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Inigo Montoya

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Posts posted by Inigo Montoya

  1. There is a great article on ESPN's website today by Bill Barnwell that thoroughly chronicles how hard it is to evaluate a QB in the draft.  It is definitely worth the read.  There is one paragraph in particular that really struck me, and I'm inclined to agree with it.

     

    "As I mentioned earlier this year in talking about Case Keenum, the old trope about how there aren't 32 good starting quarterbacks to go around is naive. The problem is that there aren't 32 good quarterback situations to play within, a reality that was reinforced by the success of Keenum and Foles after they looked disastrously bad under Jeff Fisher with the Rams. Teams that are spending every waking hour worrying about picking the right guy are likely kidding themselves to think that they can reliably pick the best quarterback from this group. They should worry about making themselves the right fit for whoever they end up choosing."

     

    It made me think about the current state of our Bills.  If we do trade up to grab one of the Blue Chip QBs this year, it will take the lion's share of our draft capital this year and possible our first round pick next year.  As any Bills' fan will admit, we have a lot of holes on this team.  Our WR corps is incredibly suspect.  We have major holes at LB, and our O-Line is not what anyone would call a strength. (UPDATE:  Incognito just retired) Enter a rookie QB on this team that is more than just a QB away from being a contender.  Who does he have on the coaching staff to help guide him to become a franchise QB, to help him overcome a less than stellar supporting cast?  Who is the QB whisperer for the Bills?

     

    What about the head coach?  Nope, it's not going to be McDermott, he's a defensive guru. 

     

    What about the Bill's QB coach?  The Bills QB coach is David Culley.  He was hired last year by the Bills and this is his first shot at being a QB coach in the pros.  He has been a NFL coach since 1994 but has been a wide receiver coach for all of it.  He was a QB coach at the college level, but that was from 1985-88 for Southwestern Louisiana.  What ever you feel about Tyrod Taylor, he didn't really blossom last year under Culley.  I don't think we can call him a QB Whisperer. Below is his coaching resume'.

     

    1994-95   Tampa Bay WR Coach

    1996-98   Pittsburgh WR Coach

    1999-10   Philly WR Coach

    2011-12   Philly WR Coach / Senior Offensive Assistant

    2013-16   Kansas City WR Coach / Assistant Head Coach

    2017-       Buffalo QB Coach

     

    What about the Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll?  Is he a QB Whisperer?  Below are his NFL coaching positions since he joined the NFL.  I don't think anyone can look at his resume' below and objectively and say that he is a QB Whisperer.

     

    2000-01    New England Defensive coaching assistant

    2002-06    New England WR coach

    2007-08    New York Jets QB coach (Chad Pennington's last NYJ year / Kellen Clemens)

    2009-10   Cleveland Offensive Coordinator  (Derek Anderson)

    2011         Miami Offensive Coordinator   (Chad Henne / Matt Moore)

    2012         Kansas City Offensive Coordinator   (Matt Cassel / Brady Quinn)

    2013         New England Offensive Assistant

    2014-16   New England  Tight End Coach

    2017        Alabama Offensive Coordinator and QB Coach (Jalen Hurts)

     

    So we have a team full of holes including the O-Line and WRs, and no one on the coaching staff that has demonstrated any ability to nurture a QB.  The question may not be which of the QBs in this year's draft is the best fit for the Bills, but rather, are the Bills going to be a good fit for any of the QBs in this year's draft?

     

    I don't want to poke a stick in the eye of the "draft a QB this year no matter the cost" crowd, but it looks like we might just be setting up whomever we draft this year for failure.   Might it be better to fill the holes in the roster with this years draft?  Unload a bunch of Terry and Kim's money to lure away a proven QB guru from another team in the 2019 off season,  and then "sell the farm" next year to grab the best QB in the draft.  Then you will give whomever we draft, the player we are "selling the farm" for,  the best possible chance to succeed?  We need to maximize the chance that our QB is not just the right QB, but also in the right situation to succeed.

     

    Some may counter that we should "sell the farm" for a QB this year and then have him sit a year behind McCarron.  My response would be that if there is a QB in this year's draft who is such an amazing prospect that it will be worth it to "sell the farm" to get him, then why does he need to sit a year?   Luck didn't sit.  Newton didn't sit.  Wentz didn't sit.  Mariota and Winston didn't sit.  Eli, Peyton, Big Ben, Russell Wilson, Derek Carr etc, etc...  All of them played rookie year.   If this year's QB is all that and a bag of chips, why cant we just start him this year? 

     

    Ultimately, we may be a year too early in rolling the dice on our franchise QB (and a roll of the dice it will be as evidenced by the perpetual "which QB do we draft" battles on this board). If there was an Andrew Luck in this year's draft I would be all for doing whatever it takes to grab him.  But the truth of the matter is... there isn't.  There may be some wisdom in building a team that will support our rookie QB first, instead of having a rookie QB come in who will be expected to succeed in-spite of his supporting cast.   Just some food for thought before the draft.  

     

     I will now sit back and await my public lashings...

     

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  2. 31 minutes ago, GreggTX said:

    If we got Vander Eshe and Washington in those spots, I'd be happy, but overall, I'd like more emphasis on the OL. I don't expect it though because we've signed multiple OL and CB's in FA.

     

    I listened to a little bio and interview with Vander Eshe on NFL Radio a couple weeks ago and he sounds like a McDermott kind of guy.  He came from a small school in a rural area and he actually played 8 on 8 football when he was in high school, so there was a huge jump moving to 11 on 11 when he went to college but he apparently adapted quickly.  It sounds like he has a motor and a hell of a work ethic, and according to the draftniks talking about him during the radio show, he probably has the highest ceiling of any of the LBs in this draft because he is still learning the nuances of the position.  I guess he packed on 20 lbs of muscle before the combine and he still really moved well.

     

  3. So far I think Beane and McDermott have been spot on evaluating talent.  After we traded away our secondary last year I expected us to get torched every week, but they brought in less expensive guys though the draft and in free agency who could ball and our secondary ended up being a strength.  (I know Beane wasn't there for the draft)   If we don't spend the lion's share of our picks on a QB, I hope McDermott finds his Luke Keuchly LB in this draft.  There are several good prospects at LB but I won't pretend to know enough about each of them to say who they should grab.

     

    They seem to like multi-year starters, team captains, high motor, high football IQ kind of guys. Solid team players.

     

    There's a good chance we get 4 or 5 above average starters on cheap rookie contracts for this depleted roster out of this year's draft.  That would be a fantastic foundation to build on.  Maybe  McCarron is a diamond in the rough or we grab our guy at 12, if not, hopefully the QB gods will smile on us next year...

     

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  4. I have enjoyed the many threads on who the best QB is on this message board over the last several weeks.  I don't follow the college game closely and I really don't know much about these QBs except for what I have read on this board.

     

    Here is a quick synopsis of what I have learned about the QBs in this year's draft on this message board;

     

    1.  Each of the top 6 quarterbacks is the very best one for the Bills to draft

    2.  Each of the top 6 quarterbacks is a terrible fit for the Bills and is a guaranteed bust

    3.  Each of the top 6 quarterbacks, whichever is selected by the Bills, will result in some posters never watching the Buffalo Bills again

    4.  Each of the top 6 quarterbacks is worth trading what ever draft picks are needed in order to move up and draft them 

    5.  Each of the top 6 quarterbacks has serious flaws and we should not waste draft picks to trade up for them, but should draft other positions instead

     

    With this knowledge in hand, I confess the only thing that I'm certain of is that I'm glad I'm not McBeane....    :mellow:

     

    Thanks for the write up Gunner, it helps.

     

     

     

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  5. I have enjoyed the many threads on who the best QB is on this message board over the last several weeks.  I don't follow the college game closely and I really don't know much about these QBs except for what I have read on this board.

     

    Here is a quick synopsis of what I have learned about the QBs in this year's draft on this message board;

     

    1.  Each of the top 6 quarterbacks is the very best one for the Bills to draft

    2.  Each of the top 6 quarterbacks is a terrible fit for the Bills and is a guaranteed bust

    3.  Each of the top 6 quarterbacks, whichever is selected by the Bills, will result in some posters never watching the Buffalo Bills again

    4.  Each of the top 6 quarterbacks is worth trading what ever draft picks are needed in order to move up and draft them 

    5.  Each of the top 6 quarterbacks has serious flaws and we should not waste draft picks to trade up for them, but should draft other positions instead

     

    With this knowledge in hand, I confess the only thing that I'm certain of is that I'm glad I'm not McBeane....    :mellow:

     

     

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  6. 54 minutes ago, umang_a_desai said:

    You don’t really need an agent as someone entering the NFL for employment. The contracts are guaranteed more or less. The only way it would potentially hurt him in his first contract is in terms of sponsorships, but he can pick up an agent at any time. I personally like the kid a lot and think he is better than tyrod bc he is still looking downfield when he escapes unlike Taylor and he throws some pretty passes on the run. Up the middle too which some complain tyrod didn’t do but I tend to disagree. But he has the height to see those seams forming and has a quick release. I would be all in on taking him at 22 and letting AJ start and loading up our team w top 100 picks. I just realized I didn’t even address the op. Wonderlic means nothing. It does not measure football IQ in any shape or form. Football IQ is instinct not problem solving... my two cents fwiw.

     

    I saw a report on NFL Network tonight citing sources saying that several teams are really frustrated that Jackson doesn't have an agent because they are having a difficult time getting in touch with the Jackson "camp" to set up interviews and visits.  They say it is really impeding their ability to evaluate him before the draft. For a player with some legitimate issues that teams would like to assess, this might really end up costing him some coin. 

     

    If a team has similar grades on Rudolph and Jackson, and they have been able to get Rudolph into the building and spend a lot of time with him and see what he's like but have not had a chance to sit down with Jackson, I would guess they would feel more comfortable drafting Rudolph all other things being equal.

     

    Agents do more than just negotiate the contract, they facilitate the entire drafting process. Any money he saves in not having an agent would likely be eaten up by falling a few spots in the draft.

     

     

  7. Be nice to see Gronk out of Foxborough.  It's undeniable that the Pats/Belichick/Brady Era is finally drawing to a close.  Our long national nightmare is almost over. The sooner it happens the better. 

     

    There is no way Gronk comes to Buffalo, I don't think signing high priced free agents in the twilight of their career seems to be McBeane's style, and more practically, the Bills are in Cap Hell and are dead broke.  McBeane couldn't afford a decent breakfast right now, let alone a high ticket free agent signing.

     

     

  8. 13 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said:

    My dad went through radiation to beat his cancer and after 13 sessions, he beat it but it took a toll on his body.

    I can't imagine what Jim is going through.  This is multiple procedures for him.  I respected Kelly for his toughness as a player but that level of respect has increased dramatically after going through this.....you have to be tough to go through this again.

     

    Prayers for Jim.  If anyone can handle this, it's him.

     

    As hard as this must be for him, I'm sure it pales when compared to what he went through with his son, Hunter.  As a dad I can't imagine anything that could be worse than losing a child.  Jim and his family have been through so much.  I hope they get a Mulligan on this one. They've definitely earned it.

     

  9. He didn't have anything new to add, mostly just GM Speak.  Says we're not a Super Bowl contender yet, but we're heading in the right direction.  Fielded the obligatory "are you going to be wheeling and dealing on draft day" question, and he said if they think there is an opportunity during the draft to move up and make the Bills better he'll do it. Blah, blah, blah... 

     

    I was hoping Beane was going to bust out a picture of the Bill's Draft Board or allude to some naked pictures he has of Gettleman that he's going to use for blackmail purposes, but no such luck....

     

    It's going to be a long four weeks between now and the draft.

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  10. I will parry your questions about racial and religious attitudes as deftly as my nom de plume Inigo Montoya swats aside the rapier thrusts of the Six Fingered Man, Count Rugen, as those questions can blow up a message board....

     

    As to your other points, I agree that trading up to #2 will be too expensive, and I hope they keep their powder dry and pounce on any of the top QBs who might drop past the #3 spot.  I've become a Josh Allen guy.

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  11.  

    If OBD really wants franchise QB money and won’t back down, I don’t think he is going to make it onto the field this year. This is Gettleman’s first year on the job.  He might not want to set that kind of hold out to get paid precedent.

     

    After that injury I think OBD needs to prove he’s back to 100% and the only place he can do that is on the field.  I don’t see the Giants giving him a multi-year $100mm contact before they see him back on the field.

     

    That would be a tough pill to swallow for the Giants.

     

     

  12. That is certainly his right.  I hope the Giants have the stones to say, “That’s fine with us, just sit for a year without pay. It was nice knowing you. Don’t let the door hit your a** on the way out.”

     

    I think that given an entire year away from football he would not be able to stay out of trouble. I have lost all patience with pampered, me first, infantile athletes.  ODB is one of the worst. There is no doubting that he is a special talent, but I believe that he is mentally unstable and it’s only a matter of time before he does something so stupid that it costs him his career.

     

    I know how bleak our WR position is right now, but I can say with absolute sincerity that I’m glad he’s not a Buffalo Bill.

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  13. If you've never been to AT&T Stadium (Cowboy's Stadium) you need to go.  It is spectacular.  If you contrast that with New Era Field  its like comparing an MRE to a four course meal at a great restaurant. 

     

    Playing in a dome versus the elements in Buffalo might help pad your stats a bit.  Next contract might have a bit more money.

     

    Quarterback play... Dak Prescott vs ??? 

     

    No state income taxes in Texas vs New York with some of the highest taxes in the country. 

     

    Two prime time games a year for Dallas versus a clunker Thursday night game for the Bills.

     

    If I had no ties to Buffalo, I'd go to Dallas too....

  14. I appreciate everything he did in Buffalo and the way he represented our town with class. I think he played hard and handled his benching and contract situation with dignity and professionalism.  He didn't do anything to foster a locker room schism when all this was going on which could have hurt the team and possibly cost us our playoff appearance. There were times when he was throwing to a roster of wide receivers that was arguably the worst group in the league.  I'll always be a fan of TT but it was time to move on for both sides.

     

    I wish him nothing but the best in the future, except when he plays our Bills....

  15. On 3/19/2018 at 10:50 PM, matter2003 said:

    He is going to get an honest chance. Bills have assets and are in position to be able to draft a QB high, and you dont get that opportunity every year. Can't pass on the chance because you want to hope McCarron is good...

     

    Funny...thats the same completion percentage as EJ Manuel had at Florida State...how did that work out?

     

    Hey Matter,

     

    I am all for them drafting a QB in this draft, I just hope they don't sell the farm to move up into the top 5 of the draft.  I think the Jet's trade up has made it too expensive to do so. There is a chance one of the "elite" guys drops, but even if they don't I would be happy to grab Rudolph with a later pick.  Use those other picks to put players around who ever the QB is so they have a fair chance to have success.  I would have no problem going into camp with McCarron, Rudolph, and Peterman competing for the starting job.

  16. Just watched the video and it looks like he is on synthetic marijuana, aka, spice, K2, pot pourri, black mamba.

     

    I've worked for 21 years in the busiest ER in my state and I have watched everything change from crack cocaine initially, to meth, to the synthetics like this spice garbage, and now heroin. 

     

    We never see the "good" experiences with spice, we always get the raving lunatic brought in with the police fighting everyone, out of their minds.  I'm not sure how often you get one of these bad experiences with spice.  When they are on this stuff it's almost like the are on PCP, they are super strong and seem to feel no pain.  It takes everyone piling on them to stop them.  It's like a damn rugby scrum.  They are psychotic, they can't be reasoned with.  All you can do is subdue them and load them up with Geodon or Haldol and wait for them to crash.

     

    We don't have a medical test to detect spice in our hospital and I don't know if one exists.  My guess is that it is not a tested drug in the NFL CBA.  I think some players may see spice as an alternative to marijuana and they don't have to worry about failing a drug test.  Unfortunately, every now and then you can have one of these bad experiences.

     

    I wish Zay all the best.  We all make mistakes.  I hope he is physically OK, that was an awful lot of blood coming out of somewhere.  I'm sure right now he is no longer under the influence and feels humiliated and embarrassed and is worried that he may have just thrown everything away with one bad decision. I believe in second chances, I hope he gets one.

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  17. One of the beat writers for the Jets was on NFL Radio Saturday and said Stanford was a solid LB that was stuck primarily on special teams due to team “politics”.   He didn’t elaborate on what those politics were. He said that the Stanford signing was going to be a coup for the Bills.

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  18. They absolutely had to do something to shore up the run defense this year.  You just can not win if you can't stop the run.  I don't know if they overpaid or not, I'm not an expert on NFL contracts.  I'm satisfied that McBeane knows Star and they see him making a big difference in our defense.  In my mind McBeane has accumulated some benefit of the doubt so far.  

     

    Like everything else that happens before they lace them up and play for keeps, we'll all just have to wait and see how things play out.  I'm hopeful.

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