Jkgobills

We are in year 14 of the rebuild, because we have been without a top 10 QB. We have an OC who doesn't use CJ Spiller in the passing game. We have a talented defense. Our offensive line is good, and might improve with an additional OG. Our Franchise QB is not on our current roster. Looks like in some ways we are better off than we have been in the past 14 years, but not at the QB position.

FWIW I didn't post that I thought it was a bad idea to have an undrafted rookie free agent QB backing up a rookie QB. I thought that was obvious enough that it didn't merit a post. I agree with your point that this is the best the organization has looked during its' 13 year rebuild process. A comparison to the state of the team in the mid eighties is a good one. If our team is following the "Pittsburgh Way" I will be very happy. I also agree with the "Big Ben" comparison for EJ in regards to physical attributes (although my guess is that EJ has significantly higher intelligence than Ben). BUT, injuries happen to every team, every year. I understand that the is a "start over" year for the Bills. As such the depth is awful (not Jax awful though LOL). My hope is that the new regime will be better at understanding what players to retain, and who to let walk than the previous several regimes. That will be the Bills path to victories when injuries occur next year, they have to be able to win some games when they are playing "the next man up".

Every time I watch Greer and Florence play (and Winfield for years before that), I wonder what other players we could have if we weren't chasing their repkacements. Gilmore is looking like a great player and pick, but who could we have taken instead at number 10? Who could we have taken instead of McKelvin? This is a reason for our lack of overall depth. Every team misses from time to time in the draft (we seem to miss a bit more often than average). To build a team with starters and depth they will have to be willing to retain their players that they drafted and developed into quality starters. No one drafts well enough to consistently replace starters every year.

I hope he stays healthy, because he is a lot of fun to watch play football! Congrats to Kiko on a great start!

Put me in the camp of drafting another QB next year. Not because I hate EJ, he seems like a good person. I am rooting for him to fix his footwork issues/ his accuracy/ and his ability to move up in the pocket and deliver the ball. If he fails to be able to do this, by drafting another QB we won't have to start all over. If EJ turns into a franchise QB, whoever we draft will have solid trade value (a previous poster made the analogy to Bree's/Rivers). What a great problem that would be for the Bills to have! Brees was not playing his best football when the Chargers drafted Eli Manning and then traded Manning to the Giants for Rivers and a bunch of picks. Brees became a superstar after Rivers arrived, and ultimately left the team as a free agent with a torn rotator cuff on his throwing shoulder. The Chargers were able to put Rivers in, and remain a playoff caliber team while transitioning the QB position. At that point the football future for Brees was in question. It has obviously worked out that Brees remained a superstar. However, I would take the past 13 San Diego seasons over the past 13 Buffalo seasons. We haven't had one QB during that time, and the Chargers have had two. For a short part of that time, they had two quality QBs at the same time. May the "headache" of having two quality QBs for a couple of years be the Bills biggest problem!

Agree with you on this. His build is more like Big Ben (or for that matter Dante Culpepper per weight gain), than it is like the QBs who are more elusive when running the ball. Also, thanks to the OP for putting this thread together. His accuracy and footwork issues go hand in hand. They were both there at Florida State, and he never got them corrected. Lets hope we have someone on staff that knows how to fix this when he gets healthy.

TJ Graham can't get any separation on the field as a receiver, this may actually be a plus as a guard.

None taken. The point of my post was that the Ravens (who don't strike me as an elite team, but more of one who is trying to re-establish their defense after losing two HOF players in Ray Lewis and Ed Reed), were able to beat an average Houston team. Unfortunately, I rate our personnel behind both teams at many key positions. If I had to bet even money, no way I put a wager on the bills. But it is the NFL, and anybody can win on any given Sunday. And for the Bills to pull it off they will need to beat a team that has more talent than they do. Maybe we can distract the Ravens players with a party bus and some dancers. That could even the odds a bit.

Well said 8 and 8. My over under for wins remains at 4.5. We are one fortunate pass interference call on Luke Keuchly away from being 0-3. Let year 14 of the rebuild commence. Marrone better get Nate Hackett to become a better offensive coordinator quickly or neither one of them will be around for year 16 of the rebuild.

I was at the Ravens game in Baltimore this past weekend. Here is what the Ravens managed to do to the Texans: 1. All but shut down their running game. (That would be Arian Foster and Ben Tate who are better than our tandem). 2. No big plays for Houston WRs (DeAndre Hopkins and Andre Johnson who are better than our tandem of Johnson and ?) 3. Hold Owen Daniels to 5 catches for 29 Yards ( I would grade Daniels ahead of Chandler, but if you wish call it a tie) 4. Do just enough offensively through the air ( Torrey Smith, Dallas Clark) to move the chains. I am not looking forward watching Torrey Smith and Flacco destroy our secondary. 5. Win the special teams battle 6. And win the game without their best offensive weapon Ray Rice, who is out with a hip flexor injury. What I am saying is that they beat a good Houston Defense without their best offensive weapon. We don't have the defense to stop them, and we don't have an offense that will move the ball on them.

Agree with you that Gailey was and is a great offensive scheme designer. His limitations were more in the areas of game day coaching and in game strategies and adjustments. If Hackett doesn't figure out how to use CJ Spiller, the only potentially elite level player that we have on offense, he will be out of a job very soon.

Thanks to Bill in NYC for my favorite post of every week, and all the conversation it creates. Like so many other posters, I have concerns about our rookie HC, OC, and QB. Unfortunately, my biggest concern is with our rookie QB. His accuracy on throws of mid and long distance are a problem. In games I watched him play in college, I saw him struggle with accuracy on these throws. So much so that I was in a bit of disbelief when he was the first QB taken on draft day. During a Sunday session of training camp at St John Fisher I saw him struggle with these throws. Repeatedly throwing the fade route several feet out of bounds. During the win against Carolina I saw him struggle with some of those throws, but we won the game on a great final drive and I thought better of posting any concerns about EJ after that game. Yesterday, I saw the same throws I saw in college, during training camp, and in the two prior games this year. Admittedly, our offensive line struggled, our OC game plan is flawed, and the Jets have excellent defensive coaching. BUT, our rookie QB was making the same bad throws on the same kinds of passes that I have seen him make in every other situation that I have watched him attempt those throws. I am rooting for him to succeed, but there has been nothing that he has done so far that alleviates my skepticism of his ultimate ability to be a top 12 QB in the NFL. I hope he proves me wrong! +1! Hahahaha

Some guys do great with lots of coaching and technique refinement, and some get worse the more they try to think about what they are doing. On the PGA tour there are some very notable names that have had no formal coaching. John Daly and Bubba Watson come to mind. In fact during Tigers recent "slump" Bubba was quoted as saying Tiger was being over coached and should just play. Fitz (and Tebow) both seemed less accurate and less powerful with their throws the more they worked on their technique.

Best to Jim Kelly and Family

So is the best QB we have had, HOF player, huge Buffalo Bills supporter, and my own boy hood idol sick or not? Best wishes if he is. All the detractors need to get a hobby, get a life, and find something better to do with their time.

That video is like looking in the mirror

I hope what we have in EJ Manuel is the amazing athletic gifts and arm strength of Vince Young with the amazing brain of Ryan Fitzpatrick. That combination would be a HOF quarterback.

My buddy is a season ticket holder for Oregon. Says Alonso is an animal on the field. Also says that he won't impress us with his verbal abilities during interviews.

Thanks for posting the video. This guy is not afraid to throw his body around! Can't wait to see how he plays for us!

Lol!

Not worried about the drinking....Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith all drank heavily...that was the last time we were good

This guy should be starting Day 1! Great pick

Looks like he can cover TEs named Gronkowski and Hernandez

On film, Geno Smith reminds me of Aaron Rodgers. Able to read defenses per snap, move in the pocket and throw with accuracy, strong arm, and when he runs he is fast and effective. Similar round 1 draft experiences as well. Watching film on EJ Manuel he reminds me of Vince Young coming out of college. In the Florida State offense it was often a case of pull it down and run if the first or second option was not open. This was what the Jimbo Fisher offense called on EJ to do. Very little time spent in a pocket and having to adjust in the pocket and keep eyes down field. The difference between Vince Young and EJ Manuel is that EJ is intelligent and without character issues. We may have drafted a QB with the god given physical talents of Vince Young, but with the intelligence and character to learn the position and be a tremendous QB. How good could Vince Young been, had he been coachable? For the record, I would have greatly preferred Geno Smith. Now we get to see him twice a year with the Jets. Hope our pick works out well, and EJ Manuel turns into a premier QB! Go Bills!

Hahahah! Nice work