BillsVet

It may serve to save the Doug's their jobs. And if the book on Manuel is he won't throw to anything less than a wide open receiver downfield, they'll act accordingly. Executives will look to save their jobs before falling on their sword.

As the season progresses, it'll be harder for Buffalo to minimize their weaknesses. Preston Brown is getting a lot of snaps, but he's clearly a liability as a rookie. McKelvin and Gilmore are being targeted as well. Yet, the run defense is better (something Schwartz is known for). Until Manuel can complete passes beyond 10 yards to receivers not wide open or standing still, every team will stack the LOS and dare him to throw it. If he doesn't, you're going to watch Captain Checkdown v2.0 until Orton replaces him.

6.1 ypa is putrid, below even Fitz with Tennessee last year by about a yard per throw. Completing 59% of your passes when you can't or won't throw downfield is dreadful. I'd accept that if he was averaging 8-8.5 ypa, but that's not the case.

EJ's basement probably doesn't have as much alcohol as Orton's first floor. BTW, does EJ even know what Jack Daniels is?

Is Saint Doug OK with you calling on the Son in almost every thread?

Manuel is afraid to throw the ball downfield unless the target is wide open, especially if that receiver is what I'd call a "point" target. That's to say, someone standing ready to receive the ball and not running. EJ may not throw many picks, and some may chalk this up to Hackett, but I don't see someone confident to throw more than 10 yards downfield. EJ knows he's not accurate and presses when the heat is on. And his mechanics have not improved either. If there's one thing important in any sport, it's refining mechanics down until the motion of doing something becomes muscle memory. I don't see that from EJ, who never seems to place the right touch on his throws. His feel for the game still seems entirely methodical and robotic. And it's downright scary that he leaves so many WR's exposed to getting drilled. He might have only started 13 NFL games, but he still exhibits tremendous inconsistency and is a liability for the team. It may not be his entire fault, but no position determines the outcome more than your QB. And the Bills have to game plan around theirs.

The game has changed significantly since Rivers started playing well circa 2006. Rules changes make it easier for QBs to succeed earlier. That said, comparing Manuel in 2014 isn't exactly like Rivers in 2006, but it's not totally unlike either. Manuel will if he keeps throwing passes that can or do get receivers killed.

1. Game-plan adaptability as teams see more tape on them 2. Positive turnover differential 3. Improved RZ offense

The NFL is a "non-profit" and their commissioner earned 105M in 5 years. The media has it out for both he and the NFL in many respects. Not surprising that articles like this magically appear at a time like this: http://money.cnn.com/2014/09/12/news/companies/goodell-pay/

I think McNair needs to get his turf problem fixed at Reliant before he starts advocating for other markets to build new stadiums. Unless it's not possible from an engineering perspective, why can't the Bills perform a massive project in line with what Kansas City, Chicago, Green Bay, or New Orleans did? Is RWS that bad structurally and/or incapable of receiving this type of renovation?

Where and when did I write him off? I just wanted to know what I am.

Robert Woods made a phenomenal catch versus Chicago. It goes down as a completion, despite being thrown high. A screen pass that loses a yard is a completion as well, so think you've gotta look more deeply than the completion percentage statistic, say for example on throws from 11-20 yards or however ESPN breaks it down. That's a deeper analysis. Just so I'm aware, what is the official TBD definition of a "basher?" Because these debates leave people ready to bash their head in, oh, wait... We need definitions on the following terms: hater, realist, optimist, negative, etc. Until then it's hard to appropriately use recently invented terminology. For example, is one a "basher" if EJ throws for under 300 yards but has a completion percentage above 60%? Or is that a hater?

Stats lie.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RivePh00.htm Last 18 games: 5,000 yards passing, 36 TD passes vs. 11 INT's and 6 fumbles. I'll take that all day long.

My perspective and opinion was never grounded in simply being right. That kind of hubris and arrogance doesn't bring me to this board. Rather my opinion was made based on the trends, personnel, and decision making prowess exhibited at OBD over the years. Now, there is hope that things will get cleaned up and the decade plus of ineptitude will be over. And, we know the the team won't be moving either. These are things to celebrate. Not to mention Kelly is reportedly healthy, they're 2-0, Andre Reed is in the HoF, and they're improving on the field. But my happiness, contentment, or disappointment doesn't hinge on the team's fortunes as much as others. And that's okay. I would just hope a certain amount of meaningful debate could take place I took no pride in seeing things go wrong over the years. If I did, it'd be a pretty stupid investment of my time to spend 7+ years on a message board. At the same time, it's disheartening to see so much group-think, although it being a message board I expect a certain amount of it. At the end of the day obviously (to quote Marrone) we want the team to win and to win and to win. It just takes me a little more than 2 wins to get to the level some are approaching or have reached. I guess if that's negative so be it.

After the last 14 years, I temper my enthusiasm. Now, as a Yankees fan I expected them to win in the playoffs and WS in the late nineties. There was a feel to those teams, particularly from 1998-2000. Call me a doubting Didymus, but the NFL is extremely competitive and I've got to see more. And nowhere am I saying that it's delusional to think differently. But for me personally, I've been up the mountain and been dropped off enough to wait for more. Teams are smart and they adapt. It's a long season.

What if I don't live "in the moment." Is cautious optimism given the nature of the NFL and the opportunity for winds to change? I'll be excited if they are at the top of the AFCE standings in week 10 with say, a 7-3 record.

I'd agree with this assessment and need to see more from EJ before getting too excited. He's done some good things, but sometimes his passes are off the mark and the margin for error will narrow as teams get more tape on Buffalo's offense. How he improves will be very interesting. But right now, the OL is keeping him clean, the run game is making some plays, and the defense is doing excellent things. When those 3 things are working, the QB is in the fast lane.

A win is a win is a win. No doubt and I certainly didn't expect 350 yards and 4 TD's (the extreme some will reference). At the same time, the play-calling just seems like it's tailored to protect against his weaknesses at this point in his career. Buffalo did a great job protecting EJ and giving him time to throw. His pocket presence seems better, but some throws were head-scratchers. With two games of tape, I am interested to see how the offensive game plan adapts to what defenses throw at EJ. And how EJ performs against them. You got anything substantive to say about someone's point or are you going to reference who you referenced?

Sullivan isn't a fan. And even if he was, the normal response after 14 years of suckitutde is to be somewhat pessimistic. That said, optimism is probably the highest this millennium because something happened that was positive. And Jerry wrote with that firmly in mind.

And winning a SB in the 2006 season. That was before Chris was elevated into a more senior role IIRC. Only GM to be successful before and after the cap went into effect.

If decisions are based on the short term (as in 1 off-season) perhaps. But 1 victory isn't enough to save a job. It's my belief that a football consultant will be at OBD later this season to evaluate senior management. If the Bills are playoff bound with say a 10-6 record Whaley might stay. But if not, a fresh start with a new owner might be the on the table. I think Pegula has learned success in major professional sports means finding the right management and not trusting the previous regime to all of a sudden get it despite being supported with deep pockets.

We can only hope the OBD lifers are sent packing and no promises were made to retain their "services" once the sale is final and complete. That's fine as long as Russ is nowhere near football operations, has no decision making there and focuses on being the marketeer he is, so be it. Pegula can "'empower" him to run the business side of things only.

Rice's play tailed off last year. Still, surprising they bowed to public pressure. That said, it's never OK to strike someone in the way Rice did. Ever.

Any OLineman that you can't remember their name being called most likely had at least a decent game. Aside from Glenn getting beat early, I don't remember much of him. And the hole on Dixon's run was about as big as the Red Sea opening up