The Buffalo Bills officially introduced Rex Ryan as the team's new head coach earlier this work. Now that all the public pleasantries are over and done with, it's time for Ryan and the team to get down to work. The Bills finished 9-7 this past season, their first year over .500 since 2004. Yet head coach Doug Marrone opted out of his deal after the season and veteran quarterback Kyle Orton retired. If the Bills want to build on their first hopeful season in a decade, they'll have to figure out what to do with the offense.
My two cents: let EJ Manuel have another crack at the starting quarterback spot.
Now before you crucify me in the comments section, hear me out. The Bills are without a first round pick this season thanks to the Sammy Watkins trade. The best available free agent quarterbacks are Brian Hoyer and Mark Sanchez. As much as the public would like to see a reunion between Ryan and The Sanchize for hilarity purposes, that union has already proven to be unproductive. So Buffalo isn't exactly flush with viable alternatives.
I know that Manuel hasn't lit the league on fire since being selected in the first-round of the 2013 draft. During the rare occasions that the Bills would put together a scoring drive with Manuel under center, the offense looked like it was performing heavy labor instead of producing yards as a natural function. Nothing ever ran smoothly with Manuel at the helm and he was benched after just 14 starts. But it's not as if he was as horrific as everyone thinks. He's 6-8 as a starter; there are worse winning percentages out there for young QBs.
For his young career, Manuel has a positive 16:12 touchdown to interception ratio (wih three rushing touchdowns to boot). That's slightly better than Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder's ratio of 38:36, and he's considered a full-proof bust. Manuel's 58.6 completion percentage isn't great, but it is better than what Jake Locker put up during his first 16 starts with the Tennessee Titans. He got two more seasons to show Tennessee what he could do, why can't Manuel? He's been better than both players in his short time in the league.
Manuel "has a lot of traits you look for in a quarterback," Ryan said yesterday. Look, Ryan isn't some dummy. He knows that his NFL present and future depends on him making it work with the Bills. He'll do anything to ensure that the same QB problems that doomed him in New York don't follow him to Buffalo. But with a lack of other immediate options, why not see if the 24-year-old Manuel can mold himself into a competent quarterback? With the No. 4 ranked defense that led the NFL in sacks this past season, it's not like Manuel has to be Tom Brady every week.
I'm not saying Manuel is about to turn into a franchise quarterback and deliver the Bills from the playoff-less wasteland they've been roaming around in for the last 15 years. But I do think there is a salvageable player somewhere in there that can keep the team afloat until they find a better option.
And if I'm wrong, then everyone can go one with their lives knowing they were right all along.
