Fadingpain
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Posts posted by Fadingpain
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IMHO, any team without a franchise QB ought to keep drafting QB's, until they get it right. Not necessarily 1st rounders, but perhaps 3rd or 4th rounders. Until a franchise finds THE QB, all else is irrelevant.
This is 100% true, except for the extremely rare situation where you put up the one of the top 5 defenses of all time. Then a mediocre QB who is a game manager, at best, can be good enough.
Our defense looks good at the moment and it has improved in recent years. That's all a positive. But we are not the Seahawks nor are we the 1985 Chicago Bears.
Keep looking for a QB Buffalo! You don't have what you need yet!
Which begs the question, who's hiring all the failed GM's at OBD? And are those people held responsible? Because making decisions out of desperation is not a "vision" for success, yet that's what the Bills have done with their 1st round picks in 2013 and 2014.
If Manuel doesn't succeed in 2014 I think a new owner needs to clean house. That is, if the bidding on the team gets finished anytime soon. Only time will tell.
Sleep well my friend with no worries. The new owner is 100% on the way. I guarantee that. And when he arrives, house will be cleaned. We are on the brink of an entirely new era with the Bills, but we don't realize it yet. A lot of these types of debates occurring in this thread are on the brink of becoming moot. And that is a very good thing, I assure you.
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I think most posters tend to go to the extremes on the EJ issue. Posters are either foolishly in love with EJ and make excuses for his bad performances at every chance or they have foolishly given up any hope and feel EJ sucks now and will always suck. The reality is that most Bills fans, including me, fall in between.
My hope was that the coaches, GM and FO would do the same. In other words, teach, develop and train EJ, but have a contingency plan in case he doesn't develop or isn't the guy, my fear is that instead of doing that, the HC, GM and FO has taken the approach that EJ is indeed the guy and we'll put all our eggs in his basket. IMO, they are acting the part of those posters that are foolishly in love with EJ and they shouldn't, in other words, where is the Bills contingency plan if EJ isn't the guy ??
They don't have one.
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How has this thread reached 16 pages?
EJ needs more time. He has time to get that time. If he'd have played more we'd al be on Marrone. He's an NFL QB, was treated like one and needs to get more regular season time under his belt for ANY of us to evaluate him.
Can't we just accept he's our guy until he's not?
EJ will certainly get more time to develop. He's going to get lots of it because this current regime will sink or swim with EJ's success.
I disagree that we would have all been over Marrone if EJ had more snaps in the HOF Game. I think most feel he needed more work. Maybe the whole first half even.
I also disagree that EJ's entire body of work is insufficient for evaluation. That is obviously debatable and I can see the other side to that argument though.
Lastly, he is definitely "our guy" in terms of the starting QB for this team, at the moment. No other QB currently on this roster has any future whatsoever with the Bills beyond the imminent ownership change in any event.
It's EJ or bust, and he will definitely get his opportunity to prove he can do it.
Thanks! And a good day to you sir!
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Listen to us. Swap out Manuel's name for Rob Johnson, Todd Collins, J.P Losman, Trent Edwards and all the other failed Bills QBs since Kelly and it's the same pattern of exchanges: "He sucks," "Be patient," "He really sucks," "It's too early to judge, you're an idiot," "I'm pessimistic," "Yeah, but what about that one lovely throw?" "He's not going to make it," "It's the O-line and receivers, not him," "Give him time." "Another wasted four years," "You're a fool, what about all the other late bloomers," "I was right all along--he sucks," "Yeah, well, good for you, jerk."
I think we've forgotten what it's like to have a first-rate quarterback on the team. There was a lot of trash about Bledsoe and Flutie, but there was also big time excitement about them (and Kelly at his worst) that never came out with these others--or with Manuel. Be honest--have you ever been really, deep down excited about Manuel? Intellectually, we know he will continue to develop and may--who knows?-- be quite good in the end. Viscerally, we know better. We know what is going to happen.
Great post!
This is it in a nutshell.
We all love the Bills and want them to win. We know they need a real QB to do that. We all want to see a new Jim Kelly--a player with skill, a fighter, and a born leader.
When a young athlete has "it" in any sport, you know it. And it is obvious to everyone, including grandma who doesn't follow sports. EJ isn't that guy and lots of good intentions or well crafted debate in his support is not going to change that.
As an aside, the front office and Marrone have foolishly hitched their wagon to EJ. They have placed all their eggs in his basket, and done a poor job at planning for an EJ failure contingency at QB.
That, combined with new ownership probably in the form of Pegula, will seal their fate.
For all you Marrone haters out there (I'm not one of them) hang in there. This iteration of Bills management and coaching will be gone soon enough when the EJ Project is declared a failure.
Pegula has learned his lesson with the Sabres in terms of maintaining the status quo under his ownership. That didn't work. He won't make the same mistake twice. This whole crew will be gone (Brandon may remain in a pure marketing position; he's good at that) and hopefully we can then start to forget the last 15 years or so.
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Maybe a political run is in the future for him.
Maybe the comment was facetious.
Why is it that you take your comments to the extreme.....that is why there cannot be discussion with you.
LOL. What? How much discussion with me have you attempted?
What shall we discuss? You go first. I insist.
I'm not going to read through 13 pages of this board to see if this has been brought up, but Ill say it right here:
Tuel deserves a shot with the starting unit.
He passes the "eye test" for me... he looks good, commands the huddle, throws a crisp pass, and takes some risks. I'd love to see him throwing to sammy and williams, handing to spiller, and getting reps behind our o line.
at some point this training camp, marrone has to make that move, he would not be doing his diligence if he did not. bills fans can continue to bury their head in the sand all the like, but this team is a train wreck at qb, and tuel may be our only hope.
ej 4-6 as a starter last year, and has looked inaccurate all summer. i know i need to be patient, but i fail to see why qb is the only position on the roster that isn't open to competition.
His arm strength is zero. Any serious discussion about the merit's of this guy's play begin and end right there.
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No, but it does provide context and inject some sorely needed perspective into this debate.
I hear you. But evaluating play in a complex, fluid environment like an NFL football field requires more than some still shots.
EJ's football IQ is low; he does not consistently see the whole field; he thinks things through in slow motion relative to NFL pace, and despite his physical attributes, he is mechanically inconsistent. But he is also a great physical specimen with excellent size, running ability, and arm strength.
This combination of assets and liabilities will yield frustrating, inconsistent play and will prevent him from emerging as an NFL talent as time goes on.
We'll find out soon enough if I'm right or wrong, though we already have way more evidence than some think.
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Yes, the photo analysis clearly demonstrates that EJ is going to blossom into a perfect combination of Kelly, Marino, and Elway.
We all need to relax.
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Tuel's arm strength is nothing close to NFL caliber. It is woefully inadequate. He amply proved that last year.
Other than that, he's great. And it's really no big deal. It's not like a QB is paid to throw a football or anything like that.
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This line can be scary good.
No different than last year; but a high quality team is made up of more than a good defensive line.
Therein lies the rub.
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Hopefully EJ gets to that point.
Tuel has already amply demonstrated he is not the answer, any more than EJ is.
Sadly, what Tuel has, EJ lacks. What EJ has, Tuel lacks. We need the best skills of each to merge into one player. That won't happen anytime soon.
The next Jim Kelly for our team is not currently on the roster. Get used to that.
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The O-line is not without its flaws, but that is true of any team. The fact remains the O line looks as promising for this team as it has looked in a long time. And indeed, that is something to celebrate.
The starting D unit last night looked strong and ready to play as well. Which is obviously another good sign.
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Wait, is it "time will tell" or is it "the debate will change to 'where do we go now'"?
If time will tell, then perhaps you can allow it to do so before claiming clairvoyance?
Har har. My point is you can believe me or not believe me, but time will reveal the situation to all of us. My prediction is EJ turns out to be a bust. If you think he will be the next Jim Kelly, great.
We don't have to debate this and find an answer today. We will all know the answer soon enough.
By the way, you don't have to blindly support EJ or any other Bill simply b/c you love the team and want them to succeed. My criticism of EJ largely stems from my love of the team.
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I think the point the OP is trying to make, is people have already made up their mind on whether EJ has improved or not based on 7 throws in 1 preseason game.
Actually, the HOF game is not about a change one way or the other in EJ's game. He is remarkably consistent going back to FSU.
This little debate over EJ is all fun and games for now. Time will reveal who is right and wrong. Just keep watching.
Soon the debate will change from "Can EJ do it" to "Where do we go now?"
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Alright, so EJ sucks. It's been decided.
Do we start Tuel? How much time does Tuel get?
Who do we draft next year in the 2nd round? Is there a guaranteed vet that we can trade for/sign that would be good?
I just don't get all this gnashing about how he's terrible because (xyz)... what solutions are there?
No we don't start Tuel. He's no better.
This will play itself out. The new ownership will bring in new coaches, and a new plan. And that will include a new QB. All in the passage of time.
In the meantime, let's hope EJ proves me wrong and we go back to the playoffs this year.
Now that would be fantastic.
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Let's retreat to the tried & true method of attacking the posters. How many of the best analysts played the game? Did Joel Buchsbaum ever leave his mother's basement? Yet he was one of the best analysts ever.
There's a lot to gleam from EJ's body language in trying to predict his potential. Right now he's still too much of a robotic terminator to be an effective QB. To steal someone else's analysis, you can almost sense the circuits processing each movement - step to line, take handoff, step back, scan field, throw ball.
All good QBs have a much more noticeable fluidity to their game. He just doesn't look as natural playing the position as he should be and I don't know if this is something that can be fixed. It's not just fixing a throwing motion or correcting a quirky habit. It's almost his entire game needs to be reworked.
You don't need to have played the game to recognize his flaws and question whether there will be enough time to fix them, if they can be fixed at all.
Good post.
EJ is the opposite of Flutie. Flutie had certain physical handicaps, but was a pure baller and football player.
EJ has all the physical attributes in spades, but doesn't know how to play quarterback. We need the mental/amorphous attributes of Flutie stuffed into EJ's body. Then you'd have a hell of a QB to be feared.
Oh well. At the end of this season the EJ project will be over, and we will move forward. With new ownership too. Not a big deal really.
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His mechanics are fine. In fact I love his throwing strength. The game is still too fast for him because...he hasn't played enough yet.
The game was too fast for him at FSU too. He plays with blinders on and sees/thinks way too slowly to ever be what we are all hoping for. Unfortunately.
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This letter is a very cynical, calculated move fueled by a perceived need for desperate action within the JBJ ownership camp.
GOOD. They know their goose is cooked.
For a host of reasons, I believe Pegula will be the new owner.
I think Brandon stays on in a diminished capacity; Pegula has learned his lesson with the Sabres regarding a need for cleaning house.
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Make the easy throws for big plays when they present themselves. That's what Brady and all the good ones can do.
Thad? Not so much.
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He may well have been out, but a game of this "magnitude" doesn't have the full compliment of cameras on hand to show what really happened one way or the other.
For that reason alone, the challenge was probably a bad call by the Miami staff.
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Atta boy Thad! Nice throw. Horribly under thrown, but that will work!
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Jesus, positively miserable conditions!
I say this game is wide open for whoever doesn't want to run for a hot shower first.
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I like Thad, but he is far from being an NFL caliber talent, isn't he?
It's amazing. A high quality NFL QB is the rarest most magical creature on the planet.
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Look on the bright side: this team doesn't need much to get over the hump. These have all been close games.
Another strong draft next year with continued development on the part of EJ and we might start winning all these close games.
I can easily see us being better than 8-8 next year...with the right progress and a good draft.
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LOL. This team will abandon you at the altar more often that not.
But all the games this year have been close.
Positive #1 last night - we have very real depth on the o-line
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted · Edited by Stopthepain
Ugh, I am fairly certain the original comment saying batted balls are a real concern was just facetious.
Irony seems to be lost on a lot of posters on this forum.
The O-Line is as good as it has been in YEARS right now. This is indeed a bright spot on the current team.
Collingsworth made a point of this during the HOF game, but he's right. We should be strong at all 5 positions, with a pretty solid backup for each slot as well. That's huge improvement around here.