Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

[The King]

I'll first start off by saying EJ was the most intriguing QB in this draft and he's the guy I wanted to the Bills to go after (in the 2nd round).

1. He's a big quick QB.
2. His mobility is going to make things tough on opposing defenses especially when they're running the hurry up.
3. He's a high character guy, he can lead the locker room from day one. We need a guy on offense who can do that. CJ, and Stevie are not those guys.
4. He's got a great arm, he can sling it deep and he can put touch on it, this is a total 180 from Fitz and Trent. He can also make quick decisions and get rid of the ball fast, huge plus for our screen game.
5. The Bills liked him enough to ensure no other team got the chance to take him from underneath us.

It's a bold move any many will say this is another botched pick by the Bills and being the only team to take QB in round 1 you could say we reached. Now if EJ isn't the guy under center in Week 1, we can all throw rocks at Buddy Nix. I'm excited it's officially a new era.

[MidnightVoice]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

Now if EJ isn't the guy under center in Week 1, we can all throw rocks at Buddy Nix. I'm excited it's officially a new era.

One advantage of the situation is that he does not have to start in week one, or even year one!

[MikeInRoch]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

I agree with almost everything. I don't need him to be starting week 1 this year.

[Mr. Miyagi]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

LOOOOOOVE the pick! And LOVED how we were able to trade down to get him too!

The Jets did us a favor by posturing to like Austin. They wanted to smokescreen us into flustering and taking Austin in front of them, instead they flustered another team to trade up with us.

Thanks Rex!

[Historian]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

He looks great in red white and blue!

Thanks King!

[better days]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

Manuel said the Eagles LOVED him & he expected them to draft him. I think #16 is a great spot to take him, he would not have been there in the 2nd rnd.

[OpIv37]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

"It's a new era." Is it? Seems like Russ Brandon has sold us that bill of goods more than once. I'll believe it when I see results.

[gebobs]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

LOOOOOOVE the pick! And LOVED how we were able to trade down to get him too!

The Jets did us a favor by posturing to like Austin. They wanted to smokescreen us into flustering and taking Austin in front of them, instead they flustered another team to trade up with us.

Thanks Rex!

The Bills didn't get enough in return IMHO. They basically got a mid-2nd round pick for the price of 8 spots in the first.

[Mr. Miyagi]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

The Bills didn't get enough in return IMHO. They basically got a mid-2nd round pick for the price of 8 spots in the first.

I'm ok with that, we wanted to trade down anyway to take a QB. Had we stayed there at 8 to take him there would've been a riot. A free pick in the 2nd is perfect.

[better days]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

"It's a new era." Is it? Seems like Russ Brandon has sold us that bill of goods more than once. I'll believe it when I see results.

It is fine to be skeptical Op. Would not expect anything else from you. At least we will no longer have to put up the Fitz & his PUTRID passes next season. Both Kolb & Manuel can fling the ball DOWNFIELD.

[Saratoga Slim]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

I'm ok with that, we wanted to trade down anyway to take a QB. Had we stayed there at 8 to take him there would've been a riot. A free pick in the 2nd is perfect.

There wasn't a QB in this draft without questions. EJ has perhaps more than Nassib or Geno, and that's why some are bashing the pick. He's less safe.

That said, he also seems to have more upside than any other QB in the draft. After 20 years without a QB that can win games on his own, I'm all for rolling the dice until we get one that can. I have zero interest in watching yet another QB with limited tools. EJ has everything he needs above and below the shoulders to be elite.

I'm putting the odds at about 40/60 that EJ is going to be THE guy for us, as 13 years of no playoffs have minimized my expectations of anything the Bills do, but the pick makes sense to me.

[gebobs]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

I'm ok with that, we wanted to trade down anyway to take a QB. Had we stayed there at 8 to take him there would've been a riot. A free pick in the 2nd is perfect.

Only if "perfect" is the least one could expect. So with Nix, yeah, perfect.

[Pinkerton Security]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

While I dont LOVE the pick, I see it as a swing-for-the-fences type pick, which I'm fine with. At least we didnt get Barkley!

[MTBillsFan]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

Kid is going to be a stud for a long time!

[psubills62]

Re: Why it's OK to be happy with the Manuel Pick (Photo Inside)

It all comes down to coaching for me (which I've said consistently, even well before the draft). Now more so with EJ Manuel, but also with any other player.

If we have the coaching that will utilize his talents, help develop him, and craft a good offense, then great. But IMO, that takes a good amount of coaching, which is risky to depend on, especially given Buffalo's history. However, I do support the idea of sitting a QB for a year to get him accustomed to the speed of the pros, which I think Buffalo can, should, and will do.

I'm also not a fan of potential and upside at QB. It seems rare to me that a QB actually does a lot of developing in the NFL and reaches that upside or potential.

At this point, he's the QB and I hope he turns into something great. For the rest of the draft, I wouldn't mind seeing offensive-heavy. Not quite a Colts draft (last year drafting zero defensive players), and given both our need and Nix's penchant for drafting CB's, I think we'll at least draft a LB and CB, but I'd like to see an OL, a WR, and a TE, if not multiple of those positions.

Finally, even if I don't like the specific prospect, I'm glad they made a bold move and went for a QB. It's something Buffalo has needed for a long while. They also were able to trade down instead of reaching, that part I love. This way, they can still get some other talented players and it's not like they sold out the rest of their roster just to get him. It's nice to have someone to get behind, though.