Duke signed to active roster

[Putin]

I don’t remember Duke dropping many passes ( of course we are talking preseason)

reliable hands and good blocking downfield 

( IMO ) is what Duke brings to the table , I’m not sure about his rout running , 80% of rain during the game I think it’s a good move by McD to bring in Duke for this one !!!

want to wish Duke a great game , 

Gooo Bills!!!

[ny33]

15 hours ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

About time. They gave Zay every chance they could. It’s now time to see what Duke can do.

I hope that Foster is mentally and physically in the same place as he was for the second half of last year. He averaged 73 yards/game from week 10-17 (7 games including the bye) with 3 TDs and 20.44 YPC. As a deep threat, he showed elite ability and impressive awareness for a rookie, and did an excellent job hauling in deep balls in space from an inconsistent rookie QB, adding an element to Allen's game that was key to his development and is reflected in his comfort throwing to and synergy with John Brown in a similar role (partially explaining Foster's invisibility so far). He's questionable for this coming week, and I am optimistic that he has been limited by a slow recovery from preseason injuries rather than complacency or a lack of trust from the coaches. 

 

At the very least, a target like Duke gives us a chance on some of the wild/rushed balls Allen throws downfield that Jones has no chance of winning. Jones is much better in the middle of the field, and I think he is an asset to a team that spreads 5+ targets to 5+ receivers successfully (e.g. the Pats) as a fourth option, versus his current role as an outside/go route option without any exceptional skills, unlike Brown who has rare speed and route-running ability and solid hands. Third down sets with Jones and Beasley in the slot could be very effective if either Duke or Foster gives an outside threat with either a physical or speed mismatch. Jones also seems to drop more balls in pressure situations, and I'm a lot more confident in him and the offense with Jones as a 4th/5th option on plays like the 4th and 3 to end the Pats game vs. the second read.

[ny33]

5 hours ago, Nelius said:

 

Zay is the only reason the masses haven't turned on Foster yet. Foster was a nice story, but I'd much rather see more Duke and McKenzie than Zay or Foster at this point. Brown-Beasley-Duke-McKenzie, that's a pretty nice group.

Foster appears to still be dealing with preseason injuries. Jones isn't nearly as bad as the board makes him out to be; obviously he's a disappointment for his draft slot, especially with Juju/Godwin/Kupp drafted after. Even at the time, it made little sense to me for the Bills to take a small-school receiver with average physical traits for a team planning on drafting a rookie QB the following year and without a TE or "possession" receiver, whether underneath blanket like Beasley or physical mismatch like Duke on the roster. Jones was awful his rookie year and just ok last year, but his catch rate has improved drastically and appears worse than the reality due to his poor track record on high-pressure plays (key third down and end zone drops). He's a competent 4th option on a good team that doesn't have to force the ball to him if Brown is double covered in third-and-long or end zone situations.

[Coach Tuesday]

This tells me they may go run heavy today.

[machine gun kelly]

11 hours ago, billsredneck1 said:

Kroft ain't coming back. Hes' been a waste of a roster spot and as soon as he hits the practice field, he'll get hurt again. We can't even trade him. Do the injury settlement and get it over with.

No he can't be poached and he can't be signed to the 53. He is p.s. only this season. They had to make that decision at the final cut.

 

You might be right on Kroft.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

Off the subject, but I still don’t get why McKenzie suddenly disappeared. You get Brown, Beasley, McKenzie, and Knox out there, that is a very solid group. 

 

 

[ny33]

6 minutes ago, JR in Pittsburgh said:

Off the subject, but I still don’t get why McKenzie suddenly disappeared. You get Brown, Beasley, McKenzie, and Knox out there, that is a very solid group. 

 

 

It's a lot easier to confidently call gadget plays/sweeps when the offense is clicking, and being against one of the best defenses- which I would rank along with Buffalo as the top secondary- that can play single coverage against our only downfield threat in Brown and put the deep safety in support against his side (daring Allen to throw to Jones downfield). Having the Foster from the second half of '18 or a productive Duke forces the defense to respect Zay's side of the field (when he is physically average and shows some struggles with high-pressure catches instead of being a flexible rotation piece to the middle, where he plays best, or spelling our outside guys and using fresh legs to keep testing the deep ball). 

[LyndonvilleBill]

18 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

This tells me they may go run heavy today.

Definite possibility. I think it will depend upon if Singletary is a go or not. Not sure if Gore can do another 100+ yarder this week. I believe the Titans are going to stack the box and make Josh try and beat them. I do foresee a lot of 2 tight end sets to protect Josh, with Duke being the big body down the field. Keep Smith on the right side to help Ford. No reason for Smith to be downfield. I hope Duke is ready and has a GREAT outing.

[Big Turk]

Welcome to the inactive list Zay.

[Real McClappy]

Glad to see Duke activated. ? Does Duke come down with that pass against the Pats on 4th and goal with a high pass from Barkley?

 

I have a feeling he does.  Duke is going to be and excellent Redzone threat for us.

 

Go Bills!

Edited October 6, 2019 by Real McCoy

[foreboding]

Zay has skills, can block and run good routes. But god he drops so many passes an NFL receiver ought to make. I think those plays, Sean mentioned where he needed to become DB for the teams sake really hurt his chances here.

 

Can Duke get any separation? This is my biggest question.

[US Egg]

DUKE WILLIAMS SAVES THE WORLD !!!!!!!

 

[ny33]

53 minutes ago, LyndonvilleBill said:

Definite possibility. I think it will depend upon if Singletary is a go or not. Not sure if Gore can do another 100+ yarder this week. I believe the Titans are going to stack the box and make Josh try and beat them. I do foresee a lot of 2 tight end sets to protect Josh, with Duke being the big body down the field. Keep Smith on the right side to help Ford. No reason for Smith to be downfield. I hope Duke is ready and has a GREAT outing.

I have some hope that having Gore and the ego-free Bills locker room could be just the right thing for Yeldon to reach his potential. I don't think a head coach like Marrone and personalities like Fournette, Jack, and Ramsey were any good for Yeldon, and going from 2nd round pick to a somewhat dysfunctional Jags team might have humbled him somewhat. Given Foster's turnaround and the outperformance of most of the guys we've brought in on "prove it" one year deals, it's not unreasonable to think that this locker room and management can help talented underperformers to get things to click. There are going to be failures like Benjamin as a result of a lack of work ethic, but the team-first nature of these Bills reminds me of the Pats' ability to silence me-first stars like Moss and Brown (briefly) and push players with personal/maturity issues like Gordon to succeed.

[DasNootz]

Duke or Da'Rick Rogers... who had the bigger fan support?

[wppete]

I don’t know if anyone else posted this video but man what a great speech! Love this guy! 

 

 

[BuffaloFan68]

Early prediction: Duke Williams 7 catches for over 90 yards & a TD and on his way to being our #1 WR.  Josh passes for over 300 yards today with some great RAC.  We go into the Bye 4-1.

 

Let’s Go Buffalo!!!!!
 

[davefan66]

Hopefully his time on the practice squad has helped him run more precise routes and get open more consistently.

 

I believe he has massive potential, hopefully it starts today.

[fansince88]

Can he get rookie of the week?

[transplantbillsfan]

18 hours ago, LSHMEAB said:

Or ends. We'll see. Would love to see the guy have a big day. Just don't see that skillset translating to the NFL.

 

Would you?

[Chandler#81]

43 minutes ago, davefan66 said:

Hopefully his time on the practice squad has helped him run more precise routes and get open more consistently.

 

I believe he has massive potential, hopefully it starts today.

Unfortunately, with the ridiculously wide field and goofy deep end zones in the CFL, precision route running isn’t a required skill.

But sideline or end zone contested catches are desired everywhere.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

2 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

Unfortunately, with the ridiculously wide field and goofy deep end zones in the CFL, precision route running isn’t a required skill.

But sideline or end zone contested catches are desired everywhere.

 

....know he got bounced from college "81", but any insight on how his collegiate career was progressing before the bounce out happened (normal field)?.............

[r00tabaga]

He might get AFC rookie offensive player of the week without even playing. LOL-

[billsfan1959]

19 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

Unfortunately, with the ridiculously wide field and goofy deep end zones in the CFL, precision route running isn’t a required skill.

But sideline or end zone contested catches are desired everywhere.

Right. He can make catches in traffic, catches with little separation, and contested catches. From what I have see out of the receiver group over the last two weeks, having someone making those catches with little separation or making contested catches might be helpful to Allen.

21 minutes ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

....know he got bounced from college "81", but any insight on how his collegiate career was progressing before the bounce out happened (normal field)?.............

 

Year     School     Conf    Class    Pos    G    Rec    Yds    Avg    TD    
2014    Auburn    SEC      JR        WR     10    45    730    16.2     5    
2015    Auburn    SEC      SR        WR     5      12    147    12.3     1

Carreer                                                               57    877    15.4    6 

[Mrbojanglezs]

Duke, Brown, Knox. Those 3 should be the targets on 3rd downs and red zone. 

 

Cole as well 

[Maynard]

I’m excited to see someone new out there. I’m starting to loose any faith I had in Zay. I wonder how much playing time Duke will actually get today though. 

[Dr. K]

18 hours ago, Boatdrinks said:

Who cares about ranting or evidence to support it ? There has been a deficiency at WR, and there still is after the newly added wideouts. The coaches made a move to see if they could get an increase in production at the position. It will be good if they are able to find it by trying a different player. Otherwise the only chance for improvement is the trade market, and the deadline looms a few weeks out. 

I don't know what exactly you are objecting to in my post. Yes, they made a move in hopes of finding out whether Duke can improve wide receiver play. And in doing so we the fans will find out whether he is as good as so many here have been claiming. It's all good. 

[billsfan_34]

I would like to see some plays designed that gets Duke in the action today. I would also like to see how he does in the run game.

2 hours ago, foreboding said:

Zay has skills, can block and run good routes. But god he drops so many passes an NFL receiver ought to make. I think those plays, Sean mentioned where he needed to become DB for the teams sake really hurt his chances here.

 

Can Duke get any separation? This is my biggest question.

I agree with your assessment. I would like to add Zay doesn’t break tackles or get YAC.

[transplantbillsfan]

19 hours ago, Dr. K said:

It'll be good to get some real evidence to support the ranting people have been doing on either side of this issue on the board. 

 

The fact that he was promoted to the active roster in the first place is a real piece of evidence in and of itself considering the perspectives of some posters on him.

[LOVEMESOMEBILLS]

2 hours ago, BuffaloFan68 said:

Early prediction: Duke Williams 7 catches for over 90 yards & a TD and on his way to being our #1 WR.  Josh passes for over 300 yards today with some great RAC.  We go into the Bye 4-1.

 

Let’s Go Buffalo!!!!!
 

You're expecting this after Duke averaged 8.9 yards a catch in preseason against mostly guys that couldn't make NFL rosters? If he only averaged 8.9 yards a catch against nobodies, what is he going to average against 1st team CBs? 

[Alphadawg7]

13 hours ago, jwhit34 said:

My prediction is that one of three things happens with Duke:

 

1. He takes snaps away from Foster, not Zay Jones

2. He gets less than 15 plays total (less than 20% of snaps)

3. He is inactive tomorrow

 

As a result the posters here at TBD have a collective nuclear meltdown. 

 

 

Foster is hurt and inactive, so that’s not really a ground breaking prediction.  

 

My prediction is that your other predictions are wrong.  

 

Edited October 6, 2019 by Alphadawg7

[Patrick Duffy]

If it's going to be raining a lot today then we will need guys with sure hands.Looking forward to seeing how Duke plays today. Catching, blocking, route running, I will be trying to keep a good eye on him as much as possible.

[Alphadawg7]

2 hours ago, davefan66 said:

Hopefully his time on the practice squad has helped him run more precise routes and get open more consistently.

 

I believe he has massive potential, hopefully it starts today.

 

He ran precise routes and got open in preseason too.  

7 minutes ago, LOVEMESOMEBILLS said:

You're expecting this after Duke averaged 8.9 yards a catch in preseason against mostly guys that couldn't make NFL rosters? If he only averaged 8.9 yards a catch against nobodies, what is he going to average against 1st team CBs? 

 

Thats not really a fair assessment.  They basically used him in short yardage situations on only a handful of targets in preseason.  They’ve been showing him running way more mid range and downfield routes in practice since too.  

[Kelly the Dog]

Go Duke!!!

 

[LOVEMESOMEBILLS]

9 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

He ran precise routes and got open in preseason too.  

 

Thats not really a fair assessment.  They basically used him in short yardage situations on only a handful of targets in preseason.  They’ve been showing him running way more mid range and downfield routes in practice since too.  

Fair enough, since preseason got over I haven't been following him much. As I did mention in our epic battle over this, now that he's been called up, I will be rooting for him just as hard and as much as everyone else is. I just don't see it translating outside the redzone. But with our offense moving the ball really well and not scoring, that would be big boost.

[Boatdrinks]

32 minutes ago, Dr. K said:

I don't know what exactly you are objecting to in my post. Yes, they made a move in hopes of finding out whether Duke can improve wide receiver play. And in doing so we the fans will find out whether he is as good as so many here have been claiming. It's all good. 

Your focus seems to be on the unimportant : ie a certain segment of fans being right or wrong about “ their guy”. That stuff is nonsensical banter. Bills fans want the best players on the field to win games. This is about improving the offensive production, and that’s the only reason the coaches made this roster move. It sounds as though you might see this as a one game be all end all audition/ referendum on Duke Williams. If so, it’s misguided. It’s really just the coaches trying to win games. 

[Alphadawg7]

4 minutes ago, LOVEMESOMEBILLS said:

Fair enough, since preseason got over I haven't been following him much. As I did mention in our epic battle over this, now that he's been called up, I will be rooting for him just as hard and as much as everyone else is. I just don't see it translating outside the redzone. But with our offense moving the ball really well and not scoring, that would be big boost.

 

All good, and nothing wrong with not being sold on an unproven player.  

 

Sounds like weather isn't going to be good and raining, so he could be just what they need today and could be a lot of short passing to a big guy with sure hands.  So wouldn’t surprise me if he has a low ypc average today either, but all that matters is he helps move chains and is of value in short yardage and Redzone packages as we need someone to help Josh out in those areas.  

 

I also think Yeldon could see some extra work as a receiving option today too, and should.

[Dr. K]

5 minutes ago, Boatdrinks said:

Your focus seems to be on the unimportant : ie a certain segment of fans being right or wrong about “ their guy”. That stuff is nonsensical banter. Bills fans want the best players on the field to win games. This is about improving the offensive production, and that’s the only reason the coaches made this roster move. It sounds as though you might see this as a one game be all end all audition/ referendum on Duke Williams. If so, it’s misguided. It’s really just the coaches trying to win games. 

Thanks for clearing that up. I had no idea the Bills' coaches were interested in winning games. I thought they did everything in response to message board posts. 

Edited October 6, 2019 by Dr. K

[Boatdrinks]

3 minutes ago, Dr. K said:

Thanks for clearing that up. I had no idea the Bills' coaches were interested in winning games. I thought they did everything in response to message board posts. 

Hey, you said it, not me. 

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

The Bills are due for another ; 2010 out of nowhere, Stevie Johnson WR find. Hopefully this guy comes in and just kills it. We shall see I guess. I’m not expecting but certainly hoping for it. Go Bills!

[YoloinOhio]