26CornerBlitz Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Which First Round Rookie QBs Should Start Week 1? - Inside The Pylon By Clayton Smarslok Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (7th Overall) The Bills finally snapped their playoff drought only to let their starting QB leave. So leading up to the draft everyone knew they would make the move up. We didn’t know when, we didn’t know for who, but we knew it was going to happen. So now that they got their guy in Allen, how do the pieces look around him? Offensive Line: This was one bad offseason for the offensive line. They lost both Eric Woodand Richie Incognito to retirement and traded Cordy Glenn to be able to move up to 12 from 21, which ultimately landed them Allen. This left them with two incumbent starters in RG Vlad Ducasse and RT Jordan Mills. Replacing Glenn is second year LT Dion Dawkins, who actually filled in for Glenn when he was injured. Dawkins played so well in fact that he was actually among the top five left tackles in the game during the second half of the season, according to Pro Football Focus. To replace the other two that left, they brought in C Russell Bodine from Cincinnati and drafted OG Wyatt Teller in the fifth round. Career swing interior offensive lineman Ryan Groy will likely compete somewhere on the OL. The interior line is worrisome as there is either inexperience or inconsistent play. The only player on the line that I believe in is Dion Dawkins, who has started less than 16 games. Ranking: (5th of 5) Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: I’m just going to be blunt about it, this is a rough group. Their top receiver is Kelvin Benjamin, who they traded for last year but he is a number two at best. Behind him is second round, second year player Zay Jones. Jones had some unfortunate headlines this offseason after coming off a down rookie season so he is a question mark. He also just underwent knee surgery and is expected to miss most of the spring. And behind him are Andre Holmes and Jeremy Kerley, neither of which can stick with a team. They do have Charles Clay at tight end who is still a solid security blanket. Hopefully Clay can get used more than he has been at times. While I really liked Zay Jones coming out of East Carolina, this is a group that scares me, and not in a good way. Ranking: (5th of 5) Running Backs: The running game is still all Shady McCoy. They brought in some much needed depth with Chris Ivory who is a great compliment, especially as the goal line and short yardage back. McCoy may still be considered a top 10 running back, but how much tread does he have left entering his age 30 season? I can see him going down with an injury, which will really hurt the offense as a whole if it happens. Ranking: (3rd of 5) Current Quarterback Situation: Losing Tyrod isn’t horrible but they did replace him with AJ McCarron who has only a handful of starts. He was only signed for 10 million over two years so it’s not like they are forced to play him. They still have Nathan Peterman but I think we all know his era is over in Buffalo barring any injuries. I Say… Sit him. It will be tough considering they traded into the top ten for Allen but this is a terrible situation for him to come into. I thought Allen needed the most work before stepping onto the field so throwing him into the fire here will only hurt him. The supporting cast, especially the offensive line, is lackluster who won’t be able to help him grow. Let McCarron get his playing time and allow Allen to make the transition from Wyoming to the NFL with no immediate pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Having a writer talking about one of our players going down with an injury makes me want to to take a huge dump on his lawn...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJS Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 4 minutes ago, John from Riverside said: Having a writer talking about one of our players going down with an injury makes me want to to take a huge dump on his lawn...... Yeah, why would you predict injuries unless a guy is super injury prone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 2 minutes ago, MJS said: Yeah, why would you predict injuries unless a guy is super injury prone? I just think its bad karma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 7 minutes ago, John from Riverside said: Having a writer talking about one of our players going down with an injury makes me want to to take a huge dump on his lawn...... 2 minutes ago, MJS said: Yeah, why would you predict injuries unless a guy is super injury prone? It's not the focus of the article. Just a possible outcome briefly mentioned by the author given the number of carries over the years and the age. Hopefully it doesn't happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGOATski Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 The Bills will be running it a lot. They just need a good game manager, which they probably have in either AJ or Peterman. I agree that they shouldn't start Allen week 1. Let him see what happens in real games first. Shadow Daboll and the starting QB. It won't hurt. They can be patient with Allen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Jackson Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 The only place that I take issue (and it’s minor) is that I’d have our RBs (Shady) at 2 of 5 instead of 3. I will give David Johnson the top spot (reluctantly). I like the Browns depth there but Shady will be productive again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJS Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 3 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said: It's not the focus of the article. Just a possible outcome briefly mentioned by the author given the number of carries over the years and the age. Hopefully it doesn't happen. Yeah, but stating the position is not strong because if the starter gets injured you are screwed is just dumb. You can literally say that about almost any starter in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 1 minute ago, MJS said: Yeah, but stating the position is not strong because if the starter gets injured you are screwed is just dumb. You can literally say that about almost any starter in the league. That isn't what was said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJS Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 1 minute ago, 26CornerBlitz said: That isn't what was said. "I can see him going down with an injury, which will really hurt the offense as a whole if it happens. Ranking: (3rd of 5)" He is obviously using that as part of his ranking bias. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommonCents Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 1 minute ago, MJS said: Yeah, but stating the position is not strong because if the starter gets injured you are screwed is just dumb. You can literally say that about almost any starter in the league. Shady is a 30 year old RB, it’s not a leap to think he is going to miss time this season. Options outside of #25 leave a lot to be desired. I’m a bit confused after the Tolbert experiment how they again went with an aging vet as a back up in Ivory. If the Bills had got one of the 10 or so potential starting RB on draft day I expect he may have ranked them differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 1 minute ago, MJS said: "I can see him going down with an injury, which will really hurt the offense as a whole if it happens. Ranking: (3rd of 5)" He is obviously using that as part of his ranking bias. He wrote if with the considerations of age and mileage which are reasonable questions to raise. Nothing to get bent out of shape over IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJS Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Just now, Commonsense said: Shady is a 30 year old RB, it’s not a leap to think he is going to miss time this season. Options outside of #25 leave a lot to be desired. I’m a bit confused after the Tolbert experiment how they again went with an aging vet as a back up in Ivory. If the Bills had got one of the 10 or so potential starting RB on draft day I expect he may have ranked them differently. I assume they preferred focusing on starters instead of backups, because the team still needs a lot of starters and RB is the one position where we have a proven elite contributor. 2 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said: He wrote if with the considerations of age and mileage which are reasonable questions to raise. Nothing to get bent out of shape over IMO. I'm not bent out of shape. Just discussing it. My shape is just fine, if I do say so myself. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommonCents Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Yeah they got their QB so it’s hard to complain but drafting the RB a year early rather than a year late would be beneficial and rankings like this (meaningless) would reflect that. Ivory is toast and Shady is near the end of the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 1 minute ago, Commonsense said: Yeah they got their QB so it’s hard to complain but drafting the RB a year early rather than a year late would be beneficial and rankings like this (meaningless) would reflect that. Ivory is toast and Shady is near the end of the road. I actually like a healthy Ivory for what we intend to use him for. He isnt gonna be a feature back......and hopefully we draft a guy this next year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JESSEFEFFER Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Cordy Glenn was so little of a factor last year that he could hardly be considered a loss to this year's team. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 3 minutes ago, JESSEFEFFER said: Cordy Glenn was so little of a factor last year that he could hardly be considered a loss to this year's team. The author has high praise for Dawkins, so it seems he agrees with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloMatt Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Wonder what Sully and Bucky think . .. . .Oh wait .. . hhmhmm . . . go Smarslock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldTimeAFLGuy Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 3 hours ago, John from Riverside said: Having a writer talking about one of our players going down with an injury makes me want to to take a huge dump on his lawn...... ...almost like he has a "death wish" for the kid..SMH.......even if he is stellar in TC & pre-season, I say sit him........HUGE difference versus "live ammo"......besides, what's the rush?....I think McCarron will acquit himself as a steady Eddie, cerebral game manager that can consistently move the chains.....just a wild hunch........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdand12 Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 3 hours ago, Commonsense said: Shady is a 30 year old RB, it’s not a leap to think he is going to miss time this season. Options outside of #25 leave a lot to be desired. I’m a bit confused after the Tolbert experiment how they again went with an aging vet as a back up in Ivory. If the Bills had got one of the 10 or so potential starting RB on draft day I expect he may have ranked them differently. They have Cadet and Dimarco ! and the opportunity window to grab another castoff is still open. I am feeling Ivory as being a good fit in Buffalo this year. He had a down year but is still an asset when playing. I hope to see him get bigger percentage of reps than last years rotation and keep Shady fresh and healthy. Thing is , if Shady goes down , you are likely shifting game plans and calls. He is that much of a factor to defend. So i can see it being a factor because he is not replaceable. If the run game is not working, we might have troubles. Allen sits until AJ gets injured. lol ( terrible joke ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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