starrymessenger

Yep, he's a nerd. Yep, he has a very punchable face. Still, all things considered, I saw him as the most promising pro QB prospect in the class (for however little that was worth). Couldn't believe our luck when he fell to us. I remember the call from the podium "Josh..." I start jumping up and down and then "...huh". He's not at all a great athlete but he's a good athlete. He won't beat you with his legs but he is plenty mobile enuf to move in and around the pocket the way the Matt Ryan's of the world do. He's football smart (and probably in other ways too). I don't think he will wind up in a wheelchair. He's actually pretty big and will likely bulk up a bit and get stronger. He's as good as Baker as a natural passer. He's a very good prospect and I think he will get better. If memory serves I believe you were high on him too. IMO Josh too was legit as a high first round pick so we've got our guy. Looks like the Cards would have taken him ahead of Rosen as well. It will be interesting to see how it will all pan out.

Yes, of course. And he got to sit awhile behind JM before taking over in SF. I was just saying a year probably won't be long enuf to come to any firm and final conclusions on JA. After two years with the Bucs, a team worse than the Bills, he was labelled a bust. He went on to have an ok career you might say.

We will know a lot more about Allen's chances by the end of the year but it's unlikely we will have anywhere near a reliable final opinion. It took Steve Young longer to pan out. Along these lines the timing of the rebuild is not ideal. If the Bills look mainly to the draft to shore up the O-line and WR group they will likely have to wait a year or two for these guys, even if top shelf prospects, to begin realizing their potential - see David DeCastro, Corey Davis, Mike Williams and many others). I expect they will be very aggressive in free agency.

Yeah, according to scouting Lewis's speed (which he does possess) somehow doesn't show up after he flips his hips to break downfield with the receiver. I thought it was evident on that play, although the wideout was admittedly a burner. Maybe that's why Lewis tho talented has bounced around without sticking with a team so far. It will be interesting to see how this aspect of his game develops (or not).

I'm not saying that his baptism by fire will ruin him but I have a hard time seeing how this is good for his development. Andy Reid is said to be a QB whisperer and he sat PM for a year as he worked on mechanical issues that were seen as problems. Maybe he didn't have to and I get it that the Chiefs had a quality starter so it was perhaps a luxury they could afford. OTOH Reid also sat Donovan McNabb until later in his rookie year and all they had was Doug Pederson ahead of him. So it would seem that Reid prefers to marinade these guys before throwing them into the fire. In yesterday's telecast they said Coach had told them the night before that he was of the school of thought that says you can ruin a QB by starting him too early. If that's true I've got to think there is at least a disconnect between what the Bills believe and what they do. Earlier it was reported that when questioned about this Daboll said that the first thing they work on when Josh shows up in the morning is mechanical things and fundamentals. But given the demands on and off the field of in week game preparation I wonder if that gives him the time he really needs to work on these things. Developing good fundamentals is also absolutely essential to Allen's success. When he executes the basics properly, for an "inaccurate" QB he is deadly accurate (in a way that someone like EJ for example never was and that's why he's a better prospect). When he's running for his life is when he's inaccurate, even wildly so.

Receiver slipped and it still went off his hands. Browns have dropped three already. Baker looking very good IMO.

Actually New England waits until the sixth round to pick HOF QBs.

Tyrod also once lined up behind a guard, tho perhaps less famously.

This is actually great news. Good for the player and for the league.

It's not clear what is going on with RM and the Titans. It's an odd way of going about it but it's possible that this is just a player on a one year deal and needing production to maximize his value venting his displeasure at the lack of targets. Vrabel's position is normal coach speak: you earn your role on game day based on how well you are executing in the offence in practice. RM was unable to practice through most of the off season due to miniscus surgery and an injured ACL. Given the injury to Delaney Walker and the inexperience of their WR group, the Titans may well be interested in retaining him so it's possible that the team and the player resolve their differences. Its hard to know exactly how the Bills might feel about RW. There is little doubt that he would upgrade our passing game. OTOH the "process" folks might be wary of him. They may think that he went about dealing with his issue in the wrong way. They may feel that he should have gone about resolving this internally without all the drama by earning a bigger role and more targets in the normal way. And while a player is free to negotiate his own deal without an agent his having done that might strike some as odd and maybe a sign of poor judgement. I don't know where the Bills are at regarding the whole kneeling/protest thing but it may be relevant that RM was amongst the more visible Titans taking a position aligned with CK. In any case he would not necessarily be seen as the easiest guy to assimilate to a new lockerroom and culture. Not criticizing the player, just saying that he is an outspoken kind of guy with a personality. If his request to be released were regarded as " all about me" he might not be seen as a process/team oriented player.

Apparently the Titans have agreed to give him his release & are drawing up the paperwork.

Lack of talent is one thing. Lack of effort is another. Many of the game's greatest players are said to always practice hard. If it's good enuf for Khalil Mack it better be good enuf for Ray Ray Whoever. Any more of this and he should straight up be drop kicked out of Buffalo.

To me this new rule is a case of the refs piling on. To be fair to defenders given what they are asked to do, and to not alter for the worse a fundamental feature of the game itself as it is best played, the mere fact that a player sacking the QB lands on him with his full weight should not be penalized. The exception of course is where a hit can reasonably be considered late - Anthony Barr vs A. Rodgers. Often these will be judgement calls or no calls based on whether the ref feels the defender could or could not reasonably have held up his progress towards the QB.

I don't disagree with this. The things Allen needs to work on Mayfield already does well. But Baker will likely never be able to do some of the things Josh can already do simply because of Allen's ridiculous athleticism. Both are great prospects that come with some risk (Allen more than Mayfield IMO). Arguably Allen has the higher ceiling.

Allen is not to be confused with EJ and/or Trent. Or Kyle Boller or Jake Locker. There are no guarantees, agreed, but if folks can't see that he is a much superior prospect they haven't been paying attention or don't know how to interpret what they are seeing. And it should have been obvious long before the Vikings game. Again, he is and remains only a prospect at this stage, but the more accurate and appropriate comparisons are Cam, John Elway, Steve Young. For Allen it's really down to ironing out mechanical kinks, field vision and processing. If he gets there it will still take a while and he is bound to have his ups and downs, but he very much seems to have the ability to refine his game and make those adjustments. And if he does that look out. Like great players in any sport, he has the attributes to impact games emphatically. Daboll is crucial to his development and appears to know what he is doing. Looking forward to seeing how Allen/Daboll make out vs the Pack. Green Bay will have a much better idea than the Vikes did regarding the things they will have to do to shut down the Bills O, so it won't be easy. Win or lose, if Allen continues to impress it will be a very encouraging sign.

Exactly right. I noticed the same thing pre-draft in his tape. It really stood out.

There are plenty of good reasons why JA was going to be drafted high in the first, whether by the Bills or by another team (Cards as matters developed). No doubt he will experience ups and downs and has a lot to learn but he has shown that he can beat you with his arm from the pocket, from a moving pocket and outside the pocket. He can attack every blade of grass on the field and is capable of making any throw. As if that didn't pressure a D enuf, he can beat you with his legs too. Add to that the ability, like Baker, to inspire his teammates on both sides of the ball. And then there is his basic intelligence which is also an asset. Dude can be very dangerous to the well being of defensive coordinators. Given his demonstrated ability and extremely rare physical skill set it was apparent to many observers that if he could grow and refine his game and execute with greater consistency Josh Allen held a deep in the money option on elite NFL QB status. Seems pretty obvious that the football world can only be impressed by what the have seen so far. It looks to me like Daboll will be very important, perhaps even crucial to JA's continued development. I was encouraged by his game plan and play calling during the first half yesterday. Well designed to disrupt an opposing D that was clearly expecting a much more conservative approach. Green Bay will not now fall into the same trap so it will be very interesting to see just how JA and the Bills make out next Sunday. Another strong performance will go a long way to confirming that Allen's sky high potential can eventually be realized.

So NFL football Ops are morons.

Sucks for him. 49rs and their fans. At least he's got 75 MM guaranteed.

Haven't seen much of either of these guys, a half dozen games or so over the last few years. I usually try to better educate myself about the prospects in the months before the draft, so that's my disclaimer. Having said that I might be inclined to go with Ed Oliver, but only if he can show this year that he is capable of getting sacks at the next level in the high single digits. I don't know whether he will be able to do that given that he plays nose and is used as a disruptive force in defending the run. He's undersized for an NFL defensive tackle (he's probably smaller than listed) and should line up as a 3 tech in McDermott's 4/3 under IMO. If he can get the sacks and still rack up lots of run stops and tackles for loss I think it would be hard to pass on him. No offence to the Buckeyes and their supporters. Obviously I'd be delighted with either one.

Again I don't know of any reputable commentator who doubted that JA was very raw and unpolished as a prospect. And it's hardly surprising given the path he had to follow to the NFL. And I'd be surprised frankly if the Bills didn't know this. And their decision to move forward without a veteran on the roster is obviously one that has attracted a lot of criticism. And if they thought he was ready to start why didn't they start him ahead of a clearly lesser talent. In spite of his technical issues Josh Allen was going to be drafted high in the first round. Had the Bills not taken him at 7, the Cards would have at 8. The reason for that is his extraordinary natural/physical aptitudes for playing the all important position. But had he been drafted by Arizona he would be sitting behind a vet and learning, like Rosen, who right now is much more proficient as a passer than JA is. Favre didn't start until he was into his second year and on a team that was good enuf to go 9-7 and place second in the NFC Central. But I think you're right about Favre being an interesting comparable (even if you don't believe in comparables) and one that I hadn't thought of. I don't know how serious BFs issues were but for sure his accuracy was questioned and he was not considered a finished product.

Analysts were divided in their opinions as to whether his problems could be coached out of him. Quite a few were of the view that some issues I.e. accuracy were not correctable. Others felt that with proper coaching and grooming they could improve. As far as I am aware all of the credible analysts were universally and unequivocally of the opinion that Josh was a very raw prospect, maybe a diamond in the rough to be sure, but very much in need of work on his basic fundamentals re throwing mechanics, footwork etc...in addition to the many things that all rookie QBs need to absorb before transitioning to the pro game. All of this was moreover plainly evident from his WYO tape. So I would ask you again, what rookie QB as unrefined as Josh Allen starting for a team as bad as the Bills has succeeded. Don't say Peyton. Don't say Aikman. Maybe there is one, but off the top I don't see it. Now, you say that every athlete is unique. But some stand out more than others that way. IMO Allen is pretty much in a class by himself. My personal opinion is that he looks to be a bona fide prodigy as far as his basic physical and mental skillset is concerned. He is a much better prospect than other strong armed and physically gifted QBs like Locker or Boller. That is why I continue to see him as a good prospect with a chance to succeed. But if he does get there all the credit will be his, not the Bills, who have done nothing to help him. And he will indeed prove that he was unique and probably without any obvious comparables.

Mbappe just has to go with his God given athleticism. He doesn't have to deal with the many demands and complexities of playing QB in the NFL. Soccer can be a physical game, and he'll have to deal with his share of tough tackles, but he doesn't have to worry about 300 pound men with murder on their minds. The French team is also stocked full of elite players. Taking nothing away from Mbappe. He will wind up spoken of in the same breath as Messi and Ronaldo. Incredible talent. Can you think of a rookie QB with as many issues and as long a list of things to work on as Josh who started for a terrible team and succeeded. He's in a very tough spot IMO.

Ed Oliver does not project as a nose at the next level. He will be. a 3 tech.

Go Gryphons!