starrymessenger

Let him out of his contract? - No! Trade him? - Sure, if you are getting more value than you are giving up. I'm hoping this all just blows over and he's good to go.

Ritchie is probably just p'd off. Star, who has underperformed for years gets a big contract from his friends. Ritchie, who is one of the very best run blockers in the game ( and has been for years) and also good (if not great) in pass pro, is asked to make concessions. Sure he's just a guard, but a blue chip prospect at the position who hasn't yet even proven he can play in the league is probably going top 10 in this year's draft. Shady knows how valuable a player he is, even at his age. Some guys are just physical freaks. Ritchie is one of those. The guy ran a 4.84 40 back in the days. Maybe Ritchie isn't quite as crazy as some would think. I hope to see him back.

I agree except I have a strong feeling that they like Darnold a lot more than Mayfield. With respect to Allen I too hope he goes to the right team (which is not the Bills). I say that because I like to see people succeed and speaking as a football fan Allen's talent is so prodigious that if he can develop he'd be awesome to see play.

Unless there is a whole lot of pre-draft headfaking and smokescreening going on (which is possible) I think his QB ranking is a bit of an outlier. I think Jackson could turn into an other wordly elite playmaker at the next level but I don't believe that his # 1 grade reflects the consensus of scout/GM opinion. I also doubt that a lot of teams have Mayfield ahead of Darnold, and that would make sense to me. If I'm guessing (can't do otherwise) I'd say Beane grades these guys as follows: Darnold Rosen Allen Mayfield Jackson For what its worth my pecking order is Rosen Jackson Darnold Mayfield Allen Depending on where in the first you get to draft them I'd be happy to have any of them, with Rosen, Jackson, Darnold top 10 (or lets say top 12 to personalize it more) Baker mid round and Josh Allen back end (though I'd be fine with # 22).

Not clear whether or when he will be ready to play in 2018. Bad foot injury requiring skin grafts. Altercation with a golf cart while on vacation.

Not sure I see him going through progressions. On plays that take a little longer to develop he is good at not telegraphing his intentions and he can look the secondary off but he likely knows where he is going pre snap and he throws to that spot.

True, but 2 is still out there and that's a better number than 3. I don't know if it gets done but for sure its a possibility.

Since they are sitting in the 12 spot (for now) they most definitely have one and likely more than one backup plan to deal with the many contingencies and outcomes that they cannot control. I did not mean to say that they had it in their heads to go all out for one guy or bust. It would certainly make sense to me if they liked and might draft any one of the top five QBs should the opportunity present itself. This is a good class. But I do think that these prospects are definitely not all the same to them and that they have them graded differently and have preferences. If they felt the same way about Lamar as they might about Rosen or Darnold I really don't think they would have tried to move from 12 to 3. They would have been well positioned at 12. You don't burn draft picks if you don't have to, especially when you have lots of holes to fill. JMO but I think Rosen is the clear front runner from amongst these QB prospects, so I would not be surprised if he was their first choice if they can get to where they need to be. Having said that I'd be really intrigued to see any of the top 5 in a Bills uni. With respect to Jackson there is reason to believe that he can develop as a pocket passer. I tend to doubt that he will ever be top shelf in that department like a Brady or a Brees but I think he could very well be good enuf to keep NFL defences honest and drive opposing defensive coordinators crazy because of his playmaking ability. To me he has also provided evidence that he has good football IQ, despite his 13 test score. So I like Lamar, and maybe Beane does too and would draft him - but he is not the guy he most wants.

I like Lamar but his detractors need not be concerned. He is not the target. Beane would not have been trying to move up to the 3 spot to draft Jackson.

If Ritchie had'nt been mentally ill he might have made it. Don't get me wrong, when he wasn't crazy he was always very good, but I don't know that he was ever proficient enuf in pass pro to make it to Canton anyway. Speaking for myself, I'm going to really miss seeing him out there.

Exactly right imo. I'm actually surprised to see how many people think Rosen's privileged background will compromise his motivation to succeed. I don't see that at all. Having those advantages is great compared, you know, to not having them. But rich or poor you have to prove yourself, including, above all, to yourself. I'm pretty sure that Rosen is a hard bitten determined guy. I wouldn't let his laid back LA personality fool you. And I actually think his religion is part of his mental makeup, in a positive way. I think he probably wants to be the first Jewish QB to win a superbowl. He wants to be the next Sid Luckman. That kind of achievement will give him tremendous profile in a community he continues to identify with, not to mention with the world at large. He's about to walk onto a very big stage under a very big spotlight. I think he is up to the challenge. He will be hard on his mates, but he will be harder on himself. I like this year's class a lot. The talent is there imo and above all its deep. A number of these guys could very well turn into franchise players. Having said that I see Rosen as a clear cut above everyone else at this point. I think he will be as good or better than Matt Ryan. Sure hope he is the guy.

Sure, its certainly possible. I'm in the group that thinks that there is a lot to like regarding Allen. I would'nt myself have the stones to take him ahead of some of the other guys but I see him as a legitimate top half of the first type prospect. Looks like he is going top 10 for sure. I would'nt be surprised if Beane likes him.

I would not be at all surprised if the Bills are fine with any one of a number of QBs. Maybe that number is 2, maybe 3. Could be like Philly when they picked Wentz after Goff went #1. If the Rams had taken Wentz I'm pretty sure the Eagles would have taken Goff. They moved up to the 2 spot to pick a QB and had no control over what the Rams were going to do. In the same way if the Bills moved up to #2 in this year's draft, they might be fine picking a guy even if the one they most coveted was taken by Cleveland. So for example if the Browns drafted Rosen it would hardly be surprising if the Bills picked maybe Darnold or Mayfield even if Rosen was higher on their board. Of course teams always claim they got the guy they most wanted all along, as the Eagles did, but its not necessarily true. This looks like a strong class to me. Would'nt be shocked to see a number of QBs, including guys picked after day 1, turn out to be good. In fact I almost expect it.

People talk alot about Rosen's concussions but Baker has twice been concussed too Bills need a linebaker or two. Should have that cop in for a visit.

I would have liked to see a comparison of college / pro success rate for the games best active QBs, notably including those that were drafted before 2010, and to have seen it for all of the years they were active, not just over their rookie deals. That success rate for QBs should generally diminish in the pro game doesn't really surprise me and I suspect has little to do with a meaningful QB performance metric. I think the writer might agree with that. But I'm not sure either that success rate is specific enuf to be valuable as a QB performance measurement tool to begin with and probably no more reliable as other QB metrics, and maybe even less so. Anyway everybody knows that Allen is a risky pick who could bust. I would not move up for him for that reason but if the other guys are off the board I'd certainly be ok rolling the dice at #12. Its a valuable spot, especially if guys like R. Smith are still on the board, but its just one pick and we wouldn't be gutting our whole draft. I expect he goes top 5, top 10 almost for sure.

Gargantua vs Chicken Little. Muhammed Ali vs Pee Wee Herman. Bruce Smith vs Boomer Esiason. Anthony Munoz once threatened to kill Boomer himself if he didn't stop trash talking Bruce because he was having to deal with the fallout.

True. Still wish he was a douchy little Bills prick.

Yeah, its not like I've seen him a lot but given the hype I was a little disappointed with his bowl game. Reports are that the Penn State O-line had its best game all year, but they were hardly an elite unit and they seemed to me to pretty much neutralize him. On a couple of crucial third down conversion attempts they ran right at him and backed him up. For a guy his size seeing him on special teams covering punts was pretty impressive though.

What my guess is as to whats going on is seen through the prism of personal opinion so maybe not worth much. Having said that I would not be surprised if Beane and Gettleman already have an understanding, not a deal but an agreement in principle. I think the Giants are interested in a QB, very possibly Darnold. If the Browns scoop their guy they will trade out and we will pretty much gut our draft to move up to the sweet spot. We don't know how any of these QB prospects are going to pan out but at the end of the day I see Rosen as having the best chance of developing into a franchise guy, he carries less risk in terms of what you can reasonably expect him to do on the field performance wise and he is pretty close to plug and play in the right offence. OTOH if the Giants like Allen ang he is gone I would'nt be surprised if the Bills moved up for Darnold. And why not. He's only 20 years old and absolutely a blue chip prospect. I would not move up to 7, 5 or 2 for Allen. Maybe I'm just chicken*#^+ risk averse. I do like him though and I'd be fine with him at 12 if the other front runners are off the board. He is not EJ or Jamarcus or the guy who busted in Baltimore. Sometimes even small sample sizes can be revealing. He was mediocre his first couple of series in the Senior Bowl game. He knew he could do better and agitated to go back in. He did and then led his team (against good competition) making some absolutely outstanding big league throws, demonstrating pin point accuracy, excellent placement and touch. If he had come back in and stunk it up that would have been a bad look. Instead he lit it up. I'm pretty sure that sort of thing makes a strong positive impression on pro talent evaluators. They likely see lots of flaws and have lots of questions regarding all these guys. Every one of them needs work in order to transition successfully to the next level. So they probably focus as much on what the guy looks like when he's in a groove and is doing well. When Allen is on he looks pretty darn good.

Of course I don't know for sure but my impression is that Allen can probably improve on his accuracy. When in a clean pocket with time to set up his mechanics looked pretty decent to me so I would not be surprised if Palmer is right in saying that he needs minor adjustments/tidying up rather than a complete rebuild/overhaul. There is also this thing about the real meaning of "inaccuracy". Allen is arguably not inaccurate, rather he is perhaps more "inconsistent". I think there is a meaningful distinction there to be drawn (even if that can be debated). In all of the game tape and live action I have seen, Allen makes some very difficult throws with perfect ball placement and also with remarkable touch (for a guy who is supposed to have none). He just doesn't do it enuf or as often as one would like, and just as often shows the contrary. The question I have is more related to skittishness in the pocket and decision making. Here again though it is possible that he is overreacting to his weak O-line when he bails early, and many plays looked to me like jail breaks, and trying to do too much under pressure. So he is rough around the edges to be sure and almost completely devoid of refinement. All that you mostly notice is his jaw dropping physical talent. Bottom line is that if he can be developed the sky is the limit, though he needs to go to the right team. Without a top shelf QB coach I tend to doubt that would be the Bills but if he is the pick I will have no problem getting begind him and regardless of where he winds up I'll be intrigued to see how he pans out. I would not myself move up for him but if the other frontrunners are off the board I would not be upset if he was taken at #12. I think he will go before that however.

Good interview. Guess he's not so dumb after all. I'm not concerned about Mayfield's personality. My impression is that he's basically a sensible guy who will be able to transition from playing a game with a bunch of kids to a professional environment where many of his fellow players are grown men with families to support. I think he has more going for him in that regard that some folks are willing to give him credit for. His size, his only average athleticism and the college system he played in are the things he has to overcome. There is a reasonable chance he will be able to do that.. And that's why he's a top prospect.

I like LJ. I think he has "football smarts" so I don't worry about the wonderlic. The cognitive aspect of playing the QB position is part reactive/intuitive and also physiological, a bit like hitting a baseball well. Big league hitters don't see an aspirin like most of us do, they see a grapefruit. That skill has nothing to do with intellectual capacity. So you don't actually need to be a Harvard graduate to play the position. Its not an "intellectual" endeavour imo (though being intelligent does'nt hurt). I have no doubt that in time LJ can master a complete NFL playbook. OTOH not running the 40 and hiring mom as his agent to save money is entirely consistent with scoring 13 on the W. Its just not a good look and could affect the way some teams evaluate him.

I would not move up to draft Allen. I would seriously consider drafting him at #12 (though he'll be gone by then) but only if the other four (Lamar is #2 after Rosen on my list) are already off the board. He is a great prospect but 100% a project. I don't put too much stock in his 56% completion percentage. This is impacted by the offence he ran and the types of throws he was asked to make. Also I've seen him make very accurate big time throws as well as demonstrating good touch on occasion. So he is capable of doing what he needs to do imo insofar as improving his technique and throwing mechanics. That is not where the biggest risk is. Pocket presence and decision making when under pressure are the main questions in my view. If he can improve in these areas, he could easily develop into a high end QB but it probably takes very good coaching and a year or two behind a solid veteran starter just to find out if he can get there. Absolutely ideal physical attributes for playing the position tho, no doubt about that. God made Allen in his spare time on the seventh day, a Sunday.

I was fooled the first time I saw this weeks ago. Now I was fooled again. Shame on me.