Fast forward five months and EJ Manuel is out with a knee injury. The fan base is back to where they were, in a state of mind all too familiar, filled with questions and curiosity as to who will lead the offense going forward.
Is it Kevin Kolb? The QB signed in free agency to battle with EJ Manuel for the starting job? No. Kolb went down with a serious concussion in preseason and won't see a regular season snap this year, if ever again. Is it Jeff Tuel? The undrafted QB out of Washington State who tore up third team defenses in preseason? He was the only active QB on the roster when Manuel went down after all. Tuel came in when Manuel went out and underwhelmed the local fans in a loss on the road to the Cleveland Browns in the national spotlight. He seemed destined to be a career backup but this could be his chance. The days rolled on, rumors circulated, uncertainty filled the cool, crisp air in WNY and Jeff Tuel was still the QB, by default.
There were rumors that the Bills would be interested in bringing recently released, former Buccaneers first round QB Josh Freeman. If that failed, the Bills were working out free agent QB's Dennis Dixon and Pat White as a fall back plan. The day finally came to announce which QB would be taking the snaps from Eric Wood under center and it was none of the above. Tuel, despite spelling Manuel in Cleveland, was not chosen. Josh Freeman signed with the Minnesota Vikings no longer making him an option. Pat White left Buffalo and went for a tryout all the way across the country in Oakland, California for the Raiders. Dennis Dixon was not signed to the active roster, however he was signed a few days later to take the spot vacated by the Bills Week 6 starting QB, Thaddeus Lewis.
Thaddeus Lewis? Now this isn't a huge surprise as the Bills did trade LB Chris White for him in the preseason and he has been in the system ever since but still a surprise by some peoples standards. Thaddeus Lewis was cut when the 53-man roster was finalized, keeping Jeff Tuel in the process, but was able to be stashed on the Bills Practice Squad. It's interesting that the Bills felt Tuel was good enough to be a backup, but not good enough to start and Lewis was not good enough to be a backup, but was good enough to start. It was an interesting decision to say the least but a decision that has been made nonetheless. The Buffalo Bills will return home, after a long week of rest, to face the Cincinnati Bengals fresh off of a victory against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Let's get to know the Bills new starting QB who is looking to do what future Hall of Farmer Tom Brady was unable to do one week prior and that's beat the Bengals.
I wanted to put together an article about Thaddeus Lewis so you can look like a genius at the bar, your Bills get together or your tailgate at the Ralph on Sunday. Here are some nuggets of information you can use at your disposal:
College
- Was offered scholarships from Michigan State, Pittsburgh, South Florida, TCU and Duke.
- Went to Duke where he played four seasons from 2006-2009.
- Set school records for 10,065 yards passing and 67 touchdown passes.
- Led the ACC his senior year in passing yards, attempts and completions. The ACC is the same conference that EJ Manuel played in at Florida State.
- His best college game came against North Carolina State his senior year going 40 for 50 with an 80% completion percentage for 450 yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
- He makes very good decisions, protecting the ball as shown by his school record of 206 passes without an interception.
- The Duke Blue Devils went 10-38 under Thaddeus Lewis, 4-28 in the ACC and 6-10 out of conference.
- Duke never made a bowl game with Lewis under center but it wasn't because of him that's for sure. He was a good player on a bad team.
NFL Draft
- Measured in at 6'0, 215 pounds with 32 and 5/8th arm length and 9 5/8th hands.
- Strengths included - Good decision making. Makes plays with feet when primary targets are covered. Tough, can take a hit and still make the throw while stepping up in the pocket. Throws well on the run. Has deceptive speed. Decent arm strength. Can add some zip on short and intermediate passes.
- Weaknesses included - Lacks height to play the position. Wind up delivery leads to batted balls and interceptions as it gives defensive players time to react to the throw. Holds on to the ball too long as he tends to be cautious at times. Has decent arm strength but not great. Lacks the accuracy to consistently move his team down the field. Doesn't have great accuracy on deep balls as the ball tends to hang in the air.
- Projected to be a 7th - UDFA and a career backup QB.
- 14 QB's were drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft however Thaddeus Lewis was not one of them.
- Went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft in a very weak QB class that featured Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy.
- Signed as an UDFA with the St. Louis Rams.
- The Buffalo Bills passed on Thaddeus Lewis in the 7th round, instead drafting Levi Brown, QB - Troy.
NFL Career (Before Buffalo)
- UDFA of the St. Louis Rams, backing up 2010 1st overall pick, Sam Bradford. Lewis never started a game in St. Louis.
- Released by the Rams and picked up by the Cleveland Browns the following summer.
- The Browns were looking for competition for Colt McCoy, another 2010 NFL Draft pick.
- Thaddeus Lewis was waived twice and re-signed twice, eventually landing on the Browns practice squad.
- When Colt McCoy and Brandon Weeden went down during the 2012 season, Thaddeus Lewis started the final regular season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- In his first NFL season start, on the road, Lewis went 22 for 32 for 204 yards, one touchdown, one interception and also had one rush for three yards.
- Lewis and his Browns were tied 10-10 at the 11:03 mark of the 3rd quarter, eventually falling to Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers 24-10.
- In the off-season of 2013, Lewis was cut by the Browns and picked up by the Detroit Lions to compete with Kellen Moore for the 3rd QB spot behind Matt Stafford and Shaun Hill.
- Late in the summer, his time in Detroit ended as he was traded to the Buffalo Bills for LB - Chris White.
NFL Career (With the Buffalo Bills)
- Thaddeus Lewis' first game action with the Buffalo Bills was against the Detroit Lions in Week 4 of the preseason.
- Lewis went 7 for 16 for 132 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions and 7 rushes for 51 yards in the game after only being with the team for less than a week. He threw a 79 yard TD pass to Marcus Easley late in the 4th quarter of the 35-13 loss.
- Lewis was cut by the Bills before the start of the season, losing the backup QB job to Jeff Tuel and was stashed on the teams practice squad.
- Lewis remained on the practice squad until EJ Manuel went down with an injury in Week 5. Lewis was summoned by head coach, Doug Marrone from the practice squad to the active roster and named the starter for the Week 6 home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
So there you have it. All you need to know about the Buffalo Bills new starting QB. Thaddeus Lewis went undrafted in a weak draft class for a reason. Thaddeus Lewis has been a career backup for a reason. Thaddeus Lewis has been cut by two teams and traded by another team for a reason. Does this mean our season is over? No but don't show up to The Ralph on Sunday expecting Thaddeus Lewis to light up a great Bengals defense. His job will be to manage the game, minimize mistakes, avoid turnovers, rely on the run game, and pick up some first downs with his legs. It is not impossible for Thaddeus Lewis to get his first career win in the NFL. There's something about a QB with a "nothing to lose" mentality. If Brian Hoyer can come in and win a few games for the Browns, I don't see why it would be impossible for Thaddeus Lewis to do the same, especially with a great defense and a solid run game.
Here's to Sir Thaddeus Lewis bridging the gap until EJ Manuel comes back from his knee injury. I'll see you at The Ralph on Sunday. Go Bills!
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