Buffalo Bills Coach says E.J. Manuel needs to return to practice by Wednesday to start
By Mike Dyce
The Buffalo Bills offense is in disarray already and we haven’t even played the fourth a final preseason game. Kevin Kolb has been mulling or not mulling retirement based on which reports you’ve read after suffering a concussion. E.J. Manuel is recovering from an operation on his knee.
That has forced the Bills to name Jeff Tuel the starter for the season opener against the New England Patriots. That also started a chain reaction of the Bills signing NFL veteran Matt Leinart and trading for Thaddeus Lewis from the Detroit Lions. E.J. Manuel needs to be cleared for full practice by next Wednesday to start in the season opener according to head coach Doug Marrone.
“If the doctor said, ‘You’re not going to get him on that field until Thursday, and then he’ll be ready to play on Sunday,’ I would be concerned about doing that,” Marrone said, via Buffalo News. “If they said, ‘Hey, we can get him on that field on Monday or Wednesday, I would see how he played and make a decision.”
Manuel began working out Sunday but isn’t throwing yet.
“He’s telling me he’s ready to go,” Marrone said. “But, obviously, he’s not.”
Even if he practices ahead of the deadline, Marrone says he’d still have to be evaluated.
“When he goes out there that first day and practices, we’ll see, for lack of a better term, how rusty he may be or if he’ll need more” time, Marrone said.
“As soon as we get him to start throwing again, that’ll help in the process. But the first day he’s out there doing anything, I’ll have a good feel for how long it may be.”