I'm sure Bates had a hand in his selection to some degree if not a big part. There is no reason he can't play day one. He wasn't my first pick at QB, that was Rosen, but they are the best two QB's in the draft. Lots and lots of people had him as the best, so I hope Sam turns my inclination toward Rosen into my lack of knowledge. Sam likes to wing it when the plays break down, and with our line as weak as it is he will get plenty of opportunities to improvise. I hope this becomes his strong suit like BigBen or Aaron Rogers do. I hope Bates turns our running game into something that can average 130 plus yards a game. If Sam can have a 3,500 yard 20 plus TD's and keep the INTC's at 10 or less, is that asking too much? Lol If Todd doesn't turn our defense around, it has gotten worse each year under his leadership, Sam orJosh/Teddy will not have a good season. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Sam starts this year. Him and Rosen were the two that were projected to be the two that could start day one, unlike Mayfield and Allen. Him starting will put asses in the seats at a much higher level, while also showing the direction of the rebuild. If Nacho can start day one, damn right Sam can! Lol