Ennjay Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Every year there's a quarterback who was a decent enough player in November but in April the draftniks think he's the greatest of all time and they can't praise him enough. Players like this get better every day of the winter without even playing a game. Ryan Leaf was one of those guys, but so were Heath Shuler, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, Matthew Stafford . . . I include Eli Manning in this group. He benefits from a team that's set up for him but the guy just isn't great. In other words, you don't have to be a megabust like Leaf to be super-overrated on Draft Day (conceding Stafford may still work out). These guys by and large had NFL careers but they weren't anything special. Is Gabbert this year's draftnik idol? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggins Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Matthew Stafford is a decent NFL QB and will be a great one when he isn't injured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiotim Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 What scares me about Blaine Gabbert is that his name is Blaine Gabbert. Sounds like a character in a John Hughes film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 You have to remember the whole draft hype business is just that. Players you barely heard of during the season start getting talked about like they are the next big thing, when really it's agents getting stories on their players written by friendly bloggers. And of course stuff gets picked like its breaking news because there is an endless number of websites looking for a scoop. And this works because we...us posters on this site and many others...are desperate for inside info. When someone like McShay gets sucked in then is jackpot time for that player. (see: Jevon Snead) Most of the time NFL GMs see right through this crap. (see: Jevon Snead) So is Blaine Gabbert the second coming? I doubt it. If he really was something special I think he would have drawn attention early. His late arrival to the discussion is suspect. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddogblitz Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Sounds like what happened to Jake Locker last year. Never understood the fascination last year. At the end of the draft 2010, Mel Kiper predicted he would be the number 1 pick this year. Guess he missed out a little bit. I don't want Gabbert. I want to roll with Fitz next year and go heavy D in the draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sllib olaffub Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I went back and watched youtube video on Gabbert to get a better idea of what he looked like. Usually the youtube clips are either the best, or the worst, moments in a players career; kind of a highlight reel. Anyway, I wasn't very impressed with him from what I saw. Sure, he did have a really strong arm, and could throw the ball in the Ralph just fine. But, he didn't appear to possess great leadership, or an iron will to succeed. He's skinny, and looks like he'd get hurt pretty easily. (On the topic of leadership - I know, it isn't exactly a science, but I just don't get that passionate, win at all cost, impression from him - he seems more objective, even a little timid). Sure, he could end up being great. But, from what I saw I'm now much more on board with us grabbing the best D talent in the first and second, maybe third, and go after someone like McElroy - who I like a lot - or one of the other 2nd tier guys who look to have a few real gems in the bunch. Then again, if our staff likes Locker, or Mallet (again, Gabbert and Mallet look similar to me) then we'll have to trust them. One thing is certain - I'm excited to see Gailey get the opportunity to hand pick his pupil(s). He will obviously, after last year, pass on guys if he's not sold on any - and, judging by their intelligent decision not to jump all over Claussen, as so many criticized him for, Nix/Gailey look capable of determining who is the real deal, and who is probably not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Every year there's a quarterback who was a decent enough player in November but in April the draftniks think he's the greatest of all time and they can't praise him enough. Players like this get better every day of the winter without even playing a game. Ryan Leaf was one of those guys, but so were Heath Shuler, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, Matthew Stafford . . . I include Eli Manning in this group. He benefits from a team that's set up for him but the guy just isn't great. In other words, you don't have to be a megabust like Leaf to be super-overrated on Draft Day (conceding Stafford may still work out). These guys by and large had NFL careers but they weren't anything special. Is Gabbert this year's draftnik idol? Leaf, Stafford and Manning were all hyped all season, they weren't offseason risers. I agree with your point though. The Bills often bite on offseason wonders. Even a guy like CJ Spiller rose up draft charts in the winter, with many people forgetting that he was a disappointment as a sophomore and junior and needed sixth rounder James Davis to leave for the NFL before he could emerge as the starter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stl Bills Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 I went back and watched youtube video on Gabbert to get a better idea of what he looked like. Usually the youtube clips are either the best, or the worst, moments in a players career; kind of a highlight reel. Anyway, I wasn't very impressed with him from what I saw. Sure, he did have a really strong arm, and could throw the ball in the Ralph just fine. But, he didn't appear to possess great leadership, or an iron will to succeed. He's skinny, and looks like he'd get hurt pretty easily. (On the topic of leadership - I know, it isn't exactly a science, but I just don't get that passionate, win at all cost, impression from him - he seems more objective, even a little timid). Sure, he could end up being great. But, from what I saw I'm now much more on board with us grabbing the best D talent in the first and second, maybe third, and go after someone like McElroy - who I like a lot - or one of the other 2nd tier guys who look to have a few real gems in the bunch. Then again, if our staff likes Locker, or Mallet (again, Gabbert and Mallet look similar to me) then we'll have to trust them. One thing is certain - I'm excited to see Gailey get the opportunity to hand pick his pupil(s). He will obviously, after last year, pass on guys if he's not sold on any - and, judging by their intelligent decision not to jump all over Claussen, as so many criticized him for, Nix/Gailey look capable of determining who is the real deal, and who is probably not. Ok I'm a Mizzou alumni and I've seen every one of his starts and I'm not sold on Blaine as an NFL QB. I do like him more than almost any QB in this draft though (I'm not impressed with this year's class). I'm not sure how you can tell anything about his leadership or will to win from a youtube clip and how can you say he is skinny...the guy is 6ft 5in and 240lbs. He hurt his ankle last year and played thru the injury, never missing a game. He tends to get happy feet from time to time and not step up into the pocket like he should but overall I think he's a solid prospect. I will say this though, he will be a much better QB than Mallet. Mallet's release takes forever and will get him killed in the NFL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancasterSteve Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 You have to remember the whole draft hype business is just that. Players you barely heard of during the season start getting talked about like they are the next big thing, when really it's agents getting stories on their players written by friendly bloggers. And of course stuff gets picked like its breaking news because there is an endless number of websites looking for a scoop. And this works because we...us posters on this site and many others...are desperate for inside info. When someone like McShay gets sucked in then is jackpot time for that player. (see: Jevon Snead) Most of the time NFL GMs see right through this crap. (see: Jevon Snead) So is Blaine Gabbert the second coming? I doubt it. If he really was something special I think he would have drawn attention early. His late arrival to the discussion is suspect. PTR I might add, much disinformation and rumors are leaked to either push a players stock up or down. Plus schools really hype their draftable players hoping to push their draft stock up. The schools then can use this as a recruiting tool. I also take these different "pro-days" at different schools with a grain of salt besides getting the true measureables. I don't care what a players 40 time without pads is; can he play the game. All too often the Bills have been suckered in by this BS and drafted player who looked like tarzen and ending up playing like jane. Just pass on a QB early. I can see the Bills not drafting a QB at all. I wrote up a separate opinion on Gabbert but IMHO he shouldn't be drafted before the 4th or 5th round. Our guesses here are often way off base on TSW. Look at last years projection on who the Bills would select by posters here: 31% said Bulaga would be the pick a 9 and 30% said it would be Clausen. Spiller I believe received no votes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest three3 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 watched some footage of blaine tonight for the first time. i did not like it. plenty of problems. how has this guy been talked up into being the #1 overall pick? how? this guy is a potential train wreck in the nfl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Every year there's a quarterback who was a decent enough player in November but in April the draftniks think he's the greatest of all time and they can't praise him enough. Players like this get better every day of the winter without even playing a game. Ryan Leaf was one of those guys, but so were Heath Shuler, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, Matthew Stafford . . . I include Eli Manning in this group. He benefits from a team that's set up for him but the guy just isn't great. In other words, you don't have to be a megabust like Leaf to be super-overrated on Draft Day (conceding Stafford may still work out). These guys by and large had NFL careers but they weren't anything special. Is Gabbert this year's draftnik idol? yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPicc2114 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) I like his football smarts. He has a great arm, good size. I don't like his lateral movement, it seems as though he has really good strait line speed but doesn't move all that well in the pocket. His release is really good. Mechanics on his throws are perfect. I didn't see him throw off his back foot very often. He tends to hold the ball too long and locks on to receivers. I don't think he is top of the first round talent, but he definately is a bottom of the first round QB prospect. I have watched basically every college game he's ever played. Edited January 15, 2011 by Mr. Negative Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JStranger76 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 My wife says if I watch anymore film of Blaine Gabbert I might actually turn into Blaine Gabbert. Seriously though, the guy better get his name legally changed before I can even handle the thought of him as a Bill....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob T from OP Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Every year there's a quarterback who was a decent enough player in November but in April the draftniks think he's the greatest of all time and they can't praise him enough. Players like this get better every day of the winter without even playing a game. Ryan Leaf was one of those guys, but so were Heath Shuler, Trent Dilfer, David Carr, Matthew Stafford . . . I include Eli Manning in this group. He benefits from a team that's set up for him but the guy just isn't great. In other words, you don't have to be a megabust like Leaf to be super-overrated on Draft Day (conceding Stafford may still work out). These guys by and large had NFL careers but they weren't anything special. Is Gabbert this year's draftnik idol? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. ChumChums Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 This is probably the best set of highlights I've seen on Blaine Gabbert. It's pretty much every throw that he had against Illinois - think of it as watching an entire game on him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5nGYHLeB2g The things that stood out for me: - He gets skittish in the pocket. While his protection WAS bad, he made it worse by running around trying to save himself early. If he just stood for an extra second much of the time, he probably would have delivered some pretty good balls. - Even though he gets skittish and starts moving around, it looks like his footwork is pretty good, EVEN under duress. When he starts running around, he is still ALWAYS looking down the field to deliver the ball to his receivers. His shoulders are still always squared away, allowing him to deliver his ball pretty quickly and relatively accurately when he's running. - Has a pretty fast release, and looks like he has the arm strength to deliver all the NFL throws. He's able (and often) fits his balls in some tight windows. - His balls have zip on them, and often, his receivers drop the balls because they have too much heat on them. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing. That is all. I wouldn't take too much stock in my words though... this is my attempt to be an armchair scout . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkirchofer Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 At the very least....if we do draft Gabbert at some point...what is the harm? What is our best option going into next year? We really have nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking a chance on a kid that has better skills than most coming out of the draft. At the very least we have hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stinky finger Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) If he just stood for an extra second much of the time, he probably would have delivered some pretty good balls. Precisely what my woman said of me as she knelt at my equator. Edited January 15, 2011 by billsoverdue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. ChumChums Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Precisely what my woman said of me as she knelt at my equator. And he has good feet. Always keeps his best foot forward. Feet are important, they let you throw good balls. His feet look like they move well. He seems like he would be a good foot soldier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TC in St. Louis Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 He was the top rated pro-style quarterback in America as a senior in high school. He's really fast, and he has a gun for an arm. He can throw the ball 60 yards so hard you could hang laundry on it. And he's tough. I would not take him with the third pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinny4sum Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) As for the "where did this guy come from, he must be no good" thought. He played at Mizzou and not Florida, Auburn or you name it big time T.V. school. How many times was he on a network last year? I know I watched him on a lot of Fox sports networks. That does not mean he is the answer and definitely not at #3, the Bills have to make that an impact pick. This pick needs to be Bruce Smith or Will Wolford all over again. Edited January 15, 2011 by Vinny4sum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gumby Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 What scares me about Blaine Gabbert is that his name is Blaine Gabbert. Sounds like a character in a John Hughes film. In a city that has a hockey coach named Lindy I'm sure we can find room for a Blaine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnbillsbacker Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Philip Rivers and Joe Flacco are examples of guys whose rose up the mocks in the months leading up to the draft. They worked out ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ieatcrayonz Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Ok I'm a Mizzou alumni and I've seen You're twins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phlegm Alley Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 He has one of the quickest releases in college football He has a pretty strong arm Fairly mobile and won't hesitate to pick up yards with his legs, but his footwork needs to improve. Great size and measurables. Accuracy needs to improve. He is a streaky thrower. Once he gets into a rhythm, he seems to complete a lot of passes. Get him out of his rhythm and he can be rattled and inaccurate. I think he was limited in the offense that was run at Mizzou While his pocket does break down some, he tends to abandon the play, which led to him improvising when his primary receiver was covered. Didn't go through his progressions while in the pocket. I think he is a great prospect who would definitely need to sit for a year to learn the pro style offense and learn how to go through his progressions, look off/recognize coverage and to work on his footwork. Is he a top 5 pick? I think so. He reminds me of a bigger Aaron Rodgers. He has a similar release and ability to throw outside the pocket, but his arm is much stronger, but not as accurate. I could endorse the Bills taking him at #3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoner7 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 If you are a QB and Todd McShay likes you you are guaranteed to blow donkey nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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