1billsfan

It’s been 5 NFL seasons since Cassel’s last 10 win season. Cassel’s record since that last 10 win season is 9-17 as a starter with a QB rating of about 75. There wasn't one person on this board talking about wanting to trade for Matt Cassel. If there was, I missed it. I get that Bills fans want him to be that baseline competent starting QB from 5 years ago, but the numbers say that he's not that QB anymore. Numbers from a very long time frame.

Cassel's last full start in week 3 he had 1 TD and 4 interceptions with a 39 QB rating against the Patriots. The only reason he won that Viking QB competition is because Bridgewater was being eased into the starting job. IMO Cassel just isn't starting material anymore. We shall see.

I think Cassel is the odd man out if they draft a QB at #50. Wasn't Flynn the odd man out in Seattle?

Kiper thinks Grayson could be a late first round selection. Daniel Jeremiah has him as his third rated QB. So does Greg Gabriel at National Football Post. So there's opinion from a few draft "experts" that disputes that claim. I really haven't done a lot of evaluating yet on the QBs. But seeing how the Bills interviewed everyone but the top two guys, that tells me that QB is in play at #50 and the two guys I mentioned are probably the targets. Maybe Petty could be a third target to watch also. As for the four way competition, I think they are going the Seahawks route of bringing in everybody and letting the chips fall where they may.

I think the Bills will take either Hundley or Grayson at #50. The position is too important to let stand at Manuel and Cassel. IMO Cassel does not provide real competition and they want to find a young guy who will do that. The Bills are in no position to wait for the QB in round 3 that they tag as the real QB competition for Manuel. This is coming from a Manuel supporter and someone who thinks he still could prove to be the Bills franchise QB with a big year this season. Now, if they do draft a QB at #50 and neither Manuel or that QB looks to be a good enough QB for the 2016 season then I think the Bills will try to make a monster trade for a franchise guy who's on the back of his career. Or perhaps Rivers is a free agent and wants to come to the team.

I just don't see Greg Roman planning on Matt Cassel being his starter. A QB who was replaced by Brady Quinn, never got the job back and then was eventually replaced for good with the guy Roman no longer wanted as his starting QB. As a successful NFL OC, how would you want and seek out Matt Cassel as your starting QB given those circumstances? As for Cassel winning the starting job last year, IMO it was only because they were treating Bridgwater with kid gloves because he bombed his pro day. They simply didn't want to put pressure on him to start the season. Cassel was decent QB once upon a time. Now he is considered a back up QB only that will give a base level of NFL competition for the guys you are willing to actually start.

Matt Cassel is not a good QB. He was benched for Brady Quinn and never got the job back. He is for sure in the NFL's bottom five of starting QBs if he's our starter. The 2015 offense hinges on either Manuel, Taylor or maybe even the QB we pick at #50 if they do that. Cassel is an "emergency backup QB only" IMO. No way will I believe that it was Greg Roman's master plan to have Matt Cassel run his 2015 offense for a whole year. Cassel was essentially replaced by Roman's rejected QB Alex Smith.

If you think that Tannehill is clearly a better QB than what the Bills have then you can't really argue with LaConfora. It's a QB driven league and if your team has a clear advantage in that area then 9 times out of 10 they will have a better record. I think Tannehill is way over rated here and I think Manuel will eventually prove to be the better QB. Having said that, I really don't care what the media types say right now. The Bills are going to be a playoff team this year and I'd be shocked if Miami beat them.

I think that Norv did not want to put pressure on Bridgewater to start the season. The kid completely bombed his pro day and IMO they were taking an as slow of an approach as possible with him. There's no way that Cassel outperformed him in training camp. As for the Bills offense, the addition of players like Clay and Harvin tell me that they are going to try to tie defenses up in knots. You can't do that with a stationary Cassel. If they know that Cassel is a statue and that he's only throwing quick outs then that will be easy to defend. If they have Manuel in there doing roll outs, fake reverses and such then it will really put pressure on defenses. I think they are going to use a lot of misdirection and Cassel does not have the added element that EJ has, the ability to run. If Cassel was great at throwing the ball then that would be a different situation. However, Cassel seems like he isn't good at that anymore. At least not as good as he used to be. I think the guy is in "cruise" mode as a back up NFL player.

Cassel lost his starting job to Brady Quinn and never got it back. That's how bad he was. I wonder how many Bills fans here even know this. Cassel seems like a good guy, but IMO he's a back up only QB at this point in his career. I give Manuel an 80% chance of beating him because 1. they are clearly building the offense around a QB who can move with the ball and 2. Manuel is better than him right now and has a lot more room to grow.

First off...happy birthday EJ! Just checked out his twitter page and he was thanking the well wishers there. Secondly, I think Manuel's burning motivation will be to "shove it" to the Jags' OL coach season. I'm totally serious. Lastly, this is his last chance with Buffalo and he gets it with a proven successful OC in Greg Roman. EJ won't be able to say that the Bills didn't support him in this his 3rd and most important season. Coaches, receiving options, running game...it's all there on a silver platter for him.

I find it hard to believe that Roman is going to start a QB who played so bad that he was eventually benched for Brady Quinn. The Chiefs subsequently released Cassel and traded for the QB Roman didn't want anymore. Based on this history, I just don't think Roman's plan was to come to Buffalo and have Matt Cassel as his starting QB. I really think that Manuel is the QB Roman wants to coach up and start. I get the sense that Cassel is the "emergency" QB like Orton was, only not as good but he'll be a much better mentor.

I think the moves to get Harvin and Clay tell me that they are going to pass the ball some and my thoughts are that Manuel is tabbed as the starter. I see Roman using a lot of play fakes, misdirection, fake reverses, roll outs because those are the kind of plays that will be best for guys like Clay and Harvin. Manuel is the only QB on the team who has the combination of both running and passing ability. Cassell is no threat to run with the ball and Taylor is more of a runner than passer.

Sorry, but the Bills are not going into the regular season with a 32 year old backup QB with a bum foot, a project QB drafted at #50 and a QB with only 35 NFL pass attempts. EJ is not going anywhere. The haters are just going to have live with the possibility of eating serious crow.

The 32 year old Matt Cassel had multiple fractures in his foot. IMO there is almost 0 chance Cassel would start every game and last the whole season. I think Cassel will settle into in the backup/mentor role to Manuel. There simply won't be enough of a gap in play between him and Manuel to justify Cassel starting. If Cassel does happen to win the starting job it will probably only be for 3-6 games tops before he gets hurt again. Then it will be up to Manuel to make the most of what would be his final opportunity with the Bills.

I think Tebow is a viable NFL QB although in a backup/relief pitcher/special package roll. Maybe he improved his passing skills since he's been out though, so that could change my opinion. The thing with Tebow has been a lot of teams no longer wanted to deal with the Tebowmania craziness. IMO he'd still be in the league as a QB specialist if he didn't have that huge gorilla on his back. I think it's fair to assess Tebow on a shorter 14 game span only because he failed so badly at being able to throw the ball accurately. He was worse than Blain Gabbert in that respect, buuuuut the guy was clutch in the fourth quarter in many ways that "franchise" QBs like Smith and Tannnehill are not. Tebow is one weird cat.

You just said in another thread today "that the verdict is not quite in yet" in regards to EJ.

The only "propping up" has been pointing out that he wasn't as horrific as the haters have claimed he's been. The facts just don't support it. Manuel's numbers 14 starts in are right there with Tannehill's first 14 starts. The supporters are not saying that he's good or he's going to be good, just that he's not worthy of the level of trashing he's been getting.

Alex Smith was having a very unexpectedly fantastic 4 TD game. Then he turned back into the real Alex Smith when he saw the Colts weren't going to give up. EJ is never going to be a huge numbers guy. If that's what you're looking for then of course you can see only disappointment and heartbreak ahead. What I see is a QB who just might have that big play clutch factor. Time will tell for EJ, he's young. However, Smith is getting a little too old to show that he's got what it takes.

NFL playoff games are not about QB rating. They're about what you do for your team in the second half to help your team win the game.

Suddenly, an eight year veteran NFL QB like Alex Smith can all of a sudden have all these excuses pulled out of you know where as to why his team lost even though his team only scored 3 points in the last 28 minutes of a playoff game. Yet the second year QB Manuel gets no excuses. It's too funny...LOL

I never said you couldn't play poorly enough to not get that third year. Gabbert played so poorly that he didn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. You're so twisted in your hatred of Manuel that you just can't think straight. 3 points in the final 28 minutes of a playoff game? That's not poor for a QB?

Great, but what did he do in the second half of that game in Indy? Stats mean nothing if you don't put them in some context. Smith's last TD in that game was with about 12 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, then crickets, while Indy was making a huge comeback. They lost that game by 1 point. The 30 year old Smith's playoff record is 1-2. He was 1-4 in his last 5 games last year which is crunch time in the NFL. At this point in his career, he is what he is...a dud. He's had ample opportunity and he just can't get over the above average level enough too make a difference for a team which has aspirations of winning the Superbowl.

Blaine Gabbert couldn't hold EJ Manuel's jock strap... http://www.pro-football-reference.com

Bingo! Both Smith and Tannehill suck when the games start meaning something and the going gets get tough. Anyone remember the Indy playoff game when the Chiefs' Smith couldn't answer the bell in the second half? The Chiefs were 1-4 in their last 5 games last year. Geno Smith rolled Tannehill in their last game 3 TDs to 1 TD. Ask Miami fans how good Tannehill is when the games mean something. Yet this is what Bills fans would be happy with in 2015. Amazing. Not me, I think that Geno and Manuel are on the same level. I think they were both raw QBs who have both shown just enough signs of being a viable starting QB that they deserved this third year to either make it or find another team. Both have different qualities, but I see them both currently at the same level. I think that both of them win the starting job too. IMO Fitz is done as a QB who can win the starting job, even with Gailey there. As for part one, fine be skeptical...just stop with the over-the-top bashing of Manuel if you want us to believe that you're being honest with regards to your qualifier.