New Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan is excited to work with young quarterback EJ Manuel.
Rex Ryan was officially announced as the Buffalo Bills’ new head coach on Wednesday, and he had a lot to say during his first press conference with the team. He was signed after the New York Jets fired him following the 2014 season, and the Bills believe that he can take them to the next level and into the postseason.
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He took the time to talk about his expectations of the playoffs, and then spoke a bit about quarterback E.J. Manuel, a subject of great contention in his new home of Buffalo.
It appears that Ryan is very high on the young quarterback, and believes that he has potential to make a major impact if he ends up being the starter this season. Ryan said that Manuel has a “lot of traits you look for in a quarterback.”
Manuel was benched this season by former head coach Doug Marrone in favor of Kyle Orton, who ended up retiring after the season. In the five games that he did play this season, he ended up throwing for 838 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also ran for 52 yards and a touchdown.
Ryan did mention that he’d like to see Manuel use his legs a bit more, and it sounded similar to the type of game that he wanted to see from Geno Smith during his tenure with the Jets.
The media also asked whether or not the Bills plan to run a pass-heavy offense, and Ryan made mention of their rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins. He’ll be heading into his second season next year, and that will give him plenty of time to work on the things that he learned in his rookie year. Buffalo needed a new coach with the type of attitude that Ryan is going to bring them, and they could very well make the jump into the postseason next year.
All of that being said, the Bills are very happy with their hire and believe that Ryan can take them to the next level. Manuel is the best quarterback on the roster now, and appears to have his starting spot back at this point in time. There is a chance that the Bills make a move for another this offseason, but Ryan seems happy with Manuel–if that’s who ends up being their guy.
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