1billsfan

Wrong, Doug Whaley has ties to EJ. It's well known that he was a big factor in the decision to draft him in the 1st round. It's also been reported that during the head coaching interview process that Whaley made sure the new head coach would be on board with developing Manuel in his important third make or break year. The young Whaley is poised to becoming considered one of the best GMs in the league. The one thing that would demolish that more than anything would be if he traded Manuel after only two years and Manuel became a stud starting QB for someone else. There is no recovering from that unless the Bills found their own stud QB along the way. Whaley wants to see what Manuel does this year before he will move on. Rex and Roman no doubt knew the deal before they came here. The whispered reports of his demise are probably meant to let EJ know his developmental time is coming to a close and also to fire EJ up to the max and see if that helps push him over the top.

There's a tale of two veteran QBs in those "starts" stats. Fitzpatrick had been on the ascent the last four years while Cassel has been on the descent. IMO Cassel hasn't fully recovered professionally since being benched for Brady Quinn. Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick has been a "balls to the wall" warrior (a flawed one, yes) in these last four years. In short, IMO Fitzpatrick still has some fight left in him while Cassel doesn't. Only real games will tell the tale though. If he wins the job then we shall see if he plays as good as he thinks he will play.

Fitzpatrick has had 81 TDs over the last 4 years and Cassel has had 30. Fitzpatrick's QB rating is over 10 points higher than Cassel's during the last four years. Yet we are to believe that Cassel is somehow BETTER than Fitzpatrick? IMO Cassel is a QB who may look good in practice, but will fold under real game pressure because he has lost his intestinal fortitude for the starting QB role. I think instead of comparing Cassel to Alex Smith, the better comparison may be Matt Shaub. As for thinking that he's better than Fitzpatrick, that's obviously not true. Fitzpatrick is still a warrior with the starting QB mentality. Cassel can talk a good game and sound confident all he wants, but IMO he has lost that mental edge when you look at his stats. He strikes me as a guy who made his way in the NFL, is very satisfied, very comfortable, and is now more interested in avoiding injury to protect himself after football than he is in holding the ball that extra second and taking that hit in the pocket to make a big play. I will be very bummed out if Cassel wins the job. Better to find out what Manuel or Taylor have in terms of becoming the Bills franchise QB. Both QBs are at least as good as Cassel would be in real games.

I think the Bills would be wise to keep tabs on Hundley's development in the next year or two. He's a QB that needs to sit and learn and who better to learn from than the best in the league. If in two years the Bills are still floundering at the position and Hundley looks like solid starter material, then he'd definitely be a realistic option to trade for. Also, Green Bay would probably look to deal him to an AFC team first. There's no harm in letting another team develop your possible future franchise QB (who is raw) in a place like Green Bay where he's not expected to be the savior and therefore not pressed into action before he's ready.

Reading his draft profiles and watching videos of college and preseason games. He just has that look of that try hard, "gym rat" type who almost never rises above mediocre at the NFL level. Also, his passes look very slow to me for him to ever become a real threat in the NFL. Go watch the video of his preseason games. That just doesn't look like a potential top 10 NFL QB to me. He looks and plays like Christian Ponder.

I was giving a "ceiling/floor" range. Sorry if that wasn't clear. I think that both Dalton and Fitzpatrick suck. Dalton sucks less because he can win regular season games, but he turns into a major p___y once he reaches the playoffs. Fitzpatrick is a reliable back up QB. That's the ceiling and floor for Garapolo IMO.

I think it would be more telling if the Bills #1 defense were getting owned by the Bills offense which is installing a brand new offense. I hope to hear about some flashes of brilliance out there, but I'm not expecting anything looking consistently great with any of these QBs. They need to get comfortable with the plays first, only then should you expect to see the 11-11 offense start looking really good no matter who the QB is.

Garapollo is one of these guys who may do a lot of things well, but he doesn't have that one or more above average skill(s) that would make him into anything more than a Dalton or Fitzpatrick type of NFL QB. That's appears to be his range, top 15-20 to quality backup ability.

There are so many obvious signs to let just a regular fan, let alone a seasoned NFL beat reporter, know that the story of EJ being possibly cut is complete b__s__. If the Bills truly were thinking along those lines wouldn't they have drafted a QB in the 2nd or 3rd round? Yes, they would have. The Jets did draft a QB and not only didn't think of cutting Smith, they actually named him the starter. It's so funny that the Bills pulled the wool over so many reporters and fans eyes who wanting to believe it's possibly true. IMO the Bills were using the media to turn the heat up on Manuel and get him to play both angry and hungry to win the job. They want to see EJ Manuel at his most ready and motivated and felt that this was the best way to do that.

2012 called and wants to mock you.

Marrone didn’t know what he was doing on offense and Wiz was just proving his point with specific examples, not excuse making. Another example of Marrone’s cluelessness was that the Bills were ranked 29th in red zone offense in 2013 and 30th in 2014. Given this clear example of ineffective offensive coaching, just about anybody could have head coached last years Bills team to a 9-7 record. Speaking of Bill Parcells, he would also scream at Phil Simms for not throwing enough interceptions because that meant to Bill that Phil wasn’t taking enough chances. That’s the difference between a poser head coach like Marrone who faints over the thought of turnovers and a HOF head coach like Parcells who trusts in his players at all times. As much as Marrone liked to pretend he was Parcells, he was the polar opposite.

Roman's comment on the QB competition in which he said, "Once we get through OTAs I’ll probably have an opinion" tells me that he will pencil in (in his mind at least) the starter after this week. He said that he'll keep it to himself which is good. However, you have to wonder if he might break his silence somewhat (obvious hints) if Manuel or Taylor play way above the competition. What's great is that there is no more just talking about which QB is best or getting cut or who the coaches really favor, we get to hear about actual stuff that happens on the field now. That will be extremely refreshing.

Nice find there! Manuel sounds like a cool, calm and collected man if that video. He aint a 23 year old rookie anymore, dude has grown up both physically and maturity wise. Doesn't mean anything of course other than the Bills players may be more receptive to seeing him as their QB to make a run at the playoffs and Superbowl this year. Dang, if Manuel actually does become a solid franchise QB this year Doug Whaley will seriously start looking like a growing legend.

There are a lot of fans here who are gullible enough to believe the crap in the media that EJ's status as a Bill is in jeopardy because they want to believe it to be true. I think they hate on EJ because they thought he was going to become an instantly great QB like Andrew Luck or Russell Wilson. They simply ignored the stories that he was raw and would take at least two or three years to develop into a good NFL starting QB. I'll include Vic Carruci as also being gullible, because he actually bought what the Bills were selling and put it out there in print. Vic may be a very good writer, but that story proves he can't be relied upon as a credible source of information. I was watching First Take yesterday (horrible show, yes I know) and they were debating whether it was ok for the Jets to name Geno Smith as their starter. The debate wasn't whether he was on the chopping block to get cut, it was whether he was the starter or should he be in open competition with Fitzpatrick and Petty. That right there should tell everyone here that the Bills have no intention of cutting EJ Manuel. Stable NFL organizations don't just cut developing QBs after only two years. Manuel is actually a better all around QB than Smith, yet we're asked to believe that he may be cut while Smith is named a starter for the Jets? LOL Yet the Bills got away with playing a lot of people and local media. I think that the Bills used guys like Vick and Joe B as tools to tear EJ down so that they can build him up. The Jets took the opposite approach. Neither QB is getting cut this year.

Isn't it? The key part was that he was gushing about Manuel off camera. It's funny how many twists and turns have happened with who's going to be the Bills starter since that interview, as if any of the QBs have done anything on the field. Then we get word that they are thinking of cutting Manuel? It's just so preposterous that it has to be complete bs. I think there's an effort to both shake up Manuel so they see his max effort and also to give the impression the Bills aren't handing him the job.

The Jets (who’s new GM and head coach have no ties to Geno) have already named Geno Smith their starter, yet the Bills (who’s current GM was a very key FO guy in picking EJ) are contemplating cutting Manuel? That doesn’t make any sense. I just think the Bills are playing a lot of the media and fans here. They want to tear EJ down to build him back up. Is it possible that EJ plays so bad in training camp and preseason games that he blows the starting job? Of course it is, but I think he’s got the inside track. The talk of him being cut or traded is not serious though IMO.

Geno's much faster, has a much better arm and is much more athletic than Fitzpatrick. The cuteness of the bearded Fitzpatrick has worn off, even for Chan Gailey. The guy is just too limited to be a viable season long starting QB. The same could be said for the Bills' similar situation, but Manuel has become such a very toxic figure that Rex and Roman may feel that a real QB competition is in everyone's best interest. When this subject comes up I keep thinking of Sal Paolantonio's story about Rex gushing over EJ at about :50 of this video... http://www.buffalobills.com/video/videos/Combine-Coverage-Sal-Paolantonio-1-on-1-Interview/4b2dcf6c-a32f-47b2-9fda-cb1623718761 I certainly don't see how Rex's "off air" opinion about EJ would have changed when there's been no games played between now and then. I'm thinking that the Jets are being honest and the Bills are covering up their plans that EJ is their guy for as long as possible so that they only have two weeks for the "EJ sucks" doom and gloomers (both fans and media) to go crazy until the real games are played.

I think the Jets just don’t want the QB competition "drama" and they’re just putting it out there that they’d rather start a young, flawed, yet still developing Smith rather than start a limited veteran QB like Fitzpatrick who they feel would not put up substantially better numbers than Geno. I’m sure that a lot of Bills fans at TSW don’t want to hear this, but IMO Rex and Roman think that Manuel is odds on to win the starting QB competition. All these leaks and rumors of his demise are probably meant to use the media to drive him as hard as he can be driven. I simply don’t buy into the “Cassel’s the favorite as starter” hype, nor do I buy into the coaches loving them some Taylor as the starter. I think that Cassel is the “save the season if EJ implodes” back up QB and Taylor is the “let’s roll it out there and see what happens” flyer/lottery ticket QB.

Group thinking isn’t always correct. The saying that “if somebody repeats the same thing over and over again that it eventually becomes the truth” should force one to really question the group think. Here are the QB ratings over last 14 games of 2 current Bills QBs… 100+ 3 90s 2 80s 3 below 80s 6 100+ 3 90s 1 80s 2 below 80s 9 This kind of exercise is important to strip away preconceptions. Yes, there are valid points to the group think regarding EJ Manuel’s long term future in the NFL, but I think that the current group think that “EJ’s a good guy but a bad QB with very little chance to make anything of himself in this league” is misleading because his stats actually say that there’s still potential for him. Isn’t Cassel looked at everywhere as being heads above the better QB than Manuel? Well these stats simply don’t line up with that notion. If anything, EJ's slightly better. With regards to Tyrod Taylor, I would think it’s awesome if he looks very impressive and beats out both Manuel and Cassel. I do think that’s a possibility. But since there are basically no stats on Taylor, I couldn’t include him in this exercise. Getting back to the point of QB preconceptions, could you imagine the national and local outrage if Greg Roman said that EJ Manuel was the starter like Chan Gailey did with Geno Smith? Yet, is Geno Smith really that much better than EJ Manuel to escape the derision? Of course he isn't...LOL But that's because of the constant and never ending group think bashing of EJ Manuel to the point where Geno Smith is seen everywhere as so much a better QB than him that Gailey's decision was a sound enough one. That's just so laughable to me. This offseason's group think bashing of Manuel has grown to ridiculous proportions. He simply wasn't as bad as he's been made out to be.

Would you honestly trade the project QB that showed progress in training camp, which you picked in the first round and who you knew would take at least a couple of years to develop and adapt to the NFL level, just because he didn't win the starting job? That's crazy. It doesn't make any sense what-so-ever unless EJ would have got beat out by a top QB. Neither Cassel or Taylor qualify as top 20 starting QBs, let alone in the top 10-15. I think this offseason's EJ Manuel "telephone game" has got completely out of hand between the "insiders", media and fans. If EJ Manuel shows something in camp, the Bills will rest easy knowing that they have a young backup QB who's showing progress. You'd have to be either insane to think the Bills would trade an EJ Manuel showing progress or believe that Cassel or Taylor are both going to "wreck the league" in preseason and make EJ expendable through a trade. I honestly think that a lot of this "on the down low" info coming from the team and being filtered by reporters is possibly meant to put a burr in EJ's saddle to see how he handles it. EJ being cut or traded is far fetched IMO, but it doesn't hurt for EJ to think this might be true because it only serves as some serious "ticked off" kind of motivation to focus like a laser on getting better and proving the doubters wrong.

I need to see EJ Manuel under Greg Roman's tutelage and not Doug Marrone's. That's the evidence me and all the other supporters are waiting for. Why? Because we think that Doug Marrone was in way over his head with regards to NFL offenses and seemed to only pretend he knew what he was doing (Bills offense didn't perform that much better under Orton). That doesn't mean the supporters think EJ will make it, just that we need to see Manuel under Roman before closing the book on him.

This Joe B guy seems like a little smarmy twerp. The article is nothing more than pot stirring for attention. Creating drama for drama's sake. If EJ Manuel doesn't show much improvement given all of the weapons on the team, with now real professional coaching, then of course EJ's in trouble. However, the chances of that are slim at best. I'd be kind of shocked if Manuel doesn't beat out Cassel and Tyrod because he's younger and has a higher ceiling than Cassel and he's much bigger than Taylor. I'm sure the chip on EJ's shoulder is no doubt growing by the day. It should be the size of a boulder by training camp.

Funny how Kraft talks about what's not "fair" in a situation where his team was caught deflating footballs. He really should shut his pie hole right about now or the other NFL owners should show him the door.

I think the Bills organization is fragmented to some degree right now. Specifically, I think there are left overs from the Marrone regime who like to stir the pot and take digs at Manuel from time to time because they feel that Manuel was responsible for the feeble previous head coach Doug Marrone's woes. The Bills have three QB "life preservers" in the form of Manuel, Taylor and Cassel. It would be total lunacy to get rid of any of them given the unstableness factor of each QB. Manuel's track record is that he's raw and inconsistent in key areas, Taylor is almost a total unknown in the NFL regular season passing game and with his running style he could easily get hurt and be out for the season in the very first game of the season, and Cassel's old and coming off a broken foot and the last time he was a viable NFL starter was the 2010 season which was five years ago. Now forgetting all that for a moment, I honestly don't think Doug Whaley would sign off on cutting EJ knowing the possibility is out there of Chip Kelly turning EJ Manuel into the star NFL QB during the 2015 season that Whaley had drafted him to be. IMO Whaley will demand on keeping Manuel the entire 2015 season before he's ready to risk Manuel becoming a star with Chip or another team while the Bills are still searching. Cutting Manuel after only 14 starts would be seriously bad mojo which always ends up burning the Buffalo Bills. There really is no reason to rush Manuel off the team. This is a brand new offense, let him learn it properly and see what he does in it when he's ready to play. I think Carruci was played here. Along with Leroi, he put himself out there and he's going to end up with egg on his face on this one.

Romo and Rodgers had two and three years respectively to learn the NFL game on the bench before starting. Brees took four years for the light to come on. We get that you don't think it will ever happen for Manuel, but the guys you listed were either never asked to perform before they were ready or the QB was able to perform badly for a couple of years in the starting role until he got it. Not really fair comparisons considering EJ is going into his third year. If anything, one could argue that Manuel should be given more time because those three QBs took time to develop into the star QBs they became.