Open Rants by MillerTime81

I want to begin first by generally dismissing the legacy aspect of Chad Kelly. I recognize his connection to Buffalo is not something to ignore, and although I’ll briefly touch on it, it truly plays no role in my opinion here.

Let us assume that the Tyrod Taylor experience has come to an end. Good bad or indifferent is moot at this point, as it appears he will not be back. In all honesty, this does make me sad. As a high school coach in the Peninsula District of Virginia, I coached against and with (at camps etc) Tyrod and it was so awesome to have him as the Quarterback of my favorite team. Sadly, that will no longer be the case.

This leaves the Bills very QB deficient, which goes without saying. EJ Manual seems likely to be cut as well, which leaves only Cardale Jones on the roster. Cardale has the tools and the size, but not the experience to be a true solution to the Bills signal caller woes, so let’s look around him as well.

What is left is the NFL draft and free agency. It is likely that the likes of Jay Cutler, Kaepernick, Romo, Foles and Garoppolo are all available in the next few weeks. All have their plusses and minuses, with most have more downside than up. I’ll assume the readers know these (age, attitude, lack of talent) and won’t really delve into them too deeply either.

So, what should the plan be?

Simply put, the Buffalo Bills need to pick up a veteran backup or washed up starter, draft Chad Kelly and begin the grooming process.

This plan has merit across the board.

First and foremost it’ll be cheap. Obviously, Romo or Cutler could demand a decent one or two year salary, but there are other cheaper options. The long term cap hit will be minimal if going with them, and even less so if going cheaper. The Bills have some massive cap issues, especially if franchising Stephon Gilmore.

This draft class is weak at QB. I have yet to see anyone who truly believes there is a clear cut day 1 starter in this draft, so taking one of the top 5 or so prospects seems foolish. A late day 2 or day 3 pick seems like a good time for the Bills and other QB needy teams to take a flier on a guy with upside.

If this does not work, the Bills will find themselves in the top ten of the draft next year and 2018 appears at this point to have a deep and talented QB pool. Nothing lost except another fall in buffalo.

Why Chad Kelly?

You can highlight the early Clemson issues, the Ak-47 and the time in Scooba all you want, but if you take that stuff away, it is arguable that Kelly should be the first QB taken in the draft. His knee injury is concerning but appears to be on the mend successfully. He has adequate size, world-class arm, speed and he hard nosed. He’s tough, and excuse the one reference, like his Uncle Jim. This will endear himself to the Bills Mafia. He has a major chip on his shoulder, even more so now after the combine slight. His coaches at Ole Miss loved him, said he became a leader and he has stayed out of trouble (Mia Khalifa DMs be damned) Bill Polian, the builder of the only decent Bills teams in 50 years and the guy who chose Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf has opined that Kelly is the best QB in the draft. More homer talk perhaps, but never bad to have someone like Polian say something so glowing.

Chad Kelly has the story, the talent and the name for Buffalo. At the very least, he will give some hope to the diehards and it will cost the Bills only a 4^th rounder or so. Take a shot on the player who may have the most upside, the most to prove and the hometown roots to bring this franchise back to prominence.

Cheers Folks, and Go Bills.

MillerTime