Well Buffalo, it's another rebuilding year and the changes
made so far have me excited! The Bills are making some noise this offseason in
free agency and have openly pursued viable replacements for the Fitzmagic
fiasco that went horribly wrong, when the tricky Harvard grad Hoodinied Bills
management into paying him big bucks and then proceeded to perform as most
recent Bills quarterbacks have done: give hope, and fail us miserably with
mediocre games. In doing so, the bearded wonder made the Buffalo offense look
like a bad joke rather than the "greatest show on turf." Firing
Gailey ultimately set the changing of the guard in motion for Buffalo, and when
the Wizard goes, so does his apprentice.
But enough with this magic nonsense, that era is over! On to
the ways of a Maroon! Whoops, I mean a Marrone. With Tarvaris Jackson currently
atop the Buffalo depth chart, a young leader needs to be found in a QB class
that is raw to say the least. Recently, the Bills have scheduled workouts with
Geno Smith, Landry Jones, and EJ Manuel. I expect that whoever the Bills decide
to draft at QB will be in an open competition to start with T-Jack, but you
could take the trio of "Jackson Jackson & Spiller" to court and
have a good case to win.
Smith had an impressive college season statistically but I
would compare him to Vince Young coming out of college (and we all know how
that little experiment went with Young in Buffalo). The Big 12 is known for
inflated passing numbers as of recent years due to a lack of defense, which
results in shootout like games. However, RG3 was able to come from that
conference and execute at a high level in the NFL during his rookie season. I
can't say Smith is anywhere near as talented as RG3, but he definitely fits
right in the middle on a scale of Young to Griffin III. I don't want to see the
Bills overdraft on a QB again, especially after wasting a pick on J.P. Losman
the last time Buffalo was pressed for a rookie, franchise QB, so I say they
pass on Geno Smith and go with a LB, OG, or WR before a QB in round 1.
Manuel and Jones are two questionable options as well.
Jones, also from the Big 12, can run a spread-style offense and really work
with versatile runningbacks as well. That would come in handy with the Bills
duel-threat backfield of Jackson and Spiller. Manuel could come in and learn
from T-Jack and develop into a solid QB. Garrard and Leftwich weren't too bad
at the starts of their starting careers and Manuel reminds me of those guys.
Big, strong, and can manage the game. Obviously both of these QBs need work
once they get to the NFL and there will be a learning curve. T-Jack could hold
Buffalo over for a season, but Bills fans are anxious to Circle the Wagons!
Jones knows all about that coming from Oklahoma and Sooner nation.
The sleeper QB of the draft is hands-down Ryan Nassib from
Syracuse. Marrone and the Bills need not work him out privately like the
previous three prospects because Marrone coached him at Syracuse, as well as
Bills new Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Nassib can run the offense
and would have the smallest learning curve for the offensive scheme and would
fit the system immediately. Nassib could be taken as early as the 2nd round by
Buffalo if they still need a QB and don't think he will be around in the 3rd or
4th round. However, if Buffalo doesn't draft one of these four prospects, Tyler
Wilson from Arkansas was given the "Jim Kelly" comparison and could
also be a 2nd/3rd round selection.
Here's how I rank these five options for Buffalo:
- Ryan Nassib in Round 2/3
- Landry Jones in Round 2/3
- Tyler Wilson in Round 2/3
- EJ Manuel in Round 2/3
- Geno Smith in Round 1
Watch for my next post where I address Buffalo's draft
needs, the urgency of each need, and how I think the Bills should go about
filling these voids!
