Nall could shake up the QB position in Buffalo

By Connor Byrne  |   Tuesday, March 21, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Buffalo Bills
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On Sunday night, the Buffalo Bills agreed to terms on a three-year contract with former Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Craig Nall. The signing indicates that the Bills will have a three-way quarterback competition during the summer months with second-year man J.P. Losman, veteran Kelly Holcomb and Nall as well. Losman or Holcomb could end up being the odd man out because the Bills will probably not keep all three; my money's on Holcomb to be released during August.

A former fifth-round pick from Northwestern State back in 2002, Nall has appeared in six career games in which he completed 23-of-33 passes for 314 yards, and four touchdowns. Although he hasn't necessarily proven a great deal at the pro level, Nall is a good talent who has the size (6-3, 230) and the arm strength to be a franchise quarterback.

This signing is a calculated risk for GM Marv Levy and the Bills; it makes nothing but sense. If Nall ends up beating out Losman and Holcomb for the starting job, then so be it. He deserves as much chance as either of them to win the QB job outright and try to give the Bills the best chance that they have to win.

Nall's most significant experience at a high level came during the spring of 2003 when he led the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe. Nall led the league with 18 touchdown passes and compiled a rock-solid quarterback rating of 95.9 that spring; those numbers propelled him to becoming an All-NFL Europe selection. Fellow successful quarterbacks in the NFL such as Arizona Cardinals starter Kurt Warner, Minnesota Vikings starter Brad Johnson and Carolina Panthers starter Jake Delhomme were all stars in the World League prior to becoming mainstream success stories in the NFL. The common denominator of those three names? All have started in Super Bowls, with Warner and Johnson winning them. Warner has also won a pair of NFL MVP awards. Therefore, just because you come from the obscure NFL Europe league does not mean that you have no chance at the pro level. Nall has all the tools physically and mentally to get the job done in Buffalo.

Another name to throw out there in this equation is Seattle Seahawks starter Matt Hasselbeck. A former sixth-round pick in the 1999 draft, Hasselbeck sat behind Brett Favre in Green Bay for two seasons prior to being traded to the Pacific Northwest. He had his struggles during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, but became one of the game's elite in 2003 and has been ever since. Hasselbeck led the Seahawks to an NFC Championship and a near miss in Super Bowl XL this past February. How does he relate to Nall? Because both waited behind Favre for their opportunities to become starters.

At last, the chance for the 26-year-old Nall to shine has arrived and don't be surprised if he does it. If he can follow in the footsteps of Warner, Johnson, Delhomme and Hasselbeck, the Bills may have themselves their first franchise quarterback since the days of Hall of Famer Jim Kelly.

Unfortunately for the 31 other franchises in the NFL, Marv Levy may have just found himself a real diamond in the rough whose value to the Buffalo Bills will skyrocket in the coming seasons.

--Connor Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com
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