How a Rookie Head Coach Derailed a Rookie Quarterback, then Vanished with $4 Million

[The King]

Very Interesting read. Stats don't tell the whole story but Saint Doug left a lot of unanswered questions.

In 2013, after enduring eight straight losing seasons, the last four of which saw records of either 4-12 or 6-10, the Buffalo Bills drafted what they believed was the number one quarterback in the 2013 draft. They selected EJ Manuel with pick 16 of the first round. He was the highest drafted quarterback by the Bills since they drafted Jim Kelly 14th overall in 1983.

Despite EJ Manuel posting the 4th best passer rating ever in NFL history for a rookie playing 3 games in weeks 1-3, and despite EJ Manuel excelling on 1st down unlike most rookie quarterbacks the NFL has seen, another rookie stepped in to break up the party. Rookie head coach Doug Marrone stripped Manuel of his ability to pass on the early downs after 3 games. And just like that, after 3 weeks, Marrone seemed to direct an offense which would ultimately render impotent Manuel's best chance for NFL success.

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[feldspar]

What's Nate Hackett, chopped liver? I mean he called the offensive plays in general, didn't he? Not Marrone?

[Novacane]

So glad he quit!

[Generalissimus Gibby]

I don't hate that guy, but I damn well hate how he just quit on us.

[Albany,n.y.]

I doubt this guy saw any of the games he's talking about.
If he had seen the Jets game, he would have known why the reigns were pulled back on Manuel. Like too many stat boys, the writer relies too much on black & white stats than actually watching the games.

[Yasgur's Farm]

I doubt this guy saw any of the games he's talking about.
If he had seen the Jets game, he would have known why the reigns were pulled back on Manuel. Like too many stat boys, the writer relies too much on black & white stats than actually watching the games.

You mean the same Jets game that Marrone abandoned pass blocking?

[better days]

What's Nate Hackett, chopped liver? I mean he called the offensive plays in general, didn't he? Not Marrone?

It was reported that Marrone told Hackett to scale back his offense & be more conservative.

[Oaf]

Warren Sharp is a smart guy. Cool article. Marrone was truly a typo for moron. What a setback we had to endure.

[Mr. Miyagi]

I swear to you Marrone and Murlarkey are the same guy.

[better days]

I swear to you Marrone and Murlarkey are the same guy.

Well, I have never seen the two of them in the same room.

[BillsImpossible]

That was a fun read. It gives me hope that EJ Manuel is better than we think he his.

Very interesting stats, he's not cherry picking either.

EJ Manuel is very good at passing on 1st downs. I never knew that.

The numbers are quite obvious and point directly to Marrone's mishandling of the offense.

Not only was he arrogant, Marrone was a stubborn jerk that ignored the analytics department and disrespected their numbers along with everyone else at OBD.

EJ got off to a great start as a rookie. Doug Marrone effed him up.

16 days to go!

On a side note, I must admit that when Doug Whaley and Doug Marrone got in to a heated argument on the sidelines at training camp last year, I supported the wrong guy, and the wrong quarterback.

The Bills would have been much better off starting Manuel all 16 games last year.

[Mace]

That was a fun read. It gives me hope that EJ Manuel is better than we think he his.

Very interesting stats, he's not cherry picking either.

EJ Manuel is very good at passing on 1st downs. I never knew that.

The numbers are quite obvious and point directly to Marrone's mishandling of the offense.

Not only was he arrogant, Marrone was a stubborn jerk that ignored the analytics department and disrespected their numbers along with everyone else at OBD.

EJ got off to a great start as a rookie. Doug Marrone effed him up.

16 days to go!

On a side note, I must admit that when Doug Whaley and Doug Marrone got in to a heated argument on the sidelines at training camp last year, I supported the wrong guy, and the wrong quarterback.

The Bills would have been much better off starting Manuel all 16 games last year.

Without getting into another detailed argument about it (as I go into too much detail), the proof will be in the pudding anyway this year, I still don't think Manuel has ever so much been consistently anything (like bad) because he hasn't had a long run of games to break out of a learning pattern, the most starts he's had in a row for one reason or another is 5, his rookie year, in two pieces.

-no QB coach first year, transitioning from spread with minimal reads to high speed west coast reads under center, no vet mentor
-bad QB coach 2nd year, bipolar offensive philosophy, vet who doesn't mentor so just watch
-real QB coach 3rd year (if of dubious quality atm imho), new offense again, new vet unknown in terms of mentoring

He came out as a developmental prospect and wasn't developed. Cut down on his mistakes to some extent unfortunately losing his confidence and becoming a Trent Edwards, we want you to run, no don't run, air it out, no don't air it out and make mistakes, you're trying too hard not to make mistakes, ok go sit down.....

To date the developmental project wasn't developed and now he has to produce anyway.

You get what you pay for, and that's what we did with him. I don't see it as his fault though now it doesn't matter, sink or swim kid, but I don't think he clearly busted yet.

Falls on the organization no matter how you look at it, Nix/Whaley, Marrone/Hackett/Downing.

If Manuel can make something of it after all this, I give him credit, and I'm rooting for him honsetly, even if it's unpopular to hope for him.

[Meathead]

the problem is that defense was built for the playoffs. the offense wasnt bad but was crippled by an oline that couldnt sustain protection so you needed a qb to make relatively quick decisions

ejs last two games he was so bad he basically pulled himself. when youve got orton sitting right there you pretty much have to play him at that point. if the team was a real bottom feeder then you let ej play it out but they werent

[JoeMama]

I have no hard feelings for Doug Marrone.

He got us to 9-7, which is more you can say for the previous two bums who collected paychecks from this franchise.

It ain't great, but it's something, I guess.

And look, he's going to pay for his sins. He's suck in JACKSONVILLE, FL with the JAGUARS. And me!

[GreedoII]

It was Russ Brandon's hire. Glad this clown is no longer running things. Also that old Hillbilly Buddy Nix was behind the EJ pick too so the combined efforts of these two idiots was the reason all of this happened as well as the lack of awareness and competency to draft a QB earlier than they did instead of giving a huge contract to a bum stiff like Fitz. Man these two ass clowns ruined this team for years.

[better days]

the problem is that defense was built for the playoffs. the offense wasnt bad but was crippled by an oline that couldnt sustain protection so you needed a qb to make relatively quick decisions

ejs last two games he was so bad he basically pulled himself. when youve got orton sitting right there you pretty much have to play him at that point. if the team was a real bottom feeder then you let ej play it out but they werent

IMO, It would have been fine to pull EJ for a few games. The mistake was to never play him again.

Even after Orton lost to the Raiders to keep the Bills out of the playoffs.

The only thing left to play for at that point was to develop the team including EJ for next year.

[Meathead]

i think the only valid criticism of nix and whaley is that they didnt throw a pick or three at a middle round qb at least once in a while

so they forced themselves to pick a qb that season, they traded down and still got the guy they decided was the best of that draft (still tbd), so im fine with that pick in and of itself

fitz was playing at a probowl level when they extended him. nobody knew he would immediately pull a jauron at that point

marrone was the second best rookie hc candidate that year, behind only the winnie the pooh lookin *****, so that was a good hire at the time

[trapezeus]

the stats are interesting and he describes it as pretty much a signifcant change in philosphy in week 4. it wasn't gradual. and it seems like maybe marrone was the stat junkie who saw poor 3rd down performance and conservatively decided to throttle the whole offense down a gear instead of seeing the success on 1st down as the key to avoid 3rd and long. Marrone definitely comes off as a guy who doesn't break down the figures well and really isn't much of a strategic guy. he just likes to do what he wants to do and hopes everyone can do it.

on the flip side, we've seen a lot of NFL qb's look good for the first 3-4 weeks, get figured out and struggle from there on out. i didn't really see that addressed in the article.

my feeling at this point is that ej was definitely hampered by the worst offensive coaching we've seen (and we've seen a lot of it over the years). However, the fact the new staff isn't raving about him, suggests that he probably had success because he was new. And more damning is that we all saw with our own eyes that his accuracy is weak.

had this staff seen him in OTA's and said, "well, that was odd that he didn't start last year from what we see," then this article would have really made me excited. but as it is right now, it seems to be taking the key piece of being brand new for weeks 1-3 out of the equation.

I hope EJ does magically get it in year three. Something that happens to a few players as well. but typically those guys had the chance to battle through poor performances on the field. Marrone's jettisoning the development of a qb, to win now and only get 9 wins and then ditch the team is disgusting. we should be angry at him for failing to deliver and handcuffing a team.

[better days]

I doubt EJ will ever become a pinpoint accurate QB like Brady or Peyton Manning.

But if he can get just a little more accuracy, EJ can also create with his legs which Brady & Manning can't do.

I can't wait until the pads go on & we can see all of the QB's compete for the job.

It has been said by all the Bills players that Roman has a very diverse, creative, thick playbook.

I think the QB that can master that playbook will likely be the starter.

[djjimkelly]

the EJ question should have been answered last year problem is we had a pop warner coach who had his own agenda