If You HAD To Choose One: Mike Vick or Alex Smith?

[Thurman#1]

There is no way in hell any Bils fans want a "stop-gap", "Band-aid", "Bridge", "journeyman" QB to get us by until the real deal arrives.
That has been the cornerstone of the decade of suckatude.
I'm sorry if I came off too aggressive but I honestly can't take annother year of watching some buffoon under center while we wait for his replacement.
Levi Brown, Brian Brohm, T-Jax, Tyler Thigpen, Kelly Holcomb,

I honestly don't know if the QB we draft will be Blain Gabbert or Russel Wilson.
But to be completely honest. I don't care.
I just can't watch annother year where you know haw bad it will be before preseason ends.

I can very much understand this anger and frustration.

But some QBs are going to need a year or two on the bench. That's just the way it is, some guys aren't ready, and many would benefit from that year. Unless you are absolutely 100% sure that whatever QB you pick will be ready - and I don't know how anyone can ever be sure - then you have three choices in case he's not ready.

The first choice is keeping Ryan Fitzpatrick and letting him start. I'm sorry, this is what I would have a hard time stomaching. Or starting someone even worse, ala Tarvaris or some such.

Except for that, you need to grab an FA. IMHO, Alex Smith gives you a legitimate chance to win, short and long-term. The problem is he'll never be elite, but he is probably the 10th or 12th best QB in the league - this is my opinion, obviously, not some fact I've brought down from the mountain - and could win a Super Bowl if surrounded by a good team. Disagree? Don't want Smith or think he's too expensive? IMHO, the only alternative left is a Band-Aid, which would allow us to at least put a watchable product on the field for a couple of years or so while the kid develops. I believe that Mike Vick would fill that void.

Do I want Vick? No, I want Alex Smith and a draft QB in the first round or two. But is Vick the next best option? IMHO, yeah, probably.

And I get upset about this stuff, too, and probably come off rude sometimes. I apologize.

[Thurman#1]

Dude...please stop naming Rob Johnson in your lists. Not sure if you're trying to be funny or what. Yes we know he has a ring but did nothing for it but be lucky enough to be the right teams back up at the right time...

Um, look again, dude.

Brad Johnson is not Rob Johnson.

[StHustle]

Um, look again, dude.

Brad Johnson is not Rob Johnson.

LOL...that's what happens when your up too late on the boards....

[rhinocoach]

I can very much understand this anger and frustration.

But some QBs are going to need a year or two on the bench. That's just the way it is, some guys aren't ready, and many would benefit from that year. Unless you are absolutely 100% sure that whatever QB you pick will be ready - and I don't know how anyone can ever be sure - then you have three choices in case he's not ready.

The first choice is keeping Ryan Fitzpatrick and letting him start. I'm sorry, this is what I would have a hard time stomaching. Or starting someone even worse, ala Tarvaris or some such.

Except for that, you need to grab an FA. IMHO, Alex Smith gives you a legitimate chance to win, short and long-term. The problem is he'll never be elite, but he is probably the 10th or 12th best QB in the league - this is my opinion, obviously, not some fact I've brought down from the mountain - and could win a Super Bowl if surrounded by a good team. Disagree? Don't want Smith or think he's too expensive? IMHO, the only alternative left is a Band-Aid, which would allow us to at least put a watchable product on the field for a couple of years or so while the kid develops. I believe that Mike Vick would fill that void.

Do I want Vick? No, I want Alex Smith and a draft QB in the first round or two. But is Vick the next best option? IMHO, yeah, probably.

And I get upset about this stuff, too, and probably come off rude sometimes. I apologize.

No worries.
We have earned our thin skin when it comes to Bills QB's.
While Fitz would be my last pick, I just don't see any improvement w/ either Vick or Smith comming in.
IMO Matt Moore did more with a bad Dolphins team than Alex Smith did to win games for the 9rs.
That would be my only FA choice at this point.

[adrenaline]

Vick. and it's not even close.

I agree,
IMO Smith is going to flop bigtime when he leaves SF. He reminds me of Trent. Lets remember concussions are serious and they say once a QB starts getting them they will come more frequent. A few hits and the old Smith will return. Id rather be stuck with a cheaper Vick for two seasons then get stuck with a Smith in a bigger contract for at least 3 + seasons. Smith is not a QB that can be a leader or a guy that can get a win on his own but Vick can do this and has many times. Get Vick and still draft a QB @8.

[dollabeal41]

I'd stick with Fitz. Smith isn't an upgrade to Fitz without Harbaugh and Vick is a one year wonder since his release.

wow dude really? did you watch fitz run the offence at all? you would stick with fitz? i just dont get how anyone who cares for this team with any knowledge of football can honestly say Ryan Fitzpatrick should be our qb next year, unless your hoping we go 4-12 and pick top 10. do you know if we had a qb last year we would of easily been 10-6? mike vick has more potential to be good next year in his left pinkie than ryan fitz has in his whole body.

[dollabeal41]

I personally feel either qb would bring some hope for next season, both qbs could be flops, or both could be studs, you really never know for sure, i like to go with proven, mike vick has been good before, smith was average. for the bills to make playoffs, we need more than average. we need someone to make plays for us. Vick even though he hasnt shown it of late, has the potential to do this, he would be our best shot at catching lighting in a pan and making the playoffs next season.

[Thurman#1]

LOL...that's what happens when your up too late on the boards....

:-) Fair enough!

[Thurman#1]

No worries.
We have earned our thin skin when it comes to Bills QB's.
While Fitz would be my last pick, I just don't see any improvement w/ either Vick or Smith comming in.
IMO Matt Moore did more with a bad Dolphins team than Alex Smith did to win games for the 9rs.
That would be my only FA choice at this point.

Well, we'll have to agree to disagree. Nothing wrong with that, though. I like Alex Smith a lot and think he's the only FA who stands a real chance of bringing a (good) team to the Super Bowl.

[dollabeal41]

Alex smith and its not even something I had to think about Vick is GARBAGE. Smith almost got his team to the SB last year and was in the top 5 in QB till he went down this year... Vick he IS garbage and a human turnover machine. even if he were on the street at Vet minimum id NOT want him.

smith has age on vick, hes younger, thats it, have you even looked at carrer stats? has played a few more years, but has him on yards, stats, tds etc..... do you not remember the year before hardbaugh was hired in san fransico that he was a joke and about to be cut by niners? if he was so good, why was he benched for a unproven rookie? alex smith has no potential to be a superstar, hes going to be average if were lucky. Vick has the potential to be a star. yes last few years dont support this but by what he did year one in philly and what he did in atlanta would show that he can be a star and the bills need a star, not a average qb. neither qb will take us to super bowl, both would be fill ins. but vick is way better than smith. smith has done nothing.

[Thurman#1]

I personally feel either qb would bring some hope for next season, both qbs could be flops, or both could be studs, you really never know for sure, i like to go with proven, mike vick has been good before, smith was average. for the bills to make playoffs, we need more than average. we need someone to make plays for us. Vick even though he hasnt shown it of late, has the potential to do this, he would be our best shot at catching lighting in a pan and making the playoffs next season.

Smith was average?

Where I come from, a QB rating of 104.1, a completion percentage of 70.2%, a YPA of 8.0 and 13 TDs and 5 INTs, including a 2.3 INT percentage aren't average. They're very very good. And that was Alex Smith this year.

[dollabeal41]

Smith was average?

Where I come from, a QB rating of 104.1, a completion percentage of 70.2%, a YPA of 8.0 and 13 TDs and 5 INTs, including a 2.3 INT percentage aren't average. They're very very good. And that was Alex Smith this year.

Yes, Smith was average. this guy was almost cut and considered a complete bust before jim harbaugh was hired. San Francisco has a very good D, and a system that even a average qb could do decent in. a unproved rookie took smiths job, trust me, jim harbaugh is no dummy, if smith could play qb at the elite level, he wouldnt of put his job on the line and benched him for a unproven rookie. and we wouldn't be having this discussion because the 49ers would be all over him. smith doesnt suck, but hes very average. buffalo doesn't have the privilege of having a dominate d that can hide a average qb. we need a play maker.

[Luka_GoBills]

Um, look again, dude.

Brad Johnson is not Rob Johnson.

But Rob Johnson was a backup on the Buccaneers when they won the bowl, so technically, he did win a Super Bowl.

[Mike1989]

Smith was average?

Where I come from, a QB rating of 104.1, a completion percentage of 70.2%, a YPA of 8.0 and 13 TDs and 5 INTs, including a 2.3 INT percentage aren't average. They're very very good. And that was Alex Smith this year.

Good stats, yes. But stats gained in a system where the passing game was toned back. It was limited in order to work with Smith's skill set. But when Kapaernick took over their offense opened up and became more explosive, and I doubt that they would have got that far with Smith because his game was holding them back.

Now if he came here and was placed in a similar system - ie run first, toned back passing game - then he might be a short term option while a rookie QB is groomed, but he's not a long term fix.

I guess Vick is the same thing, but to an extent if he's well protected he can lead a more expansive and explosive offense (eg like the seasons that earned him his big deal) than Smith could ever do, but it's still a short term fix.

[Thurman#1]

Yes, Smith was average. this guy was almost cut and considered a complete bust before jim harbaugh was hired. San Francisco has a very good D, and a system that even a average qb could do decent in. a unproved rookie took smiths job, trust me, jim harbaugh is no dummy, if smith could play qb at the elite level, he wouldnt of put his job on the line and benched him for a unproven rookie. and we wouldn't be having this discussion because the 49ers would be all over him. smith doesnt suck, but hes very average. buffalo doesn't have the privilege of having a dominate d that can hide a average qb. we need a play maker.

Simply not true. Average QBs just do NOT put together seasons like this: a QB rating of 104.1, a completion percentage of 70.2%, a YPA of 8.0 and 13 TDs and 5 INTs, including a 2.3 INT percentage. They just don't. If they do, they're no longer average, they have vastly improved.

Yeah, he wasn't good before Harbaugh was hired, but it's now pretty obvious that that is because he wasn't used well. Also might not have helped that they changed offensive systems every single year of his career until the start of this year.

And Kaepernick ISN'T an unproven rookie. He'd already proven himself to be **** good. Sure the defense helped Alex Smith, just as they did Kaepernick, but the facts are that Smith also helped the defense, by playing extremely efficiently, and rarely turning the ball over, and by scoring an above average amount of points.

[Denverbill]

I choose:

[Thurman#1]

Good stats, yes. But stats gained in a system where the passing game was toned back. It was limited in order to work with Smith's skill set. But when Kapaernick took over their offense opened up and became more explosive, and I doubt that they would have got that far with Smith because his game was holding them back.

Now if he came here and was placed in a similar system - ie run first, toned back passing game - then he might be a short term option while a rookie QB is groomed, but he's not a long term fix.

I guess Vick is the same thing, but to an extent if he's well protected he can lead a more expansive and explosive offense (eg like the seasons that earned him his big deal) than Smith could ever do, but it's still a short term fix.

I'm not arguing that Smith is better than Kaepernick. He doesn't seem to be. But Kaepernick right now is probably top seven or eight in the league. While Smith is still around top ten or twelve.

As for the offense opening up, if they did it was mostly because of Kaep's running.

Passing yards:

Smith week one: 211
two: 226
three: 204
four: 143
five: 303
six: 200
seven: 140
eight: 232
nine: 72 (in three drives before being injured) ... and a total of 13 TDs

Kaep:
week nine: 117 (in seven drives after Smith's injury)
ten: 243
eleven: 231
twelve: 208
thirteen: 185
fourteen: 221
fifteen: 244
sixteen: 276 ... and a total of 10 TDs


Where's the big opening up? The thing that Kaepernick has done a ton better than Alex Smith, really, is to run. 208 YPG passing (over 8.3 games for Smith) isn't all that much less than 224 YPG passing (over 7.7 games for Kaepernick).

That offense wasn't limited just for Smith's skill set. Or why did they run pretty much the same one with Kaepernick? That's Harbaugh's offense, he's a pretty conservative guy. There's nothing wrong with a conservative offense, especially when you can do so and still score more than average and turn the ball over much less than average ... and there's no saying Smith couldn't get better at a more aggressive game. He's been improving by leaps and bounds the past two years, and might well continue to do so.

[dollabeal41]

Simply not true. Average QBs just do NOT put together seasons like this: a QB rating of 104.1, a completion percentage of 70.2%, a YPA of 8.0 and 13 TDs and 5 INTs, including a 2.3 INT percentage. They just don't. If they do, they're no longer average, they have vastly improved.

Yeah, he wasn't good before Harbaugh was hired, but it's now pretty obvious that that is because he wasn't used well. Also might not have helped that they changed offensive systems every single year of his career until the start of this year.

And Kaepernick ISN'T an unproven rookie. He'd already proven himself to be **** good. Sure the defense helped Alex Smith, just as they did Kaepernick, but the facts are that Smith also helped the defense, by playing extremely efficiently, and rarely turning the ball over, and by scoring an above average amount of points.

wow really? kapernick was a proven star after he did good for 1-2 games? no he wasnt, and still isnt, 10 games doesnt mean your a star bud. if smith is so good tell me, why is san fran getting rid of him? becasue they got a guy who did well for 10 games? right.

[xarx]

vick, not for talent or fit, but at least we'd be talked about and it's be a circus. better than being completely irrelevant

for a minute. same thing happened with TO

[jcmccall]

Smith - as NBS stated vicks best days r behind him & he is injury prone. smith seems to get better & better every year.

Have you looked at how many games Smith has missed due to injury? (and he was benched not once, but twice...granted the first time may not count because Mike Martz did the benching.)