Bills Rookie E.J Manuel Named Week 1 Starter

E.J. Manuel will see his first live action agains the Patriots

Order was restored in Buffalo this morning when E. J. Manuel was named the starting quarterback for the team’s Week 1 home matchup against the Patriots. Just two weeks removed from minor knee surgery, Manuel has come back strong and is ready to manage the team’s run-heavy offense.

Head coach Doug Marrone made the announcement early Wednesday morning after putting Manuel through a gauntlet of tests on Monday and Tuesday to make sure that the rookie was really up to speed. The primary concern was to make sure that Manuel was mobile enough to escape the pocket to avoid any further injury.

Manuel said he pushed himself to get ready in time for Week 1. “I try to work hard at everything. I can control whatever I can control, and I can control trying to get my knee better, and that’s what I’ve done,” said Manuel. The former Florida State quarterback said he won’t give his injury a second thought when playing agains the Patriots on Sunday.

Even in two quarterback leagues, fantasy owners should steer clear of the rookie until he gets a real feel for his first live NFL action.

 

Bills, Jets Grapple With the Quarterback Blues

There are two really interesting quarterback situations going on just days before the start of the regular season. The more well known one is the debacle that has taken place in New York.

The Jets drafted Geno Smith to challenge Mark Sanchez for the starting job. The situation has only gone from bad to worse because Sanchez is injured and Smith doesn’t appear even close to ready to start for an NFL team.

The second quarterback controversy happens to be in the same division, up in Buffalo. The Bills drafted E.J. Manuel to replace Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was let go at the end of the season. Manuel was selected number 16 in the 2013 draft, even though the Bills probably could have taken him in a later round.

Nevertheless, they went forward with their plan and Manuel looked good in his short time behind center during the preseason. However, after their game against the Minnesota Vikings, his knee began to swell. A minor procedure was performed and he is currently sitting on the bench.

After Manuel went out, Kevin Kolb was expected to step in for the Bills until he suffered what might be a career-ending concussion against the Redskins on Saturday night. The Bills wasted no time signing former first round pick Matt Leinart. He spent last season as a backup in Oakland and wasn’t able to keep the starting job.

Leinart was drafted 10th overall by Arizona in 2006 before getting picked up by Houston and later by the Raiders. He’s played in 33 games in his career and has more than 4,000 yards passing. Leinart was a quarterback with a lot of potential coming out of USC, but was never able to find an offense or a system that worked for him.

Leinart might be the only real option the Bills have until E.J. Manuel can back under center.

Brady Quinn Wins Backup Role in Seattle

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Four quarterbacks went into Seattle this week, but only one is staying – former Chiefs QB Brady Quinn. Matt Leinart, Tyler Thigpen and Seneca Wallace have to make the long journey home after Quinn won the right to backup Seahawks starter, Russell Wilson.

It appeared that Leinart would have had the inside track to the job, being the former USC starting quarterback under Pete Carroll, but Leinart came up empty with the rest.

It’s still possible that Seattle might be on the lookout for new blood and draft a younger quarterback, but Russell Wilson is firmly entrenched as the team’s starter.

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Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn Drop in on Seattle

The Seattle Seahawks are in need of a backup quarterback after shipping Matt Flynn to Oakland, so the team is holding auditions for a new backup. Topping off the list of potential quarterbacks is Matt Leinart and Brady Quinn.

Both players have had rather underwhelming careers. Over the course of 23 games, Quinn has totaled 13 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, while Leinart has notched 17 touchdowns and 21 career picks. Leinart has a bit of an edge over Quinn in the sense that he’ll be reuniting with his former coach at USC, Pete Carroll.

The candidates will be looking to back up twenty-four year-old Russell Wilson, who had a passer rating of 100 last season while tallying 26 touchdowns and just ten interceptions in his sixteen starts for the Seahawks. Unless Wilson goes down, don’t expect anything out of either player.