When Jim Kelly retired in 1997 the questions all Buffalo Bills fans asked was, “Who will be the Bills quarterback of the future?” To date ten men have tried to fill the shoes of Buffalo’s Hall of Famer. Todd Collins, Alex Van Pelt, Rob Johnson, Doug Flutie, Drew Bledsoe, Kelly Holcomb, JP Losman, Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm have all tried to answer that question but not one of them have proven to be the long term answer.
Let’s make one thing perfectly clear as we prepare for the 2010 draft and the season that will follow this fall. For better or for worse the starting quarterback for opening day is currently on the Buffalo Bills roster. You can put to rest the thoughts of Buffalo trading for Donavan McNabb. Buddy Nix has said that he is going to build through the draft and I feel confident that we can take him at his word. There also is not going to be a quarterback available in this draft that would be able to come in and be the starter from day one. Look for a spirited quarterback competition during this off season’s mini camps that should carry over into training camp. Let’s take a quick look at the contenders.
Brain Brohm will come into the competition with something he has never had in his NFL career; Low expectations. Drafted in the second round of the 2008 draft by the Green Bay Packers Brohm was brought in to learn the Packers system and to be the quarterback of the future in the event that Aaron Rodgers was not the second coming of Brett Farve. While Brohm struggled to adjust to the speed of the pro game, fellow rookie and seventh round draft pick Matt Flynn beat out Brohm for the number two spot. Last preseason Brohm was so bad in preseason that the Pack actually waived him and before bringing him back on their practice squad where the Bills were able to pluck him from their roster. The Bills offer Brohm a fresh start where he won’t have to live up to the pressures of being second round draft pick being outplayed by a later round pick.
Ryan Fitzpatrick has played on three NFL teams during his career, the Rams, Bengals and Bills and he has shown the ability to be a spark to a team. The only problem with sparks is that they usually don’t last long. He has had his moments where he has helped elevate his team’s offense, but they are usually followed by longer periods of inaccuracy and ineffectiveness. Fitzpatrick will be given a chance, but he seems best suited as a back up to be used only as a short term insurance policy.
That brings us to Trent Edwards, thought by many to be the one time future quarterback of the franchise he now finds himself playing to save his career in Western New York. After a fast start to his NFL career Trent has seemed incapable of taking the next step in his progression. While many Bills fans will question his arm strength and other aspects of Trent’s skill set, the fact about last year was that Buffalo’s front office failed to arm the team with and adequate offensive line to compete. I’m not sure if Trent Edwards is the quarterback of the future, but he is the quarterback of right now. I like his chances of winning the open competition and at least being the quarterback for the start of next year.
One of the best things the Bills can do to help next years signal caller is to address the left tackle position early in the draft. A book end left tackle will help protect the quarterbacks’ blind side and help take some pressure of the passing game by opening up holes in the running game. As far as the future of the quarterback position, don’t be surprised it Buffalo drafts a player like Levi Brown in the middle rounds. He may be a project that could prosper if the Bills give him time to grow.
- Bills Mulling Draft Options
- BSN Original Content: Nix era begins at the draft
- Buffalo’s quarterback acquisition options: Buffalo Rumblings
- Report: Kelly wants piece of team; Tebow
- Gailey looking for new Bills QB
Original Story:
http://buffalosportsnow.com/2010/04/0...
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