racketmaster

I think your right to say it was a tough spot (very good defense) and also a game in which our starting offense scored 3 points. Personally, I think Peterman has the ability to be a solid backup or low end starter. I'm banking on him improving from last year. If he does not then he ends up as a third stringer or low end backup. I don't believe this to be at all a stretch in the evaluation of his abilities.

Where do guys come up with this stuff? By watching the games and looking at statistics. Peterman looked poised and competent for a rookie qb. Peterman actually completed 54.4% of his passes, not 50%. He had a 75.6% passer rating but this was a new offense being installed so even the veterans around him were learning. In comparison, Tyrod completed 48.3% of his passes and had a passer rating of 27.9%. Tyrod accounted for zero tds in the preseason while Peterman had 1. Peterman played better in the preseason and that is hard to dispute. Again, Peterman generally played against backups and his play was not so good that he should have started week 1. But the coaches did believe enough in Peterman to start him in an important spot. All reports I have seen have indicated Peterman is outplaying Mccaron and that he looks better this year. Peterman and Mccaron are both 5th round picks, but one was drafted by the current HC while the other was signed after the dust settled and no other teams came calling for him. I would actually be surprised if Mccaron beat Peterman out for the starter or backup spot. I believe Peterman has a stronger arm (especially with improvements made in the offseason) and he is more mobile. Peterman is also cheaper so if they are equal $ will be a factor in Peterman's favor. All that said, Peterman is not the future of the Buffalo Bills. That role belongs to Josh Allen. How long Allen waits depends on how well Peterman plays as well as Allen's progression.

We will agree to disagree about Peterman’s preseason. Certainly the coaching staff believed enough in his preseason play and practice performances to bench Tyrod in the middle of a playoff race. Goff is an easy and current example of improved play from a rookie year, but most qbs gets better after a year of NFL experience. From Peyton Manning to Jared Goff. Carson Wentz is another current example of a qb who took an extra step in his second year. It is definitely the norm for there to be improvement but how much varies. The media (guys like Buscaglia and Fairborn) have seen Peterman in practice and believe he looks better and has been outperforming Mccaron by a wide margin. That’s all we have to go on at this point but it seems promising. Again, I’m not under any illusion that Peterman is our long term answer but he very well could be competent while we are waiting on Allen.

Impressive for a 5th round pick. He outplayed Taylor in the preseason and many fans were clamoring for him to start (I was not one of them). But he did look to have some potential as a backup or low end starter. If he was was able to make some offseason adjustments to develop his arm strength, he could be a compentant starter until Allen is ready. We we need to remember that Peterman was a rookie and the awful half he had should not be held against him for the rest of his career. Many rookie qbs have struggled. Look at Jared Goff. He was terrible as a rookie, with a much larger sample size. Yet, he made significant improvement as a sophomore qb. It is likely that Peterman has also improved, the question is by how much. Early reports seem to indicate that he has taken a big step.

Peterman had 1 really bad half of football as a rookie and so many wrote him off. He impressed in preseason last year and was competent in the snow game. All reports have indicated that he has improved from his rookie year, which makes sense. Peterman has a better arm than Mccaron and is a better athlete. He offers some playmaking ability when things break down where Mccaron offers next to nothing. This is is going to be Josh Allen’s team but until he takes command I would much rather roll with Peterman than Mccaron. The qb in this offense is not going to be permitted to just be a distributor of the football. The line and limited amount of playmakers will cause the qb to have to play off script and Peterman is the better option until Allen is ready.

I would not be surprised because those serving or having served in the military make up a large group of people that have come from various backgrounds. It would defy logic to think members of the military all thought the same way on an issue that has the rest of the country divided. The 3 people in my family that have served in the military all believe that kneeling is disrespectful but I do believe there are many military members that don't feel the same way. Personally, I would prefer players stand along with everyone else in the stadium. I understand the point that players have tried to make but I do think it sets a dangerous precedent. The country is very divided in terms of political viewpoints and in many ways always has. But one place we can all stand together is during the anthem. It is an opportunity for us all to come together even if it is just for a moment. This may sound hokey but with the divisiveness in politics it is good to have a common bond and we don't have enough of them. The media covering the anthem protests has lead to kneeling at lower levels of football whether it be youth or high school. NFL players tend to be role models for younger kids. Also, where and when do the protests end? Racial tensions and inequalities are issues that will not end over night and will likely take decades to be solved. Will anthem protests go on for decades? And if so will the anthem no longer become a moment for us all to stand together but rather just another time for us to air our grievances. Now that people have seen how effective the protests have been (having the media spend so much time discussing the issue), what other issues may players feel justified in kneeling? Could there be kneeling for abortion, gay rights, environmental issues? There are endless causes and now that "the cat is out of the bag" there could be kneeling (or another form of protest during the anthem) to bring attention to those particular issues. Without the owners taking any action, it could be a slippery slope. So, is the new policy perfect? No, but players are still permitted to remain in the locker room if they do not feel comfortable. Nobody is forcing them to stand but they just won't be shown on tv and focused on during the period of the anthem which ultimately becomes a distraction. And for the rest of the people in the stadium we can stand together as a country at least for that brief moment in time.

Plus, once players know they will not be shown on camera kneeling there won't be much of an incentive for them to do it.

Allen is clearly his top qb. He believes there are 3 franchise qbs in the 2018 draft and they should all go very quickly in the draft. He believes Allen, Darnold and Rosen are the top qbs. He is is also very high on Mason Rudolph and believes when it is all said and done he could end up being the best qb in the draft. Not as high on Jackson and Mayfield. Mayfield had an excellent supporting cast and too many plays in which there was no pressure and wide open WRs. Fairchild is looking for specific NFL traits and there were not a ton of throws that he saw from Baker that translate to the NFL game (pocket muddier and windows tighter). He thought Jackson can be a qb but was not a first round qb. Did not display any consistent ability to get past first read. And when he did try to get to 2nd and 3rd reads his feet did not match up with his upper body leading to inaccuracies. This can be coached but will take time. I just posted a summary above but it is worth listening to when you find the time.

I know Fairchild was on WGR 550 today but here is a link to a Denver radio interview just before the draft. He seems to believe strongly in Allen as a franchise qb and has worked with him in the past (recruited Allen). https://www.google.com/amp/s/orangeandblue760.iheart.com/alternate/amp/2018-04-25-former-csu-hc-steve-fairchild-talks-draft-qbs/

The windows and openings close up quick in the red zone. You won’t get a lot of receivers running wide open in this area of the field. Allen is used to his WRs getting minimal separation no matter where they are on the field so the red zone throws were no different for him at Wyoming.

That “fan” is better off saving the deflated balls for Brady to sign.

Probably. In all likelihood, he will not be as good as Kyle Williams. But that's a lofty standard and is asking too much from a 3rd round pick. What I think Phillips can be is a very solid player and a core locker room guy. So he may not be a core play maker on defense but he could still be a core leader in the locker room with his steady play and high character.

You left out that Tyrod was a threat as a runner, something that Mccaron will never be. There is value in that ability and what it can bring to an offense, even if you choose to ignore it. In the end, Mccaron is a slightly better passer (even with a weak arm) but it is not enough of a difference to make up for the loss of the running ability. I was fine with moving on from Tyrod to get better but Mccaron will not make this offense better, it will just be different.

I love this pick. He will be a core player on our defense along with Tre White.

Expecting Mccaron to be anything more than a quality backup/low end starter is unwise. The league told us what they thought of his ability this free agency period. He never seriously challenged Andy Dalton. And he put up just decent numbers during his only extended playing time while surrounded by tremendous talent. Mccaron is what he is (a fifth round talent with backup qb ability).

Here is an in depth interview Draft Wire has with Wyoming’s OC. Some good information in there especially regarding what Allen was asked to do at the line of scrimmage. Confirms what Beane thinks of Allen, not as “raw” as many people believe he is. https://draftwire.usatoday.com/2018/05/07/josh-allen-nfl-draft-bills-wyoming-brent-vigen/

Vick, Cutler, Stafford and Ryan? Not exactly a sad group. We know the college game has drastically changed over the past 6 years or so. The spread and RPOs have allowed for many easy throws and completions. Thus, it is rare to find a top end NFL prospect that can't hit at least 60%. So on the surface, this seems to be a major red flag but as stated above Allen operated in a more traditional pro style offense. He did not have the same amount of simple throws that most other college qbs had. Add in the fact that Allen had little talent around him in 2017 and you understand the 56.2% does not tell the whole story. I would argue that Allen's offense more resembled what the quarterbacks of the 1990's and early 2000's operated in as opposed to the spread offenses we see most college teams run. And if that is the case, then comparisons that go back to Bledsoe and Favre make a little more sense.

Great for the program!!

I guess. But the Manning brothers, Brady and Roethlisberger have won 11 of the last 17 Super Bowls. Not too many other qbs have had much of a chance.

I'm no qb coach but believe this to be mostly true. However, I think there is first and foremost a natural arm accuracy that each individual has. By that I mean, if a player were to just stand still and try an hit objects at various distances, how accurate are they?. Then, the lower half comes into play and it is a significant part of being accurate, maybe more important than the natural arm accuracy part.

I remember that huge jump in percentage. I wonder how much that had to do with the passing schemes they ran at NC State and Wisconsin? Maybe receiving weapons and coaching had some impact as well. In any case, had Wilson not transferred to Wisconsin he could have become another success story as a sub 60% passer.

TD Mike hurts himself by not being a better pass catcher (at least compared to the other NE RBs). NE loves throwing to the rbs and Lewis and Burkhead could create mismatches for them in the passing game. They value versatility and Mike is not as versatile as some of the other guys they had last year.

I agree, there really is no magic number. I thought this during the draft process when Allen was being ridiculed for his 56%. I was looking at the praise being thrown at Josh Rosen and thinking he is at 60%. There is a significant difference in those numbers but was it that much of a difference to bash one prospect (Allen) and praise another (Rosen) for his mechanics and accuracy.