Hapless Bills Fan
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Posts posted by Hapless Bills Fan
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1 hour ago, Doc said:
I have no doubt they will. And I think the Daryl Williams is still in play to return.That would not be a bad idea at all, but I'm guessing the Quessenberry signing is their Guard/T Williams replacement
Quite possibly Williams is still hoping to get closer to the salary he was due to receive from the Bills, or at least Saffold-level pay
54 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:Just look around the AFC at the Chiefs and Bengals.
Chiefs offensive line got blasted in the SB in 2020. What do they do? Go out and spend tons of money to fix it and protect their star.
Bengals offensive line was absolutely awful last season. They go out and spend a boat load on some of the better offensive line FAs available.
What do the Bills do? Add new line coach, sign an aging broken down Saffold, and call it a day.😅
It makes me nervous when I find myself agreeing with you, but this is pretty much how I see it.
A counter-point is that the Chiefs had a stronger need for a complete OL rebuild. In 2020, the Chiefs lost their LT to an Achilles tear, and their center was not All That. So it made sense for them to invest in LT (trade) and C (draft)
2021 was arguably Morse' best year, and prior to 2021, the Bills appeared to be set at LT (Dawkins) and RT (Williams)
The big difference IMHO was the KC investment in a top FA guard (Thuney) while the Bills did not make that investment last year or this year. Of course, the Chiefs also invested a late draft pick at a talented G who fell in the draft due to medical concerns. The Bills invested a mid-round and late pick on OL, but they have made NO comparable investments at IOL.
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1 hour ago, Giuseppe Tognarelli said:
I don't think I suggested that we should use a late-round pick; you could address the position in free agency next year just like you did this year, or you could do something like a 2nd rounder and a 5th rounder for added depth. The point is that people are hooting and hollering about guard and it's premature. I think what it really is is a lack of trust in Bates and pure unadulterated disdain for Ford; frankly, a lot of Bills fans are just mad at him and have developed the flawed belief that he isn't even good enough to be a depth player. I saw someone upthread (or maybe it was another thread) say something like, "You seriously think we can't get a UDFA guard who's better than Ford?" It's crazy. Just listen to Beane the other night. Like I've said, the team still believes in Ford.
Great, the team believes in Ford. But every time he's had the opportunity to start, he's played himself onto the bench quite promptly. Beane said off-season last year he felt he was one of our best 5. That wasn't true. If this was because of injury, then he's injured too often to rely upon. I'd like to believe in Ford, he seems to be an estimable young man, but when the Bills have relied upon him he's let us down. But I'm not going to argue another person's words here.
It's really not about the quality of the backups, it's about whether Beane's done enough to upgrade the starting OL.
Here's the thing, Giuseppe: the OL last season ranged from mediocre to tire fire. People attribute the up-tick in rushing yards to Bates subbing for injured Boettger. That's not quite true. They improved to mediocre and we ran OK at the end of the season in part because we used Allen as our best RB, running him an average of 9x per game. That's not sustainable if we want him to have a long career. We also used Tommy Doyle as a 2nd TE and benched Tommy Sweeney. We also used a fullback more. That's great, but these changes take targets for Josh off the field and make it more likely he'll have to scramble to convert 1st downs.
In his post season presser, Beane referred to Dawkins-Bates-Morse-Williams-Brown as "a starting point".
Either you feel Dawkins-Saffold-Morse-Bates-Brown is "an upgrade" on that starting point, or you don't. I don't, I think that's where others who are stressing about the OL are coming from. Bates may be as good at RG as he showed at LG. I didn't see him as a zone run blocking mauler. Saffold is a much better run blocker but is not a strong pass blocker, and was injured a lot last season.
It's great if the Bills can address the position in FA, but the top FA guards are signing for $14M AAV with $30M guaranteed. Saffold was a mediocre FA signing, even though I like him as a player more than several knowledgeable folks do, because of his age (33) and his injury history. It's really not a clear upgrade on Williams, because of the missed time last season and because while he's 100% better run blocker than Williams, he's not as good in pass protection, possibly a downgrade on Boettger and Bates at LG in pass pro.
And if the Bills draft a guard, in the 2nd to 5th round next year, we'll be counting on him for an immediate upgrade instead of giving him a year to learn behind Saffold and gain some playing time with the inevitable injuries.
Fundamentally, what this is about for me is not trusting Beane to put his money (and his resources) where his mouth is on OL. He openly acknowledges he didn't do enough at OL in 2018. 2019 was better but the 2019 and 2020 playoffs showed all our OL flaws and the 2020 season was the start of a flawed run game as well, as we transitioned to a zone run blocking scheme our OL struggled to execute. 2021 was, if anything, worse at the start.
It's just not clear Beane has done enough.
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3 hours ago, BuffaloBill said:
The Bills may also be playing - wait out the cuts - game. While on the surface you hate the idea of picking up another team’s cut down, it happens every year. Good players get cut because of money or scheme fit. Maybe the Bills will add depth via this route.
it’s a possibility. But the new league rules with only one cutdown make this harder and riskierEdit: If the league does again what they did last season where 5 players are cut after Preseason Game 1 and 5 more after preseason Game 2, that helps I guess - but those are usually the bottom of the roster unless there's a salary cap sacrifice to extend someone else.
Also I guess there may be salary cap cuts or players available for trade after the draft - maybe?
Essentially in signing Saffold and Quessenbury, we signed the Titans salary cap cut downs.
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1 hour ago, BobbyC81 said:
From what’s come from the Bills, there will be no competing with Spencer Brown.
*Ahem*
I'm sure the Bills have the intent that Spencer Brown did enough in 2021 to be written in as the starting RT before the 2022 season. He struggled at time and showed flaws, but if he makes the ordinary progression and develops as most 2nd year players do, we should good at RT
I'm sure the Bills had the intent that Daryl Williams did enough in 2020 to be written in as the starting RT before the 2021 season. He had a good year in 2020. Then the 2021 season began, and he pretty much sucked. So his name got crossed out at RT and Spencer Brown got the gig.
Bottom line, there will be no competing with Spencer Brown, until/unless competing is needed.
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2 hours ago, MrEpsYtown said:
I said Davis is replacing Sanders as the number 2 and Shakir is taking over Davis’ old spot. Meaning Shakir’s usage is probably going to be similar to what we saw with the Davis the last few years. Apologies if I was unclear.As for Shakir taking over Davis spot.....I have read a lot of projecting him as a slot at the NFL level.
But the main thing which got Davis onto the field before John Brown was injured and while Sanders was healthy, was that Davis made himself into the best blocker of our WR corps.
Can one say anything aout Shakir as a blocker?
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13 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:
The defense was great last season.
The offense declined from their great 2020 season..........they lost 3 games in 5 weeks scoring a feeble 9, 15 and 10 points.........and they allowed a horrific 125 combined sacks and pressures and finished last in YAC yardage. Those struggles put them on the road in the playoffs where they were 0-3 under McDermott.
But they again spent their top assets on defense.........big FA money on a new pass rusher and their top pick on a CB.
So overall, I think I'm pretty firmly on record as believing that overall, Beane's FA and draft resources are skewed towards the D.
In fairness though, a balanced perspective requires acknowledgement that the defense sucked at times last season. If we're going to acknowledge 3 games where the offense scored 6 (not 9 - that was the victor's point total), 15, and 10 points - then the other side of the coin is 9 regular season and 2 playoff games where the offense scored 30 or more points (40 or more 4x).
And we have to acknowledge 3 games where the defense gave up 34 points, 41 points, and 33 points during the regular season, and a fourth giving up 42 points in the playoffs.
Some of those games where the defense gave up so many points (or didn't, but lost anyway) had a common flaw - giving so much respect to the run game that we were susceptible to play action and screen passes. In general, our D has been able to shut down good passing teams and shut down good running teams - but struggled against teams that showed some abilities to do both, like Tenn and Indy.
So I'm sure that video is being sliced and diced and analyzed and OCs are working overtime on how to exploit that, meaning Something Had to Be Done on Defense.
I'm not disagreeing about the disparity of resources on offense vs defense, but you seem to be implying that the offense was a clear problem while the defense was great, when the more accurate picture is that both had their struggles at different times.
I wish I felt better that we'd done enough on OL to fix them.
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6 hours ago, MAJBobby said:
Like I do every year I will keep all the reported signings below. However they tend to come fast and Furious. So if you see one not listed here feel free to say it and tag me with link. Will update the main post.
as we are in the rounds players are sitting there thinking might be better to go UDFA at this point I figured I would start the thread to be ready to start updating it.
I know in past I loved UDFA looking for players to still contribute right away. Bills are no longer at that point but get me players with at least ONE elite trait
RB Raheem Blackshear
TE Jalen Wydermyer - there is a chance to make the team here
CB Travon Fuller
DT Prince Emili
WR Malik Williams
WR Neil Pau’uIOL Alex Anderson
75 on Contract (with draft picks)
7 UDFAs reportedly signed
82 on roster (8 open spots)
Add Syracuse DE Kingsley Jonathan
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21 minutes ago, ArtVandalay said:
Darryl Williams was absolute trash this past year. The guy didn't even know the snap count with the game on the line vs the Jags and never got out of his stance. Not enough push and just a disaster.
Disagree. Williams blew as an RT last year, but he did much better as a RG.
As for the snap count, communication is a two-way street
I think Saffold is an upgrade as a run blocker, but his pass blocking was poor last season and has historically not been his best attribute.
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3 hours ago, Fred Slacks said:
Not sure how to merge topics.
I can take care of that little thing for you. Basically ya need a mod.
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2 hours ago, No_Matter_What said:
There is a pinned thread for this already...
This
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12 minutes ago, BTB said:
Quantity does not equal quality. If any of Bates-Morse-Saffold go down for any period of time, you better hope that Kromer is a miracle worker.
I am hoping he is the Second Coming of Coach Scar
4 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:Ford blows… really unfortunate they can’t just let him go and start anew… the Bills have one of if not the best starting rosters in the league, good depth on defense but really suspect depth on the offensive line and at wide out…. Could ***** em come playoff time.
It's a bad day when I find myself agreeing with ScottLaw but I'm forced to agree that the depth on OL appears tenuous at this point.
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1 hour ago, BigAl2526 said:
One big factor was his disaster of a combine and his 5.03 40.
apparently one reason he dropped was, literally, drops in 2021?
31 minutes ago, Giuseppe Tognarelli said:You mean for next year? We're all set with great depth this year. We can worry about next year next year. Guard is not a premium position you have to worry about a year in advance.
Ah. Permit me to point out a little contradiction.
If guard is not a premium position, and you don't want to use a high pick on it (1st or 2nd round), fine
But later round picks often take a year or two to develop into pro-level talents
There are guys who come in like Trey Smith for KC and play very well as rookies
Question since you appear to have studied the matter:
how many of the starting guards in the NFL who were drafted in later rounds, actually played very well their first season, or even first 2 seasons?
how many took 1-2 season to develop?
Wyatt Teller started looking like "all that and a bag of Chips" his 3rd year in the league
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1 hour ago, BTB said:
Time machine to take us back to the day before Teller was traded to the Browns? 😂
HA! Beane all but said he wanted one in his post-draft presser.
6 minutes ago, gonzo1105 said:
Saffold and Bates as starters, Ford, Q-Berry as backups with Boettger starting the year on PUP.
My guess is you have:
OT- Dawkins, Brown, Q-Berry, Doyle
OG- Saffold, Bates, Ford, Q-Berry
OC- Morse, Mancz
PUP-Boettger
My biggest concern is actually Center. If Morse goes down does Mancz come in or does Bates go to Center and Q-Berry comes in at Guard
I think both of those plans at backup C work. It may come down to who's most comfortable with Kromer's teachings and who's most comfortable with Josh?
I think you have it on the depth chart too, but given Beane talked about an OL of Dawkins-Bates-Morse-Williams-Brown as "a starting point", I gotta say that an OL of Dawkins-Saffold-Morse-Bates-Brown doesn't look like it's moved the needle off that "starting point" very far, unless Kromer has a magic wand to improve Saffold's performance at pass pro.
Methinks Beane speaks with forked tongue about building from the lines when it comes to offense.
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4 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:
OG.........need bodies there
The amazing depth of the Bills roster is greatly overstated.......especially on the offensive side of the ball.......this UDFA class is going to be the largest ever so they should be able to get some competition and maybe even a guy or two who will actually MAKE the 53.
I'm under-enthused by our lone IOL signing in Alec Anderson from UCLA. I agree with you that our IOL depth is thin.
Ford wasn't good enough last season
Boettger may need a year to come back from his Achilles - a study showed 68% RTP recently, but many of those players need a year to return to form
Quessenberry had most of his game experience at RT and wasn't good enough for the Titans to keep him although he's a terrific personal story - he may be here to compete with Spencer Brown
Greg Mancz is IMO is this year's Feliciano, a smart versatile guy who can play all 3 IOL positions but when he had his chance to start, he couldn't lock it down
Question for all: who else is out there as an UDFA or FA?
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12 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:
Do you think he'll have to change his number?
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4 hours ago, MAJBobby said:
Like I do every year I will keep all the reported signings below. However they tend to come fast and Furious. So if you see one not listed here feel free to say it and tag me with link. Will update the main post.
as we are in the rounds players are sitting there thinking might be better to go UDFA at this point I figured I would start the thread to be ready to start updating it.
I know in past I loved UDFA looking for players to still contribute right away. Bills are no longer at that point but get me players with at least ONE elite trait
RB Raheem Blackshear
TE Jalen Wydermyer - there is a chance to make the team here
CB Travon Fuller
DT Prince Emili
WR Malik Williams
WR Neil Pau’u75 on Contract
8 Drafted
6 UDFAs reportedly signed
89 on roster (leaves 1 more spots)
For the Love of Little Pink Penquins, What the ***** is our plan at OG?
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Man, I would SO like an OG
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52 minutes ago, RocCityRoller said:
Buffalo drafted Kalil Shakir in the 5th.
He is 6'0" 196
4.43 40, 4.21 20 yd shuttle
He is the outside WR depth
He will be given every chance to unseat Kumerow and Hodgins.
I fully acknowledge that I am NOT a college football fan.
But who sees Shakir as outside WR depth?
All the scouting reports I've read say he played strictly in the slot.
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42 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:
Lecitus Smith and Dohnovan West.
OK, Lecitus Smith, yeah, you got me there. Most people seem to have him ranked higher.
Except that if they were at V-Tech, they were scouting them both in person, so....
Dohnovan West, if he can't play guard I dunno.
Fair answer though.
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9 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:
Disappointed with Tenuta and Spector (picks with a greater upside seemed available)
Such as?
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https://www.nfl.com/prospects/baylon-spector/32005350-4515-9114-fba7-7065114ee5c1
"Clemson football is in the Spector family blood. Baylon's father, Robbie, played for the Tigers from 1988 to 1990, while his brother, Brannon, is currently a receiver and his sister, Blair, is a former Clemson cheerleader. Spector grew up in Calhoun, Georgia, earning all-state honors as a senior quarterback and linebacker. He played in all 15 games as a reserve and on special teams (10 tackles, one for loss, one forced fumble) as a redshirt freshman in 2018 for the national champions, as well as in 2019 -- though his contributions on defense greatly increased (42 tackles, six for loss with two sacks). Spector became a leader on defense in 2020, topping the squad with 72 tackles and 4.5 sacks among 10.5 tackles for loss while forcing two fumbles. He started 10 of 12 games played in 2021 and recorded a career-high 75 tackles, 4.5 for loss with 2.5 sacks and one interception, before missing the team's bowl game with a hand injury."-- by Chad Reuter
By Lance Zierlein NFL Analyst
Draft Projection: Round 6
Overview
Reliable worker-bee linebacker who plays with impressive instincts and fundamentals that keep him in position and near the action. Spector is an average athlete with average size, but he struggles to attack and unglue from blocks on a consistent enough basis. He's an excellent finisher when facing down runners in the hole, but average length and agility drop his finishing rate substantially when he's forced to tackle on the move. Spector is rock solid, but won't make plays beyond what is expected. He has backup value as an inside linebacker or 4-3 Will.
Strengths
Instinctive and in position most of the time.
Plays with excellent fundamentals.
Rapid-fire diagnosis and reaction to play movement.
Leverages his scrape with speed alterations in his slides.
Quickness to flow and contain the outside run.
Comes to balance and tackles with double leg wrap-ups.
Former safety with smooth drops and weaves in zone.
Target awareness allows for tighter squeeze of the route.
Weaknesses
Lean through his lower half.
Won't be a disruptive defender.
Gets jostled around by box traffic.
Lacks ideal length/strength to stack and shed the block.
Needs to become more comfortable playing downhill.
Below-average tackler when it's not in front of him.
Range in coverage is very average.
Lacks twitch to burst and disrupt at the catch point.
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4 minutes ago, MAJBobby said:
IMHO it's not a great sign when the write-up spends more space enumerating the draftee's relatives than his own behavior on the field.
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Just now, RobbRiddick said:
Who will be the guy we all obsess over being an absolute 100% pro bowler in the rough* this year???
(*only to see him gone at first cut down)
I was gonna go with Marquez Stevenson, but oooh, first cutdown....Oh, Wait
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18 minutes ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:
Start with the Buffalo Bills PR Twitter page
the link puts in 30 tweets so I didn’t post the actual link
Usually the Agents put the word out long before the Bills announce it.
Reported Bills UDFA signing - 11 signed, 3 Camp Invites *Updated* 09:32 (4 open spots)
in The Stadium Wall
Posted
Apparently he said he was feeling ill at the Combine. The 4.67 may have been an informal measurement at his college.