Rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel led the Bills to a win on Sunday by taking them 80 yards in 96 seconds before throwing a game-winning touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson.
That kind of performance under pressure is usually a sign of a player who knows how to keep an even keel that stops the moment from becoming too much for him. Manuel earned praise from his teammates for his poise on that final drive, but coach Doug Marrone was more taken by the way Manuel kept his composure after throwing an interception earlier in the fourth quarter.
Marrone said after the game that he found himself getting riled up by the fact that Manuel was so placid after the mistake.
“He keeps telling me, and it gets me upset, he keeps telling me ‘I’m all right,’” Marrone said, via Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News. “If he’s all right, then why is he making these decisions? But that’s the type of kid he is. He’s very relaxed, so I’m like, ‘What did you see? Why’d you do that? That’s not the read.’”
That interception was one of several plays Manuel made that jeopardized the Bills’ chances of winning the game, but his ability to shrug off mistakes and keep the offense working well enough to wind up with the win will linger longer.