hondo in seattle

This is the best post yet!

As musichunch observes, Rex's delay in making the decision to start EJ seem like there was probably some talk going on at OBD. There's no agreement about the QB position here at TBD and it wouldn't be surprising if Whaley and the offensive coaches haven't reached a consensus yet either. The final decision is Rex's but I'm sure he's listening to other opinions - especially Greg Roman's. Someone - and maybe more than one - obviously wants to see EJ with the starters. As trade bait? It's possible, but I suspect there's at least one guy with clout on the Bills staff who still thinks EJ might make the best starter. Maybe Whaley, as eball suggested. Maybe Rex himself. Maybe someone else. I'm guessing the fan base and local media will remain divided after the Steelers game - and probably the staff too. I hope we can all forget our disagreements and rally behind whoever Rex lines up under center against Indy.

Yep. PFF's QB rating system is clearly flawed if it has Tannehill ahead of Luck. I'm not a big fan of ESPN's QBR system either. I'm not sure why this misunderstanding continues. ESPN did NOT conclude Tannehill is better than Luck. James Walker of ESPN wrote an article commenting on PFF's ranking system which had Tannehill ahead of Luck. Walker disagreed with the ranking. ESPN itself uses the QBR system which does indeed rank Luck ahead of Tannehill though not by much - 61.5 versus 58.0. http://espn.go.com/nfl/qbr

I didn't listen but that's what I'd expect. I wouldn't want Sully as a friend, neighbor or coworker because I'd quickly tire of his whiny negativity. I don't read him for the same reason, and because he offers nothing new. He simply opines - in his contrarian, negative way - about Bills information that's already in the media. He has no sources at OBD and no wonders - why would anyone there want to talk with him? I've learned more from Tyler Dunne in his short time on the Bills beat than I ever have from Sully. Granted, what I've learned from Tyler is mostly human-interest type stuff but it's something. Sully brings nothing worthwhile to his readers/listeners.

There are a lot of posters who are convinced that EJ has no chance of winning the starting job. And they're coming up with a number of unlikely explanations for EJ starting tomorrow. This is the one explanation I've read that actually makes sense. It' may not be true, but at least there's some logic to it. I personally think EJ still has a shot, albeit probably a long one. I think at least one of the more prominent coaches wanted to see what EJ can do with the ones. And Rex acquiesced.

1. As has been said before, choose your friends wisely. Hang out with guys of high character who you can trust, rather than guys who appear superficially exciting. 2. Remember, your life has a purpose and college is part of that purpose. Have fun - but attend classes, study, and get the kind of grades that will open up doors for you later on.

Two-headed monsters rarely win in the NFL. Yet, I've also had the same thought. Play the guy with the hot hand. But he really did see the face of Jesus.

Which proves that QBR is a flawed rating system. Also, I don't need to remind you that the score during the first 3 quarters also counts. I agree with billsfan_34, I wouldn't trade anyone on our roster for Tebow... including EJ

These guys don't get paid to be accurate. They get paid to be interesting - to draw viewers to their programs. And, apparently, you don't have to be exceptionally knowledgeable about all 32 teams to do that.

I like Tyler but didn't learn anything new with this segment. And I wasn't persuaded by his argument that the Bills will start TT. According to him, the Bills leaders are risk takers and gamblers so they'll go with TT because he's the biggest risk and gamble? It's not convincing logic.

Didn't Kyle Williams once say something like, "Players like to joke around but Richie doesn't understand boundaries"? Miami hooked up a sensitive, fragile man with an insentive, callous jokester. Bad move. Martin obviously wasn't your typical, macho football player but Incognito should have had enough EQ to know to back off.

I think... * The pundits and posters who declared this a two horse race weeks ago were clearly wrong. EJ's clearly still in the running. Rex wouldn't waste valuable first team reps on a third stringer, regardless of some of the wacky theories being proposed. * However this is spun later on, the coaching staff still doesn't have a consensus, clear-cut winner. Whoever wins this race, wins in a photo finish. * I think the idea that Whaley (EJ), Rex (TT) and Roman (MC) all had predetermined winners is also wrong. I think they've all watched the QB battle very closely - and with open minds - to see who emerges victorious. * I'm personally glad Rex has been thorough with this process. Each of the three has had an opportunity to work with the ones. * As a fan without the ability to watch practice reps, the race is too close to call. I wouldn't be surprised to see MC, TT or EJ line up under center against Indy.

I actually like EJ but I'm with John from Hemet. We have a Super Bowl caliber defense right now. So right now I want the QB who gives us the best possibility to win. Starting EJ because maybe, possibly, someday 5 years from now he might be a great starting QB isn't a great idea to me. If the Bills had a crap team anyway, then I'd say start EJ (or TT) instead of MC and let's see what skills he develops with game day experience. But we don't have a crap team this year. And I don't know what kind of team we'll have around EJ 3, 4, 5 years from now if we let him start and actually becomes good. After 15 years of missing the post season, we have a chance this year and we need to go all out.

IMHO, the Bills probably get to 10-6 with EJ or MC on the strength of the rest of the team. I don't think either would be a disaster under center this season but I wouldn't think either would pass for 4,000 yards and get invited to the Pro Bowl either. TT is still a wild card. Man, he's mobile and his arm is better than I thought. But he's clearly not a polished QB (yet?) and based on what I've seen so far, I'd be a little nervous starting him. Maybe he could deliver better than 10-6. Maybe he'd make enough mistakes to produce a losing record. I just haven't seen enough of him. I wasn't clear. I meant the overall roster. Outside the QB position, this is a playoff quality roster. Given the quality of the roster, I wonder if Rex is tempted to make the safe choice at QB. Yeah, let's hope the offense turns out to be better than Kenny's Pinto. With the WRs and RBs we have, I'm hoping at least a Camry.

But the 2nd and 3rd string OLs didn't do EJ any favors at all. Let's look at both sides.

And I get his point of view. But I haven't felt any of the three are 'good enough' for me. So what do we do? Line up without a QB? Two of the QBs are young. Maybe there's some upside there.

For those voting for TT, do you really know his body of work well enough - and his strengths and limitations - to hand him the keys to the lamborghini? He's looked reasonably good so far and that's intriguing. But QBs keep coming to Buffalo and we fans get excited that the new guy is better than what we've had. This excitement is always based on some combination of flimsy evidence & wishful thinking. We all remember when people were calling for Brian Brohm to start! I just can't help but wonder if HOPE is generating a lot of the enthusiasm for TT. I think many fans feel they know EJ and MC well enough to dislike their mediocrity and are hoping TT brings something better. I HOPE they're right. But at this moment, I can't say I'm confident in any of the three.

And you don't think his comment was part of the negotiation? You don't think his agent told him to say something to that effect? In a $100 million negotiation, you don't think the agent is smart enough to script the narrative?

All of them have had their moments this off- and pre-season. None of them have truly looked like a franchise QB. I kind of think any of them can get us to 10-6 with the defense we have. In my mind, it's still a three man race. I'd like to see more before making a decision.

It may be a passing league but we're a running team. When you don't have a marquee QB, you need a marquee RB.

My wife says I teared up watching this video. I deny it.

Considering our top 5 RBs are injured, I'd at least explore Ray Rice. I agree that hitting a woman like he did is inexcusable. But, to the best of my knowledgeable, it's not a pattern of behavior. I would certainly hate to be judged on the worst moment of my life. I think most of us would. Fortunately, most of us don't have that moment recorded and broadcast on national TV. The Ray Rice that hit his fiance/wife that day is despicable. I'd like to find out if he's the same man today. She insists he's a different man than we all think.

If I was EJ I'd be hoping for the best and mentally preparing for the worst. So, yeah, I'd be considering the possibility my career might take me elsewhere. But based on what I've seen & read, the other QBs have not distanced themselves from EJ. They do seem to have a slight edge in Rex's eyes but that's not the same as an insurmountable lead. If I was EJ, I'd still be fighting for the honor of lining up under center on September 13th. Plus the injury bug just decimated our RB corps. If I was EJ, I'd remember that one or both of other QBs could still get hurt. Forget the writing on the wall. I don't think anything immutable has been written on that wall just yet. And if I was EJ, I wouldn't be giving up just yet. And I don't think he has. There are some rumblings that Ray Rice may be our starting RB against Indy. Who would have predicted that, or even considered the possibility, a few short weeks ago? Who really knows what will happen the next few weeks?

Marrone is coaching two levels down from his position with the Bills. Hackett is one level down. This is where they belong right now and they won't ruin the Jags. Hackett is bright and I wouldn't be surprised if he grew into a good OC one day. But Marrone was the wrong person to mentor him. I don't think Marrone will ever be a good HC. It just doesn't seem to have the temperament for it, or the leadership skills.

I respect Banner's football acumen but I just don't think he has enough inside information on the state of the Bills QB competition to be credible on this issue. His prediction means nothing to me.