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

[Donald Duck]

What Buddy Nix has done is give Buffalo another good QB in the 2nd ( if we so desire)

 

it was a brilliant move... ( took awhile to sink in, hehe)

Edited April 26, 2013 by dog14787

[John Cocktosten]

Were you around here for the CJ Spiller pick?

 

Or better, were you on earth, and able to access the interent/watch TV for the CJ Spiller pick?

 

The Bills were right, and yeah, the rest of the NFL was collectively wrong.

 

WGR reminded me: McShay is still defending his grade on Maybin, and even came on their air and defended it even after the Jets had him.

 

Consensus...does not mean...right. There is a wonderful example of this, being played out right now, and it's hilarious, but, I am not allowed to use it here, because it might hurt somebody's feelings. (Really, they will just be angry because it's...true, and it makes them look like the buffoons they are....but whatever)

 

Never said anything about McShay. Said the rest of the NFL.

 

How many wins do the Bills have since CJ arrived? So was he the right pick? I thought the NFL was about wins but the Bills seems to think other wise.

 

No, I'm talking about a guy that flopped against the only two good defenses he saw the last two years. If you're talking about the #15 team being N. Ill then you have to add that they lost to a terrible Iowa team and squeaked out a 1 point win over Army. That team? Ok if it makes you feel better!

 

How did he play against the Gators the last two years? He was terrible at home against Oklahoma and lost the game by himself!

 

You can't blitz in the senior bowl and EJ has zero pocket presence bud. Watch a few college games or talk to some FSU fans.

[JPS]

EJ Manuel is big, fast and can throw. 1st Glance....how can that be bad?

 

Pay no attention to the talking heads. They pick a side just to have something to say and it's easy to look at the CBS Sportsline Board and say the Bills reached and it's a bad pick. As with any pick, time will tell.

[OCinBuffalo]

FWIW, sports talk radio hosts down here.....folks who are intimately familiar with Manuel's play......this morning are saying the Bills blew it, big time. They think Manuel would have been available in 2nd, maybe even 3rd round. Bottom line is that they don't think it was a good pick at all.

Hmm. I wonder how that jibes with the fact that Nassib is supposed to be their pick in the 2nd, and how that piece of info got leaked? A smoke screen...is supposed to be believable. Telling people the exact player you are picking...is not a smoke screen. It's a sign of a rookie GM(ahem, Jacksonville) and a media trying to get on his good side.

 

So, the Jags, with their awful attempt at smoke screening Nassib...who were they thinking about picking instead? Geno? Tyler Wilson? Are they staying with Gabbert?

 

I am always very suspicious of other teams media...especially when they are overly critical of another team's moves who have no rivalry or much to do with them. We rarely if ever hear our media talking about how badly the Jags drafted. We don't care. I can understand things like laughing at Tebow to the Jets, because that was just hilariously bad, and we'd already seen him play in the NFL.

 

Btw, how many of those media people were laughing at Tebow to the Jets? How many were saying it out loud, on the air, in Jacksonville? None? When they can make fun of Tebow, on the air, for being awful, then they can talk about what the Bills do, and not before.

[billsrcursed]

No, I'm talking about a guy that came a guy that flopped against the only two good defenses he saw the last two years. If you're talking about the #15 team being N. Ill then you have to add that they lost to a terrible Iowa team and squeaked out a 1 point win over Army. That team? Ok if it makes you feel better!

 

How did he play against the Gators the last two years? He was terrible at home against Oklahoma and lost the game by himself!

 

You can't blitz in the senior bowl and EJ has zero pocket presence bud. Watch a few college games or talk to some FSU fans.

 

Maybe you didn't notice, but I live in Florida, so I'm very aware of not only EJ, but Seminole fans as well.

 

Everything you just said about Manuel can be said about any QB in this draft class, including the fact that the other QB's who played in the Senior Bowl had the same factors and still were not named MVP.

 

In fact, since I'm sure you'll retort with how poor this class was and that you didn't want a QB from this draft at all, I can pull dirt on ANY QB from last year's class as well, but really, what's the point? BTW, I hate FSU, terribly. I just don't allow that to blind me with regard to talent.

Edited April 26, 2013 by billsrcursed

[KOKBILLS]

If there's one thing we can say, it's that the Bills got the guy they wanted, and grabbed two extra picks in the process. Great job.

 

Exactly...Could not be happier with the way Day #1 went...

 

Plus...EJ was my favorite out of all these QB's...So...Like I said yesterday...For years now it seems I've constantly been saying that I hope I'm wrong concerning the Bills...I finally get to say I hope I'm right...

[BRAWNDO]

The Bills targeted their guy, traded down and got an extra second and a seventh, and still managed to pick him up. Nice job Buddy.

[BringBackFergy]

I admit I did not know as much about him as i should form an opinion prior to the draft, so wasnt hoping to draft him and really wanted Eifert there. However, since reading and watching as much as could on this kid last couple of hours, I have to say i am really excited about his upside. My first thought was we could have gotten him in the 2nd, but a couple hardcore Eagles fans I know said that Chip Kelly was in love with him and that the Eagles were targeting him as well as another team.

 

So, if they wanted him, guess they had to go with him at 16, so kudos for getting more picks and the guy they wanted. Everything he has said has been great too.

 

FYI: He is Bruce Smiths godson, has almost completed his masters, and really wanted to be a Buffalo Bill. Liking this more and more

 

Seriously?? I didn't know he was #78's Godson. I am impressed with his statements after the pick...saying he was "excited to be a Buffalo Bill and wants to get to work"...that is great. I was disappointed at first, but this kid really is special based on what you guys have said and what I've seen. Screw Mayock who said this is a "wasted pick"...I like it. These experts don't know squat. Welcome to Buffalo EJ!!!!

[The Poojer]

i wouldn't have minded if Buffalo rolled the dice and made that additional trade with SF to hopefully get him at 31(?), it would have been nice to get the extra picks, but i am ok with this if it turns out to be a reach....

 

FWIW, sports talk radio hosts down here.....folks who are intimately familiar with Manuel's play......this morning are saying the Bills blew it, big time. They think Manuel would have been available in 2nd, maybe even 3rd round. Bottom line is that they don't think it was a good pick at all.

[Wayne Cubed]

Maybe you didn't notice, but I live in Florida, so I'm very aware of not only EJ, but Seminole fans as well.

 

Everything you just said about Manuel can be said about any QB in this draft class, including the fact that the other QB's who played in the Senior Bowl had the same factors and still were not named MVP.

 

In fact, since I'm sure you'll retort with how poor this class was and that you didn't want a QB from this draft at all, I can pull dirt on ANY QB from last year's class as well, but really, what's the point? BTW, I hate FSU, terribly. I just don't allow that to blind me with regard to talent.

 

Boom! haha.

[BuffBill]

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.

Pronounce it Kolb like corn on the "Cob".

[OCinBuffalo]

Never said anything about McShay. Said the rest of the NFL.

 

How many wins do the Bills have since CJ arrived? So was he the right pick? I thought the NFL was about wins but the Bills seems to think other wise.

You are absolutely high if you are questioning a draft pick who put up Jim Brown #s last year, while only getting Kenny Davis carries per game.

 

Picks like CJ Spiller is how you win SuperBowls, not just games. Same thing with Dareus, same thing with Gilmore.

 

Oh, and yeah, it was the rest of the NFL, and the media who panned the Spiller, Gilmore, and even Dareus, to a lesser degree, picks.

 

I don't think this is bias. I think this is laziness. They are too lazy to bother with actually speaking with Buddy, Marrone, etc, beyond the 5 minute interview.

 

So, they have no idea what we think or why. If most of them do that...then you have your "consensus"...of idiocy.

Edited April 26, 2013 by OCinBuffalo

[KD in CA]

They traded down, got an extra pick and got the QB they wanted. Yup, huge panic.

[Kirby Jackson]

 

 

Never said anything about McShay. Said the rest of the NFL.

 

How many wins do the Bills have since CJ arrived? So was he the right pick? I thought the NFL was about wins but the Bills seems to think other wise.

 

You are so right. This franchise would be in a much better place had they drafted Bryan Bulaga instead of Spiller. If you don't like the pick its one thing, but when you make ignorant statements you lose credibility on all of your points.

 

Anyone that does not like the Spiller pick in hindsight is just being stubborn and wrong.

[John Cocktosten]

Maybe you didn't notice, but I live in Florida, so I'm very aware of not only EJ, but Seminole fans as well.

 

Everything you just said about Manuel can be said about any QB in this draft class, including the fact that the other QB's who played in the Senior Bowl had the same factors and still were not named MVP.

 

In fact, since I'm sure you'll retort with how poor this class was and that you didn't want a QB from this draft at all, I can pull dirt on ANY QB from last year's class as well, but really, what's the point? BTW, I hate FSU, terribly. I just don't allow that to blind me with regard to talent.

 

Except EJ played with about 10 times more talent than any other QB in the draft and played in a horrible ACC. How did he do in the big games? I know because I watched. He was bad. Great QBs win games. EJ has never done that...ever.

 

He's flopped in every big game that he's played. Sorry but you can't argue that.

[bananathumb]

Great draft moves, Nix. Can't believe the Bills actually out-manuevered the rest of the league. They got the QB with most potential and were given extra picks at the same time! This is the most exciting Buffalo draft since the McGahee pick.

 

Don't let Maroon and all his Syracuse lapdogs' sulking bother you, Buddy. You got the right guy and you can retire now.

[BringBackFergy]

The accuracy rap is complete nonsense.

 

1) Although completion percentage doesn't necessarily prove accuracy, EJ's career completion percentage is very high, 66.9% in spite of the fact that his career yards per attempt is quite high at 8.6 ypa. To complete a high percentage of passes while throwing the ball farther downfield than most QBs would seem to refute any questions about his accuracy.

 

2) In addition, the Sports Science segment on EJ mentioned that on passes thrown 10 yards or more downfield, his completion percentage was within 2% of Andrew Luck's.

 

3) In the Sports Science segment, EJ scored higher on the accuracy tests than any other tested QB and his combined metrics were in the neighborhood of Big Ben and Kaepernick's

 

4) In the Quicken Loan Skills competition, Manuel blew away the competition (Ryan Nassib, Mike Glennon, and Jordan Rodgers in the accuracy part of the competition. He also won that competition overall.

 

5) I've watched about 8 games of videos (all plays where he threw or ran the ball, certainly over 200 passes) and the guy throws a beautiful and accurate ball.

 

Whatever shortcomings EJ may have, accuracy is not one of them.

Well said...not sure the "experts" know much of anything these days as much as wanting to spout off some nonsense to garner attention. Apparently Mayock said this was a "wasted pick" last night. I suppose he was enamored with Geno and didn't want to see his mock draft proven wrong. Obviously, our front office saw something special in EJ and I will trust their evaluation of him - this kid seems to have all the tools and is a sharp young man...liking it more and more.

[The Wiz]

Seriously?? I didn't know he was #78's Godson. I am impressed with his statements after the pick...saying he was "excited to be a Buffalo Bill and wants to get to work"...that is great. I was disappointed at first, but this kid really is special based on what you guys have said and what I've seen. Screw Mayock who said this is a "wasted pick"...I like it. These experts don't know squat. Welcome to Buffalo EJ!!!!

Here's another one from WGR interview.

 

"I actually called my agent as soon as I finished my interview with [offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett] and I was like, 'Man, I really hope Buffalo takes me because I feel like I can fit into the system perfectly.' I know Coach Hackett is a very smart, intelligent coach," Manuel said. "He's very innovative, so I know he's going to have a lot of creative things coming up."

 

I don't know how you can't like the pick. We traded back and they picked who they wanted out of all the QB's available. He has the highest ceiling of all the QB's in the draft.

[Wayne Cubed]

I like the pick.

 

EJ Manuel was the QB I knew the least about, but I knew he had the most upside of any of the QB's in the draft. I like his size and his athleticism. In a draft where all the top QB's are equal I'm glad the Bills swung for the fence instead of trying to play it safe. Not to mention they picked up 2 extra picks in the process.

[VABills]

 

How many job offers did that qb who was throwing into trash cans from everywhere? It's one thing to be accurate with no pressure. It's another under game recognition with 21 other players running around.

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously, that was just damn impressive. The man had accuracy and release like I couldn't believe. He had such perfect touch on 20 yard, back foot passes over defenders that he beat out Kaepernick at the drill.

 

 

 

 

I don't know about dominated...but seriously, we got VERY good value out of the trade to St. Louis at the same time we prevented the Jets from getting a prized acquisition and then waited out for the guy who Buddy clearly wanted to take at #8, but would have gotten no end of grief from fans for taking so early.

 

 

I was also found this interesting from the Nix/Marrone Q&A: