YoloinOhio Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 EJ (and Geno) are a huge topic of conversation on all the national sports talk shows because they are the only two starting rookies this year and with the success of the rookies from last year. I heard Mike & Mike earlier this morning saying that they need to be careful to not compare themselves to last year's group because they were an anomaly when you look at previous history of starting rookies. But they just asked Jaws his thoughts on EJ and he said he didn't think he had the skill of last year's QBs but didn't see any reason why he couldn't develop into a very good NFL QB. He said his main concern with how he will perform this week is the amount of time he lost in training camp. He said that is so criticial at this stage and it can't be replicated. He didn't have huge expectations for Game 1 - FWIW he said the same for Geno. The main difference everyone has pointed out between the two is that EJ has a better running game and that he has been established as the starter going forward, whereas the Jets have 4 QBs in camp and Geno seems more like te starter by default - both of which may work in EJ's favor as a rookie starting out with gaining confidence. Just thought it was interesting. I want nothing more than for EJ to go out there and have a great game against the Pats* in his first home game (of course the win is the priority) but I see his point and am trying to temper my expectations. And now they asked Kiper the same question... he said EJ is in a better situation long-term because he was hand-picked by the coach and GM in Bflo as 1 st rd pick, however he tempered that by throwing in that Geno had the better grade going into the draft. He had to throw that in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 The rookies last year didn't do it all on their own. Wilson, who I would compare EJ to, had a great defense and running game to help him. The Bills will need to be the same way and not put it all on EJ's shoulders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cugalabanza Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 A fair assessment. Yeah, we don't need 7 TD passes from EJ and 400+ yards. I'll be happy with a good solid outing with a few sustained drives and no turnovers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 The rookies last year didn't do it all on their own. Wilson, who I would compare EJ to, had a great defense and running game to help him. The Bills will need to be the same way and not put it all on EJ's shoulders. Is this forum prepared for the madness if EJ performs as poorly as Russell Wilson did the first half of last season? Last I saw them, our defense wasn't half as good as Seattle's. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted September 6, 2013 Author Share Posted September 6, 2013 A fair assessment. Yeah, we don't need 7 TD passes from EJ and 400+ yards. I'll be happy with a good solid outing with a few sustained drives and no turnovers. I remember Big Ben's rookie year. The Steelers had a great D and running game and did not ask him to do too much. IIRC, they had a very good record. I know he went to a "better" team... but they really let him settle in and didn't make him him do too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13player Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 And now they asked Kiper the same question... he said EJ is in a better situation long-term because he was hand-picked by the coach and GM in Bflo as 1 st rd pick, however he tempered that by throwing in that Geno had the better grade going into the draft. He had to throw that in. Kiper is a bone head. born a bone head and he'll die a bone head! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted September 6, 2013 Author Share Posted September 6, 2013 Is this forum prepared for the madness if EJ performs as poorly as Russell Wilson did the first half of last season? Last I saw them, our defense wasn't half as good as Seattle's. GO BILLS!!! I remember some really awful performances from Wilson (and Luck and RG3 as well, to be fair). But they got to the playoffs and performed well when they got there (actually Wilson was the best, Luck was not that good and RG3 of course got hurt) - but the overall performance is what is remembered now, and also how they developed throughout the course of the year. With young players (and young treams), consistency is always an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 A fair assessment. Yeah, we don't need 7 TD passes from EJ and 400+ yards. I'll be happy with a good solid outing with a few sustained drives and no turnovers. All I would add to this is a little week to week improvement. If we can just exit the season on an upward trajectory for a change that would make for a great season almost without respect to the record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I like Jaws' but let's be honest. He has no idea. None of the "experts" do. It's a complete crapshoot. Jaws fawned over Losman. So I have no idea how well EJ is going to translate. But I do know that this guy is a package of stuff we haven't seen since Kelly. He has the size of Bledsoe. The mobility of Flutie. He has the arm of Losman. He has the leadership skills of Fitz. As others have said, Russell Wilson was very average the 1st half of the season. On paper going into both of their rookie years, you could argue that the Bills might have a slightly more talented roster than the Seahawks last year. But the Hawks have great coaching (especially on D) and allowed Wilson to grow into the role. IMO, this season is on the defense. Let Manuel grow into the role. I'd also like to say that the most underrated part of Manuel is the fact he had to play last season with his mother going through cancer treatments. I can't imagine that at my age, let alone a 21 yo playing QB for a championship caliber team. Here's to finally finding Jim Kelly's replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I love the way Jaws breaks down film, but to be honest, his track record on predicting either the success or failure of NFL QBs is nothing to crow about. If they simply gave him a show to only break down film and explain what went right/wrong on given plays, that would be his highest and best use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted September 6, 2013 Author Share Posted September 6, 2013 (edited) I like Jaws' but let's be honest. He has no idea. None of the "experts" do. It's a complete crapshoot. Jaws fawned over Losman. So I have no idea how well EJ is going to translate. But I do know that this guy is a package of stuff we haven't seen since Kelly. He has the size of Bledsoe. The mobility of Flutie. He has the arm of Losman. He has the leadership skills of Fitz. As others have said, Russell Wilson was very average the 1st half of the season. On paper going into both of their rookie years, you could argue that the Bills might have a slightly more talented roster than the Seahawks last year. But the Hawks have great coaching (especially on D) and allowed Wilson to grow into the role. IMO, this season is on the defense. Let Manuel grow into the role. I'd also like to say that the most underrated part of Manuel is the fact he had to play last season with his mother going through cancer treatments. I can't imagine that at my age, let alone a 21 yo playing QB for a championship caliber team. Here's to finally finding Jim Kelly's replacement. I read an article after the draft about EJ's senior season. Apparently, although he had a great record, there was a fair amount of criticism from the FSU fan base. It turns out he never said anything about his mom's situation until the end of the season. Never used it as an excuse (or even told anyone, other than maybe teammates, coaches, etc) or to get sympathy. On Senior Day, his mom was there on the field and he was crying. That was when the story came out. There were many times he could have used that to defend his performance (turns out he threw a few untimely picks and there was a bad loss to rival Florida) but he never did. I can't imagine, as a senior in college, having that much on my shoulders and still be the 1st QB drafted. He has something.... that not many people have. Mental toughness. Edited September 6, 2013 by YoloInTheBlo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris heff Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 The whole time I was reading that, I was thinking, good job on not going out on a limb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I love the way Jaws breaks down film, but to be honest, his track record on predicting either the success or failure of NFL QBs is nothing to crow about. If they simply gave him a show to only break down film and explain what went right/wrong on given plays, that would be his highest and best use. It's everybody's track record to be far. That's why I can't stand how much stock some fans put into "experts" opinions. There were a ton of fans who wanted Wilson last year and he lasted until the 3rd. At the same time, there were a lot of fans who wanted Clausen and a lot of experts thought he was a 1st rounder. I read an article after the draft about EJ's senior season. Apparently, although he had a great record, there was a fair amount of criticism from the FSU fan base. It turns out he never said anything about his mom's situation until the end of the season. Never used it as an excuse (or even told anyone, other than maybe teammates, coaches, etc) or to get sympathy. On Senior Day, his mom was there on the field and he was crying. That was when the story came out. There were many times he could have used that to defend his performance (turns out he threw a few untimely picks and there was a bad loss to rival Florida) but he never did. I can't imagine, as a senior in college, having that much on my shoulders and still be the 1st QB drafted. He has something.... that not many people have. Mental toughness. Yup. My friend is a huge FSU fan and he never knew about the cancer thing until after the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibuya Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 (edited) For some reason I feel EJ is going to be solid from the get go. Limited mistakes and steady output.. There is an aura about him, that leaves me with little concern. My concern this week is not our O but more our D secondary. Our front 7 is solid, but our secondary without Gilmore and Byrd full go is my only concern.... So my hope lies in creative pressuring of Brady from Pettines D Edited September 6, 2013 by shibuya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Cubed Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I remember some really awful performances from Wilson (and Luck and RG3 as well, to be fair). But they got to the playoffs and performed well when they got there (actually Wilson was the best, Luck was not that good and RG3 of course got hurt) - but the overall performance is what is remembered now, and also how they developed throughout the course of the year. With young players (and young treams), consistency is always an issue. Tannehill get's praise for his season last year and his, statistically, wasn't impressive or good at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 EJ (and Geno) are a huge topic of conversation on all the national sports talk shows because they are the only two starting rookies this year and with the success of the rookies from last year. I heard Mike & Mike earlier this morning saying that they need to be careful to not compare themselves to last year's group because they were an anomaly when you look at previous history of starting rookies. But they just asked Jaws his thoughts on EJ and he said he didn't think he had the skill of last year's QBs but didn't see any reason why he couldn't develop into a very good NFL QB. He said his main concern with how he will perform this week is the amount of time he lost in training camp. He said that is so criticial at this stage and it can't be replicated. He didn't have huge expectations for Game 1 - FWIW he said the same for Geno. The main difference everyone has pointed out between the two is that EJ has a better running game and that he has been established as the starter going forward, whereas the Jets have 4 QBs in camp and Geno seems more like te starter by default - both of which may work in EJ's favor as a rookie starting out with gaining confidence. Just thought it was interesting. I want nothing more than for EJ to go out there and have a great game against the Pats* in his first home game (of course the win is the priority) but I see his point and am trying to temper my expectations.And now they asked Kiper the same question... he said EJ is in a better situation long-term because he was hand-picked by the coach and GM in Bflo as 1 st rd pick, however he tempered that by throwing in that Geno had the better grade going into the draft. He had to throw that in. I can't remember the last Time jawarski was right about a QB. Just because you've been there , it doesn't mean you can find or predict it in someone else. I remember him predicting success for a number of failing Bills QB. On EJ: I can't remember a Player in buffalo exuding more confidence, humility, stature, work ethic and charisma while also by the way exceeding all the average measurables at his position (speed, size, arm strength.) The kid has it all and he is surrounded by the most skill position talent Buf has seen in at least a decade. The line is in question but I see it as a focus for Marrone. I don't try to predict the future, but I see no reason why it's not just as likely he has a franchise record, rookie best year as it is that he struggles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 Tannehill get's praise for his season last year and his, statistically, wasn't impressive or good at all. I thought Weeden was better than RT. But I don't think it would be a stretch for EJ to match RT's numbers. He has a better cast around him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted September 6, 2013 Author Share Posted September 6, 2013 Tannehill get's praise for his season last year and his, statistically, wasn't impressive or good at all. I always forget about him (so does the media, actually). I think they have said he looked like he had potential. I think he could be a good QB. Just surprised Miami took away his LT and running game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Cubed Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I always forget about him (so does the media, actually). I think they have said he looked like he had potential. I think he could be a good QB. Just surprised Miami took away his LT and running game. I thought Weeden was better than RT. But I don't think it would be a stretch for EJ to match RT's numbers. He has a better cast around him. I thought Weeden had a better season as well. But I think more was expected of him because he was 28 years old at the time. I don't see the hype for RT, his supporting cast, mainly the defense, looks good but his OL is going to be the real problem. And they took away a good running back in Bush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I thought Weeden had a better season as well. But I think more was expected of him because he was 28 years old at the time. I don't see the hype for RT, his supporting cast, mainly the defense, looks good but his OL is going to be the real problem. And they took away a good running back in Bush. People like flashy things. Miami spent a lot of money on FAs. Thus, they will be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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