AJ McCarron Wins Grievance Against Bengals and Will Become Free Agent (Signs with Buffalo)

B1GTide said:

If he plays well enough and Allen gets the nod in spite of his play, he will at least guarantee himself a much longer NFL career. I know that he wants to start, but there is nothing wrong with getting paid millions of dollars each year to carry a clipboard.

I am pulling for AJ. I just feel that the deck is stacked against him with respect his chances of holding onto the starting job in Buffalo. But that doesn't mean that he won't continue to get paid very well.

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Intl.Aperture said:

In response to the bolded part, I know we've gone over this ad nauseam on this board, and I fundamentally agree with you. But, when discussing Mcarron specifically, it has to be mentioned that he does find something intrinsically wrong with it. He honestly might be THE most competitive player that Alabama has ever had. He certainly has to be in the top 5. The guy wants to compete. He wants to play and he wants to win. Holding a clipboard, to him, is a slap in the face. To nearly all of us we would be eternally thankful to hold that clipboard and nab a paycheck each week. Get to travel the U.S. and toss a football around AND be a millionaire - all without debilitating injures to greet us at the end of our career? Yes please.

But McCarron is a different breed. I don't know if he has all the physical tools to excel in the pros but he's so stinkin scrappy and competitive that it somewhat levels the playing field. If Case Keenum can get a starting deal like he did I certainly think it's within the realm of possibility for McCarron in the right scheme with the right supporting cast.

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92tide said:

good thing saban only slapped him on the arse while he was here then

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Intl.Aperture said:

In response to the bolded part, I know we've gone over this ad nauseam on this board, and I fundamentally agree with you. But, when discussing Mcarron specifically, it has to be mentioned that he does find something intrinsically wrong with it. He honestly might be THE most competitive player that Alabama has ever had. He certainly has to be in the top 5. The guy wants to compete. He wants to play and he wants to win. Holding a clipboard, to him, is a slap in the face. To nearly all of us we would be eternally thankful to hold that clipboard and nab a paycheck each week. Get to travel the U.S. and toss a football around AND be a millionaire - all without debilitating injures to greet us at the end of our career? Yes please.

But McCarron is a different breed. I don't know if he has all the physical tools to excel in the pros but he's so stinkin scrappy and competitive that it somewhat levels the playing field. If Case Keenum can get a starting deal like he did I certainly think it's within the realm of possibility for McCarron in the right scheme with the right supporting cast.

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81usaf92 said:

Well AJ should base his career around Keenum, Flynn, and Fitzpatrick type path. It’s probably his best chance of having a great career

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Bamabuzzard said:

Given the scenario in Buffalo, where they moved up quite a bit to get a QB in the first round. I think for AJ to keep the kid on the bench, playing "good enough to win" isn't going to be enough. AJ is going to have to make it obvious that he is the big reason as to why they are winning. Granted, AJ got what he wanted and that's an opportunity to start. But unfortunately the situation he ended up in, he doesn't have much room for error or perceived mediocrity before they pull the plug on him and give the youngster the keys.

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B1GTide said:

I think that the Bills have to make the playoffs for AJ to keep Allen on the bench. A playoff run puts the decision off for a year or two. But anything short of being in a legit playoff race (that the Bills will not want to disrupt with a QB change) will result in a QB change.

AJ needs to do more than play well - he has to hope that the Bills win. Otherwise the pressure to prove that their draft pick wasn't wasted will mount. Because, win or lose, Bills fans will be patient with Allen at QB. They will give him time to develop. But they will not be patient with AJ at QB with Allen on the bench.

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Bamabuzzard said:

I think BOTH need to happen. The Bills could realistically still win and make the playoffs but AJ's play is good enough to get the win but not good enough to separate from the rest of the team's performance. Putting him in a situation where management could look at the situation and say "Look what we did with AJ at quarterback. Just think what we could do if we had someone better." He could basically get the "Trent Dilfer" tag put on him. I think AJ's performance is going to have to be well above average qb play.

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Bamabuzzard said:

And the perception be that he was a big reason why they won.

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Bamabuzzard said:

They'll be more patient with Allen than McCarron. They could easily rationalize that both are at different stages of their careers. One's a rookie and one's a league veteran.

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