List of Bills QBs during the Desolation

[foreboding]

3 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

Ferry was my first guy.  I didn’t have the pleasure of Kemp.  Not as Old as Shaw and Chandman. 😇 Just kidding guys.  You know I luv both of you guys.

 

Its funny I think Fergs was like a 56% guy and we loved him when I was a little boy.  I only remember his later years, just he was a tough son of a gun.

Me too. When I was a kid, Joe Fergie was what a QB was to me. He was pretty damn good.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

You forgot the Billy Joe’s

 

Tolliver? and Herbert 

[Rocky Landing]

6 hours ago, 17islongenough said:

I'm so happy that I was able to attend Jeff Tuels only career start

I'm still angry that I paid to see Late Nate Peterman's first start.

[RobbRiddick]

Matt Leinart could have been big here

[Shaw66]

I haven't read the list, and I don't need to. 

 

But I absolutely love "the desolation."   That's what it was.  Not the drought, it was the desolation.  Perfect. 

[foreboding]

5 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

I haven't read the list, and I don't need to. 

 

But I absolutely love "the desolation."   That's what it was.  Not the drought, it was the desolation.  Perfect. 

Thanks Shaw.

It was that, for sure.

[Augie]

7 hours ago, BuffaloBill said:

 

 

Yeah, I really thought Edwards was going to be “the one.” He was never the same after that brutal hit in the Cards game.

 

I have tried to forget the time he was trying to run for a first down and reached out with the ball to cross the 1st down line….and it was promptly taken away from him. REALLY? What were you thinking? It’s NOT the %$#@& goal line! I’d like to think that was post-concussion. Still, I cannot unsee that… 

 

There were times he looked like the answer, then he got broken. 

 

The Brian Brohm era was special, as well. 

[Rico]

57 minutes ago, RobbRiddick said:

Matt Leinart could have been big here

I had high hopes for Vince Young.  

[Shaw66]

29 minutes ago, Rico said:

I had high hopes for Vince Young.  

Always amazed me that Vince Young and Matt Leinart were drafted 3rd and 10th in the NFL draft and BOTH played for the Bills.  Two of the more remarkable draft busts (if you consider that Leinart likely would have gone #1 if he'd entered the draft a year earlier).

 

Maybe I'm going to have read this list. 

[Punching Bag]

5 hours ago, RobbRiddick said:

This is it. Sure, tanking is no sure fix, but we were always 6-10, 7-9, that sort of thing. 

 

For me the worst part of the drought was when Jauron was coach. That guy was 7-9 through and through. I remember the team getting beaten up by the pats, basically humiliated and the first thing he did in his press conference was to congratulate them and then talk about how awesome they were. I think I might have thrown something at the TV. Just a loser mentality

 

Reminds me of some posters who never acknowledge the cheating and always have a good word for Dr. Jerkle and Mr. Hide.

[Punching Bag]

37 minutes ago, Rico said:

I had high hopes for Vince Young.  

 

So did I.  He needed a coach to get in head that he could be great if he could follow game plan.  We never had a QB/OC/HC who could do that.

 

 

[HOUSE]

I think Losman was better then Trent Edwards

 

[DJB]

10 hours ago, foreboding said:

I was trying to remember all the QBs who started for our team has had since Jim Kelly and before Josh Allen. The list was even longer than I thought, the number in parenthesis is the number of games started by said QB. Not far off from a QB per year since. Crazy and glad the desolation is over.

1997 Todd Collins (13) / Alex Van Pelt (3)

1998 Doug Flutie (10) / Rob Johnson (6)

1999 Doug Flutie (15) / Rob Johnson (1)

2000 Rob Johnson (11) / Doug Flutie (5)

2001 Alex Van Pelt (8) / Rob Johnson (8)

2002 Drew Bledsoe (16)

2003 Drew Bledsoe (16)

2004 Drew Bledsoe (16)

2005 J. P. Losman (8) / Kelly Holcomb (8)

2006 J. P. Losman (16)

2007 Trent Edwards (9) / J. P. Losman (7)

2008 Trent Edwards (14) / J. P. Losman (2)

2009 Ryan Fitzpatrick (8) / Trent Edwards (7) / Brian Brohm (1)

2010 Ryan Fitzpatrick (13) / Trent Edwards (2) / Brian Brohm (1)

2011 Ryan Fitzpatrick (16)

2012 Ryan Fitzpatrick (16)

2013 EJ Manuel (10) / Thad Lewis (5) / Jeff Tuel (1)

2014 Kyle Orton (12) / EJ Manuel (4)

2015 Tyrod Taylor (14) / EJ Manuel (2)

2016 Tyrod Taylor (15) / EJ Manuel (1)

2017 Tyrod Taylor (14) / Nathan Peterman (2)

 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

2 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

Always amazed me that Vince Young and Matt Leinart were drafted 3rd and 10th in the NFL draft and BOTH played for the Bills.  Two of the more remarkable draft busts (if you consider that Leinart likely would have gone #1 if he'd entered the draft a year earlier).

 

Maybe I'm going to have read this list. 

Don't forget Matt Barkley.  He was projected #1 overall too before he decided to stay for his senior year.  

[Dablitzkrieg]

Thanos literally could have snapped his fingers, just once, but no.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

My top 4

 

1. Bledsoe - 2002 season was his second highest rated, second in yards, and highest comp % of his career.  Not only was it one of the best ever in Bills history it was a highlight for Bledsoe's career as well. He set Bills season total record for yards in 2002 only to be broken by Allen last year.    2002 season of QB play was the best during the 17 year drought.  Then it all fell apart.

2. TT - fun fact Tyrod's QB lowest rating as a Bill was 89.2 and as high as 99.4 (Jim Kelly's highest was 97.6 in 1991).  TT was QB for three years and Fitz was for four.  If you take Fitz best three years he only passed for 1000 more yards than TT.  Where Fitz beats TT handedly is in TD passes.  In Fitz's best three years he has 20 more TD passes than TT did in his three years.  TT had 16 interceptions total in 3 years.  Fitz had 23 in one season, 16 and 15 in the other two.  TT offense led the league in rushing 2 years in a row and was a top 10 scoring offense twice 

3. Fitz - as above, he scored and he turned the ball over.  Fun to watch and had some exciting wins but just too careless with the ball

4. Flutie - more urban legend than effective QB.  His best season in win total he had a QB rating of 75. The team won despite him not because of him.  That he is fourth on this list is a testament to the 13 other piles of garbage that played QB for the Bills

[Buftex]

8 hours ago, Just in Atlanta said:

My attempt at a ranking, best to worst:

1. Drew Bledsoe
2. Ryan Fitzpatrick
3. Doug Flutie
4. Tyrod Taylor
5. Rob Johnson
6. Trent Edwards
7. JP Losman
8. Kyle Orton
9. Thad Lewis
10. Jeff Tuel
11. Kelly Holcomb
12. Brian Brohm
13. EJ Manuel
    ...
    ...
    ...

   126. Nathan Peterman

 

The dark days are over my friends.

(Sorry, don't remember the likes of Todd Collins or Alex Van Pelt.)

 

Pretty good list, though I think I would move EJ ahead of Brohm, Holcomb and Tuel...and maybe move Orton up to #6

 

5 hours ago, Rico said:

I had high hopes for Vince Young.  

I was legit excited when we signed him... still one of the best college players I ever saw...and being an Austinite, I hate the Longhorns (and any idea of Austin Bills). 

[RyanC883]

i can’t believe we never made the playoffs with a Bledsoe team.  He was good his first year.  Also Fitzpatrick teams.  But I think their respective consistent inconsistency got them both in the end.  

3 hours ago, HOUSE said:

I think Losman was better then Trent Edwards

 

 

only perhaps netter than post injury Edwards.  

1 hour ago, Ethan in Portland said:

My top 4

 

1. Bledsoe - 2002 season was his second highest rated, second in yards, and highest comp % of his career.  Not only was it one of the best ever in Bills history it was a highlight for Bledsoe's career as well. He set Bills season total record for yards in 2002 only to be broken by Allen last year.    2002 season of QB play was the best during the 17 year drought.  Then it all fell apart.

2. TT - fun fact Tyrod's QB lowest rating as a Bill was 89.2 and as high as 99.4 (Jim Kelly's highest was 97.6 in 1991).  TT was QB for three years and Fitz was for four.  If you take Fitz best three years he only passed for 1000 more yards than TT.  Where Fitz beats TT handedly is in TD passes.  In Fitz's best three years he has 20 more TD passes than TT did in his three years.  TT had 16 interceptions total in 3 years.  Fitz had 23 in one season, 16 and 15 in the other two.  TT offense led the league in rushing 2 years in a row and was a top 10 scoring offense twice 

3. Fitz - as above, he scored and he turned the ball over.  Fun to watch and had some exciting wins but just too careless with the ball

4. Flutie - more urban legend than effective QB.  His best season in win total he had a QB rating of 75. The team won despite him not because of him.  That he is fourth on this list is a testament to the 13 other piles of garbage that played QB for the Bills

 

man, how bad was our D in 2002 to miss the playoffs.  

[GoBills808]

5 hours ago, Rico said:

I had high hopes for Vince Young.  

I remember getting excited watching Kyle Orton

[chongli]

14 hours ago, foreboding said:

I was trying to remember all the QBs who started for our team has had since Jim Kelly and before Josh Allen. The list was even longer than I thought, the number in parenthesis is the number of games started by said QB. Not far off from a QB per year since. Crazy and glad the desolation is over.

1997 Todd Collins (13) / Alex Van Pelt (3)

1998 Doug Flutie (10) / Rob Johnson (6)

1999 Doug Flutie (15) / Rob Johnson (1)

2000 Rob Johnson (11) / Doug Flutie (5)

2001 Alex Van Pelt (8) / Rob Johnson (8)

2002 Drew Bledsoe (16)

2003 Drew Bledsoe (16)

2004 Drew Bledsoe (16)

2005 J. P. Losman (8) / Kelly Holcomb (8)

2006 J. P. Losman (16)

2007 Trent Edwards (9) / J. P. Losman (7)

2008 Trent Edwards (14) / J. P. Losman (2)

2009 Ryan Fitzpatrick (8) / Trent Edwards (7) / Brian Brohm (1)

2010 Ryan Fitzpatrick (13) / Trent Edwards (2) / Brian Brohm (1)

2011 Ryan Fitzpatrick (16)

2012 Ryan Fitzpatrick (16)

2013 EJ Manuel (10) / Thad Lewis (5) / Jeff Tuel (1)

2014 Kyle Orton (12) / EJ Manuel (4)

2015 Tyrod Taylor (14) / EJ Manuel (2)

2016 Tyrod Taylor (15) / EJ Manuel (1)

2017 Tyrod Taylor (14) / Nathan Peterman (2)

 

To summarize:

 

16 QB's in 20 years, with 3 playoff years (1998, 1999, 2017) and 5 winning seasons with no division titles or playoff wins:

 

1998 10-6 (lost wild card game)

1999 11-5 (lost wild card game)

2004 9-7

2014 9-7

2017 9-7 (lost wild card game)

Edited August 4, 2021 by chongli