BuffaLowDown
Fansided

Buffalo Bills quarterbacks overachieve in first test

By Cam Boon

facebooktwitterreddit

Buffalo Bills quarterbacks overachieve in first test

Safe to say that the ceiling was not too high for Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel when they took the field Friday night in their first preseason test against the Carolina Panthers. But after tonight’s performances, the bar might have to be raised a little bit in their next tuneup.

Taylor garnered the majority of the points with his drives (14 in Buffalo’s 25-24 loss), but all three were effective in their 2015 debuts, leading Bills fans to believe that there might be a little more than meets the eye through the first two weeks of training camp.

Whether it was Rex’s defense or just rust, the three gunslingers were better than they had been all of camp in Friday night’s affair at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Aug 14, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Matt Cassel (16) looks to make a pass attempt during the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers in a preseason NFL football game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Cassel garnered the first two possessions of the game, going six plays and 22 yards in his first before being forced to punt. He probably should have been charged with an interception on a Chris Hogan slant, as the ball went off the receivers hands and shoulder but fell harmlessly to the ground.

In his second drive, Cassel was unleashed a little bit. He showed off his arm strength on a good throw downfield to Charles Clay who was crossing the field 15 yards from the line.

In the end, it was Jordan Gay who screwed up the drive. He snap-hooked a 37-yard field goal that made my golf swing look tolerable.

But in the end the drive was that of a typical Rex Ryan-led offense. 11 plays, 38 yards, 7:45 before the missed try.

Taylor came on afterwards and was by far the most electric of the three. The Virginia Tech graduate accounted for 49 yards passing and 47 yards rushing, while dropping passes that should have been caught into the hands of Deonte Thompson and Marquise Goodwin.

He engineered both touchdown drives in the second quarter, one ending on a Karlos Williams pound up the gut and the other on a Bryce Brown run up the middle of one and four yards, respectively.

More from Buffalo Bills News

The former Raven showed his wheels on his first drive, taking the ball up the right sideline for a gain of 20 yards, outrunning Panthers defenders in pursuit. His second drive was probably the best drive of the game, as he led his team down the field in 13 plays, accounting for 90 yards in 6:48, ending with the Brown touchdown.

Taylor tried running the two-minute offense to end the half but failed miserably starting at the Carolina 46, going three and out and then overthrowing Thompson on the far sideline on 4th and 3.

Manuel’s day could not have gotten off to a worse start as he began the second half for Buffalo. First, he hits Goodwin in stride and it was dropped. He then had back-to-back bad snaps sent his way, forcing a miserable three and out.

He had another three and out his second drive, ending with a MarQueis Gray drop that would have easily given the Bills a first down. Gay would redeem himself with a 52-yard field goal.

That was one of seven drops that Buffalo receivers had on the day.

Aug 14, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Deonte Thompson (80) catches a pass for a touchdown during the second half against the Carolina Panthers in a preseason NFL football game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Panthers beat the Bills 25 to 24. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

The Florida State graduate’s third drive involved the best throw that some claimed was the best since he has been a Bill. He looped a pass down the middle of the field that hit Thompson for a 51-yard score and gave the Bills, at the time, the lead at 24-17 after the extra point.

So overall, the quarterbacks were about as expected, but with a little higher quality. Cassel was nothing flashy but nothing stupid, Tyrod ran all over the field and did not show a lot of pocket presence, and Manuel showed the highs with his pass to Thompson, and his lows when he miserably underthrew Nick O’Leary on his final pass of the day after scrambling away from pressure.

To say that the Bills have a starter after the first preseason game would be jumping the gun, but to say that this competition just got a little more interesting would be spot on.

Here’s more about the Bills and Panthers preseason game from Friday night:

Next: Bills/Panthers Knee Jerk Reaction

More from BuffaLowDown

Home/Buffalo Bills News