So much for me wanting to get season tickets. UGH! They can give the last four days of Buffalo sports back to the Indians. The Sabres suck ass and the Bills lost their franchise QB. Welcome to Buffalo! Welcome to picking between suffering and misery. Can someone tell me when the Bandits or Destroyers season gets under way at this point?
It is amazing how the human body works when injuries happen. When EJ went down, obviously all of us started panicking. Then we saw him walking on his own power and riding the stationary bike. Alright, let's start breathing again…it doesn't look too bad. Maybe he got a charley horse and he'll be in the next series. Then he goes to the locker room..Alright, he's out of the game, but at least he was riding the bike and if you are riding a bike, you can't be hurt that badly..
Then the hammer hits you on Friday..Out for weeks, 4-8 weeks to be exact.
UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK UGH!!
I'm not there yet to write off the season as a loss, although, I'm like 80% there, but Jeff Tuel cannot win in this league. It is unheard of to have a rookie undrafted QB do much of anything their first year. You know why? Because teams wouldn't have a undrafted rookie QB as the backup, let alone the 3rd stringer. But, whatever. We've gone over the BS about how stupid it was to sign Kolb and cut T.Jackson, but now is the time to look forward to the future. So, let's look at the pros and cons for the possible band-aid QBs out there for the Bills..
Dennis Dixon-Pros: He knows the no-huddle offense from his days at Oregon. He at least started in the NFL, albeit, only three games. He played well against Atlanta in the 2010 season opener, completing 18 of 26 passes for 236 yards in a 15-9 win. He can run the read option and it doesn't hurt that Doug Whaley was in Pittsburgh when they drafted him. Cons: He played like hot garbage against the Ravens in 2009, going 12-26 for 145 yards. He was out of the league last year and only got a training camp tryout because Chip Kelly was with the Eagles.
As of now, I think he's the leader in the clubhouse. He has NFL experience and the Whaley connection is too good to pass up on.
Pat White- Pros: Considering he was drafted in the 2nd round, he may be the 2nd most talented guy out there. He looked good in the preseason and kicked our asses. Cons: He's a gimmick. Bill Parcells picked this guy in the 2nd round because he thought with the wildcat craze happening in 2008, he was going to be their secret weapon. He was wrong and White was a terrible pick. He's a poor man's Brad Smith and has attempted just 5 NFL passes. Also, preseason is a terrible barometer to field how good a player is..
Josh Freeman- Pros: Has a 26TD/6INT and 27TDs/4,000 yard seasons on his resume. I've always liked Freeman and if you were to tell me last year if I'd want him as the Bills starter, I'd take it. The guy can throw the ball deep. Last year, he had 1,178 yards passing on throws that traveled 20 yards through the air (ranked 2nd best in the NFL). Best case, he plays a few games for us and does well, meaning, we could possibly flip him at the trade deadline for a late round pick. Yes, that's a dream scenario, but it is attainable if the dominos fall right into place. Cons: He's inconsistent and is highly inaccurate (Completed less than 55% of his passes last year, which was the worst of any starter in the league). He had that terrible breakup in Tampa Bay and he may be into drugs or something.
This is a pipe dream. I think he's going to Oakland because of the connection he has with their OC (Was there in 2010 with Freeman) and that's a place where he has a chance to become a long-term starting QB. If not there, what about the Vikings? While he may have more success here short-term because our weapons are better than Oakland's, this guy doesn't seem like someone who wants to sit on the sidelines.
Matt Flynn- I bring up Flynn because if Freeman goes to Oakland, you have to think he may get sent his walking papers. Flynn knows the west coast offense from his days in Green Bay and Seattle and might be able to pick up the offense faster than the previous guys mentioned. He's also thrown a fricken pass this year. However, he still kind of sucks.
Tim Tebow- HAHAHAHAHAHHAAH! Honestly, I don't hate Tebow as much as a lot folks do. I think it is a bit premature to say a QB sucks based on just 14 NFL starts. I mean, we are suppose to give them like 2 years starting, right? However, I hate Tebow's fans, the folks in Bristol, and even his haters. So, this can't happen. If ESPN didn't exist and Buffalo fans didn't get so hard up on arguing about everything, I'd think about it. Hey, he could run the read option…And… I just think Buffalo Wins lost half their audience with me thinking that. On a side note, I think Joe Buscaglia has tweeted about 4 times over the years that the Bills have zero interest in him when he's been available from his source.
Thad Lewis- Yes, he's still on the Bills practice squad. If we believe all that stuff about QBs needing to know the system, he's the leader in the clubhouse. Keep in mind he started last year against the Steelers and he wasn't terrible, passing for 204 yards and completing 22 of 32 passes. The Browns still lost, 24-10, but it wasn't like he fell on his face.
Ryan Nassib- A few people recommended him to me on Twitter today. At first, I thought it was just silly, but the more I think about it…Hmmm. Maybe they can give up a 4th rounder for him or how about trading Byrd to the Giants (Perry Fewell connection) for Nassib and a 3rd rounder? I gotta tell you, if the Bills play Nassib and he does well, his value would skyrocket like with what happened with Matt Schaub, Kirk Cousins and Rob Johnson. Teams are desperate for QBs and if you show a little leg, they will bite for it like Virgins on prom night. However, this is probably a slim hypothesis.
Final word: Yeah, this really fricken sucks. Outside of Freeman, the rest of these guys are bums and may be a slight upgrade over Tuel. With the exception of Freeman, whoever they sign, you'd have to think the Bills will have the backup hang out for a game or two and if/when Tuel shits the bed, the Bills would go to him. In the end, the Bills are going to have to win with their defense and running game. Also, get ready to see a lot of 10-men in the box with whoever comes here. Defenses may as well have CBs sit on the sidelines and just go all jumbo defense. UGH!
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