EJs accuracy

[Max997]

the way people go out of their way to make excuses for this guy continues to amaze me

[Fadingpain]

That and he's doing EXACTLY the right thing with EJ regarding running the ball. fighting for 2 or 3 extra yards is how he got hurt twice last season. In the grand scheme those 2 to 3 extra yards are meaningless. He would also treat it differently if it were at the end of the game with a chance to go ahead. The kid needs to be ON the field. This is absolutely the smart coaching decision regardless of if fans like it. Those same fans would B word as soon as he got hurt trying for an extra 2 or 3 yards and would blame it on the coach. Face it., we have a lot of really stupid fans just like every other team.

 

No one wants to see EJ lower his shoulder to grind out an extra yard or two at the end of play.

 

Come on brother. We can all agree on that, can't we?

 

But that doesn't mean we want to see him play the way he is playing. There is a huge gap between the way EJ is currently playing and being "wildly risky" or even placing himself in a position to be injured.

 

The dude is simply not competing in certain play situations. That's not good.

[Maddog69]

If you think we will continue to win 2 out of 3, you're crazy.

 

We don't have to win 2 out of three.

We have to win 8 of the next 14. To me, that seems quite possible.

[Rob's House]

 

 

No one wants to see EJ lower his shoulder to grind out an extra yard or two at the end of play.

 

Come on brother. We can all agree on that, can't we?

 

But that doesn't mean we want to see him play the way he is playing. There is a huge gap between the way EJ is currently playing and being "wildly risky" or even placing himself in a position to be injured.

 

The dude is simply not competing in certain play situations. That's not good.

 

The way I'd put it is there is a wide gap between playing with reckless abandon and playing kitty ball. In that gap is a point where one takes calculated risks based on the circumstances. EJ needs to work on getting To that point.

[Fadingpain]

That is sad and unfortunate, but all too often rings true.

 

What you may consider "sound and balanced" others may call apologetic and sympathetic. Even overly so.

 

That analysis you linked to casts a very apologetic/favorable light on EJ's performance thus far.

 

It could have been written from 180 degrees the opposite direction, and made him look equally bad.

 

Overall: meh.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Stopthepain

[26CornerBlitz]

What you may consider "sound and balanced" others may call apologetic and sympathetic. Even overly so.

 

That analysis you linked to casts a very apologetic/favorable light on EJ's performance thus far.

 

It could have been written from 180 degrees the opposite direction, and made him look equally bad.

 

Overall: meh.

 

Give us your all-22 analysis of EJ. What you've offered thus far is < meh.

[The Wiz]

What you may consider "sound and balanced" others may call apologetic and sympathetic. Even overly so.

 

That analysis you linked to casts a very apologetic/favorable light on EJ's performance thus far.

 

It could have been written from 180 degrees the opposite direction, and made him look equally bad.

 

Overall: meh.

I haven't seen Sully's article yet now that you mention it.

Edited September 25, 2014 by The Wiz

[Maddog69]

 

I haven't seen Sully's article yet now that you mention it.

Reply of the century.

[The Wiz]

the way people go out of their way to make excuses for this guy continues to amaze me

The same could be said about how people refuse to see anything he does positive. Not saying you, just saying.

[Fadingpain]

+1

 

However we may want to dissect different plays, I think FireChan is on target (though I'm not sure how you perform surgery on rockets). EJ isn't good yet. I hope he becomes good. I think he may. But he wasn't good in the winds of the Ralph against SD.

 

Kelly was challenged in those same winds and tended to put up good numbers anyway. Not always, but often. EJ needs to learn.

 

Eventually, some posters here on TBD will say they were right about EJ and some will have to admit they were wrong. I think it's all random luck. None of us know with any certainty how much EJ will improve over time. I'm not sure the coaches who work with him every day can answer that question yet. I think we all need to watch, wait and see.

 

The only reasonable argument is how long we wait before handing the offense over to Orton or someone else.

 

But anyone arguing that EJ is going to be great is suffering from Wishful Thinking. Anyone arguing that EJ will never be great is suffering from Eternal Pessimism. As fans, we always have opinions but certainly no one yet knows.

 

I think your comments here are fair, overall.

 

However, the bolded, italicized, and underlined part of your post is the most relevant thing you wrote.

 

This cuts to the essence of the difference between EJ supporters and EJ detractors at this point in EJ's career.

 

In short, I would put forth that the highlighted wording in your post is wrong.

 

I DO think we have seen quite enough, including EJ's body of work at FSU to know what kind of player he is and where his potential upside lies.

 

Others disagree vehemently with this, obviously.

 

Regardless, EJ will definitely remain the starter this year and I would argue he should remain the starter. I voted as such in the recent poll on that topic.

 

Give him every opportunity and all the time he needs (within the context of this season) to show us what he has--or doesn't have as the case may be. And then we can plan accordingly rolling forward into the future.

 

I just don't understand the mentality of many here which states: "he is a baby with the potential to be the next Joe Montana...we just have to wait to see what we have here."

 

It doesn't work that way. He has show you all you need to see, if you are looking.

 

I think some here watch, but they do not see. And they look through Bills tinted glasses. That doesn't help.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Stopthepain

[All_Pro_Bills]

They would not have gotten EJ in the 2nd. At least one other team was going to take him in the 1st, and a few folks I spoke to are convinced that Philadelphia was trying to move back into the 1st to take him.

The implilcation would have been it was the Eagles that reached on a 1st round pick rather than the Bills and they'd have probably picked a different 'project' QB later in the 2013 draft or in 2014. And we'd probably still have Fitzpatrick under center which might be have been sligtly better as far as offensive productivity.

 

I don't expect it but if Fitzpatrick lights up the Bills defense on Sunday this board is going to go Bill-istic!

[Maddog69]

the way people go out of their way to make excuses for this guy continues to amaze me

I think people defend him because he has played 13 games on a team that has been very bad for a very long time. To expect him to come in and play like an elite, experienced NFL QB immediately is unrealistic. He is going to have flaws, he is going to make mistakes, he is going to make bad decisions, bad throws and have terrible games. But mixed in with that, he is going to do some good thing, he is going to develop experience and confidence and he is going to become a leader on this team. It amazes me that so many people seem so unwilling to give him a chance to develop. You wouldn't take a kid on his 16th birthday and expect him to pass his drivers test for his license. He would need some experience. It doesn't make sense to sit in the car next to him and scream at him for making mistakes as he is learning how to drive.

EJ just got the keys to the car. Give him a break.

[Fadingpain]

enjoy the season.

 

I do! Hell, I was listening to the game last week on the radio b/c I didn't have TV coverage (as per the norm) where I live.

 

Please don't confuse "realism" as a fan with "not being a fan."

 

I'm a huge fan. If I was a casual fan, I'd be more likely to go with the flow around here and say "hey it's going OK at the moment, let's all be happy."

 

You need a plan that is a little better than that if you actually want to achieve results in life.

[Maddog69]

 

The implilcation would have been it was the Eagles that reached on a 1st round pick rather than the Bills and they'd have probably picked a different 'project' QB later in the 2013 draft or in 2014. And we'd probably still have Fitzpatrick under center which might be have been sligtly better as far as offensive productivity.

 

I don't expect it but if Fitzpatrick lights up the Bills defense on Sunday this board is going to go Bill-istic!

I hope Fitz throws three Touchdowns.....to Leodis McKelvin.

 

[thebandit27]

 

A lot of people around here seem content to point out we are 2-1, as though that makes everything OK.

 

It does, actually, FOR NOW.

 

Hang on a minute. Wait a while. If you think we will continue to win 2 out of 3, you're crazy.

 

I'm interested to hear why...why is the idea that the team's current performance in the win/loss column is sustainable so crazy?

 

What you may consider "sound and balanced" others may call apologetic and sympathetic. Even overly so.

 

That analysis you linked to casts a very apologetic/favorable light on EJ's performance thus far.

 

It could have been written from 180 degrees the opposite direction, and made him look equally bad.

 

Overall: meh.

 

Conversely, it seems like there are folks that go out of their way to marginalize the fact that the team (and the starting QB) are winning more than they're losing right now.

[Fadingpain]

the way people go out of their way to make excuses for this guy continues to amaze me

 

Me too brother. I think a lot of people confuse "EJ might be great some day" with "I love the Bills and want to see them succeed."

 

We all agree on the latter statement; it is the former where we find discontent.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Stopthepain

[Maddog69]

 

 

I do! Hell, I was listening to the game last week on the radio b/c I didn't have TV coverage (as per the norm) where I live.

 

Please don't confuse "realism" as a fan with "not being a fan."

 

I'm a huge fan. If I was a casual fan, I'd be more likely to go with the flow around here and say "hey it's going OK at the moment, let's all be happy."

 

You need a plan that is a little better than that if you actually want to achieve results in life.

People also need to be able to enjoy the positives and not look for every bit of negativity they can find. That will just make them miserable. There are lots of them on TBD.

[The Wiz]

I'm interested to hear why...why is the idea that the team's current performance in the win/loss column is sustainable so crazy?

Because the last few times we started 2-0, 3-0, 4-0 we ended up with a losing record, obviously.

[thebandit27]

I do! Hell, I was listening to the game last week on the radio b/c I didn't have TV coverage (as per the norm) where I live.

 

Please don't confuse "realism" as a fan with "not being a fan."

 

I'm a huge fan. If I was a casual fan, I'd be more likely to go with the flow around here and say "hey it's going OK at the moment, let's all be happy."

 

You need a plan that is a little better than that if you actually want to achieve results in life.

 

That's not "realism", that's pessimism.

 

Realism is saying that the QB has played well enough for the team to win 2 of its first 3 games, and if he can continue to do that, the team will have a winning record.

 

Pessimism is assuming that what's happened a minority of the time (having a poor game) will be the norm.

[Fadingpain]

We don't have to win 2 out of three.

We have to win 8 of the next 14. To me, that seems quite possible.

 

I disagree, but fair enough. A man is entitled to his opinion!