Official EJ Manuel

[PinkydaPimp 2,149]

What are folks thoughts on him? He is going undrafted in most drafts(10 and 12 team). I think he has solid upside especially working with CJ Spiller. Any thoughts?

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/09/01/e-j-manuel-returns-to-practice/

Bills coach Doug Marrone said that quarterbackE.J. Manuel would have to return to practice by Wednesday in order to have a chance at playing in the season opener against the Patriots.

Manuel accomplished that mission on Sunday. The team announced that the first-round pick was back on the field for Sunday’s practice session, two weeks after undergoing a surgical procedure on his knee. He started throwing late last week and obviously has made enough progress that doctors cleared him for a bigger workload this weekend.

The concerns now are whether or not Manuel is ready to go full speed after his time off and if his knee can avoid setbacks over the course of the week. If the answer to both is yes, you’d have to expect to see Manuel making his regular season debut as an NFL player a week from today.

If there’s a no, Thad Lewis will likely be elevated from the practice squad to back up Jeff Tuel because there’s not much sense in dressing Manuel for a game that you don’t think he’s healthy enough to start.

<title edited by FBG Mod to help with searching>

[msudaisy26 5,903]

What are folks thoughts on him? He is going undrafted in most drafts(10 and 12 team). I think he has solid upside especially working with CJ Spiller. Any thoughts?

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/09/01/e-j-manuel-returns-to-practice/

Bills coach Doug Marrone said that quarterbackE.J. Manuel would have to return to practice by Wednesday in order to have a chance at playing in the season opener against the Patriots.

Manuel accomplished that mission on Sunday. The team announced that the first-round pick was back on the field for Sunday’s practice session, two weeks after undergoing a surgical procedure on his knee. He started throwing late last week and obviously has made enough progress that doctors cleared him for a bigger workload this weekend.

The concerns now are whether or not Manuel is ready to go full speed after his time off and if his knee can avoid setbacks over the course of the week. If the answer to both is yes, you’d have to expect to see Manuel making his regular season debut as an NFL player a week from today.

If there’s a no, Thad Lewis will likely be elevated from the practice squad to back up Jeff Tuel because there’s not much sense in dressing Manuel for a game that you don’t think he’s healthy enough to start.

The Bills are going no where this year, they shouldn't let this kid rush back and get injured again. I like his upside a lot and think he has a chance to be a top 10 quarterback, fantasy wise, as early as next year. This year I think he is a bye week filler.

[Bills_Fan11 26]

I doubt they're "rushing" him back. Could be the sort of thing that's no less likely to get re-injured a month from now than next week.

If they were trying to win this yr I'd imagine they'd have traded for a CB as they are f***ed without Gillmore.

Edited September 1, 2013 by Bills_Fan11

[need2know 6,319]

I took him in the last round as my backup qb. I think he's gonna be good

[NajehHejan 340]

I have him backing up Luck and could see me starting him in the right matchup if he starts out favorably.

[need2know 6,319]

I have him backing up Luck and could see me starting him in the right matchup if he starts out favorably.

Same exact situation for me. I will start luck over him no doubt, but I belive the bills play the Saints on lucks bye. Should be good points there.

[famousb 2]

the Bills are going to have a mediocre offense, and have some decent pieces in place. I think he'll make some rookie mistakes, and i hope they don't put too much pressure on him and ruin him before he has a chance... i'd rather see him sit and learn for a year, or at least 6 weeks...

[McGarnicle 11,112]

Got him 3rd in a QB flex league behind Peyton and Romo. It was really late, probably 14th round. I figure if he can get back 100%, get some momentum and some rushing yards, he's got decent upside at that price.

[JetMaxx 1,098]

love him in a dynasty format. top 10 as soon as next year.

[Tchula 45]

Same talk we had about Cam his rookie year. It is worth the gamble at his ADP

[Englishteacher 22]

Love him in dynasty. Redraft he's going to have to be the second coming/the real deal.

Edited September 2, 2013 by Englishteacher

[SaintsInDome2006 47,477]

All the talk about going late in drafts at QB, I'd say Manuel is one reason you can do it. He's going to do well and I think this offense is going to do well.

About that comment about Newton above, the one danger is if Manuel has a great first outing vs the Pats it will be tough to get him off the WW, better to hope he does well, shows promise and then get him. I think he makes a good QB2 with potential to do more.

[Sir Psycho 51]

Same talk we had about Cam his rookie year. It is worth the gamble at his ADP

This....

[Area51Inhabitant 42]

I don't know what it says about Manuel that it looks like Florida St. is much stronger at the position now with Jameis Winston than when he was there.

[LittlePhatty 694]

I don't know what it says about Manuel that it looks like Florida St. is much stronger at the position now with Jameis Winston than when he was there.

I hope you didn't come to that conclusion simply based on his performance against the Pitt "defense" the other day.

[GroveDiesel 9,210]

I don't know what it says about Manuel that it looks like Florida St. is much stronger at the position now with Jameis Winston than when he was there.

I hope you didn't come to that conclusion simply based on his performance against the Pitt "defense" the other day.

The new kid looked good, but it's totally unfair to knock Manuel by comparing him to what happened in one game this year.

I went back and watched every pass in about 6 of Manuel's games last year. His receivers averaged over 5 drops a game. I didn't count anything that receivers couldn't get 2 hands on or were adjustments to badly thrown balls. So his receivers were horrible last year and dropping passes all over the place.

Florida State also started a bunch of first year guys on the offensive line last year. Their protection, especially early in the season, was ghastly. Manuel was under pressure a whole lot early in the year. It improved later in the year to acceptable but still not outstanding. Their protection Saturday was much better (and their opponent was pretty bad).

Anyone just seeing that one statline and using it to judge Manuel in any way is taking a very lazy path.

[Steve Tasker 8,189]

I don't know what it says about Manuel that it looks like Florida St. is much stronger at the position now with Jameis Winston than when he was there.

I hope you didn't come to that conclusion simply based on his performance against the Pitt "defense" the other day.

The new kid looked good, but it's totally unfair to knock Manuel by comparing him to what happened in one game this year.

I went back and watched every pass in about 6 of Manuel's games last year. His receivers averaged over 5 drops a game. I didn't count anything that receivers couldn't get 2 hands on or were adjustments to badly thrown balls. So his receivers were horrible last year and dropping passes all over the place.

Florida State also started a bunch of first year guys on the offensive line last year. Their protection, especially early in the season, was ghastly. Manuel was under pressure a whole lot early in the year. It improved later in the year to acceptable but still not outstanding. Their protection Saturday was much better (and their opponent was pretty bad).

Anyone just seeing that one statline and using it to judge Manuel in any way is taking a very lazy path.

FWIW, the FSU diehards in the college football thread in the FFA have all been raving about Winston's play and how he looked more poised, more comfortable, and made consistently better decisions in the Pitt game on Monday than Manuel ever did during his time at FSU. What that means for Manuel, I have no idea....but it sounds like some (most?) FSU fans are really happy to not have Manuel anymore.

We'll learn a lot about EJ in the next few weeks.

[humpback 1,130]

All the talk about going late in drafts at QB, I'd say Manuel is one reason you can do it. He's going to do well and I think this offense is going to do well.

About that comment about Newton above, the one danger is if Manuel has a great first outing vs the Pats it will be tough to get him off the WW, better to hope he does well, shows promise and then get him. I think he makes a good QB2 with potential to do more.

I'm not following- how does he help you wait on a QB? No way would I want to rely on him as a starter this year.

[The Duff Man 1,135]

I would much rather have my QB face as much adversity in college as possible.

At this level they are all physical specimens, it is the cranium (not just intelligence) that sorts them out.

Cant wait for Sunday

[SaintsInDome2006 47,477]

All the talk about going late in drafts at QB, I'd say Manuel is one reason you can do it. He's going to do well and I think this offense is going to do well.

About that comment about Newton above, the one danger is if Manuel has a great first outing vs the Pats it will be tough to get him off the WW, better to hope he does well, shows promise and then get him. I think he makes a good QB2 with potential to do more.

I'm not following- how does he help you wait on a QB? No way would I want to rely on him as a starter this year.

Well, I said as a QB2 prospect, you could rely on Romo/Luck/Griffin/Wilson, depending on how far you want to wait, and then take a flier on a Manuel who just may pan outin the last round or even on the WW. Not saying he's Newton but Newton was not universally drafted from what I recall.

[PinkydaPimp 2,149]

All the talk about going late in drafts at QB, I'd say Manuel is one reason you can do it. He's going to do well and I think this offense is going to do well.

About that comment about Newton above, the one danger is if Manuel has a great first outing vs the Pats it will be tough to get him off the WW, better to hope he does well, shows promise and then get him. I think he makes a good QB2 with potential to do more.

I'm not following- how does he help you wait on a QB? No way would I want to rely on him as a starter this year.

Well, I said as a QB2 prospect, you could rely on Romo/Luck/Griffin/Wilson, depending on how far you want to wait, and then take a flier on a Manuel who just may pan outin the last round or even on the WW. Not saying he's Newton but Newton was not universally drafted from what I recall.

newton had even more hate his rookie season. Many that picked him up week one won their leagues. I have no issue stashing him as my last pick and rolling the dice. Worst case you drop him week one.

[GroveDiesel 9,210]

I don't know what it says about Manuel that it looks like Florida St. is much stronger at the position now with Jameis Winston than when he was there.

I hope you didn't come to that conclusion simply based on his performance against the Pitt "defense" the other day.

The new kid looked good, but it's totally unfair to knock Manuel by comparing him to what happened in one game this year.

I went back and watched every pass in about 6 of Manuel's games last year. His receivers averaged over 5 drops a game. I didn't count anything that receivers couldn't get 2 hands on or were adjustments to badly thrown balls. So his receivers were horrible last year and dropping passes all over the place.

Florida State also started a bunch of first year guys on the offensive line last year. Their protection, especially early in the season, was ghastly. Manuel was under pressure a whole lot early in the year. It improved later in the year to acceptable but still not outstanding. Their protection Saturday was much better (and their opponent was pretty bad).

Anyone just seeing that one statline and using it to judge Manuel in any way is taking a very lazy path.

FWIW, the FSU diehards in the college football thread in the FFA have all been raving about Winston's play and how he looked more poised, more comfortable, and made consistently better decisions in the Pitt game on Monday than Manuel ever did during his time at FSU. What that means for Manuel, I have no idea....but it sounds like some (most?) FSU fans are really happy to not have Manuel anymore.

We'll learn a lot about EJ in the next few weeks.

Agreed. We'll definitely learn more in the next few weeks.

But some of those comments are just silly. Of course Winston seemed more poised and comfortable. He was playing against a chump defense behind an offensive line that was light years ahead of where they were last year at this time. If the FSU fans can't see that, then they're FSU fans, not true football fans. Hard to look poised and comfortable when you have D-linemen in your face 1.5 seconds after the ball is snapped all day long. One of the things I actually liked about Manuel when watching him was how well he moved inside the pocket to avoid pressure and how well he threw on the run. Anyone can sit back and make good throws while standing in a perfect pocket for 5 seconds. The better QBs can move and still throw in a messy pocket.

And again, so many drops last year. Manuel's completion percentage could have been easily 5+ percent higher.

You can watch a whole bunch of his games from last year on YouTube. All of this stuff is easily noticeable for anyone that cares to watch.

[humpback 1,130]

All the talk about going late in drafts at QB, I'd say Manuel is one reason you can do it. He's going to do well and I think this offense is going to do well.

About that comment about Newton above, the one danger is if Manuel has a great first outing vs the Pats it will be tough to get him off the WW, better to hope he does well, shows promise and then get him. I think he makes a good QB2 with potential to do more.

I'm not following- how does he help you wait on a QB? No way would I want to rely on him as a starter this year.

Well, I said as a QB2 prospect, you could rely on Romo/Luck/Griffin/Wilson, depending on how far you want to wait, and then take a flier on a Manuel who just may pan outin the last round or even on the WW. Not saying he's Newton but Newton was not universally drafted from what I recall.

How does Manuel make it easier for you to wait on Romo/Luck/RGIII/Wilson? I don't see how he's a better option than a bunch of guys you can get late, and you wouldn't want to start any of them for any length of time.

[Breesisdaman 38]

Last year did anyone see Wilson coming ? Manual has to at least be as good as Vince Young and young was pretty good at first before his game started coming apart. I grabbed him off waivers just in case he dazzles. NFL defenses are still not quite adjusted to these running type QB's yet IMO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1sp3S4wNig

Edited September 4, 2013 by Breesisdaman

[msudaisy26 5,903]

Last year did anyone see Wilson coming ? Manual has to at least be as good as Vince Young and young was pretty good at first before his game started coming apart. I grabbed him off waivers just in case he dazzles. NFL defenses are still not quite adjusted to these running type QB's yet IMO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1sp3S4wNig

Nothing jumps out at you, but seems solid. I can't stand that female announcer for the record.

[GroveDiesel 9,210]

Last year did anyone see Wilson coming ? Manual has to at least be as good as Vince Young and young was pretty good at first before his game started coming apart. I grabbed him off waivers just in case he dazzles. NFL defenses are still not quite adjusted to these running type QB's yet IMO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1sp3S4wNig

Nothing jumps out at you, but seems solid. I can't stand that female announcer for the record.

There are a lot of throws that really were just bad plays by the defense, but the 3 throws that are all outstanding are the ones against ND. All 3 of them are perfectly placed tough passes.

What always impresses me is how quick his release is and how the ball just rockets downfield with a flick of his wrist. He gets rid of the ball lightning quick once he decides to throw it.

[Bills_Fan11 26]

How does Manuel make it easier for you to wait on Romo/Luck/RGIII/Wilson? I don't see how he's a better option than a bunch of guys you can get late, and you wouldn't want to start any of them for any length of time.

He definitely shouldn't affect your strategy in drafting a starter. But I do think he's preferable to most of the guys going late because of the potential rushing/upside. I really don't get the logic in drafting Flacco/Dalton/Schaub when there will always be an equivalent replacement on waivers (assuming a 10-12 team league of course).

As for the other conversation above, I really don't get the trolling of us poor Bills fans. Trashing the old guy & building up the new guy after a good game is pretty much "fandom 101" so FSU fans' thoughts this week aren't worth a ton to me.

That's not to say the Winston kid won't/can't be better. He may very well be (I don't follow recruiting too closely but apparently he was a 5star recruit). So what - does that mean Manuel has to suck?

[The Duff Man 1,135]

My sign for Sunday:

What does the Bills Offense have in common with the ladies:

They want Manuel stimulation

[Bills_Fan11 26]

You gotta work in a CBS acronym somehow.

[JetMaxx 1,098]

Last year did anyone see Wilson coming ?

Wilson was easy. Led the nation in passing and it was easy to determine even for a layman that he had elite level character/willingness to prepare and above average physical traits outside of his height. Speaking of Manuel, the one thing I asked of my Bills insider regarding Manuel is whether he is Russell Wilson or Dante Culpepper character-wise. In my dynasty I've already bought in so it's a bit after the fact now but it's the one trait that's not clear. He has all of the ability but his character will determine whether he is good or great.

[ShaHBucks 298]

I'm betting against EJ this year.

[PinkydaPimp 2,149]

like what i see so far.

[shadyridr 14,320]

Something tells me he winds up a QB1 this year.

[McGarnicle 11,112]

[OC Zed 348]

A lot of dinking and dunking today. The Bills did not look to stretch the field much and in one of Manuel's few attempts downfield he underthrew Woods (should have been an interception). Still, he looked poised and appeared to make good (or at least safe) reads for most of the day.

[GroveDiesel 9,210]

A lot of dinking and dunking today. The Bills did not look to stretch the field much and in one of Manuel's few attempts downfield he underthrew Woods (should have been an interception). Still, he looked poised and appeared to make good (or at least safe) reads for most of the day.

He also overthrew Graham way out of bounds and over his head down field in the 2nd half too. It would have been a TD if he put it on target.

[IvanKaramazov 21,897]

A lot of dinking and dunking today. The Bills did not look to stretch the field much and in one of Manuel's few attempts downfield he underthrew Woods (should have been an interception). Still, he looked poised and appeared to make good (or at least safe) reads for most of the day.

He also overthrew Graham way out of bounds and over his head down field in the 2nd half too. It would have been a TD if he put it on target.

We should definitely freak out over a rookie qb in his first start being inaccurate on his deep throws.

[humpback 1,130]

A lot of dinking and dunking today. The Bills did not look to stretch the field much and in one of Manuel's few attempts downfield he underthrew Woods (should have been an interception). Still, he looked poised and appeared to make good (or at least safe) reads for most of the day.

Pretty much a continuation of the preseason.

[GroveDiesel 9,210]

A lot of dinking and dunking today. The Bills did not look to stretch the field much and in one of Manuel's few attempts downfield he underthrew Woods (should have been an interception). Still, he looked poised and appeared to make good (or at least safe) reads for most of the day.

He also overthrew Graham way out of bounds and over his head down field in the 2nd half too. It would have been a TD if he put it on target.

We should definitely freak out over a rookie qb in his first start being inaccurate on his deep throws.

Overall I was extremely happy with him and am excited for his future. I'm just pointing out it wasn't all roses. When you have a guy open down field for a TD in a close game, you gotta make that throw. He'll grow and he'll hit more of those though. But he really needs to hit those to back up the defense and force them to stop crowding the line.

ETA: That loss wasn't on him in any way. The early fumble by Spiller, all the dumb penalties that killed drives, Stevie dropping a crucial 3rd down pass, that's what cost the Bills the game.

Edited September 8, 2013 by GroveDiesel

[OC Zed 348]

A lot of dinking and dunking today. The Bills did not look to stretch the field much and in one of Manuel's few attempts downfield he underthrew Woods (should have been an interception). Still, he looked poised and appeared to make good (or at least safe) reads for most of the day.

He also overthrew Graham way out of bounds and over his head down field in the 2nd half too. It would have been a TD if he put it on target.

We should definitely freak out over a rookie qb in his first start being inaccurate on his deep throws.

Overall I was extremely happy with him and am excited for his future. I'm just pointing out it wasn't all roses. When you have a guy open down field for a TD in a close game, you gotta make that throw. He'll grow and he'll hit more of those though. But he really needs to hit those to back up the defense and force them to stop crowding the line.

Meh. I didn't think Graham was as open as you did. It wasn't a good pass though.

[IvanKaramazov 21,897]

A lot of dinking and dunking today. The Bills did not look to stretch the field much and in one of Manuel's few attempts downfield he underthrew Woods (should have been an interception). Still, he looked poised and appeared to make good (or at least safe) reads for most of the day.

He also overthrew Graham way out of bounds and over his head down field in the 2nd half too. It would have been a TD if he put it on target.

We should definitely freak out over a rookie qb in his first start being inaccurate on his deep throws.

Overall I was extremely happy with him and am excited for his future. I'm just pointing out it wasn't all roses. When you have a guy open down field for a TD in a close game, you gotta make that throw. He'll grow and he'll hit more of those though. But he really needs to hit those to back up the defense and force them to stop crowding the line.

ETA: That loss wasn't on him in any way. The early fumble by Spiller, all the dumb penalties that killed drives, Stevie dropping a crucial 3rd down pass, that's what cost the Bills the game.

That's fair. Agreed on all counts.

[Phlash 9]

Kid looked good.

[zamboni 6,947]

Kid is making some serious strides - showed a lot of moxie today with that game winning drive. Bills fans should be very happy they have this kid for the next decade or so.

His time is arriving sooner rather than later - both in NFL and fantasy terms.

[flysack 729]

He's learning and limiting mistakes, but he's also a rookie.

Like most watching the Carolina game, I noticed he has a tendency to take his checkdown receiver far too much. Personally, I think he's self-conscious of being a rookie and trying to avoid mistakes....perhaps too much. Given the choice between him throwing boneheaded passes into robber coverage or taking his checkdowns too soon, I'll gladly take the later. But it can be frustrating. I don't know if they mentioned this on TV, but on that final drive EJ had TJ Graham wide open on three consecutive plays and EJ never once looked to his side of the field. Graham is their fastest WR. He could have taken any of those to the house. EJ simply isn't seeing the whole field yet. But he is getting better every game and doesn't usually make dumb mistakes. He's going to be good. The kid has craploads of moxie.

Edited September 16, 2013 by flysack

[OC Zed 348]

He's learning and limiting mistakes, but he's also a rookie.

Like most watching the Carolina game, I noticed he has a tendency to take his checkdown receiver far too much. Personally, I think he's self-conscious of being a rookie and trying to avoid mistakes....perhaps too much. Given the choice between him throwing boneheaded passes into robber coverage or taking his checkdowns too soon, I'll gladly take the later. But it can be frustrating. I don't know if they mentioned this on TV, but on that final drive EJ had TJ Graham wide open on three consecutive plays and EJ never once looked to his side of the field. Graham is their fastest WR. He could have taken any of those to the house. EJ simply isn't seeing the whole field yet. But he is getting better every game and doesn't usually make dumb mistakes. He's going to be good. The kid has craploads of moxie.

I mentioned this in the game thread, but the tendency to towards the checking down reminds me a lot Trent Edwards. The coaching staff has to really push him to push the ball down the field.

Even the final drive featured mostly short passes to Fred and CJ. That isn't going to win you a lot of ball games.

[Leeroy Jenkins 2,839]

Do we have any indication of what week he should be back?

[GroveDiesel 9,210]

Do we have any indication of what week he should be back?

Anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Should know more in about 2 weeks hopefully

[Faust 5,252]

Rotoworld:

The Bills want E.J. Manuel to "just throw it, let it loose."

"We’ve been saying to get back there and throw it," coach Doug Marrone said. "Just throw it, let it loose, let it loose." OC Nathaniel Hackett chimed in, saying, "'Look man, throw it. Just throw it as hard as you can and don’t think about anything else and believe in what you see. You got exactly what you wanted. Just go.'" Obviously the Bills want Manuel to be cautious, but they also want him to play confidently and trust his teammates. He did that in his last game. Now, Manuel has a juicy matchup with a Falcons defense that appears lifeless. He's on the QB2 radar for Week 13 and will have a fully healthy receiving corps.

Source: ESPN.com

[msudaisy26 5,903]

Rotoworld:

The Bills want E.J. Manuel to "just throw it, let it loose."

"We’ve been saying to get back there and throw it," coach Doug Marrone said. "Just throw it, let it loose, let it loose." OC Nathaniel Hackett chimed in, saying, "'Look man, throw it. Just throw it as hard as you can and don’t think about anything else and believe in what you see. You got exactly what you wanted. Just go.'" Obviously the Bills want Manuel to be cautious, but they also want him to play confidently and trust his teammates. He did that in his last game. Now, Manuel has a juicy matchup with a Falcons defense that appears lifeless. He's on the QB2 radar for Week 13 and will have a fully healthy receiving corps.

Source: ESPN.com

This is actually good news for dynasty owners. We will find out if he is the quarterback of the future by the end of the year. We will have 3 options this off season with him.

1st - He stinks these last few weeks and he can be someone you can cut to get your roster down before your draft.

2nd - He shows flashes of why he was drafted so high and you feel good about having him as your number 2 quarterback going into next year with the upside of being your future qb1.

3rd - He lights up a couple of teams but it is fools good and you can sell him high in the off season to another owner that just remembers the good games.

[duece2626 0]

Starting him this week over RG3