Rd 1, Pick #16: QB EJ Manuel - Florida St.

[Ludwig van]

This new regime is a 180 from gailey n co.

Love this pick! Finally a potential franchise qb!!

Welcome to Buffalo EJ!!

[bbb]

Ralph said that? Ralph Wilson?

[Cru Jones]

What makes you so certain that if Manuel was still available late 1st, Philly wouldn't have moved up to assure that they got him before the Bills? It would have been rather costly for them to move back to mid 1st from the 36th pick, bottom 1st from 36 not so much.

 

That would have been the best thing to happen to the Bills.

 

They could have gotten on the phone and moved back some, the 49ers moved up to 18 and falcons to 22.

 

My overarching theme of this post though, is that they were the only team that didn't know that no one else was going to move back, trade up, or stay put to take one of these Qbs in the first round. Also that these QBs are not that good and whomever you pick is only going to be as succesful as the situation they go into. I'd rather have Eifert and Justin Rodgers to go along with whatever qb was left I don't care if its Glennon or Jones whether its at 46 or the 7th rd over a project with terrible accuracy that wont play this year.I would also bet big money that Barkley, Nassib or both are sitting there at 46.

 

Look at Cincinatti compared to Buffalo right now, I like Dareus but had they taken AJ Green instead Fitz might be the Bills QB still because guys like that make middling QBs look good. That's what is happening with the bengals right now, they have a nice qb but not an elite one so what do they do? they team him with Green, and instead of a being content with one good WR like buffalo, they draft another one (Sanu) and even though they have a good TE in Gresham they grab Eifert too. So as much as I am crapping on EJ Manuel there is hope he can be a player, but you don't take a QB at 16 if he isnt going to beat out Kevin Kolb or Tavaris Jackson right away when there is talent to be had at positions of need that can help this horrible team right now.

 

 

 

[Kelly the Dog]

Manuel was my first QB so i am happy with the pick.

 

And I totally understand why anyone may like a QB better than they like Manuel.

 

But i don't understand the criticism of what the Bills did. They had to get a QB in the first two rounds. There wasn't any QB worthy of the #8 by almost all accounts. We got an extra second round pick, in a deep draft, AND the guy we clearly wanted.

 

You can argue that you hate EJ or wanted Geno or Barkley or Nassib, even though no one else thought they were a first rounder, but it's hard to argue with what the Bills did to get what they wanted.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

And Nix didn't trade for John Skelton.

 

He really has no clue.

 

after the past 3 drafts do you really think has a clue?

[OCinBuffalo]

Ok I just watched the Orange Bowl game.

 

EJM was literally flawless. Now you can say this and that about N. Illinois, but, they were ranked 15 and guess what...it doesn't matter. Why? Because: count mississipis from the time the ball is snapped to when it is out. Then see the ball get there, sometimes 30 yards, in half a second. Lawrence Taylor of 1984 could have lined up for N. Illinois, and it wouldn't have mattered.

 

Detail:

1: http://www.youtube.c...n7SGt5c#t=1313s wicked, wicked play fake and then effortless pass for a first...then idiot fumbles it.

 

2: http://www.youtube.c...n7SGt5c#t=1626s I thought the knock on EJM was "he can't move laterally". If so, then what exactly was this? It wasn't a roll out. It was a sprint out and throw the ball while still on the move. I really don't understand the "can't move around in the pocket" after watching this game.

 

3. http://www.youtube.c...n7SGt5c#t=1699s If #1 wasn't proof enough, here it is again. Ball fake, effortless pass on a rope, exactly on target. So far I haven't seen a pass that wasn't caught or should have been caught. There was 1(one) that he threw away due to pressure. The "accuracy" knock looks to be ludicrous.

 

4. http://www.youtube.c...n7SGt5c#t=2463s Important play here. Bad snap, no panic, just handles it and gets back to the LOS.

 

5. http://www.youtube.c...-6JSYZq8#t=156s "1 mississippi, 2 missippi", out, accurate 10+ yard pass, and 1st down. Again, you can rush anybody, but if that ball is out in 2 seconds and is that accurate, there's nothing they can do.

 

6. http://www.youtube.c...-6JSYZq8#t=382s Ok here's a potential problem. Is this manuel not knowing the protection, not seeing the defense, a bad line call by the center, or is it just...the LT completely F'ed up? I don't know football well enough to be sure, but I think it's the last one. However, I do see Manuel shift the RB away from the blitzer. Gotta think if he recognized the defense, he wouldn't have done that. He still almost made the throw in spite of getting his legs taken out.

 

7. http://www.youtube.c...-6JSYZq8#t=690s How easy did that look?

 

8. http://www.youtube.c...6JSYZq8#t=1886s Nice EJM plays in a row here:

1. check down

2. decent run

3. hit a slant in a tight window first down, nice post pattern hit the runner in stride(isnt' this guy supposed to be bad at anticipation throws? the wtf was that?)

4. busted play and EJM escapes pressure and hits his guy for 7 yards

5. wr screen pass to flat 1 missippi, gone, first down

6. sound awareness of the clock as soon as the run gets stuffed he calls timeout

7. nice pass to where only his WR can get it...TD.

 

Manuel was 6-6 on that. They started that drave at 3:57 on the clock. If that's not the perfect example of how you run a 4 minute offense, I don't know what is.

 

This is not a "waste" pick McShay .

1. This guy can play the game, and clearly has the skill set to be elite. It all depends on how hard he works, and how well he is coached.

2. Don't try to tell a Bills fan about who is accurate, and who is not, we've had an object lesson in it for years. I saw WRs running after the catch, because they had been hit in stride, all over the place, for the entire game. I haven't seen football played this way(because I NEVER watch college, ever, and I only watch the Bills), in a very long time.

3. But the most damning thing for McShay? How in the hell do you have "slow eyes", when you are getting the ball out in 2 or less seconds, every...single..time?

Edited April 26, 2013 by OCinBuffalo

[djp14150]

My feelings on Manuel------

 

I watched the Gruden Camps with the QBs...Manuel jumped out at me in terms of his intelligence. Given his height, speed, and athletiisism he is a similar mode to a Cam Newton/Colin Kaepatrick.

 

 

Outside of some package plays I dont se him playing at all until buffalo is out of it at the end of the season.

 

do not believe you rush a QB to start out of the gates in the NFL.. Too much risk.

 

The one thing that does bother me....

 

Did they consider trading down further? I think they could have gotten a 3rd to move down to around 22-24. I understand the concern was on the teams at the top of the 2nd who were looking to draft a QB and could have traded up into the first a head of Buffalo. Its easier for them at high 2nd to move to the 23-26 range than to try to move up to the mid first.

 

As for the trade of picks with St Louis. The deal was about what you should have done based on the draft pick value chart. For the rams to move up it costs them a 2nd but that is a little more in value, so they flip 3rd round picks and then St Louis throws in a 7th which then balances it out.

 

The added bonus---the Jets couldnt draft the WR.

[Pilsner]

His name probably only matters if he does something of significance such as winning a SB or two or even three in a row. So how do we pronounce it? Is it like reading a Manual? Or is it pronounced traditionally in Spanish to sound like Manwell? Or is it just safer for us illiterate folk to just call him EJ? I propose EJ. What say you? Choose wisely.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Pilsner

[Johnny Hammersticks]

after the past 3 drafts do you really think has a clue?

 

I think the Bills' scouting dept did a really nice job in the 1st round. They picked up extra picks and still got the QB they wanted. How much of that is attributable to Buddy Nix is questionable. I happen to think that Doug Whaley is starting to have more "pull" with regard to the personnel decisions. Regardless, who are you to criticize BB? What makes you so certain that drafting EJ Manuel was a bad decision? Can you see the future?

[BuffaloBillsMagic1]

Sounds like a buddy pick. would rather have waited until secoind round for nasib or smith or barkley. don't like the pick as too much risk

[Wayne Cubed]

More importantly he add's to the list of "J's" on the team.

 

EJ, CJ, TJ, SJ13

[Cru Jones]

There was no doubt the Bills needed a QB. They identified 'their guy' and got him. In the process they got an extra second round pick and a seventh plus we have a player at the most important position in football. QB's always go before 'their valued spot'. Do you think Jake Locker was worth the 8th pick, Christian Ponder the 12th??? No but this is how drafting QB's goes. Without a good one it doesn't matter how good your team is

 

Is that acceptable to you as a fan? We don't have a good Qb so were going to pass over actual talent and take one because that's "how drafting QBs goes." It isn't to me.

 

I'm sure the titans and Jags could find somebody to play just as good as Locker/ Gabbert while JJ Watt is playing for them instead of kicking their teeth in twice a year. A legit QB talent can drastically change a franchise but taking one in the first round does not make him a franchise QB. Those teams are hurting because they bought in to the myth of 'if you don't have one, you gotta get one' and forced themselves to fall in love with guys that weren't that talented and passed on guys who were and that's what buffalo did.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Cru Jones

[Wayne Cubed]

Is that acceptable to you as a fan? We don't have a good Qb so were going to pass over actual talent and take one because that's "how drafting QBs goes." It isn't to me.

 

I'm sure the titans and Jags could find somebody to play just as good as Locker/ Gabbert while JJ Watt is playing for them instead of kicking their teeth in twice a year. A legit QB talent can drastically change a franchise but taking one in the first round does not make him a franchise QB. Those teams are hurting because they bought in to the myth of 'if you don't have one, you gotta get one' and forced themselves to fall in love with guys that weren't that talented and passed on guys who were and that's what buffalo did.

 

Gotta love the hindsight going on in this thread...

 

Here's a thought, if teams knew JJ Watt would be as good as he is, he wouldn't have made it to the Locker/Gabbert pick. So there's that.

[Dibs]

Very happy with day 1 .

[kickedface]

i am much more interested in seeing what round 2 brings. will the bills do what the skins did last year and pick up another qb?

[ganesh]

You seem to be determined to be miserable about the pick. Other scouts appear to have him rated higher, as it is believed the eagles and browns were targeting him in the 2nd.

In fact, it doesn't even matter what the eagles or browns want to do. The Bills had him at the top of their chart and chose their #1 guy. I would rather pick my first choice rather than being dictated by someone else and then overpaying for it (like they did with JP Losman)

 

Very happy with day 1 .

 

+1. Sure wanted Barkley before the draft, but I think they can win with EJ..... EJ, CJ and TJ on the same field on Day 1....That is awesome

 

Sounds like a buddy pick. would rather have waited until secoind round for nasib or smith or barkley. don't like the pick as too much risk

 

This is actually an anti-buddy pick in some sense. The last two years they rated the QBs in the correct round and waited to pick them in those rounds and missed out on them...This time, they made sure that they got their guy (Whether the guy will succeed or not, that is a different issue).

 

I understand that, but Geno has been bothered by it and even addressed it. I am saying he probably feels it hurt him and felt like it robbed him. I am not saying thats why he fell, I was saying why Geno thinks he fell.

 

Agree. It is a pretty tough situation for Geno Smith. But that is why they get the big bucks. There are roughly 100 QBs playing the NFL every year. To be one of that 100, you got to show a lot of guts, maturity....In fact the draft was pretty harsh on many of the immature players today. No team wanted to take a flyer on a immature player.

[swnybillsfan]

look at it this way. buddy got the guy that they believe has the highest ceiling in this qb class, the biggest and most athletic of the bunch with a good head on his shoulders and a strong (enough) arm. he also managed to pick up another second round pick in the process, and now while these other teams are grabbing their qbs ahead of us in the second, we can grab a guy or two with first round talent that slipped a bit. sounds good to me.

[Prickly Pete]

That was his team today.

 

If the bills didn't want Smith, and the jets didn't take him either, and at 16 the bills were the last team with a QB need, why wouldn't they take someone they can use right away instead of rolling the dice like the incompetent dolts that they are?

 

Even I knew as soon as the jets didn't take Geno that there wouldn't be a QB taken in rd 1. Within about 3 minutes after the jets pick I had the QB scenario figured out for rd2. A. Trade up to 31/32 to grab a QB ahead of the next team that needs one (jax) which I understand isn't Rd 2 but almost. B. Since the Eagles were the other team with strong interest in Manuel, and the Bills felt they had to have him you trade ahead of them to 34 with SF. Or I believe this is the best option, C. You take whatever Qb is available at that point because they are all pretty much Projects or guys who might be ready but have low ceilings, and don't they have to give up a pick to do so.

 

None of the QBs available could start for for the Bills or any other team this year, no QBs were good enought to be drafted day 1 and only one team was incompetent enought to not know it. Oh, and of all the projects, they took the one who needs the most time to develop. Way to go morons you panicked and panicked hard, get your F'ing heads out of the sand and look at whats going on around you. Like the Broncos in '11 you didn't need to make this pick and it was obvious to everyone but you.

 

Hey buddy, better get some linemen tomorrow to protect Kolb, Jackson, Korp and whatever retreads you bring in to play for the next 5 years until EJ is ready to go.

 

This pick makes me wanna f'ing puke.

 

 

They traded down, picked up some nice picks to work with, and got to select the QB they wanted, but people STILL complain.

 

"They could have taken a guard....waaaaaaaah"

Edited April 26, 2013 by Marauder'sMicro

[Last Guy on the Bench]

Server crashed for several hours.

 

As I told mrags, it was like celebrating Christmas in solitary confinement.

 

You're a poet. That's exactly what it was like, except draft day is more fun than Christmas.

[swnybillsfan]

have we figured out dareus yet?