Rocky Landing

I think it's a mistake to consider the opener vs the Jets as a slam dunk. The Jets Circus gets a lot of media attention, but I think it's likely that, to a degree, it is hype. Most of the Las Vegas sports books still have the Jets favored by 3 points. That's down from 6 a couple months ago, so perception is trending in our direction. Depending on our, and the Jets showing on Saturday, I suspect that the spread will drop even further.

I don't think anyone is ignoring Young's winning percentage- it's the reason there is so much discussion in the first place. But, you also can't ignore the less positive elements of his history or character. Fitz and Young are both mixed bags.

Not mutually exclusive

Of the people on these boards who are constantly looking for our "next franchise quarterback," or are asking questions like, "which QB should we have drafted or traded for?..." I wonder if they considered Fitz to be our franchise QB after the first six games last season? If we go 10-6, or make the playoffs this season, then will Fitz be our franchise QB?

I read this forum a lot. I don't often post. But, I will say this: At this point in the preseason, I'm getting pretty sick of these threads that are little more than thinly veiled excuses to bemoan our current starting quarterback. We didn't draft McCoy, Clausen, or Gabbert. We didn't trade for Vick, or Palmer, or Flynn. Our man is Fitzpatrick. Get over it. (Unless you want to talk more about Tebow, God, how I love him!)

Nix/Gailey certainly frown upon negative character issues- much more so than most GM/HCs. If they didn't trust his character, I'd be surprised if they took the risk.

I wouldn't be against it, but it sounds like a long shot to me.

I've always considered the end zone dance to be a little silly, and sometimes embarrassing- nothing more. As far as Stevie is concerned, I understand that he is having a fan competition of some sort so that fans can affect his end zone dance (I don't remember the details). Great! Why not? If Stevie is doing an end zone dance based on fan input, then I will be a new fan of the end zone dance. And, as far as Mike Mularkey is concerned, he is the HC of the Jacksonville Jaguars. (Soon to be the Los Angeles Riots, or whatever they happen to change their name to).

I hate emoticons, but here's three of them.

It's amazing how little attention Clowney gets in the media (and on here!). Most articles you read about the Bills WRs and their lack of a #2 don't even mention Clowney, positive or negative, as if he isn't even there. I think that what we have heard about him since becoming a Bill is impressive. He seems to be Vince Young's favorite target (for whatever that's worth). And, he has a great attitude. I love how much emphasis Nix/Gailey put on character. It makes me proud to be a Bills fan. That may also partially explain his treatment under the Jets. They don't tend to concern themselves with character issues one way or the other. Clowney was in a tenuous situation in Jersey and I suspect his abilities are better than his Jets career would suggest. So, what is it about Clowney? Why no love?

Bring back Jauron!

I think a lot of this debate comes down to what you are willing to believe: -Was Fitz's rib injury part of the reason for his decline in the second half of the season? -Were the injuries to the front line, WRs, Jackson, et al, part of the reason for Fitz's decline? -Can the coaching of David Lee improve Fitz's performance? -Can the improvements in depth and personnel improve Fitz's performance? -Can Fitz play at the level he did for the first six games last season for the entire 2012 season? If your answer is "yes" to one or more of these questions, then Fitz has the potential to become an "upper echelon QB."

My bad. BTW- Jets have dropped to 4 point favorites for week one.

Just to be clear: You are saying that when Lee and Fitzpatrick, during interviews, have stated that his mechanics and accuracy have improved dramatically this offseason, they are- a) pandering to the media b) lying c) delusional d) mistaken (they're well-meaning, they just don't have the expertise that you possess, and your opinion should bear more weight).

Hilarious? A "sad effort?" eball uses stats and actual numbers to make his point and you blather in return. Seriously. Stop trolling.

Newton, Luck, and RGIII are very different discussions. I agree that "at some point you might have to take a step back in order to move forward." And, Newton, Luck and Griffin might be worth the step back- not Dalton. Plus, I'm tired of moving back. It's been what, three years since the miserable Dick Jauron, and everyone associated with him, was sent packing? It feels like Gailey/Nix have been building for this year. Not next year or the year after. I'll agree with this distinction. But, Chan wouldn't be a very good coach if he didn't modify his system around the strengths of his QB. Also, I take Chan at his word that he has faith in Fitz as their franchise QB. So, the distinction is largely semantic.

Let's not go there. This is football, not politics.

Of course, this is a purely academic exercise, BUT... I would definitely NOT trade Fitz for Dalton right now. Gailey has built the system around Fitz and every reasonable indicator gives Fitz a very good chance of performing at or above the level he played at during the first half of last season. If that happens, we have a winning team. Putting in another QB (save for the very few elite QBs) would be a step backwards- especially one with only one season under his belt. Perhaps moving forward with Fitz will be a step in the wrong direction, but we won't know until we start playing. It's a choice between moving forward or moving backward. Personally, I have very high hopes for Fitz. I say, move forward.

Using the QB (passer) rating really has very little meaning in your argument. For those who don’t know, the formula for the passer rating is: [(a + b + c + d)/6] x 100, whereas a = [(completions/attempts x 100) – 30] x 0.05; b = [(yards/att) – 3] x 0.25; c = (TD/att) x 20; and d = 2.375 – (interceptions/att x 25). Q: What’s missing from this equation? A: any variables that include the performance of any other player on the field other than the quarterback. So, if a QB has no offensive line to speak of and is only given an average of 1.6 seconds to get rid of the ball before being sacked, their rating will be low. Or, if a QB is playing a superior defense, their rating will be lower. That’s why Matt Stafford of the Lions could have a rating of 121.9 against the Panthers, and a 66.5 the following week against the Packers. Conversely, if a QB has great protection, like Tom Brady for most of his career, his rating will tend higher. In real statistical terms (as opposed to the armchair variety practiced by fans on these boards and pundits on ESPN), there are no published p-values, critical values, significance levels, or confidence intervals for the passer rating. Why? A: because it is statistically meaningless; it has no use for statistical analysis. I think that the only use for the passer rating is for (crudely) tracking a single QB's performance against weekly variables such as the one's mentioned above. It has almost no value for comparing different players on different teams. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it is a better indicator of team performance than of QB performance.

I'm definitely not one of those "worried" fans. But, it does somehow make me feel a little more at ease to read an article that doesn't heap praise on the Bills. Like last season, I always felt a little better going into a game as an underdog- which were most of the games we won. We lost most of the games we were favored in. All that aside, this article reads like some high school kid's homework assignment. (no offense, Teen Insight.)

If he can't run, he's a below average QB.

I bet every season- I live in L.A., but do a lot of work in Vegas. I also Have a bookie who covers bets based on Vegas Insider consensus. Generally speaking, I don't bet on the Bills games (emotions will cloud judgment). I was surprised to see the LV Hilton had opened betting on the week one opener about seven weeks ago. They had the Jets favored by 5.5. How could I pass that up? At this moment, the spread has dropped to 4 points for the Jets. I would be surprised if it didn't continue to drop.

Finally, something to talk about.

F**K BUFFALO WILD WINGS.

Meh. It was just a Camry. Show me Darius lifting a Cadillac, or an SUV, or Rex Ryan's ego, or a Pats fan's mouth and I'll be impressed.