Do you feel better or worse about EJ turning into a franchise QB after todays game?

[2slowtogofast]

For me I feel better. Hopefully EJ lives up to all the potential that people say he has. I am excited for next week. Let see some progress.

[Crisis]

The same. Remember how confident and good Trent looked in his first game?

[2slowtogofast]

Yes that is why I am trying not to get too excited.

[SpikedLemonade]

Better.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

He accounted for 0 turnovers, which is definitely a bonus for a rookie QB. I understand he had one called back, but I wasn't in the room so I didn't see what happened there.

[Novacane]

Better. A small step.

[Night Train]

He's had 1 NFL game. Looked very encouraging to me.

I guess we'll have to wait another week before burying him as a bust.

:rolleyes:

[SquishDaFish]

Looked good. like the direction

[Mace]

The same. Remember how confident and good Trent looked in his first game?

Yeah, actually I do remember. He went and sat by himself on the bench and kept fussing with the front of his fashionable spiked hair. Didn't talk to anyone, coaches or teammates, kept fussing with the front of his hair. He went 10 of 20 with an INT for 97 yards in a 38-7 Pats win, 4.85 Y/A, ran once for no yards, then hurried back to the bench to play with his hair some more.

That wasn't really very confident or very good.

[OpIv37]

I can't really say after one game.

I will say this though: most of EJ's bad plays came early and he made some veteran-like plays later in the game (obviously not enough of them). I think that's a good sign, but I remember how good I felt leaving Buffalo on a Monday morning after JP Losman led us to a victory in the season opener......

[Lone Stranger]

He seems to have a very nice touch but has a long way to go.

[Skooby]

EJ hasn't had live action for weeks now, just to be clear here about his start.

[Meathead]

only had 150 passing yds but had two big gainers called back each due to hands to the face penalties

no sacks, fumbles, or ints which is huge. gorgeous td to stevie, another easy td to woods. badly missed an open streaking graham

overall a B+ i guess. pretty darn good for a first game

[Turf]

I thought the play calling was too conservative, especially when we were ahead. He had a good pass called back by a hands to the face. Two very good TD's. They should have had him throw on first more. I think they protected him too much. IMO he was very solid and didn't get enough chances.

[imbondz]

The same. Remember how confident and good Trent looked in his first game?

Trent was on fire til his concussion. I'm excited w what I saw today in EJ but one game means nothing. And Troy Aikman started his career 1-15.

[Skooby]

EJ only had one knockdown all day, the O-line held up.

[BertSquirtgum]

I feel the same as I did before the draft about him. I felt he could become a good quarterback in this league. Now, I believe he can become our franchise quarterback.

[coastal]

Disappointed he didn't hit Graham. That could have been a great moment for this franchise.

he missed it though... badly.

great players don't miss those opportunities.

[imbondz]

Disappointed he didn't hit Graham. That could have been a great moment for this franchise.

he missed it though... badly.

great players don't miss those opportunities.

Please. Rookies do

[coastal]

Please. Rookies do
RGIII, Luck, Kaepernick (who was bascially a rook last year), Russell Wilson... all won huge games for their teams last year by making plays like that.

[TigerJ]

I feel better. I always felt there was a chance he could become a franchise type QB, but after the game today, I think the odds of that happening went up a little and his bust risk went down some.

[The Jokeman]

RGIII, Luck, Kaepernick (who was bascially a rook last year), Russell Wilson... all won huge games for their teams last year by making plays like that.

Again build a franchise and then you'll find a franchise QB. Say what you want but the WR core we have is suspect at best, Chandler to me should be a back up TE etc. I think Manuel played well for a rookie in his first NFL start. I just question some of the calls late in the game. As really think we would have benefitted slowing the pace down in the 4th quarter and maybe keep Fred Jackson in since he was really doing more damage than CJ was. Statistically Manual played better than Brady. I give our defense mad props for that game as they really played far better than I would have imagined. Yet games like that we if want to turn the corner we have to win. Also Marrone made some bad calls, I still don't get the challenge on the fumble that was recovered by the Patriots that cost a time out in the first half.

[BertSquirtgum]

RGIII, Luck, Kaepernick (who was bascially a rook last year), Russell Wilson... all won huge games for their teams last year by making plays like that.

In their first ever NFL game? Think before you type.

[coastal]

Don't get me wrong... I think he played a fine first game for a rookie.

That play stuck out to me though... both when it happened and after the game was over.

It was a pivotal moment in the game.

He didn't seize it.

Thats all.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Don't get me wrong... I think he played a fine first game for a rookie.

That play stuck out to me though... both when it happened and after the game was over.

It was a pivotal moment in the game.

He didn't seize it.

Thats all.

Well lets be clear here. We are hoping this is Manuel's floor, not his ceiling. If he churns out 150 yards a game for the rest of the season, it would be a massive disappointment. But for his first game ever, coming off injury, I was satisfied with what I saw.

[ParanoidAndroid]

Disappointed he didn't hit Graham. That could have been a great moment for this franchise.

he missed it though... badly.

great players don't miss those opportunities.

I vividly recall Brady missing badly on a sure TD in today's game. I guess he is not a worthy QB either.

[bf1]

The same. Remember how confident and good Trent looked in his first game?

I always thought trent had happy feet and never showed real composure. I got the opposite impression from EJ.

[kingJofNYC]

Too soon fellas.

Lets give him the year and then revisit this.

[Mr. Cynical]

better.....this was the first nfl game for both ej and marrone and it took a last sec fg to win it....lots of upside to look forward to imo...

[Oaf]

Don't get me wrong... I think he played a fine first game for a rookie.

That play stuck out to me though... both when it happened and after the game was over.

It was a pivotal moment in the game.

He didn't seize it.

Thats all.

What exactly happened on that play? Was Graham open or did he only appear open because Manuel threw it OB and the defender held up?

[better days]

Well, did anyone see the wounded ducks Brady was throwing all game?

Manuel's passes were sharp & crisp, a TIGHT spiral.

Anyone with two good eyes should be able to see EJ is going to be a GOOD one.

[Historian]

I thought he did fine, considering he just had knee surgery.

He's the least of this team's problems.

Give him someone to throw to.

[TacklingDummy]

The same.
He got lucky on the 1 deep ball that should have been intercepted and he had quite a few dump offs that were poorly thrown.

[DraftBoy]

Well, did anyone see the wounded ducks Brady was throwing all game?

Manuel's passes were sharp & crisp, a TIGHT spiral.

Anyone with two good eyes should be able to see EJ is going to be a GOOD one.

Losman threw one of the tightest spirals you'll ever see. The ball literally made noise cutting through the air. That means absolutely nothing.

Brady completed third down passes with the game on the line tight spirals or not.

[DraftBoy]

I thought he looked good, his touch on the TD throw to Stevie was growth in his game. He gained a ton of confidence after he hit Woods for that TD and it showed throughout the rest of the game. I thought the offensive scheme was a little simple and vanilla so I want to see what happens when they open it up more. We've got to utilize the intermediate zone so defenses unload the box and give Spiller lanes to run in.

[X-Era]

I thought he looked good, his touch on the TD throw to Stevie was growth in his game. He gained a ton of confidence after he hit Woods for that TD and it showed throughout the rest of the game. I thought the offensive scheme was a little simple and vanilla so I want to see what happens when they open it up more. We've got to utilize the intermediate zone so defenses unload the box and give Spiller lanes to run in.Pass to open up the run. I can see that. Teams won't respect our passing game and Manuel until we make them. If we can just keep throwing some TD's teams will have to respect it.

[The King]

I like that the game wasn't placed on his back, he managed the game well. Some rough drops could've changed his production a bit.

[K-Gun]

He accounted for 0 turnovers, which is definitely a bonus for a rookie QB. I understand he had one called back, but I wasn't in the room so I didn't see what happened there.

Stevie Johnson dropped a pass on 3rd down, and the NE player scooped it off the ground and pretended he caught it. There was even a ref in the replay starring right at the ball on the ground before the defender picked it up. There's no way it should have been ruled and INT.

[kishoph]

Disappointed he didn't hit Graham. That could have been a great moment for this franchise.

he missed it though... badly.

great players don't miss those opportunities.

Like when Brady missed an wide open man down the sideline with nobody within 10 yards of him.

[EDS]

It was a good first start for EJ for sure. Obviously still a lot of work to do but something to build off. Way to early to say whether he will be a 10 year starter or another Losman (though JP is doing great in his post football life).

[better days]

Losman threw one of the tightest spirals you'll ever see. The ball literally made noise cutting through the air. That means absolutely nothing.

Brady completed third down passes with the game on the line tight spirals or not.

The Pats completed those third downs because the Refs NEVER throw a flag on them even tough there was obvious holding by them.

And on some critical third downs where the Bills would have picked it up, the refs threw BS hands in the face penalties against the Bills.

A replay was shown of one of those calls & it was clear it was a BS call, the hands were below the facemask.

[Bills Juggernaut]

I would say cautiously optimistic. He showed good pocket awareness. Didn't force the ball for easy picks. Wasn't staring down primary WR every play. Looked cool and collected and not in awe.

Missed on a couple passes that could have been big (Chandler, Graham). Would have like to see him take off running a couple more times. I think he can be a fantastic runner and make defenses keep an spy on him most passing downs.

All in all, a very good start.

[better days]

He accounted for 0 turnovers, which is definitely a bonus for a rookie QB. I understand he had one called back, but I wasn't in the room so I didn't see what happened there.

It was called back because it was not an INT. The ball hit the ground & the Pats* DB scooped it up off the ground.

Poor view initially on that play, but another angle showed it was clearly not an INT even though the Refs called it one. Typical Refs giving the Pats* the benefit of the doubt.

[DraftBoy]

The Pats completed those third downs because the Refs NEVER throw a flag on them even tough there was obvious holding by them.

And on some critical third downs where the Bills would have picked it up, the refs threw BS hands in the face penalties against the Bills.

A replay was shown of one of those calls & it was clear it was a BS call, the hands were below the facemask.

Stop blaming the refs, jesus christ there is nothing worse than winning fans blame the refs because their team failed to execute.

[better days]

Losman threw one of the tightest spirals you'll ever see. The ball literally made noise cutting through the air. That means absolutely nothing.

Brady completed third down passes with the game on the line tight spirals or not.

Agreed Losman threw a NICE ball. To say that means nothing is STUPID.

The problem with Losman was he could not throw the short ball as well as he could the long ball.

EJ was putting the ball right in the receivers hands on the short throws so they could run with it after the catch.

Fitz used to throw those balls at their knees so they could not get any YAC yards, and Losman threw those balls into the ground.

[better days]

Stop blaming the refs, jesus christ there is nothing worse than winning fans blame the refs because their team failed to execute.

BS when the Refs STOP making BS calls against EVERY team that plays the Pats* while calling NOTHING of importance against the Pats* is when I will stop complaining about it.

And the times penalties were called against the Bills were when the Bills DID execute & would have picked up 3rd downs without the penalty.

And Dierdorf even commented on a couple BS calls against the Bills on defense.

I expect the same on Thursday. You watch. At a time when it is CRITICAL, a penalty will be called on the Jets, while if any calls are made against the Pats* it will be called when it doesn't really matter all that much.

[The Popcorn]

He did better than I expected. He looked real calm in the pocket for a rookie.

[X-Era]

I feel better about EJ not being garbage. He looks like he will be able to not lose games for us. Which puts him at 2011 Fitz status at this point.

A franchise QB will carry a team to wins, I haven't seen that from him nor even seen hints of that yet. I do hope it's possible though.

[mayotm]

I feel better about EJ not being garbage. He looks like he will be able to not lose games for us. Which puts him at 2011 Fitz status at this point.

A franchise QB will carry a team to wins, I haven't seen that from him nor even seen hints of that yet. I do hope it's possible though.You haven't seen hints of it yet? In the 1 whole game he's played? I guess we should be worried. Then again, you did want to cut Fred Jackson after 3 pre-season carries.

[BillsWin]

He has good touch. Some of his underneath throws were a smidge off target, either low or wide. A couple of times the runningbacks were hung out to dry. But his touchdown pass to Johnson was a great through.

I was encouraged, but would like to see a bigger body of work. So, slightly more confident in his abilities but still about the same as before the game.

[BillsImpossible]

The Pats completed those third downs because the Refs NEVER throw a flag on them even tough there was obvious holding by them.

And on some critical third downs where the Bills would have picked it up, the refs threw BS hands in the face penalties against the Bills.

A replay was shown of one of those calls & it was clear it was a BS call, the hands were below the facemask.

I completely agree. Those bogus calls and non calls made a big difference and possibly cost us the game.

On one play in particular, the crowd went nuts after Dareus was held, and everyone saw it. You could hear the crowd's disgust.

Illegal hands to the face called TWICE in the same game! Both on huge 3rd down gains - TOTAL BS.

Seriously, when is the last time you heard, "illegal hands to the face," called on a NFL lineman? It's not called very often, and the replay clearly showed it was a phantom call. It wasn't even close. If what I saw on that replay constitutes, "illegal hands to the face," every single play in the NFL would be followed with a yellow flag.

It's complete bull$ hit. Take away those illegal hands to the face calls, add at least 3 holding calls against the Pats and I think the Bills win that game.

EJ Manuel performed amazingly well for a rookie in his first NFL start. Can you imagine a rookie QB trying to compose himself after getting hosed like that? He did, and he played awesome with incredible poise. I just wish that those f'ng zebras didn't take away what was rightfully earned by EJ Manuel. Kid deserves better than that, and I hope the league knows that their wonderful referees stole the game out of EJ Manuel's hands.

Fact is, if those calls aren't made...the Bills would have been in field goal territory, at least.

[Mouldsie]

Marginally better

[X-Era]

You haven't seen hints of it yet? In the 1 whole game he's played? I guess we should be worried. Then again, you did want to cut Fred Jackson after 3 pre-season carries.
Love the internet fight picking. Lol.

I said I think Freddy looked slow. He didn't yesterday.

Gaskins regressed, Freddy stepped up.

[JohnnyGold]

RGIII, Luck, Kaepernick (who was bascially a rook last year), Russell Wilson... all won huge games for their teams last year by making plays like that.


seahawks started 3-6

[JohnnyGold]

It was a good first start for EJ for sure. Obviously still a lot of work to do but something to build off. Way to early to say whether he will be a 10 year starter or another Losman (though JP is doing great in his post football life).

elaborate?

[Goobylal]

Let's see. He missed 3 weeks and 2 pre-season games, made his first-ever start against a genius' defense, didn't turn the ball over while scoring 2 TD's and completing 66.7% (should have been 74.1% at least) of his passes, and rushed for 23 yards. The BS officiating has already been mentioned and was the reason they lost the game. So I'd say it was a damn good start to his career.

[Bill Cody]

RGIII, Luck, Kaepernick (who was bascially a rook last year), Russell Wilson... all won huge games for their teams last year by making plays like that.

And they never missed any? Do you actually watch football?

[Thunderkyss]

I was worried that his ability to run the ball would be his biggest contribution to the offense & therefore run it way more than he should. But he looked like a QB to me. A QB with the ability to run the ball, more like Aaron Rodgers, or Andrew Luck, than an early Michael Vick or Donovan McNabb.

Your offensive line also held up much better than anticipated.

I think these kids learn best on the field, under center. So as long as he isn't leading the league in being sacked by the end of the month, I'd continue with him as the starter. But if he's getting the crapped kicked out of him every game, that's not where I want him to be. You don't need a tough as nails QB per se. At least right now is not the time to figure out how tough he is.

[Mace]

Just for the record, to give Manuel some credit, with full preseasons and without surgical procedures on knees while fighting off the likes of Kevin Kolb (that was a joke), in their first full start :

Luck - 23/45 (51.1%-6.8 y/a), 309 yds,1 td, 3 ints, 41-21 loss to Chicago.
Wilson - 18/34 (52.9% -4.5 y/a), 153 yards, 1 td, 1 int, 20-16 loss to Arizona.
Kaepernick - 16/23 (69.5%-10.5 y/a), 243 yards, 2 td, 0 int, 32-7 win against Chicago. (note he had 9 games of exp before a start)
RG3 - 19/26 (73%-12.3 y/a), 320 yards, 2 td, 0 int, 40-32 win against New Orleans.

At 18/27 (66.7%-5/6 y/a), 150 yards, 2 td, 0 int, in a 23-21 loss against the Pats, having missed half the preseason and having a knee procedure, Manuel pretty much falls into the middle of them neatly for being considered a raw project QB, yeah ?

[2slowtogofast]

For me I feel better. Hopefully EJ lives up to all the potential that people say he has. I am excited for next week. Let see some progress.
Well this week was a bust. With a rookie QB I guess there will be quite a few ups and downs week to week. How was EJ with the deep ball in college? Did he struggle this badly?

[Raptor]

Your seeing exactly what he was in college, a physically talented tease

He looks EXACTLY like he did in college. Now deep ball accuracy and relying on dumps for big YAC

Manuel needs a defense to carry him, he's not a franchise QB. He wasn't before we drafted him, he wasn't one when we drafted him, he isn't one now, and he never will be

[TacklingDummy]

EJ had bust written all over him and the gamble was not worth it.

[2slowtogofast]

EJ had bust written all over him and the gamble was not worth it.
I really hope he is not a bust. But if he is we need to know for sure this year so we can pick a new guy in the draft. That being said I really want EJ to pan out.