Shaq Lawson Sets Sights on Pro Bowl & Super Bowl in His 3rd Season

[TigerJ]

2 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

Rotational depth behind Murphy isnt a bad thing. Early running downs. Injuries happen through the season too, and he'd be good to have around, especially on a rookie contract.

This.  I'd forgotten about the injury issue with Shaq last year too.  Having the benefit of training camp may help him out, but the Bills didn't sign Murphy for him not to start.

[26CornerBlitz]

3 minutes ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

There was?  Oh wait, there was but the defense was actually better with Shaq out lf

the lineup.  Shaq went down during Week 13 and the Bills went 3-1 down th stretch to clinch a playoff spot.  

 

You mean when they had 3 wins against superior foes in IND and MIA.    Sit down junior. 

[BuffaloRush]

13 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

You mean when they had 3 wins against superior foes in IND and MIA.    Sit down junior. 

 

Or the fact that the average yards given up during that stretch was LESS than the 4 week’s new prior.  Stop making up fake news - there was no negative effects with him out of the lineup.  He wasn’t that good 

[artmalibu]

With his dead money being twice the cap hit he wont go anywhere unless traded for another player.  His play is more than good enough to make the team.  Did anyone have more sacks than him?  Even tho he missed several games.   

[BillsFan17]

I mean, there is a some help now along the line with Star and Phillips, but a 19th overall pick needs to be a big time playmaker, and hes beem anything but that.

 

Hopefully McDermott can get the most out of the kid.

[CaptnCoke11]

4 hours ago, LeGOATski said:

Rotating with Murphy. Whoever's playing better is getting more snaps.

7 million a year isn’t really a rotational player

[billsfan89]

3 hours ago, Ifartalot said:

He sucks, and Rex drafted him as a favor for Clemson taking on his son.

 

Sadly he might have been a one year wonder in college. Killer junior season OK frosh and sophomore seasons. A lot of people loved the pick at the time I did too. I think Shaq can develop into a pretty solid player from what I saw last year he plays strong against the run and he is young enough to improve as a pass rusher. 

[Augie]

He’s not getting Hughes money, he’s relatively cheap. He stays and plays the role he earns. 

[Success]

6 hours ago, njbuff said:

Shaq gets a bad rap around here.

 

He is a good edge setter against the run and that is worth something.

I really liked how he played when he was healthy.  It was really just his 1st season last year - he could really surprise people.

 

A lot of fans underrated Ragland also.

[LeGOATski]

3 hours ago, CaptnCoke11 said:

7 million a year isn’t really a rotational player

Oh, well. That the fact of the matter.

[Estelle Getty]

Shaq isn't that bad.  More of a third round talent, but certainly not a guy you should cut from your roster.  He would make for a great rotational player.  Has more natural talent and strength than Eddie Y.  Remember injuries do happen, depth is a good thing guys. 

[Wayne Arnold]

[BADOLBILZ]

8 hours ago, Success said:

I really liked how he played when he was healthy.  It was really just his 1st season last year - he could really surprise people.

 

A lot of fans underrated Ragland also.

 

 

You have the right to be optimistic but your takes are wrong here.

 

Shaq played 10 games in 2016.......2017 was really his second year.   Really.   He didn't redshirt and he played a lot in 2016 until he cost them dearly in the Pittsburgh game where Leveon Bell put up nearly 300 yards.    After that his snaps were cut dramatically as the staff lost confidence in him.

 

And the REALITY is that thumper linebackers that are a liability in coverage are not worth much.    Certainly not worth trading a second and two fourths for the pick to move up and select him.   Reggie is almost a physical clone of Preston Brown........same size/same speed.......except Brown is the son of a former coach.    And yet they chose to waste assets on Ragnuts!   It was dumb and you need look no further than the paltry contract Brown had to sign after just leading the league in tackles.    2015 All Pro Navorro Bowman is also still on the market after refusing to settle for a $3M-$5M per year contract with Oakland.......and he had a very good year.    They replaced him with Derrick Johnson for $3M.    So any way you cut it Ragnuts could turn into a beast of a thumper and still not be particularly valuable in a passing league because if you can't cover at a high level the team is always trying to get you off the field or replace you.   That is not being underrated.   

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

First sentence says he is a polarizing player in the locker room. But then doesn't really give any examples of such. Sure he has been a bit of a bust up to this point in terms of production and availability but does that alone make one polarizing in the locker room? 

[JohnC]

14 hours ago, Green Lightning said:

What he really needs is a better first step!

I'm not sure that you can appreciably improve your first step. You either have that initial burst or you don't. That doesn't mean that he can't improve as a player but his physical abilities are what they are. My sense of him as a player is that he can be a solid player but not a major impact player. I'm fine with that. 

[thurst44]

14 hours ago, Ifartalot said:

He sucks, and Rex drafted him as a favor for Clemson taking on his son.

With your name, I'm not sure you're not a joke account, but I've seen this nonsense suggested way too much, with people acting like he was a reach. While he may yet turn out to be a bust (he's been there just two years, injured almost a year of that, hasn't played nearly as poorly as some people claim when healthy, just not great), he was one of the top prospects coming out of college. Chicago fans were chanting his name before the draft (they picked at 11), and below are just the first 6 mock drafts from April 2016 I could find. 

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000655072/article/2016-sevenround-nfl-mock-draft-round-1 (Shaq at 8)

 

http://walterfootball.com/draft2016.php (Shaq at 11)

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/2016/04/27/nfl-mock-draft-first-round-expert-picks (Shaq at 11, 9, 19, 19)

 

If he stays healthy, the addition of Star (and the rotational addition of Phillips if he's good out of the box, which could also help Kyle) could allow him to reach his potential. Cutting him would be asinine as it would result in a huge cap hit (8m in dead money according to Sportrac). A trade (after 6/1) would save money, but not much, and we'd be selling low. He's never given any indication he's anything but a good locker room guy nor any hint of malcontent, so I'd rather have him in what could be a very good DE rotation if it works out, to complement what could be a very good DT rotation if that works out. 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2018 by thurst44

[stony]

Interior pass rusher on obvious passing plays?

 

Probably not the return you'd want from a 1st rd pick, but he could provide value there.  His flexibility won't hurt his roster prospects.  

[Doc]

16 minutes ago, thurst44 said:

With your name, I'm not sure you're not a joke account, but I've seen this nonsense suggested way too much, with people acting like he was a reach. While he may yet turn out to be a bust (he's been there just two years, injured almost a year of that, hasn't played nearly as poorly as some people claim when healthy, just not great), he was one of the top prospects coming out of college. Chicago fans were chanting his name before the draft (they picked at 11), and below are just the first 6 mock drafts from April 2016 I could find. 

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000655072/article/2016-sevenround-nfl-mock-draft-round-1 (Shaq at 8)

 

http://walterfootball.com/draft2016.php (Shaq at 11)

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/2016/04/27/nfl-mock-draft-first-round-expert-picks (Shaq at 11, 9, 19, 19)

 

If he stays healthy, the addition of Star (and the rotational addition of Phillips if he's good out of the box, which could also help Kyle) could allow him to reach his potential. Cutting him would be asinine as it would result in a huge cap hit (8m in dead money according to Sportrac). A trade (after 6/1) would save money, but not much, and we'd be selling low. He's never given any indication he's anything but a good locker room guy nor any hint of malcontent, so I'd rather have him in what could be a very good DE rotation if it works out, to complement what could be a very good DT rotation if that works out.

 

Oral flatulence.  Lawson was a consensus mid-1st round pick. 

[BringBackOrton]

21 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm not sure that you can appreciably improve your first step. You either have that initial burst or you don't. That doesn't mean that he can't improve as a player but his physical abilities are what they are. My sense of him as a player is that he can be a solid player but not a major impact player. I'm fine with that. 

Until contract time when solid players get grossly overpaid or walk.

 

Whaley and Rex bought high on a low ceiling high floor prospect and Shaq will either walk or get paid far too much for his decent JAG status. 

 

Nice job.

[MrEpsYtown]

I think he needs to prove he can stay healthy. McDermott rotated the defensive line a lot last year, as he did in Carolina, so I think we will see a lot of Shaq. I actually think he will split more time with Hughes, than he does with Murphy. I actually think that keeping Hughes fresh will allow him to do a lot more on passing situations. Anyway, I think people are a little too tough on Shaq. He's been hurt and played out of position. I don't think he will ever be a Joey Bosa type of player, maybe more of a Carlos Dunlap type of solid run defender who will give you a few sacks. Having Hughes-Murphy-Shaq-Yarborough is better than see Cap Capi rushing the passer in the playoffs. Depth here is essential.