Stop Gap QBs
by keysh67 on Jan 28, 2010 4:54 PM EST
Email
PrintLet's be honest guys, the chances of Claussen or Bradford falling to us is slim at best. I would tend to belive that when a Franchise QB is available to you in the draft it sort of dictates the pick. But for the purpose of this Post, let's consider them both off the board. Our most glaring need is OT, so I could see us using our rd1 pick on a LT.
If things turn out the way many think, we should be in a position to find our franchise LT and start the process of rebuilding that line. Should this indeed be the case, then what do we do at QB?
Let me first start by giving you my opinion on our current QB stable:
Trent Edwards: He is smart. His arm strenght is weak, no zip on balls. He is extremely fragile and his confidence is so low that I don't think he can ever recover. 3 coordinators in three years didn't help either. Anointing him the starter so soon probably scrapped his chances at ever becoming a consistent starter in this league.
Ryan Fitzpatrick: He is also a smart guy with a bigger arm than Trent. He however is extremely inconsistent and innaccurate. I'm not even sure that I like him as a backup option.
Brian Brohm: Let's be honest, this kid came out pretty hot headed and over-confident. He lands on a team that really only drafted him for depth. Aaron Rogers was lucky enough to learn behind one of the best for 4 years before getting his chance. After his initial meltdown, Brohm gets picked up by Buffalo, a team without direction and after only 3 weeks of trying to learn a completely new system, he gets thrown in with the absolute worse combination of O-Line that we had the whole season. I for one was quite impressed that he didn't implode. I think that Brohm could still be our future QB given the proper chance. If there's one guy worth keeping it's Brohm.
Free Agents:
Positives: Great competitor, mobile QB that can work behind a bad line.
Negatives: Old, weak arm, not a good teamate, quite full of himself. Not a good mentor at all.
He is 58-58-0 as a starter. Career cmp% of 61.6% and his career rating is 87.5
Nobody knows if he has anything left in the tank. Would not be a great fit in Buffalo.
Positives: Decent Arm, Smart, Good mechanics and throws a beautiful spiral and is accurate.
Negatives: Holds on to the ball too much. His confidence is wrecked.
He is 26-50-0 as a starter. Career cmp% of 56.1 and his career rating is 69.4
Unfortunately he was drafted by the Lions at the beginning of the Millen era, poor guy never had a chance. Poor Lines and no running game whatsoever and a pi$$-poor defense. By the time he left Detroit, he went to another bad team, the Dolphins had a bad coach and no weapons to throw to. The poor guy never really had any decent coaches except maybe the few years that he had Marriucci and even that I'm not sure was that good. He would surely be cheap but I am not sure how of an improvement he'd be.
Positives: Great leader, great tutor, extremely smart with the football. Still has a few good years left in the tank.
Negatives: Weak arm, coming off shoulder surgery
He is 43-34-0 as a starter. Career cmp% of 66.1% and his career rating is 90.1
He had one of the best years of his career last year. He would be a huge upgrade over what we currently have, he has played in the AFC East his whole career and is quite proficient in the elements. He fits the Chan Gailey model in the sense that Chan would really be a good mentor for our next QB.
AJ Feeley
Positives:
Negatives:
He is 7-8-0 as a starter. Career cmp% of 55.9% and his career rating is 69.6
He looked good a few times in Philly in mop-up duties and when he finally got his chance in Miami he stunk up the joint so I'm not sure there's any value here.
Positives:
Negatives:
He is 12-19-0 as a starter. Career cmp% of 57.7% and his career rating is 71.3
Very mediocre QB. There is more upside to both Fitzy & Edwards.
Positives: Big arm, big ego. His mechanics seem pretty good.
Negatives: Very inconsistent, bad decisions and no very mobile.
He is 19-12-0 as a starter. Career cmp% of 54% and his career rating is 69.5
I hated him in Chicago, i found he was extremely careless with the football. He was really lucky to be playing for such a great defensive team that often gave him very short fields to work with. I simply don't trust the guy's ability to read defenses and take smart decisions. I think he is marginally better than Fitz and given that I really don't trust his mental ability to play within himself, I'd prefer keeping Fitz.
Positives: Good arm and good size. Extremely durable.
Negatives: Inconsistent, makes some bad decisions and tends to hold on to the ball too long.
He is 23-56-0 as a starter. Career cmp% of 59.8% and his career rating is 75.2
David Carr has all the tools IMO, he got drafted by an expansion team which struggled to get a decent line to protect him. I'm not sure if Carr didn't already re-sign with the Giants.
Potential Trades:
Donavan McNabb: Great QB but he is a West Coast system QB that would not fit very well in Gailey's offense.
Jason Campbell: I really like Jason Campbell, he has a big arm and great mechanics. Poor guy has been bounced around from system to system with the coordinator/coach carousel in Washington. I think the guy would really fit well in Chan Gailey's type of offense. Unfortunately I don't think he's worth giving up a first rounder for.
When I look at Pennington's career numbers I can't help but be impressed. I think he's an extremely mature fellow that completely understands that where he is in his career and he could be the ideal guy in Buffalo for a 1-2 year Stop-Gap. Not only would he stabilize the situation but he's be a great mentor for Brohm and any potential QB we draft. As much as I don't like his poor arm strength, I must also be fair and acknowledge his strengths which are his leadership skills and his ability to play within himself and minimize errors while putting his team in a position to win football games.
Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.
47 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
First
But to be relevant to the post. I really don’t like any of these guys. I become more and more convincec everyday that the Bills need to trade for either Troy Smith,Micheal Vick,or Dennis Dixon.
Troy Smith
I like this guy too, and I think he just needs an opportunity. Baltimore has obviously already found their guy
No to Campbell
No coordinator or QB coach that has worked with him gushes over him. He has the arm but is even more cautious than Edwards and only unleashes his arm when he is in catch up mode and not much to lose. If he is available we should look at him and bring him in to compete for a starting job, but he most certainly should not be brought in to be a starter. I would take Edwards over Campbell.
I really like Chad Pennington. But then, if him, why not Edwards? On the other hand, Fitz, Pennington and Edwards can compete for the starting job.
Brohm
does not exist for me. We need either experience or a serious real nfl project/prospect. I have no opinion of Brohm.
He played well in college and was one of the top rated QBs had he come out early. He had a less than stellar senior year and slipped a bit but still the kid has a lot of potential. It amazes me how people are not even considering him as a possible starter 1-2 years down the road.
Nothing left to say... the clock is ticking...
BROHM
agree i was impressed with his throws after he settler down. after one preseason game with gb the media made it hard for him and he lost confidence
Pennington please. McNabb or Campbell if they come cheap.
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 28, 2010 8:13 PM EST reply actions
i liked the velocity on Brohms ball
i also like the idea of Cambell but i think he could be had for less than a 2nd.
"Hold ya chin up...nuh nuh nuh...gone" -Marshawn Lynch-
How about no to all of those QBs.
Actually, I think this year we have a chance at a really good draft opportunity. Take a top two or three ranked OT with the first pick at #9 and then take the best available QB left in the second round. Seriously, we will probably still have Pike, LeFevour, Snead or even McCoy still on the board at this point. IMO any of these four could be starters with a good offensive minded coach. Keep Fitz to help mentor and Brohm as fallout and we may have the makings of a franchise QB with decent backup and an O-line to boot.
And what is your plan for shoring up our pitiful linebacking core? It needs to be addressed sooner than the 3rd or 4th round. Guys like Spikes and Hughes will probably drop to the 2nd round and these guys are instant starters and would help us a lot.
The only two QBs that I see as potential “franchise QBs” are Claussen & Bradford. The others are crap shoots at best. My thinking is if those two are gone, then get a caretaker in here to steady the ship and take a chance in the later rounds and/or get a franchise guy next year. I totally agree with you about getting our franchise LT this year
PS: Pennington’s career stats are pretty damm good, we’ve been living with far worse the past 5-10 years!
Nothing left to say... the clock is ticking...
"Holds the ball too long"
I don’t ever want to see another QB on this team that holds the ball too long. I am completely and utterly giving up on them if they bring in another gun-shy QB.
I want an agressive gunslinger and I can live with the INTs!
in a salary cap era, no single unit (offense or defense) should be consistently sub-average for such a long stretch.
Someone's gonna mention Vick, so it might as well be me...
1. If we got Vick, then we wouldn’t have to find an elite LT, since Vick is left handed and mobile.
2. T.O. said during training camp he wouldn’t mind having Vick as a team mate, so if we got Vick, then maybe T.O. wouldn’t mind stick around for another year.
3. If Chan is good at developing QBs, he might able to help Vick to regain his old form. Vick was a former pro bowler and the first QB to beat GB at Lambeau Field, in a snow storm no less.
4. Also Vick doesn’t have to take every snap, and if nothing else, signing Vick would boost ticket sales and bring some excitement to the offense.
Anyways like I said someone’s gonna mention Vick, and these are the reasons I can come up with.
1) I don’t mind vick if he comes cheap, otherwise no.
2) I certainly don’t want to see TO again next year – P L E A S E !! The guy has no heart and I can’t stand that! Give me a receiver like Pierre Garçon that fights his way back and not only tackles the Interceptor but he punches the ball out!! TO is only about himself and he won’t lay out or give that extra effort anymore – I really don’t like him on our team.
3) Buddy that was one game! most of the time Vick struggled to see open receivers because he was too busy running around. A guy like that destroys timing on plays.
Nothing left to say... the clock is ticking...
Couple guys to add
Vick… talked about above. I think he’s the best option other than McNabb.
Derek Anderson. Big, strong arm, had a big year when he had talent around him (Edwards, Winslow, healthy Jamal Lewis). Might not be a bad 2 year guy.
Not sold on Troy Smith. We need someone who has been a starting QB, not someone who’s trying to figure it out.
I think that Gailey could do some very good things with Anderson. Isn’t he a FA this year?
by CanadianBillsFan on Jan 28, 2010 11:49 PM EST up reply actions
Anderson is soooooo erratic that I don’t think I like him. Plus he’s under contract and he’s definitely not worth any picks in exchange. He might be an upgrade over Fitz but even that is iffy.
McNabb is a west coast guy that would not be able to adjust to another system. Personally I hate the Westcoast system, especially in our climate. Gailey is a run-first guy, use the run to setup the pass, not the otherway around.
Nothing left to say... the clock is ticking...
I love the WC for our climate.
Heavy footed defenders can’t adjust angles to skill players like Freddie in the snow.
I think with a WC offense Freddie would be better than Roger Craig.
There's not a wide receiver who is fast enough, that J.P. Losman can't overthrow him on a fly pattern.
by The Buffalo Kid on Jan 29, 2010 2:04 AM EST up reply actions
It would also help.
TRENT!
He is the master of throwing the checkdown, all he needs to make a WC offense work, is to be coached up where he hits the receiver in stride, most of his checkdowns the receiver has to stop to catch it, if Trent can learn to hit the checkdown receiver in stride, things could get good very quickly.
There's not a wide receiver who is fast enough, that J.P. Losman can't overthrow him on a fly pattern.
by The Buffalo Kid on Jan 29, 2010 2:10 AM EST up reply actions
Nix & Gailey are run-first guys – I think it’s useless to debate the WC
I personally disagree with you, I think what you call advantages can also work to our disadvantage (slippery footing for the QB leads to errors, even worse is a slippery ball or hard as a rock (frozen) leads to erratic throws and drops. I think our climate is extremely well suited to pounding the ball north/south, a good line should win the leverage battle in poor conditions most of the time and you minimize the risk of turn overs. And when we introduce play-action, then the slippery conditions really work in our favor because it’s the defense that is primarily making the hard cuts/change of direction.
Nothing left to say... the clock is ticking...
Troy Smith
The part that intrigues me the most about Troy Smith is this: He was the favorite to be the starter in Baltimore until his tonsils acted up. Who knows what he could have done by now… even if he doesn’t have monster numbers in limited action.
Schmucks don't make it to the Pro Bowl... except Jason Peters!
by Run Thurmal Run! on Jan 29, 2010 10:56 PM EST up reply actions
Out of the picks offered in this post.
I’m warming up to Vick.
Just lock up your dogs Buffalonians.
There's not a wide receiver who is fast enough, that J.P. Losman can't overthrow him on a fly pattern.
by The Buffalo Kid on Jan 29, 2010 2:01 AM EST reply actions
what they will do/ what i would do
I think Buffalo will draft a QB with their first pick in the draft, whether it be Bradford, Claussen or trading back for a guy they like more than the draft geeks. I really think this is the right way to go. Buffalo needs to gamble on an elite QB prospect at this point and whether he’ll be ready to play in 2010 behind whatever offensive line that is thrown out there should be of no consequence. Get the QB in here now, let him start learning Gailey’s system, and get him ready to go in 2011.
My guess is Buffalo will decide between Edwards and Fitzpatrick to be the stop gap QB with the 1st round pick being the backup, and Brohm as an ideal 3rd string QB because he’s young and talented (I never understood the point of keeping an older 3rd string guy around like Hamdan who you weren’t developing and you obviously don’t think can play either).
If it were up to me, however, I’d 86 both Edwards and Fitzpatrick, sign a stop gap QB in his 30’s like Charlie Batch and let him take the snaps and run the offense for a year.
Batch
- Pick
Brohm
…that’s how I’d approach 2010.
Aaron Maybin is Chris Ellis 2.0.
Why would you pick a guy like batch over a proven winner like Pennington? Batch is a career backup for a reason, why would you sacrifice a season? And Pennington is known for being a great leader and mentor for the younger guys, why would you not want that?
Nothing left to say... the clock is ticking...
I like Batch better that's why.
I don’t attach W/L records to QBs; I think that’s asinine. Batch is more talented and I’d rather watch him for a year.
Aaron Maybin is Chris Ellis 2.0.
no trades...
I dont think any of them are worth a 2nd round pick. Too many other needs.
If we did trade, I wouldnt want to give up more than a 5th for ANY QB (that would be able to be aquired via trade).
I'll vote for that schmuck Garcia
I think your positive are right: great competitor, and mobile (a big plus). Also he is one of the downright smartest QBs I’ve ever seen. Real veteran smarts. All things that will help.
Not sure I’d be concerned about the not being a great teammate. T.O. will likely be gone anyway. And at this point in his career he’d know he’s a stop-gap. Plus I think this business about veteran QBs educating/grooming their replacements is WAY overblown anyway. That wouldn’t be his job. Age? Yeah, he’s old. Still got a better arm than some of the names that are being kicked around though. And Favre is old too, with way more miles on him.
Main problem is I don’t think he’d really be interested in taking the job (or any job, at this point). But of the names on your list, I think he’d be the best bet if we really want to win some games. Otherwise, just throw some warm body in there and wait until we draft our future.
No more stop gaps, please....
The last 10 years has been one big stop gap. Every team that went deep in the playoffs had a tier 1 QB. We need to find a tier 1 QB in the draft. It is Buddy Nix responsibility to find that tier 1 QB.
Being a more than one year rebuild
keep the qbs you for a small price and then draft Z. Robinson or D. Clark. Why pay big money for someone who will gone in a couple of years.? Why gamble with a high pick for questionable qbs( Clausen and Bradford included)? There are more sure fire non qb players out there and the Bills have plenty of needs.
Pennington
Pennington would be most obvious FA candidate for me. He can start and lead a productive offense whilst mentoring a draft pick QB (or indeed Brohm, although I don’t think he will ever make it).
If we traded, McNabb or Vick would make the most sense. Troy Smith is another possiblity but I think he’d be the riskiest pickup. He might cost the same as Vick too.
In the draft, I absolutely feel Buffalo will draft a late round QB to groom. I am not sold on Clausen or Bradford in the first round and hope we steer clear of them, but I wouldn’t be totally unimpressed if they selected Tebow in the second round were he still there. Say what you want about mechanics, but I think he’ll be a success in the league.
My late round choices though, which I think are more likely as I feel Tebow may end up with the Patriots, would be Zac Robinson or Jarrett Brown. I think either has potential.
I like Lefevour in the later rounds, the kid is good.
Nothing left to say... the clock is ticking...
The Fever
I’m not a huge fan, although you have to respect his performance in the senior bowl. I prefer Robinson.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
