This season is believed to be all about rebuilding a franchise in Buffalo, but that doesn’t mean the team won’t be focused on winning games in 2013. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The Bills want to win games as they rebuild their roster, and winning in the NFL starts with the quarterback.
To that end, the Bills aren’t concerned with which of their quarterbacks is younger or shows more developmental promise. Instead, the Bills are concerned with which quarterback gives them the best chance of winning now.
“What I look at is it's really which players can we put on the field to win now,” head coach Doug Marrone said via John Wawrow of the Associated Press, after being asked if E.J. Manuel has the edge because he's regarded as the team's future. “A lot of people talk about the future. And really the future for us as coaches and as a team is now.
“You can't succumb to speculation of down the road this person will be a better player,” Marrone continued. “I'm looking for who is the best player now.”
The Bills have not posted a winning record since 2004, a time when Mike Mularkey (yes, the Jaguars’ former head coach) was the head coach, and the team has not made the postseason since 1999.
The Bills do have a pair of potentially solid quarterbacks on roster. Kevin Kolb showed flashes last season before being knocked out of commission, and E.J. Manuel, while full of raw talent, could certainly evolve to be the future of the franchise.
It’s the right idea to try to win games now instead of forfeiting another season, but the Bills also have to ready for a time when they have to change their season goals. Right now, they’re operating like every team in the league. They’re saying, “We think we have a chance to do some really great things.”
In reality, the Bill’s roster isn’t a deep group, and they’re not going to the playoffs this season. They don’t have the talent. Once that realization is made, the Bills will have to consider what is best for the future of the team. If Kevin Kolb is leading a poor offense, that may be when E.J. Manuel gets his first meaningful playing time in the NFL.
Right now, the Bills want to win, and who can blame them for that?
