Kevin Hoffman- USA TODAY Sports
This may shock you, but I think the Buffalo Bills are a legitimate football team in the AFC East. While I’m not going to pencil them into a playoff spot just yet, I think the years of this team being a dull, losing franchise are on the way out.
Sure, it is just a one-point victory over the Carolina Panthers, but this is the same Bills team that played New England tough to the very end of their close defeat in Week 1.
It starts and ends with the quarterback position for this team. The days of Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing roughly 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions are over… enter E.J. Manuel.
I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical of the Bills selecting the former Florida State Seminole in the first round, but his size and dual-threat capabilities provide the Bills offense with more dynamic weapons and creativity in their schemes. He hasn’t ran as much as I expected him to coming out of college, but that isn’t always a bad thing. Just look at what’s going on down in D.C. with Robert Griffin III and see what running the football too much gets your quarterback.
What Manuel gives this offense is not only a guy who can make most of the throws and create plays scrambling out of the pocket, but he opens up new opportunities for his running backs, wide receivers and tight ends.
As of right now, it looks like the Bills had quite the stellar 2013 NFL Draft as Manuel and wide receiver Robert Woods have made tremendous impacts early. C.J. Spiller rebounded this week going for 103 yards on the ground on just 16 carries. Spiller also caught four balls for 26 yards. His compliment, Fred Jackson, added 12 carries for 30 yards and a touchdown, while also catching four balls for 23 yards. Steve Johnson still remains the clear No. 1 threat snagging eight balls for 111 yards and a score through the air.
Defenses have to be off-balance with all of these weapons and the fact that the Bills can run and throw with equal efficiency, it has to give defensive coordinators nightmares when they ponder the thoughts of adding one or two additional defenders in the box. This offense for the Bills has speed, players who are extremely versatile and can catch passes in the short, intermediate and deep-passing games and they appear to be a closely-knit group under Manuel’s guidance.
At least they know that E.J. cares… I mean, who cries after a win over the Panthers?
Courtesy: SB Nation
