1billsfan

The saving grace is that Marrone didn't have EJ in there running his offense the whole season which might have damaged his confidence to the point of no return. That offense last year was just awful. The line was horrible, the running game sucked and the plays were beyond predictable. It sounds like EJ's a man who's got a chip on his shoulder now. We all know he likes to talk his game up over what it actually is, but I really think he's out to prove the doubters (and Marrone in particular) wrong. He sounds more mature and motivated. What these QBs don't know coming into the league is how big of a jump it is from college to the NFL. All that's over, EJ now knows exactly how high the bar is. Let's see what he's got.

I'm holding out hope that Manuel looks like the real deal when they "roll the balls out there". The guy has put in a ton of work and when you do that sometimes that can be the difference between getting you over the hump or not. I'll bet that Manuel does have an inside track over Cassel in terms of knowing what Roman wants to see. I remember that Manuel and Kaepernick worked out together last offseason. So I'm sure they're buds and Kaepernick has probably given him some pointers regarding Roman's offense. IMO there's a real chance that Manuel's improvement is substantial.

Cassel may have the "inside track", put everyone is waiting to see if Manuel has made a huge jump this offseason in both leadership/confidence and his play. Unfortunately know one knows how much (if any) because league rules forbids any formal player practice time until the mandated mini-camps happen. I think EJ is going to have to make some eye opening plays in pre season to get everyone comfortable with him starting. If he doesn't then Cassel will of course be the fall back "safe" option. No matter who starts, they aren't going to be safe from being benched if they start playing poorly and costing the Bills games. Cassel doesn't have that kind of cache anymore.

Given the questions regarding the QB and OL situations, I think that the record could fall anywhere from 9-7 to 12-4. There's no way I can make a comfortable prediction given how unknown those situations are at this point. I will say that if McCoy is top 5 RB in yards and EJ performs to top 15-20 QB in the league the Bills will be in the playoffs.

Sorry, but you're very wrong. Cassel threw 4 interceptions in his last 2nd to start against the Patriots. His QB rating was 39. How bad was that? EJ's rating vs the Texans in his last start was 59. Ya think Rex wants some of that Cassel 39 QB rating two games against the Patriots? I think that you're like a lot of posters here who think they're getting the Patriots version of Matt Cassel when that guy is long gone. His last good season was 2010 and it's now 2015. He was benched for Brady Quinn. This camp, Cassel is going to quickly prove he's not nearly as good as EJ Manuel. That's not saying that Manuel is a good QB, it's more how bad of a QB Matt Cassel is.

I think it's fair to say that Matt Cassel is a step below Ryan Fitzpatrick starting QB level. Just looking over their stats of the last few years there can't even be any argument. Is there anyone here who'd rather have Cassel over Fitzpatrick? So having established that parameter, I think Bills fans shouldn't fool themselves into thinking Cassel's something he's not. EJ Manuel will be the starting QB for the Bills this year because he's the better QB right now, and he also has the added ability of being a mobile QB who can gain huge chunks of yardage with his feet. That's a HUGE dimension opened up for a team that doesn't have that elite QB's arm to rely on when games are in the balance in the fourth quarter. Cassel is clearly the fall back option if Manuel looks like a deer in headlights kind of what we saw in his last two starts (although some of that came from the offensive line's horrid play). I just don't see that happening though.

What many here are not talking about with the QB debate is that the Bills defense might be so good and that, combined with a great running game, it honestly won't even matter who the QB is. Baring injury, the Bills are going to be in the playoffs. It's with this thought that I'm very comfortable in saying that EJ Manuel will probably be the starter because he has more upside than the known backup only QB in Cassel. Once EJ gets a season under his belt of having brought a team to the playoffs then the confidence starts to really grow and the team will have that confidence in him too. Before you know it, the Bills think they can win a Superbowl with EJ even if he isn't an elite QB. The search is over, he's our guy because we aren't picking high enough in the draft anymore to draft a franchise QB. IMO the league is heading into a "dark ages" period with regards to the QB position. The thread about the MCM game got me to go back to see the top QBs of that season. It was the period right after the greatest QB draft class left the stage. The only QBs who were worth anything were Kurt Warner and Brett Favre, that's it! This is what will happen the next couple of years. Once Brady, Manning leave the NFL landscape changes. Shortly after they go so goes Brees and Rothlesberger. There will come a time in the not so distant future when the only QB worth anything in the league is Aaron Rogers, Andrew Luck, and maybe Russell Wilson, that's probably it. So if EJ Manuel could become a better than average QB then the Bills could actually win a Superbowl with him as the QB within the next few years if they do still have a top defense and running game.

He was talking about QB, Whaley and the head coaching position. Not just "the QB position in particular". Find one other poster here wishing right now for Polian and Marrone over Whaley and Rex. I'll wait.

"How much better would we be if..." You're the one stretching it.

You can think what you want, IMO this poster has an agenda. I remember reading here that there are two guys still with the Bills organization who were hired during the Marrone regime. It's possible it's one of them. If one of them wishes Whaley were fired and wishes Marrone was still there because they love him so much, then this person really should either resign or the Bills should fire them. Talk about bad karma in the building. Again, this is all my opinion based on the history of this posters posts regarding the subject. Anyone advocating that Marrone still be here has a hidden agenda. This poster is the only one with this wish out of how many members here? A guy who quit on the Bills and you still want him here? That's about as fishy as it gets.

Seems my hunch was not such a stretch after all. IMO, you’re clearly connected to either Marrone directly or someone who’s very close to Marrone. IMO, you have an agenda against Doug Whaley and EJ Manuel. Doug Marrone basically quit his job as an NFL head coach and landed as offensive line coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars. That was the dumbest move in the history of NFL head coaches. He will never get a head coaching job again because there is no glossing over how stupid that looks on his resume. That wasn’t Whaley’s fault or Manuel’s fault it was Doug Marrone’s fault. He was a poser. A wannabe but never was. His quitting showed his true colors. He was a weak man who would rather jump ship to a higher profile job he thought he already had (the Jets, obviously) giving him three more years worth of posing, than to do the tough work of making the offensive line productive, developing the QB using his specific talents that he was drafted for, putting together inventive game plans that kept defenses guessing instead of knowing what they are going to run on every play. Orton’s production taking a nose dive after the first few games was a very ominous sign that Marrone was full of crap. That he was an amateur who didn’t know what he was doing. That he just wanted the adulation of a Bill Parcells without doing anything to deserve it.

I think many teams are afraid of Winston and they're glad they don't have the 1st overall pick. I have no knowledge of this, it's just a hunch. If he doesn't get picked by Tampa then I just don't see many teams willing to send high draft picks to the Titans for him. I think once teams who are picking high are willing to do a deal to swap firsts for a only an additional 2nd rd pick, then I think a deal would be done. By that time, he probably would fall to the Jets who would pick him anyways without having to make a deal.

This poster was seen as an "insider" who went ahead and predicted that the Bills were going to cut EJ, so it seems like there might be a hidden agenda beyond simply not thinking EJ is the answer. My take is that he knows somebody who's currently in the Bills organization and who is now a holdover from the idiot Marrone regime. IMO, this holdover thinks that ultimately it was EJ's fault that Marrone's career went off the rails. Because if EJ Manuel played like Andrew Luck, Marrone would be the king of the world (or something like that). The great part of this season will be watching what EJ does under Roman. He made successful QBs out of both Smith and Kaerpernick. Marrone will look like the king of the dopes if EJ has a big season. He will for sure never get another NFL head coaching gig if that does happen.

Cardale Jones, Conner Cook, or maybe a QB comes out of nowhere which seems to happen almost every year. Them picking Winston is a bit scary because that Tampa team has a long way to go and you wonder if the immature Winston would be emotionally stable enough for that long of a haul. For the "experts" and everyone else it's an easy "no brainer" pick, but maybe that's because their butts aren't on the line. I'd imagine running an NFL football team is hard enough without wondering every night what the star franchise QB is doing or what he might do. Having that hanging over you everyday doesn't seem like much fun. Is he worth it? That's the big question.

If they pass on Winston then I would think he goes either #5 to the Browns in a trade up with the Redskins or #6 to the Jets. I could see Tampa using this draft to build their team with the expectation of picking high in 2016 and getting their franchise QB then.

Anytime a QB has maturity issues like Winston, then it's possible a team passes. Especially if they feel their team will be bad again this coming year and they think the QB class will be more solid next year. Why not grab a all pro defensive player or grab a bunch of picks/players from Philly to rebuild the team before you draft a young QB who's expected to win right away. I've come to expect the unexpected with the NFL draft.

I actually don't think it's about dependability, I think it's about Rex and Roman wanting a QB who can make a big play or two in the fourth quarter in close games of which there will be many. I think that QB is EJ because of his ability to pick up huge chunks of yards on busted pass plays. I think they want, and will bring out, the college EJ. It wasn't pretty like RGIII, but Manuel was able to make huge gains taking off with the ball when he couldn't find an open receiver in college. Both EJ and Cassel have the same passing ability IMO, so the edge goes to the QB who can make plays with his feet like Roman had with Kaepernick. Is Cassel more veteran savvy? Sure, but EJ just turned 25 years old and I think he's going to have a much different, more confident and more mature pressence this year. So I think that the gap won't be anything like it was between him and Orton last year. I also think that Manuel probably has a huge chip on his shoulder to prove Doug Marrone wrong. If I were him, I'd picture 11 Doug Marrone's on defense every time I dropped back. I think Cassel may not have that super competitive edge to him anymore. I only say that looking back at his career in the last 4 or so years in the league.

I took it as the guy was being completely honest in his assessment of why he was traded. Unfortunately that will get you in trouble most of the time. It didn't come off as hyperbole either. In a way, it's refreshing to hear such honesty coming from a high profile, star player who was involved in a big player for player trade which almost never happens in the NFL. He could have easily clammed up to the reporters but he probably thought to himself why should I help out Chip in that regard? He's had time to reflect he's gotten it off his chest and I'm sure he knows there's no need to discuss it further. He can now be in his right to blowing off any and all questions from now on with the "I've already said all I'm going to say this matter, but I'll answer any other questions if you have them for me". I listen to a lot of 97.5 The Fanatic (Philly's sports station, it's 90% NFL talk unlike that stupid Buffalo station) and they were going crazy with the comments. Accusing him of sounding like a jilted lover and being very immature. That's totally understandable, but I'm of the option that he needed to have a reflective interview after the dust settled to get his final "closure" to his Eagles departure.

Dalton doesn't think he's a placeholder, he thinks he's good. It would never work because of that. The only placeholder type is a guy like Cassel who knows he's only there a few games before they put the rookie in. Let's just hope EJ Manuel takes off with Roman and forget about this stuff until we see he can or can't do it under this new coaching star and phenomenal talent on offense. I think more and more that Manuel's going to look good this year and rubber stamp "idiot" on Marrone's head. I think he's a man on a mission.

I would neither trade for nor sign Andy Dalton, ever. I would draft a rookie in the first round of the 2016 draft and play him if it came down to it. The reason is because I want the Bills to win the Superbowl and I don't think that Dalton will ever win one or be in one for that matter.

There's no right price for a guy who will never take you to a Superbowl let alone ever win one. If EJ fails (Cassel is never going to be the answer) then the Bills do anything and everything to either sign Rivers, move up for a franchise QB in the draft or trade talent and picks to get Drew Brees (or another old veteran like that) on the last few years of his career. One way or the other the Bills will have a QB with promise for a Superbowl run. This team has too much talent and someone like Brees will want to come here. You've got to think BIG with the team they've got, not small.

I think the ultimate test for those wanting Dalton is asking yourself this one question, would Bill Belichick approve of the Bills acquiring Andy Dalton? I think Belichick would offer to pack his bags and drive him from Cincinnati to Buffalo.

If you don't think that Mike Sherman is good what would you call Doug Marrone and Nate Hackett? As for Tannehill, the guy hasn't played well in the fourth quarter of games and in games with the season on the line for two years in a row. He's actually becoming the "Andy Dalton" of regular season big games. With EJ, the early career book is much more incomplete. He did show in the Falcon game two years ago that he could make the plays with the season on the line only to be let down by fumbles from Stevie and Chandler. What's funny is that the Dolphins are shortly going to have to pay a huge 100 million dollar QB contract for a guy who's shown very little in big games and has never made the playoffs.

The patience level regarding Bills fans to EJ Manuel's development is pretty funny when you look at those two stats.

Tannehill's first 14 games - 12 TDs Manuel's first 14 games - 19 TDs I think Bills fans should wait to let this year play out before pining away for Tannehill given that he came into the league with a huge security blanket in the form of his college coach Mike Sherman as his OC for his first two years. Sherman also had a bunch of years as a head coach for the Packers and coached a fellow by the name of Brett Favre. EJ Manuel had two amateur nobodies from a college football program that is only known to people who exist in the western half of NYS, Doug Marrone and Nate Hackett. Let's get excited to watch Manuel develop some more, get much better and have a breakout year under Rex and Roman. Dude just might flip the script on the AFC East QB rankings. You never know.