100% support for EJ Manuel

[bleve]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

This defense has the potential to be between top 5-7ish. And if they reach that potential, an offense with a competent QB and a solid running game gets this team to the playoffs.

I'm not willing to throw everyone else under the bus in the name of EJ's development. EJ has a couple games to prove he can win. If we go 0-2 to start, EJ should hold the clipboard until Orton proves he's worse or the Bills are eliminated from the playoffs.

This is my feeling as well.

Starting Orton because of his competent experience does not mean "EJ is a BUST!" I like the effort and sincerity of EJ, and believe there is a potential high ceiling.

It appears though, it will take a while, and let's give our team the best chance to win.

[TakingItuptheChin]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

Most rookie QB's don't do well. Manuel was 4-6 and should have been 5-5.

Compared to other rookie QB's that started 10 games or more, EJ Manuel is pretty damn good.

He could easily also been 2-8

[OpIv37]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

well said

the support cant be unconditional, if he struggles consistently for say the first quarter then you probably have to go with the expensive backup to try to save the season. but certainly he deserves a ton more support than hes getting right now

one good thing is that the fans have so completely overreacted and drawn a picture in their minds based on a poor preseason that it wont take much for him to look good in comparison. if he can put in a reasonably acceptable game in chicago even if they lose then he could see opinions turn in his favor pretty quick. but hes gonna ride that hyper-critical train all season regardless

He doesn't deserve anything because he showed ZERO improvement. Most of us had low expectations for EJ in preseason. We just wanted some signs of improvement- go deep more often, be more accurate. But even that reduced standard was too much to ask.

I hope the kid succeeds, I really do. I just don't see any reason to believe it will happen.

[paladin warrior]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

Me too.. I am support to E. J Manual. It not his fault. Because he is young and O-Line is awful and screw up . Plus Offensive coach is garage and OB coach is piece of s***Y

[RedEyE]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

Best thread I've seen on this site in months. Of course people will be sure to **** all over it but at least someone is making the effort to remain positive.

[kishoph]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

It was too late about 5 minutes after they drafted him for many.

Which brought many preconceived opinions on what he'd do in the NFL and unfortunately many people are more happy with thinking they were right over trying to give Manuel a chance.

[Don't Panic]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

Best thread I've seen on this site in months. Of course people will be sure to **** all over it but at least someone is making the effort to remain positive.

I just don't see spending that much time attention on anything in life if you can't be more positive than negative about it. Seems like a pretty obvious rule to live by, right?

[Night Train]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

You'd think that thread title would be a given considering he was only a year removed from being our 1st round pick, but it's not. I remember his senior year... I wanted to like him but was on the fence because I saw too many mistakes that seemed avoidable. 10 starts later I'm not sure how much he has improved from that last game as a Seminole, but I'm certainly not ready to close the book. How could anyone be? If you don't get a full year in this league to prove yourself then something is seriously wrong. So I'm pulling for him...

I have no no desire to see Kyle Orton. I want 16 games out of Manuel. I don't see Rob Johnson, JP Losman and Trent Edwards. I see a kid who is committed to the craft and will continuously improve. I'm not sure he will ever be great, but I am sure he doesn't have to be. I don't see injury prone, I see a couple cases of bad luck, which is behind him now.

So I hope to God that the tested and emotionally torn fans of these Bills have the patience to let this kid grow into this role and not to turn on him in what would assuredly be a rough and nasty way. If they do, that will have an effect on this kid. He needs the time, the patience, and the backing of the base to get it right. Looking around here lately, it's pretty obvious he has the luxury of none of those three. What a shame... I'm not giving up on him though. That's not an option in my eyes.

Well said.

It's unknown if Manuel will succeed or not. I GET THAT.

Orton is a decent backup, so the alternative is at least there. Still, his ceiling is done and I'll root for Manuel to succeed.

[Fletch]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

This defense has the potential to be between top 5-7ish. And if they reach that potential, an offense with a competent QB and a solid running game gets this team to the playoffs.

I'm not willing to throw everyone else under the bus in the name of EJ's development. EJ has a couple games to prove he can win. If we go 0-2 to start, EJ should hold the clipboard until Orton proves he's worse or the Bills are eliminated from the playoffs.

This is my feeling as well.

I'd love to share this viewpoint, but I don't understand why so many people think that this D has improved.

Has this registered with anyone, that last season we couldn't beat one team, not one single team, that finished better than ranked 18th in passing, and that now our pass D is worse.

You don't just overlook something like that.

Our linebacking corps is nothing but run stuffers. Unfortunately this isn't 1995 anymore where RBs carry the day in the NFL, these days it's QBs, WRs, TEs, and ever RBs out of the backfield and the passing game.

We lost Byrd permanently and Kiko for the season, arguably our two best pass defenders. So OK, we improve at stopping the run, which I still wouldn't count on because Schwartz is going to have to play 4 man fronts frequently, but how does such a regression in pass D amount to an improvement in D?

It doesn't and it cannot possibly be spun that way, yet so many of you cavalierly insist that the D will be better.

To top it off, we play even more top-half passing teams this season, the NFCN has three of them.

Have any of you thinking that this D is improved considered what we're going to do on 3rd-downs? Spikes, Brown, and Rivers, our three starters according to TOS, all specialize in run D to the extent that they specialize. Spikes is tops but the other two not so much. Brown is unproven and Rivers a borderline starter. It's not like we have a bunch of top notch pass-D linebackers sitting the bench just waiting to come in on 3rds.

I'll predict now that this will be a near record worst season for us in 3rd-down conversions allowed. We'll see. But that's the way this is shaping up.

That doesn't spell top 5-7 D. Everyone seems to be approaching this from the angle that if a lie is told often enough it becomes the truth. That may work in politics, but that's hardly the case in the NFL.

[Fletch]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

Best thread I've seen on this site in months. Of course people will be sure to **** all over it but at least someone is making the effort to remain positive.

Come on, how the team performs has absolutely zero to do with our perceptions and what we say.

This projecting of how poor the team is onto other fans is childish. This isn't an exercise in fan motivation. Please!

[Fletch]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

I just don't see spending that much time attention on anything in life if you can't be more positive than negative about it. Seems like a pretty obvious rule to live by, right?

Some of us prefer to simply look at the way things really are instead of trying to delude ourselves that they're really better.

What you and others don't get is that our goals are all the same. Talk about being more negative than positive, what about posters that slam others for "not being fans," or for being "trolls" simply because of a post or opinion that doesn't tickle you the way you want it to?

I guess slamming others is really positive in life, huh?

Seems like a massive double-standard to me. Being unjustifiably positive about things that have no basis while being terminally negative towards anyone that doesn't think like you do.

[coastal]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

Ralph is dead.

[trapezeus]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

the thing about teams who get the luxury of having their qb grow into the role is that the coaches take some of the pressure off by putting the team as a whole in a position to win. and those teams who go into the second season witha questionmark qb like EJ can still squeak their way into the playoffs or be close in the last few weeks so that the fan base is engaged and excited.

Yes they get frustrated by bad mistakes etc, but they understand it if the team finds a way to win elsewhere. And this so far is on marrone and hackett. They need to take the pressure off of EJ and start getting the team to perform elsewhere.

in the last 14 years, it's not that we are just mediocre, but that we need a math degree to figure out how to make the playoffs by early november. And then no one cares. Only once were we legitimately in the race until the very end.

so i'm for giving EJ time. i think he's going to be very average. but if he is average and the team somehow squeaks into a wildcard spot, i'm all for seeing if he is moving forward. if he is average and they miss the playoffs, were pretty much out by November, and coaching continues to hinder the team, i'm all for firing marrone (as long as brandon is gone as well) and starting over.

for the bills to suck this year when trading a 1st rounder, it will be inexplicable on how brandon keeps his job or can keep the jobs for his friends.

[Buckets]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

You'd think that thread title would be a given considering he was only a year removed from being our 1st round pick, but it's not. I remember his senior year... I wanted to like him but was on the fence because I saw too many mistakes that seemed avoidable. 10 starts later I'm not sure how much he has improved from that last game as a Seminole, but I'm certainly not ready to close the book. How could anyone be? If you don't get a full year in this league to prove yourself then something is seriously wrong. So I'm pulling for him...

I have no no desire to see Kyle Orton. I want 16 games out of Manuel. I don't see Rob Johnson, JP Losman and Trent Edwards. I see a kid who is committed to the craft and will continuously improve. I'm not sure he will ever be great, but I am sure he doesn't have to be. I don't see injury prone, I see a couple cases of bad luck, which is behind him now.

So I hope to God that the tested and emotionally torn fans of these Bills have the patience to let this kid grow into this role and not to turn on him in what would assuredly be a rough and nasty way. If they do, that will have an effect on this kid. He needs the time, the patience, and the backing of the base to get it right. Looking around here lately, it's pretty obvious he has the luxury of none of those three. What a shame... I'm not giving up on him though. That's not an option in my eyes.

Kudos to you. However, all the evidence so far doesn't support this kind of optimism. I personally am disturbed by his inability to shake off making so many stupid mistakes or if they are not mistakes, his incompetence.

[Bill Cody]

Re: 100% support for EJ Manuel

Kudos to you. However, all the evidence so far doesn't support this kind of optimism. I personally am disturbed by his inability to shake off making so many stupid mistakes or if they are not mistakes, his incompetence.

He's actually making too few mistakes in my opinion. His turnover rate is low, exceptionally low actually for a guy who's as green as he is. I'd like to see him be more aggressive even if it means some turnovers. The guys that grade Manuel on the same scale as a vet QB just don't understand the game or don't care to be fair. Rookie QB's make LOTS of mistakes. To me they are to be encouraged, that's how they develop.