EJ Manuel says benching with Bills sent him into depression

[MJS]

EJ probably was never very good, but I've never seen a worse way of handling a young QB. Man did this organization make it tough. I guess it all came down to the rift between the coaching staff and front office, with Manuel caught in the middle.

 

Good riddance Marrone and all other parties involved are long gone. It feels nice to have an organization with everyone on the same page.

[row_33]

He was the only QB since Kelly to lead a legit 2 minute drive for a winning TD, on the road.

 

[njbuff]

What a mental midget he is/was.

[greeneblitz]

Can't bench young qbs like that, gotta stick it out with them for at least 2 years, only weak and insecure coaches do that garbage. Gotta ignore idiot fans that arent willing to give a young qb time to learn and grow.

[Thurman#1]

They handled him poorly. No question about it.

 

I still don't think he would have ever made it or will make it. But they handled the whole thing poorly.

 

 

25 minutes ago, greeneblitz said:

Can't bench young qbs like that, gotta stick it out with them for at least 2 years, only weak and insecure coaches do that garbage. Gotta ignore idiot fans that arent willing to give a young qb time to learn and grow.

 

 

IMHO the problem wasn't that they benched him but that they started him in the first place. He wasn't ready. Should've developed him and worked (and worked and worked) on his mechanics and fundamentals. He was a smart guy and a hard worker. But with problems in his mechanics. Sit guys like that and keep them working on those issues till they're deep in muscle memory.

 

Looks now like he's never going to be starter-caliber, but there's a small chance that with good development he might've.

 

Edited July 18, 2018 by Thurman#1

[Thurman#1]

2 hours ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

EJ was going in the 2nd at the latest (Chip Kelly was a big fan).  

 

Its ironic you bash Nix/ Whaley for EJ when they traded down, picked up a 2nd that turned into Kiko (runner up DROY and then traded for the very Shady McCoy).  But clearly, the guy who threw for under 2,000 and 58% in the MWC is clearly superior to the 70% passer in the ACC.

 

i think with guys like EJ and Allen (who is a mid round project who got bumped up as well) their development is going to make or break them.  

 

 

Yes, development is going to make or break them ... and pretty much everyone else, really. But yeah, some need a lot more than others. And Allen needs a lot.

 

But no, Allen wasn't a mid-round guy.  He was bumped up, but it happened during the season as people saw him play. Here's Jeremiah's pre-2017 look at him. 

 

"However, there's a quarterback in the Mountain West Conference who could emerge as the best of the bunch."

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000814722/article/first-look-scouting-wyoming-qb-josh-allen

 

"Allen's anonymity ended almost immediately after the final selection of the 2017 NFL draft was made on April 29, when ESPN reporter Adam Schefter said: "There was one personnel director who told me this week that you can put in the books, Josh Allen will be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft next year." "

 

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/20117075/wyoming-cowboys-josh-allen-goes-unknown-no-1-pick-nfl-draft-buzz

Edited July 18, 2018 by Thurman#1

[xxxxxxxx]

54 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

They handled him poorly. No question about it.

 

I still don't think he would have ever made it or will make it. But they handled the whole thing poorly.

 

 

 

 

IMHO the problem wasn't that they benched him but that they started him in the first place. He wasn't ready. Should've developed him and worked (and worked and worked) on his mechanics and fundamentals. He was a smart guy and a hard worker. But with problems in his mechanics. Sit guys like that and keep them working on those issues till they're deep in muscle memory.

 

Looks now like he's never going to be starter-caliber, but there's a small chance that with good development he might've.

 

I will back the muscle memory assertion. And its my biggest worry with Allen. Deep muscle memory requires alot of repetition, and its why mechanic problems can be difficult to diagnose and hard to fix permanently. No one complained about E.J's mechanics before the draft, yet some will claim that he should never have been drafted because of mechanical flaws. Brian Billick has a great take on this and why it ruined his coaching career in the case of Kyle Boller, in that Bollers mechanics would fall apart when he got nervous, and they had no way of knowing that until it was too late because his mexhanics were fine when he was playing well.

 

I'm skeptical with regard to the idea that E.J was said to have mechanical issues before he was drafted, as well. There might have been issues, but you can't always spot these things on tape. You need a specialist who can watch a guy, close up, and that's not always possible in a game situation. EJ started talking about flaws that he had to correct well after he was drafted, and by then it was too late.

Edited July 18, 2018 by MURPHD6

[Domdab99]

I did think he got benched wrongly. Not sure if it would've mattered, but I would've liked to have seen play that whole season. 

[dezertbill]

Meanwhile Michael Jordan gets cut from his HS Basketball team and...

[Buffalo Barbarian]

His inconsistent throwing put me into depression.

 

 

[Doc Brown]

I hated the Josh Allen pick because I really wanted Rosen, but I think he's at least mentally tough and carries a certain confidence/swagger about him that I didn't see in Losman or Manuel.

[8-8 Forever?]

he looked pretty darn good until that knee injury on an ill advised scramble against the Browns in that Thursday night game.  it was all downhill after that

[Royale with Cheese]

The one throw that I’ll always remember is the crossing pattern with Watkins against the Texans.  Watkins running free, Manuel over throws him with a floater.  He was only around 10 yards away and it wasn’t a quick break/timing pattern....still way over threw Watkins. 

 

I knew new his confidence was shot and this was before the benching.  

[Fr. Jerk]

The one throw that I'll always remember:

 

 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2018 by The Jerk

[Pirate Angel]

Never understood taking him in the first round, he wasn't anything special in college. However if you go back and look at the selections after him in 2013 the list wasn't impressive, Xavier Rhodes, DeAndre hopkins, Alex ogletree  are the only names that jump out, not a strong draft class

[Freddie's Dead]

Felt bad for EJ then, still do.  He was winning that Browns game until the knee injury, and he was never quite the same after that.  You could see that Maroon told him to stop running, and he got skittish in the pocket.  He brought the team back against Chicago, then Fred puts Conte into next week.  Winning against the Texans until the JJ Watt play, and Maroon pulled the plug in favor of 3rd and kitty.  Then came the infamous Jax game in London.  Would the EJ story have ended differently if the refs don't call the phantom PI against Nuke?  Completing the monster comeback after the worst 1st half in Bills history?  Jim Kelly-esque, we would have said.  His final game here, looked JP Losman-like, and he was clearly done and needed to go.  I wish EJ well, he deserved better when he was here.

Edited July 18, 2018 by Freddie's Dead

[Bill from NYC]

12 hours ago, JohnC said:

He was a fourth round prospect drafted in the first round. His selection represented the mediocrity and failure of the organization under the aegis of Buddy Nix. Marrone didn't see him as a starting qb in this league. He was right. EJ is a good person with a good work ethic. He can carve out a long and lucrative career as as backup. 

 

I'm confident that this more competent regime will handle the rookie qb much differently than it was handled with EJ. Josh Allen shouldn't be thrown out onto the field until he has a chance to succeed at the position. 

And, they actually traded down 8 spots in that draft. Nix was perfectly willing to risk losing him. As I recall, Geno Smith probably would have been the pick if we lost EJ.

 

Obviously, the Bills never should have been in the position to have to chose between 2 rather lousy qbs. I understand that some don't like the Allen pick but I support that selection 100%. We moved up and did what we had to do instead of passing on Joe Flacco for Leotis McKelvin.

[Mr. WEO]

EJ Manuel says getting home and finding out the drive-through kid shorted him a 10 piece McNugget put him into depression...

[Another Fan]

12 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

Ej is a nice man.  I like him.  But -

 

being a QB in the NFL requires some true mental toughness.   Mental acuity and mental toughness.   You've got to have the heart and the guts to make tough decisions in virtually no time and then to execute.   Very few guys have it, and there's no shame if you don't.  

 

So I'm sorry to say, but I think it's true, that admitting he became depressed when he got benched is just his admission that he didn't have the heart and the toughness it takes to play the position.   Tyrod Taylor could have gotten depressed when he got benched.   He reacted differently.   He said all the right things (which EJ did, too) and then we went back to work.   He didn't let the benching change his attitude.  

 

As each year goes by, I'm more and more impressed at how tough players are in the NFL.   They take incredible physical and emotional beatings and come back for more as if nothing happened.   Taylor has that.  Manuel doesn't.  Edwards didn't.   Fitz does.   Being tough isn't all it takes, but if you aren't incredibly tough, you aren't surviving in the NFL.  

 

It's why it's such a brotherhood.   Those are all real mean in the locker room.  

Yeah it’s the sort of mental toughness aspect of the game you can’t tell at the Combines who has and who won’t in their careers.

 

Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith of the Jets per say didn’t have it as well.  As much as I may not want to admit it this is an area Tom Brady excells exponentially at.  5th or 6th round pick but undeniable work ethic/mental toughness 

[Bill from NYC]

10 hours ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

Weren’t both Allen and EJ MVPs Of the Senior Bowl?

 

Daboll’s OC resume is less than impressive but it’s at least better than Hackett’s when EJ was drafted.  It’s why I wanted Rosen because I don’t trust the Bills to develop a rawer q.b. We will see.

I have a feeling that you are going to like Daboll more that you might think. He didn't have full control at Alabama and there is much speculation that he wanted Tua in there for a long time.

 

I was quite fond of his work with the Tide. He wasn't as pass crazy as Kiffen but he sure did develop the young receivers.

 

My worry is the Bills OL, not Coach Daboll but we shall see.

12 hours ago, BUFFALOBART said:

Reality slapping you in the face can be depressing, I guess....

EJ was a coward on the field. Tyrod wasn't.

 

Harsh but I gotta take your back on those comments.