He’s not putting too much weight into his opportunity to start for the first time in more than a calendar year Sunday, but EJ Manuel is excited to see how he has advanced his personal game in Buffalo’s season finale.
Buffalo Bills Insider Chris Brown provides the details. Here is his report:
He knows as well as anyone else that it’s just one game, but EJ Manuel has learned the hard way that every opportunity to play in the NFL must be maximized. That’s why he will enter Sunday’s season finale against the Jets with every intention playing his level best.
“It’s a great opportunity to go out there and win,” Manuel said. “There’s no better way to end this season, even though it’s not where we wanted to finish, but to finish 8-8… as a team we want to still band together and show that we still have unity. For me personally I just want to go out and execute and do my job.”
Manuel found out he was starting after getting a phone call from senior offensive assistant Chris Palmer on Tuesday morning, while he was in his native Virginia for his mother’s birthday. He was not given a reason why he was starting, and all that interim coach Anthony Lynn could offer was starting Manuel was a “business decision.”
“We’re going to look at the depth of our quarterback position, and we’re out of the playoffs,” said Lynn. “So we want to see what these other two guys can do. I’m fine with EJ Manuel starting the game. For me it’s always the next man up. If Tyrod Taylor pulled a hamstring we’d be going with EJ, so that’s kind of my approach.”
Rookie Cardale Jones confirmed that he took backup quarterback reps in practice, effectively relegating Tyrod Taylor to third string quarterback this week. Taylor chose not to speak to reporters Wednesday.
For Manuel, he hasn’t started a game since Week 7 of last season. That start against Jacksonville in London is a game he’d probably like to forget. For Bills fans it’s a game where a large number of them gave up on Manuel as the quarterback of the future.
And as disastrous as his game against Jacksonville was, what shouldn’t be overlooked is what he did after those three straight possessions where his turnovers led to 21 Jaguars points.
After being instrumental in staking the Jaguars to a 27-3 lead, Manuel went 20-30 passing for 248 yards and two touchdowns. He led the team on three drives that helped the Bills score 21 of 28 unanswered points with Corey Graham providing the go-ahead TD on an interception return.
Now a year and a half later, the stakes are anything but high for the Bills, but for Manuel, who is set to become a free agent, the opportunity to show he’s made strides in his game has value.
“I think coverage recognition is probably night and day,” said Manuel of where he feels his game has improved the most since his last career start. “It’s much better. It was an area where I felt I needed to grow from a year ago. Going against our first team defense every day the past 15 or 16 weeks has helped me out tremendously. That’s probably the biggest thing.”
“He’s been wanting to play,” said Bills quarterbacks coach David Lee of Manuel in a recent appearance on the John Murphy Show. “His confidence level is at an all-time high. In practice the way he’s ripping the ball… we’ll see.”
As a Bills starter, Manuel has compiled a record 11-15. He’s completed 59 percent of his passes and averaged 6.5 yards per attempt with 19 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for a passer rating of 78.4. He’s not nearly the runner that Tyrod Taylor is, but can make all the throws from the pocket at 6-4 and 237 pounds.
Lynn gave indication that Buffalo’s offense will remain largely the same with Manuel in the lineup as opposed to Taylor.
“It won’t change much,” Lynn said. “We’re going to still do what we do. EJ is a mobile quarterback who can do some things. We don’t necessarily rely on our quarterback to run the ball. We like to use him as a weapon or a threat, but if he chooses to keep it on a few read plays that’s fine. He’s done it before.”
This past preseason Manuel went 40-75 passing for 391 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Manuel was sacked seven times and had a passer rating of 71.6, but Lynn said he’s been impressed by what he’s seen from the Bills backup on the practice field.
“He makes all the throws. He’s a big man. He’s athletic,” Lynn said. “He’s very sharp and so it’s going to be interesting to see what he does when the lights come on.”
What one start will do for Manuel’s future in Buffalo or elsewhere is difficult to gauge, even for him. That’s why he’s choosing to keep things simple this week.
“It’s a big opportunity for me and I’m excited about it, but I don’t think this one game is going to change a lot,” he said. “I just want to win. At the end of the day everybody can play in this league. Everybody can throw. Quarterbacks are judged on winning. That’s the most important thing.”