NoSaint Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Graham basically called him a bust to his face by flatly stating "I do" on whether he thinks the Bills should draft a QB in the first round of this draft. To me, having that opinion is pretty silly on a number of accounts. First off, the Bills at the #9 pick are in no position to draft any of the big three of this draft (Bridgwater, Manziel or Bortles). Secondly, EJ Manuel had a very typical rookie QB season where he showed good, bad and ugly. He had the very season everyone was predicting he would, but for some strange reason since he didn't have a "magical" rookie season like RGIII or Wilson then he's now considered a bust after one year by a reporter from the Buffalo News? Does Tim Graham know what Eli Manning looked like his rookie season?...LOL If I were Graham's editor I'd be embarrassed at his retort to Manuel since no sensible football fan would declare EJ Manuel a bust after only one season and any team picking a QB in the 1st round two years in a row is a loser franchise that doesn't know what they are doing. Graham and The Buffalo News look like losers in all this. EJ stayed classy and did nothing wrong IMO. he didnt directly call him a bust, it simply implies he hasnt proven himself the answer. i dont agree with taking a first round qb this year, but i understand the sentiment some would have that we should. just an awkward situation all around, but it happens. because its TG, its hard to give him any benefit of the doubt, but ultimately its not the end of the world, even if he was purposeful in his actions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maury Ballstein Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Graham basically called him a bust to his face by flatly stating "I do" on whether he thinks the Bills should draft a QB in the first round of this draft. To me, having that opinion is pretty silly on a number of accounts. First off, the Bills at the #9 pick are in no position to draft any of the big three of this draft (Bridgwater, Manziel or Bortles). Secondly, EJ Manuel had a very typical rookie QB season where he showed good, bad and ugly. He had the very season everyone was predicting he would, but for some strange reason since he didn't have a "magical" rookie season like RGIII or Wilson then he's now considered a bust after one year by a reporter from the Buffalo News? Does Tim Graham know what Eli Manning looked like his rookie season?...LOL If I were Graham's editor I'd be embarrassed at his retort to Manuel since no sensible football fan would declare EJ Manuel a bust after only one season and any team picking a QB in the 1st round two years in a row is a loser franchise that doesn't know what they are doing. Graham and The Buffalo News look like losers in all this. EJ stayed classy and did nothing wrong IMO. Agree Bryce Harper is needed to get this wannabee Skip Bayless in line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wiz Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 (edited) oh, man. did you just cut and paste my post without reading it? jw Where exactly in the post that I quoted did you say how you would have responded to the same question if it was asked to you other than saying "hmmmm"? Edited January 31, 2014 by The Wiz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delete This Account Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 (edited) Where exactly in the post that I quoted did you say how you would have responded to the same question if it was asked to you other than saying "hmmmm"? pretty sure that answers your question. jw let me add this. NoSaint seems to be doing a good job deciphering things here. Edited January 31, 2014 by john wawrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wiz Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 pretty sure that answers your question. jw let me add this. NoSaint seems to be doing a good job deciphering things here. I understand that the pause(hmmm) is a way of thinking about it but I was more curious about how you would have fully responded. And I agree with NoSaint, it is an awkward situation all around. Not try to bust your balls, just wondering what you would have said after 'hmmmm'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delete This Account Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 so let me get this anti-Tim narrative straight. it's wrong for him to answer EJ's question with what he thinks and to his face, but have no time to explain himself because EJ gets pulled away. but it would OK for him to answer EJ's question in a column and not to his face, outlining why he thinks that to be the case. the question was asked. the answer was going to be coming one way or another, no? jw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 so let me get this anti-Tim narrative straight. it's wrong for him to answer EJ's question with what he thinks and to his face, but have no time to explain himself because EJ gets pulled away. but it would OK for him to answer EJ's question in a column and not to his face, outlining why he thinks that to be the case. the question was asked. the answer was going to be coming one way or another, no? jw It's not his answer, but how he answered. To me it was unprofessional. As an interviewer Graham should know better than to antagonize his subject, especially one with fragile ego. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris heff Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Just so that I have this straight, Graham told EJ he thinks the Bills should draft another QB and Manuel walked away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills Fan of St Augustine Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 These scope procedures are in fact minor. ACL MCL is much much different and much worse. The best news is the EJ seems committed to rehabing and then wearing a knee brace going forward. No QB should be drafted before the fourth round. We have huge needs on the OL and LB, not to mention TE and WR. Draft for need. RT, LG, MLB, WR, TE in that order. QB only if a suprise slides way down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Agree...what a dumb comment for Graham to drop on EJ. Guys consistently a tool. Just trying to prepare EJ for the inevitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdand12 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 It would be irresponsible to not draft a QB within the first 3 rounds. Thad Lewis should not be on the team, he is a turnover maching, and Tuel can't make the throws, he does not have an NFL arm. Tim ? is that you again ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdand12 Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I am not sure where this comes from John, and a little surprising. People can debate all day long about EJ's performance on the field and whether or not he is the answer. However, off the field, he has consistently presented himself with class, diginity, and maturity. He has conducted himself remarkably well in the media for a 23 year old kid who "we" as fans decided to annoint as the savior of a downtrodden franchise. I certainly do not recall him ever acting in any way that should lead anyone to believe he feels this job is his for life, or that he has nothing left to prove. Quite the opposite actually. may i agree here ? This kid has never sounded arrogant much less "arrived " . seems to me he is a bit shy if anything. But another component i perceive is this kid will work. and work hard . Its still early to call for lack of data . Graham has a track record though, It's not his answer, but how he answered. To me it was unprofessional. As an interviewer Graham should know better than to antagonize his subject, especially one with fragile ego. oh jeebus here we go : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in Chicago Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 so let me get this anti-Tim narrative straight. it's wrong for him to answer EJ's question with what he thinks and to his face, but have no time to explain himself because EJ gets pulled away. but it would OK for him to answer EJ's question in a column and not to his face, outlining why he thinks that to be the case. the question was asked. the answer was going to be coming one way or another, no? jw As I stated way back in this thread, I thought that his line of questioning was more akin to an inquisition. He painted EJ into a corner and was hoping he would lash back. EJ did not yet did not provide an 'experienced' answer. I might let that go. But what really gets my goat is that TG uses his status as a reporter to use up space in the BN the very next day to write a lengthy piece explaining himself. Where is EJ afforded the same luxury ? Why does TG feel the need to explain himself the way he did ? The deck is totally stacked against EJ in this situation and there really was no way he could have come out smelling like roses. And note that I have also written several times on this board that I am skeptical about EJ and his likelihood of being the franchise QB that we need. I, like most fans, hope he turns out to be so. But that is besides the point. I am not debating whether or not the Bills should draft another QB in the upcoming draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maury Ballstein Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 The anti Tim narrative wants to know about EJ Manuel not Tim Graham. No one cares if TG wants to draft another qb in the first. He can report/interview like an adult and get outta the way? Or maybe he should be smart enough to befriend the players to a degree to get better stories? Hopefully the players stonewall him all season. I wouldn't want to talk with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealityCheck Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Who is Tim Graham? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Funny thing that "injury-prone" label is. Players are "injury-prone" until they aren't. Would you call Matt Stafford injury-prone? That's all he got when he played 13 of 32 games his 1st 2 seasons. Since then, he's started 48 consecutive games. I don't hear too many people calling him injury-prone anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGUNBILLS Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Seriously? Because he got caught off-guard a little bit by a reporter engaging him in conversation about something he has zero control over? While he is the sitting starting QB on the team? I mean...I'm not saying the Bills should not Draft a QB, and I'm not saying EJ is the answer...But EJ is, if nothing else, a classy kid...A good kid...I think he's the exact opposite of a spoiled little punk...He was just surprised, and probably more than just a little irritated about Graham trying to get him riled up...That's all... It just sounds like a smart ass thing to say coming from a guy that has accomplished what??? One road win, and multiple games missed due to injuries. I could see if he had come into Buffalo and led us to the playoffs (like RG 3, minus all the aftermath drama)and really accomplished something. But he didn't. Instead he was pampered by the coaching staff with small risk plays all season, whereas Tuel and Lewis were expected to take chances and oh yeah throw the darn ball for more than 124 YPG. Call a spade a spade and reflect on what all of us had seen this past season. On the other hand, Graham didn't have to be so abrasive with him either. A little common courtesy and respect from both parties could have gone a long ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 I'm not surprised to see the people who have taken Graham's bait coming out in the second wave here. Manuel does have to prove he can stay on the field. No doubt about that. He doesn't need to feed a reporter who is disrespecting him, though. I think the kid understands it is all about his performance. There is no need to make it into anything more than that, despite the attempts of "reporters" to suggest that it's EJ that's making it personal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle flap Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 (edited) well this thread certainly serves at as a litmus test regarding the critical thinking of a lot of posters here. to be honest i'm somewhat surprised at the responses. Is TG's question/answer that out of bounds? If you don't think EJ's performance doesn't raise the question that he's infallible, I question your judgement. Perhaps TG could have been more cordial, but is that what we really want from the media? Or would you prefer someone who doesn't question the status quo? Chris Brown gets mocked as "Baghdad Bill," but TG gets vilified for suggesting EJ might not be the franchise QB we're pining for? How many of you who are bashing Graham truly think that EJ has shown to be the unquestioned answer going forward? Or are you just gonna talk about civility? What's more important? An a-hole reporter or a mediocre QB? Don't get caught up in media drama. We can talk about TG's interviewing methods, but that doesn't win or lose games. The performance of a QB does. TG is verbalizing what we are all thinking, I'm glad I got to hear/read EJ's response. While not the end all be all, I'm not happy the QB that is supposed to lead us to the promised land seems to be shaken by an innocuous question regarding his status. If EJ is the franchise, it doesn't matter that he faced a jerk question from a jerk. If he isn't, it still doesn't matter. As inappropriate you might find TG's question, I find EJ's answer more concerning. Instead of asking, "Do you think they should?" He could have easily asked, "Why would they?" and proceeded to provide reasons that they wouldn't. Unfortunately, he couldn't or didn't. I'm not an EJ hater. I think he's shown enough potential to earn a shot going forward. But to me, to decry TG's question and response as unfair is saying EJ deserves the benefit of the doubt. I'm not totally there, and I don't believe Thad is an adequate backup plan. For whatever confidence I have in EJ, if I'm the GM, I want a viable backup plan ASAP. At the moment, I don't think the Bills have one. Edited February 1, 2014 by uncle flap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l< j Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Jim Kelly would have punched him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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