Poll: Grade Draft, EJ Manuel Question

[RyanC883]

Regardless of if he pans out or not, and regardless of how many times you spew your nonsense, EJ is nothing like Losman. FSU's offense was not simple, nor was it "simplified" for EJ. This lie has perpetuated itself repeatedly on this site and others.

 

The lie about his alleged lack of "pocket awarness" has also perpetuated itself. EJ won 4 bowl games. 2 of them coming off the bench. The guy has the brains for the game, and unlike Losman, can make all the necessary throws. Metrics have him rated as the most accurate QB in the class.

[CaliBillsfan]

The fact that anyone on these boards or in Buffalo keep talking about Easley is insane. This guy has done less than ZERO and the health concerns and etc are old. idc what round or what potential he has hes a bust. MOVE ON!!!!

 

I was amazed we did NOTHING in free agency for our lack of WR now im pretty jazzed. But cmon people Easely has done NOTHING. To count on him is a awful mistake. (just based on his passed GAMETIME EXPERIENCE)

 

IMO if EJ, Woods, Alonzo, & DaRick works out this draft is a success. Now just reading what i wrote... If EJ & Woods are a hit the draft is a success!! IMO

 

I could care less where the SO Called Experts had anyone projected. If we redid Drafts from the past not a single team would pass up Brady, Montana etc... etc.. where were those guys then? Give me a break the draft is a crap shoot!

 

No One knows if these guys are gonna perform at the next level. Not to mention how they will perform under a solid coaching staff.

 

IMHO

[RyanC883]

The fact that anyone on these boards or in Buffalo keep talking about Easley is insane. This guy has done less than ZERO and the health concerns and etc are old. idc what round or what potential he has hes a bust. MOVE ON!!!!

 

I was amazed we did NOTHING in free agency for our lack of WR now im pretty jazzed. But cmon people Easely has done NOTHING. To count on him is a awful mistake. (just based on his passed GAMETIME EXPERIENCE)

 

IMO if EJ, Woods, Alonzo, & DaRick works out this draft is a success. Now just reading what i wrote... If EJ & Woods are a hit the draft is a success!! IMO

 

I could care less where the SO Called Experts had anyone projected. If we redid Drafts from the past not a single team would pass up Brady, Montana etc... etc.. where were those guys then? Give me a break the draft is a crap shoot!

 

No One knows if these guys are gonna perform at the next level. Not to mention how they will perform under a solid coaching staff.

 

IMHO

 

I"m thinking that the trio of SJ, Woods and DaRick will be a terror for teams. This team could go 5 wide: SJ, Woods, DaRick, TJ, Goodwin. Put CJ in the backfield. EJ under center. That's a LOT of speed and strength for a D to contend with. Not to mention the confusion all the appreviated names can cause

[CaliBillsfan]

RyanC833

 

My thoughts exactly. I dont believe EJ has to be amazing i think with his arm and some talent around him... We have at least 3or 4 more wins. Im good w that.

 

All i want is USE the talent we have SPILLER and ride him and Jackson rt to the playoffs!! Ok i got excited i forgot we still have to STOP THE DAM RUN!!

 

ok... its gonna be another LOng season at least its not MORE OF THE SAME!

 

Buckle your seatbelts fellas!!!

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Barkley's arm is so weak some teams thought he was undraftable?

 

I have to admit, I saw much more of Barkley's games on TV than EJ, particularly Barkley's junior season, in which he looked really good. I think it's easy to fall into the same trap of believing certain things repeated about a player as you say others are about EJ's reported struggles reading the D/progressions/etc.

 

Did anyone (mocker, scout) have EJ going as the first QB in the draft?

 

The post you were replying to and pretty much every post I make about my player opinions is often qualified/prefaced with mention that I watch a lot of video and don't read too many "scouting reports." I base my opinions on my own impressions, not by reading other people's.

 

Lately people have been deifying Greg Cosell. Cosell does a good job but he said Sharrif Floyd would be a top 3 pick and might even go first overall.

 

I watched Floyd and said that he could easily slide out of the top 20. He was taken at #23. So I don't repeat things I might have read.

 

As I've mentioned numerous times, my impressions on Barkley are based on watching 11 condensed games from his great 2011 season when his arm was healthy and when he put up huge numbers.

 

As I've mentioned numerous times, I didn't bother watching any of his 2012 games because I didn't want to evaluate him based on him playing with a bum shoulder.

 

So to the bolded above, no. The opinion is my own. Barkley's lack of arm strength is glaring, IMO.

[Ramius]

From all the video I've watched on Manuel, I don't think he struggled with pocket awareness.

 

I thought he was very aware, knew where the rush was coming from and how much time he had, was never jittery, rarely bailed prematurely, climbed the ladder well, dipped his shoulder and got small when he had to and chose his run opportunities well.

 

Now we can engage in dueling scouting reports and I'm sure that for every report you cite, I can find a contradicting one. It's a pointless polemic.

 

We might as well argue about global warming.

 

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

 

I wouldn't say EJ is jittery in the pocket at all. I will say that what he's guilty of times (and i've said this before) is leaving the pocket when pressure comes as opposed to stepping up. Its not being "jittery," its something athletic QBs who can make plays with their feet tend to do. Hell, Favre, McNabb, McNair, Rodgers, etc all started their careers looking to run more when things broke down. RGIII did it last season. Its just something a lot of young QBs do when they're learning the NFL game. To be a great one, however, you need to learn when to run and when to step up and make a play with your arm. And that CAN be taught.

 

That being said, i've only watched every game he's played, so i'm not sure if i'm an appropriate source to comment on him. And at times, i've been his most vocal critic (just ask the girlfriend). But i've also been his biggest fan, and i've done my damnedest to provide an accurate, non-homer perspective on what EJ brings to the table. That's why i call out these flat-out lies, and the same vocal minority that keeps perpetuating these lies. That and their lazy, baseless comparisons to Losman just because both have a big arm. Perhaps we should compare EJ to Jamarcus Russel and Vince Young, because they're black?

 

Bottom line, EJ's potential is different than other previous QBs, because they're not simply basing his potential on physical skills and how he might play. They're basing his potential on the brilliant play he's actually shown on the field over the course of entire games. We've seen the world class play he's capable of, multiple times (2011 bowl vs ND, 2012 vs Clemson for 2 quick examples). He just needs to play at that high level more consistently. And i think he can do it.

[Orton's Arm]

I want to thank you for taking this courageous stand. Trust me, I know that it can be rough going against the grain here, but I appreciate the honest, and in your case intellectual dialogue.

For the record, I am a bit less concerned than you. Imo if we are going to miss, let's miss on a qb, or even a perhaps nutty linebacker. We have ben striking out and losing games by allocating our best resources to defensive backs and yes, running backs. Even when these guys are "good," we lose, and many fans just don't get this.

Keep the posts coming!!!

 

Thanks, Bill, for the kind words. I've been wrong before, and there's a chance I'm wrong about Manuel.

 

Ramius has argued Manuel's case eloquently. On the other hand, the article which appeared earlier in this thread--the one written by an FSU fan--argued the anti-Manuel case with equal eloquence. Ramius feels the author of that article is biased. Maybe he's right. But I also get the sense Ramius may be biased as well. Ramius's opinions about Manuel are about as opposite to those from the article as could possibly be the case. Both sets of competing opinions came from people who have probably watched every college snap Manuel has ever taken.

 

After reading a lot of Manuel-related material--and after taking San Jose Bills Fan's opinions into account--my sense is that Manuel has great physical tools, is more accurate at throwing short to intermediate passes than Losman had been, and may or may not have better pocket awareness than Losman. I do not believe that Manuel was asked to make more than 1 - 2 reads after the ball had been snapped.

 

I agree that if the Bills were going to roll the dice, it made sense to roll them on a quarterback. This isn't the quarterback I would have chosen, and that makes me nervous. Typically, when my opinion has sharply differed from the Bills' front office, I've been right and they've been wrong. I don't view that as much of an accomplishment: most people here knew the Whitner pick was a mistake, for example. The Whitner pick was bad enough that even you mentioned one or two minor concerns. Hopefully this time around the Bills' front office knew what it was doing!

Edited May 2, 2013 by Edwards' Arm