Recently, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report said that he is comfortable in stating that E.J. Manuel is the worst starting quarterback in the league. Stating that he needed a lot more work to be improved, the lead writer for the major site isn’t necessarily wrong, but he isn’t right either.
There are a slew of starting quarterbacks that should be grouped together and deemed unworthy of the league. Manuel is just first in line in that group. So what does E.J. need to show to us this preseason to prove he isn’t that group anymore?
Look, if a seven play stretch could get you cut from an NFL team, then Manuel would have been gone Monday morning. His performance in the Hall of Fame Game was abysmal. Going 2-for-7 with 19 yards. Luckily for him, he will get more opportunities to prove that he is better than what his rookie year showed.
What Manuel needs to improve on has been well-documented. His eyes are slow. He locks on receivers to easily, and for too long. His footwork is almost as bad as Shaquille O'Neal on the dance floor. And His accuracy is insane(ly bad). He has a lot to improve, so much so that it seems insurmountable that he’ll become a good starting quarterback.
A seemingly common problem with young quarterbacks is their ability, or there lack of, to be able to progress through their reads and find an open target. Rather, they like to try and squeeze a ball into a window that not even Peyton Manning could hit. Manuel is no different from fellow 2013 rookie, Geno Smith in those regards. The fact that he can’t get through reads comes to no surprise to scouts who blasted the Bills for taking him as the first quarterback off the board in the first round. Todd McShay said that "He has slow eyes on the football field as a passer, and I think his accuracy is below average to marginal when you compare him to other prospects”
His eyes and progressions have definitely lead to serious concerns about his accuracy. All of Manuel’s stats are below average. His completion percentage was below 59%. His completion percentage index, where 100 is average and higher is better, was 91. Manuel’s Net Yards per Attempt Index where once again 100 is average and higher is better, was 83. His accuracy down the field was pretty horrid. He completed only 10 of his 37 passes that went 20 or more yards down the field, good for 27%. Twenty seven percent!
Manuel’s footwork is also pretty crappy, which is leading to his inaccuracy. Some of his inacurracies can be easily debunked. Yet again, another frequent problem with college quarterback gone pro, is the lack of time spent under center. That showed through crystal clear last year. Manuel completed only 50% of his throws that he took under center, as opposed to 61.6% from the shotgun. The Bills could help out their young signal called by giving him more reps at that spot, where less than a third of his pass attempts came from last season.
Getting back to his footwork, games such as the one against the New York Jets and a couple times against the Panthers, is where we learned how bad E.J.’s footwork really is. He sailed passes well above, and below his receivers. There was a common theme in those throws as well, he didn’t follow through whatsoever. He didn’t plant his back foot, and he hurried virtually everything. Just basic quarterback fundamentals that he just does extremely poorly.
What E.J. does have in his favor this season, is an influx of weapons. Robert Woods is entering his second year, and he has looked spectacular so far in training camp and the first game. The team traded for Mike Williams from Tampa, a big target who makes a living high-pointing the ball. Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller are still in the backfield to take some of the heat of Manuel. The Bills also upgraded their offensive line, signing Chris Williams, and spending three 2014 draft picks on the line. Oh yeah, and some guy named Sammy Watkins, too. This is a make or break year for Manuel, with new ownership coming in, they will want to win, and win now.
If you have questions about E.J.'s fantasy abilities heading into this season, or anyone on the Buffalo Bills for that matter, check out another eDraft article on the Bills fantasy value, here.