Buffalo Bills 2014 Draft: Rd1#4 WR Sammy Watkins; Rd2#44 C. Kouandjio; Stevie traded

[is the answer jesus]

It's not about his confidence, it's about him getting as many reps as possible (particularly as he missed half of training camp last season) - something that's not possible when you are trying to develop another rookie QB and having a "competition".

You're not smarter than the vast majority of NFL teams who handle the QB position this way. Trust me.

There's plenty of reps to go around. Especially when you have 5 pre-season games this year. There's no reason they couldn't have drafted a developmental guy given him some reps and let him familiarize himself with the offense. They already know Manuel is the starter. He'll get all the first team reps this year. The only reason I can think of for not drafting or bringing in a vet qb is what Leelee is referencing which is management being afraid of shaking Manuel's confidence.

 

[Djp]

Lonnie Ballentine FS Memphis gets to go to Disney...

 

[Djp]

The odds of finding a serviceable player at OL/DL/LB/etc. is way better than finding the next Tom Brady. There are currently only 2 starting QBs drafted 4th round or later: Brady and Nick Foles.

I know that......

 

[Djp]

i think they go after Morris---QB from the U

 

[Paxon]

There's plenty of reps to go around. Especially when you have 5 pre-season games this year. There's no reason they couldn't have drafted a developmental guy given him some reps and let him familiarize himself with the offense. They already know Manuel is the starter. He'll get all the first team reps this year. The only reason I can think of for not drafting or bringing in a vet qb is what Leelee is referencing which is management being afraid of shaking Manuel's confidence.

What you refer to as the only reason you can think of is probably the last reason for them not drafting a QB. They had other needs to fill and every pick they made dealt with a significant need. The likelihood of both EJ failing and the drafted QB in question being the guy to take over as our long-term starter is pretty insignificant. I wanted a mid-round QB but it doesn't exactly matter.

The idea that any GM is concerned about any player's confidence being shaken by drafting a late round player just doesn't seem particularly realistic to me. What I see instead is doubling down on a gamble.

 

[is the answer jesus]

Fine, a mid-to-late round pick. A total waste of time all the same. The vast majority of starters in the NFL come from the first couple of rounds. If/when Manuel flops, they'll use another high pick on a QB. These middling prospects won't be any better than Lewis/Dixon during the current period in which the Bills are committed to Manuel. They might as well take a player in the mid rounds who may actually get on the field, i.e. DB, LB, etc.

Cool can I borrow your crystal ball since you know the future of all these qb's? Brady, Bulger, Hasselback, Brunell, Gannon all late round qb's who were decent to good starters in the nfl. It's easy to say the bills will just draft another qb if Manuel flops this year, but they have no first rounder and who knows what the qb class will look like next year. You paint yourself into the same corner you did with Manuel last year: "Needing to take a qb"

 

[misterchainsaw]

Cool can I borrow your crystal ball since you know the future of all these qb's? Brady, Bulger, Hasselback, Brunell, Gannon all late round qb's who were decent to good starters in the nfl. It's easy to say the bills will just draft another qb if Manuel flops this year, but they have no first rounder and who knows what the qb class will look like next year. You paint yourself into the same corner you did with Manuel last year: "Needing to take a qb"

Pretty telling that you have to go all the way back to Bulger, Hasselback, Brunell, and Gannon for examples of late round QB's who became decent to good starters.

 

[Digable5]

i think they go after Morris---QB from the U

UDFA wishlist

Visits:
OT Charles Siddoway
OT Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
Rb Terrance Cobb

Non-visits
WR Brandon Coleman
S Dion Bailey
QB Kain Colter
TE Colt Lyerla
DE Josh Mauro
RB Jerome Smith

 

[misterchainsaw]

There's plenty of reps to go around. Especially when you have 5 pre-season games this year. There's no reason they couldn't have drafted a developmental guy given him some reps and let him familiarize himself with the offense. They already know Manuel is the starter. He'll get all the first team reps this year. The only reason I can think of for not drafting or bringing in a vet qb is what Leelee is referencing which is management being afraid of shaking Manuel's confidence.

A "developmental guy" isn't going to be ready for 2 years, at the earliest....at which point they can take a more ready to play guy in the first round again. Or they can sign or make a trade (ala Bledsoe) for a more established guy.

OT, but if the Bills had the defense at the beginning of Bledsoe's tenure that they did at the end Bledsoe would have gotten the Bills to the playoffs - even if only for that first year.

 

[Paxon]

Cool can I borrow your crystal ball since you know the future of all these qb's? Brady, Bulger, Hasselback, Brunell, Gannon all late round qb's who were decent to good starters in the nfl. It's easy to say the bills will just draft another qb if Manuel flops this year, but they have no first rounder and who knows what the qb class will look like next year. You paint yourself into the same corner you did with Manuel last year: "Needing to take a qb"

That a few late-round starting QB's have existed isn't a very good argument. It'd be like saying we needed a starting RT so we could just wait and take one in the 6th round because there have been a few 6th round RT starters. If QB really is a need then it should have been addressed in the first 3 rounds where good QB's come from. They didn't view it as a need. Taking one in the 5th round wouldn't have changed anything. It's clear they choose to believe in EJ, and that Thad is their back-up for the time being.

 

[CaptPantalones]

UDFA wishlist

Visits:
OT Charles Siddoway
OT Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
Rb Terrance Cobb

Non-visits
WR Brandon Coleman
S Dion Bailey
QB Kain Colter
TE Colt Lyerla
DE Josh Mauro
RB Jerome Smith

Tardif was drafted and Bailey already signed with Seattle

 

[is the answer jesus]

A "developmental guy" isn't going to be ready for 2 years, at the earliest....at which point they can take a more ready to play guy in the first round again. Or they can sign or make a trade (ala Bledsoe) for a more established guy.

OT, but if the Bills had the defense at the beginning of Bledsoe's tenure that they did at the end Bledsoe would have gotten the Bills to the playoffs - even if only for that first year.

Cool the bills can trade another 1st rounder for a has been qb.
As far as my list of late round qb's there are others. Those were just a few guys I found with a quick search.

 

[Mit Yarrum]

i dont think he fumbled once last season.

Good. He's a great compliment to a back like Jackson IMO.

 

[is the answer jesus]

That a few late-round starting QB's have existed isn't a very good argument. It'd be like saying we needed a starting RT so we could just wait and take one in the 6th round because there have been a few 6th round RT starters. If QB really is a need then it should have been addressed in the first 3 rounds where good QB's come from. They didn't view it as a need. Taking one in the 5th round wouldn't have changed anything. It's clear they choose to believe in EJ, and that Thad is their back-up for the time being.

You must have missed the part where I said we shouldn't have wasted a 3rd round pick on a one dimensional lb.I would have prefered Savage. Hell I would have been fine with Garopolo in the 2nd round. I get that the bills think they're all set at qb. I think that's a mistake. I also think there is concern about shaking Manuel's confidence. Which is why I believe they didn't pursue any vet qb's in free agency or even entertain drafting a qb (based off pre-draft visits) Manuel had injuries to both knees and had plenty of sub-par performances last year.

 

[misterchainsaw]

Cool the bills can trade another 1st rounder for a has been qb.
As far as my list of late round qb's there are others. Those were just a few guys I found with a quick search.

Not really. From 2003-2008 (a random span of years in the modern era) - here's a list of all of the late round (5-7) QB's:

Brian St. Pierre (5th, PIT)
Drew Henson (6th, HOU) (Dallas then spent a 3rd on him a couple years later )
Brooks Bollinger (6th, NYJ)
Kliff Kingsbury (6th, NE)
Gibran Hamden (7th, WSH)
Ken Dorsey (7th, SF)
Craig Krenzel (5th, CHI)
Andy Hall (6th, PHI)
Josh Harris (6th, BAL)
Jim Sorgi (6th, IND)
Jeff Smoker (6th, STL)
John Navarre (7th, ARI)
Cody Pickett (7th, SF)
Casey Bramlet (7th, CIN)
Matt Mauck (7th, DEN)
BJ Symons (7th, HOU)
Bradlee Van Pelt (7th, DEN)
Dan Orlovsky (5th, DET)
Adrian MacPherson (5th, NO)
Derek Anderson (6th, BAL)
James Killian (7th, KC)
Matt Cassel (7th, NE)
Ryan Fitzpatrick (7th, STL)
Ingle Martin (5th, PHI)
Omar Jacobs (5th, PIT)
Reggie McNeal (6th, CIN)
Bruce Gradowski (6th, TB)
D.J. Shockley (7th, ATL)
Jeff Rowe (5th, CIN)
Troy Smith (5th, BAL)
Jordan Palmer (6th, WSH)
Tyler Thigpen (7th, MIN)
John David Booty (5th, MIN)
Dennis Dixon (5th, PIT)
Josh Johnson (5th, TB)
Colt Brennan (6th, WSH)
Andre' Woodson (6th, NYG)
Matt Flynn (7th, GB)
Alex Brink (7th, HOU)


I bolded the best of the lot. That's 4 guys who could ever have been considered NFL starters (even under a loose definition), and another who at one point was considered a legit prospect worth assets. Additionally, Fitzpatrick, Thigpen, and Anderson provided nothing to the teams that drafted them. There's literally no one on this list I would take over Manuel.

 

[sjci]

Bills and Rams only two teams so far to have not signed any UDFA's

 

[sjci]

check that,

Darrin Kitchens LB Florida

Kitchens was a special teams standout for the Gators and has good speed as he clocked a 4.59 forty yard dash at the Florida Pro Day. An occasional starter, Kitchens appeared played 45 games during his college career.

Deion Belue CB Alabama

Belue has transitioned nicely from the junior college ranks into a starter on an elite Alabama defense. Belue plays with good technique and body positioning, and has good closing speed and awareness. His ball skills and change-of-direction skills are below-average, however, and he needs to show more physicality.

Damien Jacobs DT, Florida

Jacobs is a JUCO transfer who played in 23 games for the Gators while starting four. He adds depth to the defensive line after no defensive lineman have been drafted by the Buffalo Bills since Marcell Dareus in 2011.

Darius Robinson DB, Clemson

Robinson battled injuries during his college career but started all 13 games as a senior and was named a permanent team captain. During his senior season he amassed 37 tackles and three interceptions. Robinson ran a 4.54 second forty yard dash at the Clemson Pro Day.

Deon Broomfield DB, Iowa State

 

[cramdizzl]

I'm perfectly fine with not drafting a QB when this draft is so deep in non-QB's. Also perfectly fine with having Thad as a backup to EJ. Why waste a pick on a QB this year when we can have Thad come in and be a suitable backup, and just sign a vet or UDFA as our #3? Thad started half the season last year and didn't play too bad, thats what backups are supposed to do. The FO is fine with their QB's and I trust them with that. We got really good value on most of our picks so there's nothing I can really complain about with this draft.

 

[Clown Baby*]

It doesn't matter who the back-up is. If your starter is out for any significant amount of time, you're not making the playoffs. Use the picks. Bolster the roster where you think you can. And if two years from now EJ hasn't done what we need him to, you go for another quarterback.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

check that,

Darrin Kitchens LB Florida



Deion Belue CB Alabama



Damien Jacobs DT, Florida



Darius Robinson DB, Clemson



Deon Broomfield DB, Iowa State

What did they do, sort the UDFAs alphabetically by first name and then decide to sign all the D's?

 

[Digable5]

Tardif was drafted and Bailey already signed with Seattle

Thanks. I looked and didn't see Tardif drafted. I posted the list as the draft was ending so I would have no idea of any agreements at the time.

Lyerla is someone I really want but by this time I imagine someone is going to tell me he is gone.

 

[Chad Thundercock]

It doesn't matter who the back-up is. If your starter is out for any significant amount of time, you're not making the playoffs.

2013 Packers
2012 49ers
2011 Broncos
2010 Steelers
2008 Patriots 11-5 with Cassel

Backup QB matters. Every QB matters. Jeff Tuel on an NFL roster is unacceptable.

 

[Paxon]

2013 Packers
2012 49ers
2011 Broncos
2010 Steelers
2008 Patriots 11-5 with Cassel

Backup QB matters. Every QB matters. Jeff Tuel on an NFL roster is unacceptable.

Tuel has no place on the roster, but he's not the back-up either. If your 3rd string QB is playing then you're ****ed.

 

[CaptPantalones]

Deion Belues agent lied to the Bills and hes now signed with the Dolphins

Bills did just add Vanderbilt S Kenny Ladler, 1st team all SEC

 

[dma0034]

Sapp literally just said: Watkins will be awesome, he'll be lined up across Stevie Johnson with Fred Taylor in the backfield....