Should EJ Manuel be the starter from day 1?

[BertSquirtgum]

Personally, I would like him to sit for a year and learn the NFL speed etc.....but if wins the battle I could understand Marrone starting him over Kolb. Gaining game experience can also help but it could also ruin him.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-draft/0ap2000000165169/Should-EJ-Manuel-start-for-Buffalo-Bills-Week-1

[BertSquirtgum]

http://www.profootballcentral.com/2013/04/29/the-ej-manuel-era-begins-in-buffalo/


"The EJ Manuel Era Begins in Buffalo

April 29, 2013 by James Duignan (http://www.profootballcentral.com/author/jamesduignan/) Leave a Comment (http://www.profootballcentral.com/2013/04/29/the-ej-manuel-era-begins-in-buffalo/#comments)
By: PFC Contributor James Duignan
The word “value” keeps floating around near the draft. Most consider value to be getting a player lower than his consensus draft slot, and on the other hand, a “reach” describes a pick that is higher than a player’s consensus draft slot. When the Bills took EJ Manuel at the 16th pick in the 1st round, nearly every “draftnik” bashed the pick based on his perceived value being much lower, calling him a “huge reach” at 16. However, aren’t these are the same drafniks who were predicting Manuel to be a 2nd round pick, yet had Barkley and Nassib alternating to the Bills at 8? Aren’t these the same draftniks who had Shariff Floyd as a top 5 lock leading up to Thursday’s first round? If there is one thing I’ve learned over the draft process every season it is to realize that these so-called draftniks have no relation to NFL organizations, thus they have absolutely no credibility when determining the stock of players since they have very little, if any, interactions with the players themselves. When Mel Kiper risks his career on the stock of Jimmy Clausen, and states that Jamarcus Russell is the best prospect he has seen in years; how are we supposed to take his opinions on Manuel seriously?..."

[Mike]

Yes... unquestionably this is a learning year for everyone at OBD...
New coaches, players, etc... and the chance of winning a SB are slim to none, so let the kid play.

[kishoph]

:up: Well done, it certainly beats the argument of."Kiper says he sucks."

I have no problem with EJ starting, if the coaches feel he's ready and they commit to him, I don't want the kid having to look over his shoulder every time he makes a mistake. IMO sitting him for a year couldn't hurt. I trust that Marrone and Hackett will do the right think, I have no reason not to.

[Meathead]

no

[Night Train]

It depends what he shows in the O he calls during camp and the pre-season. Don't rush him and wind up ruining him, ala Losman.

Expectations this year are zero, in year 1 of a rebuild with a new staff. It does sound like he's fairly smart and should get the playbook down but he has to make the correct reads.

[John Doe]

I don't think that anyone will be handed anything by the new head coach.

[Extremebillsfan247]

Manuel should only get to start if he's earned it. If it's just handed to him, then Marrone already looks bad for breaking his word about there being a competition at every position. Players will respect him more if Manuel has to fight for it rather than having it handed to him. JMO

[TacklingDummy]

Personally, I would like him to sit for a year and learn the NFL speed etc.....but if wins the battle I could understand Marrone starting him over Kolb. Gaining game experience can also help but it could also ruin him.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-draft/0ap2000000165169/Should-EJ-Manuel-start-for-Buffalo-Bills-Week-1

Yes.
You don't learn jack on the bench.
Rookie QB's start from day 1 now.

[X-Era]

Manuel should only get to start if he's earned it. If it's just handed to him, then Marrone already looks bad for breaking his word about there being a competition at every position. Players will respect him more if Manuel has to fight for it rather than having it handed to him. JMOThat's exactly it.

Marrone won't start him just because he's our future. He has to earn it.

That said, they all are on equal footing in this brand new offense. Manuel just needs to be an equally quick study and I think he can win the job.

I don't think they will hand it to him by any means.

[coastal]

Of course u start him.

[alnilla]

You have to start him

[better days]

I posted before, the Bills view EJ as RAW with HIGH upside. as others have said he will have to EARN the srarting job. I don't see him beating out Kolb to start the year. More likely he takes over when Kolb gets injured.

[Extremebillsfan247]

I posted before, the Bills view EJ as RAW with HIGH upside. as others have said he will have to EARN the srarting job. I don't see him beating out Kolb to start the year. More likely he takes over when Kolb gets injured. Personally I think this QB race is a little closer than that. In any event, this should be one of the most interesting competitions of the preseason for the Bills, I think it's any mans game at this point. JMO

[ublinkwescore]

It depends what he shows in the O he calls during camp and the pre-season. Don't rush him and wind up ruining him, ala Losman.

Expectations this year are zero, in year 1 of a rebuild with a new staff. It does sound like he's fairly smart and should get the playbook down but he has to make the correct reads.

Losman wasnt rushed. He sat his first year.

[ublinkwescore]

I think we start him, but tell him there is absolutely NO pressure - this is a learning year where we are just looking for him to show consistent progress - after he has beaten out Kevin Kolb of course

[pmoon6]

Even though starting Manuel is stupid, the pressure to do it because you took him in the first round is big.

If they don't start him right away, expect a thread asking for donations for a Billboard the first game Kolb plays poorly.

[ublinkwescore]

If he starts off winning, we raise our expectations.

[Pinkerton Security]

You have to start him

why? Your argument is less than compelling

The Bills dont HAVE to do anything, they have options. If EJ picks up the offense quickly, shows in PS that he can make his reads and work through the progressions, then yeah they can start him. But they also have time to let him work up to that point. Face it fellas, we arent winning 10 games this year, with or without EJ starting. May as well make sure he is showing all the signs of being ready before thrusting him in there.

[ServoBillieves]

Remember how the Colts and Redskins were "rebuilding" last year?

[sukie]

No They should start the lesser of Kolb and TJ... Start the 'Blow for Clowney" campaign

[OLDSRIP]

It depends what he shows in the O he calls during camp and the pre-season. Don't rush him and wind up ruining him, ala Losman.

Expectations this year are zero, in year 1 of a rebuild with a new staff. It does sound like he's fairly smart and should get the playbook down but he has to make the correct reads.

Exactly, why don't we let him practice and see how he is doing. Worse thing is to rush him in if he is having problems.

[Pinkerton Security]

Remember how the Colts and Redskins were "rebuilding" last year?

RGIII and Luck might be tough to compare Manuel to. Im optimistic he'll turn out as good but I doubt he'll be as good right away

[Jan Reimers]

Only if he wins the QB competition among himself, Kolb, Jackson and Tuel. Just like every other position.

[gloveus]

There's no way EJ is ready to face NFL defenses. I agree with most of you here that say he should sit for a year. I'd even be ok with him sitting for more than year, I mean, look at Aaron Rodgers. Granted we don't have Farve as our current QB, but maybe Kolb can be an above average QB for 2 years while we finishing building the team for EJ.
Unfortunately, I think media and fan hype leading up to and in the beginning of the season is going to put a lot of pressure on the Bills to start him sooner rather than later, whether he's ready or not.

[kishoph]

Losman wasnt rushed. He sat his first year.

Troy Vincent made sure of that.

[EDS]

If E.J. can't beat out Kolb . . .

[Pinkerton Security]

If E.J. can't beat out Kolb . . .

This argument is BS. How many snaps has Kolb had in the NFL compared to EJ? The Bills obviously took Manuel based on his potential, not his current NFL readiness.

[cookie G]

Merk at PFWR probably summed it up best...

Manuel to me has some issues here that are going to make or break him. I think he is extremely raw in terms of reading defenses and understanding where the play is supposed to go. I think he doesn’t go through progressions at a consistent pace at all and gets real flustered when plays break down fast. He makes some real questionable decisions and misses some big throws. The simple solution I have heard is “well he’s going to sit” That’s nice but it doesn’t do a whole lot for him. Football IQ isn’t just knowing a playbook, its knowing it, understanding why and than being able to register, apply and react in seconds on a football field. The only way that can happen is if he is taking snaps on Sundays. So for those of you expecting to see him sit on the bench for an extended period of time, I wouldn’t. Manuel will have a chance to win it and the Bills staff wants him to win it. You will see him on that field as the starter no later than the middle of October.

http://profootballwarroom.com/

Unless he is fully lost on the playbook, or Kolb blows everyone away in TC and early season, he'll be getting his starts.

[mjt328]

Manuel should only get to start if he's earned it. If it's just handed to him, then Marrone already looks bad for breaking his word about there being a competition at every position. Players will respect him more if Manuel has to fight for it rather than having it handed to him. JMO

I agree with this.

You can find examples of QBs who started Week 1 and had great careers (Peyton Manning). You can find examples of QBs who started Week 1 and failed (David Carr).
You can find examples of QBs who sat for awhile and had great careers (Aaron Rodgers). You can find examples of QBs who sat for awhile and failed (JP Losman).
There is no way to tell if sitting Carr for a season would have saved him. There is no way to tell if playing Rodgers immediately would have ruined him.

The bottom-line is, the Bills coaches and players are projecting the attitude "we think we can win NOW." They spent big money in free agency last year and believe the talent is good enough to compete for a playoff spot. To them, this is not a rebuilding year. So forcing a rookie QB into the lineup - if he isn't ready - tells the team that 2013 is already lost.

Maybe a new coaching staff brings this under-achieving squad to life (like the 2011 San Francisco 49ers) and we can make significant progress with Kevin Kolb under center. Maybe EJ Manuel blows away his training camp competition and he immediately gives us the best chance to win (like the 2012 Seattle Seahawks).

[Meathead]

theres no way ej could beat out kolb or tj for that matter straight up out of the chute. if they start him its only bc they want to try to let him learn on the fly and are willing to conceed to some fugly ass ball to do it

but really theres little reason for that. he can learn almost as much holding a clipboard without the risk of losmanizing him. youve got two veterans on board including one that still could blossom into a franchise guy, youve gotta see if that resource might turn to gold. plus youll get better production in the short term, allowing better team growth and evaluation across the board under this new regime. ej will be ready sometime over the next year and by then perhaps youve got a perceived borderline franchise guy to trade in kolb. and again, all that with no losmanizing

it should become obvious pretty quick which way kolb/tj are heading once the games count. by midseason you can have that answer AND ej miles ahead of where he was ready to take over. no need to rush that

[SpikedLemonade]

Manuel is very raw and needs time.

There will be more than a few games before the Bye Week where we are blown out come the 4th quarter. Let him get a few series in during those games.

By the Bye Week we should be clearly out of the play-off picture and then let him start the last 5 games of the season.

[trapezeus]

losman's broken leg wasn't really him learning on the sidelines. he was unable to do anything. and then the bills threw him into the middle of a beat down in the patriots game. his first play was to kick the ball out of his hands. it came off as rushed.

if EJ is half as sincere as he comes off, then he will be one of the hardest working guys on the team. He clearly needs the help to know how to dissect a defense.

So my preference as an outsider is that the team just school him on what he needs to be looking for in opposing defenses verse what the bills strategy tends to be. This way he isn't adapting to the speed of the game and learning a complex offense. by the time he comes in, he'll know the offense cold. it'll be a matter of adjusting to the speed of the game.

if you ask him to do both at the same time, you may be setting him up to fail more often and in the process hurt his psyche.

[Lexwhat]

I think it's simple -- just look at what the 49ers and Seahawks did last year:

Seahawks: Pete Carroll stated an "open competition" and said the best man will win the job. Russell Wilson earned the job and showed he was ready, so Carroll chose him over Flynn.

49ers: Alex Smith got injured in the middle of the season, so Kaepernick stepped in and played well in Smith's absence. Consequently, Kaepernick was named the full-time starter.

Let's start off with the Seahawks method (an open competition), and if Kolb earns the job now, let him play. There is absolutely no reason to hand the job to Manuel if he hasen't earned it. Likewise, if Kolb gets injured in the middle of the season and Manuel lights it up as his replacement, then no reason to go back to Kolb.

The ideal situation is Kolb wins the job and plays well, leading the Bills to the playoffs (unlikely scenario though). If Kolb blossoms behind a good O-Line and a strong running game, he most definitely has trade value in the future (e.g. look at how the 49ers got TWO high draft picks for a guy that no one even wanted as a free agent a year before!).

[bf1]

He should. He's behing Kolb, not Brett Favre, Joe Montana, and all other examples of good quarterbacks who had to wait.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

I posted before, the Bills view EJ as RAW with HIGH upside. as others have said he will have to EARN the srarting job. I don't see him beating out Kolb to start the year. More likely he takes over when Kolb gets injured.

So you're saying he's going to become the Bills fulltime starter in week two?

[Bill Cody]

I don't expect him to be ready and I would prefer we don't rush him

[better days]

Manuel is very raw and needs time.

There will be more than a few games before the Bye Week where we are blown out come the 4th quarter. Let him get a few series in during those games.

By the Bye Week we should be clearly out of the play-off picture and then let him start the last 5 games of the season.

I don't see a lot of blow outs. I think the defense keeps the Bills in most games & maybe even wins a game of two for the team.

[paladin warrior]

NO Bills don't have any good OL and OG. I don't want him get too many sacks and E.J need more to learn NFL at mini camp

[mjt328]

theres no way ej could beat out kolb or tj for that matter straight up out of the chute.


How many people would have expected Russell Wilson to win the job over Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson last year?

As a prospect coming out of college, Wilson was ranked around the 3rd-4th round range. That has "project" written all over it. The same experts had 2nd-3rd round grades on Manuel.

The Bills staff has already admitted that EJ's raw and will probably need some time. And I can guarantee that when they started settling on him as the pick, that was when they started pursuing Kolb. Odds are pretty high that Kolb will start Week 1. But if Manuel is a quick learner, he certainly could win the job.

[GvilleBills]

Man, just don't rush the kid. If he wins a straight up QB comp, great. The team will buy into that. If you start a guy that doesn't give you the best chance to win b/c of draft position, you'll lose the team.

[BillsFever21]

I wouldn't start him week one unless he really shows something in training camp. Outside of Stevie we're basically going to have an all rookie WR unit around him, the OL is going to have to gel again with the loss of Levitre and everybody is learning a new system. Let him learn the system and by halfway through the season when Kolb goes down if they feel he has progressed enough then they should start playing him. If by some miracle Kolb doesn't get hurt then if we're a losing team after the bye week then let him play the last 5 games.

Use the first half of the season or so grooming him in practice and letting him learn the system and get acclimated to the NFL. I know everyone wants him to start week one after how many other rookie QB's have played recently but you are talking about guys like Luck and RJ3. The exceptions outside of them who played well starting from week one like Wilson and even Dalton isn't how it usually goes. Let him get his feet wet and then play him at some point during the season.

[JoeMama]

EJ Manuel isn't a very polished passer. It seems like a bad idea to throw him to the wolves early, even though trial-by-fire is how most young QBs learn now.

I like that he's mobile, but his highlight reel is light on skilled passing and heavy on scrambling. It's not enough to be a good scrambler at the NFL level. You have to be an elite passer.

[SpikedLemonade]

I don't see a lot of blow outs.

Of course, you don't.

I bet over the past 5 years, the Bills have won less than half as many games as you predicted they would.

But, you are a better fan than I.

[JohnnyGold]

Surprisingly, I actually trust this coaching staff to do the right thing.

In this sense, it's great that we have a coach straight out of the college ranks--he's going to watch ALL THREE (don't know why people are not even mentioning TJs name) qbs for the summer, and whoever gives us the best chance to win is going to start week 1.

You can tell that the front office has a plan, and thinks that the team is a lot closer than the national media, and most fans, think. It makes sense: there were several games last year (patriots, rams, titans) that didn't go our way that could have. those three alone would have got us 9 wins. the fact that the line between a wildcard/playoff team, and a 6-10 "rebuilding" team comes down to 3 plays over the course of a season... it just shows why the NFL is the best sport in the world.

So, with that being said, I don't think EJ starts week 1 unless he is lights out in the preseason. With a new defensive coordinator, an all-world running back, and a whole bunch of talent at wide receiver, this team could be in the hunt for a wild card spot. ABSOLUTELY no need to rush a rookie qb out there, and destroy his psyche and reputation early in the season--especially if we can win some of those games with competent qb play.

why NOT try to create a kapernick situation? let kolb/jackson take us as far as they can, then let ej take the reigns over.

[EDS]

Surprisingly, I actually trust this coaching staff to do the right thing.

In this sense, it's great that we have a coach straight out of the college ranks--he's going to watch ALL THREE (don't know why people are not even mentioning TJs name) qbs for the summer, and whoever gives us the best chance to win is going to start week 1.

You can tell that the front office has a plan, and thinks that the team is a lot closer than the national media, and most fans, think. It makes sense: there were several games last year (patriots, rams, titans) that didn't go our way that could have. those three alone would have got us 9 wins. the fact that the line between a wildcard/playoff team, and a 6-10 "rebuilding" team comes down to 3 plays over the course of a season... it just shows why the NFL is the best sport in the world.

So, with that being said, I don't think EJ starts week 1 unless he is lights out in the preseason. With a new defensive coordinator, an all-world running back, and a whole bunch of talent at wide receiver, this team could be in the hunt for a wild card spot. ABSOLUTELY no need to rush a rookie qb out there, and destroy his psyche and reputation early in the season--especially if we can win some of those games with competent qb play.

why NOT try to create a kapernick situation? let kolb/jackson take us as far as they can, then let ej take the reigns over.

Do you really think the front office has a plan? The front office has changed its plan at least once already.

To me, the moves they have made suggest that they are building to be competitive in 2014, not 2013 (i.e., new coaches, rookie QB, new offensive and defensive systems, youth at LB, WR, CB, SS, etc.). To me, bringing in a Kevin Kolb and a Manny Lawson screams stop-gap/roster filler until you get a young guy ready to play.

[sudzy]

Both Buddy and Marrone admitted that Manuel needs to develop. Don't play him until he's ready. Whether that is week one or two years from now. I don't need Belichick blowing up the "QB of the future's" confidence week one.

[jimmifli]

Unless he becomes elite, the time to win is while he's still on his cheap rookie contract. We can overspend during that window, but once that closes and we have to start paying a QB the market price it's a lot tougher.

I'm all for starting him early. If we suck we draft high and get to find out by year 3 if he's ever going to figure it out. If he's good, I'd rather find out early enough so that we can still afford to fill out the roster.

[JoeMama]

Surprisingly, I actually trust this coaching staff to do the right thing.

In this sense, it's great that we have a coach straight out of the college ranks--he's going to watch ALL THREE (don't know why people are not even mentioning TJs name) qbs for the summer, and whoever gives us the best chance to win is going to start week 1.

You can tell that the front office has a plan, and thinks that the team is a lot closer than the national media, and most fans, think. It makes sense: there were several games last year (patriots, rams, titans) that didn't go our way that could have. those three alone would have got us 9 wins. the fact that the line between a wildcard/playoff team, and a 6-10 "rebuilding" team comes down to 3 plays over the course of a season... it just shows why the NFL is the best sport in the world.

So, with that being said, I don't think EJ starts week 1 unless he is lights out in the preseason. With a new defensive coordinator, an all-world running back, and a whole bunch of talent at wide receiver, this team could be in the hunt for a wild card spot. ABSOLUTELY no need to rush a rookie qb out there, and destroy his psyche and reputation early in the season--especially if we can win some of those games with competent qb play.

why NOT try to create a kapernick situation? let kolb/jackson take us as far as they can, then let ej take the reigns over.

The new coaching staff passed my first test. I wasn't blinded with rage when they were announced to the public.

I handled the news... less than graciously... when we hired Dick Jauron and Chan Gailey.

Marrone and Co. seem like competent guys with a plan.

The front office though?

They seem to be groping blindly in the dark. They showed a bit more ambition by finally addressing the quarterback position. But after three years of ignoring it, did they really have a choice? It seemed like a political necessity rather than part of a slow moving master plan.

[Bert102176]

He should start only if he shows to be the best QB on the team .

[JoeMama]

Unless he becomes elite, the time to win is while he's still on his cheap rookie contract. We can overspend during that window, but once that closes and we have to start paying a QB the market price it's a lot tougher.

I'm all for starting him early. If we suck we draft high and get to find out by year 3 if he's ever going to figure it out. If he's good, I'd rather find out early enough so that we can still afford to fill out the roster.

I change my mind. I agree with this now.

Better to find out early and move on if it blows up in our face. God knows this team took plenty long enough to recognize the current lack of talent. No need to put it off another 4 years like last time.

[jimmifli]

I change my mind. I agree with this now.

Better to find out early and move on if it blows up in our face. God knows this team took plenty long enough to recognize the current lack of talent. No need to put it off another 4 years like last time.

Seattle, Washington and SanFrancisco are in a similar position where they've got above average QB's at rock bottom prices, and they've got them locked up for a few years. Eventually they'll end up like Baltimore did with Flacco. Flacco is good and earned his paycheck, but I'm not sure he can carry a team like Manning, Brady or Rogers. Once a QB gets a big contract it's so expensive to fill out the roster.

And I don't believe in "ruining" a QB. If the guy's confidence is that fragile it was never going to work.

[ticatfan]

If he does not fall flat on his face in camp, then get him out on the field.