The Buffalo Bills have high expectations and high hopes for rookie quarterback EJ Manuel after taking him with the 16th overall pick in the draft last month and based on the way he has performed in camp and is learning the playbook, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see him win the starting job over Kevin Kolb and Tavaris Jackson over the summer.
The Bills liked his leadership skills and his arm strength over names like Ryan Nassib and Geno Smith, who eventually went to the New York Jets in the second round despite reports about his leadership skills and performance under pressure. Manuel spoke on the radio over the weekend at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere in LA according to ESPN.com and said that he has found the new offense very easy to learn compared to what he did in college at Florida State. Manuel said it was a West Coast style that he likes and said that the team presented the right type of system for him during his pre-draft visits with Marrone.
The Bills currently have the longest playoff drought in the NFL and are trying to find a franchise quarterback to replace Hall of Famer Jim Kelly and they feel that Manuel is the best option after failing with names like JP Losman, Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Rob Johnson. Manuel was the only quarterback taken in the first round and the Bills traded down and still got their man while adding some talent to a team that desperately needed it, including names like Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin from Texas.
The Bills have a new general manager in Doug Whaley and are looking to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2004 and have not made the playoffs in over a decade. The team finished in the middle of the AFC East again and ditched starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick after giving him a six year extension after two up and down seasons and the team will be looking to improve on its 6-10 record. Marrone had great success turning around the program at Syracuse and Bills are hoping for a similar result. The team finished sixth in rushing with CJ Spiller being one of the leading backs in the league while the team was 25th in passing yards per game with Fitzpatrick. Adding Woods will help Steve Johnson and the defense will also need to improve from ranking 31st in rushing yards allowed per game with over 140.
Manuel likely has the edge since he was taken with the 16th pick and the onus now is to play young players rather than let them sit and despite signing Kolb, the rookie will be the starter. The team has been looking for a quarterback since Jim Kelly retired and now they may have him.