Wasn't EJ supposed to be not NFL ready?

[The King]

Look I am not anointing EJ Manuel as the next Jim Kelly, I am not even prepared to say he's the next Andy Dalton. But I will say for a quarterback who was so criticized in the draft as being a prospect, a player who needed 2 years to develop, EJ very much looks the part of an NFL Quarterback.

His 95.9 QB rating has him top ten in the NFL. Above guys like Brady, Brees, Griffin, Eli and Roethlisberger.
Credit goes to Marrone and Hackett for putting him in a position to complete high percentage passes and avoid mistakes. However EJ has to be smart enough to execute the game plan and the throws. And he's doing that.

He's top also 5 in completion percentage.
Does he check down a lot. Hell ya he does. But when you have Freddy and CJ, tell me why he should force it when these guys can turn a 3 yard dump into a 8 yard gain. Watch Brady in 2001. This was his entire season.

He's only been sacked once.
Sam Bradford is the only QB yet to be sacked. Manuels first sack was a costly one as he was stripped in the process. But Summers was completely destroyed on this play. EJ has shown great awareness and the type of escapability people go nuts for when it's Newton or Griffin.

NFL.com

<article style="margin-bottom: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); ">WEAKNESSES

Gives opponents too many chances for turnovers by forcing throws into coverage trying to make a play. Area code accuracy -- short throws are often low or wide, preventing receivers from making a play after the catch. Deep ball accuracy is uneven as well. Gets happy feet under pressure, spins to the outside to avoid the rush. Inconsistent recognizing blitz. Must step into his throws more consistently to fully utilize his arm strength.</article><article style="margin-bottom: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); ">NFL COMPARISON

Blaine Gabbert</article><article style="margin-bottom: 0.8em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); ">BOTTOM LINE

As gifted as any quarterback in the class, with a strong arm and good mobility. Scouts appreciate his leadership qualities and toughness (played through his mom's cancer treatments and a broken leg in 2011's Champs Sports Bowl win over Notre Dame), and hope he can improve on his consistency. Manuel has the velocity and mobility teams look for in a project quarterback.</article>

CBS

With great size, athleticism and intriguing arm talent, Manuel has as much upside as any quarterback in the 2013 draft. But despite statistical gains in 2012, Manuel largely remains the unpolished passer he was a year ago. His tendency to rely on initial reads and vacate the pocket when pressured could lead to significant growing pains in the NFL if pushed onto the field early.

Walter Football

Manuel is going to need a lot of work at the next level on the practice field and in the film room before he is ready to be a starter. There is no doubt that Manuel has the athletic skill set to be a special player, but he will require developmental time in the NFL.

Weaknesses:Not a natural passer
Decision-making
Field vision
Struggles to work through progressions
Runs to quickly
Spotty accuracy
Can panic at times
Didn't play as well against good defenses


and finally.

Todd McShay ESPN

"EJ Manuel has tremendous upside; don't get me wrong," McShay said. "He's big. He has a strong arm. He's got the mobility. But when you look at him and you study his tape, I think he has slow eyes. I think he's late with his throws. He does not anticipate the way you need to as an NFL quarterback, and I also think his accuracy is nowhere near where it needs to be.
"I had him as the sixth-best quarterback in this draft, and he winds up as the first quarterback taken."

"I think it's going to be a long time before he's ready," McShay said. "That doesn't mean he's not going to be on the field, but it's going to be a long time before he's NFL-ready as a quarterback. This is not a great pick for the Buffalo Bills."
Look, EJ has work to do. He needs to balance his game, and continue to develop. But this is his team now, he's shown he can compete on the big stage.
He's going to have some ups and downs but he's already proven many of these assessments wrong. Time will further develop chemistry, film study will help his reads, and his confidence will grow. It's going to be to watch him continue to prove people wrong.

[MikeInRoch]

He's ahead of where I thought he'd be, but he does still need some work. That interception was brutal.

[Mr. Miyagi]

NFL COMPARISON

Blaine GabbertWTF

[chernobylwraiths]

I like what I see, he seems to have intangibles that I feel a good QB needs. He seems to feel the pressure, he has escapability, he has a strong arm and he seems to have a level head and be calm under pressure. I will take the growing pains because he looks like the best prospect we've had at QB since Bledsoe left and certainly the best young QB we have maybe ever had. Kelly had his seasoning in the USFL, so we kind of knew what we were getting when he finally got signed.

[justasportsfan]

he may have not been NFL ready when drafted but it seems Marrone got him ready. Getting more snaps at camp by cutting Tjax is paying dividends.

[DraftBoy]

Its still a wee bit early to be talking who may be right or wrong about him. There is plenty that needs to be worked on and let's see how he responds to the way NFL defenses adjust to him.

[Ginger Vitis]

Todd McShay had EJ as the 6th best QB in the 2013 QB class. McShay probably had Tyler Wilson in his Top 5

[justasportsfan]

Its still a wee bit early to be talking who may be right or wrong about him. There is plenty that needs to be worked on and let's see how he responds to the way NFL defenses adjust to him.

I agree it's early but based on the way people were talking about how bad this draft was for qb's and that he wasn't even the best qb in his class, Ej had no business looking as good as he has . Mind you , against BB and a very good front 7 in the panthers. Better qb's have been embarrassed by those 2.

[Thief]

Its still a wee bit early to be talking who may be right or wrong about him. There is plenty that needs to be worked on and let's see how he responds to the way NFL defenses adjust to him.
I think WHEN NFL defenses adjust for him, all they are gonna do is open up things for CJ. ;-)

[Mr. Pink]

Does he look like he's fully ready to you yet?

He's absolutely brutal with his accuracy, especially 10 yards + downfield, and has happy feet.

It's a work in progress.

[justasportsfan]

Does he look like he's fully ready to you yet?

He's absolutely brutal with his accuracy, especially 10 yards + downfield, and has happy feet.

It's a work in progress.no one is saying he's superbowl ready but he seems better than what people thought he'd be.

[Bills Juggernaut]

Yeah, needs to improve down field throws. Lots of "floaters". Needs to get some zip + better accuracy on those. Not sure if it's an arm strength/throwing motion issue, or if it just a confidence/accuracy issue.

[The King]

no one is saying he's superbowl ready but he seems better than what people thought he'd be.
Right. Which is why I opened with that sentence. He more NFL ready than Fitzpatrick.

[Pinkerton Security]

His stare-down INT where Kuechly basically just walked right in front of Woods(?) was rookie-esque, but what impressed me the most was his play down the stretch. He got more comfortable as the game went on, and as the plays became more critical. He has lots to improve upon but theres every reason for optimism with him.

[Meathead]

im not sure hes better than fitz but hes also got infinitely more upside going forward

one thing thats very familiar btwn the two is that ej also has a tendency to routinely rip off some 'wtf' throws. so far his long ball has been atrociously inaccurate, but he also tosses shorter completeable balls into the gatorade too often like fitz used to do. hes going to need to lower the percentage of those wtf balls if he wants to become the franchise guy we all want him to be

[DraftBoy]

I agree it's early but based on the way people were talking about how bad this draft was for qb's and that he wasn't even the best qb in his class, Ej had no business looking as good as he has . Mind you , against BB and a very good front 7 in the panthers. Better qb's have been embarrassed by those 2.

How do you quantify "has no business looking as good as he has?". He's had a solid start to his career but you're acting like he's come in and busted the door off the hinges. We're 1-1 and needed a sub two minute drive to beat a Panthers team that was down to only 5 healthy DB's. He's been good but why do we always have to do this ridiculous game where we claim X was right and Y was wrong way before anybody can tell anything.

[MikeInRoch]

I haven't yet gone and looked at the replay. The interception on the last drive that was negated by the PI... was the PI what caused the interception? Or did we just get really lucky there?

[Meathead]

call me a homer but it looked to me like stevie was set to catch that ball right in the middle of the four defenders if coochi-coochi hadnt blatently held him up, so legit call on a penalty that had to be committed or risk a game over if stevie gets that would-be catch into the ez

[Mr. Miyagi]

Todd McShay had EJ as the 6th best QB in the 2013 QB class. McShay probably had Tyler Wilson in his Top 5What does McShay know? I wonder if he ever even played pop warner. The whole "slow eyes" comment got EJ all fired up LOL

[OLDSRIP]

These are some of the same people who said Glenn couldn't play tackle either.
Face it, these guys guess just like everybody else.

[The King]

How do you quantify "has no business looking as good as he has?". He's had a solid start to his career but you're acting like he's come in and busted the door off the hinges. We're 1-1 and needed a sub two minute drive to beat a Panthers team that was down to only 5 healthy DB's. He's been good but why do we always have to do this ridiculous game where we claim X was right and Y was wrong way before anybody can tell anything.

For me living in or around Boston has me craving results. Every time the Bills choke or lose I get a barrage of harassing messages. Ej was no different. The texts came flying in letting me know the Bills reached, whiffed or botched the pick. I am so desperate for results and validation, it leads to things like this. I have no problem admitting it. I am looking to disprove people wherever I can.

[DraftBoy]

For me living in or around Boston has me craving results. Every time the Bills choke or lose I get a barrage of harassing messages. Ej was no different. The texts came flying in letting me know the Bills reached, whiffed or botched the pick. I am so desperate for results and validation, it leads to things like this. I have no problem admitting it. I am looking to disprove people wherever I can.

I have zero understanding of why in this case.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

Look, NO quarterback prospect comes into the NFL totally ready to start. There are certain things in this league that you can only learn by experience. That goes for whether you are Andrew Luck, Jeff Tuel or anyone in between.

[justasportsfan]

How do you quantify "has no business looking as good as he has?". He's had a solid start to his career but you're acting like he's come in and busted the door off the hinges. We're 1-1 and needed a sub two minute drive to beat a Panthers team that was down to only 5 healthy DB's. .

he looks better than Fitz has. You can even argue he was better than Cam Newton (a former 1st pick ) yesterday. I know some people will argue that ,thats not saying much but that much wasn't expected from a qb (EJ) who was supposedly the tallest midget in this qb draft class.


He's been good but why do we always have to do this ridiculous game where we claim X was right and Y was wrong way before anybody can tell anything. it's a message board?

[CoolBreeze]

The last game was critical to his career, the last second touchdown will only help his confidence. I expect a very good rookie campaign, OROY candidate for sure if he keeps it up.

[justasportsfan]

I have zero understanding of why in this case.

my opinion is based on the 2 games he's already playd in the NFL. You college experts use college performance to formulate an opinion about what college players may or may not do in the NFL.

[gebobs]

He's ahead of where I thought he'd be, but he does still need some work. That interception was brutal.
It was, but no worse than what Fitz, Tred, etc. did multiple times every game.

Heartily encouraged by what I've seen so far.

I can say this though...I'd be worried right now if I was a Panthers fan. Cam looked awful and the rest of the team looked worse. The only reason they were even in the game was because of a few dumbass mistakes by the Bills (holding by Summers on the punt, two turnovers in our end). If the Bills can clean up the penalties and not coax their opponents into the end zone with gift downs, they'll be on their way to credibility.

[Mike]

I have zero understanding of why in this case.

Because his personal sense of self worth is tied to the Bills achievements. If they suck, invariably it's an ego blow to him, thus he has to defend them regardless of their actions and results.

[trapezeus]

i like what i see out of EJ out of week 2 as much as anyone. but he did have a late game pick by telegraphing the ball to the receiver and was stripped of the ball in the fourth quarter. he also struggled to get rhythm for the offense. they are kind of big play oriented. That needs to improve. and a lot of that is on the run blocking. but some of that's on EJ to make some better 5-15 yard throws.

To me he looks best throwing those passes. he's the most accurate on those throws. guys catch it in stride. his short passes look forced and his longer passes are pretty errant thus far.

this is pretty much the definition of "needs to improve" that the pundits were talking about.

What gives me a lot of hope that he might be the one is:

1. when he was picked, people at the draft were stunned and he didn't bat an eye. He wanted to be drafted, was perfectly content and walked to the podium with confidence and excitement. There was a lot of heckling and gaffaws from the crowd and he didn't care.
2. that is the same guy who threw the INT. he didn't looked rattled. he didn't care. he came off the field and still seemed in control. I rarely remember kelly hanging his head down after an INT, he jogged off and came back ready to go. look at fitz, edwards, losman, etc. These guys all got to a point where they just had their head down and wandered off the field and you knew their next effort would be worse.

[kishoph]

I haven't yet gone and looked at the replay. The interception on the last drive that was negated by the PI... was the PI what caused the interception? Or did we just get really lucky there?

It's hard to tell from the angle, but I watched it a few times and it certainly seems like it was Stevie's ball to make a play on.
I tried to catch it on an image where you could possibly see, this one is after Stevie broke from the hold and it looks like had he not been held up, he would of been where the ball went past. The All 22 comes out on Wednesday morning and that will likely have a better indicator. IMO, the ball would not have got past Stevie. The ball is in line with the hash mark, look how close Stevie is to the hash mark.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/kishoph/Image1-1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/kishoph/media/Image1-1.jpg.html)

[MikeInRoch]

I agree based on that picture. Good to see.

[MikeInRoch]

It was, but no worse than what Fitz, Tred, etc. did multiple times every game.

Heartily encouraged by what I've seen so far.

I agree, but I was kinda hoping to not use those guys as a measuring stick. And I am definitely encouraged, even if my previous note didn't communicate that.

[casdhf]

Stevie would have caught that pass. You could see it perfectly from the end zone.

[bf1]

He has so many qualities that we haven't seen in a long time. Leadership being one of them.

[kishoph]

He has so many qualities that we haven't seen in a long time. Leadership being one of them.

I really don't think any of his teammates didn't have confidence in him, but that game winning drive will certainly boost whatever confidence they already had in him.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

Its still a wee bit early to be talking who may be right or wrong about him. There is plenty that needs to be worked on and let's see how he responds to the way NFL defenses adjust to him.

and how he responds to a blowout loss where he got his cage rattled and coughed up the ball and threw ints repeatedly. He has shown clutch and the Pats loss cannot be pegged on him. However, keep in mind that Ryan Leaf and the 98 Chargers started off 2-0. I won't even begin to make a determination regarding EJ until at least week 8. We keep winning and he pulls a few miracles out of his ass and we are like 5-3 or 6-2 I'll think that just maybe we have a decent qb for the forseeable future. BTW, I think that based on the effort this team has shown the first two weeks that 5-3 or 6-2 -though improbable -is not out of the question for this team.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

He has so many qualities that we haven't seen in a long time. Leadership being one of them.

2011 was a long time ago? What of 2008? We have to make sure that leadership isn't code for no talent but finds ways to win.

[TigerJ]

Its still a wee bit early to be talking who may be right or wrong about him. There is plenty that needs to be worked on and let's see how he responds to the way NFL defenses adjust to him.I fully agree. I love his poise, and I think he has terrific upside, but there is going to be a race going on between EJ's learning curve and defensive coordinators of teams that are going to be facing the Bills. Manuel is going to continue to get better. At the same time defensive coordinators will be working furiously to figure out how to exploit areas of weakness before those areas are minimized.

[Skooby]

EJ is in charge of the offense right now, he'll get better. You can't teach being a gamer, you either have it or you don't.

[bf1]

2011 was a long time ago? What of 2008? We have to make sure that leadership isn't code for no talent but finds ways to win.

Edwards and Fitzpatrick? They weren't leaders. Bledsoe was bodereline. Flutie and Kelly I'd go back to.

[stuckincincy]

EJ is in charge of the offense right now, he'll get better. You can't teach being a gamer, you either have it or you don't.

A "gamer" after two games, both at at home?

[mayotm]

A "gamer" after two games, both at at home?Two games that you haven't even seen, correct? Perhaps you shouldn't be questioning the opinions of those who have actually seen the games.

[Skooby]

A "gamer" after two games, both at at home?

They rate QB's as well, he's a 53 year wonder thus far but this has more to do with field presence than just stats.

[better days]

What does McShay know? I wonder if he ever even played pop warner. The whole "slow eyes" comment got EJ all fired up LOL

I know McShay was a QB in College but don't know how much he played. Probably sat on the bench for 4 years.

[Night Train]

I know McShay was a QB in College but don't know how much he played. Probably sat on the bench for 4 years.

Backup QB at Richmond.

I'm really not a fan of his, as he tends to go with measurables far too often over intangibles and possible upside. Every 21-22 year old better have an upside going forward into the NFL. He seems to want them more ready than they can possibly be at any position. Points out flaws, as if they cannot be corrected.

Not impressed at all. ESPN got stuck with him 6-7 years back when they bought into a scounting service run by Gary Horton. He adds no value to anything.