BarleyNY

Just got married recently. It is a sad situation to be sure, but not as sad as if he'd have killed innocent bystanders. Incredibly stupid to get behind the wheel that hammered. Hell, he was even already home.

There is no analysis in that article. Just a list of QBs who have had success and slow starts. Lots of crappy QBs had slow starts, too. Lots of good ones were in far worse shape from a team perspective than Manuel. Few of those mentioned played with the current QB friendly rules. Those QBs should all be rated, not against each other, but against the QBs playing at that time. Sorry, but crap like that doesn't indicate anything about Manuel or any other QB - good or bad. Personally I think it is obvious that he needs to fix some aspects of his game - accuracy, reads, pocket presence, leadership - and that he'd be a very, very good NFL QB if he did. But I also know that that's a lot to ask and that the odds of any QB doing so much are very, very long.

Yup. Saying the right things never has been an issue for Manuel. Too bad he doesn't have it on the field because he is an easy person to root for.

This year he's all the Bills have got (and they'll probably need him). Long term, he can be one elsewhere. No way does it ever work out for a QB to be a back up in a place where he was a first round pick and starter. Too much baggage and the prospect of a never-ending QB controversy looms too large.

Watkins put his toes up to the line. Everyone knows what he meant and that is that in his opinion EJ isn't good enough to play in this league and that he has hope for the team with Orton at QB. It might not have been the classiest way to handle the situation, but he was honest and he is correct. Also the "four games under his belt" comment is complete crap. Sammy was brought to the Bills at a very high cost, but he is already showing he can earn his keep in this league - even after four games. That's something that EJ has yet to do. You want to wager on who ends up with the better career?

I was at Charlie Frye's last Browns game and the reactions of the WRs were basically the same, but worse. On one of his last plays before Frye was benched I watched him miss a read for a wide open Joe Jurivicious. Then I watched JJ stand, looking back at Frye, with his hands on his hips. Just staring at him. There were many similar reactions by the other players that game and when Frye got benched I turned to my friend and said "He'll never take another snap for the Browns again. Never." He was released a day or two later. EJ isn't as bad a Frye and the reactions of the recievers are not as severe (although they are similar in nature) so he isn't a dead man walking. But he's close here in Buffalo.

Until he gets injured.

We need to show him our true dedication beyond just money. Close your eyes and visualize the new, majestic, downtown waterfront EJ Manuel Stadium. It's going to have to be named after him sooner or later anyway.

For every great QB like Favre and Aikman that started out crappy there are scores of QBs that started out crappy and stayed that way. It is one of the worst (and most repeated) logical fallacies spewed out on boards like this. You've got to bring more to the table than "Look, I can name some great QBs that started out poorly, so EJ can be great too!" Aikman, for example, was the first overall pick in his draft and went to a horrible Dallas team. He was an incredibly well rated prospect, however. A slow start for him made a lot of sense due to his surroundings though. Do tell me what is encouraging to you about EJ's game. He was thought of as a talented raw prospect who was big and athletic, but lacked accuracy and pocket presence. Where has he improved so greatly that you are encouraged? His pocket presence has improved, but his accuracy has not and he still misses too many reads.

There is one thing that is keeping Tanny in that starting role - Matt Moore. It was the same with the Jets when Sanchez was starting. The only thing keeping him there at the end was that Tebow would be the guy who would replace him.

Outstanding news. Looks like the Bills are staying.

Make room at the table for me.

Uncertainty breeds discontent. Currently there is ncertainty about ownership, uncertainty about EJ, uncertainty about Sammy's health, uncertainty about Gilmore, uncertainty about Marrone, uncertainty about the Bills' front office and even uncertainty about the Bills staying in Buffalo. I'm surprised that things aren't even worse right now. But I do think that we will see things settle down once new ownership is in place. Success will, of course, depend on how well they run the team - and it will take some luck - but I do see things changing for the better at that point. It will take time, but I see a turnaround after a bottoming out this year.

Bears 24 Bills 17 I think that this is definitely a winnable game for the Bills, but I don't think it happens. After all the last time the bills won at Soldier field was..........never.

You might want to do some of that growing up yourself. Powerful people do often have very strong wills and they do argue at times. (I wouldn't include NFL GMs and HCs as truly powerful people, but whatever.) Powerful people who run organizations don't argue amongst themselves in front of subordinates or the general public or media - and they don't do so in such a childish manner. They do it behind closed doors and present a united front to the subordinates regardless of what happened in private. Public arguing and unprofessional behavior does immense harm to the organization. Once it happens you will start to see divisions in the ranks, flight from the organization, lack of trust, etc. Any adult who has been in the workforce should know this.

I'm starting to think that this was all an elaborate scheme to get the Jills out of having to watch the Bills this year.

I did not like the Marrone hire and I like it even less every day. Big time. And everyone knows it is coming if the Bills don't perform well this year. If you need this explained to you then you should not be allowed on a computer. Disagreements and even heated arguments can be healthy as long as they are professional and in the proper setting. They should never be be in front of players, media, etc. And this one wasn't professional. Hilarious. Thanks for the levity. I know I needed that.

Four pages and counting on a Bills board for JFF trademarking "Johnny Cleveland". That tells you all you need to know about why he's doing it.

Awesome. Hope he has a nice long streak of those.

Full season. Without a doubt. It isn't like there is a young kid with even outside potential behind him. Orton is a known commodity and unless you want to give up on EJ and hand the reins to him for 2015 there is no reason to bench EJ. Now if EJ crashes and burns then we are having a different conversation, but if he has any hope at all you stick with him.

Strong words and totally expected from that douche, Hodge. I'm not even saying he's totally wrong about Manziel. He doesn't belong on an NFL field - at least not right now. Maybe even never. But there's this little gem I can never forget: It's Hodge talking about mentoring a fresh-from-suspension-due-to-multiple-sexual-assault-allegations Ben Roethilsberger. Lots of talk about not judging, how a person can change, etc. Strikingly different tone.

Deflecting blame so the fans aim it at Jones rather than him if JFF hits.

Fan does not equal Pollyanna. Okay, some are Pollyannas and some are pessimists, but some are realists. I try to stay (as firmly as possible) in that last group so I need to see actual reasons to get excited or bummed about something. The Bills haven't given me much. Also I'd note that there are many who bounce between Pollyanna and pessimist depending upon the last game or two. That would make my stomach sick so I try to stay off that ride.

Yes, there is a chance. Not a certainty, however. The league's policy is to collect two samples. Sample A is tested for THC. If a level of 15 ppm or above is found then Sample B is tested for the existence of THC. If positive, the player fails. The issue is that Sample A came in at 16 ppm and Sample B came in at 13.5 ppm. The legal challenge will likely be that there is an issue with the testing/collection procedure since those samples are collected at the same time and should have the same content. Notably the average of the two is below the threshold of a positive test. I think that since the marijuana policy is being renegotiated Gordan might be looking to just draw this out for a bit so the league winds up in the position of fighting to suspend a player for something that is no longer a violation. I could see them giving such a case up due to bad PR.

I'd say the following: - Schwartz is a limited RT and I certainly expect the Browns to look to upgrade him next offseason. He has real issues with speed rushers, but blocks the run well. He is not a Guard, however. - Losing Gordan made a huge difference. He is currently considering suing and filing for an injunction against the league so he can play. - Austin was a Pro Bowler in the 2010 and 2011 seasons, but has been injured a lot the last two. With him healthy and if Gordan comes back that WR corps looks pretty good. Without those two on the field (and there is a very good chance of that being the case) that is a very, very bad WR corps. - Hawkins is actually a very good slot WR. Look for him to rack up some serious yards if Gordon and Austin are on the field. If not, he is in trouble. He needs to be in the slot, not on the edge filling in for one of them. - Teams will force the Browns to beat them through the air. If they can't muster some semblance of a passing game to keep teams honest so the can run the ball (which they really want to do), then they are in deep trouble.