Rockinon

I think EJ could very well be leading the in the competition for starter at this point. Everyone is so hung up on who is getting 1st team reps but what I have seen on three different occasions during camp, EJ has been taking snaps against the first team defense. He has been playing a lot with the 2nd-3rd team offense and still producing on par with the other 2 QBs. Also, according to PFF, he is also ranked 7th out of all the QBs that have played so far this preseason. Now I am not saying that EJ is a top 10 QB, but I do think he has improved more than what many of us here may be thinking. It is looking to me like Rex has been intentionally putting EJ in the most difficult position. And at the same time Rex has also made it look like EJ is only taking 3rd team reps. Problem is, while EJ is going against the 1st team defense, Cassel and Taylor have been going against 2nd-3rd team defenders. That skews the numbers quite a bit and fools the media into thinking that 1st offense means 1st team QB. When you see EJ in interviews, and on the field, he's smiling and having fun. He does not look the part of a player on the outs. I know many are enamored with the shiny new toy TT, but while I really do like what Taylor has been doing, I just don't see him as a starter. He would be a great package QB. And with all of the wildcat plays that the offense is installing, I think that is exactly what he will do. Taylor has a terrific advantage too because he can actually throw fairly well too. I see a defender spying TT and daring him to run. TT will have to throw more and run less if he wants to stay healthy. Cassel gets rid of the ball fast. He seems to always nibble and almost never takes a big bite out of the defense. I just don't see it with him. I see defenders crowding the box on him. EJ gets the ball down field and forces the defense to cover the whole field. He has enough escape-ability to let his receivers get down field. You cannot crowd the box on EJ because he can go over the top of the D pretty fast. This is what the great QBs in this league do. He isn't polished yet, but he has been getting better. I have been pondering the whole QB competition from this angle for a while now and at least to me it makes perfect sense. Of course, I might just be seeing things. Maybe I need to just put the computer down, turn the TV off and just wait for the season to start. I've actually been think about this since before the conspiracy thread was started. Can't get it out of my head!

Yea, that does sound right. Now I understand what they were saying about him doing his best Andrew Luck impersonation.

A lot of people making a big deal out of who is getting 1st team offense reps. Perhaps they should be more focused on who is getting reps against the 1st team defense. This is 3rd time I have seen EJ taking 3rd team reps against the 1st team defense, while Cassel and Taylor are competing against the backups on D. That Rex is a trickster.

Tyler Dunne ‏@TyDunne 18s18 seconds ago Aaron Williams almost takes out McKelvin on the scooter the last snap of camp. Good reaction by the CB there to swing out of the way.

Sal Capaccio ‏@SalSports 2m2 minutes ago EJ is playing the part of Andrew Luck as scout team QB. And does a great job w/beauty deep ball down sidelines to A Davis. Beat starting D That's 3rd string OL against 1st string D. Hmmm.....

My guess is that the announced starter is going to be a complete shock to everyone.

Joe Buscaglia ‏@JoeBuscaglia 18s19 seconds ago Here comes EJ in with the ones

Chris Brown ‏@ChrisBrownBills 36s36 seconds ago Again for what it's worth - Cassel then Taylor w/1st team O vs.scout team 'D'. EJ, Simms w/scout team O vs. 1st team D. #Bills EJ is clearly being put in the most difficult position. Joe Buscaglia ‏@JoeBuscaglia 1m1 minute ago EJ got one rep in the current set of team drills, but it was with the third-team offensive line. #Bills

Mike Rodak ‏@mikerodak 2m2 minutes ago So far in today's practice I have Cassel with 12 first-team reps, Taylor with 10 and Manuel with 1. Rest of EJ's reps with scout team.

Seems to be a lot of that. Half assed reporting.

Joe Buscaglia ‏@JoeBuscaglia 23s24 seconds ago Things you don't see often/at all: Kyle Williams getting pancaked. Richie Incognito got him good on a one-on-one rep. #Bills

Yep, might be Goodwin who is the odd man out. Incredible how stacked this WR group is.

That's exactly what I think they were thinking, but now EJ is giving them reason to have second thoughts.

There is a lot that can be said for making plays late in a game when your team is behind. EJ has come from behind to take the lead in 2 consecutive games. That is the very definition of clutch. I like TT, but I have some doubts as I do for each of these QBs. I don't see TT as the clear winner like many here do. EJ still has some work to do, but there is no denying that has been trending up. In fact many here act as if that is not even the case and as if they all ready know what we have in EJ. I get the TT love. Seeing him avoid a sack and take off like a jet is a thing of beauty. What many are missing is an absolute improvement with EJs consistency delivering passes. He is keeping his composure under duress and nailing some beautiful passes. He is also scoring TDs.

I'm really liking that receiver.

This does sound like a Rex way of thinking. Been wondering if this isn't true. It would also blow up all of the crap the media has been throwing at EJ. Thinking about it, no other team would expect EJ to start either. Just seems he is playing his cards close to the vest so he can surprise everyone with the announcement game 1.

EJ moved from playing 3rd to 2nd in this last game. It will be interesting to see when he plays in the next game. And we'll probably have some clues coming from training camp. EJ was getting 2nd string reps all of last week. He may get some 1st string reps in practice this week. And, he'll need to perform well if he wants to start against Pittsburgh. Just speculating of course, but leading the team to two leads late in the game in consecutive weeks is pretty hard to ignore.

It was 86 up here in Potsdam at 10AM. Now well over 90. Also he has sickle cell which causes body to overheat easily. Should be fine when temps drop this fall.

I could be wrong but I think the IK pickup originally was planned for depth. He could have been relegated to the practice squad until next year. Now? Who knows.

Pillow fight anyone?

This is what I am seeing too, however Taylor has made some deep throws too. Not so much in this game but I think he throws deep fairly well even if he does have to wind up like a pitcher to get it there. EJ on the other hand seems to just flick the ball and it goes deep down field. I was listening to a commentator talking about play action and Matt Cassel. He seemed to think that he does it as well as anyone, but I think EJ is better. He was talking about how the run game opens up the play action pass. EJ seems to be money on those deep play action passes following a run. And he does it often enough to warrant a second look and to give a defense pause. Consistency is his biggest issue. Often the consistency seems to often point to those around him, like the bad snaps and receivers dropping passes. Though even if these things happen more often when EJ is in there, that does not look good. I don't really buy into the train of thought that EJ isn't being given enough of a chance like some. I do think that he has had more bad luck. That is enough to give a coach pause. He'll still get his reps. Maybe the coach is saving him for the last couple of preseason games for a reason? I really think EJ can be very good. Question is which QB is going to win the most games now. I don't think I can answer that just yet. If one of the QBs doesn't significantly pull ahead in this race, it's going to be a tough decision. I am just excited seeing a mix of plays being called by the OC. I'm seeing runs and passes mixed nicely and a lot more diversity than I'm used to seeing from a Bills offense. Whoever the QB is this year, I don't think we are going to have to suffer through unimaginative play calling. Personally, I think Buffalo would squash Carolina in a regular season game with EJ or Tyrod. Although, those big receivers seemed to give our DBs some trouble. Matt seemed to be efficient until it came time to close the deal and actually score. All in all, for a preseason game, the team as a whole looked pretty good. We have some time, but the clock is ticking. Time to start separating the men from the boys.

It was obvious that Taylor looked the best in this game IMHO. That doesn't necessarily mean he is the clear winner over all. I am good with the competition being undecided. Next game, Taylor will play with the ones against the ones. The following game, maybe we'll see EJ with the ones. There is not a clear winner yet. Taylor did well, but he now needs to follow that with another strong performance. If he does, he could very well separate himself as a clear winner. We'll see. I'm still rooting for EJ. I'd like to see him bounce back. Even Cassel. I'd prefer going in with two young guys out performing the "wily veteran" though. I want a long term answer at QB. Still work to be done, but he might actually be on the current roster. Give him some reps and see where it goes.

He had some good plays up the gut too. I actually liked the way the running game was mixed up. Some plays to the left, right and center. Some screens too. There was a lot to like about the run game. Didn't really pay a lot of attention to pre-snap movement. Saw some good OL play. There is clearly a better coach calling the plays.

Cassel made a lot of completions, but ultimately didn't score. He just doesn't seem to have that "IT" factor. Taylor had all kinds of "IT" with big plays from both his arm and his legs. Manual had a rough start but came back pretty strong. I'd like to see more of EJ to be honest. Something seems off that I can't quite put my finger on. He has huge big play potential but the inconsistency. He puts some mustard on his passes, more so than the other QBs and inevitably, receivers are dropping those live balls. It seems to be a little of both receivers and EJ to me. I'd also like to see more from Taylor. After following Cassel, the Panther's defense really got an entirely different look. Entirely different style and even though I like what Taylor did, I also wonder if his style isn't something a defense will eventually find an answer for. Cassel makes very few mistakes and I like that. I'd like to see him make an occasional big play though. Overall, considering this is the very 1st preseason game, I'm pretty optimistic about where the QBs are going. There was good and bad but clearly, the offense is capable of putting points on the board. If I had to pick a QB today, it would be Taylor, but I am not 100% certain he is the best choice yet. If I had to pick a loser between EJ, Taylor and Cassel it would be Cassel, but again I am not 100% on that either. EJ had a lot more than that 1 play on target. There were a few drops. I would have to go back and look. I don't think I saw any that were off the mark, but he was firing some bullets that seemed to catch the receivers off guard.

That's why Kyle Williams is lining up as a TE.....