thewildrabbit

What this front office / owner / GM fail to realize is the O line isn't like any other unit of the team. The line has to play like one cohesive unit, and understand and know exactly what every other player is doing or it doesn't work. Continuity, which is something you can never achieve in a season if different players on the line are always injured and being substituted in and out. Look at the Bills line the last 4 years, the only player who played every down, every season in his 4 year career was allowed to leave in free agency, and then they don't even try and replace him in the draft The fools in charge of this franchise have been trying to get by with sub par O lines the last 12 years, and look where it has gotten them. They spend more time drafting top DB's and replacing them every few years, and are less concerned with building the O lines. What it has gotten them is QB's who come in trusting the line to protect them. In the beginning they do well, they start to put up decent numbers and then end up shell shocked, and out after a few years In 2002 GM / President Tom Donahoe traded for Drew Bledsoe, and if given time in the pocket he could dismantle any defense. He would literally slaughter the bad teams which had little or no rush and then he would crumble / fold against the good teams with a good pass rush. In 2002 he had one of his best seasons ever passing for 375 comp, 610 attempts for 4359 yards. Still the Bills went 8-8 because the defense was 27th in pts against, 15th in yards against. Now, knowing that Bledsoe is a monster if given enough protection, what do the Bills do? They tell him to speed up the clock in his head,and to get rid of the ball quicker. At age 30 they want this leopard to change colors! Which only results in making things worse. So they draft a young QB out of Tulane who has a rep for playing well while rolling out. Guess what, instead of fixing the problem they try and band-aid the situation as usual. So a few years and out for JP, (2004-2008) blaming all the problems on him. Meanwhile, in 2007 the Bills draft a kid out of Stanford in the 3rd round with a glowing endorsement from WCO legend Bill Walsh. So what do the Bills do, but throw him into the fire his first year. He played 10 games in 07, and went on to look like the franchise savior in 2008 going 5-1. In week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals (who would go to the SB this year) In the 3rd offensive play the line didn't protect the QB as a safety came unblocked The result was a severe concussion on a young QB. Trent Edwards simply regressed after that, never trusting his line again. Another QB 4 years and out. But it was all his fault, because he sucked is what most Bills fans will tell you. The more things change, the more they stay the same. One of these years they will hire GM / HC who gets that you need a top O line to win in this league. Until that time I wouldn't expect any QB to succeed

Forget that, I'm loving all this crud from the big apple about Mr Butt Fumble & Tim Tebow. Have you met any of their fans, attended a Jets game? Besides GRR Martin and Adam Sandler the majority of their fans are total jerks. Not to mention BIG Mouth Rex with a tattoo on his arm of his wife wearing a Mark Sanchez jersey Huge difference between attending a Jets game vs a Giants game. Jets fans suck worse then Dolphin / Patriots fans

That wouldn't surprise me as the Bills seem to ignore the strengths of the draft and go after needs.This was the year for the O line, and they go QB in a very weak year for QB's. Buddy Nix stated pre draft he is convinced that there was 2-3 "franchise" QB in the draft this year, with one #1 pick, one #2 pick, one #3 pick, 4 in the fourth, 3 in the seventh. So by all accounts EJ, Geno Smith, Mike Glennon are the three franchise QB's? There couldn't have been one other team GM, president in the NFL who had the same thought as Buddy Nix, or was that a smoke screen to cover the fact that he actually thinks there was only one guy who could be a franchise QB this year. If so, then Buddy Nix got his man! I still feel like the vicious cycle may begin anyway because the Bills line is so haphazard, and the Bills will just create another JP / Edwards because they think they can win games with a sub par line, they can't, they won't. I don't see any QB having success in Buffalo like Jim Kelly had because the Bills simply refuse to build that line like Kelly had.

Patterson is just about as raw as EJ in terms of running precise routes, actually catching the ball and has difficulty reading defenses. Not to mention he is not a great blocker. That said, I think he was the 2nd best WR in the draft and should develop into a top WR. Right now I like Robert Woods more because he is such a polished route runner, and catches the ball with his hands. This WR was the go to guy for Matt Barkley at USC, and he should have immediate impact for the Bills offense. Da'Rick Rogers would have been the first WR drafted and a top 10 pick if he didn't get suspended indefinitely at Tenn for failing multiple drug tests, and then he transfered to Tenn Tech. "Rogers is a virtual Julio Jones clone, exhibiting an exciting combination of size, strength and explosiveness." http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1737204/darick-rogers If this kid can clean up his act for the pros, he could be better then any player obtained this year by Buffalo. A very BIG "IF" he can stay clean. As for EJ, I like the player, just not where he was picked. The Bills had a shot at OG Chance Warmack, RT DJ Fluker at #8, OG Justin Pugh at #16. I still think that current Bills O line has so many maybe players, rather then starters they know will finish the season. But like others have pointed out, perhaps the Eagles wanted EJ in the 2nd after all, who knows. I know I'd feel more comfortable about any Bills QB playing well this season with some players that could actually play 16 games on that O line.

You would be very surprised at the amount of college kids that get into trouble of some sort every year, some obviously more then others. Warren Sap dropped in the draft because of rumors of drug use, and for that matter so did Dan Marino. He lasted until the end of the draft 27 out of 28 picks because he supposedly smoked a joint once. Its what happens once they are in the pro's, they are warned enough.

The thing that stood out with me with Trent Edwards is that he didn't throw a lot of INT's, usually didn't try and force the ball into tight windows. (which is why we all loved Fitz at first) My take is he didn't trust in his receivers for the down field throws, and now looking at how the Bills (Marrone) jettisoned all the starters except Stevie Johnson, which is telling me they weren't as good as everyone else thought they were. (Gailey) Its my take that both Losman and Edwards failed because of that craptastic O line they were forced to play behind. Particularly with that 5-7 step drop offense under Jauron. Then in 2010 FA RT Cornell Green really helped Edwards look horrible in those first two games. The Bills started 0-8 that year, they benched Green after week 5, and then cut him week 8, Fitz was running for his life all those games. The Bills, even when they find a decent player like Levitre who had never missed a game to injury like so many of his teammates, they let him walk. If that wasn't bad enough, then they don't replace him in the draft. It took 3-4 years to replace all pro LT Jason Peters with a guy better suited to play RT or OG. Now this year they start the season with a lineup of maybes, maybe they last the season, maybe they don't. Who knows if any of them will finish the season. Anyway, Marrone and Hackett will have their work cut out for them making a decent offense with 2 decent linemen out of 5. JMO

I have a ton of faith in new HC Doug Marrone and OC Nathaniel Hackett. Moreso then I could ever have in HC Dick Jauron / OC's Turk Schonert, AVP. So yea, coaching should not be a problem with the new offense. My concerns are that Buddy Nix states the O line is fine. Most anyone who watched the Buffalo Bills play the last 3 years must know that simply isn't true. Not with losing three year starter at LG Andy Levitre 64 out of 64 games to Tenn in free agency.. Not with Eric Woods never finishing a season every year he has been in the league, missing 20 games along the way. Not with Eric Pears at RT who finished only one season out of his last four (2011). Not with backup RT Chris Hairston who played 13 games in 2011, 12 games in 2012. Not with Kraig Urbik who in his three years in the league has never played in all 16 games. Cordy Glenn only played in 14 games last year. So many injuries to so many players on that line, and they let the only guy who has been a solid starter in every game since being drafted walk away. This year was the year to grab a top O linemen in the draft, and yet the Bills ignored the line. I was hoping the Bills would at least replace Levitre in the draft as there was so much talent at OT, OG. Coaching only takes you so far in the NFL,gotta have talent, and if that O line stays the way it currently is...I don't have much faith in EJ developing properly.

One report, "NFL sources who watch Florida State closely have told WalterFootball.com that Manuel is not a natural pocket passer. They don't feel he is as accurate as his completion percentage indicates. They went on to say that Manuel is frustrating to watch because he has all the makings to be a special quarterback, but is not utilizing his full potential. The scheme that the Seminoles run also came under criticism. The view is that it is extremely basic and does not have Manuel well-prepared to run an NFL offense. Our sources believe that Manuel too often looks to run when his first-read is covered rather than quickly looking to his second and third options. As a passer, Manuel needs to work on his touch passes. He occasionally puts nice air under a ball, but too often throws everything on a line. Manuel needs to become a passer rather than a thrower." http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2013emanuel.php another scouting report, "For as smart as Manuel is, Florida State did not run a complex offense for him. Fisher designed a predicated read offense where Manuel could make decisions pre-snap with only one or two reads after the ball is snapped. Most of Florida State's route combinations were high-low reads that developed in front of Manuel's field of vision to one side. After his initial reads were covered, he either held onto the ball too long looking for something to come open, or he took off running. He didn't work through many progressions past the second receiver, he didn't call audibles, and has a lot to learn about running an NFL offense at tempo and making fast reads against disguised NFL coverages." "Manuel needs lots of time to grow into a quarterback. Right now, he's an athlete playing quarterback. He needs to go to a team with a stable front office and coaching situation where he can develop at a slower pace. He can't run a NFL offense right now without significantly watering down the offense, or tailoring the offense the way Fisher did at Florida State." another scouting report, WEAKNESSES: He has a tendency to force throws into coverage trying to make a play. His decision-making and field vision are suspect. He struggles to work through progressions and often takes off running too quickly. Manuel has some accuracy issues as well. Short throws are often low or wide and his deep ball accuracy is uneven, as well. Gets happy feet under pressure, spins to the outside to avoid the rush. Must step into his throws more consistently to fully utilize his arm strength. NFL COMPARISON: Blaine Gabbert, Jason Campbell/Terrelle Pryor, Josh Freeman. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2013/profiles/ej-manuel?id=2539228 http://www.milehighreport.com/2013/2/19/4003212/2013-nfl-draft-prospects-ej-manuel-scouting-profile-denver-broncos another report you guys will really hate, Mentally, Manuel is nowhere near ready to command an NFL offense. His lack of football IQ, and general failure to understand the deeper aspects of the game are very obvious. Manuel does not read or anticipate defenses well, waiting for receivers to get open instead of throwing them open, his passes are frequently late, he does not use his eyes well to look off defenders, and if his first target isn't open he almost always pulls it down to run. Manuel has a ton of talent and ability, but would be best suited to sit on the bench for at least a year to learn the intricacies of the game and be coached up. I view Manuel as a backup in the league, and wouldn't take him any higher than the fourth round, but he is likely to go somewhere between 25-50 on draft day. http://www.nfldraftgeek.com/ejmanuelscoutingreport.html A lot of scouts had EJ rated as a 3rd - 4th round pick before the Senior Bowl. His stock went up so high after the senior bowl because all the other QB's sucked so badly it made EJ look brilliant. "He completed 7-of-10 passes for 76 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also had four carries for 10 yards and a touchdown." http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/51681/ej-manuel-stars-in-senior-bowl So before you guy canonize EJ, let's hope Doug Marrone brings him along carefully. Like I've stated many times, I like the player, just not where he was picked. From everything I've read on the guy he is not even close to being ready to start this year. Also, first round QB's are usually pushed into starting by their teams / fans. Edwards' Arm might just have a point about comparing EJ to JP in that if they rush him into a starting job, he might just end up shell shocked like JP.

I think that if the Bills copycat the 49ers offense we should see EJ in some read option packages right away. I kinda doubt he is even close to running a pro style set full time tho. Like I posted in a different thread, it should be intriguing as to exactly what offense Marrone will run this year.

Yea, no question my mind that Buddy Nix called all the shots in the draft. Whats is intriguing to me is the offense that the Bills will run under Marrone. "Marrone has been cryptic about exactly what his offense is going to be -- he said Sunday he won't know exactly what it is until he begins practicing with his team and knows better the strengths and weaknesses of the players. "We'll have tempo -- everyone knows that,'' Marrone said. Clearly, the fast-paced and spread style appealed to Marrone after Syracuse went to that style and won with it last fall." That sounds somewhat like Chan Gailey's offense. So if they do run an spread up tempo / short passing game like Chan's they probably shouldn't need to upgrade that O line if the QB's can find their targets as quickly as Fitz could. Let's not forget why Fitz managed to survive so long, it was because of his ability to get the ball out to the open receiver in 1.5 - 3 seconds. I'm thinking to get EJ in the game the Bills will try a read option offense like the 49ers run with Kaepernick and not the offense Cam Newton runs. Whatever offense Marrone decides on I can only hope he changes up the offense in that they will be a run first team like the 49ers. Panthers... http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000081558/article/cam-newton-hampered-by-carolina-panthers-offensive-approach 49ers... http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/sports/NFL-Working-to-Find-a-Way-to-Stop-49ers-Offense-202540841.html

For giving up 1/2 your draft picks to New England to draft WR Cordarrelle Patterson, so the Patriots couldn't get him Just what the Bills didn't need was for Tom Brady to get a weapon like Patterson. Plus, the guy who caught 110-120 passes every year for the Patriots, Wes Welker is a Bronco.... good things Thank you Buddy Nix for trading back this year, getting an extra #2 and screwing the Jets over at the same time, No WR Tavon Austin for da jests. Now, if only the Bills would work on obtaining LT Brandon Albert so the Dolphins don't solidify their O line, meanwhile the Bills could upgrade their line and give whatever QB wins the starting job a real chance to survive the year. Don't forget the Dolphins let their former #1 overall draft pick 4x pro bowler LT Jake Long leave in free agency and didn't replace him in the draft. I know I'd be less concerned about that rookie QB developing properly if the Bills O line were upgraded with a player like Albert after losing OG Andy Levitre in free agency.

They never played the game so all they know is what they get from other people (scouts) to formulate their opinions. ESPN is a joke, who in their right mind would pay for info about sports when they can get it for free at every other website. Besides, I'd rather trust the people at NFL network like Mike Mayock who actually played in the NFL, and knows what he is talking about.

Now that Buffalo has some decent WR's do they still want / need QB / WR Brad Smith ? If not then let go of Brad Smith and sign Tebow to help with the Wildcat / read option. I think the Jets only took him because they thought Buffalo wanted him, and possibly to replace Brad Smith which Buffalo took away from them. The Jets were stupid to not even give the kid a chance. The Bills will run the read option with EJ this year, and I don't see any QB surviving the year behind the current line. P.S wonder how that tattoo of his wife wearing a Mark Sanchez jersey is working out for Rex Ryan http://newyork.cbslo...jersey-is-real/

Naa, hitting 4 out of 5 targets they did better then a C-. CBSSports.com gave them a B Even if EJ doesn't start, (and 1st round QB's usually do start). I like the WR Robert Woods as an instant impact starter, and so is LBer Kiko Alonso if he can stay out of trouble. Woods should help that offense right away with sure hands, good route runner and 4.36 speed.

I can see why so many posters are ecstatic about the EJ Pick. Particualry since he has the biggest upside if developed properly. Its his development that has got me worried. Also he is Bruce Smith's godson. He cried he was so proud the Bills drafted him, and his intangibles are a 180 degrees spin from all the crap that went on with Cam Newton. Now if only the Bills would give up next years #2 pick to get LT Brandon Albert away from the Chiefs, it would be a very very good off season for the Bills. Plus they would screw the Dolphins at the same time

That is a very good point, made me chuckle. Everything really hinges on EJ playing like he was worth a first round pick, and that hinges on his development and protection at the line. Speaking of the Line, I'm still concerned about it with a few guys so injury prone. The Bills hit 4 out of 5 needs so they did very well if all picks work out. I was kinda hoping they would go O line in such a top heavy draft for O linemen. Then again they managed to screw the Jets out of Tavon Austin so its all good. Now the Bills could also screw the Dolphins out of LT Brandon Albert by trading for him. To me it would be well worth it to beef up that O line big time for EJ, Kolb or whatever QB wins the starting Job. Lastly, I was hoping they could have gotten QB Tyler Bray to develop.

Good read http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/28/draft-review-buffalo-bills/ They hit on 4 of 5 needs Like the EJ -Kelly pic

Da' Rick Rogers has a reason he wasn't drafted, multiple drug suspensions is why. In two years I can only hope he puts his drug problem behind him and has learned from it. Also, I can only hope you are right about EJ putting up huge numbers. I would love to see that! But with the current O line players I just don't see him developing properly. I hope I'm wrong, and Nix / Marrone are right. Although, I do remember stating similar concerns about Nix / Gailey, and Edwards / Fitz.

Hey, i could be all wrong about the current O line talent on the roster, no question about it. The offense might actually become better under an ex NFL O linemen in Doug Marrone then it was under Chan Gailey. I don't claim to be a scout of any sort and am certainly not a GM. I just go by what my eyes tell me, and my eyes tell me that Gailey managed to field a team with an acceptable O line mainly because of his QB and the schemes he ran. That QB is now gone, and so is the starting left OG that played well since his rookie year in 2009, and was never injured, is now also gone. Starting RT Erik Pears, back up RT Chris Hairston and C Eric Wood all appear to be somewhat injury prone. Hairston has never played a full season and neither has the best player on that line in C Eric Wood. Which to me, the latter is very disconcerting because in his four years he has never finished a season.The reason I find it so disconcerting is because that line plays so much worse after Wood goes down ever year. Like I've stated in other posts my idea of building a proper offense starts with the line, and I firmly believe you can't win games in this league with a sub par O line. Not with cast offs from the waiver wire, and injury prone players. Band-aids don't work, and they never will! I look at the 49ers and how they built that line with Three, 1st rounders, and 2 second rounders in 2009. Lost a starting center in 2010 and picked up a 10 year vet, a pro bowler to replace him. Lost a starting right OG and replaced him with a LT. Lost that LT / OG and replaced him with a 3 year player OG that was second team all-NFL last season. I like the Buffalo Bills and want them to win games, win the division, win the SB. If this franchise had put as much effort and player talent into the O line as they have the defensive backfield the last 13 years. 30+ DB's drafted,and even more players in and out like a revolving door for that line. I feel they would have given the QB's better protection and would have had an chance at least field a team with a winning record.

Well said, just what I was thinking. I like the player, just not where he was picked. Like ganesh put it, I too am mystified why no OG or OT when the first round was literally filled with some top talent. The Bills were in perfect position to get one of latter two OT's with the trade back and an near certain pro bowl OG if they had stayed at 8. They could have also traded back again and gotten more picks in the second round and probably would have still gotten EJ in the 2nd as no other team but the Jets even wanted a QB before the 4th round. Ok, they got their man. I can only hope they got it right this time. Buddy Nix has already proven himself to be a moron for so many mistakes in so many areas in his first three years. Coaching hires, schemes, player band-aids all over the place. CEO Russ Brandon is a money man and not a football man as the head honcho of the team football operations. So yea, i think Marrone is hamstrung by the men above him! Proof? A link into your brilliant foresight? Leave it to you to make stuff up and put in words I never stated. In all my recent posts show me where I stated I loathed the pick? I actually stated I LIKED THE PLAYER, just not where he was picked. Again, do you have proof with a link to this so called "truth", or is this just more BS speculation.

How the man still has a Job I'll never know. Was it Russ Brandon's idea to hire Buddy Nix, If so it answers a lot of questions. All I can say is Tom Donahoe was canned for having a better record (31-48) then Buddy Nix (16-32). Is this new coaching staff supposed to get another 3 years of rebuilding allowance under Nix? Donahoe traded for the franchise QB in Drew Bledsoe (2002), and also drafted one in JP Losman (2004). His failure was he never built that O line properly, and Nix is following in his footsteps in that regard. The Bills went 9-7 in 2004 for the only winning record from 2000 to 2012. I just don't see the Bills ever hitting 9-7 with Buddy Nix as GM.

Buddy Nix says the O line is fine. He will find more band-aids on the waiver wire, no doubt. This line will really be exposed when Kolb, TJ or the rooke start playing for real. I feel bad for Marrone in trusting Nix. BTW, If EJ fails to impress, who do you think will get the blame? It was a great draft for the O line. From the top 3 OT's Fisher, Joeckel, Johnson to the top 2 OG's Warmack, Cooper. 3 of the first 4 picks were LT's, and 5 of the top 10 were O line. Then OT Justin Pugh to the Giants to OT DJ Fluker to the Chargers. The Bills were looking the other way this year, and had their eyes focused on a weak QB class. Then they panicked and took a QB in the first at 16 because they thought every other team wanted him. When in fact Buffalo was the only team. Kinda sad really, but that has been the identity of this franchise for 13 years.

I'm with you BB. I liked Bray. If the Bills can take a chance Da'Rick Rogers, and his sordid drug history, then they should have no problems with Bray, and his very minor incidents. BTW Matt Scott to sign with the Jags. Jeez, EJ had better work out now huh.

You are right, Nassib and Barkley might be more NFL ready to start then EJ currently is, and those guys are still there in the 4th round. EJ is a project QB and will need a lot of developmental time to learn how to be a prototypical pocket QB, at least a year or more. He won't start right away unless of course the Bills build an offense (read option) just for him. EJ might have a bigger upside then any other QB in this years draft is why the Bills took him IMO. But everything will depend on how he is developed. Looking at the history of this team and how they have handled rookie / young QB's in the past. It shows me that they will force that young QB to try and put the game on his shoulders to win it. Rather then building a dominate power running game, and let the QB manage the game while learning his craft, AKA Ravens & Joe Flacco. I like the player, just not where he was picked

Matt Barkley, Ryan Nassib, Tyler Wilson, Tyler Bray, Matt Scott, Landry Jones all still there. Heck yea, pull the trigger on one of those and perhaps get some trade bait if nothing else.