Is Buffalo Bills New Ownership Pressuring Doug Marrone?
By Erik Lambert
Sep 28, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. The Texans defeated the Bills 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Nothing changes the landscape of a team more than new owners. For Doug Marrone, is the pressure on to win quickly for the Buffalo Bills?
E.J. Manuel switch for Kyle Orton reeks of desperation
Sitting at 2-2 it’s not like the season is a lost cause for the Buffalo Bills. They are still very much in the AFC playoff picture and contention for their division. So the question is why, after just four games, would they decide to suddenly bench second-year quarterback E.J. Manuel in favor of veteran backup Kyle Orton?
The simple reasoning is performance on the field. Manuel is coming off the worst game of the season in which he completed just 47% of his passes and threw two costly interceptions against Houston. Looking at the first quarter of 2014 it’s true he hasn’t played quite up to his 1st round draft status thus far. However, it’s also not like he’s played terrible. Manuel has six total touchdowns to three interceptions. It should also be noted he missed six games in 2013 with injury. So he is still essentially a rookie.
Benching him now doesn’t have the smell of just bad play. This is something else. Head coach Doug Marrone was rumored to be having problems with Bills management during the off-season, specifically regarding personnel. Toss in the latest development of new ownership and the second-year coach is definitely in tight spot. After all, the new owners may have certain ideas about how they want the franchise run and that may not include him. So unless he gives them a reason, he could be out by the end of the year.
That means winning games. Having lost two-in-a-row, Marrone clearly believes he can no longer afford to stay patient with Manuel. His best hope may be putting the reins in the hands of a veteran like Kyle Orton. It’s a bold move, but one that has a bad sense of desperation to it.