Bagel

This is a fun thread -- and it helps crystallize that we likely won't be telling our grandchildren about the Tyrod Taylor era.

For all their flaws Tyrod and EJ are both noted for being diligent, hardworking players. And yet, to my eye, neither player appeared to progress from last year to this year. Rather, they exhibited the same flaws. Accordingly, how much blame (if any) do you assign to the quarterback coach for their apparent lack of development? David Lee has a lengthy resume. But it’s not exactly littered with success. http://prod.static.bills.clubs.nfl.com/assets/pdf/pdf-bios/Lee-David-Bio.pdf

Again, I can only speak from my personal experience, but having taught D1 athletes at Stanford I can assure you that is not the case there. You may not like guys like Doug Baldwin, Andrew Luck, Richard Sherman or AJ Tarpley, but those guys worked HARD (and honestly) at Stanford.

I don't know what you are basing this on, but having taught athletes at Stanford -- including Stanford football players -- I can assure you that this is not my experience. I determined their grades and there was no "cheating" to keep them eligible. I was not involved with admissions, but once on campus Stanford football players took the same courses and met the same academic requirements as their fellow Stanford students.

A few years ago Joe B said that he preferred Matt Barkley to Andrew Luck as a prospect "because he has a better arm." Seems like a nice guy, but I don't particularly value his football acumen.

One additional fact may be instructive. The Krafts have also owned the MLS New England Revolution since their inception in 1995. There the Krafts have not found their Belichick or Brady. The Revolution’s aggregate record is 194-231-102. They have had 6 winning seasons in 17 years and have never won the MLS Championship. Perhaps post-Belichick/Brady the Patriots will revert to similar mediocrity.

Buddy Nix seems to make good use of the waiver wire (see Merriman, Shawne, Chandler, Scott and Urbik, Kraig). Are there any teams flush with OT prospects who may discard a better player than Ed Wang or Cordaro Howard? If so, what teams/players do people have their eye on? When Vernon Carey was asked to take a pay cut I had a two day panda watch going with dollars 2 donuts. It's a pity that he agreed to accept the cut and stay on with the Fins.

I agree that it's too early to make definitive statements about Andrew Luck, but in addition to the arm, poise, decision-making etc., he plays with a good deal of controlled fire. Set forth below is a link from last night's Stanford win over USC where he decleats a defender after a Stanford fumble.

I don't necessarily agree with his premise. Even winning 7 games this season should not prevent us from drafting a franchise QB next year because (1) at this point there appears to be an unusually large number of interesting possibilities – such as Locker, Luck, Mallett, Ponder and Devlin and (2) so many of the bad teams have recently signed/drafted their franchise quarterbacks (St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Seattle, Kansas City, Denver, Detroit). As such, we could still win 7 games this season and walk away with someone like Mallett at the draft, especially if we are willing to trade up a few slots.

I would also encourage your son to watch Owen Marecic, Stanford’s starting FB and MLB. He plays the game correctly and always looks like he’s having fun (he’s my favorite player in CFB). Owen is also a great kid by all accounts and is pre-med (3.98 gpa last semester). I’m always searching for positive role models for my little guys and Marecic fits the bill.

To be fair, Trent did not choose to go to the worst program in the Pac-10. During Trent's senior year of high school Stanford went 9-3, playing in the Aloha Bowl. This turned out to be Ty Willingham's last year at Stanford (where he compiled a 44-36 record). I don't think anyone could have predicted the disaster that was the Buddy Teevens/Walt Harris era.

I am perplexed by your oft repeated comment that Trent “sucked” in college. It’s no secret that Trent played on some horrific teams at Stanford. He had a lousy offensive line and, even worse, questionable targets. I remember one game where Trent’s starting WRs were both walk-ons. One local columnist suggested that Trent sue Stanford for lack of support. Despite that, Trent was first team freshman all Pac-10 and ranks in the top 10 for Stanford in career yards, completions and touchdowns. He was also team captain and team MVP. Admittedly, his college statistics were good, not great. But for those of us who actually watched him play at Stanford, I submit that Trent was an excellent college player.

Given our physical resemblance, I believe that I should get a Darryl Talley jersey.

I have seen a number of posts that contemplate the Bills drafting Andrew Luck next year. First, I understand the excitement. I was at Stanford’s spring game last year when Andrew was throwing touchdown passes like Dan Marino in 1984. He is 6’4” 235 with a great arm – perfect size and arm strength for Orchard Park. As a freshman he threw for 13 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, with an average yards per attempt of 9. He was also second on the team in rushing, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. In addition, he has tremendous field awareness, footwork and accuracy. Andrew is a great kid, humble and a natural leader. BUT, please note two items: 1. Experience. Andrew has only played in 12 college games. Moreover, he played behind a dominant offensive line and handed the ball off to Toby Gerhart, the Doak Walker winner as the best running back in college football. Andrew may be good, great or terrible. It’s really too early to tell. 2. Availability. Andrew may not come out in next year’s draft. You may recall Andrew’s father, Oliver, who played at West Virginia and spent most of his 5 year NFL career as a backup to Warren Moon. Oliver is now GM of the Houston Dynamo after spending 10 years in an administrative position with the NFL. This family is not hurting for cash and the early-entry decision will not be driven by a need to support the Luck family. Andrew takes academics very seriously. He was his high school’s valedictorian (class of 441 students) and is majoring in architectural engineering. If he stays for the 2011 season, Andrew can earn his degree. Also, Andrew’s sister Mary is starting at Stanford in the fall on a volleyball scholarship. Andrew is enjoying himself and receiving pro level coaching in college. He may not leave school after his sophomore season. In sum, I share the board’s general lack of enthusiasm for our current slate of quarterbacks, but I am more focused on following the collegiate progress of Messrs. Mallett, Locker and Devlin in 2010.

Fair point JayBaller10. I agree that the admission's standards for Stanford football recruits are lower than those for the general population. But to put it in perspective, in the early part of the decade (2003?), I was chatting with some Stanford faculty who noted that the average test scores of the incoming class of football recruits was higher than the average test scores of an incoming Ivy league student (non-athlete). You are absolute right that ND does not bend it's academic requirements for football players to the same degree as comparable institutions. Cal football academics has actually gotten better under coach Tedford. Moreoever, as I understand it, Marshawn was known to take academics seriously in college. Who knew? That said, this is really all a red herring, unless Trent can prove to better substantially more durable and aggressive in 2010, I am looking forward to watching Locker, Luck or Mallett behind center in 2011.

As someone who taught at Stanford -- including Stanford football players -- let's just say that I strongly disagree with your assessment, both with regard to admissions generally and with regard to Trent's admittance specifically. I don't recall if Trent was his high school's valedictorian, but he did graduate with a 3.9 gpa and scored an 1130 on his SATs. That said, I do share your reservations about Trent as the starting QB for the Bills.

Two additional thoughts: 1. As dollars to donuts says, historically the two of us used the draft as an excuse to get together. We’d enjoy the draft (except when we passed on Ngata, drafted McCargo, watched SF pick Willis et al.), play some ball and generally relish the weekend. The revised draft schedule has scuttled our plans. In my opinion the revised draft schedule is a pure cash grab by the NFL at the expense of its diehard fans – and that stinks. 2. I wonder if our enjoyment of the draft is somehow related to our lack of playoff games. We substitute one event to partially assuage the loss of another. Do you remember how fun playoff games are? God, I miss the build-up and the excitement. I took playoff games for granted in the 1980s and 1990s – I promise that I won’t do that in the future.

A reivew of Gaither by the Football Scientist on ESPN: Gaither has been a starter for the past two seasons and in that time his metrics have been nothing short of superb. He has allowed only seven total sacks in 27 games and only one of these was a one-on-one sack (defined as when a defender beats a blocker in a one-on-one environment and tackles the quarterback in the pocket within three seconds of the snap). That illustrates Gaither's dominant pass blocking skills, but his run blocking numbers are also quite notable. Gaither was at the Point of Attack (POA) on 300 running plays the past two years and he won his block 255 times, or 85 percent of the time. That is a solid number on its own, but his 2009 POA win rate of 89.0 percent is even more noteworthy. To put that total into perspective, consider that in a typical NFL season, a little less than one out of ten offensive linemen will crack the 90 percent POA win mark. Gaither was on the precipice of that mark last year despite battling injuries. Put these two factors together and it equals a truly elite blindside blocker. Add to this the question marks surrounding many of the left tackles in this year's draft and it means Gaither is hands down the best choice in the market at his position, especially since it will reportedly only cost a second-round pick to acquire him. http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/new...d_front_xxx_xxx

If memory serves, we also accommodated Chris Spielman so that he could play for the Browns. Given the two options, I would prefer a draft pick to a retirement. That said, how much would the Texans or Boys pony up for Aaron?

Please put his record in context. The year before Harbaugh took the reins, Stanford went 1-11 on merit. The following year's team was less talented and Harbaugh led them to a 4-8 record, including wins over USC and Cal. More importantly he changed the culture. The man can coach. But -- for reasons stated elsewhere on the board -- I don't believe that Harbaugh would take the Buffalo job if offered. Of course, a large check could make things interesting. As an aside, earlier this week Harbaugh hired Brian Polian (son of Bill and former UB assistant coach) as his special teams coach at Stanford.

Unless he and others are lying, Harbaugh signed an extension: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../SPSB1B3O1H.DTL

Rather than a stop gap, I think that Jason Campbell could be our long-term answer at QB -- thus allowing us to go LT and then LB in the draft. Watching Campbell play is like viewing a dilapidated house. Strip away the cobwebs and imagine it with a fresh coat of paint. He has a poor line, questionable receivers and a revolving door of offensive coordinators. But he has ability.

From today's ESPN discussion with Chris Mortensen: I am told that NFL personnel folks who attended Locker's UW game vs. Cal on Saturday were blown away by his performance. Someone told me, "Taller Steve Young."

Shanahan wants to work in 2010. No other opportunities are guaranteed. The Bills offer control. Shanny can bring in his son as offensive coordinator/assistant HC and groom him as an evenutal replacement. That has to be appealing. Moreover, if Shanahan really does love Jimmy Clausen as Allen Wilson reports, then we may be in a position to scratch that itch.

It's an interesting thought. Jim Harbaugh has NFL and college experience and has been a revelation at Stanford. He completely changed the culture of a losing team. Jim Harbaugh has a vision. That is, he wants his teams to be more violent than the opposition on both sides of the ball. An NFL scout recently called Stanford the most physical team in college football. On offense they run mostly power, counter, iso, and a decent amount of trap with just a little bit of sweep thrown in. It's very old-school, Woody Hayes type stuff, but they run it from a wide variety of formations. (As an aside, if you watch a Stanford game, focus on their FB Owen Marecic (he also plays some MLB). He has long curly blonde hair and is pre-med, but he just hammers linebackers. Owen has cracked multiple helmets this year and is a joy to watch.) Harbaugh complements his power running game with a downfield passing attack. I believe that Andrew Luck still leads college football in passing yards per attempt. Dear Lord, why can't the Bills follow this approach? I believe it unlikely that Harbaugh would join the Bills for several reasons: 1. Contract Extension. Harbaugh reached agreement on a contract extension in February for (reportedly) about $1.5 million per year. The signing was delayed because Stanford was in the midst of layoffs (although they did build Harbaugh a new $50K bathroom for his office this summer). Would Ralph pay Harbaugh substantially more than $1.5 million per year? 2. Future Team. The Stanford team is young (losing only 5-6 starters next year) and are led by a freshman QB who may eventually be the first pick overall in the NFL draft. Harbaugh has a good thing going. 3. Family. Jim remarried in early 2008 and last fall they had a baby daughter (Addison). Supposedly Sarah Harbaugh wants to stay put. Jim Harbaugh also has three older kids from a previous marriage and I believe that they are all on the west coast (one son at Oregon State and two kids in Southern California). 4. Geography. Palo Alto is a great place to live and a tough place to leave. Jim went to high school across the street when his dad was a coach at Stanford. Stanford was his dream school, but he did not get an offer. 5. Temperament. Unlike his brother John (who almost left the Eagles in 2007 to become Stanford's defensive coordinator), Jim wears his heart on his sleeve. He bounces off the walls with "EUTM." When Jim's dad (a long-time coach at Western Kentucky) used to drop off little Jimmy Harbaugh at school in the morning, he would instruct Jim to approach the day with an Enthusiasm Unknown To Mankind. Jim lives it. But this manic energy plays better in college football than in the NFL.