Last Guy on the Bench Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) I've been wondering why Robey seems to be rotating in so late, according to OTA reports. Joe B. is wondering the same thing: http://www.wgr550.co...4669?pid=405020 I confess that one of my biggest worries about the team is that Schwartz will reconstruct the defense according to his preconceived ideas. Couldn't really blame him, but it will still suck. Last years defense was dangerous and fun to watch for the first time in a decade, and I loved every minute of it. And Robey really stood out. He's a playmaker. In one year, as a UDFA, he cracked my top three or four current favorite Bills to watch. I hope they are not going to limit his playing time because of size or scheme fit. If he doesn't fit the scheme, adjust your bloody scheme. There is no universe in which Ron Brooks deserves to be playing ahead of Robey. The same likely holds for Graham and Cockrell, but we'll have to see about that. Free Nickell! Edited May 30, 2014 by Last Guy on the Bench Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fingon Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Who was the slot receiver? If it was Mike Williams or another big WR I can see why Robey wasn't on the field. It's probably just the Bills giving Brooks some looks since he is on the bubble (like the article said.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) I like Robey too but I wouldn't worry too much about what is going on in OTAs. The best players will play at the right times and if it isn't a good matchup for a 5'7 corner he won't be out there. He made some great plays last year but there were also times OCs were able to isolate him on guys like Vincent Jackson and Roddy White and it was not pretty. We have more flexibility now. I agree that they are probably giving Brooks a lot of time to get a good look. Edited May 30, 2014 by YoloinOhio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manther Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I like Robey too but I wouldn't worry too much about what is going on in OTAs. The best players will play at the right times and if it isn't a good matchup for a 5'7 corner he won't be out there. He made some great plays last year but there were also times OCs were able to isolate him on guys like Vincent Jackson and Roddy White and it was not pretty. We have more flexibility now. I agree that they are probably giving Brooks a lot of time to get a good look. Agreed. Brooks is getting looks to see what the staff thinks of him. He is a bubble player to make the roster. I believe he is on his 3rd coaching regime? And, has done nothing in many schemes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Agreed. Brooks is getting looks to see what the staff thinks of him. He is a bubble player to make the roster. I believe he is on his 3rd coaching regime? And, has done nothing in many schemes. Plus they need to get all of Brooks' PT in now, before he breaks another limb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Robey is one of those guys that despite what the coach thinks, he is going to play himself into the line-up. The guy is a big time playmaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Yes, be very worried what is happening on the field in May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I do wonder about this. Brooks was supposed to be our steal of the 2012 draft. Instead, our 2013 UDRFA Robey has flat out lapped him. As Yolo correctly pointed out, for the great plays that Robey made in 2013 (he was one of my favorite players), for his ability to get to the quarterback with ligthning speed, to close the gap on short passes and make plays in the backfield, he also had a front row seat to long throws into or near the endzone, most often caught by receivers 6-8 inches taller than him. I wouldn't expect a 5'7" UDRFA to NOT be exposed during his first year, but there's a reason he was passed over (pun intended) 254 times. It's my hope that, like JR says, he works his tail off to make people forget about his size, because he certainly showed legitimate star power at times during his rookie campaign. ***Serious question: Could he be tried at FS?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I do wonder about this. Brooks was supposed to be our steal of the 2012 draft. Instead, our 2013 UDRFA Robey has flat out lapped him. As Yolo correctly pointed out, for the great plays that Robey made in 2013 (he was one of my favorite players), for his ability to get to the quarterback with ligthning speed, to close the gap on short passes and make plays in the backfield, he also had a front row seat to long throws into or near the endzone, most often caught by receivers 6-8 inches taller than him. I wouldn't expect a 5'7" UDRFA to NOT be exposed during his first year, but there's a reason he was passed over (pun intended) 254 times. It's my hope that, like JR says, he works his tail off to make people forget about his size, because he certainly showed legitimate star power at times during his rookie campaign. ***Serious question: Could he be tried at FS?? No...he's not really a FS type IMO. I agree that there's really nothing to see here; Robey will have a spot on this team, and he'll cover the smaller, quicker slot WRs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Sorry, but I call BS to the premise of this thread (no offense OP). Put the best 11 on the field and let them play. If Robey is part of that...great, if not let him show his stuff on ST. His physical limitations can't be ignored. He's overcome them to this point, but, I for one am for increased competition for every spot on the roster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Guy on the Bench Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) Yes, be very worried what is happening on the field in May. Dude, what else am I supposed to do in May? The World Cup doesn't start for two weeks. Edited May 30, 2014 by Last Guy on the Bench Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Yes, be very worried what is happening on the field in May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Guy on the Bench Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Sorry, but I call BS to the premise of this thread (no offense OP). Put the best 11 on the field and let them play. If Robey is part of that...great, if not let him show his stuff on ST. His physical limitations can't be ignored. He's overcome them to this point, but, I for one am for increased competition for every spot on the roster. I call BS on your complete reversal of the thread's premise (no offense). The premise of this thread isn't that we shouldn't put the best 11 on the field. Quite the opposite. I just don't get how Robey has fallen in the pecking order (if he has) BEFORE his competition (Brooks, Graham, Cockrell) has had a chance to show anything. It's a weird move to me. But of course, if there are other people that turn out to be better than Robey, they should play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegas55 Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 No doubt Robey played well last year - in pass coverage. And while that's the #1 priority, most NFL defensive schemes require the slot guy to be an important factor in supporting the defense against the run - something Robey struggled with, in part because of his size. But he is a quality DB, no doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Guy on the Bench Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 I like Robey too but I wouldn't worry too much about what is going on in OTAs. The best players will play at the right times and if it isn't a good matchup for a 5'7 corner he won't be out there. He made some great plays last year but there were also times OCs were able to isolate him on guys like Vincent Jackson and Roddy White and it was not pretty. We have more flexibility now. I agree that they are probably giving Brooks a lot of time to get a good look. Good point. I may be giving too much weight to Robey's great plays and forgetting his weaker plays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrags Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Sorry, but I call BS to the premise of this thread (no offense OP). Put the best 11 on the field and let them play. If Robey is part of that...great, if not let him show his stuff on ST. His physical limitations can't be ignored. He's overcome them to this point, but, I for one am for increased competition for every spot on the roster. i was going to say something similar. And in the end, IF... Robey is our 5th or 5th best CB, doesn't that mean we got better? If he's our last option, I'm feeling pretty good about our secondary. That is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Dude, what else am I supposed to do in May? The World Cup doesn't start for two weeks. Hockey playoffs are pretty good right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Guy on the Bench Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Hockey playoffs are pretty good right now. Habs are out, I'm out. (Plus it's a little tricky to follow hockey from South Africa.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I call BS on your complete reversal of the thread's premise (no offense). The premise of this thread isn't that we shouldn't put the best 11 on the field. Quite the opposite. I just don't get how Robey has fallen in the pecking order (if he has) BEFORE his competition (Brooks, Graham, Cockrell) has had a chance to show anything. It's a weird move to me. But of course, if there are other people that turn out to be better than Robey, they should play. To your point, I don't know if they have even established a pecking order yet and as you stated they are trying to give guys like Brooks and Cockrell a chance to show something, so they can establish that by the time TC rolls around. I know Joe B. seemed to feel Robey has gotten thrown to the side and he reiterated that this morning on WGR, but I simply thing it is way too early to glean that from the first 2 days of OTAs. They have to throw Cockrell in there to see how he looks and they are likely considering moving on from Brooks but want to give him some looks to decide whether that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) Remember this thread when they change the Oline line-up just to see what they have and people freak out about "Player X losing his starting spot to Player Y" and what that means. Happens every training camp. It just means they want to see what they have and that is what PRACTICE is for. Edited May 30, 2014 by DrDareustein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamSandwhich Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Hockey playoffs are pretty good right now. Lets go Rangers! On topic: He'll be where he should be when the season starts. Lets just sit back and relax and just see where that is. Too early to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Someone volunteer to get drunk by 7pm so you can call into the John Murphy show and ask why Schwartz is so boring and we will never call the corner blitz again and we are dooooooomed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach55 Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 If, for some reason, Robey doesn't make the team. I guarantee you Pettine picks him up within 24 hours of being cut. He is electric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Habs are out, I'm out. (Plus it's a little tricky to follow hockey from South Africa.) Understood. Good luck in World Cup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Someone volunteer to get drunk by 7pm so you can call into the John Murphy show and ask why Schwartz is so boring and we will never call the corner blitz again and we are dooooooomed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Guy on the Bench Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) To your point, I don't know if they have even established a pecking order yet and as you stated they are trying to give guys like Brooks and Cockrell a chance to show something, so they can establish that by the time TC rolls around. I know Joe B. seemed to feel Robey has gotten thrown to the side and he reiterated that this morning on WGR, but I simply thing it is way too early to glean that from the first 2 days of OTAs. They have to throw Cockrell in there to see how he looks and they are likely considering moving on from Brooks but want to give him some looks to decide whether that makes sense. I hope you're right. I do think these OTA rotations say something, though. Maybe not that they have a firm pecking order, but at least that they have some doubts about Robey. At other positions, they are not putting the youngsters and newcomers in ahead of firmly established players to see how they look. I would have thought Robey was a little more established as the nickel slot (at least over Brooks and newbie Cockrell - though I can see giving Graham a long look since he has established himself in the league). Edited May 30, 2014 by Last Guy on the Bench Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) I hope you're right. I do think these OTA rotations say something, though. Maybe not they have a firm pecking order, but at least that they have some doubts about Robey. At other positions, they are not putting the youngsters and newcomers in ahead of firmly established players to see how they look. I would have thought Robey was a little more established as the nickel slot (at least over Brooks and newbie Cockrell - though I can see given Graham a long look since he has established himself in the league). Fair enough - slot corner and starting SS are going to be really interesting battles EDIT: But I do think we will see various subpackages in which slot corner will be manned based on matchup due to Robey's size disadvantage against certain WRs and TEs. Edited May 30, 2014 by YoloinOhio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Guy on the Bench Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) Remember this thread when they change the Oline line-up just to see what they have and people freak out about "Player X losing his starting spot to Player Y" and what that means. Happens every training camp. It just means they want to see what they have and that is what PRACTICE is for. I think there is a difference between alternating guys in a level above their current spot (e.g., giving second stringers some snaps with the first unit, while still giving the starters some snaps) and seeing Robey get less time on the field than two new guys and a guy that has played nowhere near as well as Robey did. I definitely agree that this is not a final snapshot of the September depth chart, but it does say something to me. I will not be one of the people freaking out in August if Preston Brown takes some snaps in place of Spikes or if Henderson gives Cordy Glenn a blow with the starters. These seems different to me. But I guess we'll see. Edited May 30, 2014 by Last Guy on the Bench Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Last year's defense was both exciting and maddening; watching teams run the ball almost at will took away much of my joy at the sacks and INTs. I certainly hope Schwartz is concentrating on a more well rounded defense. To the premise of the thread -- I don't think one can or should make any assumptions about "pecking order" during the first OTAs of the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobillsinytown Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 The offseason is so much fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) I think there is a difference between alternating guys in a level above their current spot (e.g., giving second stringers some snaps with the first unit, while still giving the starters some snaps) and seeing Robey get less time on the field than two new guys and a guy that has played nowhere near as well as Robey did. Whats the difference? Especially when we are talking about May OTAs... Edited May 30, 2014 by DrDareustein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Remember this thread when they change the Oline line-up just to see what they have and people freak out about "Player X losing his starting spot to Player Y" and what that means. Happens every training camp. It just means they want to see what they have and that is what PRACTICE is for. That was Gailey. Marrone would never mess with his o-line like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 That was Gailey. Marrone would never mess with his o-line like that. I think he was referring to last year when they moved Glenn to LG for one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Guy on the Bench Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Whats the difference? Especially when we are talking about May OTAs... The difference is you would still see e.g., Glenn and Spikes taking snaps with the first team, and you would definitely not see them taking snaps with the 4th team. Again, I don't think this is a huge deal or a definitive statement by the coaches in anyway. But I don't think it is completely meaningless either. It does say something about how they currently view Robey. Practice rotations are no the endgame, but they do have meaning. And this particular move surprises me. That's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCOHEN13 Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I call BS on your complete reversal of the thread's premise (no offense). The premise of this thread isn't that we shouldn't put the best 11 on the field. Quite the opposite. I just don't get how Robey has fallen in the pecking order (if he has) BEFORE his competition (Brooks, Graham, Cockrell) has had a chance to show anything. It's a weird move to me. But of course, if there are other people that turn out to be better than Robey, they should play. Dont u guys realize it was DAY 2 of OTA's????? CHILL!!! Maybe they are just trying to see what they in Brooks, Cockrell and others cuz they saw alot of Robey last yr. Best time to give bubble guys field time is early, to weed out the WORST ones... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Good football players play good football. Disirrgardless of their scheme or coaching. Chris Kelsey was this type of player. Great football players play great football in every scheme and develop their current talents to excel beyond other less capable players. Dwight Freeney is an example of this. Elite football players are so gifted in their athleticism and capabilities that it transcends any capability, size, strength or experience of another player. Kyle Williams is a player like this. We do not know how good Robey will be in the NFL and how good he would be in a different role but based on 2013 I would give him the elite title because for many plays he was the best player on the field. The biggest point to make is that an elite football player may not be your best player or may not have what it takes to play with the 1's and be your starter. But that elite player is going to take EVERY opportunity to make the plays that matter. Making big time plays under pressure is always nice too. FWIW. Mario Williams often does not play elite. His Miami game was, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Good football players play good football. Disirrgardless of their scheme or coaching. Chris Kelsey was this type of player. Candidate for TBDism thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Mike Rodak @mikerodak 20m Nickell Robey not part of the initial nickel unit on the field. Has been a trend this week in OTAs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big C Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I have to imagine it's because they know what they have in Robey. Anyone who watched Bills games last year knows Robey is a tiny beast out there. His size works against him sometimes, but he's got a clear role on our team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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