Obviously Bills Are Going Defense With First Pick

[The Senator]

Wilson actually said that after 5 games during our bye week.

And I'm sure Nix & Co. were just thrilled that RW revealed our draft intentions in the media.

 

(Hopefully, Ralph doesn't remember why he said that - or, for that matter, ever saying saying it at all!)

[DanInUticaTampa]

And I'm sure Nix & Co. were just thrilled that RW revealed our draft intentions in the media.

 

(Hopefully, Ralph doesn't remember why he said that - or, for that matter, ever saying saying it at all!)

 

maybe nix didn't read the paper that day!

 

I bet at the time they thought they were going to get the first pick for sure, and it wouldn't have mattered. Now, just dunno what is going to happen in the draft, at all.

 

and on a side note, nix went to scout Luck at stanford just a couple weeks ago, so...... apparently they will take a QB if one falls to them that they think is worth it.

 

 

And I am pretty convinced the muscial chairs at tight end is a red flag that gailey wants one bad... I expect that position to see a huge change this offseason.

[Orton's Arm]

Also, Kurt Warner was un-drafted. I think its hard to expect enough from a later round pick. Its a big leap to think that one can be developed and be a franchise star.

 

 

Here is the top 31 QBs currently on ESPN stats for 2010 in order of stats. 16 of the 31 came in Round 1.

 

R1 - 16, Vick(x), Rivers(x), Rodgers(x), Roethlisberger(x), Flacco(x), PManning(x), Ryan(x), EManning, Cutler, Freeman, Campbell, Smith, Bradford, Palmer, McNabb, Sanchez

R2 - 4, Brees(x), Henne, Favre, Clausen

R3 - 0

R4 - 3, Garrard, Schaub, Orton

R5 - 0

R6 - 3, Brady(x), Hasselbeck, Anderson

R7 - 2, Cassel, Fitzpatrick

UD - 3, Romo, Kitna, Hill

 

I 'X'ed all QBs who could be considered Franchise QBs right now. Lets make this the test... would you trade our first round pick for this guy straight up? Favre, Mcnabb too old, EManning, Cutler haven't proven it consistently and Freeman, Bradford, Sanchez haven't done enough yet.

 

So that leaves 9 Franchise QBs, with 7 of them drafted in the first round. Brees was projected first round and was the first pick of the 2nd round when he dropped. Brady is the luckiest pick of all time.

Very good post!

 

I personally think of Eli Manning as a franchise QB. Last season Eli had an average of 7.9 yards per attempt; and this year it's 7.2. Peyton's career average is 7.6. I'm not saying Eli is as good as his brother; but the difference between the two is considerably less than it used to be.

 

But if Eli is labeled a franchise QB, it only strengthens the case you've made above. Most franchise QBs tend to be found in the first round, as you've pointed out. It's also worth noting that at least this year, no team without a franchise QB is a legitimate threat to do something serious in the postseason. (Except maybe the Jets. Maybe.)

 

An elite QB, alone, can't do much. He'll get constantly sacked, or his receivers will drop his passes, or the defense will ignore the (nonexistent) running game to focus on shutting down the passing game. But once you start getting decent, respectable play from your offensive supporting cast, an elite QB can significantly elevate the production of the offense as a whole. Add in a few elite players on offense to go with him, and a solid defense, and you'll have yourself a very serious team!

[The Senator]

maybe nix didn't read the paper that day!

 

I bet at the time they thought they were going to get the first pick for sure, and it wouldn't have mattered. Now, just dunno what is going to happen in the draft, at all.

 

and on a side note, nix went to scout Luck at stanford just a couple weeks ago, so...... apparently they will take a QB if one falls to them that they think is worth it.

 

 

And I am pretty convinced the muscial chairs at tight end is a red flag that gailey wants one bad... I expect that position to see a huge change this offseason.

I'm sure Nix took a look at Andy while visiting ' The Farm ' (just to get an idea about next year's QB class) but I believe NFL scouts are prohibited from talking to draft-ineligible athletes, which would include Luck unless and until he declares for the draft, and which also leads me to believe that Nix was really there to scout Stanford's 2-way stud - senior FB/ILB Owen Marecic...

 

 

 

Also see...

 

Owen Marecic scores 2 TDs in 15 seconds

 

The Perfect Player

Edited December 15, 2010 by The Senator

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

You are absolutely right. Second and third round quarterbacks are never any good.

Brett Farve

Kurt Warner

Joe Montana

Tom Brady

Drew Brees

Matt Schaub

Tony Romo

 

Some of these guys are pretty good.

 

You have to play the odds though. If I had to guess, there are probably dozens of crappy QB's taken in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th rounds over the years.

 

Why gamble in the 2nd round, when you can make a nice safe pick on a DL or OL?

[RuntheDamnBall]

Cam Newton and JaMarcus Russell are in NO WAY comparable outside of complexion and being from the South. Period.

No work ethic issues with Newton.

Jury's out on that one, but a lot of guaranteed money can change things.

Newton is infinitely more mobile. Newton has displayed leadership qualities Russell never displayed. Netwon plays best in big games regardless of pressure off the field. Newton is more accurate. Russell had a cannon for an arm. Netwon has a strong arm.

I recall Russell winning some big games. Russell also had WAY more of a track record, and still busted.

 

I am wary of Newton's character given the circumstances surrounding his departure from Florida. He has bounced back, no doubt, but I am not interested in seeing the Bills give another one-year-wonder #1 money, unless he's Bruce Smith with a time machine.

[billsfreak]

Your point is well taken, but Brady was a 6th rounder, and I belive Romo was undrafted...

I believe Warner was undrafted also. The bottom line is, the draft isn't an exact science, expecially at the QB position. You can throw examples out for either side of a discussion, no matter what the discussion is about when it comes to the draft. When it comes to drafting quarterbacks, the names mentioned are few and far between, as the success isn't great for any team-a lot more misses than Hall of Fame caliber hits. The higher you draft any position, the odds are better that it will be a great pick, but there are obviously no guarantees.

[PDaDdy]

Why does everyone knock the O-line so hard? Fitz hasn't been getting sacked all that much...a couple break downs a game. But I think the bigger issue is that we are hurt. We have played with an obscene number of different line ups on the O-line.

 

I think they are very happy with the O-line we have and if I had to guess it will not be addressed in the first 3 rounds.

 

 

I think that Fitz is definitely making the line look better but it isn't that bad either. We have some pieces. Many of them are young. They just need to be moved around like starting Wood at center and playing the position that he was drafted at. We also need a RT,(Wang?) and Bell needs to get better at run blocking.

 

Other than drafting a rookie LT to start from day one I see us going defense. The Bills seem committed to Bell so the LT scenario seems unlikely. Defense it is. The question is where? I say DE and/or LB. We need a pass rusher and somebody that can hold the edge and not get burned on cut back or misdirection runs which seem to be our bane. A freak, pass rushing, big LB that is an asset not a liability in the run game is what I want to see with our first pick. Problem is, does that guy exist in this draft and will he be both available and worth taking around the 6th overall pick which is what we are probably looking at?