When Cassel and Manuel are among your choices, why not see if Taylor is for real? He didn’t hit any long strikes, but he didn’t connect with tight end Charles Clay down the field for a first down. As well as some untimely drops by the receivers, he had to contend with two consecutive bad snaps by center Alex Kupper. With the Browns coming in, I came in here and had a great opportunity and that’s what I did. With the help of wide receiver Deonte Thompson, E.J. Manuel landed the only touchdown pass of the game in a 51-yard throw. But again that is the problem with Manuel, the mixed bag of throws.
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EJ Manuel was a first-round pick of the Bills in 2013, although the fact that he’s working with the third team in practices and preseason games right now makes it clear that he’s not getting anything handed to him as a result of where he was selected.
In their first game of the preseason on Friday night, the Bills started Matt Cassel who reportedly has the inside track on the starting job in Buffalo. The Bills would end up getting a touchdown, capping off a 13 play, 90 yard drive.
Still, Taylor ran the plays he was given and did his best to show Ryan and offensive coordinator Greg Roman that he can deliver the ball and not just be a read-option runner.
Naturally Taylor, who passed for 49 yards and rushed for 47 in the game Friday and led a pair of scoring drives, was buoyed by the prospect of starting next week against the Browns. It was a good performance. Against Carolina, Cassel did what he does which is throw high percentage passes, moves the chains and make very few mistakes. “But if that’s not what coach has for me, I’ll just roll with it”. He’s a beast. He’s providing the Bills with a nice boost at a position they didn’t get a lot of production from in 2014.
The Bills staff has to be happy to have Carpenter back after Jordan Gay missed a field goal badly in the first pre-season game.
Kelvin Benjamin ousts Ronald Darby in a jump ball.
His biggest problem seemed to be when he was lined up on the outside. Cassel started against the Panthers and looked good in a quarter of work. Otherwise, he’ll be nothing more than a slot defender.
Rex Ryan informed us that Bills DE Jarius Wynn has injured his ACL and could possibly be lost for the season. “So to hear him explain why he does and why he calls a situation and the reason the technique needs to be this way, he definitely goes into detail about why we are running this defense at a certain time in the game”.
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“It’s different styles; you get Cassel the veteran who played to his strength, Tyrod whose got a little magic to him and EJ, who steps in and performs”, Ryan told reporters following the Bills 25-24 defeat at the hands of the Panthers.
