You're the GM. Who starts the first half of preseason game 3?

[Jimkelly12203]

and, btw, whoever that guy is would typically be your week one starter on a functional NFL team. Is it Taylor (my pick) or Cassel? Or both and if both then in what proportion do you wish to waffle on the QB spot in this ever so important NFL pre-season week for starting rosters?

[ublinkwescore]

You have to go Taylor - going with a qb by commitee system is stupid and you risk having both qbs half prepared instead of one fully prepared.

[The Jokeman]

Assuming the starting WRs are back I think Tyrod deserves a chance to start with the 1s. Yet I might give the second series to Cassel and than the 3rd to Tyrod and 4th to Cassel. May the best man win. PS Your GM shouldn't be making starting vs backup positions, your HC should.

[Mace]

Manuel. Never made the least sense to me preseason game 3 is any more crucial to play starters than 4, throw him to the sharks and see what happens. If they don't have an opinion on who starts there is another week they can use. It's just not the ultimate prep half though they pretend it is.

[Jimkelly12203]

Manuel. Never made the least sense to me preseason game 3 is any more crucial to play starters than 4, throw him to the sharks and see what happens. If they don't have an opinion on who starts there is another week they can use. It's just not the ultimate prep half though they pretend it is.

Naa man. Haven't you seen enough of EJ? He's not really a part of this competition any more.

I guess for some he may be. But, really?

That said, i give EJ essentially all of the fourth game.

[ublinkwescore]

Manuel. Never made the least sense to me preseason game 3 is any more crucial to play starters than 4, throw him to the sharks and see what happens. If they don't have an opinion on who starts there is another week they can use. It's just not the ultimate prep half though they pretend it is.

that makes absolutely zero sense. the 3rd game is the tune up game because teams just want to get through the 4th one without ANY injuries to starters - you will see maybe half the starting qbs in the league take a single drive in game four. you go game three because that puts your starters in against your opponents' starters for at least a half. if not half of the third quarter... If Tyrod can move the ball again as the starter and they actually give him some first string weapons like Jackson or Williams (Williams would start on a few teams), and at least woods, he will be our franchise qb.

And Rex will look like a genius and the Jets that had a pissing contest with him in NY will look like idiots for not taking his advice and trading for Taylor.

Rex is going to enjoy getting the last laugh, and I'm glad he will be having it while donning a Bills cap on the sidelines.

[Jimkelly12203]

Whatever happened to Karlos Williams man-region last week, i'm hopeful that he has a speedy recovery.

If Shady is really badly hurt, i'm honestly not worried if this kid can play week one. He has been beyond impressive and i suspect that he will be a MAJOR contributor to the team this year. If McCoy is all banged up with season long issues after last week, we're really going to need Williams and i'm very confident that we'll be fine if he is healthy.

I would not rush Fred back. We need him to play when it counts. He never lets this team down. It's not in his nature. So we should make sure he is healthy when **** gets real.

[Night Train]

This could be a unique situation.

You normally play your starters in week 3 for 2-3 quarters. Yet injuries have crippled our RB's and WR's. Many of them will not play until the opener.

I'm not sure reading the tea leaves into who is playing at QB or many other positions will be entirely accurate this time around.

[Yasgur's Farm]

Both rotation and performance point to EJ getting the nod... Gonna be tough for some of you to deal with all week when he gets 1st team reps.

[Jimkelly12203]

Both rotation and performance point to EJ getting the nod... Gonna be tough for some of you to deal with all week when he gets 1st team reps.

I'm fine with it if he gets first team reps. Night Train may just be right that this won't be a typical game 3 of the pre-season as far as who is playing. But I just can't get my head around you guys that still think EJ has (or even should have) a chance in hell to win this job. It's baffling. That whole stat line thing where EJ is the only QB with a TD, and has the highest QB rating of the bunch completely ignores the fact that EJ is playing with and against #3's. So what is the deal? Is it a conspiracy against EJ Manuel or could it be possible that he's not playing with the 1's because he has shown this coaching staff over the last two months that he is the 3rd best QB on the team.

[Night Train]

Both rotation and performance point to EJ getting the nod... Gonna be tough for some of you to deal with all week when he gets 1st team reps.

Not me. I'm fine with it but posting simple stats from 2 pre-season isn't fooling anyone. Taylor moved the team and his 1st 2 drives against Carolina resulted in TD's. Moved the team again yesterday.

Manuel is playing against future hamburger flippers and didn't look good the 3 days I went to camp. Send the stats to the coaches if you wish to advance your case for Manuel. No one is buying it.

[sudzy]

Cassel. If Rex wants to keep the Colts guessing, he should start Cassel this week and Taylor next week.

[Mr. Pink]

Simms.

[YardRat]

With our situation, conventional wisdom goes out the window this year, as Mace and train have already alluded to. This team needs the third game to help clarify the pecking order. If I'm the coach, I'm giving EJ, Cassell, Tyrod and Simms one quarter each (in that order). Figure out the starter after that.

[swiper]

You have to go Taylor - going with a qb by commitee system is stupid and you risk having both qbs half prepared instead of one fully prepared.

Then why would they start the back-up?

[Meathead]

im kinda torn on this. i said a couple weeks ago that they could start each guy once, but that was when ej was the logical favorite to start the season. since then, tyrod has really come on and looks like easily the most dynamic. we wont know for sure of course until the games count, but what he showed last night was mouth watering

as much as id like to see ej start ps game 3 im gonna say it should be tyrod. first, he looked exceptional against a good clev starting defense, id like to see if he can do it again against the rapelisburgers who should be more ready for him than cleveland was. and second, the third ps game is when opponents actually gameplan to show the younger guys how it works and in this case to get the whole team used to rexys gameplanning approach. if they were desperate they COULD have done that ps game 4, but it would have been against a softer opponent who didnt gameplan and puts heavy scrubs in after a series or two

if they think its gonna be ty for the opener then they really should let him have this game as the presumed season starter. if something goes wrong or they arent decided on ty as the starter, they could still start cassel for the opener if they wanted, i dont think he needs the reps as much as the value it would give to see ty against the ones again during their tune up week

[swiper]

Tierod is a throwing running back, not a quarterback.

[better days]

The Head Coach determines who will start & play in any games, NOT the GM.

[Mace]

the 3rd game is the tune up game because teams just want to get through the 4th one without ANY injuries to starters

I know that's become the way of things, and that's what's always made zero sense to me. Why ? Can't your starter get just as hurt in game 3 ? Why don't they want to get through that one without ANY injuries too ? What about game 2 ? Contact drills ? Is sitting him in game 4 prepping him not to get hurt in regular season game 1 ?

Bunch of players hurt already. Nothing significant about when it happened. Why risk them at all until regular season game one ? Why not pull your starters every time they score until the other team does to make sure they don't get hurt ?

Ryan's big mistake with Sanchez that one year was putting him in behind a 4th string o-line.

I'm fine with Jimkelly12203's thought about playing Manuel all of game 4 though. Might be right, maybe it doesn't matter. I don't know.

[Buffalogic]

Matt cassel gives us the best chance to not lose games from the qb position.

[The Jokeman]

I know that's become the way of things, and that's what's always made zero sense to me. Why ? Can't your starter get just as hurt in game 3 ? Why don't they want to get through that one without ANY injuries too ? What about game 2 ? Contact drills ? Is sitting him in game 4 prepping him not to get hurt in regular season game 1 ?

Bunch of players hurt already. Nothing significant about when it happened. Why risk them at all until regular season game one ? Why not pull your starters every time they score until the other team does to make sure they don't get hurt ?

Ryan's big mistake with Sanchez that one year was putting him in behind a 4th string o-line.

I'm fine with Jimkelly12203's thought about playing Manuel all of game 4 though. Might be right, maybe it doesn't matter. I don't know.

Against Pittsburgh I split the first half between Cassel and Tyrod giving each of them two drives if possible, the best man wins. Than I give EJ the entire second half. In terms of game 4 I say give the backup a series or two (maybe to play with Indy's head) to think we still want to see if the backup has what it takes to be our starter but really no intention of starting him. Than give EJ the rest of the game or let Simms mop up the 4th quarter if he's still around.

[BillsImpossible]

Even though he doesn't deserve it, Cassel is going to start against the Steelers.

But...if the Steelers eat him alive, and Tyrod has another T-Mobile kind of game with the 2nd team...

Game over.

The 3rd preseason game is the most, "game-like," of them all. Teams say they don't game plan, but they do. They treat it like a real game.

I think Cassel will start and be Matt Cassel. Then Tyrod Taylor will step on the field and be Tyrod Taylor.

[The Jokeman]

Even though he doesn't deserve it, Cassel is going to start against the Steelers.

But...if the Steelers eat him alive, and Tyrod has another T-Mobile kind of game with the 2nd team...

Game over.

The 3rd preseason game is the most, "game-like," of them all. Teams say they don't game plan, but they do. They treat it like a real game.

I think Cassel will start and be Matt Cassel. Then Tyrod Taylor will step on the field and be Tyrod Taylor.

So Tyrod will complete about 55%-65% of his passes, pass for about 70 yards run for about 40 yards and struggle in the red zone passing the ball? How can you say that a guy like Cassel who's started 71 more games than Tyrod shouldn't be in discussion of starting for us?

[BillsImpossible]

So Tyrod will complete about 55%-65% of his passes, pass for about 70 yards run for about 40 yards and struggle in the red zone passing the ball? How can you say that a guy like Cassel who's started 71 more games than Tyrod shouldn't be in discussion of starting for us?

Cassel has started 89 more games than Taylor.

Why can't you be honest and mention the fact that two of those red zone passes were dropped and probably would have been caught by Sammy Watkins or Robert Woods?

[better days]

Cassel has started 89 more games than Taylor.

Why can't you be honest and mention the fact that two of those red zone passes were dropped and probably would have been caught by Sammy Watkins or Robert Woods?

If Cassel won more of those games than he lost, it would be something to crow about.

[The Jokeman]

Cassel has started 89 more games than Taylor.

Why can't you be honest and mention the fact that two of those red zone passes were dropped and probably would have been caught by Sammy Watkins or Robert Woods?

Because I can't say that just like I can't say that if Flutie started the game against Tennessee in 1999 we'd win. As it's nice to be delusion and think that's the case but no guaranteeing it. I mean look back on Cassel's play against Carolina if I use your arguments then I can say well if Hogan caught his pass then Cassel's drive would continue and he'd no doubt get a TD or if Mulligan didn't have his stupid penalty Cassel get a TD etc. I'm tired of people looking for excuses outside of the QB to make argue their point when they don't seem to except it the other because than I will say if Darryl Porter stayed in his lane than we would have beaten Tennessee with RJ and nobody would want to bench him for Flutie because RJ was magical with that FG drive he had when he lost his shoe and was running with his sock.

[The Jokeman]

Cassel has started 89 more games than Taylor.

Why can't you be honest and mention the fact that two of those red zone passes were dropped and probably would have been caught by Sammy Watkins or Robert Woods?

Check your facts, Cassel has started 71 NFL games. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CassMa00.htm

[BillsImpossible]

Check your facts, Cassel has started 71 NFL games. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CassMa00.htm

Okay, Cassel has 90 NFL games he's played in under his belt, Taylor has 1.

[The Jokeman]

Okay, Cassel has 90 NFL games he's played in under his belt, Taylor has 1.

Actually Tyler's been in 14 NFL games http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TaylTy00.htm and again why do you have blind faith on a guy entering his 5th year with so little NFL experience?

[Meathead]

I know that's become the way of things, and that's what's always made zero sense to me. Why ? Can't your starter get just as hurt in game 3 ? Why don't they want to get through that one without ANY injuries too ?

i believe the thinking is that minor injuries that would keep somebody out a week or so will have two weeks to recover instead of one. if a guy busts his fibula then yeah it wouldnt matter, but for a sprain that extra week could make a huge difference

the last preseason game is also the last look the coaches have before final cutdowns so its important for the bottom of the roster decisions

[Typ0]

Cassel has started 89 more games than Taylor.

Why can't you be honest and mention the fact that two of those red zone passes were dropped and probably would have been caught by Sammy Watkins or Robert Woods?

That's why they don't need to look at him in preseason games.

[sudzy]

Cassel get's the whole 1st half, Taylor get's the whole 2nd vs the Steelers.

Tyrod get the 1st quarter vs the Lions, EJ and Simms mop up for the final roster spot.

[Fixxxer]

If I'm a coach I'm intrigued with what EJ Manuel has shown so far in TC and games. If I'm them I give him a couple of series with the starting OL.

[Jimkelly12203]

So Tyrod will complete about 55%-65% of his passes, pass for about 70 yards run for about 40 yards and struggle in the red zone passing the ball? How can you say that a guy like Cassel who's started 71 more games than Tyrod shouldn't be in discussion of starting for us?

You can't post Taylor's first half stats as if they were a full game's stats.

The bottom line is that this guy has sustained drives better than the other two. And that's what it all boils down to for me.

Yeah, EJ has the TDs (against 3's). And yes, Cassel was efficient.

But Taylor has kept the offense on the field better than the other two. With this defense and ST, that's the name of the game. That's how we win, by keeping opponents offenses on the bench.

If this team wins time of possession in most of our games, we will be an 11 win team. Pure and simple.