A Few Thoughts About The Game, in no particular order.....

[Last Guy on the Bench]

I don't want to pile on, and like many people here, I really like EJ. BUT, it is getting painful to watch.

 

What has convinced me that he may need to sit sooner than later (maybe even next week, I don't know) is that we have open wide receivers all the time. I think our WR core is capable of some greatness - or at least goodness. They are not getting the chance right now, and it has to be eating at them. As others have pointed out, their body language is not good.

 

The defense is clearly playoff caliber - capable of keeping us in any game, even if they are not shutdown scary. The line isn't great, but a QB with a more decisive trigger would make them look a lot better. The WRs are loaded with talent. The RBs are good. Special teams is killing it. This team will win games with a competent QB. I don't know if we have one, but I'd be taking Mr. Orton out for a test drive to find out. He needs some first team practice reps this week at any rate.

[birdog1960]

Its past time to bench EJ. Does the front office care more about its ego or winning? That is what it will come down to. If I want to save my job if I am Whaley I call marone into the office and tell him EJ sits period. The goal is the playoffs, show Pags you are willing to do whatever it takes (including admitting a draft mistake/Benching your ego) to do so.

i'll bet it's the other way around. whaley has much more to lose benching manuel than does marrone

[spillerhighlife]

Watt about the lack of run plays and short passes to spiller and fjax? We went up 10-0 running the ball and stopped in the second half.

[MarkAF43]

Not bringing the EJ factor into it ( he was terrible)

But to me Hackett needs to go. He's running a JV offense and it shows. Regardless of who is at qb with this type of offensive game plan this team is in serious trouble. As others have mentioned, when the D can put all 11 guys within 15 yards of the LOS, you need to have a gameplan to counter it. Hackett can't do it.

 

 

[The Big Cat]

Not bringing the EJ factor into it ( he was terrible)

But to me Hackett needs to go. He's running a JV offense and it shows. Regardless of who is at qb with this type of offensive game plan this team is in serious trouble. As others have mentioned, when the D can put all 11 guys within 15 yards of the LOS, you need to have a gameplan to counter it. Hackett can't do it.

 

Please explain what the game plan should be when a.) your quarterback is gun shy because/and b.) it's a consistent jail break through the offensive line. Specifically what kind of deep game do you expect him to dial up?

[DC Tom]

Can anyone else see that the team and the QB are being coached conservatively to minimize the chance of Manuel making mistakes?

 

Not that he'd be any better with the leash off...but complaining that EJ's game is based on never making a mistake completely misses the root of the problem. Bill's #7 is a good example of this, too...as is the game plan at the start of the game: how many times did they line up a spread formation, empty backfield, RB in the slot, and let the best pass rusher in the game tee off on their mediocre-at-best QB? Completely asinine game plan.

[Best Player Available]

Can anyone else see that the team and the QB are being coached conservatively to minimize the chance of Manuel making mistakes?

 

Not that he'd be any better with the leash off...but complaining that EJ's game is based on never making a mistake completely misses the root of the problem. Bill's #7 is a good example of this, too...as is the game plan at the start of the game: how many times did they line up a spread formation, empty backfield, RB in the slot, and let the best pass rusher in the game tee off on their mediocre-at-best QB? Completely asinine game plan.

Last season Thad or frigging tuel would come in and let them rip. i don't buy it. EJ is looking and worse playing scared.

[Bills Fan of St Augustine]

9) The interception by McKelvin was so off the charts great that its hard to describe. It was the best play of his career, and I have a hard time picturing him ever making a better play. That was a great play for Deion Sanders or Mel Blount. He not only muscled the ball from the receiver, but he went up a mile high. What a freaking play!!!!!

Came to this thread just to make this same comment! Leodis is d'man! Well, for one play anyway. Career highlight for sure!

[LabattBlue]

...Marrone and Hackett are not up to the task. They are sub-par coaches who are WAY over their heads. So is Brandon who hired these Syracuse cronies. Hopefully, they will all be fired, and they can take Whaley with them.

YES, YES, YES and YES. Pegula needs to clean house the day after the season is over, and bring in an experienced NFL executive to rebuild the FO and coaching staff, and go from there. I am so sick of second rate head coaches and the crappy staffs they put together.

 

I don't know how much say Whaley had in the hiring of Marrone, but he needs to be swift and decisive, and has a lot of convincing to do with Pegula just to save his own job. For his sake, I hope the draft pick he traded away does not end up being a top 10 pick.

Edited September 28, 2014 by LabattBlue

[Smears]

ok my point of view.

we blew a 10 point lead and never scored again until a fluke play in the 4th. EJ over looked open receivers, and threw inaccurate almost the whole game. The defense was on the field too often after 7 scoreless possessions. Yet, happened to stop the run and force the texans to throw WITH Fitzpatrick at QB. JJ Watt was the only notable force that our offense couldnt stop. Between him and EJ we had no chance to win. We burn 2 1st half timeouts with in 2 or 3 plays?? Our redzone offense was sh*t yet again. The WRs have no trust in Manuel and I feel the defense is tired of having no support on offense. Goodwin is hurt because of EJ staring down our receivers. Plenty of opportunities to win this game. I almost hated the fact that Mike Williams caught a 80 TD because I didnt have faith that EJ could march us down to score again for the win on the next possession. I am now officially done giving EJ "time" to mature. He has shown little improvement and little confidence. I am now on EJs Bash wagon.

[Bills Fan of St Augustine]

Can anyone else see that the team and the QB are being coached conservatively to minimize the chance of Manuel making mistakes?

 

Not that he'd be any better with the leash off...but complaining that EJ's game is based on never making a mistake completely misses the root of the problem. Bill's #7 is a good example of this, too...as is the game plan at the start of the game: how many times did they line up a spread formation, empty backfield, RB in the slot, and let the best pass rusher in the game tee off on their mediocre-at-best QB? Completely asinine game plan.

Agreed. They game planned around Miami DE Cameron Wake very effectively and then this against arguably the best DE in the league?

[MarkAF43]

 

 

Please explain what the game plan should be when a.) your quarterback is gun shy because/and b.) it's a consistent jail break through the offensive line. Specifically what kind of deep game do you expect him to dial up?

 

I'm not saying a deep game. The team was running fairly successfully but yet our qb throws 40 some odd passes in a game against a team that gave up over 190 on the ground last week? That's poor coaching. It's not like all of a sudden they started shutting down our running game. We just let it die. That's a coaching problem. Good coaches dictate their plan to the other team. Not the other way around.

 

To add. Good coaches adjust to what's working and what isn't. Hackett can't or won't.

Edited September 28, 2014 by MarkAF43

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

EJ sucks plain and simple but I love how you added your hatred of Gilmore

[boyst]

A good coach masks a lot of QB problems. A good QB masks a lot of coaching problems.

 

I did not watch the game. I knew we were going to lose. I knew that Fitz and the Texans were going to win it. Listening to the game and hearing Fitz, good and bad plays, I was still excited to hear what he can do. It was and it is exciting to watch him play. This is not against EJ, what I have said is nothing to take away from him but hearing Fitzpatrick to throw or lining his guys up, etc. It was nice.

 

Either way, not much to say. Yet.

 

But, on regards to Manuel scrambling and looking scared? I was a Fitz fan because he NEVER played scared. The ribs being hurt, the INT's he may throw, nothing scared the guy. That's Fitz magic.

[Fan in San Diego]

Not bringing the EJ factor into it ( he was terrible)

But to me Hackett needs to go. He's running a JV offense and it shows. Regardless of who is at qb with this type of offensive game plan this team is in serious trouble. As others have mentioned, when the D can put all 11 guys within 15 yards of the LOS, you need to have a gameplan to counter it. Hackett can't do it.

 

I wish we hired Frank Reich as the OC. He is killing it in San Diego.

[Max997]

My opinion of EJ up to this point has been that he was at best a backup QB.

 

My opinion of EJ now is that he isn't even an NFL caliber player.

 

What did Marrone say about the preseason? They did not even get into their playbook yet...are they still not into their playbook?

Edited September 28, 2014 by Max997

[MarkAF43]

 

 

I wish we hired Frank Reich as the OC. He is killing it in San Diego.

 

I wish we had an OC that had a gameplan that wasn't easy to figure out for pee wee football coaches.

[Just in Atlanta]

On the bright side, EJ/Hackett took copious amounts of shots downfield, a lack of which we've been complaining about.

 

I give this kid one more game to look like a competent QB. While his play was putrid, he deserves a bit of a break due to the o line's inability to slow down the pass rush. But, yeah, putrid. How many people were wishing we had Fitzpatrick back? Yikes.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Just in Atlanta

[TC in St. Louis]

I was as angry at this game as any in recent memory. We let them off the hook at the end of the first by allowing conversions twice on third and long, and with our db making a horrible play on the td. Then the non-spike was absurd, followed by the 3 yard pass in bounds. Idiotic. All the timeouts were long gone because EJ had to walk to the sidelines to find out magical plays that accomplished little.

 

Then the handoff to Watts for pick 6 after we got the ball on their 20. 14 point turnaround. We should have been up by 20 at that point.

 

Pinned at the 1 yard line, I might have punted on first down. Twice.

 

EJ's in over his head. He should be depressed.

[BADOLBILZ]

I'm not defending Trent Edwards at all but at least he got crushed and suffered a concussion. Before the concussion he actually was pretty good. EJ has had a couple of knee injuries but hasn't put two games together that were good.

 

This is true.....and the NFL is a MUCH kindler and gentler place for QB's now than even when Edwards got knocked out. EJ got chased and tackled a bunch of times today, but QB's used to take brutal hits on the regular and still be expected to play well. I mean Fitz took some f'ing head shots today and nobody will be blaming Fitz' play on pressure....the second hit by Mallet during their TD celebration was harder than anything EJ endured from Watt.