Dec 8, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback EJ Manuel (3) reacts after he was pressured against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Buffalo Bills 27-6. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
When the news came down that EJ Manuel was going to be sidelined again due to an injury I thought to myself here we go again. Another knee injury will keep EJ from playing this Sunday and possibly the last game of the season as well. A sprain is what the Bills are saying the injury is as swelling has kept Manuel from practicing and playing at a level that the coaching staff would like.
This comes just days after Manuel finally got his first road victory as they knocked off the Jags. The coaching staff also talked about when they believe the injury occurred. Late in the 2nd quarter the last drive in particular is where they believe it happened. My question is if they think it happened then and Manuel said anything about it why wasn’t he pulled out of the game? Now I don’t know if anything was but it would be interesting to know.
With the 3rd injury now sustained by Manuel to keep him off the field I want to know what everybody thinks about it. Can they trust and depend on him leading this team in the future? Do you want the Bills to pursue a new quarterback in the upcoming draft or even get a veteran to play and have Manuel watch and work with whoever that might be? I could see people arguing their point for any of those scenarios but is there one that stands out better than the rest.
I have put my thoughts on Manuel out there already but for those who haven’t seen it I think we should look to the draft. As a rookie in this league quarterbacks have come in lately and produced. Not saying all of them are going to the playoffs right away but have shown they belong. In Manuel’s case we heard right off the bat that he would be a project. Footwork, accuracy and getting acclimated to the NFL were what we Bills fans were in for. We all know the record outcome and the playoffs are out of the question but looking at the other mechanics he needed to work on nothing has gotten better. Still the same old play as he started but toss in a small sample size of what we want to see and then it goes away.
This would definitely be a problem a few years ago but not anymore. The new rookie wage scale gives teams the ability to go after players more aggressively knowing that major contract with high guaranteed money is a thing of the past. I believe the Bills should explore this option because it’s the most important position on the field. Year after year I’ve heard man if we only had a quarterback.
There you have my way a thinking and would like to know if anyone feels the same way or do you think we have our guy. No matter how you think the reality of the situation is we have a guy now but he is injured again for the third time.