Why all the Brian Brohm negativity?

[Original Byrd Man]

It's not just the board, but the media as well. I'm not touting him as the starter but he has shown he can be an efficient QB( move the chains, manage the game). Doesn't that fit into the game plan for a predominantly run oriented offense? I just don't get it. The kid didn't cut it in GB for what ever reason, but that was in the past. It's a new ballgame. How about a little support instead. For all anyone knows this kid could be a diamond in the rough, or a lump of coal, but he hasn't had much of a chance to prove either so far. Just my two cents for what it's worth.

[JStranger76]

I'm much happier with him on the roster than Levi freakin Brown. Matter of fact, I'd rather Brown not even make the practice squad. Find a damn veteran OT already.

[buffaloaggie]

It's not just the board, but the media as well. I'm not touting him as the starter but he has shown he can be an efficient QB( move the chains, manage the game). Doesn't that fit into the game plan for a predominantly run oriented offense? I just don't get it. The kid didn't cut it in GB for what ever reason, but that was in the past. It's a new ballgame. How about a little support instead. For all anyone knows this kid could be a diamond in the rough, or a lump of coal, but he hasn't had much of a chance to prove either so far. Just my two cents for what it's worth.

He's had a whole Bills training camp to unseat "Captain Checkdown" Trent Edwards and he has not done it. I guess the excuse is that Gailey played favorites with Edwards and poor Brian Brohm was never given a fair shake. Everyone needs to face facts that Brohm is not the answer either, and there was a valid reason that Matt Flynn, a seventh round pick, beat him out in Green Bay, and why he still is a #3 QB in Buffalo with possibly better options as free agents (Troy Smith for one).

[BuffaloBillsMagic1]

He's had a whole Bills training camp to unseat "Captain Checkdown" Trent Edwards and he has not done it. I guess the excuse is that Gailey played favorites with Edwards and poor Brian Brohm was never given a fair shake. Everyone needs to face facts that Brohm is not the answer either, and there was a valid reason that Matt Flynn, a seventh round pick, beat him out in Green Bay, and why he still is a #3 QB in Buffalo with possibly better options as free agents (Troy Smith for one).

Brian looked good to me the way he responded to the rush and playing with 2nd teamers. best arm on team and knew where his receivers were when in trouble. I feel a lot better with him than either of our other guys. he showed me potential.

[muddy waters]

I kinda trust Chan's judgment of qbs, and if Brohm was not good enough to beat out Trent or Fitzpatrick, he can not be that good of a qb. Let's go get Troy Smith and put him on the roster. Chan's offensive mind might do wonders with a mobile guy like Troy.

[Alphadawg7]

I kinda trust Chan's judgment of qbs, and if Brohm was not good enough to beat out Trent or Fitzpatrick, he can not be that good of a qb. Let's go get Troy Smith and put him on the roster. Chan's offensive mind might do wonders with a mobile guy like Troy.

 

First off...the QB depth chart doesnt always indicate the viewed potential of a player by the FO on any team. It indicates who they feel is the most ready to be in the game at this moment. Clearly, the staff thinks enough about Brohms potential to keep a third QB on the active roster, especially considering how few OL guys we kept. Just because he still lists Brohm as #3 does not mean they dont see a future for him. Chan has continually said some pretty good things about the kid on top of that and that he needs to just work on continual accuracy which comes with reps and time with his recievers.

 

This kid looked promising almost every time he was out there this PS while playing with scrubs who did him no favors. Of course, the madden playing posters here are going to look at his madden rating and his stat line and declare him a bust rather than look at the game footage of him and see the kids potential.

[Rico]

Why all the Brian Brohm negativity?

I'm neither positive or negative about Brohm, he's just meh...but I have noticed that some of the same assclowns who were so wrong about J.P. are now big Brohm backers. Consequently, it's only human nature for the impartial observer to want him out of town.

[Albany,n.y.]

I'm neither positive or negative about Brohm, he's just meh...but I have noticed that some of the same assclowns who were so wrong about J.P. are now big Brohm backers. Consequently, it's only human nature for the impartial observer to want him out of town.

Bingo!

Ever since Brohm got here there has been a group that has been clamoring for him to become the starter. I also think that many, obviously not all, were the same ones telling us "JP got screwed" back in 2007. Some of the rest are guys who liked him in college & think his college game can equate in the same way to the NFL. All this time they've spun things like a top. They've made more excuses why he is so much better than he actually is. The Trent haters are bad enough, but the worst ones are the anti-Fitzpatrick crowd who have been insisting all offseason Fitzpatrick would get cut, which when you look at the way he won with little last season, defied all logic. The majority of the Fitz is getting cut crowd broke into 2 groups-the Ralph is too cheap for the #2 QB to be the highest paid, by far, QB on the roster & the Fitz isn't pretty enough on the field group.

Now from my posts, some would consider me anti-Brohm, but in reality it's his fanatics who are driving me crazy, not Brohm himself. All Brohm has done since he got here is work hard & try-I have nothing against that.

Here's what I think is a fair assessment of Brohm: He's nowhere nearly as good as his fans think he is. Right now he's 3rd string for a reason, Fitzpatrick & Edwards are better NFL QBs today than Brian Brohm. Can Brohm improve? Maybe, but no QB drafted as highly as Brohm who was cut in his 1st contract has ever amounted to much, so the odds are against him. His biggest strength is his ability to stand in & hit short passes-sort of a poor man's Trent Edwards. His biggest weakness, one I haven't seen discussed by his fans-He is too inconsistant on his sidelines passes, the longer the throw the more inaccurate he gets. It appears that he does not have a good feel for what it takes to keep the ball inbounds. Too many sidelines passes are too far out of bounds for the receiver to get a pass completion that counts.

[murra]

See: Pre-Season Lions, Detroit.

[Captain Caveman]

How long does a guy have the benefit of "potential" and "upside"? He has shown exactly enough to be the third string qb on a team who many are predicting to be bottom 5 in the league this season.

[Another Point of View]

I am happy the Bills kept him. Bottom line was patience.

[The Senator]

It's not just the board, but the media as well. I'm not touting him as the starter but he has shown he can be an efficient QB( move the chains, manage the game). Doesn't that fit into the game plan for a predominantly run oriented offense? I just don't get it. The kid didn't cut it in GB for what ever reason, but that was in the past. It's a new ballgame. How about a little support instead. For all anyone knows this kid could be a diamond in the rough, or a lump of coal, but he hasn't had much of a chance to prove either so far. Just my two cents for what it's worth.

Don't understand it either, as I don't really consider Gailey's 'open competition' to be anything but a coaching ploy to motivate all the QBs and don't really think we as fans ever got a good look at Brohm with the starting unit - but I expect we'll all have a much better understanding of how Brohm looks with the #1's by week 5...

GO BILLSSS!!!!

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

How long does a guy have the benefit of "potential" and "upside"? He has shown exactly enough to be the third string qb on a team who many are predicting to be bottom 5 in the league this season.

 

 

This is an excellent question. Clearly, Brohm has been a Rorschach blot for many—they projected their hopes onto him as an unknown quantity. It makes perfect sense that people not sold on Trent (many of whom, as Rico says, were JP backers) would be especially hopeful for Brohm, though that does not make such hope a bad thing. It is certainly possible for one to have hope for Brohm but not have negative feelings toward Trent or Fitz. Frankly, I just want whoever does play QB for the Bills to do well. I would have been delighted if Brohm had seized the starting job back in Atlanta last December, or during camp this summer. He did not, and Trent did, so I am waiting to see whether Trent can make it work.

 

An even bigger question is, what does it take for a QB to climb the depth chart? Assuming that every QB on a pro roster was a starter in college, which means he was already in the top percentages of all QBs in the country, they all have at least some of the skills necessary to be a success. Yet the vast majority never rise to #1. Talent is crucial here, of course, but so is luck. If they happen to be on the same team as a very healthy starter, they will never sniff the field, and within a couple of years, the window closes. If the starter happens to go down, then a chance opens up. Brady being the best example. But no matter how good Brady was looking in practice in NE (I have no idea whether he was, and actually suspect, based on what I remember from 2000-2001, that he was nothing special), without Mo Lewis, Brady probably never starts an NFL regular season game. Makes one wonder how many "Bradys" go undiscovered, and how many backups on the other hand can parlay one or two good performances into a big contract, then fail (hello Rob Johnson, Scott Mitchell, Elvis Grbac...). It certainly makes me reflect on the heavy role played by fate/chance/luck in football and so many other sports....

Edited September 5, 2010 by RJ (not THAT RJ)

[Albany,n.y.]

This is an excellent question. Clearly, Brohm has been a Rorschach blot for many—they projected their hopes onto him as an unknown quantity. It makes perfect sense that people not sold on Trent (many of whom, as Rico says, were JP backers) would be especially hopeful for Brohm, though that does not make such hope a bad thing. It is certainly possible for one to have hope for Brohm but not have negative feelings toward Trent or Fitz. Frankly, I just want whoever does play QB for the Bills to do well. I would have been delighted if Brohm had seized the starting job back in Atlanta last December, or during camp this summer. He did not, and Trent did, so I am waiting to see whether Trent can make it work.

 

An even bigger question is, what does it take for a QB to climb the depth chart? Assuming that every QB on a pro roster was a starter in college, which means he was already in the top percentages of all QBs in the country, they all have at least some of the skills necessary to be a success. Yet the vast majority never rise to #1. Talent is crucial here, of course, but so is luck. If they happen to be on the same team as a very healthy starter, they will never sniff the field, and within a couple of years, the window closes. If the starter happens to go down, then a chance opens up. Brady being the best example. But no matter how good Brady was looking in practice in NE (I have no idea whether he was, and actually suspect, based on what I remember from 2000-2001, that he was nothing special), without Mo Lewis, Brady probably never starts an NFL regular season game. Makes one wonder how many "Bradys" go undiscovered, and how many backups on the other hand can parlay one or two good performances into a big contract, then fail (hello Rob Johnson, Scott Mitchell, Elvis Grbac...). It certainly makes me reflect on the heavy role played by fate/chance/luck in football and so many other sports....

I think virtually every QB gets his chance sooner or later. That's because teams are always looking to get maximum value out of their backups. While the hit rate isn't that great on traded QBs, it's no worse than a mid 1st round QB. We have the Robs, but we also get the Schaubs and Brunells who have productive careers after being traded away from the team that they were backups on. Brady would have taken over for Bledsoe sooner or later because he was their best QB in camp in 2001. Between preseason & practice, all QBs get enough of a look that sooner or later their talent is recognized. Likewise, guys like Gary Marangi eventually get the opportunity to show how bad they are & are quickly out of the league as soon as they are exposed.

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

I think virtually every QB gets his chance sooner or later. That's because teams are always looking to get maximum value out of their backups. While the hit rate isn't that great on traded QBs, it's no worse than a mid 1st round QB. We have the Robs, but we also get the Schaubs and Brunells who have productive careers after being traded away from the team that they were backups on. Brady would have taken over for Bledsoe sooner or later because he was their best QB in camp in 2001. Between preseason & practice, all QBs get enough of a look that sooner or later their talent is recognized. Likewise, guys like Gary Marangi eventually get the opportunity to show how bad they are & are quickly out of the league as soon as they are exposed.

 

 

Good point, on Schaub and Brunell (heck, even Favre would qualify there, wouldn't he?), and on Marangi, who was so popular until he actually got his chance to play.

 

It does make me wonder whether everyone gets his chance though. Could it be that any number of backups could have been good, even great starters, but just never had the good fortune to be given their chances? What if GB had decided that Brunell was a valuable backup and never let him leave? Is Fred Besana a HOFer in an alternate universe?

[peteski]

He's had a whole Bills training camp to unseat "Captain Checkdown" Trent Edwards and he has not done it. I guess the excuse is that Gailey played favorites with Edwards and poor Brian Brohm was never given a fair shake. Everyone needs to face facts that Brohm is not the answer either, and there was a valid reason that Matt Flynn, a seventh round pick, beat him out in Green Bay, and why he still is a #3 QB in Buffalo with possibly better options as free agents (Troy Smith for one).

After watching some preseason games I would think that Matt Flynn could start here in Buffalo so don't say it is the 7th round pick thing. Flynn is a hell of a qb. I wish we had him.

[Albany,n.y.]

Don't understand it either, as I don't really consider Gailey's 'open competition' to be anything but a coaching ploy to motivate all the QBs and don't really think we as fans ever got a good look at Brohm with the starting unit - but I expect we'll all have a much better understanding of how Brohm looks with the #1's by week 5...

GO BILLSSS!!!!

The open competition was in mini-camp, it was for the coaches & players involved, it was not changed during preseason and it was not for the fans to see their favorite QB play with the starters. People seem to forget that when Chan arrived, Ryan Fitzpatrick was #1 on the depth chart, not Trent Edwards. Edwards showed enough in mini-camp to get the edge on the depth chart, Levi Brown showed the least & was dropped from any further consideration once camp opened. The order didn't change in camp & preseason, mainly because Edwards continued to outplay all the other guys, as confirmed by our camp visitors who posted their observations here. Edwards earned the right to start every preseason game, Brohm did not-it's as simple as that. Also if Trent goes down or sucks, Fitzpatrick will get 1st crack at starting, not Brohm.

[Captain Caveman]

Good point, on Schaub and Brunell (heck, even Favre would qualify there, wouldn't he?), and on Marangi, who was so popular until he actually got his chance to play.

 

It does make me wonder whether everyone gets his chance though. Could it be that any number of backups could have been good, even great starters, but just never had the good fortune to be given their chances? What if GB had decided that Brunell was a valuable backup and never let him leave? Is Fred Besana a HOFer in an alternate universe?

 

There are very few Mannings and Favres who play every game every season. Most QBs get injured and miss some time, and that is the backup's opportunity. Anyone playing behind Edwards should expect to see some playing time. But if Brohm couldn't beat out Fitzpatrick for the #2 spot, I'm not optimistic about his chances.

[BuffaloBill]

It's not just the board, but the media as well. I'm not touting him as the starter but he has shown he can be an efficient QB( move the chains, manage the game). Doesn't that fit into the game plan for a predominantly run oriented offense? I just don't get it. The kid didn't cut it in GB for what ever reason, but that was in the past. It's a new ballgame. How about a little support instead. For all anyone knows this kid could be a diamond in the rough, or a lump of coal, but he hasn't had much of a chance to prove either so far. Just my two cents for what it's worth.

 

 

Why the Brohm love? He has not done anything in this league yet and has apparently not even riding #2 on the Bills. I am not saying he does not have potential but he has shown nothing great so far.

[Albany,n.y.]

Good point, on Schaub and Brunell (heck, even Favre would qualify there, wouldn't he?), and on Marangi, who was so popular until he actually got his chance to play.

 

It does make me wonder whether everyone gets his chance though. Could it be that any number of backups could have been good, even great starters, but just never had the good fortune to be given their chances? What if GB had decided that Brunell was a valuable backup and never let him leave? Is Fred Besana a HOFer in an alternate universe?

These guys all get a shot with free agency. A good example is Shaun Hill, who is now Detroit's #2. He was on the bench in Minnesota & got his chance after he left for SF.

Besana actually got his shot in the USFL after the Bills let him go, he was the starting QB for the Oakland Invaders the 1st 2 years of the league, but in the 3rd & final year, the Invaders merged with the Michigan Panthers and Besana ended up backing up Bobby Hebert.