“EJ Manuel pays close attention to Ben Roethlisbergerâ€
From Matthew Fairburn at the Syracuse Post-Standard:
The Buffalo Bills have a vision for what they want to be.
They want to be a tough, physical football team that depends on their defense and running game to win. They want to give their young quarterback — who has a big arm, can move his feet and is a handful to bring down — a chance to succeed by surrounding him with talent. Most of all, they want to get back to the playoffs and snap a 14-year drought.
In other words, they want to replicate what the Pittsburgh Steelers did early in Ben Roethlisberger’s career.
Yes, a Super Bowl is a lofty target for the Bills, who have gone 6-10 in each of the last three seasons, but general manager Doug Whaley spent time in the Steelers organization and wants a few things to rub off on his current team.
“Their toughness and their idea that nothing less is expected than a championship,†Whaley said. “That’s what we’re trying to get to.â€
Whaley has a particular vision for his second-year quarterback, EJ Manuel. He thinks he can be the Bills’ version of Roethlisberger — a big, strong-armed quarterback with some mobility. So Manuel was paying extra attention to the Steelers’ quarterback on Wednesday to see how he prepares and how he handles himself.
“It’s huge,†Manuel said of practicing with Roethlisberger. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Big Ben. Growing up in Virginia, it’s not too far from Pittsburgh, and obviously early in his career he took those guys to a Super Bowl, so like I said earlier, to get an opportunity to come out and practice with him is awesome.â€