it's a QUARTERBACK driven league

[Buffaloed in Pa]

We will never make a run in the play-offs without a franchise QB. Never ! If we had a franchise QB this year,we would have made the play-offs easily. Every team in the play -offs has their weaknesses.,But they all have a franchise QB. Everybody says we need this,we need that. We need a franchise QB the most.

[dayman]

The Bills find themselves in a "damned if you do or damned if you don't" conundrum - draft EJ in first round and he plays mediocre. Stick with EJ next year as starter and watch Manziel, Murray, Bortles, etc. light it up. Or draft one of the rookie QB's and find out they are also mediocre in the NFL. I am not suggesting any of these new QB's will be busts or superstars. It's a roll of the dice. As you say, if EJ was ranked 29th, they have to figure he will improve but at what level? They don't want to say "Hey, we !@#$ed up, Sorry fans" and draft another QB...likewise, they don't want to watch EJ regress next year and then know they passed on a successful rookie. Should be an interesting offseason.

 

Fans would love it if they said: "Hey, we !@#$ed up, Sorry fans...but here's another try w/ this guy."

[Rockinon]

The NFL is, more than ever before, a quarterback league. And we’ve got some great ones playing in these playoffs.

 

If the wild card weekend taught us anything, it’s that the NFL in 2014 is dominated by quarterbacks.

 

There were no 100-yard rushers. The flip side of the NFL being a league of great quarterbacks is that the running game has been de-emphasized. There wasn’t a single 100-yard runner in the NFL this weekend. In fact, it was a quarterback, Kaepernick, who led all runners in the wild card round with his 98-yard game against the Packers. Running backs just aren’t the NFL’s marquee players anymore.

 

http://profootballta...t-quarterbacks/

 

 

 

look at the regular season ending Total QBR rankings.

 

11 of the 12 QB's who made the playoffs are in the TOP 15....... 8 of 8 of the remaining QB's are in the Top 15.

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/qbr

 

 

EJ Manuel is ranked 28th in QBR. in my opinion, the best he will do is crack the Top 20. that ain't good enough.

 

if the 2013 Bills had a Top 15 QB we would of had 5 more wins. our team, warts and all is good enough just the way it is, if you just fix the QB position.

 

you could upgrade any other position on the team and it will only result in 1 more win.

Your trying to pigeon hole EJ into a sub par category. I think that is shame. He may light it up next year. You also don't seem to remember how the Patriots defeated us just a couple of weeks ago(with the run and with special teams). The running game is still relevant though I agree the pass is becoming much more important across the league.

 

There is much more to football than just capitalizing on the passing game, though. We have fallen short this year and a big reason for it is the passing game(I will give you that). Even still, looking for the knock out punch of a top QB isn't the only way to get to the post season. Our team has a run game which will complement the passing game and a defense that can stop the pass. Just a moderate improvement in our passing game and an improvement in some other key areas like special teams or stopping the run can push our team over the top. If there is a team that doesn't need a Payton Manning, it's this one.

 

After some time to cool down a bit after missing out on a playoff spot, then and perhaps especially, after losing to the Patriots(that game ticked me off because Brady's passing had little to do with the loss), I am able to look at the whole picture a bit more clearly. I see a Bills team that is on the rise. There are some deficiencies and passing is one of them, but we don't need a 5000yd passing year to get there. We can do it with mere competent QB play. I think EJ is more than capable of getting there. Of course, it remains to be seen how much more capable he will be.

[chris heff]

My brother and I were discussing QBs, I've seen a lot or as my brother put it, he has seen all the greats since Otto Graham. In any given year in the NFL there are a few elite QBs. Then a few guys that have no business starting, but are because of injuries or because some team has an investment in them. There are some rookies, who I think deserve a pass. Then there is all the other guys.

 

The elite guys right now, in my opinion, are Payton Manning, Brady, Brees, Rogers and Roethlisberger. I'm basing this on having won Super Bowls and body of work. None of these guys were drafted in the same year. Of those guys only Manning and Brady can carry a team without much talent, and they have proven that. Payton was drafted in 1998. How many QBs have been drafted by NFL teams since 1998? Yes there have been other elite guys that have retired but other guys, like Rogers, emerg.

 

QBs from the ranks of "the othe guys", have won a lot of Super Bowls. What is easier to find, the elite guy or find one of "the other guys", and build a great team around him?

[CardinalScotts]

The Bills are in the spot they're in because the FO never had a plan. The couple of drafts prior to 2013 were pretty good QB classes, yet the Bills chose to build a team first and get the QB later. They then decided to draft a QB in a very weak QB draft because they had to. Just as good coaches should change their schemes to match the players they have; FOs that are building a team through the draft should lay out a multi-year dafting strategy to match the players in the upcoming drafts.

 

Whether they draft a QB this year should come down to one question. What do the potential QBs look like in 2015? By all accounts, 2014 should have a couple of decent QBs. We need a QB desperately. Is EJ that guy? I don't know. But, I do know that if you don't draft someone high this year... and next year's class looks like 2012's, you're putting all your chips on EJ's knees.

 

The worst that you can do by drafting a good QB AND having EJ develop into a top 10 guy, is have a good player to trade in the future. The worst you can do by not drafting someone is have EJ bust out and be right back where we are... rebuilding. So, if 2015 doesn't look good for QBs, take one ..or two.. now!

ya if your qb doesnt work out your in trouble..thats the case for every team in the league

[CardinalScotts]

running totals for the playoff games Colts 19-100 5.26 per carry....Chiefs 32-150 4.69 per carry....eagles 22-80 3.63 per carry.....saints 36-185 5.14 per carry..........Chargers 40-196...4.9 per carry....bengals 25-113 4.52......49ers 30-167 5.56 per carry......Packers 31-124 4.0 yds per carry

 

Those are pretty damn good run totals 6 of 8 averaging over 4.5 yds per carry. It's a complete team effort that wins. Eli's superbowls are against the #1 ranked offense in New England and the Giants D holding them to 14 points and 14 points - that's how they won. Pittsburgh offense averaged the same points per game it has for the last 5 years - but the defense is worse. Steelers have always won on defense...or not

[BringBackFergy]

 

 

Fans would love it if they said: "Hey, we !@#$ed up, Sorry fans...but here's another try w/ this guy."

I agree...tough pill to swallow but it would show that the coaches are evaluating talent and want to win NOW.

[BackInDaDay]

I agree...tough pill to swallow but it would show that the coaches are evaluating talent and want to win NOW.

 

 

... so how many years of evaluations will you tolerate before you realize that NOW may mean NEVER?

What you're signing up for is exactly what a 'sales' oriented front office has been selling you for years..hope and best intentions.

 

If you think Whaley and Marrone can right the ship, then you have no alternative other than trust their judgement on the QB situation.

If you have no faith in these guys, than crank up the music and get the merry-go-round started.

[prissythecat]

The two teams that won this past Sautrday showcased a ground and pound game and tough defense. Total rushing yards (the more important stat than individual rushing) for Pats was 234 , while total passing by Brady was only 198. The Seahawks beat the the Saints with 174 yards total on the ground and just 103 in the air. On the flipside, Luck passed for 331 yards while Brees has 309 yards in their losing efforts.

 

 

You still win games by controlling the ball and not trying to pass for a gazillion yards.

 

 

[Bill from NYC]

It is a Quarterback league, no question, but I think a much better strategy for the Bills than going first round QB this year is to trade back in round 1 if at all possible, get another 2nd round pick... go O-line, TE, LB with your first three picks in 1st and 2nd and then take a Quarterback (a McCarron, a Murray or a Boyd) somebody like that who is still there in Round 3. Then you have addressed the three most glaring weaknesses outside of the QB position in your first three picks and have a guy to go into camp as the number 2 but with a chance to compete and win the job if they perform well enough.

 

I hear what you are saying. What makes the above hard to do is that other teams know that the importance of the QB position has taken a new level. I have not seen much of Boyd, but I have watched Murray and McCarron for many years. I like them both, and would not be surprised if they are both gone before round 3.

 

I have said this before.....trading down and selecting Manuel WORKED, but it was a very odd move imo. If I was GM and truly believed that EJ was going to be a top 10 QB at some point, I would NOT have taken the chance. My fear would have been that 1 other GM saw what I saw in him and would grab him before we picked at 16.

I will always believe that the Bills had another QB (Geno Smith?) rated about as high as EJ or they never would have traded down. This of course is simply my opinion.

 

Sorry to ramble. My point is that if the Bills are up at #9 and see a player that they think will be a franchise QB, they need to grab him. EJ has not shown enough to make me feel safe at this vital position. He MIGHT down the road, but this year I felt just as much confidence in Thad Lewis.

 

Once again, jmo.

[thebandit27]

To me, this weekend's rushing proficiency says nothing more than that the teams getting steamrolled are terrible at stopping the run.

 

The Saints and Colts ranked 4th and 7th in highest YPC allowed during the regular season; why would well-coached teams do anything but run against them?

 

That said, when NE or Seattle needed a key first down, who had the ball in their hands?

 

I also find Seattle's offensive efficiency to be staggering, considering how awful their OL has been all year. Just yesterday they rolled out their 4th different starting LG this season, and it wasn't due to injury. Goes to show how good they are at the skill positions and how important coaching and play calling is to a team.

[peterpan]

To me, this weekend's rushing proficiency says nothing more than that the teams getting steamrolled are terrible at stopping the run.

 

The Saints and Colts ranked 4th and 7th in highest YPC allowed during the regular season; why would well-coached teams do anything but run against them?

 

That said, when NE or Seattle needed a key first down, who had the ball in their hands?

 

I also find Seattle's offensive efficiency to be staggering, considering how awful their OL has been all year. Just yesterday they rolled out their 4th different starting LG this season, and it wasn't due to injury. Goes to show how good they are at the skill positions and how important coaching and play calling is to a team.

 

I'm amazed at Seattle's roster and how they acquired so many stud players in late rounds or low-level FA contracts. We should pluck a few scouts from their ranks.

[4merper4mer]

I'm amazed at Seattle's roster and how they acquired so many stud players in late rounds or low-level FA contracts. We should pluck a few scouts from their ranks.

 

Or offer them a 5th to take Lynch back.

[dave mcbride]

The two teams that won this past Sautrday showcased a ground and pound game and tough defense. Total rushing yards (the more important stat than individual rushing) for Pats was 234 , while total passing by Brady was only 198. The Seahawks beat the the Saints with 174 yards total on the ground and just 103 in the air. On the flipside, Luck passed for 331 yards while Brees has 309 yards in their losing efforts.

 

 

You still win games by controlling the ball and not trying to pass for a gazillion yards.

It's also worth mentioning that the weather was terrible.

[prissythecat]

 

It's also worth mentioning that the weather was terrible.

 

 

The weather wasn't a factor in the lack of production by Wilson.

[Bill from NYC]

 

It's also worth mentioning that the weather was terrible.

 

That's true, and it's a situation more likely to occur during the playoffs. And I don't know what the stats are, but I do wonder if teams get just a tad more conservative in the winner take all format. I have always thought that the Bills should be a team that is well prepared to play in the elements.

 

That said, it's now a league which is primarily about quarterback play.

[Mike in Syracuse]

Yes, its a quarterback driven league unless you have a Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees,Ben Roethlisberger or Aaron Rodgers you better keep drafting quarterbacks until you find guys like that, because if you don't you're going to be on the bottom of the s*** heap for 14 years just like the Bills are.

 

I'll just point out that the Jets made it to the AFC championship game with Sanchez and the Ravens won a super bowl with Trent Dilfer. Yes those are anomolies but it isn't just about the QB.

[papazoid]

 

 

I'm amazed at Seattle's roster and how they acquired so many stud players in late rounds or low-level FA contracts. We should pluck a few scouts from their ranks.

 

#1- they deserve huge credit for putting together so much talent. that is a very nice and deep roster.

 

#2- soon they will have serious Salary Cap issues as all those young players will want to get paid.

 

#3- Russell Wilson is a Top 15 QB (not a Top 10).

 

#4- Seattle right now is probably the best example of a great team that isn't so dependant on the QB play in order to succeed. in other words the best example for those who say build around EJ.

[littlelouie]

papazoid - You got that right. With the new rules where a DB can't even sneeze on wide out without getting penalized it definitely favors the passing game. A good quarterback can carve up a defense with rules in his favor. In the olden days it was the old cliché, run and stop the run. Not anymore. A running team has to work it's tail off to complete a long 6 minute drive without making a mistake to kill the drive. Then a great quarterback comes in and hits one long bomb and the score is tied. But obviously the best way is to have a good running game combined with a good passing game. If you have that kind of balance it's pretty hard to beat.

[OldTimer1960]

#1- they deserve huge credit for putting together so much talent. that is a very nice and deep roster.

 

#2- soon they will have serious Salary Cap issues as all those young players will want to get paid.

 

#3- Russell Wilson is a Top 15 QB (not a Top 10).

 

#4- Seattle right now is probably the best example of a great team that isn't so dependant on the QB play in order to succeed. in other words the best example for those who say build around EJ.

 

I was about to post almost the same thing, but you beat me to it.

 

The Seahawks are essentially what (I think) Buddy Nix was trying to build. He drafted a lot of defense and he/Whaley drafted a good/not great QB prospect. If they want to continue in the Seahawk mold, they need to shore up the LB corp a bit, keep Byrd and fill in the OL a bit to improve the run game.

 

I still think a great WR or TE would help open up the offense a lot. I just heard a stat that Colin Kaepernick was almost 5 percentage points better in completion percentage when he has all three of Michael Crabtree, Bolden and Vernon Davis - any of those 3 would have been the best/most experienced receiver on the Bills this year. Now, I think Robert Woods is going to be very good, but another good threat (preferably bigger, but not necessarily) would help a great deal.