E.J. Manuel Drive by Drive Analysis
With Kevin Kolb’s injury concerns and personal difficulties, E.J. Manuel was given the reigns for the Bills’ first preseason game against the Colts. Manuel, the first round draft pick out of Florida State University, is currently battling with Kevin Kolb for Buffalo’s starting quarterback job.
On Manuel’s first series of the game, the Bills were forced to start their drive from inside the 5 yard line due to an excellent punt. Although C.J. Spiller bailed out the Bills with a few first down runs, the drive stalled quickly and Buffalo was forced to punt. E.J. Manuel only attempted two passes, and on the first attempt he missed an open receiver about 15 yards down the field. On Manuel’s second attempt, which was a screen pass to Fred Jackson, E.J. almost threw an incompletion on an easy pass. After a disappointing opening drive, the former Florida State Seminole looked to recover on the second series.
Aug 11, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback EJ Manuel (3) gestures at the line of scrimmage during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Unfortunately, Manuel never got the chance to impress on his second series. After a short rush on first down, C.J. Spiller fumbled the handoff and the Colts pounced on the ball immediately. Luckily for Manuel, the fumble was not his fault so the rookie managed to avoid any criticism on his second drive.
After an excellent return by fellow rookie Marquise Goodwin, E.J. Manuel started his third drive in excellent field position, starting from Buffalo’s 47. After a rough start to the drive, Manuel scrambled out of the pocket for a first down and more on a 3rd a 6. Because of this conversion, E.J. Manuel picked up some momentum and completed the next two passes for first downs. On these throws Manuel looked sharp, and his decision making was on point. On 3rd and goal, Manuel completed a pass well short of the end zone and the Bills were forced to settle for three. Despite Manuel’s inability to lead the offense to a touchdown, he looked much better on this series and also showed off his legs as he ran for a 24 yard gain.
On Manuel’s fourth drive, his crispness was gone. On 2nd down E.J. completed a pass to an open Robert Woods, although the pass floated and should have been more sharp and direct. This has been a constant theme with Manuel, and if he plans to win the job and take the Bills to the playoffs he will have to address this problem. On 3rd and 2, Manuel missed an open target for the first down, throwing the ball behind the receiver on a slant route.
After the Bills’ defense picked off Colts’ backup quarterback Matt Hasselback, the rookie signal caller had an excellent opportunity to put the ball into the end zone, starting the drive deep into opponent territory. Manuel played decently on this drive, completing two passes to pick up a first down. However, poor play-calling and execution by the Bills caused the drive to stall, and after an unsuccessful quarterback rollout the Bills were forced to kick a field goal.
On Manuel’s sixth and final drive, he had a chance to operate the two minute offense with 1:55 left in the half. Starting with the ball inside the 10-yard line, Manuel successfully led a drive down the field. Operating a West Coast style offense, Manuel got rid of the ball quickly and captained his troops down the field with multiple short, crisp passes. Robert Woods carried the receiving core on this drive, catching three passes for 25 yards. Look for Manuel and Woods to continue this connection for the rest of the preseason and possibly into the regular season. Finally, Manuel capped off the drive with a phenomenal 17-yard touchdown pass to Dorin Dickerson. Overall on the drive, Manuel went 9-10, 66 yards, 1 TD, not to mention that the one incompletion was because of a defensive penalty.
In a first half filled with disappointment and sub-par play from the 16th overall pick, Manuel turned it all around and operated the perfect two minute offense. Manuel’s leadership and poise on that drive was extraordinary, and it almost makes up for all his previous mishaps in the game. If Manuel can continue to work and play like he did on his final drive, he will be in a prime position to win the Bills’ quarterback battle.