scribo Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) I am very hopeful the Bills will have its first real quarterback competition in several years this spring and summer. Challenge makes everyone better, so I am excited not just to watch the competition but even more so to see how it helps the winner best lead the team. It is my hope that whoever proves himself to presently be the best overall quarterback will win the job and that Greg Roman will then tailor the offense to the winner's abilities. But there seems to be a lot of belief that Roman has a structure already in the works and will look for which QB best fits his plans. I see pros and cons with each QB going into the competition, which should start in OTAs. Who do you think has the best chance and why? Please, we don't need the "they all suck" comments on this thread. I personally think Matt Cassel has the advantage going in because of his experience. And I believe Tyrod Taylor has an advantage over EJ Manuel because of superior scrambling abilities and arguably better NFL training. I read a lot of comments on the Stadium Wall saying EJ will rise to the top, but I am not sure why. Size and draft position doesn't mean anything at this point. The team's senior leadership is no longer tied to EJ. Before the Taylor signing, I thought EJ's advantage was his youth, mobility and unknown potential. But he lost those leverages. I am glad for that, as this competition needs to be about who actually plays the best. Edited March 22, 2015 by scribo
chris heff Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 I appreciate the sentiment, but this has already been beaten to death. You are going to get a lot of post that are just re-hashing. I for one am going to refrain from comment and let this play out.
K D Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) I'll play the game... Cassel Pros: NFL veteran and former pro bowler, has the experience Cons: does not have a great arm, is not mobile EJ Pros: Big, strong, athletic, hard worker Cons: accuracy problems and not a great feel for the game Tyrod Pros: Super athletic, great runner Cons: accuracy issues, antsy in the pocket and wants to scramble I think Cassel will have the advantage early because as a veteran he has studied multiple NFL offenses and he will probably pick up the new playbook the fastest and he will make the safe plays so initially he will look the best. I think they want EJ to succeed because he is the young, cheap option. So he might get a slight edge if the competition is close, whether they want to admit it or not. He has the second most game experience (only 14 starts) but the least amount of overall NFL experience only being in the league 2 yrs. He needs to improve his accuracy or the receivers will get mad at him pretty fast and he will lose their support. I think Tyrod is a wildcard. Nobody really knows how well he can play at this point. He looks good in the preseason vs 2nd and 3rd string guys, but how will he look vs the first string? Typically, running QB's aren't as successful in the NFL because the players are faster and they can't scramble the way they did in college and get away with it. If he relies on his legs then he will have issues when he can't escape pass rushers like Jerry Hughes who are just as fast as he is. If he can show he is a pocket passer then he can be considered a legitimate third horse in this race. Edited March 22, 2015 by kdiggz
Kemp2Warlick Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 I'll play the game... Cassel Pros: NFL veteran and former pro bowler, has the experience Cons: does not have a great arm, is not mobile EJ Pros: Big, strong, athletic, hard worker Cons: accuracy problems and not a great feel for the game Tyrod Pros: Super athletic, great runner Cons: accuracy issues, antsy in the pocket and wants to scramble I think Cassel will have the advantage early because as a veteran he has studied multiple NFL offenses and he will probably pick up the new playbook the fastest and he will make the safe plays so initially he will look the best. I think they want EJ to succeed because he is the young, cheap option. So he might get a slight edge if the competition is close, whether they want to admit it or not. He has the second most game experience (only 14 starts) but the least amount of overall NFL experience only being in the league 2 yrs. He needs to improve his accuracy or the receivers will get mad at him pretty fast and he will lose their support. I think Tyrod is a wildcard. Nobody really knows how well he can play at this point. He looks good in the preseason vs 2nd and 3rd string guys, but how will he look vs the first string? Typically, running QB's aren't as successful in the NFL because the players are faster and they can't scramble the way they did in college and get away with it. If he relies on his legs then he will have issues when he can't escape pass rushers like Jerry Hughes who are just as fast as he is. If he can show he is a pocket passer then he can be considered a legitimate third horse in this race. good post
Big Turk Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) I think Cassel will win this competition. He has shown to be a very capable starter in this league, making the playoffs and the pro bowl. He has never had anything close to the offensive talent around him that we have on this team. Matt Cassel will step in and play the Alex Smith role for Greg Roman that he had under San Francisco where he basically resurrected his career after people openly wondered if he would be out of football shortly. They went to the playoffs with Smith and even as Smith was replaced by the more dynamic Kaepernick, Smith still was playing very good football for the 49ers at the time... I think Cassel is actually a better QB than Orton, and will have us in the playoffs this year with people around the NFL talking about how he is going to turn into the next Rich Gannon(another middling QB for most of his career before going to a very offensively talented team with the Raiders and turning into a pro-bowler for the end of his career) here... His best season with KC(27 TD and 7 INT---93 QB Rating) came with a young Jamaal Charles, Dwayne Bowe and a healthy Tony Moeaki, who seemed on the brink of stardom before injuries derailed him. He has all that, plus Harvin and Wood here with the Bills...don't be surprised if he is a borderline pro-bowler this year for the Bills... In his other good season with New England, he had Wes Welker, Randy Moss, Ben Watson and Kevin Faulk catching passes for him. No real running game. We have far more offensive talent than that team as well... Edited March 22, 2015 by matter2003
dwight in philly Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 I think Cassel will win this competition. He has shown to be a very capable starter in this league, making the playoffs and the pro bowl. He has never had anything close to the offensive talent around him that we have on this team. Matt Cassel will step in and play the Alex Smith role for Greg Roman that he had under San Francisco where he basically resurrected his career after people openly wondered if he would be out of football shortly. They went to the playoffs with Smith and even as Smith was replaced by the more dynamic Kaepernick, Smith still was playing very good football for the 49ers at the time... I think Cassel is actually a better QB than Orton, and will have us in the playoffs this year with people around the NFL talking about how he is going to turn into the next Rich Gannon(another middling QB for most of his career before going to a very offensively talented team with the Raiders and turning into a pro-bowler for the end of his career) here... His best season with KC(27 TD and 7 INT---93 QB Rating) came with a young Jamaal Charles, Dwayne Bowe and a healthy Tony Moeaki, who seemed on the brink of stardom before injuries derailed him. He has all that, plus Harvin and Wood here with the Bills...don't be surprised if he is a borderline pro-bowler this year for the Bills... In his other good season with New England, he had Wes Welker, Randy Moss, Ben Watson and Kevin Faulk catching passes for him. No real running game. We have far more offensive talent than that team as well... very nicely done.. i especially agree with the alex smith comparison..
DirtDart Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) I'll play the game... Cassel Pros: NFL veteran and former pro bowler, has the experience Cons: does not have a great arm, is not mobile EJ Pros: Big, strong, athletic, hard worker Cons: accuracy problems and not a great feel for the game Tyrod Pros: Super athletic, great runner Cons: accuracy issues, antsy in the pocket and wants to scramble I think Cassel will have the advantage early because as a veteran he has studied multiple NFL offenses and he will probably pick up the new playbook the fastest and he will make the safe plays so initially he will look the best. I think they want EJ to succeed because he is the young, cheap option. So he might get a slight edge if the competition is close, whether they want to admit it or not. He has the second most game experience (only 14 starts) but the least amount of overall NFL experience only being in the league 2 yrs. He needs to improve his accuracy or the receivers will get mad at him pretty fast and he will lose their support. I think Tyrod is a wildcard. Nobody really knows how well he can play at this point. He looks good in the preseason vs 2nd and 3rd string guys, but how will he look vs the first string? Typically, running QB's aren't as successful in the NFL because the players are faster and they can't scramble the way they did in college and get away with it. If he relies on his legs then he will have issues when he can't escape pass rushers like Jerry Hughes who are just as fast as he is. If he can show he is a pocket passer then he can be considered a legitimate third horse in this race. Well thought post. Great arguments for each. I for one think EJ will be the starter opening day. His intangibles, and the fact he won't need to carry the team will suit him well. Whichever wins the job, I am very excited to watch this offense this year. We have more weapons on that side of the ball than we have had in years. My worry is the line. Edited March 22, 2015 by DirtDart
Beef Jerky Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 I dont care who really wins as long as they don't turn the ball over.
EmotionallyUnstable Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 I'm hoping EJ because of the change in staff and increased experience. But realistically, I see Cassel winning this competition. He is the most experienced and is mobile enough.
Mr. WEO Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 I'm hoping EJ because of the change in staff and increased experience. But realistically, I see Cassel winning this competition. He is the most experienced and is mobile enough. Increased experience?
Bill from NYC Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 My projected depth chart is Cassel/Tyrod/EJ.
EmotionallyUnstable Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Increased experience? He sat almost a year behind an experienced NFL QB and is a year older. Yea, it isn't game experience, but helpful nonetheless
17 Josh Allen Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) my projected depth chart is RG3 via trade with Cassell backing him up with Tyrod Taylor as 3rd string. Edited March 22, 2015 by billsareback
scribo Posted March 22, 2015 Author Posted March 22, 2015 my projected depth chart is RG3 via trade with Cassell backing him up with Tyrod Taylor as 3rd string. Have you watched the RGIII saga? Really watched it? I just moved back to WNY but I still work in DC. There is no part of RGIII I want in Buffalo. I see Cassel starting because of his salary cap hit I am quite confident that will have no play in this. And the misnomer mentioned by others that EJ is the cheapest option is incorrect. If EJ were to start and do well this season, he'd possibly holdout next year and would certainly be getting a big extension. Taylor has the lowest cap hit this year, and his contract is structured so that he'd be an affordable starter.
/dev/null Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Cassel will be the starter Taylor will be the game day backup. Roman will draw up a few Wildcat type packages where they swap out MC for TT Manuel will be inactive emergency QB. If Cassel gets hurt or benched, EJ leapfrogs TT into he starting job
thebandit27 Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 I think the best case scenario is for EJ to step up and win the job. That's going to have to mean that he irons out the lower body mechanics and gets comfortable throwing his receivers open--he CAN do it physically; he just hasn't trusted himself enough. Otherwise it's likely to be Cassel, which is uninspiring IMO.
BobbyC81 Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 I am very hopeful the Bills will have its first real quarterback competition in several years this spring and summer. Challenge makes everyone better, so I am excited not just to watch the competition but even more so to see how it helps the winner best lead the team. It is my hope that whoever proves himself to presently be the best overall quarterback will win the job and that Greg Roman will then tailor the offense to the winner's abilities. But there seems to be a lot of belief that Roman has a structure already in the works and will look for which QB best fits his plans. I see pros and cons with each QB going into the competition, which should start in OTAs. Who do you think has the best chance and why? Please, we don't need the "they all suck" comments on this thread. I personally think Matt Cassel has the advantage going in because of his experience. And I believe Tyrod Taylor has an advantage over EJ Manuel because of superior scrambling abilities and arguably better NFL training. I read a lot of comments on the Stadium Wall saying EJ will rise to the top, but I am not sure why. Size and draft position doesn't mean anything at this point. The team's senior leadership is no longer tied to EJ. Before the Taylor signing, I thought EJ's advantage was his youth, mobility and unknown potential. But he lost those leverages. I am glad for that, as this competition needs to be about who actually plays the best. I just hope for once that one QB stands out and it's not just the case that one wasn't as bad as the others.
Formerly Allan in MD Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 I think Cassel will win this competition. He has shown to be a very capable starter in this league, making the playoffs and the pro bowl. He has never had anything close to the offensive talent around him that we have on this team. Matt Cassel will step in and play the Alex Smith role for Greg Roman that he had under San Francisco where he basically resurrected his career after people openly wondered if he would be out of football shortly. They went to the playoffs with Smith and even as Smith was replaced by the more dynamic Kaepernick, Smith still was playing very good football for the 49ers at the time... I think Cassel is actually a better QB than Orton, and will have us in the playoffs this year with people around the NFL talking about how he is going to turn into the next Rich Gannon(another middling QB for most of his career before going to a very offensively talented team with the Raiders and turning into a pro-bowler for the end of his career) here... His best season with KC(27 TD and 7 INT---93 QB Rating) came with a young Jamaal Charles, Dwayne Bowe and a healthy Tony Moeaki, who seemed on the brink of stardom before injuries derailed him. He has all that, plus Harvin and Wood here with the Bills...don't be surprised if he is a borderline pro-bowler this year for the Bills... In his other good season with New England, he had Wes Welker, Randy Moss, Ben Watson and Kevin Faulk catching passes for him. No real running game. We have far more offensive talent than that team as well... Cassel is a better quarterback than Orton. EJ may easily be beaten out by Taylor. They may still keep EJ around on a prayer.
Profitspro Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) The consensus opinion is that Cassel will be our starting QB with Tyrod as our backup. It is my assertion that with QB coach in the person of Lee and Roman a proven OC it would stand to reason that EJ and Tyrod may be beneficiaries of good coaching and after a spirited competition If Cassel wins it could mean that he may have captured some of those skills he displayed with the Patriots and KC....... If EJ wins it could mean that the combination of his time sitting behind Orton and the pre-season may have improved his skills.... if Tyrod wins it may be evident to the coaching staff that he possesses raw talent that could produce good QB play for the Bills. I look forward to a good QB competition. May the QB that presents the best skill set for the team talent win Edited March 22, 2015 by Profitspro
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