SI's Albert Breer implies Bills might take a QB high in the draft?? EDIT: He since apologized

[Mr. WEO]

Still waiting for Nix/Whaley to apologize...

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, whatdrought said:

He read the question as the Colts who also need WR, DE, and QB. Kind of a stupid mistake to make, but not a huge deal.

 

I see he copped to his error.

 

1 hour ago, whatdrought said:

Also, his take on Rosen is laughable. These main stream guys still refuse to admit that Rosen's just not good, and has a bad attitude. 

 

Well, first of all, I haven't heard anything from the Dolphins or from Arizona about Rosen having a bad attitude. 

 

What Breer actually said about Rosen was:

I still think the kid has talent. But he’s played for five offensive coordinators the last five years, and that’ll take a toll on any quarterback. And that becomes another problem: Other teams might see you as damaged goods.  In the end, I’d say the chances he’s the long-term answer in Miami are small. The question now would be whether or not someone offers something for him.

 

The only part you might disagree with is his personal assessment, "I still think the kid has talent", which is his opinion and he's entitled.  A lot of people thought he had talent before the draft, and Breer isn't the only guy who still thinks Rosen can play.  Jordan Palmer has said so, amoung others.  Everything else Breer said seems to be straight up true: he has  played for 5 OCs in 5 years, which is known not helpful to a QB; other teams probably do see him as damaged goods; he's probably not seen as Miami's long term answer, and it's a good question whether another team will offer Miami a cookie to get him. 

What's laughable about those as takes?

 

Since you (don't) ask, I'll put my take out there on Rosen, as a reformed "Wrong Josh'er": Narrative and "It" factor. 

Narrative:  Rosen was  said to be this pro-ready QB who had only to walk on an NFL field and take a snap and go.  Various stuff Rosen has said here and there, indicate that was probably far more narrative than truth.  Bottom line, I think he wasn't NEARLY as pro-ready as he was said to have been (and may have believed himself to be). 

 

"It" factor:  Again from this and that, I think Rosen is probably a decent enough guy.  A bit full of himself.  But what I learned, watching Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, is just how critical the "It" factor seems to be at the QB position in the NFL.  Josh, Lamar, Fitzy, Garappolo, Mahomes - by all reports, whatever "It" is (charm? charisma? leadership?), they have it.  They know how to talk to everyone on the team in a natural, sincere way.  They make people laugh.  They play 'straight man' when other people are trying to be funny.   They throw their whole heart into what they're doing.  They inspire and get people pulling for them.  Teammates want to go that extra mile to not let them down. 

 

From listening to Josh Rosen interviews, if I had to listen to him talk regularly I'd be inspired all right - inspired to use Industrial Hearing Protection. He may be a decent enough human being at core, but "It" seems strikingly absent.

 

 

1 hour ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

 Had 16 starts on two differnt teams, how many chances is Rosen going to get?  His numbers in yr 2 at Miami actually got worse.  Fitzpatrick proved there was enough talent on Miami to win but not with Rosen at QB.  Maybe it wil someday click and your point regarding changin OCs is credible but wasnt Rosen supposedly the "most NFL ready" of the top QB prospects that year/

 

This is where I think it all went wrong for him.  That was the party line - but it seems the party was mistaken

[whatdrought]

3 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I see he copped to his error.

 

 

Well, first of all, I haven't heard anything from the Dolphins or from Arizona about Rosen having a bad attitude. 

 

What Breer actually said about Rosen was:

I still think the kid has talent. But he’s played for five offensive coordinators the last five years, and that’ll take a toll on any quarterback. And that becomes another problem: Other teams might see you as damaged goods.  In the end, I’d say the chances he’s the long-term answer in Miami are small. The question now would be whether or not someone offers something for him.

 

The only part you might disagree with is his personal assessment, "I still think the kid has talent", which is his opinion and he's entitled.  A lot of people thought he had talent before the draft, and Breer isn't the only guy who still thinks Rosen can play.  Jordan Palmer has said so, amoung others.  Everything else Breer said seems to be straight up true: he has  played for 5 OCs in 5 years, which is known not helpful to a QB; other teams probably do see him as damaged goods; he's probably not seen as Miami's long term answer, and it's a good question whether another team will offer Miami a cookie to get him. 

What's laughable about those as takes?

 

Since you (don't) ask, I'll put my take out there on Rosen, as a reformed "Wrong Josh'er": Narrative and "It" factor. 

Narrative:  Rosen was  said to be this pro-ready QB who had only to walk on an NFL field and take a snap and go.  Various stuff Rosen has said here and there, indicate that was probably far more narrative than truth.  Bottom line, I think he wasn't NEARLY as pro-ready as he was said to have been (and may have believed himself to be). 

 

"It" factor:  Again from this and that, I think Rosen is probably a decent enough guy.  A bit full of himself.  But what I learned, watching Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, is just how critical the "It" factor seems to be at the QB position in the NFL.  Josh, Lamar, Fitzy, Garappolo, Mahomes - by all reports, whatever "It" is (charm? charisma? leadership?), they have it.  They know how to talk to everyone on the team in a natural, sincere way.  They make people laugh.  They play 'straight man' when other people are trying to be funny.   They throw their whole heart into what they're doing.  They inspire and get people pulling for them.  Teammates want to go that extra mile to not let them down. 

 

From listening to Josh Rosen interviews, if I had to listen to him talk regularly I'd be inspired all right - inspired to use Industrial Hearing Protection. He may be a decent enough human being at core, but "It" seems strikingly absent.

 

 

 

 

Below is more of explanation on why I said that about Breer's comments. I was probably overly critical on what he said, but the mentality that percieved to be behind it (whether or not that's Breer's mentality) was what bothered me- in short, I reacted to my perception and not what he actually said, which is unfair of me. 

 

1 hour ago, whatdrought said:

 

In his response regarding Roesn: 

 

 

I find it to be the same company line we've been hearing about Rosen since his rookie year- he's a victim of circumstance. If he hadn't been on a bad team, if he hadn't been given up on immediately, if he hadn't been benched in Miami, blah blah blah. But there's no willingness from those who were completely positive that Rosen was a sure thing coming out to admit that, i dunno... maybe he's just not good? Undoubtedly he's had a hard row to hoe, but what's happening behind the scenes that has two teams invested in him (and a second round pick isn't the no investment that he argues) are done with him so soon. He hasn't done anything to earn development from two teams that had a stake in his future. Could be they're missing out on his potential, or it could be that he's just not good and he's got a bad tude. Meanwhile, Allen, who the "educated" knew would be terrible, cannot do anything good without an asterisk beside it. 

 

 

** But you're right- he doesn't say anything truly positive about Rosen, and what he says about his circumstances is right. He could rebound, but I don't expect it. 

 

As for Rosen's attitude, there have been some whispers (specifically around draft time last year) that he had a bad attitude. That isn't concrete, but it could be part of the reason teams are quick to put him in the "ex" column. He also wasn't known to have a shining attitude in college, and his comments after the draft rubbed me the wrong way. 

 

I get hot and bothered about Rosen because there was a tangible majority on this board who believed that Right Josh was Right, and anyone who wanted Wrong Josh was an idiot. As someone who really didn't like Rosen, it seemed to me that this went past the normal "prospect a is better than prospect b" type of dialogue and got into a real schism around here wherein those on the Rosen side of the aisle (and probably some on the allen side as well) were truly considering the dissenting opinion as ignorant and foolish. Anyways, all that to say, now that Rosen's career arch has gone in a direction consistent with what some of us (the minority) thought it would, it's easy to get flustered when most people still wont take the L. But I have self-confidence issues so I'll cling to my "Wrong Josh" win like a drowning cat.

[H2o]

2 hours ago, Seasons1992 said:

 

 

^^^^^^^^Who got fired for fondling boobies without asking first?^^^^^^^^

[Seasons1992]

7 minutes ago, H2o said:

^^^^^^^^Who got fired for fondling boobies without asking first?^^^^^^^^

 

 

[class_of_2012]

Albert Greer has also revised his article in SI, with his thoughts about the Bills:

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/02/05/2019-lessons-learned-mailbag-tom-brady

 

"From Brad Hesch (@bhesch34): Any initial thoughts about the #Bills draft targets? I keep hearing WR but I think DE is a need.

 

Brad, I actually things might fall better for the Bills to take a receiver than defensive end in Round 1. Obviously, by the time they’re up at 23, Chase Young will be gone, and I’d guess that LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson and Iowa’s AJ Epenesa will be too, based on how pass rushers are valued. And that might be a little high to start picking off guys on the next tier, like Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos.

 

Conversely, there figure to be a number of receivers that drop right into that range that’ll be worthy of the pick. Maybe it’s someone like Higgins. Whoever it might be, my guess is you’ll get better value at receiver there than with a pass rusher—with the full acknowledgement that...

 

(UPDATE: In my fatigued state last night, I answered that question as if it was about the Colts. So I’ll give you guys the previous answer I gave to Brad asking—or not asking—about Indy.)"

Edited February 5, 2020 by class_of_2012

[Doc]

But the Colts have Brissett...

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, whatdrought said:

Below is more of explanation on why I said that about Breer's comments. I was probably overly critical on what he said, but the mentality that percieved to be behind it (whether or not that's Breer's mentality) was what bothered me- in short, I reacted to my perception and not what he actually said, which is unfair of me. 

 

Very fair explanation. 

 

Quote

As for Rosen's attitude, there have been some whispers (specifically around draft time last year) that he had a bad attitude. That isn't concrete, but it could be part of the reason teams are quick to put him in the "ex" column. He also wasn't known to have a shining attitude in college, and his comments after the draft rubbed me the wrong way. 

 

See, this is where the "narrative" thing bothers me.  I hate whisper campaigns with no substance.  Hated 'em before the draft, and hate 'em now.  If "bad attitude" means "got the crap beaten out of him on a bad team with bad coaching and got discouraged", I do believe it.

 

What I think (and this is from hearing words that actually came out of Rosen's mouth on camera) is that Rosen totally and completely lacks "It".  Whatever "It" is: Likeability.  Charisma.  The ability to inspire people.  Even thinking he was the guy we should draft, I found myself saying "Yeah, Imma skip on his postgame pressers, though"

 

Josh Allen appears to have "It" in spades:

Tim Graham wrote a background piece after the draft.  He interviewed the school superintendent,  Russell Freitas, about Allen among others:

Freitas cried four times while talking about Allen's character during a 15-minute interview.  "He was more than a student," Freitas said. He paused seven seconds to compose himself. "When people ask me about Josh, I tell them he's the real deal. You want your children to be around him and connected with him. You would want him to be your daughter's husband."  I read that and I'm like "This Allen kid's got Some *****", you know?  The School Superintendent saying that stuff?  But then you kind of see it - Josh Allen spending hours signing autographs for kids at camp, walking over to the fence to greet fans and take a selfie in the middle of the night, on and on.

 

You may have a point that part of it is attitude.  For example, a positive attitude that is loyal and believes in others.  Jordan Palmer was asked how big of a breakthrough the Dallas game was for Allen: "The breakthrough was just that he got a chance to show everybody what he and his teammates believed to 25 million people watching that game, significantly up from any other game he's ever played in. I knew he had this core belief about his team. I remember in the beginning of the year him laughing and going, "Dude, people keep talking about how bad my O-line is. What is everybody talking about? I think I have one of the best O-lines in the league." But, again, that started with a core belief. Then he said, "Everybody's talking about these free-agent receivers. Dude, does anybody know how good Cole Beasley is and John Brown is? I keep hearing these things, but it's just not true. Like, we're really good."  Apparently Allen sincerely and deeply believes in his teammates to the point that he expresses it talking privately to his QB coach.  I guess that's part of the "It" thing, not just believing in yourself, but showing that you care about other people and that you believe in them, too.

 

Heh.  Maybe you'll end by persuading me.

 

Quote

I get hot and bothered about Rosen because there was a tangible majority on this board who believed that Right Josh was Right, and anyone who wanted Wrong Josh was an idiot. As someone who really didn't like Rosen, it seemed to me that this went past the normal "prospect a is better than prospect b" type of dialogue and got into a real schism around here wherein those on the Rosen side of the aisle (and probably some on the allen side as well) were truly considering the dissenting opinion as ignorant and foolish.

 

I don't know, that sort of seems like "SNAFU" to me here?

[whatdrought]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

See, this is where the "narrative" thing bothers me.  I hate whisper campaigns with no substance.  Hated 'em before the draft, and hate 'em now.  If "bad attitude" means "got the crap beaten out of him on a bad team with bad coaching and got discouraged", I do believe it.

 

 

 

This makes sense. There comes a point though, where we only get so much exposure and have to go off of that. There is also a lot of smoke around this topic and it's fair to wonder if there might be fire. I remember specifically that Charlie Casserly reported that his attitude was very bad in Arizona. There have been other things said, and there have been plenty of contradictions on those things so i wont assume to know the answer one way or the other. But as you stated, his personality doesn't come across in the way that some guys do. Maybe not a problem if he's a good player, but that hasn't really been the case to date. 

 

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

What I think (and this is from hearing words that actually came out of Rosen's mouth on camera) is that Rosen totally and completely lacks "It".  Whatever "It" is: Likeability.  Charisma.  The ability to inspire people.  Even thinking he was the guy we should draft, I found myself saying "Yeah, Imma skip on his postgame pressers, though"

 

Josh Allen appears to have "It" in spades:

Tim Graham wrote a background piece after the draft.  He interviewed the school superintendent,  Russell Freitas, about Allen among others:

Freitas cried four times while talking about Allen's character during a 15-minute interview.  "He was more than a student," Freitas said. He paused seven seconds to compose himself. "When people ask me about Josh, I tell them he's the real deal. You want your children to be around him and connected with him. You would want him to be your daughter's husband."  I read that and I'm like "This Allen kid's got Some *****", you know?  The School Superintendent saying that stuff?  But then you kind of see it - Josh Allen spending hours signing autographs for kids at camp, walking over to the fence to greet fans and take a selfie in the middle of the night, on and on.

 

You may have a point that part of it is attitude.  For example, a positive attitude that is loyal and believes in others.  Jordan Palmer was asked how big of a breakthrough the Dallas game was for Allen: "The breakthrough was just that he got a chance to show everybody what he and his teammates believed to 25 million people watching that game, significantly up from any other game he's ever played in. I knew he had this core belief about his team. I remember in the beginning of the year him laughing and going, "Dude, people keep talking about how bad my O-line is. What is everybody talking about? I think I have one of the best O-lines in the league." But, again, that started with a core belief. Then he said, "Everybody's talking about these free-agent receivers. Dude, does anybody know how good Cole Beasley is and John Brown is? I keep hearing these things, but it's just not true. Like, we're really good."  Apparently Allen sincerely and deeply believes in his teammates to the point that he expresses it talking privately to his QB coach.  I guess that's part of the "It" thing, not just believing in yourself, but showing that you care about other people and that you believe in them, too.

 

Heh.  Maybe you'll end by persuading me.

 

 

 

This is top notch stuff! Thanks for sharing! I do think Josh has it and I'm glad he's our guy!

 

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

I don't know, that sort of seems like "SNAFU" to me here?

 

How do you mean? 

[Thurman#1]

5 hours ago, whatdrought said:

 

Also, his take on Rosen is laughable. These main stream guys still refuse to admit that Rosen's just not good, and has a bad attitude. 

 

 

 

Probably because he doesn't have a bad attitude and we don't know yet whether he'll ever be good or not in good circumstances.

 

 

[whatdrought]

1 minute ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

Probably because he doesn't have a bad attitude and we don't know yet whether he'll ever be good or not in good circumstances.

 

 

 

Okay pal. 

[C.Biscuit97]

7 hours ago, whatdrought said:

He read the question as the Colts who also need WR, DE, and QB. Kind of a stupid mistake to make, but not a huge deal.

 

Also, his take on Rosen is laughable. These main stream guys still refuse to admit that Rosen's just not good, and has a bad attitude. 

What qb would have succeed in the two situations he has been in?  I’d be pissed too if that’s how I had to start my career.

 

he could suck but it’s completely insane to base it on the situations he’s been in. 

[whatdrought]

1 minute ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

What qb would have succeed in the two situations he has been in?  I’d be pissed too if that’s how I had to start my career.

 

he could suck but it’s completely insane to base it on the situations he’s been in. 

He’s been in bad situations, but two teams that have invested heavily on him have quickly given up on him. He must not be showing too much in practice- or at least that’s how it seems to me. 

[C.Biscuit97]

3 minutes ago, whatdrought said:

He’s been in bad situations, but two teams that have invested heavily on him have quickly given up on him. He must not be showing too much in practice- or at least that’s how it seems to me. 

They invested in by giving a first time defensive head coach and firing his OC 4 games into rookie season.  They then traded him to a team hat was trading off their best players.  
 

like I said, he could just suck.  But imo, I don’t remember a worse situation a young top 10 pick qb has ever been in.  
 

I think the Bills have made some questions offensive moves around Allen but it is a way more functional situation than Rosen has been in. 

Edited February 6, 2020 by C.Biscuit97

[whatdrought]

30 minutes ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

They invested in by giving a first time defensive head coach and firing his OC 4 games into rookie season.  They then traded him to a team hat was trading off their best players.  
 

like I said, he could just suck.  But imo, I don’t remember a worse situation a young top 10 pick qb has ever been in.  
 

I think the Bills have made some questions offensive moves around Allen but it is a way more functional situation than Rosen has been in. 

I get it, and I don’t completely disagree... it’s really just a matter, I think, of pre-draft thoughts on him. If, like me, you saw him as a guy who wasn’t a franchise QB and maybe had some attitude issues (which seems to be up for debate, but there’s plenty of accusations that he does) then this isn’t that surprising and it’s not hard to see it as the natural conclusion - whatever the surrounding cast. But if you thought he’d be a good QB it’s natural to blame the circumstances and wait for him to become that. So I guess time will answer it, but right now it doesn’t look good. 
 

I also reject the idea that, if this is how his career ends (as a long term backup/never becoming an effective starter), we can excuse it as his surroundings ruining him. We don’t say that about Ryan Leaf, JP Losman, Blake Bortles, etc etc. Some players are just busts. That’s what Rosen looks like so far to me, and as I posted up thread, the excuses he gets in light of how arrogant people were about their pre-draft takes on him (a lot of people around here) are annoying. Go look at the archives for the week of that draft. Before and after. The way he was talked about does not at all end up consistent with what he’s been so far. 

Edited February 6, 2020 by whatdrought

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 hours ago, whatdrought said:

This is top notch stuff! Thanks for sharing! I do think Josh has it and I'm glad he's our guy!

 

Thanks.  See also the GMFB thing about Josh just enthusing about Knox.  The open question now is will he be able to take the steps to improve his passing to match his competitive fire and his leadership?

 

Quote

How do you mean? 

 

You kind of implied that the Josh Allen/Josh Rosen debate was unusual in provoking an "I'm right and anyone who disagrees is an idiot" schism where the dissenting opinion was considered ignorant and foolish.  From being on this board 12 years or so, I kind of consider that a normal situation.  Mods do try to hold a firmer line on civility now because with the larger size of the board post BBMB merger, constant influx of new members, and the current political climate things can quickly balloon out of hand, but it's still there pretty much anytime there's a controversial player or coach (Watkins, Daboll etc)

[whatdrought]

3 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Thanks.  See also the GMFB thing about Josh just enthusing about Knox.  The open question now is will he be able to take the steps to improve his passing to match his competitive fire and his leadership?

 

 

You kind of implied that the Josh Allen/Josh Rosen debate was unusual in provoking an "I'm right and anyone who disagrees is an idiot" schism where the dissenting opinion was considered ignorant and foolish.  From being on this board 12 years or so, I kind of consider that a normal situation.  Mods do try to hold a firmer line on civility now because with the larger size of the board post BBMB merger, constant influx of new members, and the current political climate things can quickly balloon out of hand, but it's still there pretty much anytime there's a controversial player or coach (Watkins, Daboll etc)

You’re probably right... honestly, it might have just been how certain I was about Rosen not being the guy. Usually I’m more ambivalent about prospect a versus prospect b, while that one was one I was really invested in- so maybe just my perception of it. It is interesting to look at the draft thread from 18... there was a ton of people really angry we took Allen over Rosen. More than usual for that kind of thing. Maybe where QB is just that important it creates more friction and more hills to die on.

[C.Biscuit97]

27 minutes ago, whatdrought said:

I get it, and I don’t completely disagree... it’s really just a matter, I think, of pre-draft thoughts on him. If, like me, you saw him as a guy who wasn’t a franchise QB and maybe had some attitude issues (which seems to be up for debate, but there’s plenty of accusations that he does) then this isn’t that surprising and it’s not hard to see it as the natural conclusion - whatever the surrounding cast. But if you thought he’d be a good QB it’s natural to blame the circumstances and wait for him to become that. So I guess time will answer it, but right now it doesn’t look good. 
 

I also reject the idea that, if this is how his career ends (as a long term backup/never becoming an effective starter), we can excuse it as his surroundings ruining him. We don’t say that about Ryan Leaf, JP Losman, Blake Bortles, etc etc. Some players are just busts. That’s what Rosen looks like so far to me, and as I posted up thread, the excuses he gets in light of how arrogant people were about their pre-draft takes on him (a lot of people around here) are annoying. Go look at the archives for the week of that draft. Before and after. The way he was talked about does not at all end up consistent with what he’s been so far. 

I was with until the second paragraph.  Of course the situation matters.  JP Losman sat for a year and started for a team coming off a 9-7 season.  The Jags built a powerhouse defense (kinda like Buffalo) and Bortles wasn’t asked to carry the team.  Leaf was popping crazy pills.  
 

again, he might not be good enough.  But the Cards and Fins did everything in their power to make sure he won’t be.  I’m a big fan of Louis Riddick and he is all about these teams not giving him a real shot.  More young qbs are ruined than made.  
 

amazingly enough, Buffalo has done a fairly good job developing a quarterback for once. 

[Sherlock Holmes]

8 hours ago, class_of_2012 said:

I just read this in Breer's just-released SI column:

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/02/05/2019-lessons-learned-mailbag-tom-brady

 

"From Brad Hesch (@bhesch34): Any initial thoughts about the #Bills draft targets? I keep hearing WR but I think DE is a need.

 

Brad, I believe those are the two areas highest on their list, if they don’t take a quarterback high in the draft. And I think it’ll be easier this year to get a good receiver later on than it will be to find a good pass rusher past the first round. So I’m with you in thinking pass rusher could be the way they go.

 

At 13, will there be a pass rusher worth taking? Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa, if he slips that far, would be, I believe, and LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson, a former blue-chip recruit who really turned it on as last year wore on, would be an intriguing option with a ton of upside. From there, there’s probably a little bit of a drop-off, which illustrates why taking one in the first round might make some strategic sense."

 

WTF? Did Breer just say the Bills might draft QB high, and that they draft at 13? Or did I misinterpret this?? He's a major sports columnist, so I doubt he would make a mistake of this magnitude.

 

------------

 

EDIT: As @whatdroughtand @Hapless Bills Fan said below, Breer was referring to the Colts. Breer has since apologized in his tweet, which I posted below.

 

8 hours ago, whatdrought said:

He read the question as the Colts who also need WR, DE, and QB. Kind of a stupid mistake to make, but not a huge deal.

 

Also, his take on Rosen is laughable. These main stream guys still refuse to admit that Rosen's just not good, and has a bad attitude. 

[elijah]

19 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

He doesn't actually say Rosen is good; he says he hasn't had a chance and has had 5 coordinators in 5 seasons. Which is true.

 

This comment from Breer is absolutely true, and it's why the Bills need to think about upgrading:

 

Backup quarterbacks matter. You know the story of Tannehill. He bailed out a team that was ready to win in so many places, but also on course to pay for missing on a QB taken second overall five years ago. You probably haven’t heard as much on Matt Moore, who the Chiefs lured from a scouting job with the Dolphins when Chad Henne got hurt.

Moore went 2-1 in place of Mahomes, if you include the game where Mahomes dislocated his kneecap. And you can argue his ability to lead a game-winning drive against a stout Vikings defense in Week 9 helped Kansas City win the Super Bowl. If the Chiefs didn't win that one, they wouldn't have gotten the bye, and they would've had to play the Titans in the wild-card round and go to Foxborough to play the Patriots in the divisional round.

 

I’m not saying they wouldn’t have won it all anyway. But it would’ve been a lot tougher. And on the flip side, the Steelers’ mess of a backup quarterback situation felled a season in which they finally found a way to fix a defense that’s been wobbly for close to a decade, only to lose Ben Roethlisberger early on. Which makes me think…

100% agree with this. 

 

As part of my dream offseason, the Bills cut Barkley and Case Keenum walks from the ‘Skins to sign here as a backup. 

 

I don’t care if that means we’re paying our backup $5M-$6M a year.  When you’re competing, as we are, and your QB’s physical, as Josh is, a backup QB is necessary every single year.