2020 Our Year For Sure

I'm not sure about the bolded. In the beginning of the season the Bills should do whatever gives them the best chance to win games. If they find themselves at 2-6 then yes, we're not going anywhere, throw the kid in and let him get ready on the field. Kelly makes a great point about mental toughness. Some guys make mistakes and lose their confidence, for other guys mistakes only make them better. EJ seems at this point to be more of the latter, and because of that, he should start if he's about even with Kolb on the field. But if Kolb seems to give us the best chance to win he should get the job in the beginning. It's all about how they look in camp.

Competent scouts are able to do so. That's why Manuel was a first round pick. However there are wannabe scouts in the media blasting the pick, calling Manuel "inconsistent." Maybe the lack of talent around him is part of the reason why these incompetents see it that way. They watch tape but are unable to separate the prospect from the situation the prospect is in.

I'm excited about this kid, he comes out of nowhere to shut down running plays. He's fast and he loves to hit, plus the Bills' scout (bb.com video) said he has CB cover skills. He has a chance to be a special player and I wouldn't be surprised to see him start opening day. If he does fulfill his potential and we're able to sign Byrd, watch out.

Aaron Rodgers came from a sort of bubble screen system at Cal. I'm pretty sure his ability to read defenses and go through progressions was completely different coming out of school than it is now. Unlike arm strength, these are things that can be learned and practiced. Since EJ is an intelligent and hard-working kid, I see no reason why he shouldn't have the capacity to learn. He just needs to be well-coached.

You're advocating taking someone with a Chad Pennington arm. While there's a chance Barkley's arm strength can get a little stronger, a Chad Pennington isn't going to suddenly morph into John Elway. Think of the quarterbacks that have won championships the last decade or so- Roethlisberger, Rodgers, Brees, Brady, Eli, Peyton, Flacco. Even those who had arm strength concerns coming out of school had significantly better arm strength than Barkley does now. You could say the same for the rest of the top QBs in the league now (Kaep, Luck, etc). At the same time you're lamenting "missing out" on a guy who doesn't currently have the physical tools to be a franchise quarterback and seems to have little chance of ever having them, you're condemning the Manuel choice based on what you perceive as his inabilities to go through progressions and to process information quickly. It seems like these things can be improved through repetition (experience) and proper NFL coaching. And by ALL accounts Manuel has the necessary intelligence and work ethic to make those improvements. What remains to be seen is whether we have the coaching, but based on their decision to draft a quarterback with the necessary upside at the expense of familiarity (Nassib), I'm feeling better about our coaches all the time.

But Todd McShay said he's inaccurate.

What do we know about Chibane? Marrone must like him and it's a position where we could use some help.

Very well said. It's exciting to add this kind of talent. It's all up to the coaches now.

Mayock said he woulda gone higher if not for the off the field stuff, whatever that was. Seems like we're infusing the defense with attitude

I believe the 2012 Draft was our first since a number of changes were made to the scouting department. Our catch in 2012 doesn't look bad at all so far- Gilmore, Glenn, Bradham and Brooks. There's reason for optimism.

With his quickness there's no reason why he can't line up as a rush OLB in certain packages and come off the edge. Look at the film, this guy's athleticism is impressive for a guy his size. They'll move him around in the box and find a way to get the most out of him. Also, !@#$ the Jets. I love that we pissed off their fans.

Te'o is like Poz with better instincts. He won't be a monster because he doesn't have crazy athleticism but I think he'll be a good starter in the league and worth a 2nd rounder.

I love what this says about Marrone. I'm sure he could've used the WCO he used at Syracuse and moved the chains a bit with Nassib or Barkley, who would've been "safer" picks. Choosing Manuel tells me he realizes to win in the NFL his scheme needs to be more than dink and dunk. He's challenging himself to evolve beyond what worked for him at Syracuse and attack defenses in multiple ways. 'Just give me someone with all the tools and I'll teach him the mental side of the game.' It's a sign of confidence.

Thanks, I'm gonna try to track that down.

I'm in shock. They sucked me back in with this first round.

Justin Hunter?

Also this http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2013/4/24/4263542/2013-nfl-draft-rumors-doug-marrone-likes-ej-manuel

There was a lot of heat right away for both Maybin and Whitner too though.

It's the draft man, this is really no time for plans or activities.

If we pass on QB I love this idea. We badly need a playmaker in the passing game.

I think it's plausible.

Schefter has said a team told him Nassib is the top QB on their board. Others have him rated as a 4th round pick, and one team considers him completely undraftable and isn't reviewing him at all. Part of what makes this draft so interesting is the wide range of opinions on these quarterbacks.

You've all sold me on Manuel long-term, but for discussion here's another viewpoint from Buffalo Rumblings on the pro-style offense part. "For as smart as Manuel is, Florida State did not run a complex offense for him. Fisher designed a predicated read offense where Manuel could make decisions pre-snap with only one or two reads after the ball is snapped. Most of Florida State's route combinations were high-low reads that developed in front of Manuel's field of vision to one side. After his initial reads were covered, he either held onto the ball too long looking for something to come open, or he took off running. He didn't work through many progressions past the second receiver, he didn't call audibles, and has a lot to learn about running an NFL offense at tempo and making fast reads against disguised NFL coverages." http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2013/4/21/4234106/ej-manuel-2013-nfl-draft-scouting-report

Well played, you had me going.