Matt Barkley - QB - USC

[Maddog69]

Fast forward to yesterday when Barkley got undressed by Mooch at the chalkboard... clear indication he knows all the things to say but can't deliver a whole lot when put on the spot.

 

Can anyone one really see a california surfer boy actully suiting up in Buffalo in November... let alone December & January and firing pass after pass into 30 mile an hour winds while its snowing?

 

I mean really... how can we make this stupid fantasy end.

i would not say he got undressed by Mooch. He was not able to quickly and correctly re-diagram a play he had seen 15 minutes ago (and do it in reverse). But he had the basic concept and handled it well.

 

As far as the 30mph winds, that is so overblown (no pun intended). Ive had season tix at the Ralph for more than a decade and don't recall more than 3-4 games where weather was a huge factor. And generally in those games, the team that is able to run the ball better is the winner.

 

Barkley seems like a very solid NFL QB prospect to me and I'd be thrilled to have him on the Bills. I don't care what state he is from or what college he went to. It is impressive to be that he was a very successful 4 year started for a top D-1 school while handling tons of pressure along with NFL sanctions. I liked his answer to "why did you stay for your senior year". He said he made a commitment to teammates to lead them through the sanctions and he wanted to live up to it.

[1billsfan]

Barkley being doomed in the NFL because he went to California has no statistical validity. Every player is a unique set of talent, and will succeed or fail in the NFL with as much of a statistical chance as any other QB. It's all about the individual. I say Barkley should be Buffalo's #1 target in the draft. After him I'd wait till the second, or trade back up to get a guy like Wilson.

 

Matt Barkley is backup material in the NFL. He's just another in a long line of "clean cut" all-american looking college QBs who looks the part but will fall flat on his face once he gets there because he's too short, slow and athletic. There's no way the Bills are interested in drafting him. The Bills will not pick any QB (including Geno) with the first pick because there aren't any worthy enough. Picking a QB at #8 is a big deal. I don't see a new regime hitching their wagons for three years to a QB with question marks which all of these guys have. The Bills will start thinking QB with the second pick. However if there's a great player there at another position like tight end, they may wait till the third. I think the Bills are a team that has one eye on this QB class and one eye on the 2014 QB class.

[Maddog69]

Barkley or Geno at 8

Wilson in mid 1st

Manuel or Nassib in R2

Glennon, Landry or Bray late 2 or round 3.

 

I'm going to be disappointed if we don't get one of these guys. My two personal favorites are Barkley and Manuel. I'm intrigued by Nassib only because of his history with Marrone/Hackett.

[Dr. Trooth]

Not sure why this hatred for Barkley. Barkley himself quoted that he has never surfed in life. Let us first play some games in December that count before worrying about games in January.

 

Let's get one thing straight. I may be passionate, but I do not "HATE", anyone... period. And,I take issue with anyone that suggests that when I express my opinion.

 

I don't care whether the kid has surfed or not. It is a generic descriptive of a typical southern cal kid... laid back, sunshine, skateboading, surfing, volleyball, hoop, hangin at Venice Beach. Plenty of to do all the time... there's essentially only one season. And if you are the starting QB at USC, you are God... so sayeth the media and it is non stop hype and lauding that has rendered jack s#hit in the pros... that's a fact.

 

Now, if you believe a kid growing up in that perfect environment is gonna come in to a blue collar, unglamourous town, where a day without a stiff wind is is abnormal, where the sun shines about a third of the time from where he came from, lake effect snow can pop up at anytime from late October on, averages about 35 degrees from December on, and somehow this kid with an average to slightly above average arm is somehow going to master all of that plus the intangeables necessary to be a franchise QB and become the football savior of Buffalo. Sure, great movie script. Submit that to Disney But, let's keep it real. Ain't gonna happen. And it wouldn't even happen in a dome.

[Maddog69]

Living in SoCal, I get to see a ton of these Southern Cal guys in college. I liked Sanchez much more than Barkley coming out of college, but Barkley should have more of an impact in the pros than a guy like Leinert did. I'm less concerned with Barkley's arm strength than I am with his leadership/mental fortitude qualities. He was the undisputed leader of the preseason #1 team in the country and the best he could do was lead them to a 7-4 record. And three of his worst performances came on the biggest stages (Stanford, Oregon and the rivalry game against UCLA). Still, he's polished and throws an accurate ball so I think Barkley could step in and be an improvement over Fitzpatrick, but I don't view him as an elite guy you want to hang your hat on for the next ten years.

excellent post. Thanks for the info. It is good to hear from people who have actually seen these guys play quite a bit.

 

Let's get one thing straight. I may be passionate, but I do not "HATE", anyone... period. And,I take issue with anyone that suggests that when I express my opinion.

 

I don't care whether the kid has surfed or not. It is a generic descriptive of a typical southern cal kid... laid back, sunshine, skateboading, surfing, volleyball, hoop, hangin at Venice Beach. Plenty of to do all the time... there's essentially only one season. And if you are the starting QB at USC, you are God... so sayeth the media and it is non stop hype and lauding that has rendered jack s#hit in the pros... that's a fact.

 

Now, if you believe a kid growing up in that perfect environment is gonna come in to a blue collar, unglamourous town, where a day without a stiff wind is is abnormal, where the sun shines about a third of the time from where he came from, lake effect snow can pop up at anytime from late October on, averages about 35 degrees from December on, and somehow this kid with an average to slightly above average arm is somehow going to master all of that plus the intangeables necessary to be a franchise QB and become the football savior of Buffalo. Sure, great movie script. Submit that to Disney But, let's keep it real. Ain't gonna happen. And it wouldn't even happen in a dome.

I'm curious to know if you live in WNY ?

Also, if you are basing your judgement against Barkley on the weather conditions in Buffalo, why would those expectations not change in a dome where the weather conditions would be perfect like they supposedly were for every other game of the kids' life?

 

The stereotypes and wild generalizations don't really help your arguments. (i.e: not every kid from Cali is a laid back, surfer type, just as not every black QB is a running QB like Mike Vick).

[Billsrhody]

I like Barkley and would like to see the bills take him at 8 if he is there.. the USC thing doesnt bother me at all.

 

What does bother me some is that he has had 2 of the best WR in the country for the past 2 years and hasn't thrown the lights out.

[Prickly Pete]

Let's get one thing straight. I may be passionate, but I do not "HATE", anyone... period. And,I take issue with anyone that suggests that when I express my opinion.

 

I don't care whether the kid has surfed or not. It is a generic descriptive of a typical southern cal kid... laid back, sunshine, skateboading, surfing, volleyball, hoop, hangin at Venice Beach. Plenty of to do all the time... there's essentially only one season.

 

So you get all uptight about him using a generic descriptive term (let's get all uptight about the word "hatred"), and then turn it around, and act like he is nitpicking about you using the term "surfer"?

 

In this case, what you said was actually more disparaging, because you are spreading a falsehood about a player.

 

Look in the mirror, man.

Edited February 26, 2013 by Marauder'sMicro

[yungmack]

Let's get one thing straight. I may be passionate, but I do not "HATE", anyone... period. And,I take issue with anyone that suggests that when I express my opinion.

 

I don't care whether the kid has surfed or not. It is a generic descriptive of a typical southern cal kid... laid back, sunshine, skateboading, surfing, volleyball, hoop, hangin at Venice Beach. Plenty of to do all the time... there's essentially only one season. And if you are the starting QB at USC, you are God... so sayeth the media and it is non stop hype and lauding that has rendered jack s#hit in the pros... that's a fact.

 

Wow, talk about your stereotyping. Clearly, you have never been to SoCal. And just as clearly, you have bought into the Beach Boys fantasy of Life In LA. For the record, Barkley is from inland Orange County, and goes to college in dodgy South Central LA. "Hangin' at Venice Beach" is reserved more or less for the freaks and the tourists (and the housing is split between gangbangin' neighborhoods and gentrified areas for the hip rich); huge amounts of the area are among the roughest in the nation; blue collar workers vastly outnumber the Malibu/Beverly Hills wealthy types; the Armenian, Chinese, Samoan, Korean, Mexican, Indian (both American and South Asian types), Thai, Philipino, Vietnamese, Australian, Israeli and even Inuit communites are the largest in the world outside their native countries; lots of the many SoCal kids playing in college and the NFL come from the deserty ratlands north and east of LA that most people strive to avoid either living in or passing through, and a huge percentage of kids in LA have never seen, much less been to, the beach or Hollywood or any of the other places associated with fantasy of Southern California.

 

When you rely on stereotypes, particularly false ones, to create your negative opinion, then you are in fact being hateful.

[K-9]

There is nothing typical about this kid when it comes to what makes him tick. I was impressed to learn that he actually spearheaded relief efforts in Africa and Haiti among other places. Not just went to those places but actually organized and recruited others to help in relief efforts. That just isn't stereoptypical behavior for most people, let alone USC quarterbacks. Very impressive.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[C.Biscuit97]

There is nothing typical about this kid when it comes to what makes him tick. I was impressed to learn that he actually spearheaded relief efforts in Africa and Haiti among other places. Not just went to those places but actually organized and recruited others to help in relief efforts. That just isn't stereoptypical behavior for most people, let alone USC quarterbacks. Very impressive.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Agreed 100%. The guy couldn't be more different than Leinart or Sanchez. Add to the fact that Kiffin is an awful coach who only got where he has gotten because of his dad, that's another plus for Barkley. I just don't understand how a guy can go from potential #1 overall to not even a 1st round pick in a year where he throw 30+ touchdowns.

 

Marrone saw him throw 6 tds in person. If he is there at #8 and his shoulder checks out, he would be very hard to pass up.

[Direhard Fan]

QB from USC who had great stats in the NFL. O. J. was 4 for 5 in his years with the Bills. 80% completion rating.

[ChanOverChin]

I'm making it very plain that I'm squarely in Matt Barkley's corner. He is the guy that I think we should draft at #8 overall because he won't last until when we draft in R2. He is the difference-maker that we desperately need at QB.

 

I believe that Barkley is the best QB in this year's draft. I believe that he would start for the Bills at QB from Day 1 if he were drafted.

 

The quote in my title above comes from a piece written by SI's Peter King in which Barkley describes what he's learned from hanging out with Peyton Manning. What he's learned, in so many words, is that to be succcessful in the NFL as a QB you have to be a great leader and in order to be a great leader you have to be able to command the respect of your teammates in order to have them put in the time that is needed to work out together so that all will get better.

 

In the same article, Barkley disspells the notion that he is a typical Cali kid (so many on this site have claimed that he fits that stereotype).

 

Barkley seems very confident and very sure of himself without being cocky. "As I start my NFL career,'' he said, "I really want to set the record straight on a few things. People look

at me like I'm some Cali boy, but I'm not that way -- I don't even know how to surf. I'm a football junkie. I'm football, 24/7.''

 

Barkley would be a top 5 pick if it weren't for the status of his arm/shoulder, which he is currently rehabbing. "My Pro Day will dispel those myths about my arm,'' he predicted.

 

We can only hope that Barkley continues to fly under the radar because that's the only real shot that we will have at drafting him.

 

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20130225/nfl-combine-peter-king-monday-morning-quarterback/#ixzz2M7Nb7EHF

[RyanC883]

I was not on board with Barkley at first, but the more I look at his numbers and intangibles, the more I want him at #8. He's the only QB I'd take there. He "struggled" last year behind a terrible O-line, and still put up ridiculous numbers.

[Maddog69]

I'm making it very plain that I'm squarely in Matt Barkley's corner. He is the guy that I think we should draft at #8 overall because he won't last until when we draft in R2. He is the difference-maker that we desperately need at QB.

 

I believe that Barkley is the best QB in this year's draft. I believe that he would start for the Bills at QB from Day 1 if he were drafted.

 

The quote in my title above comes from a piece written by SI's Peter King in which Barkley describes what he's learned from hanging out with Peyton Manning. What he's learned, in so many words, is that to be succcessful in the NFL as a QB you have to be a great leader and in order to be a great leader you have to be able to command the respect of your teammates in order to have them put in the time that is needed to work out together so that all will get better.

 

In the same article, Barkley disspells the notion that he is a typical Cali kid (so many on this site have claimed that he fits that stereotype).

 

Barkley seems very confident and very sure of himself without being cocky. "As I start my NFL career,'' he said, "I really want to set the record straight on a few things. People look

at me like I'm some Cali boy, but I'm not that way -- I don't even know how to surf. I'm a football junkie. I'm football, 24/7.''

 

Barkley would be a top 5 pick if it weren't for the status of his arm/shoulder, which he is currently rehabbing. "My Pro Day will dispel those myths about my arm,'' he predicted.

 

We can only hope that Barkley continues to fly under the radar because that's the only real shot that we will have at drafting him.

 

Read More: http://sportsillustr.../#ixzz2M7Nb7EHF

Nice write up on Barkley. Thanks for posting. He is becoming my favorite QB in this draft. Is there a chance he is a bust, sure. But that can be said for every player in every draft. I like his onfield production over 4 full seasons as a starter. I like pretty much everything I see and read about him as a person, player and leader. I'd be a proud Bills fan is he was the Bills selection at 8 (or any other pick)

[billsrcursed]

Let's get one thing straight. I may be passionate, but I do not "HATE", anyone... period. And,I take issue with anyone that suggests that when I express my opinion.

 

I don't care whether the kid has surfed or not. It is a generic descriptive of a typical southern cal kid... laid back, sunshine, skateboading, surfing, volleyball, hoop, hangin at Venice Beach. Plenty of to do all the time... there's essentially only one season. And if you are the starting QB at USC, you are God... so sayeth the media and it is non stop hype and lauding that has rendered jack s#hit in the pros... that's a fact.

 

Now, if you believe a kid growing up in that perfect environment is gonna come in to a blue collar, unglamourous town, where a day without a stiff wind is is abnormal, where the sun shines about a third of the time from where he came from, lake effect snow can pop up at anytime from late October on, averages about 35 degrees from December on, and somehow this kid with an average to slightly above average arm is somehow going to master all of that plus the intangeables necessary to be a franchise QB and become the football savior of Buffalo. Sure, great movie script. Submit that to Disney But, let's keep it real. Ain't gonna happen. And it wouldn't even happen in a dome.

 

I hope you woke up today and are as embarrassed by this post as the rest of us are.

 

It's rare I stumble across 1 single post with so much inaccuracy in it.

[CaliBillsfan]

being from SoCal ive watched Barkleys entire career and id love for the Bills to take him. He would be a starter from day 1 imo.

 

1st round. Geno/Barkley (whoever is there)

 

every round after that LB or best WR and CB we need help at all these. From what it sounds like TE will be picked in Mid Rounds if not sooner, Bills never do whats expected.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

being from SoCal ive watched Barkleys entire career and id love for the Bills to take him. He would be a starter from day 1 imo.

 

1st round. Geno/Barkley (whoever is there)

 

every round after that LB or best WR and CB we need help at all these. From what it sounds like TE will be picked in Mid Rounds if not sooner, Bills never do whats expected.

 

Great avatar btw.

 

How'd you come across that?

[C.Biscuit97]

Nice write up on Barkley. Thanks for posting. He is becoming my favorite QB in this draft. Is there a chance he is a bust, sure. But that can be said for every player in every draft. I like his onfield production over 4 full seasons as a starter. I like pretty much everything I see and read about him as a person, player and leader. I'd be a proud Bills fan is he was the Bills selection at 8 (or any other pick)

 

That's pretty much the way I see it now as well. The guy had a great college career, was the #1 pick going into the season, had a terrible year where he only threw 36 tds, and now he isn't even a 1st rounder? Whatever, I'd roll the dice on that all day and if he fails, draft another guy next year.

[Chicago_Mike]

Do your own homework Sue

 

Vintage.

[Prickly Pete]

That's pretty much the way I see it now as well. The guy had a great college career, was the #1 pick going into the season, had a terrible year where he only threw 36 tds, and now he isn't even a 1st rounder? Whatever, I'd roll the dice on that all day and if he fails, draft another guy next year.

 

My favorite part of the cited interview...

 

One of the last things we discussed is Barkley's trip to the Manning Passing Academy last July, his first trip to see into Peyton's and Eli's worlds. "I learned a valuable lesson from Peyton, about sometimes you have to be a d---,'' he said.

 

"Doing what is asked is not enough to win in the NFL, I know that,'' he said. "You've got to do more. And I intend to.''

 

 

 

I can't see him not being an upgrade over Fitz.

 

One of the team's problems seems to be that no one is holding each other accountable. Jim Kelly did, and I think Barkley will too (I know., he will have to earn it on the field). I recall a Bills player saying something like "everybody on the team gets along really well, but that might be part of the problem".

 

He has lived in the spotlight for 4 seasons already, and the guy has a ton of high pressure experience, and been through tumultuous off-field distractions. He knows what he is doing. If you compare interviews of him to Matt Leinhart, it immediately jumps out how much more mature he is than that fool. He has shown great leadership skills as well, and his work ethic is unquestionable.

 

Just pick him at 8, and then get going building the rest of the team.

Edited February 28, 2013 by Marauder'sMicro