MDH

He was the more complete QB but even still, his numbers from the first half of last year don't look that much better than EJ's. First 8 games of 2012 Comp: 61.4% YPA: 6.98 RAT: 82.3 So even he struggled a bit to find his footing and that's without missing half of the preseason and parts of the regular season with injuries. And just like EJ he had some clunkers, games where his rating was in the 30s and 40s. It's in the 2nd half of the year where Wilson's performance took off and we started to see how special he could be. If people want to see what cherry picking stats can do for you take a look at EJ's numbers through 8 games: Comp: 58.2% YPA: 6.79 RAT: 84.2

To be fair to the kid if you watch him run in college he was much, much smoother and had real running ability. His knee injuries have made him look like a shell of the runner he was in college. Hopefully he heals up and we see what he can really do...but on a limited basis. I don't want him running that much.

I'd look to add a QB but not in the 1st round. The Bills simply have too many other needs - and don't know what they have in EJ yet - to be spending top picks on a position they may or may not need help with. Spend premium picks on spots you know you need help with. I haven't looked at the FA list this off season but my preference is to bring in a vet to backup/compete with EJ. A guy who has starting experience who could also help mentor EJ since there is no QB coach. If they can't find a guy who fits that bill I'd look to the draft but likely nothing before the 3rd round unless somebody just drops in their laps who can't be passed up. The top 10 this year is littered with positions the Bills need help at - LB, WR and OL. Take the highest rated guy who fits one of those needs and be glad this draft's strengths played to your weaknesses. The last thing this team needs to be doing is giving away draft picks. If they can find a dance partner moving down is the better option. Looking at last year they landed a bunch of quality players so my faith has been somewhat restored in the front offices ability to target players who fit with what they're trying to do.

The difference is what you get for that money. Presumably they could get a top flight Tackle, QB or WR for that money. On the free agent market it will get you a middle of the road type player who they'd have to overpay to make them choose the Redskins. The draft is the foundation of a team, you can't replace that with the FA market. Good teams guild through the draft and supplement through FA. Washington has tried the FA way for years with no success.

Maybe I'm wrong but didn't you pick the Chargers to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl in some other thread? I remember it because I thought it was crazy.

What you're missing is that they did do something, they addressed the QB issue last draft. Now, you may not like how they addressed it but to say they're sitting on their hands is nonsense. Of course, if by "do something" you mean make a ridiculous trade for a very, very questionable QB then I hope they do nothing in that regards.

Just like you know EJ won't turn into a good QB? It cuts both ways. You say the Bills need to roll the dice, well they did...last year. Just because you lack the patience to wait to see what the dice come up as doesn't mean they need to roll the dice a second time. The Bills need to add another QB but it doesn't need to be at 9 and they most certainly don't need to play fantasy football and trade up in the draft when they just used a 1st round pick on a QB last year.

I've been a defender of EJ against the harsh critics but I'm not sure id term his season "good" even for a rookie. Granted, I wouldn't call it bad either...it was okay. You've made a point of saying passer rating differential is one of the key metrics in today's game but forget to mention that passer rating can be dramatically impacted by turnovers. Turnovers are THE key statistic. As such a passer rating of a more aggressive rookie - like say Luck - is going to be negatively impacted by turnovers. Conversely a guy like EJ, who played it very safe, is going to be protected. So Luck's ypa will be higher but his numbers will be dragged down because of his mistakes. The difference is that the aggressive QB is getting more if a trial by fire and once (if) the game starts slowing down for him his numbers are going to jump. We saw this with luck this year. His his INTs dropped and his passer rating jumped a full 10 points even though his ypa dropped a bit. I think EJ has a lot of tools and I hope that a full training camp and an uninterrupted season next year give him the confidence to just let it loose without playing it so safe. The one thing that is really encouraging about EJ is that when the game is on the line and he's not thinking so much we see his best football. That's the EJ I want to see all the time.

The guy is IN the intro of a playoff game in the same season the Bills cut him because he wasn't good enough to make the team. Perhaps they should have held on to him instead of Hogan...

By watching the oline and not just following the ball.

What a joke. How anybody can think Ivory had a better year than FJ and have a job writing about the NFL is beyond me.

The Bills can't be in the top 3rd of the league at all positions. People overstate how bad Chandler is. He's not great but he's a decent TE and while I wouldn't mind an upgrade if a good prospect drops in the draft I also don't expect the Bills to make it a priority as they have too many other areas in more dire need of a fix.

You pretty much covered everything. I'd add one thing though. How much they pay to bring a player it is directly correlated to how they can sell the team to the fans with their new shiny toy. It's interesting that you don't see the top teams brining in top FAs. They don't have to sell anything to the fans because the product spoke for itself last year. But if you can brining in a player who will make your team better on the field and you can package that into a nice promo to sell fans about the "NEW TEAM!" then the "overspending" on the contract can easily be gained back with ticket sales so it's not really "overspending" in that context.

I'm not talking about reading the same sentiment from a collection of posters, I'm talking about reading the EXACT same phrase over and over again from the same poster. And to your point - I've seen very few posts saying people think he's going to be great. There are pretty much three sides to this coin - the ones who say he sucks and the Bills should move on, the ones who say they don't know but they'd like to see another QB drafted to compete and the ones who don't know and are willing to give him some time to develop. I've not seen the "he's great based on his performance" crowd.

Yeah, I know you're never nasty to anybody and I agree that obviously it's a QB driving league. I just tire of reading "EJ is NOT that QB, if the Bills had Peyton they'd be 9-7....etc." I get it, but it doesn't need to be re-stated over and over. But it's your prerogative, as you said you're not mean to people and I can simply choose to skip over your posts. So if it's cathartic or makes you feel better have at it and if it irritates me that's no skin off your back. It's all good. EDIT: I also disagree about the Peyton thing, if they had Manning they'd be 13-3, not 9-7.

Normally I'd be in the "you don't pay a safety $8M a year" group because it's generally a position that's not that important. But Byrd has proven himself to be a turnover machine in multiple systems. It's not happenstance and it's not luck. He knows where to sit between routes to come up with big plays time and time again. He knows when to come off his man to jump another WRs route. The guy just has a feel for the game. If there was an LB who forced as many fumbles as Byrd gets INTs there would be no question from fans. His numbers say he's an impact player it's just his position that people hesitate paying. I hope the Bills make him a legitimate offer that would make him one of the highest paid safeties in the league. If he doesn't want it there's nothing they can do but at least make a serious run at re-signing him.

I don't agree with his opinion at all but what is he supposed to do, say "IMO" every time he says anything? The bigger issue is he states the exact same thing over and over again and that he believes himself to have a keen eye when it comes to QBs.

Not sure why everybody thinks that schedule is so tough. They toughest games are mostly at home with Denver and NE being the only playoff teams from this year that the Bills have to play on the road. Chicago's QB situation is up in the air, Oakland and Houston are a mess and Detroit will have a new coaching staff. There are no excuses for a "hard" schedule next year. If the D and EJ both improve next year there are no excuses. If they don't it might be time to blow it up again at the end of next season. All that being said it's always tough to know what a tough schedule looks like at this point. Some supposed good teams will suck and vise versa.

That's because in boxing they line you up against cans to build your record. Hell, even when they're champs they don't fight the best contenders. It's one of the reasons boxing has faded and MMA has gained in popularity. People want to see the best fight the best not duck each other for their entire careers.

If you think what I wrote is provocation you're a little too sensitive for the internet. Someone with such delicate sensibilities shouldn't resort to outright attacks the moment someone disagrees with them...

wow rogers to cobb

He shouldn't hold his breath waiting for the HC interviews to come pouring in.

This D is soft.

The big difference is that their players don't make big mistakes that cost them games on a regular basis.

Great catch by chandler