Archives for October 26, 2015

'It was a dreadfully played game. You’re welcome, England. Seriously, the U.K. should appeal to the World Trade Organization if the NFL insists on importing such a rancid product.'

'Over the past couple of weeks, Manuel had an opportunity to prove his doubters wrong. Instead, he showed that the criticism is warranted. He is, at best, a backup quarterback. He's not the starting quarterback the Bills were looked for when they drafted him in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.'

'The loss put a big dent in Coach Rex Ryan’s plans to lead the Bills to their first playoff berth of this century.'

'The Bills had a mountain to climb and Manuel, who was deputising for their injured regular quarterback Tyrod Taylor, hardly appeared the man to do it. But the Bills had no other option: they had traded their other backup, Matt Cassel, to the Dallas Cowboys last month.'

'Opinions vary, but those I spoke to at Wembley thought there were more people in Jacksonville Jaguars jerseys both on Sunday and when the Miami Dolphins faced the New York Jets on 4 October than compared to a year or two ago. And that might be significant too. Because if here were to be a London franchise, the Jaguars – who are owned by Fulham’s owner Shahid Khan – are probably the most likely candidate.'

'Trailing 27-13, Rex Ryan’s words inspired his team to continue their comeback after the restart. A 58-yard touchdown from Manuel to Marcus Easley, following by a successful two-point attempt, made the score 27-24 before Bortles seemed to have thrown the game away when his aimless pass was intercepted and returned to the end zone by Bills safety Corey Graham.'

'Admittedly, he got very little help from his offensive line and missed injured wide receiver Sammy Watkins, but his decision making and lack of poise were not befitting of a former first-round pick as the game began to spiral out of his control.'

'But with just over two minutes left, and the Jags looking to have blown their chance to score a TD, a pass interference penalty flag put them back on the front foot and wider receiver Allen Hurns caught the game winning 31-yard pass from Bortles with a spectacular diving catch.'

'The Bills were made to pay for a dreadful second quarter in which they conceded 27 points.'

'Manuel's early struggles allowed Jacksonville to take a big lead, but Manuel led the rally until the Jaguars took the lead for good in the final minutes.'

'"I don't think I necessarily cost the team the game," said Manuel, who made his second straight start in place of the injured Tyrod Taylor.'

'Running back Karlos Williams, tackle Seantrel Henderson, wide receiver Percy Harvin, defensive tackle Kyle Williams, wide receiver Sammy Watkins and guard John Miller were also listed as inactive.'

'"To have back-to-back turnovers, is very tough," Manuel said.'

'The Bills would have one more chance with less than two minutes left, but Manuel and the Bills were stopped with 53-seconds left and the Jaguars would run out the clock.'

' If the Bills have to play Manuel again, they're doomed. After his performance against Jacksonville, I don't need to see Manuel take another snap in a Bills uniform. After his third turnover in the span of two and a half minutes, I was screaming for Rex Ryan to put in the backup quarterback even though I couldn't remember who it was! It really didn't matter at that point.'