John Cocktosten Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 I don't think any GM makes this move unless he thinks EJ is "the guy". IMO Whaley might have made one of the biggest blunders in this 14 years of ineptness and set new ownership back a minimum of 2 years. If you go back and look at that draft without the benefit of hindsight, there wasn't a pick that the Bills absolutely needed at #16. The only player you could've made a case for was Eifert and he's been underwhelming to this point. That being said I thought the pick was disastrous at the time and wanted desperately to trade out of it. I was really down on Whaley for thinking EJ was the guy but being accountable and correcting the situation this quickly says way more than a bad evaluation on a QB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xsoldier54 Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Of course it doesn't. EJ did not play up to expectations so they benched him. It doesn't mean his career is over, just means he needs to step back for awhile and learn from a veteran. Most successful QB's in the league have gotten to do that. I think it is a smart move and will make EJ a better QB in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big C Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Lets wait and see how it plays out. The OL is bad, but lets see if Orton can make it happen with our receivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kipers Hair Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Makes the trade for Sammy a stupid one...no matter how good Sammy is.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatdrinks Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 The Watkins trade will be his undoing. Huge overpayment when they could have stayed put and gotten great talent (Benjamin is better that Watkins so far, I know its still early). And we still would have the #1 next year. I hated the trade at the time. I hate it even more now since Sammy seems soft like CJ. Is Benjamin better than Watkins ? Or does he have a QB that iSight years ahead of EJ throwing to him?Watkins looks so wide open most times and EJ barely gets the ball to him. He still is likely not worth 2 firsts but he looks to be dynamic for a real QB. As far as Whaley, he was on board with EJ but that was Buddy Nix's final draft and there was talk afterward that they were entertaining the thought of trading down again... Nix said he was worried and didn't do it, perhaps Whaley knew it was still too high for EJ and wanted to make the second trade down.. I think that is likely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PS 56 Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 No. It shows a coaching staff ready to act if they have to. Let's face it, in professional sports no one is sacred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billsguy Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 I don't think any GM makes this move unless he thinks EJ is "the guy". IMO Whaley might have made one of the biggest blunders in this 14 years of ineptness and set new ownership back a minimum of 2 years. I believe Terry Pegula is smart enough to realize that the current management (and coaching) is a disaster. I agree with you that the team has been set back several years by using three 1st round draft picks to draft EJ Manuel and Sammy Watkins. Blunders like these can set a team back many years. Where is the logic selecting a WR for two 1st round picks when you don't have a QB who can get him the ball? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Cubed Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 (edited) I'm kind of leaning towards yes in that it makes the Watkins trade look bad. I like Watkins, a lot and am glad the Bills grabbed him. But the Bills didn't have Orton on the roster when they selected him. They had EJ. And if there was any doubt about EJ, you don't make that trade, IMO because they had no backup plan. Why trade up for a WR when you don't have a QB you trust to get him the ball? So either he doesn't know how to evaluate the talent he has (EJ) or he makes desperate moves. Sure it looks ok now, because Orton is in Buffalo but if Orton doesn't pull the Bills together it will certainly cost the FO their jobs. Devils advocate view... Edited September 29, 2014 by Wayne Cubed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bananathumb Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Let's face it, this move will cost everyone his job if Orton does no better than EJ. These jokers are hanging by a thread named Kyle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadingpain Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Of course it doesn't. EJ did not play up to expectations so they benched him. It doesn't mean his career is over, just means he needs to step back for awhile and learn from a veteran. Most successful QB's in the league have gotten to do that. I think it is a smart move and will make EJ a better QB in the long run. I couldn't disagree more with you. EJ played "up" to precisely what my expectations of him were: nothing. It is a black mark on the record of Whaley and anyone else associated with the team if they thought this guy was starting NFL material. Further, this DOES mean EJ's career is over, at least in Buffalo. Good luck finding other teams around the league to view him differently. Almost no one in the NFL has shared the Bills' rosy impression of Manuel this entire time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theRalph Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Bad picks have been made by every team in the league. Whaley is not immune. Looking at this in the present tense, I admire the move to switch to Orton...many have stated that the Bills management would look like fools for making such a change. I am more concerned with how foolish they'd have look for NOT making the change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Need more specifics to make that judgement. I like that they're willing to admit a mistake. The best GMs make mistakes, the danger is letting the mistake stick around too long. Agree 100%, best to cut your losses & move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 The Watkins deal was a mistake. It's just crazy to sink two high first rounders into one player unless it's a can't miss QB. As for EJ, benching him now shows they aren't afraid to make a move to save the season. Problem is the late season schedule is brutal, the Bills needed to get off to a fast start and they now have very little room for error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Discuss Manuel, Watkins. Moving up in the draft. How will/should Pegula perceive this misjudgement? he looks great for benching, bad for drafting him and bad for moving up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heels20X6 Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 With respect to EJ, many of you are forgetting that we traded down and used the subsequent pick on Kiko Alonso. Alonso would be a top 10 pick if the draft was re-done today. So yeah, he whiffed on EJ, but he nailed Alonso. Not to mention the price was high for Watkins but he's a stud receiver. Whoever call him "soft", that's hilarious. Guy is playing with broken ribs. What a wussy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 NFL.com Video with Ian Rapoport: http://www.nfl.com/v...-to-performance Rapoport says that the Pegulas are expected to keep the management and coaches in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannc Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 I'm kind of leaning towards yes in that it makes the Watkins trade look bad. I like Watkins, a lot and am glad the Bills grabbed him. But the Bills didn't have Orton on the roster when they selected him. They had EJ. And if there was any doubt about EJ, you don't make that trade, IMO because they had no backup plan. Why trade up for a WR when you don't have a QB you trust to get him the ball? So either he doesn't know how to evaluate the talent he has (EJ) or he makes desperate moves. Sure it looks ok now, because Orton is in Buffalo but if Orton doesn't pull the Bills together it will certainly cost the FO their jobs. Devils advocate view... And the trade amounted to a clear declaration the the Bills would not be needing to draft a QB in 2015, which we now know was very wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldNMBillsFan Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 IMO There is nothing wrong with our young GM and coach. Mistakes will be made. Learn from them, and move quickly and decisively. EJ has been, and is still a project in work. The time is now, GO Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in Chicago Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 If you go back and look at that draft without the benefit of hindsight, there wasn't a pick that the Bills absolutely needed at #16. The only player you could've made a case for was Eifert and he's been underwhelming to this point. That being said I thought the pick was disastrous at the time and wanted desperately to trade out of it. I was really down on Whaley for thinking EJ was the guy but being accountable and correcting the situation this quickly says way more than a bad evaluation on a QB. Truth be told, there were at least a couple of occasions since last draft that I was tempted to beat you over the (virtual) head for your extreme opinion re: EJ. But I am here to admit that so far you look to be right. I also remember you praising the Marrone hire (I had no opinion on it), so I am now hoping that you are right on that as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahnyc Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 If the Bills end up with a winning record this year and make the playoffs, Whaley will survive, even with the benching of EJ and whether or not he was responsible for drafting EJ. Since I doubt Pegula will make any moves mid-season, we will need to see how things play out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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