BackInDaDay

yes, and yes.. your first thought has the most impact on what we can do, your second - i hope - was more the result of Rex challenging his D with more complex coverages.. i think the Steeler's 1st TD was Brown getting lost

many moons ago i told you guys roman was building an offense that any of our QBs could run.. that stat says it all.. are we happy yet?

bingo.. an example is when we came out of a TO on 3rd and 5, and an illegal procedure (Gray or Mulligan?) set us back to 3rd and 10 - and our 4th down punt.

he plays small.. in this league, that's a problem

i missed the 2nd half, but from what i saw in the first, i think my original opinion of Taylor starting with Manuel as a capable backup is the way to go... and as i've stated before - it would be fair to the team and Cassel to trade him where he can be the #2 - we'll get a pick and save money. let Simms be our 3rd.

well said

good job by coaches to give him a shot with the first team, and good job on EJ's part to warrant the look.

i can only go by what i've seen in pre-season games, and i would agree with this.. what we don't know, is how he compares to the others in terms of getting things right pre and post snap - at least to the OC's liking. the fact that he and Cassel seem to be running 1/2 in the competition makes me think they're close enough that TT's playmaking skills could get him the job

"Every 45-yard strike in stride is followed by two or three or four head-scratching throws, which is why Taylor and Cassel have been the quarterbacks getting virtually all of the No. 1 reps." ~ Tyler Dunne An honest, and obvious, observation that any fan could have made - followed by a declaration that's part logic, and part assumption. What Mr Dunne has not included are the opinions of the offensive coaches - particularly, any progress they've seen in EJ's ability to recognize what the defense is doing before and immediately after the ball is snapped. the reason why the position is such a difficult one to gain consistency in, is that the success or failure of each play begins in the huddle and los - long before it's execution. For that matter, how have any of the leading candidates been doing? yeah, we can all see the results of the QB's decisions and his ability to execute - but who's putting the offence in a position to succeed each play, and who do they think is getting closer to that ideal each practice and game situation?

Ryan, Roman, and Whaley know what his chances are in being productive in the offense - now, and with more seasoning. they aren't going to throw away the chance for the same storybook ending we'd all love to see with the kid.. but if they don't see that ever happening - we have to live with it. none of us know where he's at in this O, and how close or far he is from making the right choices on a consistent basis. he's a competitor, and wants it bad..but none of us know how far that can take him. we'll have to trust the right decision will be made.. hopefully after it's made public, we'll get more details on how the decision was made. North Korean political reporters are more inquisitive than the Buffalo Bills beat guys

veteran QB with enough experience that he may: correctly recognize the defensive reaction to an offensive personnel package, formation, motion identify how and where pass rush may be applied to aid Center in setting pass protection adhere to gameplan/coaching points in regard to reading anticipated options follow his intuition when defense doesn't react as expected and play breaks down oh yeah.. and he looks like he's been there.. done that oh yeah part two.. I'm making the case why Roman might want him as his starter.. I'd prefer Taylor #1 and Manual #2, because those are the attributes a veteran should bring.. but there's no 'magic' there, and I like playmakers

coaches are being pragmatic.. ..Ryan's being Ryan good for him! i could see Rex getting a Tyrod tattoo.. and maybe even an EJ.. but a Matt Cassel? nah

any of our three could start for the Browns.. just sayin edit.. .. and the Jets

the question is - are the coaches seeing enough improvement in Manuel's play, that they feel he can manage the offense at level consistent to Cassel - and what do they value most at the position.. playmaker or caretaker?

no offence meant to the kids that were in there, i think any of of our injured RBs could have broke a couple of those

controlled scrimmages can be used to test the perceived weaknesses of a unit in a particular situation - it's as much about recognition as it is execution - whether it O vs D units, punt vs punt return units, or kick-off vs ko return units. good and bad decisions are reviewed, with the expectation that players recognize and make the right choice when faced with similar situation in games. you get a lot more talking points out of a scrimmage than a pre-season game, but as another already pointed out - the physical nature of a game adds an intensity factor that scrimmages usually aren't allowed to match

when Ryan talks about Tyrod's game, he uses the word 'magic'. as frustrated as he may be with EJ's game, does he see a little of that in him? of course 'magic', in this context, is the ability of the QB to make a play when the execution of the designed play has broken down. you don't expect to need 'magic' when game planning, but it's comforting to know that your playmaker is capable of rescuing a play when something was missed at this stage of their careers, Tyrod and EJ won't set their pass their pass protection assignments correctly - at the rate Cassel can - and they won't recognize disguised coverages at the rate Cassel can. but i still believe that Roman is capable of giving all three an offense they can execute - while opening more of his playbook to Taylor and Manuel. so, at this point, it seems to be shaping into a risk/reward decision for the coaches. from their histories and after 2 preseason games, i'd rate them as following: Taylor med-low risk / high reward risks are: possible injury and his inexperience rewards are: shows improvement executing the offense, speed adds another dimension to the offense, and he can extend plays Manuel med risk/ med-high reward risks are: his inexperience and consistency executing the offense rewards are: shows improvement executing the offense, size and strength don't limit him to the pocket, and he can extend plays Cassel low risk / med reward risks are: his physical limitations make him the least capable of extending plays rewards are: his experience and consistency executing the offense from a pragmatic point of view, the depth chart may look like - Cassel, Taylor, Manuel but from a fan's point of view, mine is Taylor, Manuel, Cassel

both Tyrod and EJ should be commended for making plays and moving the ball without much support - it's hard to say what Cassel could have done under tonight's conditions like i said in the past, i'd start TT and back him up with EJ.. back when i first said it - i thought Cassel would be given the chance to backup Fitz in NY.. now, i'm thinking he may be given the chance to start in DC. may even squeeze a decent pick out of Snyder's boys btw - i'm thinking any of our injured RBs would have hit some of those great holes on the right side - enough to make TT's life a lot easier. and as far as EJ's O line goes - #61 should start packing btw 2 - IK blew contain that started Maziel's big play that set up their TD.. then he goes offside on 4th and 4 with 54 seconds.. he may be on the bus out with 61

jeez, i wish i was 'clay' again..

yeah.. there's the perception - and then there's the reality.. might have been interesting to see what he could have done - but like you say, probably not much at that point. remember when he was backing up McNabb? he was in every trade rumor - like Cousins was for awhile.

at first glance, i thought this said 'EJ wants NFL top dollar' and thought - well, that's one confident sunuvagun! good for him!

oh yeah.. the phone call.. “We just can’t afford to pay that kind of money for a guy who’s fighting for probably a backup job.”

this is one of many such articles written about Kolb before our roof fell in.. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000157815/printable/kevin-kolb-expects-unique-buffalo-bills-offense " Kolb does not have great arm strength, but this offense could play more to his theoretical strengths of timing and accuracy."

hard to argue the choice of Kolb - especially in regard to his ability to stay on the field and be productive - but he was available, and his skill set did fit what the coach's wanted at that time as fans, we should realize that not even good results are always the correct results. that's why i really would like to know how far is EJ from making the 'correct' decisions on a consistent basis.. it has to play a large part in why he couldn't dominate the competition. Is it correctable, and is it correctable here? seems like a simple question..

i don't think the Bills FO knew how bad off Kolb was at that point.. he threw for close to 13,000 yards at Houston while playing for Baylor coach Art Briles, and was drafted into the league by WCO disciple Andy Reid to run his quick hitting passing game in Philly - before he became the best player never to play. they took a shot that he could revive Marone and Hackett's offense and mentor EJ. like a lotta things - it didn't work out.