BuffaninATL

BINGO, you nailed it Utah ! K9, I'd really appreciate getting your insight on EJ's playing days @ FSU.......as a (mainly) SEC fan, I did not see him much at all. Does the EJ we are seeing now resemble the EJ you saw @ FSU? Can you elaborate?

that is such a red herring it is laughable...how about Reed over the middle getting hit in stride by an accurate throw from JK? The issue is not a WR being unwilling to get hit, it is justifiable frustration with a QB who can't make routine throws and, even worse., is putting his WRs in awful positions to get blown up.

I apologize if this has been quoted elsewhere, but I thought it was very revealing insight..... "I pointed out last week that Manuel got one of his receivers killed against the Chargers. Poor Marquis Goodwin had to be taken off the field after being splattered by safety Eric Weddle. The crash test dummy last Sunday was Robert Woods. Manuel again threw him into a big hit against the Texans. There was only about 25 seconds left in the half from their own 48-yard line. Instead of trying to push the ball down the field, Manuel stared down Woods on a very short in-and-out route and led him right into a big hit by cornerback Darryl Morris, one of two Texans defenders just standing there waiting to take Woods' block off. Woods' body language has clearly suggested frustration with Manuel's inaccurate passing several times this season. This time, Woods got up shaking his head as the team lined up to spike the ball. After the spike, I noticed that Fred Jackson, a team captain, made sure to stay between Woods and Manuel, talking to Woods as Manuel appeared to try to say something ... maybe apologize? Woods never even turned to look in Manuel's direction the whole time, and I can only imagine how that conversation with Jackson went. From that point on, every time Manuel threw a pass to Woods that was off target, Woods would get up and slam the ball to the ground. His fellow receiver Mike Williams got into the act, jumping up and down in frustration after Manuel missed him on two different deep balls. I already pointed out, in last week's Notebook, Watkins' refusal to reach out for a pass that likely would have gotten him blown up. Wide receivers usually aren't the type to fight, with the obvious exception of Steve Smith, but in this instance I think they were about ready to give E.J. a "Code Red." " http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/10/1/6880601/kyle-orton-buffalo-bills-ej-manuel-afc-east

Exactly.....and give Marrone credit for recognizing that he has talent (young & veteran) who don't deserve to have their efforts squandered due to one player's inadequacies. He would have lost the room had he continued to let the ship sink with EJ.

why the metric of 16 games ? is that a magic # ? .... look at Bridgewater Sunday, it's not magic. Either you have it or you don't. Would you be OK with watching more games like Sunday's, an eminently winning game that we should have won going away with AVERAGE QB play ?

yes we sure do know what EJ is; very inaccurate, inconsistent, and he has poor field vision. Ask the FSU alumni if this is the same EJ from college and they will say yes. If you can't see that I am afraid you're in denial. The jury is out if he will improve but I wouldn't bet on it.

this....I second the motion; what we need most now is basic competence at the position - someone who can see the field, hit the open receiver, and not get said receiver decapitated in the process. If Hackett doesn't blow up each game with a crappy game plan, we might be OK

love it love it love, Gruden is calling for Garropolo !!!

Who is Manwel ?

are you serious? does "work on his game now" mean he will magically improve his accuracy, see the field better, not miss wide open receivers, and stop throwing the ball like it's a banana? Everyone can see what EJ is, and there is talent on this team that cannot afford to be squandered like yesterday. He should have been yanked during the game while we had multiple chances to win it. Because of this, we should be 3-1, not 2-2.....this is the bottom line.

PUH-leeze - - I hope you are being sarcastic but I fear you are not. The 80 bomb to Williams was clearly nothing more than completely busted coverage by the Texans; plus, MW had to wave his arms frantically for EJ to even notice. Spiller is old? Huh ?? 50 plus passes a game for EJ? Seriously - what planet are you on?

sorry, I'm calling BS on the bolded parts....the NFL is a win now league (in our case, now = 14 years of no playoffs). You don't put a young coaching staff together so that we can hope they " can learn from their mistakes. " This is NOT the way successful NFL franchises are built. And EJ's potential is easily questioned when you see his remarkably poor fundamentals, inaccuracy, and very poor visibility."Learning from mistakes" is something you do with a high school team, not an NFL team.

Hope is not a strategy - please see my post here @ 11:19pm http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/171419-a-few-thoughts-about-the-game-in-no-particular-order/page__st__140

just curious - why one more half? Seems random

thank you, and I agree with you. It seems like he throws when he clearly has room to run, and when he does run he seems to be unaware of down/distance

sorry, I should have been more specific and used examples; like others have mentioned, the play-calling in particular. Against, a run-porous Houston D, why did Hackett call 44 pass plays? It's not like the Bills were behind by alot at any point in the game. How about a pass play from their own 1 yd line when EJ is clearly struggling? Why the insistence on running CJ up the middle? How about trying to find a way to get CJ/Sammy the ball in space? Our offense is so predictable it's a joke. I could go on but I hope you get my drift.

so here are my thoughts, in no particular order: this was a demoralizing game to watch; unlike the SD game, which was clearly played against a superior team, this was a loss against a lesser team. Any way you want to slice it, we gave away a very winnable game due to one player's inadequacies: EJ Manuel, who happens to play the most important position in the game. The 2-0 start now seems like a mirage and playoff teams simply don't give away games like today's Many have commented in this thread about the poor offensive game plan; I'll add this - great coaches put their players in the best position to make plays; this OC does the opposite This team has talent on both sides of the ball - lots of it. It's a damn shame it's being squandered by an inept OC and a substandard QB Speaking of EJ, I for one am skeptical of potential improvement with more coaching/development; I mean, can coaching improve glaring deficiencies in accuracy, mechanics, decision-making, situational awareness, and heart? I think not. Speaking of mechanics, EJ looks like he is a pushing a shot put....it's pretty obvious when you are called out by Jim Kelly and someone like Solomon Wlicots He is missing WRs in spades (every game) and is going to get a teammate killed as he insists on throwing a crappy 5 yard pass to a WR/RB who has a target on his head. These are awful weaknesses. When was the last time you saw EJ really, truly inspire his teammates with exceptional play or carry the team on his back? NEVER Don't give me this crap about "he's only played 15 games, give him time" - that has been debunked countless times. We needed to win this frigging game and this HC was afraid to make a ballsy decision and give Orton the ball. What's more important Doug - winning the game or hurting someone's feelings? I worry about the psyche of this team; can they handle a loss like this while giving everything they have to win the damn game if not for the ineptitude of their QB? I am especially feeling bad for guys like Kyle and FredEx, guys who have given everything to this organization and city but are fast approaching the end of their careers...... I hope Pegula makes his mark soon on this team. I feel badly for the people of WNY who are sold hope every offseason, then have to live through a dumpster fire during the season. I know how much this team means to the entire region, how proud Buffalonians are, and feel terribly bad about the crap endured by the most loyal fan base in all of sports because of terrible decision-making, coaching, and personnel management.

sorry, but I'm calling BS on you - that pass was a bit low but catchable; did Sammy tell you he took that play off? It was just a dropped pass, nothing more.

sorry, but I'm calling BS on you - that pass was a bit low but catchable; did Sammy tell you he took that play off? It was just a dropped pass, nothing more.

I was always that in mixed company (outside of family) to never discuss politics or religion (....or football, for that matter) I almost hate to ask what religion would compel you to offer such a corrosive opinion of a particular news outlet - I thought (most) religions were supposed be tolerant of differing trains of thought/opinion? Or maybe I shouldn't ask the question??? I would rather keep the conversation to the Bills, as this is a Bills message board, but you dangled some pretty low-hanging fruit -

ah great, da Beelz ......

Are you suggesting our guards get medical coverage thr ough Medicare or is it Medicaid ??......... Oh I get it, I think you meant MEDIOCRE....

Really? Are you serious? So in your mind, an opinion from someone outside WNY/CNY doesn't count because why exactly ? Your geographic "elitism" would be pretty comical if it wasn't so arrogant. Hey Pearl, news flash - there are plenty of us around the country who follow this team closely and have for many years, so please lose your grip on what makes a real "fan"

very unintelligent and unfunny

is Manuel really that difficult to spell ?