With graduation fast approaching - this issue of The Spectrum being its commencement issue - some seniors might be lamenting the end of their college lives and the uncertainty of what waits beyond it.
One of the hardest aspects of leaving college, for some, might be losing a professor who has guided you every step of the way. Many students desire a mentor who could continue with us in our future endeavors.
In other words, we wish for our own Mr. Feeney.
On the popular '90s television show Boy Meets World, George Feeney comically follows the series' protagonist, Corey Matthews, through his educational career. Feeney goes from being his sixth grade teacher to his high school principal and eventually his college professor. Mr. Feeney guides Corey throughout the show, easing his transitions into the next stages of his life.
With the NFL Draft upon us, former Syracuse and new Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone has a chance to be a Mr. Feeney of sorts, as former Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib has a chance to become the Bills' very own Corey Matthews.
Nassib was a three-year starter for Marrone's Orange. The Syracuse football program made great strides under the pair. After going just 10-37 with no bowl game appearances between 2005-08, Syracuse went 25-25 with two bowl game victories in the past four years under Marrone. The Bills are hoping Marrone can make a similar turnaround for the team with the NFL's longest playoff drought.
Marrone has already brought in several of his staff members from Syracuse, including 33-year-old offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Hackett can be Mr. Turner in this scenario, Corey Matthews' cool, young English teacher who rides a motorcycle (Does it bother anyone else that we never hear anything about him after he crashes his motorcycle?).
With Marrone in place as head coach and Hackett as offensive coordinator, Nassib could fit comfortably into his new role in the NFL with familiar faces to ease his transition.
Just as Corey Matthews only had to walk into his backyard to console with next-door neighbor Feeney, Nassib would only have to walk down the sideline to get advice from his college coach. What quarterback would be better for Marrone to develop than the player he knows better than most - one he's already had success with in turning around a failing program?
The Bills can either wait until the second round to draft Nassib, trade down to the bottom of the first round or make the gutsy move to take him with the eighth overall pick.
Most people would disagree with taking Nassib that high, as most of the so-called draft "experts" haven't pegged any of the quarterbacks in this class as worthy of a high pick, with the potential exception of Geno Smith. Just a year ago, however, an AFC East rival went against traditional wisdom, much like the Bills would be in drafting Nassib at No. 8.
The Miami Dolphins were in a very similar situation last year - holding the eighth overall pick with desperate need for a young quarterback to team up with their first-year head coach, Joe Philbin. The Dolphins ended up selecting Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
At the time, not many "experts" had evaluated Tannehill as the eighth-best player in the draft. But the Dolphins knew they needed a signal caller and took their man regardless, avoiding the risk of another team selecting him.
It ended up working out for the Dolphins as Tannehill quietly had a strong rookie season, though it was overshadowed by the phenomenal rookie campaigns of other quarterbacks like Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin and Russell Wilson.
I know all the so-called experts say it is a weak class of quarterbacks this year and that there are no clear-cut first-round talents at the position. But what has to be understood is that the draft is not an exact science. If it were, Ryan Leaf would be hoisting Lombardi trophies, not spending his days in a state correctional facility.
The fact is that these draft experts are just as clueless as the rest of us. It's all speculation. None of us know how good a player is going to be in the NFL until he steps out until the field on Sundays. That's why some picks turn out to be busts and others turn out to be steals.
Marrone knows Nassib and would be able to take advantage of his strengths in the NFL.
The Bills did recently invest money in former Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb. His contract, however, has only $1 million guaranteed, with the rest of money laid in incentives if Kolb starts and does well.
Even though Kolb has said he is in Buffalo to win a Super Bowl, he should really only be regarded as a stopgap before the Bills hand the reins over to a youngster, such as Nassib.
In Kolb, the Bills are only getting a cheaper version of former starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Bills fans shouldn't have to go through a season of watching another version of Fitzpatrick under center. The Bills need to put a new face on the franchise and the new regime of Marrone.
This is the new blueprint for NFL teams: draft a young quarterback early in the draft, throw him into the fire immediately and see what he can do. It works for some teams; for others it doesn't. But when it does work, it reaps major benefits - just look at Indy, Washington and Seattle. The Bills need to jump on the bandwagon and take a chance.
It seemed to work out pretty well for Corey Matthews (the character will be making his return to television in a new spin-off series called Girl Meets World), and it could work out for Nassib, too.
It's the NFL; teams cannot afford to simply wait another year - especially not a team that hasn't made the playoffs in 13 seasons.
Email: tfdinki@buffalo.edu
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
Photo: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
