San Jose Bills Fan

Then probably people would be talking about him.

Yeah, Alex was horrible as a rookie, especially when you consider he was the first overall player taken in that draft.

The fact remains that people were talking about drafting 4th round QBs in the first round. In your estimation, what round would EJ go in if he were in this draft?

To get even more hypothetical, what if Ike Hilliard hadn't been the Bills WR Coach?

True. We'll never know if he would have succeeded in Buffalo or not had he made the 53 man roster.

You don't remember last year when people were talking about the Bills taking Geno Smith (2nd round), Matt Barkley 4th round), Ryan Nassib (4th round) and Tyler Wilson (4th round) in the first round?

I get it now.

I think there's some wisdom in this. It's possible that Da'Rick needed one more negative episode to burst his bubble and finally wake him up.

I don't understand the comparison.

I guess a Tashard Choice touchdown.

Great post, RJ. Well, Da'Rick Rogers and now Kelvin Sheppard. What's next? :D

The question in my mind has been, "wouldn't this get old very quickly?" Put differently, "what kind of person is amused by doing something like this week after week?"

Or a true doubter.

To your first paragraph, it's indisputable that NFL quarterbacks with experience substantially outplay rookie QBs. Yet you said yourself that you saw no significant dropoff. As for your second paragraph, like I already said, forget about Andrew Luck if you think he's a statistical anomaly. How does EJ compare to all the other rookie first rounders? He compares well.

My eyes tell me EJ had a good rookie season. His passer rating backs up what my eyes tell me. Thad is in his 4th season. That counts for something. He's not in the league because he was a high draft pick. He's earned his place in the NFL unlike many highly drafted QBs, some of whom have already flamed out of the league. And for those who say EJ was awful as a rookie, why doesn't anyone take a poke at these comparables? Robert Griffin III: 102.4 (an NFL record) Matt Ryan 87.7 Cam Newton: 84.5 Tim Tebow 82.1 Joe Flacco 80.3 EJ Manuel 77.7 Andrew Luck 76.5 Sam Bradford 76.5 Ryan Tannehill 76.1 Jake Locker 74.0 Matt Leinart 74.0 Brandon Weeden 72.6 Christian Ponder 70.1 Vince Young 66.7 Blaine Gabbert 65.4 Mark Sanchez 63.0 Matthew Stafford 61.0 Josh Freeman 59.8 Brady Quinn 56.8 Jamarcus Russell 55.9 The people who are dreaming are the ones who think that EJ was awful for a rookie. Let's pretend Andrew Luck doesn't exist. How does EJ stack up to the others?

For the sake of entertainment, I hope the Colts make it a game.

Unfortunately this is the worst kind of game. Besides being wrong, the game's become a blowout. More than anything, you want to watch a competitive game. Shoulda stayed at work. :wallbash:

So there was no drop off between a rookie QB and a 4 year veteran who was a 4-year starter in college and who had 1 career start before this season began? I'd say that means EJ played pretty well.

Yes. Passer rating is not an exact science but it is an accurate metric. Both in the short term and historically, EJs passer rating is very good for a rookie.

I don't know how much of a project he is. Do you? EJ had a good rookie season and it's certainly possible he'll improve next season, especially if he can avoid the injuries which slowed his development. Why do you think Manziel is more polished when he hasn't set foot on an NFL field yet?

I don't know. I recently noticed that Gene Steratore is starting to outgun ole Hercules.

Hmmm, my prediction of the Colts covering the spread isn't looking so good.

EJ? Probably it would have to do with different individuals having different rates of development?

FWIW, Avery was the first receiver taken in the 2008 draft. Donnie Avery (33rd overall) Devin Thomas Jordy Nelson James Hardy (41st overall) Eddie Royal Jerome Simpson DeSean Jackson Malcolm Kelly Limas Sweed (53rd overall)

Regardless of Moulds' size, I've said that size is not an issue with Watkins. I also said that he reminds me of Justin Blackmon in that he plays larger than his listed height/weight. My comment was directed more towards Evans backers. I think Watkins is probably the better player. I would only draft Evans if I was convinced he was a better player than Watkins. For me, size is a tie-breaker, not the primary consideration.