Bills quarterback EJ Manuel isn’t letting his benching get him down.
“As a competitor it is a tough pill to swallow, but at the same time, I always want to be positive,” Manuel told the Buffalo News. “I still believe that I’m a good football player and I know there’s tons of room for me to grow. I’ll get there.”
Manuel was told that history is not on his side: Since 2007, eight first-round quarterbacks have been benched. None came back to become their team’s permanent starters again, and those who have had a chance to start because of injuries (like Manuel’s predecessor at Florida State, Christian Ponder, last night) have not done well.
“Well maybe I can be the first,” Manuel said, “Who knows. We’ll see.”
Maybe Manuel will still become the Bills’ franchise quarterback, or maybe he’ll catch on somewhere else. Or maybe when the Bills benched him for Kyle Orton, they were declaring that he just isn’t good enough, and taking him in the first round of last year’s draft was a mistake.
