SI says Bills are a team in "panic mode" w/ QB roster hole

[PromoTheRobot]

Nice reporting. No mention of Tyrod Taylor at all.

[YoloinOhio]

So in other words, doomed?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

So in other words, doomed?

 

Here, let me fix it for you: DOOOOoooooOOMED!

[John from Riverside]

Perhaps if they had not gone to the extreme of "panic mode" maybe I could take them more seriously.....

 

Panic Mode?

 

- Is it unsettled? For sure.

- Last year we ran with NOTHING but inexperienced QBs until we brought in Orgon.......we now have 2 veteran QBs and a qb we drafted in his 3rd year.

- The team saw that they did not have the QB position settled so they did what they could...they biult AROUND the QB position

 

And by the way.....if we are in panic mode then half the teams in the league are in panic mode right along with us

 

And no...I dont agree with the QB comparisons.......

 

Fitzy IS Cassel.......they are basically middling QBs that have had varying levels of success and did ok when the teams around them were strong...the problem with Fitz is when the heat is up.....that is when he is at his worst

 

and

 

ANYONE that would say Gino is better then EJ Manuel is a dufas....talk to me when Gino isnt a interception machine

[dave mcbride]

Perhaps if they had not gone to the extreme of "panic mode" maybe I could take them more seriously.....

 

Panic Mode?

 

- Is it unsettled? For sure.

- Last year we ran with NOTHING but inexperienced QBs until we brought in Orgon.......we now have 2 veteran QBs and a qb we drafted in his 3rd year.

- The team saw that they did not have the QB position settled so they did what they could...they biult AROUND the QB position

 

And by the way.....if we are in panic mode then half the teams in the league are in panic mode right along with us

 

And no...I dont agree with the QB comparisons.......

 

Fitzy IS Cassel.......they are basically middling QBs that have had varying levels of success and did ok when the teams around them were strong...the problem with Fitz is when the heat is up.....that is when he is at his worst

 

and

 

ANYONE that would say Gino is better then EJ Manuel is a dufas....talk to me when Gino isnt a interception machine

John: look at Smith's performance over the last four games of 2014. Seriously. He played well.

 

As for the claims here about no one reading SI, that's laughable. Mmqb is quite possibly the best and most widely read football dedicated site on the web, and it's an SI site.

[vincec]

Panic Mode would have been drafting a QB at pick #50, or perhaps trading up to get one.

I agree with that. The Bills may or may not be screwed at QB, but they are certainly NOT panicking (yet).

[John from Riverside]

John: look at Smith's performance over the last four games of 2014. Seriously. He played well.

 

As for the claims here about no one reading SI, that's laughable. Mmqb is quite possibly the best and most widely read football dedicated site on the web, and it's an SI site.

You mean when the pressure was completely off him and the team was completely out of the playoff race?

 

Lets keep in mind here that by time this was happening

 

- Orton had started really not playing well

- The coaches refused to put EJ back in to see what they had. I agreed with the benching at the time but when Orton started struggling I really thought it was time to get more evaluation on EJ for the folling year

 

So you could not get a side by side comparison of EJ and Gino at the end of the season.....EJ was holding a clipboard.

 

This does not mean that I want EJ as the starter this season.....only that one QB was allowed to play and one was not.

[TC in St. Louis]

They're just hurting for topics. How many Pro Bowls has Fitz played in? How many has Cassel? Advantage Cassel.

 

EJ had a decent rookie season, and wasn't horrible in year two except for the Houston pick 6. Never got back.

 

I don't think it's panic time at all. We have a great oc, hc, and quarterback coach. Not to mention a huge talent base at RB, WR, and pretty good TE. We'll see how they work up the OL. I am not in panic mode. I'm happy.

[SF Bills Fan]

I panicked more today when I couldn't find the beers I really wanted at the store.

[Buftex]

Agreed about being more comfortable with the line. They improved at the position. As for qb, orton is better than cassel, so they did not improve there. I have no idea as to whether tyrod is any good. We'll see.

Are you sure about that? Since the Bills acquired Cassel (who I admit, I had seen little of since his big year with the Pats, all those years ago), I have heard 3 analysts (for what it is worth) state that Cassel was an upgrade to Orton, a substantial one. I don't hate Orton as much as some did, but he was fairly erratic last season, the longer he played. The only edge he had over EJ was the willingness to throw the ball, even when he probably should have thought twice.

 

 

ANYONE that would say Gino is better then EJ Manuel is a dufas....talk to me when Gino isnt a interception machine

John, all due respect, while EJ has possibly never played as bad as Genos worse, he has never elevated his game like Geno did from time to time...and Dave McBride is correct, Geno played pretty well the last month of last season, or so. He throws a much more accurate and catchable long-ball than EJ too. He hasn't been afraid to throw certain passes that EJ has seemed tentative on...hopefully new coaching will change some of that.

 

I am an EJ guy, and I would argue that the Jets sticking with Geno, even through the ugliness, may prove to have been a wise thing for the former coach...he did improve, and started to get some consistency...

Edited May 17, 2015 by Buftex

[John from Riverside]

Are you sure about that? Since the Bills acquired Cassel (who I admit, I had seen little of since his big year with the Pats, all those years ago), I have heard 3 analysts (for what it is worth) state that Cassel was an upgrade to Orton, a substantial one. I don't hate Orton as much as some did, but he was fairly erratic last season, the longer he played. The only edge he had over EJ was the willingness to throw the ball, even when he probably should have thought twice.

John, all due respect, while EJ has possibly never played as bad as Genos worse, he has never elevated his game like Geno did from time to time...and Dave McBride is correct, Geno played pretty well the last month of last season, or so. He throws a much more accurate and catchable long-ball than EJ too. He hasn't been afraid to throw certain passes that EJ has seemed tentative on...hopefully new coaching will change some of that.

 

I am an EJ guy, and I would argue that the Jets sticking with Geno, even through the ugliness, may prove to have been a wise thing for the former coach...he did improve, and started to get some consistency...

Can we wait to see if coaching was ruining EJ before we start saying he isnt willing to throw the ball?

 

The honest truth is I dont know....I do know that EJ knew one truth that will be true till the end of time......

 

The team that turns the ball over usually loses the game

[K8prisoner]

This is of course accurate. No need to shoot the messenger. Only a blind homer would conclude otherwise about the Bills' qb situation.

 

Also' Geno Smith has had some bad games, but in my opinion he has flashed more potential than Manuel because he's a smoother thrower.

 

neither are mentally fast enough to process the game, so far , and when you add in defensive variance outside of film study.... i hope i am wrong about manuel... cassel seems smart enough unless the pats gave him the defensive play calls since they stole them and we have another 10 sack wonder that cant play without cheating... havent looked at cassels stats outside of cheating land but i hope talylor can run the offense if the other two cannot... any passing attack at all and a consistent deep threat takes 8 or more out of the box and we just might go 4 and one .. then roll..

if we cant get a 62% completion and around 7 to 8 yards per attempt, all those great weapons may be wasted as we watch taylor and ej run like the wind or checkdown us to death

... i think they will find enough at qb to stay competitive and overcome the postion agaist all odds.. if they win , the team will focus and it truly will be an exciting year..

[The Crowing Rooster]

SI has got to be the most overrated magazine on the market. I for one don't like it and have not touch one for over 30 years now.

[Beerball]

I agree with that. The Bills may or may not be screwed at QB, but they are certainly NOT panicking (yet).

would it be fair to say that the Bills wi be watching for trade opportunities and even waiver pickups more than most teams? Maybe it isn't panic but I'll bet it's deeply concerned.

[Doc]

We couldn't pass on the players we got but we missed filling a glaring hole, it's a catch 22.

How did they miss filling the quarterback spot? Who was/is out there?

 

And the Bills are panicking before even OTA's have occurred? Okay.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Doc

[Nanker]

They're just hurting for topics. How many Pro Bowls has Fitz played in? How many has Cassel? Advantage Cassel.

 

EJ had a decent rookie season, and wasn't horrible in year two except for the Houston pick 6. Never got back.

 

I don't think it's panic time at all. We have a great oc, hc, and quarterback coach. Not to mention a huge talent base at RB, WR, and pretty good TE. We'll see how they work up the OL. I am not in panic mode. I'm happy.

You could say that Maroon panicked at that point. He quit on EJ right then.

 

Are you sure about that? Since the Bills acquired Cassel (who I admit, I had seen little of since his big year with the Pats, all those years ago), I have heard 3 analysts (for what it is worth) state that Cassel was an upgrade to Orton, a substantial one. I don't hate Orton as much as some did, but he was fairly erratic last season, the longer he played. The only edge he had over EJ was the willingness to throw the ball, even when he probably should have thought twice.

John, all due respect, while EJ has possibly never played as bad as Genos worse, he has never elevated his game like Geno did from time to time...and Dave McBride is correct, Geno played pretty well the last month of last season, or so. He throws a much more accurate and catchable long-ball than EJ too. He hasn't been afraid to throw certain passes that EJ has seemed tentative on...hopefully new coaching will change some of that.

 

I am an EJ guy, and I would argue that the Jets sticking with Geno, even through the ugliness, may prove to have been a wise thing for the former coach...he did improve, and started to get some consistency...

Rex is ten times the caliber a HC than Maroon is/was. The former let his raw QB loose to learn the NFL game under fire and stood behind him through the good, the bad, and the ugly. The later cut and ran just like he did at the end of the season. He would have benched Jim Kelly for throwing five interceptions in the first half of a game. A game in which Kelly rallied The Bills to a win and who called out the press as liars in his post game press conference.

[OldTimer1960]

Ps - in his final 4 games of last season, Geno Smith was 71-109 for 1001 yards, 6 tds, and 2 INTs. His completion pct was 65.1, his ypa was 9.2, and his rating was 105.3.

He really improved, basically.

Let's not forget that the reason Cassel is on the roster is because the Bills lost out to the Browns for McCown's services.

Wait, you are saying that a QB can improve with experience? According to many here that isn't possible.

 

Smith started 2x as many games as Manuel has before he showed some improvement. I think it would be wise to have a little patience with EJ (applies to ANY young QB). What would be worse than Manuel not panning out? I'd say giving up on him too soon would be worse.

[Dorkington]

Can we just merge all the QB/EJ threads in the future?

[BuffaloHokie13]

Can we just merge all the QB/EJ threads in the future?

That seems very short sighted. What if EJ isn't our QB in the future?

[eball]

This is of course accurate. No need to shoot the messenger. Only a blind homer would conclude otherwise about the Bills' qb situation.

Also' Geno Smith has had some bad games, but in my opinion he has flashed more potential than Manuel because he's a smoother thrower.

Panic is the wrong word. Uncertainty is more accurate. I'm an admitted optimist, but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect "adequate" play out of one of these three guys. Until camp starts, however, there's nothing else to write about.

 

I got so tired of Fitz's inaccurate windup heaves it made me sick, so I'm quite pleased he's not on this roster.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Are you sure about that? Since the Bills acquired Cassel (who I admit, I had seen little of since his big year with the Pats, all those years ago), I have heard 3 analysts (for what it is worth) state that Cassel was an upgrade to Orton, a substantial one. I don't hate Orton as much as some did, but he was fairly erratic last season, the longer he played. The only edge he had over EJ was the willingness to throw the ball, even when he probably should have thought twice.

John, all due respect, while EJ has possibly never played as bad as Genos worse, he has never elevated his game like Geno did from time to time...and Dave McBride is correct, Geno played pretty well the last month of last season, or so. He throws a much more accurate and catchable long-ball than EJ too. He hasn't been afraid to throw certain passes that EJ has seemed tentative on...hopefully new coaching will change some of that.

 

I am an EJ guy, and I would argue that the Jets sticking with Geno, even through the ugliness, may prove to have been a wise thing for the former coach...he did improve, and started to get some consistency...

 

I'd be interested to know the basis for saying Cassel is an upgrade to Orton, a big one. I'm not sure I see it. The only thing I can say is that through his career, Orton has been a consistently meh player, while Cassel, several times, has had whatever it is he needs align and has played well. But that's like 2-3 seasons out of 7 where he's had significant playing time.

[vincec]

would it be fair to say that the Bills wi be watching for trade opportunities and even waiver pickups more than most teams? Maybe it isn't panic but I'll bet it's deeply concerned.

I don't think so. I'm sure they're saying this because the Bills added more than one QB in the off season (and because they need something to write). I just don't think that means they're panicking. I think it's good to give yourself options, just like at any other position.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Can we just merge all the QB/EJ threads in the future?

 

Heck, why don't we just merge all the threads in the future since with thread drift they all trend towards discussing the same topics?

[dave mcbride]

Panic is the wrong word. Uncertainty is more accurate. I'm an admitted optimist, but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect "adequate" play out of one of these three guys. Until camp starts, however, there's nothing else to write about.

I got so tired of Fitz's inaccurate windup heaves it made me sick, so I'm quite pleased he's not on this roster.

I agree with this. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Taylor ends up being the qb and that EJ ends up on another roster. Still a ways to go.

Heck, why don't we just merge all the threads in the future since with thread drift they all trend towards discussing the same topics?

Don't feed the merge nazis!

[Doc]

Wait, you are saying that a QB can improve with experience? According to many here that isn't possible.

 

Smith started 2x as many games as Manuel has before he showed some improvement. I think it would be wise to have a little patience with EJ (applies to ANY young QB). What would be worse than Manuel not panning out? I'd say giving up on him too soon would be worse.

And while dave is pointing to Geno's last 4 games, he went 2-2 and put up half his 6 TD's in the Miami season-ending run-for-the-bus game.

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

Can we just merge all the QB/EJ threads in the future?

because some people prefer to read the "short" threads over 50 page threads????

 

Edited May 17, 2015 by BillsFan-4-Ever

[dave mcbride]

And while dave is pointing to Geno's last 4 games, he went 2-2 and put up half his 6 TD's in the Miami season-ending run-for-the-bus game.

QBs don't have W-L records. One of those losses was a 17-16 loss to the Pats, and he played well in that game, throwing a TD late to put them ahead 16-14. The Pats scored a FG on their final possession to win it.. The other loss was a 30-24 OT loss to Minnesota, in which the Vikings scored on an 87 yard screen pass TD on their first possession in OT.Smith led the Jets to a game tying FG at the end of regulation in that game. Indeed, he played reasonably well in all of the other three games. As for the Miami game, Miami was 8-7 and their coach was staying. How was that a run for the bus game?

 

Even taking out the Miami game - which shouldn't be done in any case because it was NOT a run for the bus game (the Dolphins led 24-14 early in the 3rd and it was 24-24 at the end of the third) - his rating in the previous 3 games was a respectable 86.6.

Edited May 17, 2015 by dave mcbride

[Bangarang]

We have one of the worst QB situations in the league and a roster ready to make a run in the playoffs right now. If it's not panic mode yet then it's getting close.

[hondo in seattle]

Sports media types aren't paid to say boring but accurate things like, "The Bills don't have the best QB situation, lacking a proven signal caller." They're paid to be opinionated, provocative: the Bills are in "panic mode."

 

I'm just hoping one of the three QBs plays better than Orton played last year and this isn't unlikely.

 

Cassell. In 2008 with Pats and again in 2010 with the Chiefs, Cassell proved he can be a capable starter when surrounded by the right players. We may have the right players to make him look good again.

 

EJ. EJ learned a lot riding the pine last year and spent the off season working with a QB guru. Greg Roman and David Lee both have a track record of helping young QBs do better.

 

T. Taylor. Always great at eluding the rush, he's had 4 years as Flacco's understudy to polish his throwing ability.

 

If just one of these three plays this year better than Orton played last year, we're going to the playoffs.

[Doc]

QBs don't have W-L records. One of those losses was a 17-16 loss to the Pats, and he played well in that game, throwing a TD late to put them ahead 16-14. The Pats scored a FG on their final possession to win it.. The other loss was a 30-24 OT loss to Minnesota, in which the Vikings scored on an 87 yard screen pass TD on their first possession in OT.Smith led the Jets to a game tying FG at the end of regulation in that game. Indeed, he played reasonably well in all of the other three games. As for the Miami game, Miami was 8-7 and their coach was staying. How was that a run for the bus game?

 

Even taking out the Miami game - which shouldn't be done in any case because it was NOT a run for the bus game (the Dolphins led 24-14 early in the 3rd and it was 24-24 at the end of the third) - his rating in the previous 3 games was a respectable 86.6.

Geno actually started the final 5 games last season. The 1st game of that 5-start stint was against Miami in Jersey and he didn't play well. Miami was still in the hunt at that time, and that's why I called the season-ender a "run for the buses" game because with Miami also out of the playoff race then, Geno looked good, on the road no less. I don't think you can put too much stock in that game. Or at the very least, you can't exclude the other Miami-Jets game.

 

As for the other 3 games, he threw for about 60.7%, 214 yards/game, and 3 TD's to 2 INT's and lost a fumble. Not exactly stellar.

[Fadingpain]

I think this SI piece is just a function of the 24/7 "news" world we live in now.

 

These people have to talk about something! Can you imagine their constant need for content?

 

Nothing new here. Of course the Bills have huge problems at the QB position.

 

Any suggestion that we don't is just stupid.

 

Most moves we have made in the off-season are designed to mitigate the QB problem as much as possible through ancillary means.

[Doc]

Again, to comment on the QB situation before even OTA's have occurred, much less training camp, much much less pre-season, is incredibly premature. Sure it's a concern. Many teams have QB concerns.

[PromoTheRobot]

I guess that teams that improve themselves are in panic mode.

[ProcessAccepted]

MSN has us ranked dead last at QB. No way we are worse off than the Browns. We are going to surprise the heck out of people again this year.

 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/men-under-center-ranking-each-nfl-teams-qb-situation-for-2015/ss-BBjMlU2

[starrymessenger]

Geno Smith certainly hasn't yet proven that he is going to be the answer for the Jets but he more easily conforms (than EJ) to the model of the young QB who is going to take his lumps while he learns to improve, make better decisions and play with more consistency. Marty asked him to do a lot with limited resources while EJ was pretty much mollycoddled by Marrone and Hackett. On the other hand, had they turned him loose in the same way Smith was I suspect he would have become an even worse turnover machine.

I would not be surprised if it turns out Smith should have been the pick at 16.

Love the Bills but frankly I don't think they have much of a clue when it comes to QBs.

Whaley does a great job scouting LBs and safeties, positions he played in college.

QBs not so much.

[Fadingpain]

I guess that teams that improve themselves are in panic mode.

The article isn't discussing the team as a whole. It is addressing the QB position specifically.

 

The Bills have indeed improved themselves all over the field, but arguably, not at the QB position.

[Projay89]

Sports media types aren't paid to say boring but accurate things like, "The Bills don't have the best QB situation, lacking a proven signal caller." They're paid to be opinionated, provocative: the Bills are in "panic mode."

 

I'm just hoping one of the three QBs plays better than Orton played last year and this isn't unlikely.

 

Cassell. In 2008 with Pats and again in 2010 with the Chiefs, Cassell proved he can be a capable starter when surrounded by the right players. We may have the right players to make him look good again.

 

EJ. EJ learned a lot riding the pine last year and spent the off season working with a QB guru. Greg Roman and David Lee both have a track record of helping young QBs do better.

 

T. Taylor. Always great at eluding the rush, he's had 4 years as Flacco's understudy to polish his throwing ability.

 

If just one of these three plays this year better than Orton played last year, we're going to the playoffs.

 

Sports media types aren't paid to say boring but accurate things like, "The Bills don't have the best QB situation, lacking a proven signal caller." They're paid to be opinionated, provocative: the Bills are in "panic mode."

 

I'm just hoping one of the three QBs plays better than Orton played last year and this isn't unlikely.

 

Cassell. In 2008 with Pats and again in 2010 with the Chiefs, Cassell proved he can be a capable starter when surrounded by the right players. We may have the right players to make him look good again.

 

EJ. EJ learned a lot riding the pine last year and spent the off season working with a QB guru. Greg Roman and David Lee both have a track record of helping young QBs do better.

 

T. Taylor. Always great at eluding the rush, he's had 4 years as Flacco's understudy to polish his throwing ability.

 

If just one of these three plays this year better than Orton played last year, we're going to the playoffs.

truth.

[LOVEMESOMEBILLS]

Ps - in his final 4 games of last season, Geno Smith was 71-109 for 1001 yards, 6 tds, and 2 INTs. His completion pct was 65.1, his ypa was 9.2, and his rating was 105.3.

 

He really improved, basically.

 

Let's not forget that the reason Cassel is on the roster is because the Bills lost out to the Browns for McCown's services.

Geno finished his rookie season strong also then looked pretty bad for most of last season till the end of the year. Several articles were written about it.

 

Like this one

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/geno-finishes-season-string-article-1.1561115

 

Or this one

 

http://www.footballperspective.com/what-do-geno-smiths-final-four-starts-mean-for-2014/

 

or this

 

http://www.chatsports.com/new-york-jets/a/Link-What-can-we-ascertain-from-Genos-strong-finish-2-9427511

 

or this

 

https://williamedwardoneill.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/final-examination-time-for-geno-smith/

 

And this

 

http://nypost.com/2013/12/31/geno-smith-headed-toward-another-jets-qb-competition/

 

Long winded way of saying he already did this once and it didn't mean a thing

[John Cocktosten]

Tyrod or bust!

[eball]

The article isn't discussing the team as a whole. It is addressing the QB position specifically.

 

The Bills have indeed improved themselves all over the field, but arguably, not at the QB position.

 

Arguably, the additions of Cassel and Taylor are an improvement over Orton and Tuel...no?