This team really is a mess. Look at the depth chart

[San-O]

I wanted to do unit by unit analysis of the team as we're at the end of the season, and wasn't sure where to start, so I

figured why not start with a unit that hasn't suffered major injuries, has under produced and will almost certainly be worse next IMHO. I give the you the Buffalo Bills WR corp. Apologies to Steve Johnson.

 

(I preface this knowing the O-line has been bad, has rookies, no continuity, etc.)

 

1. Evans has a huge contract, and is good for a deep ball once in a while. He is catching 3 balls/game and isn't going anywhere.

 

2. T.O. will be gone. More production than Evans, one year deal, drops a huge number of balls. No new G.M. is gonna

want him and it costs nothing to cut him loose. Thanks and see ya.

 

3. Josh Reed. He'll turn 30 in the off season, isn't an NFL # 3 guy IMO, and is a free agent I believe. Thank you sir. I'm not sure how he has lasted with the Bills for 8 yearsm however no way he survives a rebuild. Sorry.

 

4. James Hardy? 2nd round pick. 3 receptions appearing in 14 games last year. O catches and 0 games appearances this year. He is developing nicely. He is tall however, so that's good. Good luck.

 

5. Roscoe "I need more playing time" Parrish. Where to start. Drafted by Ol' Whitey with Buffalo's 1st pick, a 2nd rounder in 2005. Possibly for the final straw that got Donahoe fired. 2009: 2 catches, 2 rushes, 4 fumbles. I can't help but think of Dean Wormer from Animal House when he's reading off the grades of the guys in his office for some reason. His grade: 0.0 http://www.nfl.com/players/roscoeparrish/p...le?id=PAR686635

 

One generally doesn't expect a rookie WR to make in impact the first year, and they generally take a few years to develop.

 

I understand having no O-line and no NFL starter at QB hurts, but this unit is not the answer.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

 

The Bills should probably put a QB near the top of their Christmas list and let him sit for a year or two while the F.O.

begins the tasks of cleaning up the mess that is the QB situation and the O-line. Not a one year thing I'm afraid.

 

Flame away.

 

[murra]

I'm not going to flame away...but you do realize that when the rebuilding occurs, people will look at these recievers with (I think deserving) sympathy. I mean, Lee Evans clearly isn't why he only has 3 catches/gm. End of story. It's been like that his entire career. If you get thrown to 4 times, how are you going to get 8 catches? Does he not seem to always come up with the toss up in the endzone? Yeah T.O., Reed, Parrish are probably gone. It doesn't matter. They might suck, but pointing fingers at the WR corp is laughable.

[GrudginglyPessimistic]

Legit views can certainly quibble with your player assessments, but even if one generally agrees with them it does not strike me as anywhere near an insoluble problem.

 

My cut on this with generally the same assessment you make is:

 

1. Agreed Evans has a huge contract and is not going anywhere. I also agree that his catching 3 balls a game does not cut it. However, I think his pretty high avg yards/catch does not mean he sucks he means you throw him the ball more. The key question is not whether Evans output was good this season (it was horrible and sucked) the question is whether he does have the skills to be a #1. Based on his high yd/catch and his demonstrated ability to scare any DN with his speed and force them to watch him every moment and not concentrate on the QB so he can make TD catches like he did last game where he adjusted back for a short pass by the QB, I think Evans can produce as a #1 if you throw him the damn ball. Perhaps the prob is that he is no Keyshawn demanding that the O throw him the ball, but he also ain't no TO in terms of simply dropping a fair amount of balls thrown his way. Evans has not produced like one would want but it is hard to teach blazing speed and Evans has that is definitely a formidable building block IF you get and HC and OC who use them well.

 

 

2. I also agree TO is gone. The good news is that right away we have $6 million in cap room allocated to the #2 WR slot to play with in FA. I will have to look at who is available but we certainly have the bucks to buy a player who can play the role of a #2 who make is hard to dt Evans.

 

If we had no cap money maybe I would panic but though we have a clear need to get better here and the devil is in the details this strikes me as clearly more of a challenge than an insoluble problem.

 

3. One difference I have with your assessment is that it completely leaves Steve Johnson out of the picture. While I think that folks who see him as a potential #2 are engaging in fantasy. I do not think it shows good football knowledge to simply dismiss him as a potential legit #3 WR for us. While it is difficult to teach speed it is pretty much impossible to teach tall and the 6-3 Johnson is a big target who has shown good hands. Again a lot of this depends on having an HC a bit more offensively aggressive than DJ and with some O chops which former DC Fewell does not have.

 

I do not think Johnson is a sure thing at #3, but I do not think this is an unbelievable stretch either.

 

4. This now brings us to Hardy. Clearly the injury he suffered as a rookie and the lost year this year make this #2 choice a disappointment. However, he earned a #2 nod because he had college production which made spending a #2 on him outrageous. My sense of Hardy is like that of Johnson that it would be unreasonable to figure on either of these youngsters being a relied upon starter as a #2. However, it is not unreasonable to expect one of these two players to step up in their third year and take and deserve the first back-up duty.

 

5. I also agree with you that just as Reed was mischaracterized as a #2 his second year, it would be a mistake to rely pn him as our #2 as we often did last year. I even see his as miscast as our #3 (though he did play that role well as a rookie). I actually see him remaining a Bill as my #5 WR in empty backfield sets and playing a role on ST. While I also think it is not a bad bet that EITHER Johnson or Hardy will prove to be a good #3, having Reed as my plan C at #3 is not bad but my hope is that Johnson does continue his progress he initially showed and that HHardy recovers and Reed is my #5.

 

The rest is depth if they show ST production or gone and we hit the draft or more likely waiver wire for our #6.

 

In essence I think we are acquisition of #2 and development of our current roster away from fielding a solid WR position.

 

Not a done deal but nothing to get one's panties all in a wad over either.

I wanted to do unit by unit analysis of the team as we're at the end of the season, and wasn't sure where to start, so I

figured why not start with a unit that hasn't suffered major injuries, has under produced and will almost certainly be worse next IMHO. I give the you the Buffalo Bills WR corp. Apologies to Steve Johnson.

 

(I preface this knowing the O-line has been bad, has rookies, no continuity, etc.)

 

1. Evans has a huge contract, and is good for a deep ball once in a while. He is catching 3 balls/game and isn't going anywhere.

 

2. T.O. will be gone. More production than Evans, one year deal, drops a huge number of balls. No new G.M. is gonna

want him and it costs nothing to cut him loose. Thanks and see ya.

 

3. Josh Reed. He'll turn 30 in the off season, isn't an NFL # 3 guy IMO, and is a free agent I believe. Thank you sir. I'm not sure how he has lasted with the Bills for 8 yearsm however no way he survives a rebuild. Sorry.

 

4. James Hardy? 2nd round pick. 3 receptions appearing in 14 games last year. O catches and 0 games appearances this year. He is developing nicely. He is tall however, so that's good. Good luck.

 

5. Roscoe "I need more playing time" Parrish. Where to start. Drafted by Ol' Whitey with Buffalo's 1st pick, a 2nd rounder in 2005. Possibly for the final straw that got Donahoe fired. 2009: 2 catches, 2 rushes, 4 fumbles. I can't help but think of Dean Wormer from Animal House when he's reading off the grades of the guys in his office for some reason. His grade: 0.0 http://www.nfl.com/players/roscoeparrish/p...le?id=PAR686635

 

One generally doesn't expect a rookie WR to make in impact the first year, and they generally take a few years to develop.

 

I understand having no O-line and no NFL starter at QB hurts, but this unit is not the answer.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

 

The Bills should probably put a QB near the top of their Christmas list and let him sit for a year or two while the F.O.

begins the tasks of cleaning up the mess that is the QB situation and the O-line. Not a one year thing I'm afraid.

 

Flame away.

 

[Mr. WEO]

One generally doesn't expect a rookie WR to make in impact the first year, and they generally take a few years to develop.

Good ones do.

 

Rk Player Team Pos Rec Yds Avg Yds/G Lng TD 20+ 40+ 1st 1st% FUM

1 Austin Collie IND WR 53 567 10.7 40.5 39T 7 8 0 32 60.4 0

2 Percy Harvin MIN WR 49 691 14.1 53.2 51T 6 12 3 38 77.6 1

3 Jeremy Maclin PHI WR 46 623 13.5 47.9 56 4 7 3 29 63.0 0

4 Johnny Knox CHI WR 45 527 11.7 37.6 68 5 7 1 22 48.9 0

5 Michael Crabtree SF WR 41 499 12.2 55.4 38T 2 8 0 22 53.7 1

6 Kenny Britt TEN WR 40 674 16.9 48.1 57 3 10 4 32 80.0 1

6 Hakeem Nicks NYG WR 40 751 18.8 62.6 68T 6 13 5 29 72.5 1

8 LeSean McCoy PHI RB 37 264 7.1 18.9 45 0 1 1 12 32.4 0

9 Mike Thomas JAC WR 35 331 9.5 27.6 28 1 5 0 22 62.9 0

10 Mike Wallace PIT WR 34 609 17.9 43.5 60T 5 11 4 23 67.6 1

[Ray]

This team is actually fine in terms of a WR core.....they need a QB. Lee Evans is a pro bowler with a good QB. He has put up decent numbers with career back-ups throwing him the ball. Do you think it is a coincidence that T Owens worst career year is when he has these QBs throwing him the ball? TO has had Romo, Garcia, Steve Young, McNabb and now has Fitz and Edwards.....do you think there is any coincidence his numbers are way down. That is what Evans has dealt with his whole career.

I think skill position we are fine...except the most important in QB.

We need QB, LT, OLB, DL....the team is not as far away as some may think. But we need a QB. Keep your fingers crossed for Brohm.

[bigc14120]

On the topic of wide receivers, Hardy is at best a role player...sideline/endzone where his size plays to his advantage. I saw him a number of times his rookie season, and he has slow feet, and really cannot run. He will never be more than a role player....never a #2 or a #3 in my view. Didn't anybody else see that he couldn't run?????

[billsfreak]

Good ones do.

 

Rk Player Team Pos Rec Yds Avg Yds/G Lng TD 20+ 40+ 1st 1st% FUM

1 Austin Collie IND WR 53 567 10.7 40.5 39T 7 8 0 32 60.4 0

2 Percy Harvin MIN WR 49 691 14.1 53.2 51T 6 12 3 38 77.6 1

3 Jeremy Maclin PHI WR 46 623 13.5 47.9 56 4 7 3 29 63.0 0

4 Johnny Knox CHI WR 45 527 11.7 37.6 68 5 7 1 22 48.9 0

5 Michael Crabtree SF WR 41 499 12.2 55.4 38T 2 8 0 22 53.7 1

6 Kenny Britt TEN WR 40 674 16.9 48.1 57 3 10 4 32 80.0 1

6 Hakeem Nicks NYG WR 40 751 18.8 62.6 68T 6 13 5 29 72.5 1

8 LeSean McCoy PHI RB 37 264 7.1 18.9 45 0 1 1 12 32.4 0

9 Mike Thomas JAC WR 35 331 9.5 27.6 28 1 5 0 22 62.9 0

10 Mike Wallace PIT WR 34 609 17.9 43.5 60T 5 11 4 23 67.6 1

What do the majority of these rookie recievers have in common? It is obvious, they all have veteran quarterbacks that can and know how to get a ball to a reciever, whether a rookie or a 10 year veteran. Lee Evans' biggest problem is he has had nobody since Bledsoe left who could get the ball to him. Like someone else said, if they target him 2-4 times a game, it is really tough to have 8 catches.

[eSJayDee]

I can't help but think of Dean Wormer from Animal House when he's reading off the grades of the guys in his office for some reason. His grade: 0.0

 

LOL. Fat, drunk & stupid is no way to go thru life, son.

Well, there's no way you can call Roscoe fat. And I doubt he plays games drunk, either.

[muffmonster]

Personally I can't give a valid rating on Evans, Owens, and Reed as the WR position is SOOO dependant on the QB position. This year we have had a checkdown king who ignored the WRs, and then the Fitz who tries really hard, but he is just inaccurate as crap. To compound all this we have an O-Line that sucks which only makes our QBs that much more worse.

 

Generally you get the ball near Evans he is money, same with Reed except for last Sunday. Owens has dropped his share, but if he gets enough his way, good things happen. Parrish is utter rubbish and needs to get the heck out of BLO.

[Beebe's Kid]

On the topic of wide receivers, Hardy is at best a role player...sideline/endzone where his size plays to his advantage. I saw him a number of times his rookie season, and he has slow feet, and really cannot run. He will never be more than a role player....never a #2 or a #3 in my view. Didn't anybody else see that he couldn't run?????

That is how I felt about him. Also, people are screaming for him to see the field, but it is not exactly like he has been training and improving since he was hurt. In fact, a guy that couldn't run in the first place, didn't run for a year, so he is below where he was when he was active....

 

Steve Johnson looked like he might have promise, but before you call for TO's head, please remember he has 12 career catches. I would like to see a poll, not of TBD posters, but of NFL QBs... "Pick the receivers you would like to throw to, choices are: TO, Evans, Hardy, Stevie "Muthaflippin'" Johnson, and Josh Reed. Please pick your top 3."

 

I would cut ties with Reed. I like "our guys" as much as anybody, but I really believe we could use an upgrade there.

[commish95]

That is how I felt about him. Also, people are screaming for him to see the field, but it is not exactly like he has been training and improving since he was hurt. In fact, a guy that couldn't run in the first place, didn't run for a year, so he is below where he was when he was active....

 

Steve Johnson looked like he might have promise, but before you call for TO's head, please remember he has 12 career catches. I would like to see a poll, not of TBD posters, but of NFL QBs... "Pick the receivers you would like to throw to, choices are: TO, Evans, Hardy, Stevie "Muthaflippin'" Johnson, and Josh Reed. Please pick your top 3."

 

I would cut ties with Reed. I like "our guys" as much as anybody, but I really believe we could use an upgrade there.

 

Dude, Hardy has be running routes and "IN TRAINING" since the bye week

[Red]

I wanted to do unit by unit analysis of the team as we're at the end of the season, and wasn't sure where to start, so I

figured why not start with a unit that hasn't suffered major injuries, has under produced and will almost certainly be worse next IMHO. I give the you the Buffalo Bills WR corp. Apologies to Steve Johnson.

 

(I preface this knowing the O-line has been bad, has rookies, no continuity, etc.)

 

1. Evans has a huge contract, and is good for a deep ball once in a while. He is catching 3 balls/game and isn't going anywhere.

 

2. T.O. will be gone. More production than Evans, one year deal, drops a huge number of balls. No new G.M. is gonna

want him and it costs nothing to cut him loose. Thanks and see ya.

 

3. Josh Reed. He'll turn 30 in the off season, isn't an NFL # 3 guy IMO, and is a free agent I believe. Thank you sir. I'm not sure how he has lasted with the Bills for 8 yearsm however no way he survives a rebuild. Sorry.

 

4. James Hardy? 2nd round pick. 3 receptions appearing in 14 games last year. O catches and 0 games appearances this year. He is developing nicely. He is tall however, so that's good. Good luck.

 

5. Roscoe "I need more playing time" Parrish. Where to start. Drafted by Ol' Whitey with Buffalo's 1st pick, a 2nd rounder in 2005. Possibly for the final straw that got Donahoe fired. 2009: 2 catches, 2 rushes, 4 fumbles. I can't help but think of Dean Wormer from Animal House when he's reading off the grades of the guys in his office for some reason. His grade: 0.0 http://www.nfl.com/players/roscoeparrish/p...le?id=PAR686635

 

One generally doesn't expect a rookie WR to make in impact the first year, and they generally take a few years to develop.

 

I understand having no O-line and no NFL starter at QB hurts, but this unit is not the answer.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

 

The Bills should probably put a QB near the top of their Christmas list and let him sit for a year or two while the F.O.

begins the tasks of cleaning up the mess that is the QB situation and the O-line. Not a one year thing I'm afraid.

 

Flame away.

 

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, and everybody else.

 

Now, you had to look at the roster to realize that this team was a mess?

[spartacus]

On the topic of wide receivers, Hardy is at best a role player...sideline/endzone where his size plays to his advantage. I saw him a number of times his rookie season, and he has slow feet, and really cannot run. He will never be more than a role player....never a #2 or a #3 in my view. Didn't anybody else see that he couldn't run?????

 

who needs to run when you are tall?

 

all of that route running, separation, ball catching, running, etc is vastly overrated