Did The Light Go On For EJ Manuel In The 3rd Quarter Against The Bucs?

[BillsImpossible]

Nobody's talking about this...but I saw a spark in EJ Manuel at the start of the second half.

He was on fire, hitting all of his passes but by that time most of us were at least half in the bag.

Everyone is so focused on the first half as if the second half didn't count because, "they were playing against backups."

Many 2nd stringers become starters over the course of a season.

Hypothetical scenario:

EJ Manuel and the starting offense come out on their first 2 drives of the game and score 2 TD's after Hackett opens up the playbook and shows exactly how they're going to beat Chicago on tape.

After thunderous screams and cheering at halftime, EJ Manuel and the starting offense come out in the third quarter and totally suck.

Flip flop the 1st and 2nd halves.

Which would you rather have?

A great start and a crappy finish, or a crappy start and a great finish?

Wax on, wax off.

"Patience, Daniel son!"

[jamze132]

I think you're over-thinking it but I did see EJ attempt throws in the 2nd half that I didn't see in the past. He needs to trust his receivers.

[TacklingDummy]

Hello EJs Dad.

[DynaPaul]

Sounds like a made for TV movie.

[kishoph]

Maybe it had something to do with better play calling, the line giving protection and receivers getting open. John Murphy said that Mark Kelso told him that after watching tape that the receivers were not getting open earlier in the game. But none of that could be true, because it makes more sense that EJ, "who can't hit the broad side of a barn", all of a sudden is able to connect on 10 of 10 because there's different players in the game.

[casdhf]

I think you're over-thinking it but I did see EJ attempt throws in the 2nd half that I didn't see in the past. He needs to trust his receivers.

He needs to trust himself. He isn't playing like a guy with confidence.

[Bills Juggernaut]

Honestly, I'm thinking the coaches chewed him out during halftime. That's what I would have done seeing how timid he played in the first half. The season is on the brink and the coaches know it. If EJ doesn't start throwing the ball down the field, the season and probably their jobs are in the ****ter.

[DynaPaul]

Come on, stop this speculation, it was all because he was playing the B team. That's it. He looked good against backups because... they are backups! End of story.

[elltrain22]

My optimistic side wants to believe his great play was in fact due to the coaching staff opening up the playbook more, which gave him more options to look downfield. Realistically, that probably didn't happen. What might have happened though, was EJ maybe had a very good learning experience both good and bad, which will lead to more success in the regular season.

[Mahdi]

The Bills coaches IMO are going about this all wrong.

EJ is a young QB who should be let loose completely. Let him throw the ball downfield and into tight windows. Let him throw interceptions without the consequences of getting crapped on for it. He will throw a lot of good passes and a lot of bad ones but will learn that way.

That is how Peyton Manning learned, just let EJ throw it all over the field and live with the consequences. They didnt do that last year and they aren't doing it now in preseason which will ensure EJ doesn't have the playmaking ability in him to make big throws.

[Fletch]

Come on, stop this speculation, it was all because he was playing the B team. That's it. He looked good against backups because... they are backups! End of story.

LOL

Took 8 posts for someone to point out the obvious.

[kishoph]

LOL

Took 8 posts for someone to point out the obvious.

No it took 8 post for you to find someone that agrees with your opinion, big difference.

[DynaPaul]

No it took 8 post for you to find someone that agrees with your opinion, big difference.

We're not the only ones who feel that way.

[Turf]

EJ for me still floats the ball to much, he needs more zip on his passes. And in his defense, for years including still currently, the Bills receivers just seem to run straight patterns right into the defenders and never get open.

[Buffalogic]

He has terrible feet. Every throw is all arm. It is killing his accuracy. Fix it. Get a kinetic chain expert or something to help him. It is painful to watch EJ stand flat footed or falling backwards and using nothing but his arm to throw. Literally no zip on any of his mid range throws. I mean this is basic stuff. Figure it out!

[swiper]

No it took 8 post for you to find someone that agrees with your opinion, big difference.

And it took 12 posts for you to chime in with your ignoring facts. That always shows up however.

[Fletch]

He has terrible feet. Every throw is all arm. It is killing his accuracy. Fix it. Get a kinetic chain expert or something to help him. It is painful to watch EJ stand flat footed or falling backwards and using nothing but his arm to throw. Literally no zip on any of his mid range throws. I mean this is basic stuff. Figure it out!

It is basic stuff. But allow me to quote from an article about EJ from two FSU fans that watched him avidly in every game that he played and who also were involved in documenting the team during that time. These guys broke down film regularly and had access to the coaching staff.

In order to make any kind of assessment of EJ Manuel's pro prospects, there has to be a clear understanding of where he is as a quarterback at the end of his college career. In all the attributes that one would look for in a potential NFL quarterback (footwork, mechanics, accuracy, ability to read a defense, pocket movement/escapability, running ability, etc. etc.)

EJ has demonstrated high levels of proficiency at times. He has also displayed levels of inconsistency at even the fundamental aspects of quarterback play that raise serious questions about his ultimate ceiling as a QB. The frustrating part of these inconsistencies is that they are so very inconsistent and appear seemingly at random. For a coach trying to address these issues it must feel like a game of whack-a-mole; as soon as you resolve one deficiency, another that you thought you had fixed reappears. This suggests a quarterback who has not sufficiently mastered the fundamental aspects of the position to the point that they happen automatically.


If EJ is thinking about footwork, then mechanics go to hell. If he starts to think about mechanics and footwork, then he forgets to make a necessary pass protection check, etc. etc. While I do not know EJ on a personal level, I would feel very comfortable stating as fact that he is a very intelligent person and a very hard worker. Further, he has been coached by an excellent QB coach for five years. Given that there are no suspected issues with work ethic or lack of quality coaching, EJ's inconsistency presents a problem that I don't think can be waved away with the notion that Jimbo Fisher's coaching style didn't mesh with EJ. The question an NFL team has to answer for themselves when deciding where to draft EJ is whether he is simply a late bloomer who develops at a slower rate than others (certainly possible), or whether he has limited aptitude for the position.


A big factor in EJ's success or lack thereof as a pro will be the circumstances around him, the ability of the coaching staff to fit their coaching style to him, and EJ's ability to overcome a couple of critical mental blocks he seems to have developed.



Ultimately, given the likelihood that he will be drafted high and forced to play early, I am skeptical that EJ will develop quickly enough to become a highly successful starter but I am certainly rooting for him to do so and wish him all the best.

That was from one of them. Here's from the other:

I would not draft EJ Manuel with a top-50 pick. Someone will, of course, because they think they can be the one to take those tools and bring out the superstar player. His play on the field at Florida State was that of a third- or fourth-rounder. His team had a talent advantage over almost all opponents, and that helped to hide some of his flaws. He was a fine college quarterback whose numbers are better than his play.


Manuel's long legs give me concern. He struggles to take the short, choppy steps that are required to move around in the pocket. He also has much better long speed than he does quickness, which hurts his ability to escape the rush and quickly scramble to pick up yards. Manuel's highlight tape contains some very impressive runs, and once he gets going he is very good at picking up yards in the open field. But his acceleration isn't great, and for being such a great athlete, his ability to avoid pressure was sorely lacking. How often does a quarterback run 40 yards in the NFL? It's a cool skill, but the greater skill, and one that Manuel doesn't seem to have, is the ability to consistently avoid pressure, avoid losing yards, and pick up first downs.


He really doesn't have a good feel for the game. Manuel is very slow to recognize and react on the field. He doesn't recognize blitzes well, doesn't sense pressure (making it too late to use his athleticism to avoid it), is often slow to get through his reads, and struggles to read coverage in general, both pre and post-snap. FSU had to dumb down its offense a lot for Manuel, as Alan and I have noted many times when people claimed it was too complicated. The reason for this, IMO, is because of his lack of mental ability on the field.


Manuel also struggles to throw with anticipation. The next time he bangs the post route before the receiver breaks open will be the first. He is very much a rudimentary "see it, throw it" player. That doesn't work well in the NFL. In the league, certain routes demand that the ball comes out before the receiver is open or out of his break.

Throwing with anticipation and the ability to quickly recognize and react to things happening on the field aren't physical tools, but rather are the power cords attached to the physical tools. Without them, the tools don't matter all that much.
The questions NFL teams must ask are 1) how much of the above is coach-able and fixable, and 2) How much will Manuel loosen up and just play once he gets a paycheck and a new coach?

Now remember, those were fans of his hoping to see him succeed in the NFL, not Miami fans that had a reason to want to see him fail in the NFL.

This is exactly what we're seeing here, exactly.

It also explains fully why he's taken so many sacks, 28 in 10 games, which are Bledsoe-like sack numbers. Why, for a QB that's supposed to be so mobile. Fitzpatrick in his worst 16-game season had only 30 sacks, only two more in 6 more games.

In addressing the coaching concerns, it's pretty laughable that Jimbo Fisher's staff couldn't do much with Manuel but that Marrone and Hackett would be able to do something with him. Seriously, it's laughable.

[MikeInRoch]

He died at halftime and Warren Beatty took over in his body.

[kishoph]

And it took 12 posts for you to chime in with your ignoring facts. That always shows up however.

That's the problem, there's too many people that are "ignoring facts".
Of course, nobody is to blame other than Manuel. Maybe take a listen to what Mark Kelso had to say about the game after watching the tape and what went wrong, not saying what Kelso had to say is necessarily fact, but I imagine he knows quite a bit more about the game than any of us.

[Fletch]

That's the problem, there's too many people that are "ignoring facts".

I'm hysterical over here. That's like a politician talking about what's lacking in politics is honesty.

You crack me up.

- - - Updated - - -

He died at halftime and Warren Beatty took over in his body.

LOL

I think it's more like Kelly Holcomb took over his body.

Holcomb in 2005: 10 games/10 starts. 1,509 yards, 67.4% compl. 10 TDs, 8 INTs, 6.6 YPA, 85.6 Rating, 17 sacks

Manuel in 2013: 10 games/10 starts. 1,972 yards, 58.8% compl. 11 TDs, 9 INTs, 6.4 YPA, 77.7 Rating, 28 sacks

Considering that passing yards come easier today than they did a decade ago that would explain the yardage difference. Still, more TDs did not come with that additional yardage.

And when Kelly Holcomb is more adept at avoiding sacks it doesn't say much.