The Buffalo Bills have a quarterback competition that is offering very little encouragement to fans. The Bulls did not expect to be in the situation when they drafted EJ Manuel two years ago. Manuel came out of Florida State and was expected to stabilize the quarterback position for years to come. Instead his tenure in Buffalo has been marred by injuries and inconsistencies and now he is at risk of getting released.
The Bills have four quarterbacks battling for the starting job and Manuel is aware he is not the favorite. The team will likely enter the year with two quarterbacks, three at the most. Matt Cassel is slowly pulling ahead while Tyrod Taylor gets the No.2 spot. Manuel knows he either needs to step it up or clean out his locker.
"At the end of the day, if I play well, it should take care of itself," Manuel said, via John Wawrow of The Associated Press. "Whether it's here or whether it's somewhere else, I don't know. Nothing I can do it about it. Of course I want to go with the ones, I want to go with the twos and things like that. But if that's not what coach has for me, I'll just roll with it."
The Bills will be relying on their offensive talent this season with doubt at the quarterback spot. The Bills loaded up on big names this offseason which could help them in the long run or be useless if players like Sammy Watkins or Percy Harvin cannot get the ball in their hands. Watkins, Robert Woods and Harvin along with tight end Charles Clay make up a dream offense for most teams, but if Cassel or Manuel cannot take advantage, most of the players will go unused all season.
The stars of Buffalo could end up being in the run game. LeSean McCoy is primed to be a fantasy star this season as he enters Buffalo as the lead running back and most used offensive player. McCoy was sent to the Bills in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles which is a move that could really pay off this season. With Fred Jackson injured, the run game is the McCoy show. Although, according to NFL.com, rookie Karlos Williams is making his case to be the backup for McCoy.
Head coach Rex Ryan is predicting a 1,000-yard season for McCoy. Meanwhile there is doubt that Buffalo will be able to get the most out of their receiving stars. Watkins is having trouble staying healthy. Charles Clay had just one catch in his Bills' debut. The receiving end of the offense will be a big question mark.