ajzepp Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Well, I'll eat crow on this one. He really showed us something today. Very proud of EJ. A big stepping stone for him today. Happy..happy ..happy ! No need to eat any crow, brother...we Bills fans have as much or more reason to get frustrated and critical than any other fans. EJ clearly did well today...really hoping to see him build off of this and hopefully by year's end he'll be ready for prime time. It was encouraging to see EJ complete a variety of passes in tough weather conditions. 20-28 and two TDs in 20 + mph winds is impressive by any measure. He showed the arm to drive the ball through the wind. However, my favorite pass he threw all day was a touch pass to a RB where he had to throw it over a defender and drop it into the hands of the RB with the pass rusher in his face. I don't think the play amounted to anything of significance but it showed great touch, poise and awareness of the offense by EJ. Skepticism regarding EJ's play will rightly remain in place, as today's game was the best game he has played in the past two seasons (including college). If he continues to show the ability to deliver accurate deep sideline throws (by that I mean not 10 yards out of bounds) and as an earlier poster said the "ability to do the little things" over the remainder of the season, he will show that he is developing into a true franchise QB. If today's game was an aberration and the remainder of the season looks like previous games, he is not the answer. To answer the original posters question, I feel the same about him now as I have all year. I have my doubts, I keep rooting for him, and today he rewarded us with his best showing of the season. I want him to be the answer at QB, because I want the Bills to win. If he is not the answer at QB we are that much further away from winning. Well said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 You know what impressed me most? After our botched punt that allowed the Jets to close the game to 20-7, I was 100% positive that the Bills would go 3 and out and hand the ball right back. I'd seen this story SO many times before. Instead, EJ throws two consecutive absolute beauties and suddenly it's 27-7. I know the rook has his faults, but how long did we wait for Trent/Fitz/Losman to put their shoe on the opponent's throat like that? Credit to Hackett on this particular occasion too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatdrinks Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 they are almost all to the flat/sidline. watch the replay and stop kidding yourself , watch pittsburg again and youll see every pass is an out or short hitch. today he had a couple 9 yard type hitches- WOW!. where are the crossing routes? slants even? hes afraid of the middle, like trent or any other qb who cant read a defense. Just saying,, watch and youll see this yourself, not that im rooting against ej but its true. Did you ever think that perhaps certain throws are being left out of the gameplan BECAUSE we have a rookie QB? Most rook signal callers are not adept at reading NFL defenses as they are rarely the same "look" that you see pre-snap. A smart coach may avoid the middle of the field as that is the domain of many an INT. EJM is being coached not to turn the ball over. Complaining about not seeing certain types of routes after a solid performance in somewhat compromised conditions it ludicrous, really. Don't expect the kid to look like a finished product, he's not there yet. Some of it may also be matchups. The Bills lack size at the WR position and were missing key players. Slants may not have been a matchup the Bills liked. Slow developing crossing routes vs The Jets rush may not have been an area they wanted to test. Every game is not a referendum on Manuel. Today's game doesn't get him in the hall of fame, and last weeks road bump doesn't make him a bust either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trader Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Huge game for EJ and for the Bills. Like I said wins over the Jets, Miami, and Pats = a successful season regardless of the Pats. Graham had a huge game as well as Goodwin and to a lesser extent Hogan. They did this without their best receiver. Credit the o line too they kept EJ clean most of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatdrinks Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Well I didn't see EJ make any ints, sacks, hurries or knockdowns. Unless he stole a #1 from Jairus. He managed well w/o two weapons and no ground game. But make no mistake the defense sure made his job easier. I am undecided on him due to a small sample size. He played well today. But this was a team win. Well, sure but EJM didn't throw any INT's or fumble, and took 1 sack. I love how every win is due to the defense, and every loss is because he sucks. Wins in the NFL are usually team wins. Perhaps he will only have proven himself when he has no ground game, no defense, and beats New England. I don't know. Things happen in ball games. The jury is still out on EJ, but he was better than the guy on the other side of the field and the Bills won. He's still going to have ups and downs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malazan Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 I love how every win is due to the defense, and every loss is because he sucks. Stop drinking the kool aid Every win is because they other team sucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 You know what impressed me most? After our botched punt that allowed the Jets to close the game to 20-7, I was 100% positive that the Bills would go 3 and out and hand the ball right back. I'd seen this story SO many times before. Instead, EJ throws two consecutive absolute beauties and suddenly it's 27-7. I know the rook has his faults, but how long did we wait for Trent/Fitz/Losman to put their shoe on the opponent's throat like that? Credit to Hackett on this particular occasion too. Exactly! We're so conditioned to know what it feels like when that little crack of an opening just snowballs into yards, points and wins for the other team. I sent Beerball a PM back during the Carolina game toward the end, something to the effect of, "oh man, I can already see the score in the end...they're going to win by 2". But EJ proved me wrong and we obviously had a great outcome. Today was much the same, except obviously the Jets had a whole lot more distance to cover than the Panthers did. But like you said, we snuffed it out, EJ kept his cool and make plays, and we took care of business. This is a feeling I could get used to! EJM is being coached not to turn the ball over. This is a point that is lost on many of our fellow Bills fans, IMO. Obviously the coaches have given EJ the "ball security directive" as his top priority. The net effect of this is going to be a young QB who is, at least for a while, going to be a little more tentative and even apprehensive, less willing to take risks, etc. He's having to allocate a LOT of his brain power and focus to not turning the ball over. But as EJ becomes more and more comfortable, he'll be able to focus less intensely on ball security and more on opening up his game and hitting a few more tight windows. This is a big reason why passing judgement on the kid or being overly critical of his deficiencies early on is pointless. The various aspects of his game will grow at different rates, but if they continue to be smart about how he's groomed, there is a chance we'll have quite a weapon behind center in a year or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkgobills Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 You know what impressed me most? After our botched punt that allowed the Jets to close the game to 20-7, I was 100% positive that the Bills would go 3 and out and hand the ball right back. I'd seen this story SO many times before. Instead, EJ throws two consecutive absolute beauties and suddenly it's 27-7. I know the rook has his faults, but how long did we wait for Trent/Fitz/Losman to put their shoe on the opponent's throat like that? Credit to Hackett on this particular occasion too. +1 I actually had to leave the room for a moment after the Jets scored. Thought for sure we were going to find a new way to "seize defeat from the jaws of victory". Came back in and couldn't believe how EJ completed 2 long passes for the score! Closed out any hope the Jets had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris heff Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 It was encouraging to see EJ complete a variety of passes in tough weather conditions. 20-28 and two TDs in 20 + mph winds is impressive by any measure. He showed the arm to drive the ball through the wind. However, my favorite pass he threw all day was a touch pass to a RB where he had to throw it over a defender and drop it into the hands of the RB with the pass rusher in his face. I don't think the play amounted to anything of significance but it showed great touch, poise and awareness of the offense by EJ. Skepticism regarding EJ's play will rightly remain in place, as today's game was the best game he has played in the past two seasons (including college). If he continues to show the ability to deliver accurate deep sideline throws (by that I mean not 10 yards out of bounds) and as an earlier poster said the "ability to do the little things" over the remainder of the season, he will show that he is developing into a true franchise QB. If today's game was an aberration and the remainder of the season looks like previous games, he is not the answer. To answer the original posters question, I feel the same about him now as I have all year. I have my doubts, I keep rooting for him, and today he rewarded us with his best showing of the season. I want him to be the answer at QB, because I want the Bills to win. If he is not the answer at QB we are that much further away from winning. You need to go back and watch FSU Clemson game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 You do realize that covers probably 50% of the posters here, right? Of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkgobills Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 You need to go back and watch FSU Clemson game. Yeah, forgot about that game...380 yds passing over 100 rushing... It all came in the second half when Clemson already had a huge lead right? I turned that one off after the first half. My happiness with today's rout of the Jets must have momentarily messed up my memory I stand corrected...his second best game in the past two seasons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T master Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 One game does not a career make . It may have been a good start & they need to continue to let him throw it deep to open things up , but i will wait to call him the savior as of yet ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Lou Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 To answer the OP I don't think anyone's given up on EJ yet. The Bills have a loyal and hard nosed fan base to a degree. It really doesn't matter who the QB is; When they play poorly the pitchforks will always come out. And the past 13 years are living proof of that. Winning is the only cure. Scrutiny for poor performance will always come from the media, the fans, the haters, the coaches and your team mates too. Even the team janitor will hate you if you play as bad as EJ did in the Pitt game. The key is accepting it, then learning from the poor performance and then, moving forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 To answer the OP I don't think anyone's given up on EJ yet. The Bills have a loyal and hard nosed fan base to a degree. It really doesn't matter who the QB is; When they play poorly the pitchforks will always come out. And the past 13 years are living proof of that. Winning is the only cure. Scrutiny for poor performance will always come from the media, the fans, the haters, the coaches and your team mates too. Even the team janitor will hate you if you play as bad as EJ did in the Pitt game. The key is accepting it, then learning from the poor performance and then, moving forward. Read the posts last week - a lot of people have given up on EJ. Of course, a lot of people began every season thinking Reich should have started over Kelly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Read the posts last week - a lot of people have given up on EJ. Of course, a lot of people began every season thinking Reich should have started over Kelly. This. And then you have all the douchebags who, in 1996 when Kelly struggled at times, booed him and wanted Todd Collins. Nobody will ever mistake the term "Bills Fan" for "genius". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tcali Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Read the posts last week - a lot of people have given up on EJ. Of course, a lot of people began every season thinking Reich should have started over Kelly. oh life in the gray area. you are always right then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanC883 Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 I don't think anyone said he sucked, they said that they hoped he was the answer, and that if he kept playing mediocre football then we need to draft a QB in the first round next year. You don't want to get stuck w/ an Andy Dalton clone as your QB. Although, I don't think EJ turns out that way. To answer the OP I don't think anyone's given up on EJ yet. The Bills have a loyal and hard nosed fan base to a degree. It really doesn't matter who the QB is; When they play poorly the pitchforks will always come out. And the past 13 years are living proof of that. Winning is the only cure. Scrutiny for poor performance will always come from the media, the fans, the haters, the coaches and your team mates too. Even the team janitor will hate you if you play as bad as EJ did in the Pitt game. The key is accepting it, then learning from the poor performance and then, moving forward. I think unless you are one of the top 4 QBs in the NFL: Brees, Manning, Brady, Rodgers people will always be criticizing you heavily after a loss. QB's need to be able to take it. That's why they get the big $$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 oh life in the gray area. you are always right then. I have never gone wrong betting on the reactionary stupidity of the average person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formerly Allan in MD Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Anyone who changed their mind this week who based their judgement on last week's performance is literally mentally ill, and should seek professional help. Hope yours is top notch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SF Bills Fan Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 He looked great today. I think having Johnson out benefited him. That is odd to say, I know, but he he always looks to him first. We have a deep receiving corps! The ball was spread around. I've said before, I see enough to think he will be good for us. He was a clear leader today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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