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Flip Johnson

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Posts posted by Flip Johnson

  1. 52 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

    This one is tricky to me. I think that the obvious answer would be “yes.” I’m not so sure though. If that is what the defense is “giving him” than he should take it. Josh is an ELITE runner, not a good one. If he has a lane and can get to the markers (especially on 3rd down) I’d rather he run than try to squeeze one in. He’s more likely to move the chains that way. 

     

    This may sound like a BS answer but I want Josh to make the right decision. In theory, that could result in running more (I doubt that it will but it could). My guess is that he runs less because he sees the field faster and that’s fine too. Just make good decisions

     

    The decision making is key - I don't necessarily want to see fewer carries - I want to see fewer plays where JA sees one guy covered, feels pressure and takes off helter-skelter.

     

    He is a historically good runner and could keep running 6-10 times per game even as he develops as a passer.

     

    Josh ran 7.4 times per game last year.

    Cam Newton was running 7.8 times per game his first two seasons in the league and averaging 1.5 yards less per carry.

    Russell Wilson was running 6-7 times per game in his early years and it was a huge part of his effectiveness.

     

    Wilson and Newton have gotten more banged up in the pocket than they have on the move. Allen's injury last year was in the pocket.

     

    There is a difference between being a "running QB" a la RG3 or Lamar Jackson or Michael Vick. That's nearly impossible to sustain. What we want Allen to become is a good pocket passer who maintains a dynamic running ability.

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  2. I was at the game and struggled to find a position group where we are weak. There is legitimate depth across the roster, which comes from being in the 3rd year of competent leadership.

     

    - I am concerned at TE. Not sure all of these parts equal a whole ... Croft's timetable is a mystery, Smith is one-dimensional, Croom was marginal last year, and it is a lot to expect the rookies to be taking regular snaps. I like where the group is headed, just not sure where we are at right now.

     

    - Hoping the punter battle will sort itself out.

     

    Otherwise, I am loving this roster.

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  3. Could be relevant combined with his pending FA status in 2020.

     

    For all of his mental acumen, he does not have the ability to drive the ball consistently outside the numbers anymore. The Pats adjusted to that on the fly last year by going heavy on the ground, but with two weeks to prep the Rams had the Pats pretty much contained in the SB. It will be hard for him to keep going if defenses don't have to defend the whole field.

  4. 9 minutes ago, Rocky Landing said:

    Does anyone still think Yeldon will be on this team? He's gotta be an afterthought at this point.

     

    The Bills may keep more RBs than they traditionally have - look at the comparison with their backfield and New England.

     

    McCoy/Sony Michel - feature back

    Singletary/Damian Harris - 2019 3rd round pick

    Gore/Burkhead - versatile veteran

    Yeldon/James White - strictly pass catching back

    Dimarco/Develin - FB/Special Teams

    Perry/Bolden - Special Teams

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  5. Moulds was a freakish physical presence at WR and Flutie was on top of the league. That team had won 10 of 13 going into the wildcard game and would have mauled Miami if the game had been in Buffalo.

     

    I was a teenager when that game was played and my buddy and I had tickets to see Syracuse basketball at the Carrier Dome, not knowing there would be a conflict. We got to the Dome before tipoff and found the game on in a luxury box. We stood outside the box looking up through the glass window at the TV, losing our minds at the drama in the final minutes. When Flutie fumbled we turned around and there were about 200 people behind us. The SU game was about to tip but everyone had their backs to the court.

  6. Going into training camp I've heard quite a bit about the Bills' crowded backfield and who will end up being cut or inactive.

    Additionally, there's been much talk of the devaluing of the RB position as though it is not important any more.

     

    One distinction that isn't getting made is that the RB position is being massively devalued monetarily (no teams want to pay or extend RBs) but the value on the football field is actually rising. This is true even as passing increases because of the way RBs are being used.

     

    What's valuable now is not the highly paid "bell cow" but the versatile stable of cheap RBs that can create mismatches out of RB/FB heavy personnel groups.

     

    Look at the Patriots. They MASSIVELY value running backs - they just don't pay them. If RBs weren't important Belichick wouldn't keep drafting them in the top 3 rounds

     

    - Sony Michel $917K (1st round, 2018)

    - James White $2.5M

    - Rex Burkhead $1.75M

    - Damien Harris - Rookie, 3rd rounder

    - Brandon Bolden $1M

    - James Develin $1M

     

    They aren't wondering who is going to get cut in NE. At least 5 of those guys make the team, if not all six. And NE will use them in a multitude of different formations and situations. They are all unique weapons, whether it be running inside, outside, splitting wide, blocking, catching the ball, etc.

     

    Which is why when it comes to the Bills, I see Daboll looking at BB and doing the same thing. Barring injury, Shady, Gore, Singletary, Yeldon, and DiMarco are ALL MAKING THE TEAM. It's not a problem - it's a new strategy in the modern NFL.

  7. 9 hours ago, Augie said:

     

    Unless you are playing the Patriots, who realize you have a bunch of 228# LB’s and pound the ball down your throat. Be ahead of the curve for once. Not the standard set, but have the guys to stand up against it. 

     

    This is the exact point. The Pats used 2 TEs or a FB in the playoffs last year and mashed the ball on the ground against nickel defenses. Then when teams went with bigger personnel, the Pats split the TE out wide and got Gronk matched up against slower or smaller players. Versatile offensive pieces have to be matched up with hybrid-type defensive pieces.

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  8. 1. This June-July period has been incredibly quiet on the Bills front. Nobody has lost an arm, gotten a DUI, been arrested, run around naked, or threatened a holdout. I think McDermott and Beane have a focused group. Compare this to previous years - Kiko's ACL, Zay Jones' shenanigans, Shady's legal situation, Rex's skydiving, Karlos Williams' weight gain, etc. You can take it for granted but we're not losing anyone in the summer.

     

    Unconnected from #1, but 

     

    2. I recently listened to this podcast from The Ringer NFL show, focusing on defensive innovation during this era's offensive explosion. Although the pod did not discuss the Bills specifically, you can't listen to it as a fan and not feel great about the defense McDermott and Frazier are building. The hosts focuses specifically on the need for versatility in your linebackers as well as the need for high level talent on the back end. Guys like Milano, Edmunds, and Vosean Joseph have all been drafted with a recognition of where the game is headed. As NFL offenses get more multiple, defenses need hybrid-type LBs who have the power to hit in the box and the speed to matchup with TEs and backs. We are stockpiling these types of players.

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  9. It was the no punt game and an unbelievable time to be a Bills fan.

     

    Playing SF really carried some extra weight in those days. Everyone anticipated a Bills-49ers Super Bowl in XXV and it didn't materialize. Beating them with a national audience two years later and showing off our unstoppable offense was hard to forget.

     

    Two of the best offenses of the era, two of the top 15 QBs of all time at their peak, in the sunshine at Candlestick with Dick Enberg on the call ...awesome.

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  10. There is a lot to look forward to on this D-line.

     

    Hughes facing fewer double teams.

    Oliver will have an adjustment period but we haven't had a DT that can get in the paint since KW was in his prime.

    Shaq is playing for the big second contract.

    All signs are looking up for Murphy.

     

    Add in the situational pressure from Lorax and this is a team that could really make opposing QBs uncomfortable.

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  11. On 4/20/2019 at 9:32 PM, eball said:

    McD says things that are uncomfortable to a lot of men. He talks about the players on the team loving each other and he means it. If we ever get the right combination of talent on this team they’ll be unstoppable. 

     

    This is something that the analytics crowd seems unable or unwilling to understand. Relationships matter in football or in any team sport and they have the power to make a difference in wins and losses.

    It's not easy to quantify and it doesn't replace talent. And the NBA is not the NFL. But I loved the article in the sense that Popovich figured out a way to be himself and use that passion to build his team.

  12. He should have stayed in school ... but it is not like he is going to really refine his game playing at UB playing against the MAC. He is a giant project now or later. 

     

    I think he was draftable though and don't mind the Bills taking him as a UDFA.  There are elements of his game that remind me a little bit of EJ Manuel - big thick guy, strong arm without a very fluid motion, fast enough to run a decent 40 but not functionally fast, kind of slow to process the field.

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