ctk232

I'm getting tired of this, "It's either Smith or Barkley at 8." There is no reason we should draft either QB considering the circumstances we need one. We need a FRANCHISE quarterback if we want to see the success that we have all been craving for the past two decades. However, it doesn't take a franchise quarterback to win a Super Bowl. There have been plenty of teams who have done it with game managers but a great QB can't hurt. Matt Barkley: Come on, guys. It's simple. Name one good Quarterback to come out of USC and succeed in the NFL...Marinovich? Palmer? Sanchez? Leinart? Booty? Yes Barkley has great numbers....in Southern California, where the only thing better than the weather are the girls...I don't care what numbers somebody puts up in SoCal when the Bills play in a cold weather system. Analysts agree, Barkley doesn't have the physical credentials to be a successful cold weather quarterback: small hands, weak cold weather arm, etc. We don't know what offense we will be running yet and quite honestly, we don't have the personnel for a West Coast style offense. Nor would Barkley be the guy to go to to lead us in that scheme. He is a waste of an 8th pick in this draft considering the insurmountable question marks left to cover. Geno Smith: I kind of like Geno. He had a great pro day and he performed well throughout the season. But again, his Bowl performance worried me. If that is any indication how he performs in certain field conditions I don't think his adaptability is ideal for the Bills system. Furthermore, I know he is fast, athletic, and has a great arm. However, I will always stick by my belief that Running QBs do not last in the NFL. His speed works in college against weaker and slower LBs who cannot cover the flats, but the next level is full of OLBs waiting to lay a lick on any QB who thinks they are bold enough to run on them. Michael Vick, RGIII, Colin Kaepernick are the three of the most prominent running QBs in the league currently. Vick has been injury prone his entire career and RGIII's injury ended the Redskin's season this past year, and could present further issues moving forward. Sure Kaepernick and Wilson aren't injured and they are both very mobile QBs. But they aren't injured yet. Consistent exposure to hard hits and situations where defenses are looking to take them out of the game WILL result in injury. There's a common trait and reason why Brady, Rogers, and Manning are consistently the top tier QBs in the league. They have great OLs, situational awareness, QB IQ, and arm strength. They are all pocket QBs and are well off for it. You do not need a mobile QB to win games. The 8th pick in this draft should be spent either on an LB, WR, or OL. Enough said. We need all those positions otherwise any QB we could draft in this class would suffer and decline in their freshman year. If we were to draft a QB this year I wouldn't mind having EJ Manuel as early as the second round. He's larger and more durable and can still stretch plays out with his legs. He's got a lot of question marks as well though. Bottom line, there isn't a franchise QB in this draft. Sure nobody can predict the future, but neither can they predict success. We are better off getting positional needs and playing to draft a guy like Manziel or another future QB prospect.

I'm okay with a few things but cheap fa pick ups usually end up as wasted cap space that could be used on potential draft prospects, especially for the positions of the fa's listed above, there is tremendous depth at DE and some at CB. And also, ej biggers is a miserable CB. Living with two bucs fans I've watched him blow many plays in key situations and contributes solid coverage maybe once or twice a game. Huge waste of money that could be spent elsewhere.

We all know QB is a primary issue that needs to be addressed this offseason. But the problem is the talent available will not guarantee us a franchise QB. For some inconceivable reason, previous administration put faith in Fitz for the future and now we're sitting in a fairly precarious predicament. So what do we do? The way I see it we really have two solid options and three possibilities... 1.) Go after a NFL QB in the offseason - I like this option best because it provides us with someone who isn't necessarily a project, but given current cap room and what we are looking to do, we could easily secure a game manager quarterback that will at least guarantee us interim success. Our desperation to find a franchise qb quickly impedes our judgement of talent and without patience, we will constantly end up with projects that may never reach where we need them to be. Go after a Quarterback like Alex Smith who can manage the game, make quick smart decisions, make plays, and limit mistakes and turnovers and our offense will form. 2.) Draft a QB - In my opinion, there is no single QB talent in the 2013 draft that is worth spending a first or second round pick on. Period. We have plenty of other needs that will improve our standing with much greater talent depth. For example, going after an OLB in the first or potentially a MLB, if the talent is there, is a primary concern that will help our run defense and establish a front 7. With our current d-line and Nigel Bradham and Kelvin Sheppard, we have tremendous potential that Marrone needs to motivate to perform. By drafting an OLB we secure the pass rush we have been craving for years that will make a noticeable difference and help our offense get on the field. CB and WR also should be addressed before looking at a QB in this draft. The depth of talent isn't as great for CB's and is less so for WR's, but to grab a solid talent in the second for either position would also be a great improvement. It may be worth a third round pick if a talent QB is there to test the waters, but it's honestly too big of a risk given the current state of affairs. 3.) Don't address the QB issue at all - This is certainly an option and I don't know how I'd personally feel about it but it may have potential. Gailey had opportunity in Jackson all season and never gave him a chance in the final game. I wish he had so we could gauge his potential but if there is no solid QB talent in free agency or the draft, maybe we should give him a chance? I'm not saying he's our QB of the future, but there's only one certainty and that is that everything is uncertain. Given all this what options and courses of actions do you feel the team should pursue to address to QB issue in the offseason?

I'd say this is more of a video of how Nassib commanded the offense against Northwestern. It's difficult to gauge what plays Marrone actually called and how much of his offensive philosophy he will carry over into the NFL. You see in this game a lot of screen options and spread option plays. I like the use of play action, but again, this is with a team with limited personnel. I think Marrone's offense is going to change to reflect the talent in the starting line up (or at least we'd hope so). I think the only thing you can really gain from this video is Nassib's play if Marrone decides to influence the front office to go after him in the 2nd hopefully 3rd round. I said it in my last post that there is no QB talent worth spending a first or second round draft pick on in this draft period. There is much greater talent emerging in the next year or two and to waste an early pick on a massive project QB would be incredibly detrimental to the Bills future. Go after a game managing QB like Alex Smith in free agency and negotiations and use the draft picks on def, WR, and finally QB if the value pick is there. Nassib looks like he has great potential, but I just wish we could gauge his potential against more prominent D-1 teams.

Over the past couple of seasons, and particularly this past year. A few things have stood out to me that I hear very very little about. Things that statistics don't necessarily portray, nor those that the media will cover. 1. Alex Carrington: For the past two seasons, I have watched Alex Carrington perform tremendously every week and every minute he is given to play. He hustles to the play and makes game changing plays that we constantly complain our D-Line doesn't make. Carrington is the most under-valued player on the BIlls defensive line and should he start could make many more plays that he has proven he can make every Sunday. Forget Moore, forget these out-of-position players, we have the talent and we just need to give them the chance. 2. Linebackers: For most of the season I have been waiting for the draft to select a linebacker. Honestly, there are no WR worth drafting in the first couple rounds, nor are there any franchise quarterbacks in the draft period. I keep reading posts about Glennon, Wilson, and company, but these sound more like pleas of desperation after another season of FItzpatrick. We don't need to draft a franchise quarterback this year. We need a game manager in the short term until the franchise qb emerges in the draft. Many super bowl teams have won without a Tom Brady or Eli Manning in the past decade, most notably the Bucs with Johnson and the Ravens with Dilfer. Neither of whom were incredible quarterbacks. That being said, I also don't think our issue is at MLB. Nigel Bradham has established himself as a Rookie force in the league and will continue to do so. He isn't the largest of linebackers but he is certainly the most active and hardest hitting of our core. Kelvin Sheppard needs to stay healthy and could continue to contribute should he maintain his health. Merriman is old, yes, and so is Barnett, but we can afford to part with one and keep the other as a solid back up choice. Furthermore, all this being said, I think we need to use our first round pick on an OLB. We are in desperate need of another pash rusher that we thought was addressed with the signing of Mario in the offseason, but it hasn't completely filled our pash rush need. There is plenty OLB talent worth taking in the first round capable of playing on our defense. 3. Coaching: I'm so tired of our coaching staff. I really am. You play to win the game. Period. So many times I have seen receivers stop running, players give up on plays, not taking the extra play before the two-minute warning, and not driving down the field with two minutes left in the first half to attempt to get an extra three points. This is partially due to Fitz but the fault falls upon the coaching. Our coaches do not motivate the players to play to the talent we are capable of. It sickens me week in and week out how our coaches fail to get the most talent out of our team. I have Bucs roommates and it's unbearable to watch football with them. But one thing I've noticed was their ownership and managing doesn't waste choices in coaching talent. This past year under Schiano after Morris was a drastic change. The Bucs went from awful to a near playoff contender with the exception of a few flaws. But one of them is not coaching. Their players want to play every minute of every game at 1000% and it shows. It was prevalent in week one against the Giants when they took the knee and Coughlin complained and cried about how they played football until the last second. This is what our team needs more than ever. We are not a team in need of more talent, we are a team in need of staff that can manifest that talent and motivate it on the field. All this being said there are more issues that aren't being addressed that deserve note, but they are to come pending our offseason decisions and our draft position.