FSU Fans react to EJ Manuel Oakland Raider debut
By Kelvin Hunt
Former FSU quarterback EJ Manuel gets a new start with the Oakland Raiders.
EJ Manuel may be one of the most underappreciated players in the Jimbo Fisher era at FSU. His stats are better than Christian Ponder and he won bigger games for the ‘Noles.
His measurables coupled with his play and potential got him drafted in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.
However, he was out of Buffalo after four seasons of progressively starting fewer games, and traded to the Oakland Raiders to likely backup Derek Carr.
Manuel got his first taste of action in a Raider uniform Saturday night against the Arizona Cardinals and played about as well he could have hoped.
He finished the game 10 of 12 pass completed for 107 yards while averaging 8.9 yards per pass. Manuel definitely outplayed Conner Cook who he’s battling for the backup position.
Twitter Reaction
EJ Manuel had a good game last night. He had some really pretty throws including a gorgeous touch pass.
— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) August 13, 2017
EJ Manuel putting Connor Cook deep down the depth chart
— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) August 13, 2017
EJ Manuel with his first incompletion of game, trying for Cordarrelle Patterson deep down sideline. Manuel was 7-of-7 for 57 yards.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 13, 2017
Derek Carr on new Raiders backup QB EJ Manuel: "It looks like he's having fun again. ... He was a first-round pick for a reason."
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 9, 2017
Jelly looked good but IMO EV94 looked better. EJ manuel is gonna be a great back up. Walford looked good. Alot to be happy about!
— Kyle Van Ek (@van_ek25) August 13, 2017
Thoughts
I’m super happy for Manuel who went to a franchise in Buffalo who seemingly couldn’t find a way to utilize the things he does best.
A new start on a Raider team that’s flirting with making the playoffs could be the right thing to jump-start his career. Not to mention Derek Carr seem to be injury prone, so it’s possible he could seem himself in a meaningful game sooner rather than later.
Next: The Unfair Criticism of EJ Manuel Over FSU Career
He just needs to keep the momentum going and who knows, some team who needs a starting quarterback may be willing to take a chance on him with a solid preseason under his belt.