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Rank The Buffalo Bills Starting QB’s Since Jim Kelly


JohnNord

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5 hours ago, RobbRiddicksTDLeap said:

Tuel, Peterman, Brohm. God that’s hard to believe. I remember banging the drum for Brohm. I really had a lot to rethink about my ability to judge players. 

I got a lot of heat from the Brohm supporters when I tried to explain that there was no way that our management at the time was capable of outsmarting the best GMs in the league by signing a guy off GB's practice squad who they didn't even bat an eye for when he was waived before his 2nd season.  My theory was that QBs are treated like gold by the NFL GMs. Teams don't release a 2nd round QB  one year later and no waiver claims come in unless the film (mostly pre-season) indicates he's a bust.  I said at the time how can anyone believe Russell Brandon could steal a guy with GMs like Ozzie Newsome & Bill Polian not having made a waiver claim earlier in the year.  The funniest replies gave Buddy Nix the credit as if he could ever outsmart all the GMs.  The closest thing to Brohm since then is Josh Rosen who up until he failed with 3 or 4 teams, his die hards still were waiting for him to emerge. 

 

The bottom line is the actions of the GMs in the league can give you a pretty good idea if a highly drafted QB is a bust when his 1st team dumps him.  The ones with any potential left don't land on practice squads.  The only exceptions are late round QBs or free agent QBs who can sometimes be far enough under the radar that a team can sneak him through waivers.  But a 1st, 2nd or even a 3rd round QB who gets dumped within 2 years with virtually no interest around the league isn't going to be anyone's answer. 

 

I'm so glad we are light years away from fans getting excited with a QB signing off another team's practice squad.    

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Imma take a stab at this, with explanations:

 

Josh Allen - Duh
Doug Flutie - Took us to more playoff games than anyone else on this list. If he starts the Titians game, we win, go to the SB, and win that.  Wade should have resigned when Ralph ordered him to start Scrub Johnson in the playoff game. 

Ryan Fitzpatrick - The 2011 win over the Cheats was one of the greatest Bills victories ever.

Drew Bledsoe - Decent QB on the downside of his career, we didn't have enough pieces on offense to make it work.  But I still remember that overtime win against the Viqueens, another of the Bills best wins of the drought era.

Tyrod Taylor - Never was a fan, never will be a fan of a QB with no balls.  He was so totally risk averse that what he saved you in TOs, he cost you in opportunities to win.

Alex Van Pelt (YEAH, I SEDDIT!!!) - Will never forget him taking the Bills the length of the field for a TD against the Squeelers in the Bruce Smith flu playoff game after Kelly became Batman.  Kelly had a Snickers on the sideline, went back in, threw 2 INTs, game over.  AVP never got any love in Buffalo, we even played that ahole Billy Joe Neckbert ahead of him.  Body by Pillsbury, arm and brain of Chad Pennington.

J.P. Losman - All the tools, great arm, could not figure out the small stuff.  Was never the same after Troy Vincent broke his leg in training camp "just to teach him a lesson".  Anybody else find it ironic that Troy Vincent became the NFL's Director of Player Safety?

Matt Barkley - Great locker room guy, loved seeing him light up the Jest.

EJ Manuel - Was playing OK his rookie season before getting injured in Cleveland.  His career essentially ended when JJ Watt picked off the lob to Fred Jackson for a pick 6, and Maroon pulled the plug.  His last gasp came in London against the Jags, when he overcame a nightmarish first half to bring the Bills all the way back to the lead.  The rainbow he threw to Marcus Easley for the go ahead score was a thing of beauty.  What might have been if the refs don't make the phantom PI call on Nuke to keep the Jags alive on that last drive.... 

Kyle Orton - 3rd and puss, 'nuff said.

Trent Edwards - Good looking QB who became Trentative after he was concussed in a game.

Rob Johnson - Joke of a QB who cost the Bills a playoff game, couldn't stay healthy, and ruined the Bills chances while they had the best defense in the league.

Todd Collins - Outplayed by AVP in preseason, the Bills nevertheless decided to go with the high draft pick, with predictable results.

Thad Lewis - Only slightly better than Tuel, but doomed just the same.

Jeff Tuel - While the pick 6 against KC effectively ended his career, the play I remember happened in the Cleveland game after EJ got injured.  Tuel threw a perfect 40-yard rainbow to TJumptomakeacatch Graham, who promptly dropped it, killing the Bills chances of a comeback.  Love ya Tuel Time!

Kelly Holcomb - yawn.

Matt Cassel - really?

Derek Anderson - huh?

Brian Brohm - Who?

Nathan Peterman - C'mon man.

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32 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Drew Bledsoe - Decent QB on the downside of his career, we didn't have enough pieces on offense to make it work.  But I still remember that overtime win against the Viqueens, another of the Bills best wins of the drought era

Really? imo that offense was pretty solid. Moulds was there, Peerless Price at the time was decent. TE J. Riemersma. The pieces were there for a productive offense and they were at times.

 

I always thought it was more Bledsoe. Just wasn't quite the same after he took that hit. 

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2 hours ago, FormerlyPT5P said:

Thad was such a gamer tho

This is what I came to post lol. 
I think I once said Thad would be kinda like our lesser version of Favre slinging the rock all over. 

The list gives me nightmares. I’m almost 41, dated a lot of women in my single years and never had my heart broken as much as that list repeatedly broke my heart. 

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1 hour ago, Jay_Fixit said:

As long as Johnson is above Flutie I’ll be ok.

 

Kelly

Allen

Bledsoe

Fitzpatrick

Johnson

Flutie

 

meh………

Seriously? I can honestly say you are the first person I have come across that said that. Not knocking your opinion or anything, but I seriously can't recall any Bills fan or anyone in general that considered Johnson better than Flutie.

 

Most, or nearly all were pissed he was benched for Johnson and I was one of those many ppl lol. Anyways, just curious to what makes you think that? He didn't do much of anything that would warrant me to think he was better than Flutie imo. Idk, but interesting take though

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9 hours ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

Poor Todd Collins, if he had just been a few years younger maybe he would have been drafted by the Pats in the 6th round and gone on to win Super Bowls. 

 

Crazy thing about Todd Collins is that he hung around the NFL for 16 years - 13 of them after he left Buffalo.

 

In the first 10 years, after he left the Bills threw a grand total of 27 passes

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Any list that doesn’t start with Allen then Tyrod is incorrect.  Tyrod made 2 pro bowls and was the one to break the playoff drought.
 

He wasn’t the answer, but our offense under him for those 3 years were the highest scoring three year period in Bills history outside the first three SB years.

 

Does it mean he was a top ranked starter.  No it means the rest of our QBs between Kelly and Allen were pitiful.

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1 hour ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Any list that doesn’t start with Allen then Tyrod is incorrect.  Tyrod made 2 pro bowls and was the one to break the playoff drought.
 

He wasn’t the answer, but our offense under him for those 3 years were the highest scoring three year period in Bills history outside the first three SB years.

 

Does it mean he was a top ranked starter.  No it means the rest of our QBs between Kelly and Allen were pitiful.

Yeah I got Tyrod 3rd after Bledsoe. Which was a thinker, but went with Bledsoe 2nd since he did air it out more and imo was slightly the better QB. Can't begin to say how many times I screamed at the t.v for Tyrod to throw the damn ball lol. I'm sure many others did also, but Bledsoe was better overall QB imo. Not by much I assure you, but gave him the nod

 

As to rest of bold.....yeah he made probowl, but I don't put much stock into that. Think he was an alternate for one of those if not mistaken. Anyway not taking that away or anything, but imo yeah he made some plays here and there, but he also left many plays on the field.

 

The scoring history he lead as QB, I'd question if the run game they had then was a slightly more reason for that thn Tyrod actually was? Idk for sure, but Bills had best running game in the league at one point and basically stayed a top rushing team with him there. And yes I'm counting in the rushing plays he made.

 

Anyways, why I went Bledsoe. I just think he is the slightly better overall QB imo So if Tyrod isn't after Allen it definitely doesn't make it "incorrect" Lol, jus my 2 cent

 

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5 hours ago, ticketssince61 said:

 

Crazy thing about Todd Collins is that he hung around the NFL for 16 years - 13 of them after he left Buffalo.

 

In the first 10 years, after he left the Bills threw a grand total of 27 passes

Yep! I mentioned this last week in the Russell Wilson to miss starts and Geno Smith is his backup. When Todd came in and started for Washington after 10 years of never hearing a peep out of him, I almost gave myself whiplash. My head spun around to the TV and I was like no way that’s the same Todd Collins. Good for him. 

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16 hours ago, JohnNord said:

I disagree.  Orton wasn’t the problem that year.  The Bills defense failed in Oakland which is what screwed their season

Never started a game for the Bills

Billy Joe never started a game for the Bills.  They released him before it got to that point

 

Orton my not have been the problem but Fitz was better.  Orton had no mobility, could not extend plays in the pocket, gain yards down field with his legs, and they had to alter the run game because Orton was not quick enough to get from behind center to hand the ball off on some plays.

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2 minutes ago, artmalibu said:

 

Orton my not have been the problem but Fitz was better.  Orton had no mobility, could not extend plays in the pocket, gain yards down field with his legs, and they had to alter the run game because Orton was not quick enough to get from behind center to hand the ball off on some plays.

 

Orton should automatically be disqualified from any mention just for this play alone...

 

 

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I'd place Taylor third behind Allen and Flutie. Taylor was a Pro Bowler and had a playoff appearance.

 

Bledsoe had one phenomenal year but ultimately no playoff appearances. Fitzy is 5th. Although he has better passing stats than Bledsoe, he had no Pro Bowl nods, playoffs or winning seasons.

 

Allen

Flutie

Taylor

Bledsoe

Fitzpatrick

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20 hours ago, SMAKCruiser said:

Orton over Flutie?? Lol.    Flutie should be no worse than 3rd... I'd even debate he should be second.   

And Trent Edwards gets a raw deal...He was much better than many of the folks on that list (that are above him)

There were 17 QBs who started for the Bills between Kelly and Allen

There were 17 years of Playoff drought

Our QB wears the #17 

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It gets tough for the first few after Allen because:

1) Some of these guys had careers outside Buffalo (e.g. Fitz, Bledsoe, Anderson)

2) A few of them had one good season in Buffalo but then went bad (Bledsoe, Fitz, Flutie, even Tyrod)

3) Others flashed at times but could not perform consistently

 

And then there are some that were just plain bad.

 

My list: 

Allen

...

Bledsoe (his good year was very good, then faded hard)

Flutie (misused, good in 98/99, also faded hard in 2000, but was electric before then)

Fitz (maybe the same average result as an average QB but has a high variability that gives hope. Did bad after contract).

Taylor (Better results for the team but faded during his time in Buff)

Orton (Gave us some good games but ultimately nothing special)

 

Beyond that it is a mess. Next tier - guys who showed promise but failed:

Rob Johnson (He "flashed" at times but his sack rate was just unacceptable by any measure)

Trent Edwards (Started out good then went bad, whether is was a concussion or bad coaching who knows)

 

Next tier: Guys who were not good. Ranking is very hard.

JP Losman

EJ Manuel

Kelly Holcomb

Alex Van Pelt

Todd Collins

 

The rest... bad and short lived:

Matt Barkley (had one good game)

Thad Lewis

Derek Anderson (not good here but had legit career)

Jeff Tuel

Brian Brohm

Nathan Peterman (the worst)

 

No rating:

Matt Cassel (started only on a technicality, much better career than others listed, did less harm than Peterman)

 

Edited by HalftimeAdjustment
Forgot Brian Brohm
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