Prickly Pete

I guess "he is gonna suck" was a bit harsh. But all I see are broken plays, and mostly runs. I just don't think that will translate to the NFL. I think he is an AMAZING college player, and he is incredibly quick. Of course, in the NFL he will likely get crushed running around like that too.

Just the same, I don't know how people can assume that he will become a significantly better passer. Also, he seems to thrive on "broken plays", and I don't think that will translate very well to the pros. And I certainly think it's silly for people to want the Bills to pass on this years Qb crop, solely because he MIGHT declare for next years draft, and the Bills MIGHT get to select him, and He MIGHT become a better passer. He isn't Andrew Luck. I think at best, he could become the next Doug Flutie.

Where did I say that? I'm sure he will improve, but I don't think he will make it as a pro passer.

Yeah. He probably wouldn't have had as great of a career, but he still would have been great.

Johnny Football is gonna suck as a pro. Not every running QB is gonna become Russell Wilson. He doesn't pass well enough.

Nah. None of the Qb's the Bills had, went on to have success elsewhere. Please, the "Trent Edwards was good before the injury" claim is wrong. He was a 3rd round draft pick type talent, and it showed. At best he might have made a nice backup someday.

Honestly, I wouldn't care if they only drafted Qb's every year, and just tried to fill the rest of their needs with free agents, and undrafted guys. It's getting ridiculous, they have basically gone 2 decades without competing.

Yep. The whole premise of this question is way off, too. How about "How different would this organization look if it had a great QB for the last 8 years?" Coaches (head coaches, position coaches, etc.) don't want to come to a team that doesn't have a good QB. Free agents don't want to come to a team that doesn't have a good Qb. On and on....the entire complexion of the team would probably be different. Rookies coming in would likely have a different attitude if their first pro experience was with a team that was on track. No doubt that losing is contagious. How successful are the Detroit Lions at luring coaches, players, front office people? Who would YOU rather work for, the Pittsburgh Steelers, NY Giants, Denver Broncos....or the Lions? There are just so many variables.

It would be great if they cut Fitz, and Arizona signed him to be their starter, so they pass on selecting a Qb ahead of the Bills!

C'mon dude....

Barkley is going to have a better pro career than Manziel. Holding out a year, in the hope that Manziel will be available for the Bills to select, and that he will be a good pro, is DREAMING.

Woah, just because one guy is asking about Palmer, doesn't mean all the people that want Fitz off the field, would want Palmer. They both suck, but at least Palmer had something going on at some point. I'm not sure what happened to Palmer, if the injuries and time away from the game blunted his tools, or it was something else, but he appears to be through.

Those are both good things to worry about. But the coach I will give the benefit of a doubt, because he is new. The QB is still the same though, and we already know he sucks. Get someone new in there.

I think most people here understand all that. The point is, most don't want to sit through another year of Fitz. It's time to do something. Sure, they might eek out a couple more games this year with him, but it's clear that they are treading water with Fitz., and they can no longer sell fans the false hope he delivers. They really should have drafted a guy 2 years ago, but they didn't. They tried to build the team up around Fitz instead, but it's blown up in their face. I don't know what else there is to say about Fitz that hasn't been discussed, ad nauseum. Sounds reasonable to me.

Well, (since you are taking this seriously), you have to believe that if Fitz won 2 Super Bowls with the Bills, he would be pretty effin' beloved by the fan base here.

i like Fitz, he seems to be exactly what you want in a teammate. Nothing would have made me happier than Fitz coming through, and being a good QB. There is plenty to like about the person, just not his play.

I think SJ likes Fitz the person (I think the whole team does. I believe he is a great teammate), but SJ would put up huge numbers, and win a bunch more games, with a quality starter slinging the ball around.

Seriously, I can't see Barkley not being an upgrade, and quickly. He is polished, with tons of experience, and with his training and coaching taken to the next level, he will at least become a competent starter, something the Bills haven't had in a very long time. Fitz has thrown for a lot of yards, but he has terrible ball placement, throws a ton of picks, and developed a knack for blowing games. That is why, though many will say with a better game plan he can be successful, I don't believe in him.

No, I don't see ANY available quarterback leading the Bills to the playoffs this season. I can picture Barkley having some of the throwing limitations that Fitz has (I'm not sure about his arm strength), but I think Barkley won't throw bad interceptions at the rate Fitz does. Fitz is supposed to be great at reading defenses and all the cerebral aspects of the game, but he makes some terrible decisions, especially late in game. I don't think it will take long for Barkley to surpass Fitz, and having Fitz as the starter will kill the morale of the team before the season even starts. The players need to feel that they are building toward something (same as the fans), and a new Qb is essential to get any kind of optimism started.

When the team doesn't believe in it's Quarterback, they are going nowhere. The talent level on the Bills overall isn't that different from most of the league, it's just that year in, and year out, they know it's all for naught. It just becomes about playing for personal stats, and the paycheck. Coasting.

I'm not crazy about Smith, but a 2nd round pick, more often than not ends up being a Torrell Troup, or Aaron Williams, or Roscoe Parrish. The 34th pick, for a guy that has at least won some games isn't so bad. I didn't want the Bills to get Smith, but I think it's a justifiable trade.

By that point it was only a mathmatical possibility. They were done, and they knew it, and most of us knew it. Williams just had a favorable matchup that game.

My favorite part of the cited interview... One of the last things we discussed is Barkley's trip to the Manning Passing Academy last July, his first trip to see into Peyton's and Eli's worlds. "I learned a valuable lesson from Peyton, about sometimes you have to be a d---,'' he said. "Doing what is asked is not enough to win in the NFL, I know that,'' he said. "You've got to do more. And I intend to.'' I can't see him not being an upgrade over Fitz. One of the team's problems seems to be that no one is holding each other accountable. Jim Kelly did, and I think Barkley will too (I know., he will have to earn it on the field). I recall a Bills player saying something like "everybody on the team gets along really well, but that might be part of the problem". He has lived in the spotlight for 4 seasons already, and the guy has a ton of high pressure experience, and been through tumultuous off-field distractions. He knows what he is doing. If you compare interviews of him to Matt Leinhart, it immediately jumps out how much more mature he is than that fool. He has shown great leadership skills as well, and his work ethic is unquestionable. Just pick him at 8, and then get going building the rest of the team.

It all starts with the Qb. They could have Larry Fitzgerald, and Calvin Johnson, and they might have won a game or two more. If the guy can't get the ball to them, they are useless. What's so hard to understand about that?

Why would they trade a guy they thought was good, to the Bills? At this point, why would the Bills send picks to the Pats? I'd be willing to bet that a Ryan Mallett quarterbacked team will NEVER beat a Belichick coached team. Ever.