drf1835 Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 (edited) I am relatively new to this forum, but admittedly am confused which quarterback direction the Buffalo Bills should pursue, as each 2018 college quarterback prospect and free agent quarterback has varying strengths, unknowns and'or limitations. Whereas some have better accuracy, some have better arm strength, while others seem more durable, quick thinking and reacting with higher football IQ, or with more intangibles. Others, seem more ready to be in a drop back style offense. I guess a lot of factors come into play then which quarterback is most likely to succeed in Buffalo, as it would depend on the offensive coaching system, the supporting cast, and what we need or envision for a quarterback, because of the weather, system and culture. One thing though that should not be discounted, when considering which quarterback direction to go, is the personality of the quarterback. Although we know quarterbacks who succeeded in the past, besides because of their great physical tools, could either be very smart, very politically correct, very intense, very laid back, or very confident, I often ask myself should the Bills focus a lot on character, or mostly ability, or both? For instance, Ryan Leaf and Dan Marino were both intense and with great football abilities, yet one was way more successful in the NFL, and the other failed. Drew Brees is a very smart and nice down to earth guy, yet successful despite his height. Tom Brady is football smart, a workaholic but more into social status image. He is successful and a leader in all his ways. Jim Kelly had much confidence, talent and courage. Doug Flutie lots of personality. Some perfectionists fail or become journeyman, like Trent Edwards who over thinked things, and Todd Collins who seemed perfectionistic too, but seemed a bit quiet or nervous. Perhaps they did not just have enough talent to be great qbs. Aaron Rogers seems to be both cerebral and very confident. Russel Wilson can seem too perfect or politically correct, but still succeeds because of his unique talents, despite size issues too. Brett Favre was less cerebral, but with much arm strength and guts. Maybe I am overthinking things here. Maybe pick the quarterback guy who either has already succeeded in the NFL like Kirk Cousins, or that is the most ready for the NFL now, and who has most of the important quarterback intangibles. If we choose the latter, of course there is no way to know if he will succeed or not. It may reduce the risks though. But, for the fun of it, I thought I would list all the NFL quarterback prospects, and look very closely at a few interviews of each one, to see what their personalities seemed like. Of course, some could be maskers of who they really are, but there are certain players who came across as really genuine and likeable, and with great character or the proper attitude and balance. So, if the Bills are torn between picking some relatively equal talent guy, character could come into play. As I am an optimist, here are the positives I found from watching those interviews. Sam Darnold: Laid back, down to earth, nice Baker Mayfield:, confident, charismatic, flashy Josh Rosen: confident, cerebral, analytical Josh Allen: steady, nice, dependable Lamar Jackson: quiet, intense, grounded Mason Rudolph; mature, personable, leader Luke Falk: mature, steady, polite Riley Ferguson: intense, quirky, confident Kyle Lauletta: mature, smart, leader Mike White: nice, polite, mature Now, if you ask me who I would want as a quarterback, if all quarterback prospects above had equal abilities versus limitations, or equal risk, or based on what we would have to pay or give up to get that person, I would look at character, too, and the persons who stood out to me were (not in any particular order): Mason Rudolph, Josh Allen, Kyle Lauletta, Sam Darnold, Luke Falk, and Mike White. They all seemed to have confidence that was more controlled, and their maturity jumped out at me. The others either were too confident, too quiet, or too unpredictable. Although steady and confident does not always win the prize or race, maybe I just prefer those guys because it is who I am more like. Others thus could prefer the other types, whether the more flashy, or more confident types. Or maybe many here are more unconcerned about character. In the end, I see football is a team sport. Although I want a leader as a quarterback, I want the teammates to respect that leader. I guess though leaders can be seen through ones play on the field mostly, too, and not through the darn media which can be seen as fake. So, I guess I cleared up nothing from this long post I am not sure what the Bills should do. I do know though what the Bills do though regarding the quarterback could bring about much pressure for that person to be the face of the franchise. Edited February 20, 2018 by drf1835 Spelling error for about name Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 (edited) As far as football is concerned, you want "football character" in a QB. He doesn't need to be a choir boy on his own time. But he does need certain character traits when he's practicing and playing. Here are some of the questions a scout might ask regarding football character... * Is he coachable? Does he listen to his coaches and correct his mistakes? * Does he show up to meetings on time? Does he take assignments seriously? * Does he study film? Does he commit himself to understanding what's on tape? * Does he study the playbook until he masters it? * Does he practice hard? * Does he play hard? Is he willing to give his all to his teammates? * Does he lead by example? Does he take his role as a team leader seriously? * Does he persevere when things get tough? Edited February 20, 2018 by hondo in seattle 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CuddyDark Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Josh Rosen: confident, cerebral, analytical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LABILLBACKER Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Trade up for Darnold Stay put for Rudolph or Jackson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drf1835 Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 50 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said: As far as football is concerned, you want "football character" in a QB. He doesn't need to be a choir boy on his own time. But he does need certain character traits when he's practicing and playing. Here are some of the questions a scout might ask regarding football character... * Is he coachable? Does he listen to his coaches and correct his mistakes? * Does he show up to meetings on time? Does he take assignments seriously? * Does he study film? Does he commit himself to understanding what's on tape? * Does he study the playbook until he masters it? * Does he practice hard? * Does he play hard? Is he willing to give his all to his teammates? * Does he lead by example? Does he take his role as a team leader seriously? * Does he persevere when things get tough? Nice points you made. I hope the Bills consider these things, too, and not just who has the most talent, the best statistics, and who can play right away. Succeeding in college does not equate to succeeding in the pros. Sometimes one needs to look deeper, and that is why the Bills will have interviews with some of these persons and pick their brains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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