Murph: "E.J. is not a game manager."

[Stads]

I was listening to "The John Murphy Show" tonight and one caller said we have been winning since E.J. is being utilized as a game manager. Murph disagreed pretty strongly and said he is too talented for that role. I think, as of right now, game manager is all I want him to be. It ain't broken, so no need to fix it.

[ganesh]

I was listening to "The John Murphy Show" tonight and one caller said we have been winning since E.J. is being utilized as a game manager. Murph disagreed pretty strongly and said he is too talented for that role. I think, as of right now, game manager is all I want him to be. It ain't broken, so no need to fix it.

Ben Rothelisberger was a game manager in his first two seasons on his way to the AFC Championship in the first year and the Super bowl in the 2nd season. His goal was to not make mistakes and make the right throws. The defense and STs were built to win the championshop for them.

 

I am perfectly happy with EJ being a game manager for the next two seasons as long as we continue to win.

 

BTW, a game manager still needs to make sharp and critical throws. EJ still has his task cut out. THe only thing is that the Bills are not asking him to win the games by himself.

Edited September 17, 2014 by ganesh

[FluffHead]

Manuel has really played well these first two games. I have been critical of him in the past but he really has played well. However he is a game manager right now, and that is fine. He's winning and that's what matters. Where he differs from the Alex Smiths of the world is he has the potential to develop into more than a game manager

 

Murphy is a cheerleader/homer so of course he's gonna try to sell Manuel as more than he currently is.

[Maury Ballstein]

EJ DA GREAT !!

[bonechiller]

Not to sound like an idiot, but aren't all QB's "game managers"?

It is just basically how much of a risk do you take? The more confident you get, the more risk you take

[Kelly the Dog]

Manuel has really played well these first two games. I have been critical of him in the past but he really has played well. However he is a game manager right now, and that is fine. He's winning and that's what matters. Where he differs from the Alex Smiths of the world is he has the potential to develop into more than a game manager

 

Murphy is a cheerleader/homer so of course he's gonna try to sell Manuel as more than he currently is.

Right.

 

I heard the segment, too, driving home. The caller mentioned several names of QBs in the modern football era that won Super Bowls with game managers, including the Ravens with Dilfer, the Bucs with Gannon, the Seahawks, etc. What Murph was saying though was that he doesn't think of EJ as only a game manager, he thinks he has a much higher ceiling than that because he's big and strong and has a strong arm, etc. He really wasn't talking about his performance now.

[Solomon Grundy]

Teams, like NE, are going to game plan to make EJ beat them. They're gonna load up the box and leave their CBs on Revis Island. It's gonna be up to EJ to make the throws to beat them

[LOVEMESOMEBILLS]

Manuel has really played well these first two games. I have been critical of him in the past but he really has played well. However he is a game manager right now, and that is fine. He's winning and that's what matters. Where he differs from the Alex Smiths of the world is he has the potential to develop into more than a game manager

 

Murphy is a cheerleader/homer so of course he's gonna try to sell Manuel as more than he currently is.

Your right EJ is, as of now, a game manager. I'm hoping by the end of the year he's a very good QB. Winning while, developing and gaining experience, will help him and any QB for that matter. I'm a fan of his, a homer at times I admit, but I think everyone would have to say he's show definite improvement. Was excited to see the deep pass to Watkins and the pass to Chandler on the sideline, those were both thrown rather deep, before they were open, and were very well placed.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Not to sound like an idiot, but aren't all QB's "game managers"?

It is just basically how much of a risk do you take? The more confident you get, the more risk you take

 

I think that's a valid point - all QB are game managers to some extent.

I think the way the term is generally used, though, is to describe a run-first type offense where the QB is expected to make a few critical throws and avoid mistakes.

 

There are QB in this league, not many but a few, who can pretty well carry the team to victory on their passing ability and decision making. Brees. Rodgers, Brady. Peyton Manning. Luck appears to be moving in that direction. Possibly Rivers.

[RuntheDamnBall]

 

Right.

 

I heard the segment, too, driving home. The caller mentioned several names of QBs in the modern football era that won Super Bowls with game managers, including the Ravens with Dilfer, the Bucs with Gannon, the Seahawks, etc. What Murph was saying though was that he doesn't think of EJ as only a game manager, he thinks he has a much higher ceiling than that because he's big and strong and has a strong arm, etc. He really wasn't talking about his performance now.

That was brad Johnson with the bucs.

[johnwalter]

the line between "game-managers" and "non-game-managers" is so blurry that the phase carries little-to-no weight - it's meaningless.

[Kelly the Dog]

That was brad Johnson with the bucs.

Right. My bad. The guy just mentioned the Bucs, not the QB specifically I don't think, and I mixed those two guys up.

 

Same thing though.

[The Dean]

Ben Rothelisberger was a game manager in his first two seasons on his way to the AFC Championship in the first year and the Super bowl in the 2nd season. His goal was to not make mistakes and make the right throws. The defense and STs were built to win the championshop for them.

 

I am perfectly happy with EJ being a game manager for the next two seasons as long as we continue to win.

 

BTW, a game manager still needs to make sharp and critical throws. EJ still has his task cut out. THe only thing is that the Bills are not asking him to win the games by himself.

 

Precisely. "Game manager" isn't a judgement of quality. It is more a description of role. At this point in time, EJ is a game manager. And for the first two games of the year, a pretty good one at that. But a great game manager needs to make big plays, when the situation calls for it. But typically the game manager doesn't have the weight of the offense entirely on his shoulders. At the moment, that's the ideal situation for EJ and the team.

 

 

Right.

 

I heard the segment, too, driving home. The caller mentioned several names of QBs in the modern football era that won Super Bowls with game managers, including the Ravens with Dilfer, the Bucs with Gannon, the Seahawks, etc. What Murph was saying though was that he doesn't think of EJ as only a game manager, he thinks he has a much higher ceiling than that because he's big and strong and has a strong arm, etc. He really wasn't talking about his performance now.

 

And he could be right. At some point in time, the Bills may need the QB to take on a different role, If, for example, the RB corp gets decimated by injury, or the OL falls apart, the weight of the offense may have to be carried by EJ. I hope that doesn't happen in the near future. I happen to be one who thinks EJ has the physical skills to be able to excel in that role. But currently he hasn't had to demonstrate the ability to do it. Of course, he hasn't been asked to do it, either. I prefer he doesn't have to do it in the near future.

 

 

Not to sound like an idiot, but aren't all QB's "game managers"?

It is just basically how much of a risk do you take? The more confident you get, the more risk you take

 

Of course. In some offenses, though, the QB is the centerpiece of just about every play. In others, he is more of a complementary piece. Still a great game manager is a usually a very good QB any way you look at it. And a great QB is typically a very good game manager.

 

Guys like Dilfer were adequate game managers, who happened to be play for teams with great defenses---and they avoided mistakes. But you can tell by the limited success Dilfer had over time, he wasn't a great game manager.

[26CornerBlitz]

Brady and Big Ben were most certainly game managing QBs in each of their 1st Super Bowl wins. Nothing to be ashamed of early on in a QB's career.

[Kelly the Dog]

Brady and Big Ben were most certainly game managing QBs in each of their 1st Super Bowl wins. Nothing to be ashamed of early on in a QB's career.

That's an interesting argument. To me, Big Ben and Russell Wilson, while they had modest stats, were really playmakers, and made all kinds of big plays when needed, which was a huge help to their team and vital to their offense. Trent Dilfer and the early Brady were not nearly the playmakers that Ben and Wilson were (Ben even more so than Wilson).

[Formerly Allan in MD]

How can one be too talented to be a game manager? Managing the game means taking charge, directing, and executing. It doesn't necessarily take tons of talent to pull that off. You need to be on top of things and work to make things happen. Last season EJ showed little aptitude in any of these areas. This year he certainly appears to be running the show as opposed to running scared. Too talented?

[Kelly the Dog]

Whenever the Steelers needed a third and long conversion Ben would make a ridiculous run or pass or scramble or escape, like Wilson, and keep the drive alive.

[ganesh]

That's an interesting argument. To me, Big Ben and Russell Wilson, while they had modest stats, were really playmakers, and made all kinds of big plays when needed, which was a huge help to their team and vital to their offense. Trent Dilfer and the early Brady were not nearly the playmakers that Ben and Wilson were (Ben even more so than Wilson).

 

Doug Flutie was the Ultimate game manager for the Bills. When he played we knew we had a shot to win.

 

Whenever the Steelers needed a third and long conversion Ben would make a ridiculous run or pass or scramble or escape, like Wilson, and keep the drive alive.

Isn't that being a good manager. Ben was not the centerpiece of that team. The RBs (Parker and Bettis), Defense (Polamalu, Hampton) and ST were.

[Kelly the Dog]

 

Isn't that being a good manager. Ben was not the centerpiece of that team. The RBs (Parker and Bettis), Defense (Polamalu, Hampton) and ST were.

I think of a game manager of just doing enough to not lose, and playing conservative and within those conservative confines so you do not make mistakes. I think of Big Ben and Russell Wilson and Doug Flutie as playing within a conservative gameplan but also making a lot of plays a lot if not most QBs may not make just when you need them that produce wins.

[klos63]

Ben Rothelisberger was a game manager in his first two seasons on his way to the AFC Championship in the first year and the Super bowl in the 2nd season. His goal was to not make mistakes and make the right throws. The defense and STs were built to win the championshop for them.

 

I am perfectly happy with EJ being a game manager for the next two seasons as long as we continue to win.

 

BTW, a game manager still needs to make sharp and critical throws. EJ still has his task cut out. THe only thing is that the Bills are not asking him to win the games by himself.

I understand what is meant by game manager but it makes no sense. No player is asked to win games by themselves. No QB wants to make mistakes and all QB's want to make the right throws. Some are better at it than others.

Manuel is expected to make every throw he attempts. We haven't had the need to air it out yet, but when it happens he will be expected to do more than he is now.

We do have a style of team that doesn't need a QB throwing 400 yards. We rely on our running game and our defense. That's how championships are won. Think Phil Simms when you see Manuel.