HOUSE Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 (edited) Updated 4:34 PM; Today 4:22 PM AP Penn State offensive lineman Ryan Bates runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, March 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) By Matt Parrino | mparrino@nyup.com Orchard Park, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills backup quarterback Matt Barkley was set to take the field last Friday night in Carolina to lead the second team offense against the Panthers when he turned and looked at the man who was set to line up at center in front of him That man was undrafted free agent Ryan Bates, who the Bills acquired the Friday prior in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Prized free agent center Mitch Morse has been in the concussion protocol since the early days of training camp and the Buffalo offensive line has been hit with a rash of injuries. The circumstances pushed Bates to the front of the line behind guard/center Jon Feliciano, who was in at center with the first team. Making matters more complicated was the fact that Bates hadn’t played a snap at center since his freshman season at Penn State in 2015. Knowing Bates’ head was probably spinning with all the changes and now expectations of playing, Barkley turned to him before they took the field and simply said, “You know how to crush some skulls. Let’s just go play.” That’s exactly what Bates did for all of his team-high 51 snaps against the Panthers. By all accounts, including Barkley and Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, the rookie did a great job. Pro Football Focus gave Bates’ performance the second-highest pass blocking grade in the game with a 81.7 behind only starting left tackle Dion Dawkins (83.5). More https://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/2019/08/buffalo-bills-udfa-center-ready-to-crush-some-skulls-in-bid-for-53-man-roster-spot.html Edited August 19, 2019 by HOUSE 6 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 Anyone know how well this guy played? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSE Posted August 19, 2019 Author Share Posted August 19, 2019 1 hour ago, John from Riverside said: Anyone know how well this guy played? By all accounts, including Barkley and Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, the rookie did a great job. Pro Football Focus gave Bates’ performance the second-highest pass blocking grade in the game with a 81.7 behind only starting left tackle Dion Dawkins (83.5). 3 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeF Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 Could be a nice pick up for a guy who would not have made the team... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjv001 Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 I believe the Bills had their eye on Bates since the Draft. He will at least make the practice squad. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 Interesting choice of words for the backup C 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 Sounds a tad harsh. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldTimeAFLGuy Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 2 minutes ago, gjv001 said: I believe the Bills had their eye on Bates since the Draft. He will at least make the practice squad. ...potentially more late day "McBeane gold".........damn this gang is good..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boca BIlls Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 15 minutes ago, John from Riverside said: Anyone know how well this guy played? He played Preseason well.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 10 minutes ago, HOUSE said: By all accounts, including Barkley and Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, the rookie did a great job. Pro Football Focus gave Bates’ performance the second-highest pass blocking grade in the game with a 81.7 behind only starting left tackle Dion Dawkins (83.5). Well, why didn’t you say so??? ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeF Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 9 minutes ago, GG said: Interesting choice of words for the backup C Revealing his evil plan to take over the starting C position.... 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 2 minutes ago, Boca BIlls said: He played Preseason well.... Preseason may not count, but it can matter! Let’s hope this is one of those steals you look back on in 10 years as legend! A real “Jerry Hughes deal”! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoBills Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 Kudos to Matt Barkley for helping to keep the guy loose. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 11 minutes ago, GG said: Interesting choice of words for the backup C Better to be the crusher than....the crushed. That just might land you in concussion protocol.....? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeF Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 1 minute ago, Augie said: Preseason may not count, but it can matter! Let’s hope this is one of those steals you look back on in 10 years as legend! A real “Jerry Hughes deal”! You are quite the wordsmith, my friend... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aristocrat Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 Might go to prison for that 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 8 minutes ago, aristocrat said: Might go to prison for that Not if they are using Antonio Brown’s helmet! It invites such events. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Joe Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 Sounds like we are winning this preseason so much.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warcodered Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Augie said: Preseason may not count, but it can matter! Let’s hope this is one of those steals you look back on in 10 years as legend! A real “Jerry Hughes deal”! For a guy that seemingly came in late as camp fodder he played well with the 2s in a preseason game that's a pretty good statement for him to make. Edited August 19, 2019 by Warcodered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSE Posted August 19, 2019 Author Share Posted August 19, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 21 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said: Kudos to Matt Barkley for helping to keep the guy loose. IDK. He probably said the same thing to Morse the first day of training camp and look how that turned out... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 5 minutes ago, Warcodered said: For a guy that seemingly came in late as camp fodder he played well with the 2s in a preseason game that's a pretty good statement for him to make. I’d say the FO may have done a terrific job here identifying another gem, but there is a certain crowd who would be hiding in the bushes to jump on that if the long shot didn’t pay off. It’s way too early, but I like good news! OLines across the league are full of guys who were once afterthoughts. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldTimeAFLGuy Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 4 minutes ago, Augie said: I’d say the FO may have done a terrific job here identifying another gem, but there is a certain crowd who would be hiding in the bushes to jump on that if the long shot didn’t pay off. It’s way too early, but I like good news! OLines across the league are full of guys who were once afterthoughts. ...Meatball (different regime but a 5th), Milano (5th), Neal (5th), Teller (5th), potentially Joseph (2019 5th).....seems like McBeane finds gold in them "late day rounds"......throw in his UDFA signings as well....this gang is GOOD IMO...... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 21 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said: ...Meatball (different regime but a 5th), Milano (5th), Neal (5th), Teller (5th), potentially Joseph (2019 5th).....seems like McBeane finds gold in them "late day rounds"......throw in his UDFA signings as well....this gang is GOOD IMO...... I’ve heard somewhere (Cowherd maybe?) that HALF the players in the league were undrafted. I don’t know what the exact % is, but OL in particular has a lot of guys who seemingly came out of nowhere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, gjv001 said: I believe the Bills had their eye on Bates since the Draft. He will at least make the practice squad. Not if another team wants him on the 53 man roster after seeing these performances...and im sure plenty of teams could use a talented backup center if this performance wasnt a flash in the pan... Its a good problem to have that the Bills will likely need to cut some talented players who will be picked up by other teams...been a long time coming. 6 minutes ago, Augie said: I’ve heard somewhere (Cowherd maybe?) that HALF the players in the league were undrafted. I don’t know what the exact % is, but OL in particular has a lot of guys who seemingly came out of nowhere. There are probably a high number because late round picks are typically athletic freaks teams take a flyer on who are either raw or have not been able to harness their althleticism on the football field, or simply are not very good at football due to lack of instincts, practice habits, effort, etc...a lot of these players don't make it. This pushes solid football players who are not really great in any one area or who might be lacking certain things scouts want to see out of the draft and makes them priority UDFA's... Edited August 19, 2019 by matter2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColoradoBills Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 6 minutes ago, Augie said: I’ve heard somewhere (Cowherd maybe?) that HALF the players in the league were undrafted. I don’t know what the exact % is, but OL in particular has a lot of guys who seemingly came out of nowhere. I had just seen this last week from OTC about 2018 roster makeup. 68% thru draft with 32% UDFAs. https://overthecap.com/2018-nfl-roster-construction/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJS Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 8 minutes ago, Augie said: I’ve heard somewhere (Cowherd maybe?) that HALF the players in the league were undrafted. I don’t know what the exact % is, but OL in particular has a lot of guys who seemingly came out of nowhere. Yeah, that makes sense because there are only 7 rounds. Each team brings in a bunch of undrafted guys each year. The percentage of starters who were undrafted is much lower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dkollidas Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 I think he might make the 53. He can play center and tackle. With Nsekhe/Morse hurting, he’s a guy that can fill in at either spot. Plenty of offensive linemen go undrafted or get drafted very only to become solid starters once their technique is refined for NFL play as opposed to college. My O-Line Right Now: LT- Dawkins/Bates LG- Spain/Teller C- Morse RG- Feliciano/Long RT- Ford/Nsekhe Probably would’ve been Waddle in Bates’ spot. But I believe they send Boettger to PS, and roll with these 9. If Morse and Nsekhe are still out, you could go with Dawkins-Spain-Feliciano-Long-Ford and still have Teller and Bates as your primary backups. Not a terrible position to be in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 He's already looked better than the coach's nephew who somehow stuck on the roster for 2 seasons. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watching since 1964 Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 The Chiefs replaced Morse with a twice released 7th round pick backed up by a 2nd year UDFA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 (edited) 17 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said: I had just seen this last week from OTC about 2018 roster makeup. 68% thru draft with 32% UDFAs. https://overthecap.com/2018-nfl-roster-construction/ I went digging and found there are more UDFA’ than first and second rounders combined. https://www.reddit.com/r/nfl/comments/apbnse/allbright_there_are_more_undrafted_players_in_the/ But nowhere near Cowherd’s 50%, if this is accurate. Edited August 19, 2019 by Augie 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSE Posted August 19, 2019 Author Share Posted August 19, 2019 A nick name should be easy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatdrinks Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 46 minutes ago, Augie said: I’ve heard somewhere (Cowherd maybe?) that HALF the players in the league were undrafted. I don’t know what the exact % is, but OL in particular has a lot of guys who seemingly came out of nowhere. I believe Schefter put out a tweet around draft time that there were as many UDFAs on NFL rosters as there were 1st and 2nd round picks. It was an eye opener, but shows that the UDFAs have a real shot at making the 53. If they can perform, it’s cheap labor for the teams so it makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 52 minutes ago, Augie said: I’ve heard somewhere (Cowherd maybe?) that HALF the players in the league were undrafted. I don’t know what the exact % is, but OL in particular has a lot of guys who seemingly came out of nowhere. At this time of year, sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 Josh gave him propers in his presser today. We just might get very lucky again...? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 1 minute ago, Chandler#81 said: Josh gave him propers in his presser today. We just might get very lucky again...? Let us hope, because I’m a tad nervous about Morse. I don’t blame them for taking the swing, and hope for the best. But....this couldn’t have started out more ominously. Maybe with some time and work we have a long term answer..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warcodered Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 4 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said: Josh gave him propers in his presser today. We just might get very lucky again...? If they keep getting lucky I'm not sure it's luck anymore. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPS Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Dkollidas said: I think he might make the 53. He can play center and tackle. With Nsekhe/Morse hurting, he’s a guy that can fill in at either spot. Plenty of offensive linemen go undrafted or get drafted very only to become solid starters once their technique is refined for NFL play as opposed to college. My O-Line Right Now: LT- Dawkins/Bates LG- Spain/Teller C- Morse RG- Feliciano/Long RT- Ford/Nsekhe Probably would’ve been Waddle in Bates’ spot. But I believe they send Boettger to PS, and roll with these 9. If Morse and Nsekhe are still out, you could go with Dawkins-Spain-Feliciano-Long-Ford and still have Teller and Bates as your primary backups. Not a terrible position to be in. Been thinking about this, given Morse’s issues. I think they’re fine on the interior with the guys you list. I think they are better with Nsekhe at RT, so they do need a swing T. Hopefully they will play Bates at both tackles in these next 2 games as an audition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo716 Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Boatdrinks said: I believe Schefter put out a tweet around draft time that there were as many UDFAs on NFL rosters as there were 1st and 2nd round picks. It was an eye opener, but shows that the UDFAs have a real shot at making the 53. If they can perform, it’s cheap labor for the teams so it makes sense. There are also only 64 top 2 round picks a year. There are at least 200-250 UDFAs per year in camp. So the odds are in there favor, especially if you add it up over 5-10 years The draft used to be 10-12 rounds and good football players haven't disappeared... The 8-12th rounders became priority UDFAs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdand12 Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 3 hours ago, Augie said: Well, why didn’t you say so??? ? he too , has ruby slippers ? you are old enough to get my limited humor i hope. i sure like the Barkley quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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