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E.J. Manuel - QB - Florida State


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However, if there is a cluster of qbs such as Barkley, Wilson, Manuel, Glennon and Bray that you closely rank then it might be worth the risk. Buddy Nix has a tendency to play it safe and not risk losing his favored player with a draft down maneuver. In this year's draft with a high priority placed on the qb position his conservative approach might be the right approach to take.

 

We'll see how Barkley does at his Pro Day...At this point I'm hoping Barkley lights it up big time...Otherwise Manuel could move ahead of Barkley for good, and who knows what can happen from 1-7 if that is the case!!!...But to your point about the potential cluster of QB's...I don't think it's materializing that way this year...I think Smith is clearly #1...Barkley and Manuel are battling for #2, and both are considered 1st Round prospects...Nassib is next as a late 1st-early 2nd guy, but seems to be slipping a little...Then the next tier is Scott, who is on the rise, Glennon, Wilson, and Bray...

 

To me, it's looking more and more like the Bills will be sweating bullets from picks 1-7...And if Smith or Manuel is there at #8 they will take either, and walk away happy to do so... B-)

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We'll see how Barkley does at his Pro Day...At this point I'm hoping Barkley lights it up big time...Otherwise Manuel could move ahead of Barkley for good, and who knows what can happen from 1-7 if that is the case!!!...But to your point about the potential cluster of QB's...I don't think it's materializing that way this year...I think Smith is clearly #1...Barkley and Manuel are battling for #2, and both are considered 1st Round prospects...Nassib is next as a late 1st-early 2nd guy, but seems to be slipping a little...Then the next tier is Scott, who is on the rise, Glennon, Wilson, and Bray...

 

To me, it's looking more and more like the Bills will be sweating bullets from picks 1-7...And if Smith or Manuel is there at #8 they will take either, and walk away happy to do so... B-)

 

Agreed...nothing bad can come from Barkely lighting it up at his pro day.

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I rarely watch College football, but I did watch the entire Orange Bowl this year (Florida State vs Northern Illinois). I was far from impressed with Manuel, and based on that game, I was shocked to hear he's being considered in the top-2 rounds. It seemed like most of the passes he completed were wide open screens. It seems like his stock increase is a product of having the perfect measurables, and not actually being a great QB.

 

I hope I'm wrong, and I hope if he ends up on the Bills it's not at #8 overall.

 

I'm not saying this is a correct observation at all...But I am noticing that some of the experts are coming out pretty strong against FSU's Offensive scheme when talking about, and projecting Manuel...There seems to be a steady stream of quotes like the one Mayock continues to use about the ridiculous amount of short passes Manuel was asked to throw at FSU, etc...So there seems to be the feeling out there by some that Manuel was held back due to scheme,.. B-)

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Speaking for myself, my head would explode. They don't even have a credible QB on the freaking roster at this point.

 

FYI - Walter Football's scouting report on Manuel: http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2013emanuel.php

 

I think the top three QBs in this draft are Smith, Barkley and Manuel. Now go read the scouting reports at Walters on each.

 

Smith is compared to McNabb, and "sulks on sidelines"

 

Barkley, not mobile but not a statue. Biggest knock is he is a USC QB. They don't list his strengths and weaknesses like the do for Smith and Manuel.

 

Manuel, makes bad decisions, panics, will run first when presurred.

 

I don't know, but makes me like Manuel and Barkley more than Smith.

 

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To me, it's looking more and more like the Bills will be sweating bullets from picks 1-7...And if Smith or Manuel is there at #8 they will take either, and walk away happy to do so... B-)

 

If Geno Smith is off the board and Barkley and Manuel are left when our turn comes up which qb does Buddy select?

 

If Chan Gailey was still the HC I would guess that Manuel would be selected because he is more athletic. With Marrone and his west coast offense I would think that Barkley would be the selection.

 

I'm not sure what Nix's philosophy is with respect to the qb position? Is Barkley more likely to be a Brees type qb or a Pennington type cb? Does Manuel in the long run have more upside? I strongly suspect that if Nix selects a qb in the first round that he is going to get immediate playing time. Does that factor in a Barkley selection because he is more prepared to play sooner?

 

Not easy decisions. Very tough calls. Nix put himself in this very difficult position by not addressing the issue sooner. It would be interesting to know how much influence other members of the organization such as Whaley and Marrone have in the decision Maybe Nix will surprise us and not draft a qb in the first round? A good case can be made for a dynamic defensive player.

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While athleticism is always a tremendous asset to a QB, the ability to make in pocket adjustments is more critical than being able to burn a defense with your feet. While some spread option was utilized as well as some pistol formations, for the most part the backs ran the ball and the QB either handed it off or threw it in all of the offenses integrated into the Marrone offense. I am sure they would be capable of adjusting the system to fit a particular strength or hide a weakness of a QB, but looking for a system fit to what they have run, athleticism would be on the last rung of the list of priorities.

http://www.buffalobi...ackett-offense/

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Exploding heads would be the start......the Jason Campbell comparison in one of the linked articles just scared me for the record.

 

From what I gathered he has all the tools easily to be a top tier qb but it hasn't really materialized yet for him.

 

Well...The Campbell comparison has me a bit confused...Seeing as though Manuel rushed for more yards as a Sr than Campbell did in his 4 Auburn years combined...Maybe they have similar passing skills...Maybe...But Manuel's running ability, and the versatility that brings in today's NFL, make him a completely different animal IMHO... B-)

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Anybody know the Wonderlic scores for the QBs?

 

I'd guess that Smith & Barkley are in the high range, and Manuel is a good bit lower based on what I've seen. Maybe the reason EJ's offense was so simple and relied on so many screens is that he couldn't handle complexity. I'll be pissed if we end up taking Manuel over Smith or Barkley because mobile option QBs are the flavor of the month, and we find out his Wonderlic is in the teens.

 

RG3, Kaepernick, and R Wilson are very smart QBs and that's part of the reason they've been successful. Teams are gonna fail trying to copycat that model with Vince Young/Terrelle Pryor types.

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Anybody know the Wonderlic scores for the QBs?

 

I'd guess that Smith & Barkley are in the high range, and Manuel is a good bit lower based on what I've seen. Maybe the reason EJ's offense was so simple and relied on so many screens is that he couldn't handle complexity. I'll be pissed if we end up taking Manuel over Smith or Barkley because mobile option QBs are the flavor of the month, and we find out his Wonderlic is in the teens.

 

RG3, Kaepernick, and R Wilson are very smart QBs and that's part of the reason they've been successful. Teams are gonna fail trying to copycat that model with Vince Young/Terrelle Pryor types.

 

they generally aren't made public, until they are eventually leaked i believe. haven't heard any yet.

 

when i heard both speak, Manuel actually seemed the more intelligent to me. Geno seemed very so-so with Mariucci on the whiteboard. of course Maurice Clarett seemed smarter than McGahee and look where that got him.

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If Geno Smith is off the board and Barkley and Manuel are left when our turn comes up which qb does Buddy select?

 

If Chan Gailey was still the HC I would guess that Manuel would be selected because he is more athletic. With Marrone and his west coast offense I would think that Barkley would be the selection.

 

I'm not sure what Nix's philosophy is with respect to the qb position? Is Barkley more likely to be a Brees type qb or a Pennington type cb? Does Manuel in the long run have more upside? I strongly suspect that if Nix selects a qb in the first round that he is going to get immediate playing time. Does that factor in a Barkley selection because he is more prepared to play sooner?

 

Not easy decisions. Very tough calls. Nix put himself in this very difficult position by not addressing the issue sooner. It would be interesting to know how much influence other members of the organization such as Whaley and Marrone have in the decision Maybe Nix will surprise us and not draft a qb in the first round? A good case can be made for a dynamic defensive player.

I'm with right up until the last sentence. They don't have even a second string QB on the roster. They have to take a QB at 8. You are right it is Buddy's fault that they have no other option. It is unbelievably stupid that he had no plan B if Fitz wasn't the guy.

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"I am sure they would be capable of adjusting the system to fit a particular strength or hide a weakness of a QB, but looking for a system fit to what they have run, athleticism would be on the last rung of the list of priorities."

 

The guy who wrote that couldn't be more wrong. Marrone ran what he ran because he had Ryan Nassib as his QB. Make no mistake, Doug Marrone will try to replicate New Orleans Saints offense. Last I knew, Drew Brees has a fast set of wheels on him and so will the QB that the Buffalo Bills select in round one or two.

 

I think that fans here will be surprised at how how the NFL teams rank these QBs. I see them coming off the board...Smith, Manuel then Scott in the late first early second before both Barkley and Nassib. The NFL is changing and the traditional QBs are on the way out. The NFL no longer wants to deal with slow footed pocket QBs like Barkley, Nassib, Wilson, Landry, Bray and Glennon.

 

There were a ton of NFL personnel at Arizona's pro day, while it looked like Nassib was all by himself in an empty room at his pro day in Syracuse. Pocket passers are dinosaurs. Yes I know, Joe Flacco won just this past year. I still think it's the last gasps of an old style that's on it's way out. Just look at the top QBs in next year's class...J. Football, Bridgewater, Boyd. Change is on it's way and it's coming faster than you think.

 

The Bills will draft either Smith, Manuel or Scott as their QB of the future, just wait and see.

 

Edited by 1billsfan
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Funny thing is, if you click the proflie for EJ Manuel and read his bio, they comapre him to Blaine lol

 

even funnier, some scouts have compared Nassib to Fitz. Having watched EJ Manuel his entire career at FSU and seeing a lot of Gabbert, I see absolutely no similarities outside of being tall and playing QB.

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even funnier, some scouts have compared Nassib to Fitz. Having watched EJ Manuel his entire career at FSU and seeing a lot of Gabbert, I see absolutely no similarities outside of being tall and playing QB.

Since you have watched Manuel's entire career could you read the scouting report from Walter's and express an opinion on the report?

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If the Bills draft EJ Manuel at #8 I'd be stunned, and not in a good way. I'm fine with drafting EJ Manuel as long as he is the 2nd QB the Bills draft in April. I'm in the camp of wanting 2 rookie QB's to compete with TJ. If you draft two out of this 2013 class you up your chances of hitting on one.

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A qb drafted after distilling the above comments, facts, myths, etc. would most certainly be a decision based on the lesser of many evils; not the kind of thing upon which to build a team, nor a stadium, nor a fan base.

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Good Read. thanks for sharing.

 

Anybody know the Wonderlic scores for the QBs?

 

I'd guess that Smith & Barkley are in the high range, and Manuel is a good bit lower based on what I've seen. Maybe the reason EJ's offense was so simple and relied on so many screens is that he couldn't handle complexity. I'll be pissed if we end up taking Manuel over Smith or Barkley because mobile option QBs are the flavor of the month, and we find out his Wonderlic is in the teens.

 

RG3, Kaepernick, and R Wilson are very smart QBs and that's part of the reason they've been successful. Teams are gonna fail trying to copycat that model with Vince Young/Terrelle Pryor types.

 

According to Charles Davis, EJ Manuel is very intelligent. A hard worker and film junkie. EJ also stated that he would put in 13 hour days to whatever team that drafts him.

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A qb drafted after distilling the above comments, facts, myths, etc. would most certainly be a decision based on the lesser of many evils; not the kind of thing upon which to build a team, nor a stadium, nor a fan base.

 

Like that ever stopped the Bills before... ;)

 

Nothing more than "separated at birth"

 

7908600.jpeg vs culpepper-239x300.jpg

 

They don't interview the same...That's all I'm saying...The rest of the comparisons are quite valid...Size/speed especially... B-)

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Given that Buddy has previously been burned by waiting to pick a QB at perceived value I expect that we'll take one of them at 8 no matter what. I have a feeling it will be Barkely but if he and Geno are gone I wouldn't be surprised if we take Manuel. If we do I can't wait to see EJ, CJ, TJ and SJ on the field all at the same time. ;-) I don't follow college football so my opinion is based on what little I have seen. At the Senior Bowl EJ was the only QB that looked like he knew what he was doing. I also get the feeling (not based on his Senior Bowl play) that Tyler Wilson will be a capable QB in the NFL. I'll be happy if we take any of them. And if whomever we take does not appear to be panning out then take another one next year. We can't afford to wait any longer.

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They don't interview the same...That's all I'm saying...The rest of the comparisons are quite valid...Size/speed especially... B-)

 

Oh absolutely. I just thought that the physical resemblance was uncanny.

 

Now queue all the mouth breathers who'll claim that all black QBs are the same.

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Oh absolutely. I just thought that the physical resemblance was uncanny.

 

It is...And I'm not going to lie...It's scaring me a bit... :lol:

 

Which is a pretty damned important factor playing in a cold climate, open air stadium.

 

Careful...

 

I got pretty beat up by some of the geniuses around here when I pointed out the same thing concerning Tyler Wilson and his tiny 8.5" hands... ;)

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I love EJ, so here was my end of season analysis just after the bowl games, but PRIOR to the senior bowl, combine, etc.

 

The Vitals: 6'4" 237 lbs. Career Starts: Career Record: 26-7

Record breakdown by year: 3-1, 2-1, 9-3, 12-2 (his 1st 2 seasons he was in relief of an injured Ponder)

Record Breakdown by "tough" opponents: 1-2 vs UF, 2-1 vs Clem, 1-1 vs VT, 0-1 vs OU, 1-1 ACC Championships

Bowl Record: 4-0 (wins over WVU, So. Carolina, N.D., and NIU)

 

The Good: EJ’s got all the physical measurables you could want in a QB. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, he’s smart, and he’s got a strong arm. He can make all of the throws required of an NFL QB. He can get the ball downfield without a problem. His short pass accuracy in phenomenal. Here at FSU he was able to distribute the ball around to numerous receivers, so he doesn’t simply lock onto one guy. When he’s at the top of his game, he’s nearly unbeatable. Look at the Clemson game from this past season. When it comes to running, EJ’s very good. He’s got the wheels to make plays with his feet and is a threat in the open field. He runs the option as good as anyone I’ve seen. Quite a few times it appears that he’s going to get tackled for no gain, and yet gets the pitch out at the perfect second, right after the D has committed to him. EJ’s an intelligent kid and by all accounts, a hard worker.

 

The Bad: EJ tends to be maddeningly inconsistent. Rarely did he toss up a complete stinker, but he’ll play excellent one week and then make you scratch your head with his play the next week. On intermediate to deeper patterns, EJ has a tendency to float the ball to open WRs, almost as if he’s trying to put too much touch on the pass. I believe this stems from him not always properly setting his feet and stepping into his passes. This leads to a propensity to throw high passes to WRs in the intermediate range as well. He can drill a 15 yard pass to a covered WR, but then will make an open WR leap to make a catch on what should have been an easy completion. EJ also struggles with indentifying blitzers, specifically from his blindside. He needs to improve on both seeing where the blitz is coming from, and getting rid of the ball faster when it is coming. EJ does need to learn to throw the ball away sometimes, instead of trying to make too much happen with his feet, like all young running QBs tend to do.

 

Other Info: This season, it seems that Jimbo Fisher and EJ were not always on the same page. They had their share of “disagreements” on the sidelines. Jimbo also didn’t always do EJ any favors with the play calling. There were 3-4 games where it was questionable at best. EJ also stopped running after the Clemson game. The reason was unknown, but rumors swirled that it was either Jimbo’s playcalling, or that EJ wanted to show the NFL he could throw and be a passer and not just a runner. EJ came into FSU as a biomedical engineering major. That’s how I ended up meeting him, when he visited my lab.

 

Ultimately: EJ’s got all the physical tools needed to succeed, but really needs to improve his consistency if he’s going to be successful. At this juncture, I don’t see him as a “franchise” QB. However, he does have a lot of the dreaded p-word, potential. So with some seasoning and some good coaching, there’s a realistic chance he could develop into a good QB.

 

I'll just add that i think he's got the ability to develop into a franchise QB, but as i stated, he'll need some work. To me, everything that can be seen as a "negative" with him is correctable. And Jimbo definitely hurt EJ last season.

 

As for the crap analysis from walterfootball, its just that, crap. The guy hasn't the slightest clue about EJ, and some of the things posted were flat out lies. Remember, walterfootball is still stinging from claiming Jimmy Claussen was going to be far and away the best QB in the 2009 draft. its a fan site, run by someone living in mom's basement, and nothing more.

Edited by Ramius
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I love EJ, so here was my end of season analysis just after the bowl games, but PRIOR to the senior bowl, combine, etc.

 

 

 

I'll just add that i think he's got the ability to develop into a franchise QB, but as i stated, he'll need some work. To me, everything that can be seen as a "negative" with him is correctable. And Jimbo definitely hurt EJ last season.

 

As for the crap analysis from walterfootball, its just that, crap. The guy hasn't the slightest clue about EJ, and some of the things posted were flat out lies. Remember, walterfootball is still stinging from claiming Jimmy Claussen was going to be far and away the best QB in the 2009 draft. its a fan site, run by someone living in mom's basement, and nothing more.

 

MA!!! WHERE'S THE MEATLOAF!!!!

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I rarely watch College football, but I did watch the entire Orange Bowl this year (Florida State vs Northern Illinois). I was far from impressed with Manuel, and based on that game, I was shocked to hear he's being considered in the top-2 rounds. It seemed like most of the passes he completed were wide open screens. It seems like his stock increase is a product of having the perfect measurables, and not actually being a great QB.

 

I hope I'm wrong, and I hope if he ends up on the Bills it's not at #8 overall.

You sound like me! I don't watch a lot of college football either. But I did see his bowl game and another game late in the season. He looked OK I guess. I know he has a high completion percentage, but several of his passes were erratic and way off. He's big and can run and all that. Just didn't get warm fuzzies that he was a good precision passer, which you need (and will continue to need despite the recent fascination with running QBs IMHO). I'm not sure consistency is something that can coached. We couldn't make Fitz or JP consistent, why would we think we can make this guy consistent? More of a roll of the dice than I'd like. But if we take him I won't hate it (too much).

 

I do think that if we want him, we better take him at 8 or else we'll lose out on him like we did Russel Wilson and Colin Kaepernick.

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Draft Manual as your next QB and this franchise will not make playoffs for another 10 years. I've watched him play in several games and he is not the answer. I saw him play in each game Florida State lost last year and he was a major reason they lost. His inconsistency is overwhelming. He also does not know how to play in poor weather. If he is the Bills pick for QB, I'd rather the Bills not draft a QB this year and go with Jackson. This team can not afford to waste a first round pick on a QB with as many holes as Manual. He can not win games for you. He plays not to lose and in no way can he dominate a game in the college level let alone the pros. He is a third round talent and nothing more. I'd rather have Fitzpatrick.

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I love EJ, so here was my end of season analysis just after the bowl games, but PRIOR to the senior bowl, combine, etc.

 

 

 

I'll just add that i think he's got the ability to develop into a franchise QB, but as i stated, he'll need some work. To me, everything that can be seen as a "negative" with him is correctable. And Jimbo definitely hurt EJ last season.

 

As for the crap analysis from walterfootball, its just that, crap. The guy hasn't the slightest clue about EJ, and some of the things posted were flat out lies. Remember, walterfootball is still stinging from claiming Jimmy Claussen was going to be far and away the best QB in the 2009 draft. its a fan site, run by someone living in mom's basement, and nothing more.

 

Manuel was my favorite QB at the start of the draft season and now it''s between him and Matt Scott. Geno Smith was always a pipe dream and I'm almost glad he'll be gone because I get a downer vibe from him for some reason. To me, EJ Manuel checks all of the boxes except for questions on hard core competitiveness and consistency. Matt Scott checks all of the boxes except for ideal size and his rawness due too lack of starts.

 

I would love for Manuel to be drafted by the Bills, but I do have this gut feeling that Scott will be the best QB in this class due to him being the most competitive combined with his strong release and amazing athletic skills. I just hope it's one of the two.

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I am noticing that some of the experts are coming out pretty strong against FSU's Offensive scheme when talking about, and projecting Manuel...There seems to be a steady stream of quotes like the one Mayock continues to use about the ridiculous amount of short passes Manuel was asked to throw at FSU, etc...So there seems to be the feeling out there by some that Manuel was held back due to scheme,.. B-)

 

Yes. The criticism of Jimbo Fisher, the Seminoles HC and OC is pretty rampant as far as him handcuffing EJ and adhering to an offense that doesn't play to his QB's strengths.

 

The irony is that EJ is a great short thrower and he's a wizard in the screen game. With his height, length and athleticism you see him routinely getting the ball to the receiver on screen passes where other QBs would have trouble. Funny thing that people take this skill for granted but throwing a screen is very tricky and dangerous stuff. There's lots of people in a small space.

 

Of course he also has a bazooka arm.

 

Anybody know the Wonderlic scores for the QBs?

 

I'd guess that Smith & Barkley are in the high range, and Manuel is a good bit lower based on what I've seen. Maybe the reason EJ's offense was so simple and relied on so many screens is that he couldn't handle complexity. I'll be pissed if we end up taking Manuel over Smith or Barkley because mobile option QBs are the flavor of the month, and we find out his Wonderlic is in the teens.

 

RG3, Kaepernick, and R Wilson are very smart QBs and that's part of the reason they've been successful. Teams are gonna fail trying to copycat that model with Vince Young/Terrelle Pryor types.

 

You're basing your opinion of Manuel's intelligence on what you've seen? What have you seen?

 

For the record, EJ is very well-spoken and has completed his degree in Communication with high grades. He's working on a second degree in Criminology. No, they're not super-hard majors but to have completed his program with good grades and to be pursuing a second degree speaks volumes to me.

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EJ has certainly propelled himself into the bottom of round 1 to the bottom of round 2. He just has too many measurables that are tools to use; height, weight, strength, athleticism, intelligence, record, arm strength. He has all the tools you want out of a QB; a poor man's Newton.

 

I'm also of the opinion that guys like Bray, Wilson, Nassib, even Dysert and Scott, have potential to be good QB's. I echo the opinion of the original post - Dion Jordan and any good QB would be a nice combo. Heck, I'd also be happy to see, say, Barkley and then Hunter - WR Tenn, that one-two punch on draft day that will alter the complection of the respective unit. Frankly, if Buddy wants to go out having achieved success, he's going to have to hit on most of his draft picks this year, and get a few gems in udfa as well. This team has to be competitive this year, and built mostly of young players.

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