Archives for September 2014

‘But from the inside — and around the league — it’s believed that the switch had been anticipated well before the season even began.’

‘”Kyle Orton is our starting QB right now. We need more overall production from that position,” head coach Doug Marrone said, via the team’s Twitter account. “We came in today, looked at the tape, and made a decision that gives us the best opportunity to win”.

‘Orton is a highly experienced player that is similar to Alex Smith. You’re not going to win because of him, but you’re not going to lose because of him either. Against Houston, Manuel had three rookise to work with. Sammy Watkins of course but also Cyrus Kouandjio at guard and Seantrel Henderson at tackle. To start one rookie is a risk, to start three says we are building for the future. Orton will do a good job in Detroit come this Sunday but I still think Manuel is the future.’

‘Manuel got off to an encouraging start in helping the Bills open with two wins this year. The familiar troubles, however, popped up in Buffalo’s past two losses.’

‘The 2013 first-round draft pick has thrown five touchdown passes and three picks in the first four games. He started 10 games as a rookie last season, passing for 1,972 yards and 11 touchdowns with nine interceptions.’

‘Manuel made a couple nice throws – the bomb to Williams was perfect, and his touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins was a laser at the goal-line where he read the coverage and delivered. However, both of those were first-read throws. Manuel’s biggest problems come when that first read isn’t there.’

‘”It’s not all EJ’s fault, but we need to get better production, obviously, out of that position. We have to make adjustments. We’ve got to make some changes, because we can’t keep going in the direction that we’re going,” Marrone remarked. “The one thing I’ve said before, and you guys have heard me, is you need to get better every week. And if we’re not, the onus goes on me as the leader to make changes that can help our team win.”‘

‘General manager Doug Whaley isn’t there with him, neither is Team President and CEO Russ Brandon and the same goes with the entire front office as well. Marrone stands alone after delivering a borderline defiant statement during his press conference to announce that Manuel had been benched for Kyle Orton.’

‘”Now, he has a tough road ahead of him. It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be reported, things are going to come at him and he has to fight through this thing,” Marrone said. “If he fights through it, he’ll be fine. If he doesn’t then he’s not. That’s not any different than a lot of players that this happens to, it just becomes more magnified when it’s the quarterback position.”‘

‘Marrone said he made the decision just after lunch on Monday after watching Sunday’s game tape twice, and informed General Manager Doug Whaley and his coaching staff after talking to Manuel. He said that the second-year quarterback handled the news like a professional. The head coach was quick to indicate that all of the offensive struggles should not be laid at EJ Manuel’s feet.’

‘”I think it’s a great opportunity for him to sit back now. Really look and go back,” He said. “We’ve got a lot on film. See the things that he has to work on and go ahead and work on it. So from that standpoint I think it’s more of the player and how he goes about his business. Or how he goes about correcting those issues and we’ll work with him.”‘

‘The Bills defense accounted for three turnovers on Sunday and is now tied for third in the NFL with a 5 turnover margin.’

‘Whether it was receivers dropping passes, a quarterback missing throws, a line being overwhelmed by the game’s best defensive player, a coaching staff not being patient enough with a running game that was showing plenty of promise (how about only one rushing attempt on third down when the distance was often manageable?), miscommunication between the sidelines and the field leading to burned timeouts, questionable play calls in the passing game designed to gain yards in chips rather than chunks, false start and hands-to-the-face penalties … the Bills’ offense did it.’

‘So Watt approached his quarterback before the game and asked him, “Why don’t you give the speech to the team today?” Fitz was happy to oblige. He gave a roaring pep talk to the Texans in the huddle before kickoff, an emotional scene that was shown to the crowd in NRG Stadium.’

‘Bradham was having the biggest game of his life. He also recorded his first career sack, made three tackles and had a pair of quarterback hits with two quarters to play.’