Buffalo News - Tyler Dunne Regarding Manuel, Taylor

[Night Train]

EJ Manuel can’t be trusted. Don’t be fooled by his preseason numbers (13 of 22 for 188 yards, two touchdowns). Manuel’s practice tape is littered with one incomplete pass into the hospitality tent, one that drilled a cameraman on the sideline and several fumbled snaps. Every 45-yard strike in stride is followed by two or three or four head-scratching throws, which is why Taylor and Cassel have been the quarterbacks getting virtually all of the No. 1 reps. Buffalo took a chance on Manuel at No. 16 overall two years ago. Maybe it was the perfect storm for all the wrong reasons – Kaepernick had just torched Green Bay for 444 total yards and four touchdowns, Robert Griffin III was the rookie of the year, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson were ripping through defenses by air and ground. Manuel seemed like a read-option threat and the Bills were dead-set on taking a quarterback. They simply took one in a horrendous draft class for the position.

Tyrod Taylor is exciting. Can this 6-foot quarterback excel in the pocket consistently? That’s debatable. Is he athletic? Absolutely. Even in Baltimore, Taylor dazzled this time of year with 453 rushing yards on 58 attempts (7.8 avg.) in four preseasons. Here in Buffalo, offensive coordinator Greg Roman has trained Taylor in the read option, and the quarterback almost always makes the right decision. General Manager Doug Whaley said the team had Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick on its mind when they signed Taylor in the offseason – and remember Roman’s San Francisco 49ers chose Kaepernick over the more conventional Alex Smith. So what do you expect a team that’s taken risks all offseason to do? From signing Richie Incognito and Percy Harvin to claiming a back-up linebacker who assaulted a teammate to not firing offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, the Bills are in a perpetual think-outside-the-box state. If Taylor can move the offense a third straight game Saturday, it’d be no shock if he was the choice to start Week 1 over Matt Cassel.

[k-oneputt]

Can't disagree with any of that.

[Mr. Miyagi]

I've been a support of EJ but I too can't argue with the fact that his inaccuracy is just not improving and no way we waste this promising season on him.

I just hate Cassel though, he's a poor man Kyle Orton. Imagine that.

Start Taylor. All or nothing. Then draft a QB next May.

[ublinkwescore]

This is Taylor's team. The coaching staff knows that they must go with the qb the locker room wants. there are a lot of guys in that locker room that want to play in January, that deserve to play in January - Most notably, Fred Jackson and Kyle Williams.

[Buffalogic]

ABEJ - Anyone but EJ.

[trapezeus]

what's nice to know (and hasn't been true the last several years) is that there is consistency at the position from other players. in previous years, we would have still had to hope that the flashes we saw from any one of the qb's on the roster would be there once the season started.

we have two qb's who seem to be steady stewards of the offense. they have the OC's confidence. they have preseason games that look pretty good. the numbers might not back that up, but we know from watching the games that they have a basic level of consistency and understanding of the offense.

and for us, that's at least one step in the right direction.

[Mr. Miyagi]

ABEJ - Anyone but EJ.
That is stupid and hateful.

What, you'd rather have Houston's 4th string QB than EJ? Obviously not.

[Victor7]

The EJ apologists should be here in no time to trash this Dunne dude for writing such awful remarks about Manuel.





No matter how true they are

[Buffalogic]

That is stupid and hateful.

What, you'd rather have Houston's 4th string QB than EJ? Obviously not.
Obviously it's in the confines of our own team. Why that needs to be said is ridiculous. EJ Lovers really taking this one hard. Go find another ****ty player to latch on to and build up.

[MillsapsBillsFan]

ABEJ - Anyone but EJ.

You cant seriously think that Matt Simms would be better than EJ. I get the EJ hate and he's far from our best option but lets not be ridiculous here.

[swiper]

Hey another thread where I can fight for the QB I like best! Oooh goodie.

Tyrod Dunne gives an accurate description of Manuel and an inaccurate one of Taylor.

[MillsapsBillsFan]

Hey another thread where I can fight for the QB I like best! Oooh goodie.

Tyrod Dunne gives an accurate description of Manuel and an inaccurate one of Taylor.

I think they're both pretty accurate. The EJ one seems to be spot on and all he says about taylor is that they arent sure how productive he can be in the pocket (true), and that hes athletic (true). Not like they went real in depth here

[Buffalogic]

You cant seriously think that Matt Simms would be better than EJ. I get the EJ hate and he's far from our best option but lets not be ridiculous here.I know what EJ is. I don't know what Simms is. ABEJ.

[Oaf]

Is Taylor just a preseason quarterback though?

[YardRat]

I'll root for whoever the coaching staff chooses, and reerve the right to ***** like hell about all of them when their flaws resurface and end up costing the team W's.

[The Jokeman]

I'll root for whoever the coaching staff chooses, and reerve the right to ***** like hell about all of them when their flaws resurface and end up costing the team W's.

Won't we all? that's what makes us all Monday Morning Quarterbacks.

An interesting video on Tyrod https://vimeo.com/23294122

More specifically the comments at 8:10 - 9:00. The coach said 3 years isn't a good sign, what's it say this is Tyrod's 5th year? Of course his credibility is questionable as he was a QB coach in the NFL for one year, 1987 aka Dan Fouts' last season and the year of the NFL strike.

[djjimkelly]

I'll root for whoever the coaching staff chooses, and reerve the right to ***** like hell about all of them when their flaws resurface and end up costing the team W's.

i like this thoughT as well :)

[Mr. Miyagi]

Go find another ****ty player to latch on to and build up.
Like Cassel?

[Mace]

I don't know, to me this is just stating the obvious we've already been arguing over for months. The most dedicated Manuel supporters want him to just get a chance and mostly argue he isn't as bad as people claim. So he gets his chance and so it goes. I like Manuel and I'm not even too much fooled by figuring he might be ok at smallball play action though I have no idea if he's any more promising at it than Taylor or Cassel for what they want.

If Taylor was really all that we wouldn't have gotten him and Baltimore wouldn't have let go of him.

For years, we've been talking about how the Bills took Manuel too high in a bad QB year. For years, the Ravens had Taylor riding their pines and the most pretty good Ozzie Newsome didn't trade him in a QB hungry league that surely would have wanted him if he was all that.

It sort of all goes back to the same thing we all already know. Manuel has not been that great, Taylor has not been that bad and Cassel is almost an afterthought being about as surely middling as he also always has been.

Manuel can't be trusted for what ? Gunslinging in a rushing offense ? Why would anyone think Taylor could, or even Cassel ?

Everyone is looking for a passing ace in a not passing offense and that's what looks foolish to me.

[BertSquirtgum]

EJ is going to start the home opener.