He's as bad as Mark Rypien was.

Also, we have two years left before we either need to sign his extension outright or renegotiate the deal which will be tough given it's longetivity. I don't think he'll be our QB after '04 and I'll be surprised if he isn't taking quite a bit more heat from the fans beginning at some point thru next season.

He's an average QB who has built a reputation on yardage, attempts, and completions, not scores/TDs, points, or wins.

Many teams find a diamond in the rough or simply a QB drafted in rounds 2-5 that simply seems to work out well. All we need is a QB who can throw short-medium but who has the arm strength to go downfield when necessary to keep the D honest and use the strength of Moulds to get open downfield. Drew can go deep, but as a short passer, he leaves much to be desired. Some of his worst INTs are on the short passes.

I would still like to see what Brown can do. He may be strictly a third stringer. But we'll never know until he plays. In the meantime, heck, if we can find another QB who can throw short better than Drew and who still has the ability to deliver the deep ball, why wouldn't we want to try him? Suggesting "absolutely not" only implies blind loyalty to Drew. It's not the Bledsoe Bills, it's the Buffalo Bills although after this season that line is becoming grayer.

[Bert102176]

hey I say if Chris Simms or Eli Manning are there in the 3rd or 4th rounds we take one of them if Manning comes out this yearlike has been talked about on espn insider.

[The Natrix]

Originally posted by Wys Guy


I don't think he'll be our QB after '04

I agree. That is why I would like to see the Bills Draft a QB in the 2004 draft

Since Bledsoe did good in the first half of the season, I think it would be unfair to draft a QB this year (except a 7th rounder or something) although it is WAY to early to say he will last 5 years. I have very high standards as a Bills fan and Bledsoe's play over the 2nd half of the season and in big games just does not cut it.

[WG]

I agree w/ ya Bert. Again, IMO last year was the year to address the Defensive needs via the draft and FAcy. This year is ripe w/ QBs.

We obviously need to address our defensive needs first, but I agree that if a good QB prospect is available, then we need to draft him in rd. 2.

I'd like to see Brown get some playing time w/ the first unit next preseason as well. I see no reason to keep Van Pelt. Great guy, fan favorite. But that won't help us win games. I can't imagine that Brown is any worse anyway. He certainly did not play worse in the limited action he saw behind a sketchy OL last season.

If Drew continues to play poorly against the top teams or gets hurt as I suspect he will taking all those sacks, then we're gonna need a QB and if that QB comes in and plays well, it's gonna be another situation like in N.E. We can't keep forcing Drew into a mold that he was not meant to be in simply b/c we traded a first round pick. Yet, that's what will happen. They'll say "we don't want to give up on him so early" as if he's a second or third year guy in the NFL w/ no history otherwise.

Brown has the arm strength to get the ball downfield, I saw it myself. If we can get the same production out of him for a fraction of the cost, then let's do it. Or another. Yardage and attempt records are one thing, points scored/TDs, and wins are yet another. Wins and TDs/points scored is what we need.

Who can imagine a QB playing for Buffalo and it's current roster that can't put up at least 20 TDs? I can't. Unless they guy's a total stiff.

[SoCalBillsFan]

maybe we should trade up to get carson palmer...:D

I don't see simms or manning there in the 3rd round, i think they'll both be gone. I wouldn't have a problem drafting a qb in later rounds though, depending on who it is. People like Cliff Kingsbury intrigue me, a guy who has racked up monster stats in college, but isn't the prototype QB physically. I wouldn't mind snagging a guy like him, he's been a winner everywhere, and he'll be there in later rounds. worth a shot.

[4thAndLong]

I meant this year and the next, wys...

Not 3 years from now.

[Bert102176]

SoCal is Kingsbury a mobile QB I know Manning and Simms aren't that mobile more then Drew but still not that mobile, Mobile QB's are my Favorite hence McNabb, Favre, McNair

[WG]

:scratch:

4th,

Not sure what you mean. I thought you were saying that to draft a QB now is a waste b/c he'd just be sitting in the wings for 5 years while Drew starts. No?

IMO Drew won't be starting for that long. We'd have to be nuts at his present production, and I'm not referring to attempts and yards, but points/TDs, to sign him to that extension. He simply isn't worth it. I dont' even think he's worth the $5.5M he's gonna get next season. I think we can find a QB to do similar for less. If not for this year, then next for certain.

You've got to remember, it's gonna make TD and the FO look bad if they give Brown or another a shot and he lights things up. It'll start a controversy, especially everytime Drew throws one of his game-losing INTs. So GW isn't going to allow that to happen. Ie., Brown or another QB isn't even going to be given a shot in preseason to work w/ the first unit.

[WG]

I'd be willing to take a shot at some CFL QB even.

[4thAndLong]

Thats exactly what I meant Wys....

You give a rookie that much time on the bench and they start talking...And it turns into another RJ/Flutie debacle.

Wys, I dont think AVP has a couple seasons left...He'll retire soon. Brown has shown flashes of greatness. Remember, he had to beat out some people at training camp because he was brought in to run Shepard's WCO.

Also, your sayin that he's not worth the 5.5M. There's things players bring to a team off the field. Like leadership, something he has ALOT of. How many times has this team given up?

If you can find a QB who can turn 3-13 into 8-8 and bring leadership for less money...Well, I'd be happy to get him.

[justasportsfan]

Originally posted by Wys Guy
I agree w/ ya Bert. Again, IMO last year was the year to address the Defensive needs via the draft and FAcy. This year is ripe w/ QBs.



Yeah Rob was more mobile and yet had more sacks. Forget Drew! Let's get Rob back :D

[justasportsfan]

Originally posted by Wys Guy
. If we can get the same production out of him for a fraction of the cost, then let's do it.


That's a big "IF". Isn't AVP our 2nd qb instead of Brown? If this is so, then why is it with all his flashes of greatness, he isn't the 2nd QB. What is it that you see in Brown that the coaches don't see in him in practise or the rest of the league for that matter?

I too would like to see what Brown can do, during pre-season. To think that he can replace Drew is something I don't understand

[DraftBoy]

Gesser, Wallace, Boller, Klingsbury, Rivers, St. Pierre, and Blackwell should all be there come day 2. My pick would be Brian St. Pierre out of BC. HE needs years to develop but has a nice arm and can run when needed, reminds me of Josh McCown of last year currently with the Arizone Cardinals.

[MelK]

Originally posted by SoCalBillsFan
maybe we should trade up to get carson palmer...:D

I don't see simms or manning there in the 3rd round, i think they'll both be gone. I wouldn't have a problem drafting a qb in later rounds though, depending on who it is. People like Cliff Kingsbury intrigue me, a guy who has racked up monster stats in college, but isn't the prototype QB physically. I wouldn't mind snagging a guy like him, he's been a winner everywhere, and he'll be there in later rounds. worth a shot.

Kingsbury is a poor man's Bledsoe. Same height, close to the same weight when Bledsoe came out of Washington State. Both have cement shoes (no mobility) both do an awesome job reading defenses.

Kingsbury has a weaker arm than Bledsoe, his numbers a product of a wide open passing attack At Texas Tech-

[Bert102176]

TY MelK

[mybills]

Originally posted by 4thAndLong

I dont think AVP has a couple seasons left...He'll retire soon.

That was my point, on your original question...now or later? ;)

[mybills]

Here's an idea....

Let's pick up a new young QB, let Bumblesoe mentor him next season (only because he wears a ring), AVP retires the following season, we move the new guy to starter, Brown to back up, and Bumble to 3rd? Sound's good to me!
:chuckle:

[MelK]

Originally posted by mybills
Here's an idea....

Let's pick up a new young QB, let Bumblesoe mentor him next season (only because he wears a ring), AVP retires the following season, we move the new guy to starter, Brown to back up, and Bumble to 3rd? Sound's good to me!
:chuckle: Why have a $5 Million 3rd stringer?

Please show me what Brown has done to earn a 2nd string backup job?

Are you going to accept a 6-10 season because your QB is learning on the job? Your QB is more than sufficient- use this precious time and cap space wisely- get a defense, add offensive depth.

The Window is small. Brett Favre isn't available to pilot the Bills. Put your hatred of a player behind you and intelligently put together a COMPLETE team!

[The_Philster]

Bledsoe at 3rd string with his salary?? :eek: Don't see that happening.

[DraftBoy]

AVP is a waste of cap space, he is getting more and more out of shape, he worked so big this year they were making fun of him on Primetime the other week. He needs to go. Travis Brown I dont like either, but we should keep him since he has done nothing wrong but we need to take advantage of this years QB class as the future classes dont looks so deep. Wallace, Gesser both would also take years to develop would love to take them round 5 or after.

[Bert102176]

how about trade Bledsoe to the Cowboys to reunite him and Tuna for their #1 this year, and get Palmer or someone that will be great. Bledsoe turns the ball over to much in the redzone.

[itsandthings]

As I have said before: Jake Delhomme.

However, it wouldn't hurt for Buffalo to draft another QB, if they have one they like. They can develop him for a couple years and always trade him if they are comfortable at the position, like Green Bay has done with Mark Brunell, Aaron Brooks and Matt Hasselbach. Jacksonville did it with RJ (who, remember, was a 4th round pick), so perhaps you guys could get some reverse MoJo working.

[Judge]

Originally posted by MelK
Why have a $5 Million 3rd stringer?

Please show me what Brown has done to earn a 2nd string backup job?

Are you going to accept a 6-10 season because your QB is learning on the job? Your QB is more than sufficient- use this precious time and cap space wisely- get a defense, add offensive depth.

The Window is small. Brett Favre isn't available to pilot the Bills. Put your hatred of a player behind you and intelligently put together a COMPLETE team!

MelK makes sense! Will you people who claim to be Bills fans but want to see Travis Brown as a starter please read this and try to understand the logic?

Bledsoe's the answer, period for at least 2 more years. I'd expect him to be the answer well beyond that, which allows the Bills to build a TEAM around him. QB is the least of our worries.

[DIHARD2]

We also need special teams players, before we pick a quarterback this year. I think in four years if Bledsoe isn't doing the job, a lot of the quarterbacks that are coming out this year contracts will be up. So I wouldn't waists are cap space on something that we could let another team waists their money on maturing as our future quarterback.

Donahoe stated that he wants to build a team with longevity and not be in cap hell doing it. So the youth movement we have going right now is the best way of keeping yourself cap healthy and dominating every year.

In five years, Bledsoe will possibly be looking to retire and we won't be hurting, in the other positions like we were two years ago with the age we had on defense. So then all we have to do is plug in a young quarterback in his prime that is no longer needed or a cap casualty of another team.

GO!!!...BUFFALO!!!...

[MelK]

Originally posted by Bert102176
how about trade Bledsoe to the Cowboys to reunite him and Tuna for their #1 this year, and get Palmer or someone that will be great. Bledsoe turns the ball over to much in the redzone.

So instead of being a 10-6 or an 11-5 team with a potent offense and a rebuilding defense, you would want to trade the QB. That would mean taking a huge step backwards in the offense's abilities (with a rookie QB) .

Sure, we would land a guy like Spikes or Colvin, add a stud DL, but you would waste that improvement to go 6-10, or 8-8 just so we can start over with a Carson Palmer. And that' s IF he is not a bust like Akili Smith, Andre Ware, (fill in dissapointing QB here)


Please let me know if you are gladly going to accept anyhting less than another improvement in our W/L record and a spot in the playoffs next season.

[SoCalBillsFan]

for pete's sake, I was kidding about palmer! No way do we draft a qb in the first several rounds. Bledsoe may not be the best qb in the world, but he's at least solid, he's a very capable starter. PLEASE let's put a better team around him. If this team can win 8 games, even with blowing several games we could have won, how many games can an upgraded version of this team win? Bring in a few more players, improve the defense, I promise this team will win 10 games at least.

Scrapping bledsoe to start with a new QB is foolish. It's a step backwards from 8-8. Let's take what we have and go forward.

[WG]

Originally posted by Bert102176
how about trade Bledsoe to the Cowboys to reunite him and Tuna for their #1 this year, and get Palmer or someone that will be great. Bledsoe turns the ball over to much in the redzone.

I don't think there's a team in the league that would give us a first rounder for Drew now. He faded too badly down the stretch. They may work a trade, but I don't see an even swap for a first rounder.

I'll make bold prediction, I think many's tune will change re: our QB situation by midseason this year.

It also never hurts to have a bonafide backup either. At the rate Drew's taking sacks, even w/ a solid OL, we may very well need a backup. Next year we play some tough Ds: Philly, Dallas will be good, AFC East, Indy w/ Freeney, Giants, Titans. I don't see Drews sack total diminishing from what it was this year.

[mybills]

Originally posted by SoCalBillsFan
for pete's sake, I was kidding about palmer!

Yeah, I was kidding too, but I guess nobody saw my little icon at the bottom.

______> :chuckle: <______?????