Beerball Posted May 19, 2014 Posted May 19, 2014 What do you propose we do? At this point absolutely nothing (because there is nothing to do). We go into the season with EJ, Lewis & Tuel/Dixon.
Formerly Allan in MD Posted May 19, 2014 Posted May 19, 2014 Why post an old video about a guy who has since had a few knee surgeries and has shown very little as an NFL quarterback up to this point? And what he has shown has been erratic throwing in NFL game conditions and limited leadership qualities.
bladiebla Posted May 19, 2014 Posted May 19, 2014 EJ is a question mark. He's not a bust yet though some folks have him pegged that way already. My only take is some people want to be "right" early. 1. Sure EJ is a question mark, is anyone doubting that? But so are; 1a. Our o-line 1b. Yet another defensive scheme 1c. Our inexperienced WR core 1d. Our special teams 1e. Our OC 1f. Safeties other then A. Williams 1g. CB depth However people naming EJ a bust allready are either unrealistic, trolls or extremely pesimistic with regards to the Bills. In the end the team has all the pieces in place in order to succeed if everything falls our way and if injuries will be limited.
Buftex Posted May 19, 2014 Posted May 19, 2014 It's simple really. Everyone wants to be able to say "I told you so." The odds are always higher a player will not be great so this is making the easy bet. I don't think I have ever used this phrase once here...but, here goes: Spot on!
Buftex Posted May 19, 2014 Posted May 19, 2014 To be fair, the anti-EJ crowd is making the knee injury issue out to be more than it's been. He missed 6 games and half the preseason; significant for sure, but it's not as though he can't get on the field the way some folks profess. I also think, had the team been in the thick of a playoff race, EJ might not have missed as many games as he did. I can't blame them, but I think Marrone and Co were being very overly cautious with him. You can read into that what you want... but I think his knee injuries weren't as serious as some are making them out to be. If they were, I think he would have been IR'd early on. I guess it is always easier to remember the bad than the good, espeically when the team finished with (another) 6-10 record. Manuel showed a certain amount of "clutch" abilitly last season... rarely seemed overwhelmed by any situaion (Tampa Bay game notwithstanding), and generally, followed up his bad play with very good play. Why does everyone feel this desperate need to crush the kid? It's almost like people want him to suck, despite the tell-tale "I hope EJ succeeds..." before proclaiming him a bust.
Solomon Grundy Posted May 20, 2014 Author Posted May 20, 2014 I also think, had the team been in the thick of a playoff race, EJ might not have missed as many games as he did. I can't blame them, but I think Marrone and Co were being very overly cautious with him. You can read into that what you want... but I think his knee injuries weren't as serious as some are making them out to be. If they were, I think he would have been IR'd early on. I guess it is always easier to remember the bad than the good, espeically when the team finished with (another) 6-10 record. Manuel showed a certain amount of "clutch" abilitly last season... rarely seemed overwhelmed by any situaion (Tampa Bay game notwithstanding), and generally, followed up his bad play with very good play. Why does everyone feel this desperate need to crush the kid? It's almost like people want him to suck, despite the tell-tale "I hope EJ succeeds..." before proclaiming him a bust. WELL SAID BUFTEX!
thebandit27 Posted May 20, 2014 Posted May 20, 2014 I also think, had the team been in the thick of a playoff race, EJ might not have missed as many games as he did. I can't blame them, but I think Marrone and Co were being very overly cautious with him. You can read into that what you want... but I think his knee injuries weren't as serious as some are making them out to be. If they were, I think he would have been IR'd early on. I guess it is always easier to remember the bad than the good, espeically when the team finished with (another) 6-10 record. Manuel showed a certain amount of "clutch" abilitly last season... rarely seemed overwhelmed by any situaion (Tampa Bay game notwithstanding), and generally, followed up his bad play with very good play. Why does everyone feel this desperate need to crush the kid? It's almost like people want him to suck, despite the tell-tale "I hope EJ succeeds..." before proclaiming him a bust. There's some solid points in there Buftex. I'll say that one performance that sticks out in my mind was the Jacksonville game. Coming off the TB loss, in which he looked brutal, EJ started the Jacksonville game 0-4 with an interception in the first quarter. I started thinking he might be in trouble as a long-term QB in this league. Much to my surprise, he got himself righted in a hurry, and went 17-20 for 150 yds (7.5 YPA) with 2 TD passes and a TD run the rest of the way in leading the team to victory. Add in the fact that, somewhere in there, he re-aggravated his knee injury, and it's all the more encouraging IMO. A lot of young guys would crumble in that situation; he didn't. To me, that says a lot about the kid.
BackInDaDay Posted May 20, 2014 Posted May 20, 2014 There's some solid points in there Buftex. I'll say that one performance that sticks out in my mind was the Jacksonville game. Coming off the TB loss, in which he looked brutal, EJ started the Jacksonville game 0-4 with an interception in the first quarter. I started thinking he might be in trouble as a long-term QB in this league. Much to my surprise, he got himself righted in a hurry, and went 17-20 for 150 yds (7.5 YPA) with 2 TD passes and a TD run the rest of the way in leading the team to victory. Add in the fact that, somewhere in there, he re-aggravated his knee injury, and it's all the more encouraging IMO. A lot of young guys would crumble in that situation; he didn't. To me, that says a lot about the kid. Yep.. you can have all the measurables, but without the drive to compete and improve - you've only got a paper tiger. I got a feeling EJ's got some sharp fangs behind that boyish grin.
Beerball Posted May 27, 2014 Posted May 27, 2014 As someone who has criticized EJ for being too nice, too much under wraps this is good to hear. This year he's come back in, he's got a whole offseason to practice, get his feet wet. So this year you've seen a different EJ, coming out yelling, screaming, and barking. Take command QB. This may simply be off season fluff but it is one of the things I've been waiting to hear. http://buffalo.twcnews.com/content/sports/742028/bills-notice-more-vocal-manuel/
RyanC883 Posted May 27, 2014 Posted May 27, 2014 It takes a QB usually two to three years to get to their full abilities. Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Tom Brady, and Ben Rothlesberger made a lot of mistakes their rookie year. My point is simply, let's see if he develops this year. If he improves to a middle of the pack QB, great running game and defense, we slip into the playoffs, will everyone still complain? The answer for me simply is I don't have a strong opinion on him yet. I'm in a wait and see mode. Same here. Big Ben took 3 years to become the continual all-pro that he currently is. He was provided time because he had a great O-line, a guy named Bettis running the ball, and a fantastic D. What worries me about EJ is that he does not read the entire field before throwing the ball. Hopefully he is working on his reads and timing. He has all the tools, he just needs to learn how to use them.
Agent 91 Posted May 27, 2014 Posted May 27, 2014 I mean, really, many of the doubters on here gave Losman 6 years and numerous excuses yet EJ played 6 games and they wanna feed him to alligators. It's UNREAL! And also reference a concussion as to the reason Trent Edwards was a bum. And they also used Bill Walsh as you used Mayock to justify the illusion. Point being people like who they like and hate who they hate. And if you search hard enough.... you will always find something to back up your belief.
hondo in seattle Posted May 27, 2014 Posted May 27, 2014 I don't know how anyone - Bills coaches included - could have an accurate read on EJ's future just yet. He's had streaks when he played well. He had streaks when he played poorly. Fortunately, his attitude and work ethic are both good which gives me hope. I remember a scout once explained why NFL teams - despite the big scouting departments and enormous resources - miss so often when drafting college QBs. He said that you have to make predictions because no college QB has the skills yet to excel at the NFL level. So scouts make educated guesses on which QBs will develop those skills and which won't. You never really know. Will EJ develop his missing skills? Only time will tell. But if he - and young WRs around him - live up to their potential it could be a fun few years.
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