BigDingus

I don't know why people always forget this, but we had one of the best Guards in the league for years in Reuben Brown. Since we've included people like Eric Moulds who played on the same team as him for quite a while, figured Brown should get a nod too. The guy started in all 181 games he played in, was a 9-time Pro Bowl selection, and 4 time All-Pro. The guy should be above any linemen we have, regardless of position, because he was that good. Also, I'd change: QB #1: Drew Bledose (only if we're talking about in their prime, as he could actually make use of a roster this talented) RB#2 : Marshawn Lynch (need at least 2 RB's on the team) FB: Larry Centers (He might not have played for us long, but prime Larry Centers was one of the top 20 FB's of all time. Hell, he was still good for us in his 2 years.) LG, RG, or any O-line whatsoever: Reuben Brown (Reasons stated above) WR #3: Terrell Owens (Again, only if we're talking about in their prime..but then he'd be WR #1 for sure, but drop Stevie for him & keep the other 2) DT#2: Marcel Dareus (Just a more athletic, and more talented DT than Pat Williams, although Pat was great too) KR #1: Terrence McGee (I know you have him as a CB, but people forget how good he was in the return game as well) PR #1: Roscoe Parrish (The little dude could run, nuff' said)

In terms of what they did on the field and the success they brought to the team, Thurman for sure. In regards to who they are as a person, on top of the kind of player they were, Fred Jackson.

Exactly. And to the other guy who thinks we'll just automatically have a good run game...we regressed last year, and will likely regress more this year. 3 out of 5 of our starting O-linemen are gone, and they just so happened to be our 3 best ones. Shady is getting older, and our depth is worse at the position. I wouldn't say we have "plenty," in regards to a good run game.

I get people's desire to bash the guy, and I hate him myself, but nothing I or anyone else can say can change what he's done on the field (unfortunately). The guy is the GOAT in my opinion, and I can't wait for the day he retires. Tears of joy will stream down my face. It'll be my own personal Super Bowl. But the dude is just so dominant it hurts. I'm pretty sure they threw out a stat recently that he has more wins in Buffalo than any of our starting QB over the last few decades other than Jim Kelly...That's insane. People act like the Dolphins teams in the 70's were some monumental hump to get over, and sure, they were at the time. But Brady has been killing us for over a decade now, and there's still no true end in sight.

Bingo! The OP complains about journalistic integrity, whining about the press printing a story that actually happened, all while simultaneously spreading that same story for more people to read. Makes sense... If you found it so abhorrent, maybe don't get more people to read it. Also, it's a matter of record, and a grand jury found enough evidence to warrant an indictment, and prosecutors were ready to go to trial. Those facts alone speak volumes, whether he was convicted of anything or not. But hey, he's innocent in the eyes of the law, has a cushy coaching gig, and has made millions of dollars in his lifetime, so it is what it is. You guys who say things like "it's been ____ amount of years, who cares now?!" or "if it mattered, why did it take so long for anyone to say something/find out!?" also have issues. It's not like a crime suddenly wasn't committed because X amount of time went by.... If I shot my wife and nobody found out for 40 years, guess what? I still shot my wife. Simply reporting on actual events isn't some scandalous thing to do, regardless of how long ago the event occurred. If you don't care about it, move on. If you do, then have at it. But to vilify the journalist who reported on a very serious event in someone's past that they found of possible interest to the public (as if past actions are automatically absolved because time went on...), is ridiculous when you found it worth mentioning yourself, and shared it with more people. Don't be a hypocrite.

Don't start Allen from day 1... The guy is the most raw out of all the "Big 4" rookie QB's, and has the most to learn and get caught up on in regards to NFL speed, playbook, competition, etc. He also has an awful O-line and WR corps, along with an aging RB who will have even less holes opening for him this coming season. He'll inevitably get injured, or worse, benched, possibly setting back his confidence and opening him up to endless questions throughout the season about if he's NFL ready or not. Rather not throw him in that situation unless we have no other options. The Bills only get one chance to do this right. Better safe than sorry. Thanks for that. Interesting listen. I find it intriguing as well. You could make an argument for any one of them, although the Peterman one is a little far-fetched. But hey, you never know what could happen in OTA's, training camp, pre-season, etc. and if he somehow gets the call as starter, I'll be cautiously optimistic the coaching staff saw something in him that gives them confidence.

And if I didn't make it clear, hell yeah I'd want Josh McCown on this roster right now. You didn't watch many Jets games last year either did you? He at least helped them over achieve until he got injured, when they were predicted to be the worst team in the league last year. In 13 games he averaged 225 yards per game, had 18 TD's to 9 INT's, a 67.3% completion rating, and 94.5 passer rating. Yeah, truly awful. For his career, he's thrown for 17,000+ yards, 97 TD's and 78 INT's with an 80.8 passer rating...as a backup and journeyman. ****************************************************************************************************** Here's what other people and outlets, apparently who you're much smarter than, have said about him: "Unofficially, McCown is the most giving teammate in the history of professional football. Officially, McCown is an incredible resource for any young signal caller hoping to learn the intricacies of playing the most important position in team sports. His winding 16-year journey through the NFL has included eight stops. I dare you to find one former teammate or coach that doesn't speak about him in effusive tones." "McCown may not be the best player at his position on the field, but few quarterbacks in the game are considered to be better teachers. This is a future head coach we’re talking about. What McCown may lack in skill, he makes up for with his locker room presence, especially when it comes to helping younger signal callers." "McCown was an ancient wonder last season with limited means in New York" "The elder statesman has been around the block more than a few times — the wisdom he could pass on to Darnold is endless. Whether it pertains to on-the-field matters, living life in the NFL or whatever else, there’s so much Darnold could learn from his new teammate." And here's an article from yesterday contrasting Alex Smith's attitude and help with Patrick Mahomes compared to Big Ben's with Mason Rudolph - https://www.yahoo.com/news/listen-ben-patrick-mahomes-says-alex-smith-always-helping-192241618.html And here's an article ranking all 32 NFL QB Rooms after the 2018 NFL Draft (Spoiler: Bills ranked exactly where they should be) - http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/nfl-quarterback-rankings-team-by-team-depth-charts-2018-nfl-draft/dqwmovshyin1szrr3sfoyns5 "32. Buffalo Bills QB depth chart: AJ McCarron, Josh Allen, Nathan Peterman McCarron's value at one point was overrated by the Browns and other teams, and his backup-like contract in Buffalo validates that. The Bills having less than a reliable stopgap doesn't mesh with Allen being such a project. Peterman will need to recover from his being shellshocked as a rookie."

It just shows who knows football and who doesn't. Those that disregard the importance of having a veteran are those who don't. McCown has been widely praised by experts and veterans, hall of famers and respected memebers of the league, and everyone with any knowledge and experience in league circles, up and down for his locker room presence, leadership and mentoring abilities. It's the reason a lot of the best coaches and assistant coaches are former players who were backups in the league, not starters. There's a reason Frank Reich is a hot commodity and well respected among coaching circles and not Jim Kelly. It's the reason Jason Garrett has a HC coaching job and not Troy Aikman. The backup signal callers end up being the ones that have great minds for coaching, and those that have been around the league for a long time pass on a lot of knowledge to younger QB's that find far more on-field success. Maybe pay attention to those with far more knowledge than us about the game instead of just assuming "backup = not important."

No, those are all superior to ours. Cleveland - Tyrod Taylor has 3 years of starting experience and 8 years in the league. They also have Drew Stanton, been in the league since 2008 and has played in 5 times as many games as our roster combined. Chicago - Trubisky showed promise, and got his rookie season out of the way. He has twice as many starts as our roster combined. Indy - Andrew Luck is returning, and either way he's had more success than anyone the Bills have had since Kelly. Just backing him up and training with him is valuable. They also have Jacoby Brissett who started games with the Patriots & played a year under Bill Belichick, coupled with playing all 16 games last season. Again, over twice as many starts as our unit combined. He posted 3,098 yards (more than Tyrod ever has), 13 TD's and 7 INT's for an 81.7 rating, which is admirable with the roster he had. Jacksonville - Made it to the AFC Championship game last year & almost beat the Patriots. Bortles may not be ideal, but he has a TON more experience than our guys, playing all but 2 games for 4 straight seasons. Threw for 3,687 yards, 21 TD's and 13 INT's last year with an 84.7 rating. Better than what we've had. Miami - Tannehill is back, and has again, been better than anything we've had for 18+ years. Far more starts than our unit combined, along with Brock Osweiler, who's not very good but is better & than Peterman at least, and also has more starts than our unit combined. Houston - Watson showed he's the real deal. Along with him, they have Brandon Weeden who's a quality veteran backup, something again we don't have. Still more starts than our unit combined. Baltimore - Joe Flacco isn't great, but he's at least decent and won a Super Bowl. He has shown he can play well when he wants to, and has far more experience (getting old stating this) than everyone we have combined. As backups, they have RGIII, and Lamar Jackson. RGIII and Flacco can teach their rookie in Jackson far more than Peterman and McCarron can teach Allen.

Allen is by all metrics, the least NFL-ready QB of the "big 4" right now. Not surprising at all he's ranked the lowest. Edmunds on the other hand, if he can grow into his size and gain some weight, he'll be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. He's an every down LB, and could easily be DROY if he stays healthy.

At least you're acknowledging that it's just hope and faith that have you optimistic, and that's perfectly fine. It's good to have hope that we'll do well. I feel like us not having a veteran on the roster is a bigger issue than many fans want to believe. During the draft, you could hear many former players, experts, pundits, etc. all discuss the importance of having one for a rookie QB to lean on. Hell, one former player (I forgot who it was) on NFL Network's panel said it's the single most important thing for a rookie QB to have... Our rookie not only isn't going to have that, but he's going to have the exact opposite. The 2 guys in his unit both want the starting job too. McCarron is going to take this chance to prove he deserves to be a starter. Peterman is going to try and show that last year was a fluke, and that he truly is an NFL caliber QB. Those guys might play nice, but all of them are looking at this off season as do-or-die, and won't be going out of their way to do each other any favors. Which is the complete opposite mindset as say Josh McCown, who has been in the league for 16 years, and truly wants Darnold to succeed. In fact, he said "The best thing I can do is look back in five years and Sam Darnold is in the Pro Bowl." That's a pretty incredible asset for a rookie QB to have.

I don't like that imaginary stuff anyway, because like you said, he could've just as easily had 1 more incompletion, 1 more interception, 1 more TD, 50 more yards, etc. And the 1 and a half more catches is entirely dependent on him not having thrown any extra passes too. If Allen had simply thrown and completed 1 more pass per game, his stats would be 58% completion percentage in 2017 and 57.6% in 2016. Also, his offense wasn't an air raid spread offense, but he took the majority of his snaps out of shotgun (and most of his TD's came from shotgun too). He had the same coach the entire time he was there, and still regressed significantly his senior year in yards (by almost 50%) and TD's (by more than 50%). His INT's came down by more than 50% too, from 15 to 6, but it's still worrisome that he wasn't even 1st or 2nd All Mountain West, and his stock shot up because of looks and potential as we got closer to the draft.

Yeah, probably. And that's ok too for now. I'm not going to pretend I like the Allen pick, but I hope he does well and am excited to see if he can take his game to the next level. But realistically, yes, we have 3 guys with 6 total starts between them. 1. Rookie who's a project by any means, 0 starts 2. 5th Round Pick in his 2nd year, only 2 starts (neither of which he finished) 3. Backup for 3 years, started 4 games his rookie season & 0 since. And no veteran QB to anchor and to mentor the unit. So yeah, probably the "worst" in terms of experience and on-field production.

Our O-line was problematic last year already, we lose 3 starters who all happen to be our best players on the unit, we have an even worse WR corps, we have the least experienced QB group in the league throwing to them, and from this draft only a handful of picks will make the roster. The defense improved on paper, but an injury or 2 could easily derail the entire thing. Same goes for most positions on this roster. We have almost no depth whatsoever. And man, heaven help us if Benjamin goes down (like he's known to do)...Our WR's would be (currently on roster)- - Quan Bray - Kaelin Clay - Malachi Dupre - Andre Holmes - Zay Jones - Jermey Kerley - Ray-Ray McCloud - Austin Proehl - Brandon Reilly - Rod Streater That group is AWFUL. Maybe in 2-3 more years with more drafts under our belt we'll be comparable to the Celtics, but this year? This is the true year 1 of McDermott's tenure.

Wait, what? Veteran WR's near the end of their careers rarely want to work with rookies and inexperienced QB's. We have one of the most unproven, under developed, most inexperienced QB group in the entire league. We have a rookie, a 5th round pick who started 2 games (and finished neither), and a 3 year backup who only started 4 games, all in his rookie season. A combined 6 games started between 3 QBs is about the worst situation for a veteran WR.

Speaking of offensive linemen, it's always funny to me that one of the best Bills players of all time and consistently great O-linemen Reuben Brown is often forgotten and overlooked, simply because of the Bills teams he played on. - 8 consecutive Pro Bowls for the Bills from 1996-2003 (9 times overall) - 4 time All-Pro team - Started all 181 games he played in The guy was a beast, but he was after the Kelly era, and not around for long after the playoff drought began, so he doesn't get as much talk as other Bills linemen. Just felt I should do my duty and remind people of his greatness

I don't know what people are talking about with Rosen on draft night. The Cardinals were ecstatic to get him, especially since they didn't have to give up nearly as much as the Bills. And his composure on draft night? He came off impressive to me. He sounded like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, ticked off that he was doubted, and ready to go out and kick ***! He said was ready to walk off the stage and go right onto the field, as he was so ready to get to work then and there. He sounded more driven, motivated and ready than any of the other cliche sound bites the other QBs were spouting off. Not to say that makes him better than any of the other QB's, only that what he said came off as anything but poor to me.

So I wanted to do further research into what others thought about Josh Allen. I had already read reviews, opinions and grades from most of the major outlets I follow, and read plenty of more that were posted on these boards. I had watched plenty of games & videos of him in college, yet still wanted to get a better sense of why myself and others still don't feel optimistic about his prospects. People always post all the positive things said about him & why he's going to do awesome, and that's fine. But there are legitimate reasons for be worried, and these grades/opinions reflect those concerns in similar ways. Do I think he will fail? No, not necessarily. But going off history, there's far more evidence pointing towards that than him becoming a franchise QB. Here are 14 brief (mostly) snipets of reviews/grades/opinions on the pick, many of which I highlighted the commonalities between them. "Strong Arm" being echoed, while things like on-field play, accuracy, ability to read a defense, performance in big games, football IQ, pocket presence, footwork, etc. being absent is usually an awful sign for QB's, as is being a "project" or "raw" when you have 0 veteran QB's on the roster to mentor you/sit behind & learn from. ********************************************************************** 1. Rodger Sherman (The Ringer) - "The red flags of draft QBs, all of which must apparently be treated equally: MAYFIELD: too short to play QB in NFL? ROSEN: too smart to play QB in NFL? JACKSON: too fast, why put him at QB in the NFL? ALLEN: cannot throw football to other football players" "I would consider any team that used a first-round pick on Josh Allen to be the biggest loser of the first round. No good NFL quarterback has ever had statistics as bad as Allen’s college stats; his best-case statistical comparables include Brian Griese and Josh McCown. There are just so many videos of him missing easy passes so badly. Sure, his arm is strong enough that teams should value his potential, but “extremely strong quarterback who may never learn how to throw to receivers” seems to me like a Day 3 pick, not a first-rounder. I remain baffled that he was treated like a top prospect throughout the entire draft process. But the Bills didn’t just draft Allen. They traded up to get him, giving up two second-round picks to move up five spots. That’s a massive overpay on any draft value chart. And then the Bills also traded a third-rounder to the Ravens to move up from the 22nd pick to the 16th to select Tremaine Edmunds. Trading up is the move of a team in win-now mode. The Bills did so—but they selected a quarterback whose supporters even consider him a project. That doesn’t jibe. I’m so happy that the Bills got to the playoffs last year, and so confused about their future." 2. Gennaro Filice & Nick Shook (NFL.com) - (Draft Rank: Bills #23) "The top pick here generates the most buzz, but I'm in the group that thinks he doesn't end up panning out, due to multiple red flags too often covered up by a rare arm. My opinion on Allen's fate aside, the potential is still there, and Buffalo didn't have to move into the top four to take him" 3. Dan Kadar (SBNation) - (Bills Draft Grade: "The draft for the Bills will be judged on whether or not seventh overall pick Josh Allen becomes a franchise quarterback. If he does not, the Bills paid a steep to go up and get him. If he does, it’s obviously great. Personally, I question whether or not he’ll become a more accurate passer in the NFL." 4. Ian Wharton (BleacherReport) - (Bills Draft Grade: B) "They were able to acquire Josh Allen for the cost of tackle Cordy Glenn, two second-round picks and the No. 7 overall pick. Passing up Josh Rosen, a much more natural passer and safer choice than Allen, looks like the wrong decision at the moment. Their grade would've been higher had they landed Rosen instead of such a volatile prospect in Allen, but the rest of their class was impressive." 5. Luke Easterling (DraftWire) - "I like a lot of what the Bills did after they traded up for Josh Allen, who will take a lot of time and patience before he’s ready to face an NFL defense with success. In retrospect, they could have stayed at their original pick, still taken a talented quarterback, and used the picks they traded away to build a stronger supporting cast around him" 6. Sam Monson & Steve Palazzolo (Pro Football Focus) - "The rumors were heavy that the Bills would move up to take Josh Allen, and they did just that. Allen has a cannon for an arm, combined with the size and athleticism to make spectacular plays outside the pocket, but he comes with big question marks in key areas, namely his accuracy and decision-making. He’s ranked among the nation’s worst in negatively-graded throws over the last two years and he finished 29th out of 38 quarterbacks in the draft class at avoiding turnover-worthy throws last season." 7. Steve Ruiz (USA Today) - (Pick Grade: F) The Bills gave up two second-round picks for the right to draft a quarterback who is nothing more than a strong arm. Allen is inaccurate, struggles to read defenses and is uncomfortable from the pocket. Other than that, he’s a pretty good quarterback. This pick isn’t all that surprising. After all, this is the same team that thought Nathan Peterman gave it a better chance to win than Tyrod Taylor. 8. Vinnie Iyer (SportingNews.com) - (Bills Draft Grade: D) "Edmunds and Phillips were the standout picks for Sean McDermott's front seven in his first draft with Brandon Beane. But this grade is based on the fact that Allen is likely to be a big-armed bust. The QB wasn't worth the trade, especially at the cost of two second-rounders. The Bills drafted like a team set to return to the playoffs; their glaring weaknesses on the offensive line and at wide receiver should have been addressed earlier. QB desperation is never a good way to draft, and it led to a chain reaction that gave Allen and AJ McCarron little support." 9. Nate Davis (USA Today) - "Allen has as strong an arm as any prospect in recent memory and underrated athleticism at 6-5 and 237 pounds that will make him a red-zone weapon on the ground. But his 56.2% completion rate in college is a concern, and he never really dominated largely average competition, posting just two 300-yard games in three seasons for the Cowboys. If Allen proves he's not NFL-ready, which is the expectation, AJ McCarron was signed in free agency to serve as a bridge" 10. Kyle Silagyi - (BillsWire) - (Pick Grade: C) "Josh Allen can best be described as an enigma. He’s what somebody would draw when asked to sketch a franchise quarterback. He’s 6-foot-5. He has a cannon for an arm. He’s an elite athlete. On paper, Allen is a franchise quarterback. The game, however, is not played on paper. Throughout his college career, Allen was never really able to live up to the hype surrounding him. In 2017, Allen completed just 56.3 percent of his passes for 1,812 yards. Sure, part of Allen’s struggles can be attributed to his poor surrounding cast, but his struggles can also be attributed to his poor footwork. The fact that Buffalo had to part ways with two second round picks for the opportunity to select Allen doesn’t help his grade, as that’s a fair bit of value for a team to give up on a project quarterback. If Allen pans out and develops into a franchise quarterback, this grade will be an A+ in a few years. If he’s a bust, this grade will be an F. However, we’re not sure how Allen’s career will play out just yet, so the pick’s grade is as average as you can get." 11. Aaron Schatz (Football Outsiders) - "I would rather have Tyrod Taylor quarterbacking my team over the next four years than Josh Allen" 12. Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports) - "Allen has all the physical skill in the world. You’re still gambling on a guy who wasn’t first- or second-team all-Mountain West last season. That’s a big risk, especially moving up" 13. Nick Bromberg (Yahoo! Sports) - "Taking Josh Allen over Josh Rosen is going to haunt the Bills for years" 14. Jason Owens (Yahoo! Sports) - "Wow, the Bills gave up a haul to take a QB with accuracy problems." ********************************************************************** Now throw in that our already shaky O-line lost its 3 best players, our WR corp is only Kelving Benjamin, he's 0-3 in games against Power 5 Conference teams, has thrown for 1 TD compared to 9 interceptions in those games, regressed significantly last season compared to the year before (threw for half the total yards and less than half the TD's), had just as many games throwing for 0 TD's as he did throwing for 2 or more last year (3 total for both), and that he's now expected to somehow get SIGNIFICANTLY better playing against far more difficult competition...I'm just not sure a "once in a generation arm" is going to be enough...

And this is Evan Silva (OP's guy)... Not like one is more intimidating than the other, nor does one's appearance mean they're any more or less intelligent/accurate than the other. Many well respected "experts" and pundits haven't even played at the college or pro levels. On the other hand, sometimes there are guys from one sport who become analysts for other sports they weren't involved with. Hell, our very own Marcellus Wiley talks up basketball all the time. I hear him on ESPN radio making predictions and discussing opinions on NBA events daily. My original point was there are many "scathing" reviews for the Allen pick, and it's easy to see why. You can be the biggest Allen supporter ever and still acknowledge the fact that he's got the most red flags and needs the most development time.

But hindsight is 20/20, and nobody really knows how these things will play out. Bortles had a pretty solid year, but who knows if Watson would've done the same thing for them. Hell, even if he would be the same player no matter where he played, many teams didn't predict that. Some teams always look brilliant, while others walk away with egg on their face. Hell, the Steelers could come out looking like geniuses if Ben goes down with an injury for a few games this year (seems like he's out a couple games every season), and Rudolph lights it up while the "big 4" fail. Everyone will think they knew something nobody else did, and fans will be asking why their team didn't draft the guy. It's just hard to know year to year what will happen.

I dunno, I think Rodger Sherman's review was a little more scathing: "The red flags of draft QBs, all of which must apparently be treated equally:MAYFIELD: too short to play QB in NFL?ROSEN: too smart to play QB in NFL?JACKSON: too fast, why put him at QB in the NFL?ALLEN: cannot throw football to other football players" You've also got his in depth review: "I would consider any team that used a first-round pick on Josh Allen to be the biggest loser of the first round. No good NFL quarterback has ever had statistics as bad as Allen’s college stats; his best-case statistical comparables include Brian Griese and Josh McCown. There are just so many videos of him missing easy passes so badly. Sure, his arm is strong enough that teams should value his potential, but “extremely strong quarterback who may never learn how to throw to receivers” seems to me like a Day 3 pick, not a first-rounder. I remain baffled that he was treated like a top prospect throughout the entire draft process. But the Bills didn’t just draft Allen. They traded up to get him, giving up two second-round picks to move up five spots. That’s a massive overpay on any draft value chart. And then the Bills also traded a third-rounder to the Ravens to move up from the 22nd pick to the 16th to select Tremaine Edmunds. Trading up is the move of a team in win-now mode. The Bills did so—but they selected a quarterback whose supporters even consider him a project. That doesn’t jibe. I’m so happy that the Bills got to the playoffs last year, and so confused about their future."

Lol yeah it is...people who cook their steak like that should be forced to live as vegans. And yeah, my comparison needed some work. Although "experts" called Allen "raw" all the time, while Rosen was always the one who's they claim is already good to go & start now, well done steak does not come across as a positive option

I knew this post was coming soon enough. It was only a matter of time. This whole summer we'll find out every little detail, and he'll likely say all the right things to endear himself to the city. But eventually games will have to be played...and that's when fans will decide what they really think.

If we're making steak comparisons, Allen might as well be raw meat compared to someone like Rosen who's well done... Wait, that sounds gross on both ends. Nvm...your comparison was better.

I'm not sure how much of Allen I'd compare to Rodgers, but yes, Allen has a fantastic arm. If he's willing to throw deep (or if our now even worse O-line will let him) he can find a lot of success. In regards to Tyrod, you're spot-on. Benjamin isn't a speedy receiver. He's fast enough to get open, but his skillset highlights his ability to run routes and catch 50/50 (or better) passes over DB's. Benjamin is a great weapon, make no mistake about it. Tyrod refused to throw him open, or throw him any jump balls. However, that was Tyrod's problem with all receivers last year. 90% of the time, Tyrod would only throw to WR's that were open by 5 feet on all sides of the ball, or within a few yards of the line of scrimmage. He wasn't just risk-adverse, he was downright timid. People used to say he was "efficient" because he didn't throw INT's....but as one NFL writer explained when discussing Kirk Cousins, "efficient" isn't just not throwing INT's, it's also being alert of what's going on around you, and general awareness of game time situations (i.e. if you're down by 20+ late in the 3rd quarter, and it's 3rd & 13, is it "efficient" to drop back for 1 second, then dump the ball off to your RB for a 2 yard gain?). Tyrod at his best was at least good for 1 or 2 deep balls a game in his first 2 seasons. He still only barely scraped by hitting 3,000 yards in a season, but still, managed to make a few plays. In 2017, Tyrod put Trent Edwards to shame. Every time he threw deep, it was almost as if he was doing it for show more than actually attempting to complete the pass. The balls would float several yards over both the WR & DB's heads, straight out of bounds, with no chance for anyone to catch the ball. It made it LOOK like he wanted to go deep, but without any intention for the ball to make it in the hands of anyone. Hopefully Allen plays with a little more fire, but also has the mindset to get over making mistakes. He'll throw some picks, but will he have the balls to keep attacking? We can only hope. /rant Here's the thing scouts, fans, and "experts" tend to overlook - having a veteran QB on the roster, and giving a rookie QB TIME to develop, are MASSIVELY important to the growth of the player. Some QB's come in day 1 and do just fine all on their own. But many rookies, including those who start day 1, have an experienced veteran on the roster to help anchor them down, be someone to lean on when they're struggling, and learn how to properly lead an NFL locker room from. Even though Favre wasn't wanting to give up his starting spot, he still played a pivotal role in allowing Rodgers to gain experience & knowledge while he became acclimated to being in the NFL.