HankBulloughMellencamp

There is no better nutshell assessment of EJ. Just like Jimbo said in the booth.

Some people can't handle the truth, or choose to forge ahead in denial. But this is the stone cold truth.

That's how I see it. All of our talent is aging & being wasted without competent QB play. This is why Miami is now flirting with the idea of Matt Moore over Tannehill, and why RGIII will not simply slide back into that Washington QB job. He got Brady'd (Bradied?), and Gruden will not take Cousins off that field unless there is an injury situation. EJ is the king of the garbage time stat, compiled long after the game outcome is in question. But as JohnC points out, even his stats hide the fact that he offers no real down the field threat to a defense. Defenses can give up the underneath chinks in the armor all day with EJ; they don't truly need to have much respect for his arm. Other than making sure guys don't get behind them for a sideline rainbow, he never tests them. If he ever starts stepping into his throws, he might have a chance to complete balls in the 15+ yard range without hanging people out to dry. Until we start to see that, he will only be an athletic Trent Edwards. In my opinion, the ball Sammy quit on is such a telling indictment of EJ. #14 owned up to it admirably, but I do understand why he did it at the time.

I couldn't agree more with this post. EJ is a liability in so many ways; the times he throws with any degree of anticipation are very rare. Jimbo even said it from the booth ... when is #3 ever going to fire the ball in there? Everything is a lob pass, and most are floated without ever stepping into the throw. For gosh darn darn, that is the only way a weak, indecisive ball like the one that almost killed Goodwin gets thrown. Those who want answers on the offensive line play or the play-calling just do not get it, and are chasing a red herring. EJ would make Anthony Munoz look substandard. He takes bad sacks, does an awful job of protecting the football, and does not seem to understand that you can't just chuck it into the stands when the pocket finally gives. When the pressure is near, he goes down like he's in an old Madden video game... as soon as a pixel from a defender touches him, he is on his way to the carpet. Put it this way, once Orton finally gets a chance out there, I can guarantee that a) he will get the ball to Watkins, and b) he will play the position with some balls. That's really all this team needs.

Is there some story I never heard about AVP and the bottle? Because otherwise, I'd figure he'd have a huge dip in his mouth on the sideline, possibly while serving as our backup QB... and definitely while coaching. "The Pill" was a gamer, and he even played in that Three Rivers playoff game we won in Pittsburgh without Kelly, which I was at. And he was a neighbor of a cousin of mine as he coached, and all I ever heard about was what a good, down to earth dude he was... liked to hunt and fish, etc. If liking booze is wrong, 90-95% of this board is not wanting to be right.

Excellent points, sir. In perhaps a month’s time, we might very well see: 1. Roger steps down to shield the shield from this PR cluster you-know-what for the owners he represents. 2. Archaic NFL blackout policy lifted (if that has not already happened). 3. NFL player drug testing relaxed. 4. Josh Gordon, among others, reinstated. 5. Agreement on more equitable/expeditious distribution of concussion settlement funds to ex-players. 6. NFL agrees to amend tax-free non-profit status. 7. Redskins name change mandated. 8. Female NFL executive hired to top position of power. 9. Hell freezes over. Ok, probably only the first 4 or 5.

I won't miss the audacity of King Roger, but I will definitely miss the outstanding posts offered by you sir, whoever it is that runs this account! I giggle as I imagine Roger Dodger deadpanning nearly every post - well done!

lol, I give Goodell 48 hours max before he is ultimately forced to resign. His face was so red in that CBS interview, I thought they were talking to Coughlin on the sideline in December. So, guys, you might want to pick up Josh Gordon in your fantasy leagues!

c'mon, man ... that's a solid 80's cut from Talk Talk! j/k

Then they could launch into Machinehead by Bush ... that song will forvever be etched into my brain as the Sabres skated out in their new Black/Red goat head uniforms ... LaFontaine, Hasek, Satan, Grosek, etc

The thing that has me excited is that he has been the leader of a defense at a high level before, making calls, leading the team in tackles, etc. It's one thing to hope to develop into someone who can do that, but it's quite another to have experience and a knack for being able to do it. The classic "I think I can, I think I can" choo-choo candidate versus the guy with the solid credentials. So we've got that going for us, which is nice.

The outrage didn’t go away; I don’t think many were too impressed that the NFL decided to toughen its domestic violence stance after said outrage. But this video has now drawn quite a focused lens on the topic. Plus, there are a few other fresh cases (Greg Hardy, Ray McDonald) that are warming up on the sidelines. The first video gave us an idea of what likely went down, but maybe it was not THAT bad, or so the NFL hoped we’d think. It really is a powerful video, to take nothing away from Rice’s left hand. And quite similar to the leaked Donald Sterling tape, in that it just can’t be unseen/unheard. And it’s really not too far off from the sordid Penn State/Sandusky scandal. So ultimately, the cash cow has to protect it’s herd, and finally turns on the calf in question. I just can’t fathom the reason why NFL brass felt the need to protect and/or sweep Rice’s actions under the rug in this incident, other than the obvious PR implications.

Rice is now getting all that he deserves, except for probably jail time. Lots of people culpable in this mess, but none more than him. If King Roger can not withstand this firestorm, I will not be the least bit forlorn. The audacity of this commissionership has been appalling to say the least, with James Harrison as exhibit A. Roger's judge/jury fines and suspensions for subjective interpretations of the rule book on Monday mornings were only the beginning, we can now see. I wonder if they will announce who is going to pony up to entertain us at halftime of the Super Bowl anytime soon. You might see some of the 'finalists' say thanks but no thanks.

Exactly. King was in damage-control mode as an early guest on the Jim Rome show today... almost right off the bat & with a fill-in-host nonetheless. The clips of Schefter on deadspin really show how upset he is that, as one of the most plugged-in NFL reporters, his reputation is perhaps quite besmirched in some viewers eyes because he was led to believe that all factors were considered in the initial ruling and reported as such. You can almost see the smoke coming out of his ears as he is talking and realizing the size of the firestorm that is brewing with the release of this video on the heels of the McDonald situation & fresh in the wake of their newly "toughened" stance against domestic violence. They are basically forced to call the NFL out on their BS in the way it has all been handled.

If you should still have any preseason footage on DVR, I encourage you to review the first quarter of it. Bradham was borderline dominant this preseason, and was in on many more plays than I had ever seen from him in years past. I think the bell has finally gone off for him at this level, and I predict he will be the guy who leads us in tackles most games.

This is why I own a Fred Jackson tee as a 43 year old... and I consider him a lock for the Bills wall of fame. I honestly love him, and other than the slightly fumbled punt today, has he ever made a bad play... ever?

Just plain garbage from Sully. Don't usually bother, but I had to see what he'd come up with all this optimism thanks to LaCanfora. So he basically espouses the brilliance of offensive mastermind Marc Trestman. If Brandon and company had hired a CFL guy after Chan, he'd have lambasted them. And I'd hope that having Cutler at the controls is part of the reason Trestman's O lit up the stat sheet compared with the greenhorn a rookie like Marrone had. Columnist-wise, it's just a fishwrap and little else.

The Dude abides. Yes, the plural form of superbowl. Forgive me, Team Pegula, I am up like a kid on Christmas morning!

I agree, FSU was so much more talented than NIU... nothing too impressive from the QB on that tape.

It's easy to see that the anti-Marrone crowd is running with the "he's really lost the team" narrative because they just don't like the guy's personality. Perhaps they have issues with authority themselves, or perhaps he reminds them of some brusque ex-boss or whatever. And that's fine. By 4:00 pm tomorrow, the story will either fade to the back burner, or it will be proof for the anti-Marroners that he is in over his head. My thoughts are that Marrone was force fed EJ, and is doing everything in his power to help try to make it work. His coaching ego is probably getting the best of him. But we all agree that if the Orton trump card didn't pan out, and it was not a sure thing just 2 weeks ago, he and the Bills would have been heading towards the horseshoe falls in a barrel. I don't think Marrone will be so devoted to EJ when the real games start happening. The world knows that the head coach will be the first to get guillotined if they don't show, at minimum, a 2 game improvement in the win column this year. And if they end the drought, well hey guys, we may finally have a coach worth his salt.

This is an interesting point, and certainly true. Maybe you don't truly get the best out of some people unless you can challenge them in a way that makes them either a) fearful or B) pissed off enough to prove to you what they can really do. Coughlin has proven to be a master at this kind of tough love.

I am typically buzzing on Russ Brandon hand-stirred Kool-aid at this point, and I feel the exact same way. But I keep telling myself Schwartzie will have that defense ready to roll, and we just have to get the ball into the hands of our Clemson alumni and we should be dangerous! Win or lose, Marrone’s post-game press conferences are going to be ‘can’t miss’ viewing, obviously!

The sky has not fallen (quite yet) … but this latest furor over who said what to whom about what is going to make my head explode. I personally like that there is some tension and passion in the leadership ranks. Conflict can be a good thing, and is probably more normal than not in NFL circles. The last time I recall something like this is when WR coach Nick Nicolau went after Tom Breshnahan back in the day when we were good. I’m not sure who, but someone ended up holding a steak to their eye socket. Let’s get after it, it’s about time! Other than at the QB spot, it seems to me that the Dougs have demonstrated that they are not ones to be content with mediocre play. And if we can beat the Bears, no one will care much about the implications of LaCanfora’s story. So … here are a few quick positive observations that will hopefully give a bit of perspective to those who may be ready to hit the reboot button two days before the opener … I know he’s out for this game, but Nigel Bradham finally showed he can be a real force at LB in the NFL. He got up from the bottom of the pile an awful lot in his preseason work with the ones, and I think he will record a lot of tackles this year. Our WRs are an extra-talented group, & our stable of RBs is as good as any. Our offensive line is freshly stirred, but our top 5 are good enough to win 10 games and then some. Our tackles are as good and athletic as any. It will be EJ’s pocket presence, or lack thereof, that will decide if we are going to go anywhere. I really don’t want to hear about how bad our line is. Imagine a guy like Matt Ryan coming in and taking over our team. We’d rewrite the books. So we should know quite soon if Marrone can really coach ‘em up, and if Whaley is the shrewd GM we have been praying for.

Great summary of our other anointed duds ... the thing is, they all showed flashes of good performance initially. But they all devolved into the same type of gun-shy disaster who took too many sacks on 3rd down. I also think they were all too laid back as far as real leadership ability goes. Rob was a surfer dude, JP was a punk-ass kid who never owned his bad performances (which eventually turned the room on him), and Trent was ultimately too timid and too nice a guy. He never again wanted to get hit like Adrian Wilson hit him.

Not a big fan of using ESPN’s QBR, or even the old QB rating system, completion percentages, etc. as the gospel truth in talking QB play. I just meant that KC had little success with bums like Thigpen, Croyle, Palko, etc. before Alex Smith. Smith came in. And suddenly, they go to the playoffs with, as you somewhat implied by Smith’s KC QBR, only decent QB play. And I also know that Orton was one of those pre-Smith guys, too. But he only had a cup of coffee with them as the Crennel ship sank, and he actually led them to some wins to close out the year. So, anyway, we are chasing a silent fart in a windstorm at this point.