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Enough incoherence/whining from WGR re: EJ


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Just wondering if anyone heard Schopp say today that he wishes guys who drive recklessly would just crash into a tree and kill themselves, regarding Dareus. He cited overpopulation as a justification.

Man someone really needs to get this guy to talk WNBA so he can say something along the lines of Imus and get his ass fired. Or everyone should just call in about starting EJ Manuel and wait for him to go apeshit.

Edited by The Wiz
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Just wondering if anyone heard Schopp say today that he wishes guys who drive recklessly would just crash into a tree and kill themselves, regarding Dareus. He cited overpopulation as a justification.

I took this as road rage sarcasm. But, it sounded like a slight exaggeration of genuine malice.

 

Much like I felt toward the driver of a semi tractor/trailor who decided to change lanes from the righthand lane to the center lane, in heavy rush hour traffic on the eastbound 90, right where my minivan was, then changed back to the original right lane, then drove on the berm to pass all those taking the eastbound 33 exit. I felt genuine malice toward that truck driver for having put so many people at risk of inury/death. Practically speaking, let's weigh a single vehicle accident and his serious/fatal injury vs. a multivehicle pileup and serious injuries/fatalities to others, including my 5 year old son and 4 year old daughter, my wife and me.

 

I suspect we all know that feeling and, I suspect, that feeling is the source of Schopp's comments. So I can't call him out on it.

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All this began when the speculation about the preseason game 3 starter was ramping up. WGR hosts felt the need to trash EJ when callers suggested that it should be EJ, mostly in the name of a fair competition but also in an acknowledgement of how well EJ had showed in the prior outings. Wanted tp justify that it wouldn't happen since game 3 was so important to the #1 QB. Schopp got really annoyed with this and gave his "He's horrilble (terrible?)" X3 line. He then asked for someone to explain why EJ was getting so much support, I e-mailed this to him:

 

Mike,

You're an analytics proponent so here is an analytical case.
I would assume that you are familiar with the concept of "quality start" for pitchers. Three or less earned runs and seven or more innings pitched. The idea being that the pitcher has given his team a decent chance to win.
Well, apply this type of measure to NFL QBs. What to use as the criteria? I particlarly do not favor the NFL's passer rating as a comprehensive measure. It does not consider sacks, fumbles, rush yards gained nor the game context of when the stats it does track are acquired. I do favor ESPN's tQBR which was developed by Football Outsiders as a comprehensive measure of QB play. I am sure it has its flaws as any measure would have that tries to isolate a QB's play from that of the rest of the offense. The tQBR scale is 0 to 100 with 50 being midscale. I think it's fair to say this would also be a fair measure of a QB performance that gives his team a chance to win.
In EJ's 14 starts, he hit 50+ 8 times. The Bills were 5 and 3 in those games with the 3 losses coming against NE (the SJ drop you mentioned earlier) Cle (EJ's 3rd quarter injury and all the bad things that happened after he left) and Atlanta (4th quarter and OT fumbles by SJ and Chandler.) This tells me that the 50+ measure is fair in that EJ played decently enough to give his team a chance but other factors made the result a loss.
What is 8 of 14 as a measure? What does it say? Here are how some others stack up.
Kyle Orton was 4 of 12 in 2014. This is the guy that was giving the Bills the best chance to win?
Joe Flacco was 6 of 16 his rookie year and 9 of 16 in 2013, the year after the Super Bowl win. He starts 16 games every year so credit the Bills for identifying Tyrod Taylor as someone that could be a great QB candidate without much direct evidence.
Matt Cassel is 6 of 18 in his last 3 years. As you said today, this is not compatible with "game manager." He would have to play much better to earn that title. I think "game manager" is the title he gets when projecting him as a successful QB in this offense. If they decide to start him, "game manager" is the hoped for outcome. I do not think it's racial. It's the best we could hope for from him.
Geno Smith is 8 of 30 for his career. He and EJ have not had similar careers to date.
Ryan Tannehill had 8, 8 and 7 of 16, respectively, in his 3 years although he has seen an improvement in that he has had fewer "crappy games."
Derek Carr was 7 of 16 in 2014.
Blake Bortles was 4 of 14 in 2014.
Eli Manning was 9 of 16 in 2007, his 4th NFL season, with 3 games at <10. In 2013, he was 5 of 16.
In 2014, Aaron Rodgers was 13 of 16 with 2 other games in the 40's and one other, against the Bills, at 12.4.
So, what to think of EJ? I think he has played decently in more games than most would think. His last two games were disastrous but they were heavily influenced by 1) 30+ mph winds and poor protection and 2) extremely poor protection and JJ Watt. In that last game, EJ took 18 hits but only 2 sacks which is an odd, 9:1 ratio. The WRs were credited with 5 drops and the coaching staff called pass to run plays at an inexplicable 2:1 ratio. Even with all that, EJ had the Bills driving to get the lead when a gutless, PI nocall on Robert Woods (that's my opinion, but check it out--it was PI that lasted over 15 yards and probably for 2+ seconds) that lead to the int that sealed the loss.
It's these last two games that have most heavily weighed in on how most percoieve EJ. Fans remember them quite well but back-to-back poor games are not uncommon, especially for QBs earlier in their careers. It's not the norm for a HC to bench them for a 4 of 12 talent like Kyle Orton.
I see him as a guy that was considered a decent QB prospect that needed development. Give him Nate Hackett as his QB coach his rookie year, sign Kevin Kolb to be the template, mentor QB but see him get concussed out of the NFL in preseason, have him suffer 3 separate knee injuries which forced him to miss 6+ weeks of game prep practice, set him up behind an unsettled, deteriorating o-line which offered particularly poor protection up-the-middle and then ask him to play well with JJ Watt in his face and at his knees. With all these bad circumstances, EJ still managed to be 8 of 14 for "quality starts" in his brief career. A 6 and 8 career record which is really 6 and 7 when you consider that he did not finish the game in Cle (a baseball pitcher does not get credit for a loss like that.) A career 7 and 6 record if either of his teammates protected the ball from trailing defenders.
When did patience become so obsolete? How many other QBs took 3 or 4 years in the league to show some progress toward the upper echelons of NFL QBs? This is actually the norm with a few notable exceptions. None of this says he has to start. It all says that he is worth keeping on the roster should they need to go 3 deep like they did in 2013. Retaining him while on his rookie contract to see if he will continue the improvement he has shown this preseason seems prudent. And maybe it says that it would be worth it to give him a chance in game action with the starting group.
Regards,
I never heard back from him.

 

No kidding...he fell asleep in the third paragraph.

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Just wondering if anyone heard Schopp say today that he wishes guys who drive recklessly would just crash into a tree and kill themselves, regarding Dareus. He cited overpopulation as a justification.

 

Yeah, that was a stupid comment from "mensa", surprised someone so liberal would want foolish people killed. I would like to see them get their license revoked or some other stiff penalty so they can learn from their mistakes not die, WTH Mike :doh: .

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