Buffalo Bills close to naming E.J. Manuel starting quarterback?
By Bryan Rose
It wasn’t so much what E.J. Manuel did during last night’s preseason game as much as it was what Kevin Kolb didn’t do.
The former Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback was again horrible, clearing way for E.J. Manuel to take the starting quarterback role, something Bills beat reporter Joe Buscaglia considers ‘done’.
Per WGR 550:
"Make whichever argument you’d like in favor of Kevin Kolb. “It was only his first game!” “He was going up against the first team of a good defense!” “He’s just coming off an injury!” It really doesn’t matter, because in the opinion of many (including your author) the competition to be the Week One starter for the Bills is now a dead issue. Kolb was indecisive, didn’t take many chances down the field and missed many of his intermediate targets. His stats, 13-of-21 for 111 yards and an interception make it sound a little better than his day was, but Kolb did himself no favors. Couple that with EJ Manuel’s drive to begin the second half where he went 6-of-6 including a touchdown toss to Brad Smith, and the conclusion for many is consistent: the rookie needs to be named the starter this year. He’s the best man for the job and has outperformed Kolb throughout training camp and now in an individual preseason game. Game, set, match: Manuel."
On the flip side, Manuel has been nothing short of fantastic through the Bills first two preseason tilts, completing nearly 80% (!!!) of his passes all while valuing the ball – something Kolb isn’t exactly known for.