Rob's House

Damn you! Damn you and Tom Brady and the rest of the f'n quarterbacks and the 1 percenters (but mostly you and Tom Brady)! Damn yous all to hell!

I found the answer to my own question so I thought I'd share This is about as comprehensive of a scout tape as you'll see in 6 minutes. It confirmed a lot of the weaknesses I'd noticed, but it does show his ability to take advantage of slower blockers that I hadn't seen as much of. His lack of power would still worry me at the next level, but I kind of get the hype. He has a nice highlight reel. He has a considerable low-light reel too. Of course, he was a RB who converted to LB so I imagine he's still learning the position.

Just like your so-called "capitalist" aristocracy that lets the rich live the high life on the backs of the poor must seem just to the 1%. But how just is it to the semi-pretty girl who wants to be that guy's girlfriend but has to settle for giving him head in the parking lot? Or the cute chubby girl who ha to get him 10 shots deep and still might have to settle for his friend? Or the really ugly girls who have to resort to feminism? You call this justice?

Why stop there. These QBs get to !@#$ really hot women. I only get to !@#$ moderately hot women. Where's the justice?

Yeah, anecdotes are only useful when you're trying to con the electorate into letting you pass massive government power grabs. They're utterly meaningless otherwise. Besides, it's like the fella says, if you want to make an omelet you have to break a few eggs.

I hear what you're saying, but Cutler is heads and tails above anything we've had in years and gives us a realistic chance to win now. Sure, he has his flaws, but he's been a consistent winner. Chicago got better when he got there and Denver got worse when he left. It would be the first time since Bledsoe that Bills fans would know the feeling of having a legitimate starting NFL QB on the field.

I agree, but I don't expect the fanbase to be patient quietly. I've been almost as annoyingly optimistic as our resident equestrian up until this season. Even this offseason I supported every move, even if I didn't initially agree with it. But as I see the team wallow in perpetual suckitude I actually find myself getting angry and resentful of the organization. It makes me mad because following football is one of my favorite hobbies and it's really being ruined for me by the ongoing futility of this team. Even when we were losing it was still fun planning for next year and expecting we'd soon turn the corner, but it's starting to seem like that might not happen any time soon. I suspect others share my sentiment, hence the overwhelming negativity on display here recently. That's why my real problem isn't with Marrone himself, but moreso with the decision to hire this type of coaching staff in the first place. For most teams looking for a change, a young upstart with promise is a great choice. Look at the Eagles. But for a team that has losing so engrained in its culture that no one on the roster or staff has ever experienced anything other than losing with this franchise, you need to bring in someone who knows how to win in the NFL and has proven it. Lovie Smith, for example, would have been preferable. No, he's not a sexy pick, but he's a guy that could at least build the team to a consistent .500 or better performer. Hell, if you're going to go with the rookie coach at least get him some experienced coordinators to help ease him in. Instead we have a rookie GM who hired a rookie HC overseeing a rookie OC running an offense with a rookie QB throwing to rookie WRs. WTF kind of plan is that? That's not to say a rookie HC can't turn it around, I just think the odds are a lot better with a proven commodity. As of now, it's a toss up as to whether we're on course to repeat the 3 year rebuild cycle.

It's immoral that Peyton Manning gets all that money and I have to work for a relative pittance because I can work just as hard as he does and still not make a fraction of his salary because I don't have his natural talent. He is depraved scum, apparently.

You may be right, but it looks really bad for him after last week. The team has regressed as the season has worn on, there is a glaring lack of discipline, and they just got used by a team that had been left for dead (though admittedly has played much better over the last month). Worse, the team consistently chokes away would be/could be/should be wins in close games - that's generally a product of a team's mentality rather than talent. Some may disagree, but I see the team's collective mentality largely as a reflection of the coach. The icing on the cake was after Sunday's humiliation when he's talking about accountability and the players are making excuses. To be fair, like EJ, he's a rookie. There are going to be growing pains. There's a good chance he'll learn from his mistakes, get control of the team, and turn the ship around. He may need another season or two to really build the team in his image with his guys. He's all but certain to get the chance. It just doesn't look good right now. And this isn't the franchise to expect patience from through multiple losing seasons of another so-called rebuild.

I haven't always been very friendly with you, but this is a reminder that you never know what other people might be going through. Wish you and your wife the best.

I'm surprised given the level of interest in the draft and upcoming draft class that there isn't more traffic over here. Maybe if a few of us keep it flowing others will join in. Out of curiosity, where would you rank Bortles right now relative to the other guys coming out?

I haven't paid much attention to Shazier, but watching Mosely I get it (although I'm always hesitant with AL guys b/c they're surrounded by talent). Khalil Mack I was skeptical of until I watched him - I'm not skeptical anymore. The guy's a monster. I'll put Borland on my guys to watch list. He's more likely to be available in a round where I'd be amenable to taking a LB anyway.

I see this guy ranked really high by damn near every expert, but I just don't get it. Granted I've only seen 4-5 of his games, but I've never seen anything that made me think "that guy's good!" is it just his measurables that everyone's high on or are they seeing something I'm not?

I watched some videos on him. He seems to have a good attitude & personality. He had some pop in his arm and seemed to be fairly accurate on the intermediate routes. He has an unusual wind up & delivery, but he gets it out quickly - not sure what to make of that. The only thing that really bothered me was he seemed to lock in on his targets, but it was a relatively small sample. Definitely an interesting prospect.

What's the story on Cutler's personality? I know he told Jash McDanield to !@#$ off (good for him) & lit into a receiver a time or two on the side line, but is there more to the story? Personally, I think if the Bills could snag him for $15m/yr they'd be foolish not to. Say what you will, the guy's been a consistent winner even when he had no protection or receivers. Maybe he won't be Manning, but at this point we just need to worry about getting a winning team. Nicely put.

I noticed he's moving up most draft boards, but so far he looks like a late round prospect. I haven't gotten to watch him yet, what's his story?

Then what is your argument? And how is it immoral?

What I'm afraid of is these guys will buy into some outdated philosophy where they go all in on "their guy" and sit on their hands while he "develops" for 2-3 years when they should take the approach Seattle did. Seattle didn't luck into a good QB. They played the numbers game and addressed the position aggressively until they got their guy. They took a few swings and misses along the way, but they kept on trying until they got it right. They traded a 4th for Charlie Whitehurst, brought in Tarvaris Jackson, took a shot at signing Peyton Manning, signed Matt Flynn, and drafted Russell Wilson. It didn't just happen by accident. If you pick a guy and decide he gets 2-3 years to develop, you've decided there's a better than average chance your team won't be good for at least 3-4 years.. You got a guy you think can play? Great. Draft another one just in case. Bring in FA competition. If your guy works out then who cares. If he doesn't work out, you've got another guy or 2 that have been practicing with the team and learning the system so you're not starting back at square 1. The point is, you don't sit back and coast until you KNOW you have your guy - and even then it's nice to have a good back up.

I'm not going to pile on Hackett b/c I don't think it would be fair, but regardless of how much of the offensive woes are attributable to him, I can't help but question the wisdom of a rookie HC with a rookie QB bringing on a rookie OC. Wouldn't you at least want someone on that side of the ball with some NFL experience and history of success?

It's telling how libs always approach this issue from a moral standpoint rather than one of economic feasibility.

That sentence pretty well sums it up. There's no reason not to give EJ another season to get it together. There's also no reason not to have another viable option on the roster going into next season. If you watched both teams play I don't think you can honestly say that. You can enumerate all the points you want, but that team was horrible. Stafford had no protection. Sure, there have been a couple of games this year where the protection broke down for the Bills, but nothing like that Lions team saw week in week out. And touting Roy Williams as a positive on account of his draft status is a stretch.

Don't misunderstand. I think if a coach makes that move and goes 4-12 (especially if the passing game is the biggest weakness on the team) it's highly likely that he is in fact an idiot. I make no excuse for Marrone. Until further notice you can put me in the Marrone is an idiot camp.

This reminds me of Bull Durham when Kevin Costner tells Tim Robbins that if you have fungus in your flip flops the press will think your a slob, but if you win 20 games and have fungus on your flip flops the press will think you're colorful. It's kind of the same thing as a coach. If you cut a player with 1st rd talent for immaturity and go 12-4 you're a hard nosed, no-nonsense coach. If you cut that guy and go 4-12 you're an idiot.

Sadly, I think it was. There were a number of head scratching moves in the run-up to the season opener. Most of us gave the new regime the benefit of the doubt, but it's looking like we're wrong to do so. There's a reason why no other team has ever gone into a season with only 2 rookies on the roster at QB. The decision to cut TJax; the imminent FA signing at LG that never came; the decision to cut D Rogers; the decision to cut the only experienced WR not named Stevie. From day 1 there were questions, and now it's looking like there was no method to the madness, just plain ineptitude. For a guy who's supposed to be an offensive minded coach, Marrone hasn't done much to inspire confidence in his ability to build an offense. That said, I'll give him the last 3 games before I tell you what I really think.

I'd prefer a combination of speedsters & big WRs. I have no problem with our WR make up. They're not big or small, they're average. With a little experience & good passing they could prove a formidable bunch. That said, I'd have preferred Terrance Williams and Keenan Allen to Woods & Goodwin, and I felt that way before the draft.