Perhaps he's allowing himself, as well as the coaches, to make some mistakes in practice.
So he doesn't do the foolish 'rookie maneuvers' his detractors note him for, in the games. "letting it rip"
So, if EJ's practices result in learning the game and making mistakes (which we all know the OTHER guys practicing are also making mistakes and great plays affecting the result of the QB's performance), BUT his preseason game result is TD's and game winning drives, who cares?
I really don't see him "trailing" this competition nearly as much as most do.