Fan in Chicago

If he made the decision first and then told Whaley, to me it points to a good relationship. You want the coach to make big decisions before checking in with the front office. Whaley must have empowered him enough to allow him to make the football decision.

My single major complaint against Marrone ( I overlooked some questionable decisions last year due to it being his rookie year) has been the penalties. Going back to last year, the O and D have this nasty habit of inopportune penalties. As for EJ, my support was more based on hope than knowledge of his college career. Perhaps it's for the best of the team but it was clear in the last two games that he was in over his head. If he continued to play as against the Dolphins, we could have won yesterday. For now, Go Bills, Go Orton

Truth be told, there were at least a couple of occasions since last draft that I was tempted to beat you over the (virtual) head for your extreme opinion re: EJ. But I am here to admit that so far you look to be right. I also remember you praising the Marrone hire (I had no opinion on it), so I am now hoping that you are right on that as well.

As long as Orton can leisurely throw to the 2+ WRs sauntering freely in the open, the answer is yes.

Likewise, I would have expected the bye week to be the pivotal moment but this came a lot sooner than expected. EJ regressed too fast for the coaches to sit around and do nothing. At least we will now know how bad our QB situation really is.

I raised the same question in a different thread. Hope we dont have a case of 'careful what you wish for'. We now have an advantage in the Lions game but Vikes and Jets will be interesting.

As God for sure doesn't play dice with the universe, perhaps he/she plays marbles. Or it may be one of those I lost as a Bills fan. Or this other mission could have something to do with it. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-29357438 So many possibilities without needing to speculate on Martian jesters trying to confuse dumb humans.

That will be one way to perk up everybody's mood. That is a good point. Hopefully not bad injuries.

Be that as it may, coaching philosophy regarding EJ is unlikely to change in the next few weeks after 1.25 seasons. For one reason or the other, I don’t think EJ is inherently inaccurate as evidenced by some good throws this season (The Grimes breakup on Watkins, Chandler sideline tip-toe etc). I think there is two problmes with him: (1) a fraction of panic that sets in between the time he decides on the target and then proceeds to throw the ball. He feels the need to throw immediately as opposed to taking that one extra fraction of a second to set and make the right throw (2) Mechanics – still needs to set his feet and power his throwing motion. Maybe this is the definition of ‘the game is too fast for him’ Anyway FWIW, not sure if these are fixed first (if at all) or does the coaches patience run out before that.

As a companion piece to this thread from just a couple of weeks back, let us break away from EJ discussion and think about when you expect the Bills to win its next game. IMHO, Lions on the road (decent D and good O), Pats* (always have our number) are tough to win with how we are playing. So, I think our next win comes against the Vikes at home. (Consider this thread free of EJ discussion. Even though it is inticately related to this topic, you can indulge in one of the 20 other threads on that topic. )

After the game yesterday and seeing the prevailing sentiment on this board, I too first thought that EJ should be benched now till Orton proves to be worse. But, giving it more thought, I think it may be better to (as painful as it may sound), stick with EJ till the bye week. We are 1/4th into the season - if Orton starts next week, it will take about 2-3 games to understand how he compares to EJ due to rust, opponent etc. If he is worse, the what does Marrone do ? Go back to EJ and do the RJ/Flutie two step ? I think whatever and whenever (and if) Marrone makes a switch, it has to be one-way for this season. Because not only will that resonate for this season, it will for 2015 as well. My suggestion (objectively and not emotionally) is to stick it out with EJ and allow him to further sink or figure out a way to swim. At the bye week, make a final decision for the rest of this season. That will give Orton sufficient number of games to show what he (still) has. Then we will truly know what the depth of the doo-doo is for next season.

I suppose Urbik wasn't cutting it as a LG

Just got Bills text. Richardson to start at LG. Two lower round rookies on the OL! I wonder if there is such a precedent

Maybe I am trending towards that. But I have a perfectly fine reason for it - Gilmore is in his 3rd year and EJ in his second. Both 1st round picks. I will be much less kind to EJ at this time next year.

Which, considering the disparity of overall talent* on paper, is kinda sad * Bills have more overall talent

He is very much here and active. See post towards the end of this thread.

KW's continued success reminds me of a poster here who thought 2 years back that KW was too weak at the point of attack and was washed up. For the life of me I can't remember who it was. Else I would call him out and strip him virtually naked in this thread for not knowing football. (well that guy and the one who said Fred Jax was not a good RB). If you have even half a roster of Kyle Williams and Fred Jacksons, you can be assured of a perennial spot in the playoffs.

I am okay with giving said prospect 3 years, IF by the end of the second year that prospect has (1) shown marked improvement over year 1, (2) Does not show signs of bad habits rearing their ugly heads (3) not shown signs of hitting a celing If the same issues are cropping up by the end of year 2, I will be in favor of bringing in legitimate competition for the job and making it clear that the position is up for grabs. Teams in today's NFL, with its simulataneous emphasis on the QB and the relative dearth of talent, can ill afford to spend another year waiting to see if that talent can develop. An incoming rookie needs to know that - rarely are you going to get a Garropolo type situation where he can learn behind a great QB for a couple of years (or until said great QB starts sucking )

Not quite dumb. RT is in his third year. Dolphins have a decent defense. If the coaches feel he is holding back the team, it is correct to question his credentials as starter. If at this point next season, EJ is not doing well, I too will be calling for his benching. IMHO, a first round QB should get no more than 2 years to show significant progress and signs that he is starter material.

The most troubling thing from this analysis and from watching the game is that once the pressure starts coming, EJ gets flustered and misses what look like the easiest of throws. At least on a couple of occasions, if not more, I saw a receiver wide open and EJ threw behind or over him. This is frustrating to watch and quite concerning. This is the closest I have watched a development of a QB as I did not have the Sunday ticket during JP and Trent's early years. So, I am not sure if this 'panic mode' is correctable or not. There is no way an NFL QB can get clean pockets as against the Bears and Dolphins. The QB has to be able to stand tall, step away from pressure, keep eyes downfield and complete passes with defenders coming at him. If we do not see this in EJ's development this year, I doubt it will develop in the future. As of now, I am willing to give him time, but am getting mildly concerned.

I was pointing out the irony of your statement. On the one hand you are saying that BADOL is being too hasty is writing off Gilmore but you are doing the exact same thing by writing off EJ’s career. It is too early to either label him a bust or have one in Canton. You are confident in your assessment of EJ and yet don't like the fact that BADOL is doing the same (BADOL - I realize that you can defend your POV perfectly fine so this is not intended to assist you) I did not say I want to get rid of McK and Gilmore. What I am saying however, is that if you draft a CB that high, he needs to be a elite corner capable of handling one-on-one matchups. As of now, Gilmore has not lived up to his lofty draft status. The D gameplan cannot put him on an island and rely on him making sure-handed tackles. It is perfectly reasonable to state that both McK and Gilmore will be no more than adequate to above average corners who will need a good pass rush and safety support to cover up their single-handed inadequacies.

I was sneaking peaks at the Raiders-Pats* game this past Sunday and saw Brady missing some targets and getting poor protection. Has the season of his decline arrived ? I think it is too early to tell. But I will allow myself a smile on Oct 12, if we beat the Pats* and own sole possession of first place in the AFCE.

You say this and yet, ironically, in an earlier post you wrote about EJ : "I'm not saying that EJ has to play to the same level of Rivers, that is not realistic. He simply will never be that good no matter how long he plays in this league." Using your own argument re: Gilmore, one can also say that EJ is still too fresh and faced a defense which contained Russell Wilson and co. My opinion: EJ had 2 strong games followed by a clunker. Despite the Chargers D, I think he left plays on the field which would have shown that he is ready to take the next step. Re: Gilmore, I too see the lack of effort which BADOL is talking about. Much as with McK, we have waited for a very high first rounder to show his worth and find ourselves making excuses for him every season.

Tannehill may be benched: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000399010/article/miami-dolphins-considering-benching-ryan-tannehill http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/22/dolphins-wont-commit-to-ryan-tannehill-as-starter/

I stated this in another thread, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Cockrell activated soon. Whaley's picks have been by and large very good and I am willing to insert the kid in the game and see what he brings.