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Kolb steadies QB position for the moment
By Bill Schutt
On April 10, 2013
The Buffalo Bills own the eighth pick in this month's NFL draft and they need to hit a home run
with it.
General Manager Buddy Nix hopefully has a plan to rebuild a franchise that is beloved by so
many. The Bills have some serious holes to fill, including the most important position on the
team - quarterback.
The Bills cut Ryan Fitzpatrick last month, vacating a position he held for the better part of the
last three seasons. Last week the Bills started the process of replacing Fitzpatrick, signing six-
year pro Kevin Kolb, who played last season with the Arizona Cardinals.
The signing of Kolb is a good one and he can bring experience and competition to the open
quarterback position next season. Tarvaris Jackson will give Kolb some mild competition for the
starting job.
Jackson has started for two teams in his career - Minnesota and Seattle - and looks to make
a return to being a starter in the NFL.
Kolb is a better quarterback than most people want to give him credit for. He's a proven
scrambler and can pass the ball efficiently on the run.
Still, his critics say that he could not get the ball to future Hall-of-Famer Larry Fitzgerald, so how
is he going get star receiver Stevie Johnson the ball?
As it stands, the top receivers on the Bills' depth chart are Johnson, T.J. Graham and Brad
Smith. Not exactly a trio that will scare the rest of the league.
The wide receiver position needs to be addressed in the draft, unless the Bills sign a receiver
in free agency. The likes of Austin Collie, Randy Moss and Laurent Robinson are still on the
market. I think Robinson would be a nice fit in Buffalo.
Though there are question marks revolving around Buffalo's receivers, Kolb will have a better
offensive line in Buffalo, giving him more protection than he had in Arizona. That's even with
former guard Andy Levitre signing with Tennessee after the Bills let him walk, which I thought
was a poor decision by Buffalo.
The Bills can address the vacant guard position with the eighth overall pick in the draft. Chance
Warmack from Alabama and North Carolina's Jonathan Cooper should both be available when
the Bills are on the clock. I would like to see the Bills go in this direction because Warmack is a
stud and will be a starter for years to come.
The Bills need to select a quarterback in this draft and there's no doubt in my mind that they
will. The only question is, when?
The Bills should stay away from taking a quarterback in the top 10 unless his name is Geno
Smith. The West Virginia product if the most gifted quarterback in this year's class.
Potential quarterbacks the Bills could take after Smith are Matt Barkley (USC), E.J. Manuel
(Florida State), Mike Glennon (NC State) and Ryan Nassib (Syracuse).
I would like to see the Bills take Glennon because he seems to have the strongest arm out of
the bunch and has the best ability to play in the Buffalo weather. To me, he looks like a player
that can be taken in the second round.
The Bills need a strong draft to move the franchise forward, but the signing of Kolb can stabilize
some things for the moment.
Kolb is not the future, but he could be the present.
Bill Schutt can be reached at Schutt.record@live.com and on Twitter @williamschuttjr.
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