Why wasn't Duke Williams active?

[Dopey]

17 hours ago, 3rdand12 said:

I do not recall, and apologize in advance.

 One of the NFL Games Duke was doing well in , the announcer , whom i do not recall, was speaking about how he squeezed the ball when catching. Showed replays and making that point how Duke catches the ball. Very hard for defenseman to break his grip once in his hands.
it was truly fun to watch. and very true.

 

 For all his faults? he gets and puts the ball away like few others

 

and he blocks pretty badazz

Love the Duke
Hope he gets some game time this year

 Go Bills

Don't deny he has decent hands. Any issues we have had with drops have been by Zay and Knox. Duke replaced Zay and had 1 decent game, then benched after 2 sub-par games and an injury. Duke is not replacing Knox. Throughout all these posts, the theme for anyone apposed to Duke getting the nod is that he doesn't offer enough to sit someone else. It's not just us, it's the coaching staff that I trust and has taken us to the record we have right now. As a couple of posters noted, we didn't lose to Baltimore because Duke didn't play. If Josh hits a couple of passes that were available in the 1st half, we stand a good chance to win. Those were not contested balls, they were way off and even Duke wasn't catching those. 

[Livinginthepast]

16 hours ago, jrober38 said:

Has their been a CFL receiver from the last 10-15 years who has been productive in the NFL?

The NFL doesn't tend to miss on Offensive players very often these days. Pre 2000 it happened all the time, usually over racism or just plain stupidity in scouting. Defensively is where some players have been overlooked like Cameron Wake etc.  But that's what makes Duke's case interesting. Talent wasn't a problem, it seems to NFL teams were scared off by the "character" incidents at Auburn.  I don't think the Rams gave him a chance in 2016. What's happening now is something really odd.Duke gets a small opportunity with the Bills and makes the most of it in the preseason and they cut him. He gets brought back off the practice squad and performs well and catches most of the throws his way, scores a game winning TD , gets hurt in a game and disappears of the face of the earth. In spite of the fact that other players brought into replace him have completely failed to do anything. Its also weird because the Bills Offense is screaming for a big body on contested throws or Josh's high throws. I would love the local media to ask McD about Duke but so far I haven't seen any explanation. Just a weird situation. 

[Don Otreply]

1 hour ago, jrober38 said:

 

He first played for the Chiefs 23 years ago.

 

Has there been anyone since?

Well, DW limited game time in the NFL has been successful, why they don’t continue to use him is an unanswered question. 

 

Go Bills!!!

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

19 hours ago, Dopey said:

Dear Coach, please activate Duke already. Please, I beg of you. It's getting crazy over here.

 

...think it would be a good idea to have that size and someone who will go up to fight for the ball vs Steelers defense.....

[3rdand12]

3 hours ago, Dopey said:

Don't deny he has decent hands. Any issues we have had with drops have been by Zay and Knox. Duke replaced Zay and had 1 decent game, then benched after 2 sub-par games and an injury. Duke is not replacing Knox. Throughout all these posts, the theme for anyone apposed to Duke getting the nod is that he doesn't offer enough to sit someone else. It's not just us, it's the coaching staff that I trust and has taken us to the record we have right now. As a couple of posters noted, we didn't lose to Baltimore because Duke didn't play. If Josh hits a couple of passes that were available in the 1st half, we stand a good chance to win. Those were not contested balls, they were way off and even Duke wasn't catching those. 

I feel it really just comes down to matchups as Daboll sees them.

If I. Mac is in there, i expect sweeps and trickery. we did not see much of that against Ravens. as Balt shut it down asap.
That was a game i would have thought Dimarco Smith Knox and Williams would have been keys to the game.. But i know i am just a homer Fan who has my owmd preferences from week to week how to play offense. and and well aware from my "couch" i cannot see what McBeanes and Company see or wish to see.

 

To others i preach patience. We are limited to what we can do on the O line and Baltimore quickly limited Bills Offenses options.

 

Steelers have some defensive similarities.
perhaps this game we go for chunk plays and self aware dump offs and check downs to keep the chains active ?

 

Buddy at work said "go deep early"

 I said nope

if it does not work they put everyone in the box and nothing works. Play the horizontal game.
 Hope Duke finds a home here. if not someplace else in the NFL

 Cheers Dopey

3 hours ago, Don Otreply said:

Well, DW limited game time in the NFL has been successful, why they don’t continue to use him is an unanswered question. 

 

Go Bills!!!

His last game he played dropped a key ball or two. been awhile so not sure details.

 The following week i thought, McD must have been pretty pissed, and have not seen him since.

 I agree with above ^^ it is just a bit odd

 trust the Process .

[jrober38]

8 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

Not that I can think of

 

Neither can I.

 

I mean, he ran 4.72 at the combine. Guys with that type of speed typically don't make it in the NFL. 

[Nelius]

23 minutes ago, jrober38 said:

 

Neither can I.

 

I mean, he ran 4.72 at the combine. Guys with that type of speed typically don't make it in the NFL. 

 

Jerry Rice ran a 4.71. Just saying, just saying. Not comparing Duke to Rice by any means obviously, but Jerry Rice, Anquan Boldin, and Larry Fitzgerald would all like a word with you, sir.

Edited December 14, 2019 by Nelius

[Augie]

We should have a thread (preseason) predicting who our WR heartthrob will be next year. There always seems to be a guy on the fringe of the roster who has vocal supporters. I’m NOT saying they aren’t right sometimes, but who is next years guy? Cause it’s always someone. Like clockwork. 

[Logic]

28 minutes ago, Augie said:

We should have a thread (preseason) predicting who our WR heartthrob will be next year. There always seems to be a guy on the fringe of the roster who has vocal supporters. I’m NOT saying they aren’t right sometimes, but who is next years guy? Cause it’s always someone. Like clockwork. 

Drew Haddad, Martin Nance, and Da'Rick Rodgers say hello!

Edited December 14, 2019 by Logic

[transplantbillsfan]

On 12/12/2019 at 2:19 PM, ngbills said:

Come on. Many on this thread are saying if Duke is in the game we win and he catches the ball thrown to Brown etc. One guy said he just throws his arms in the air and its a TD. Catches everything his way. How he will to NE and stick it to us. None of that is reality. He had a decent game and otherwise has not been good enough. Yes, this team could use a big WR. Does not mean it has to be Duke as there are plenty that are simply better than him. 

 

Who on our roster?

 

This is about this year.

 

Duke is literally the ONLY big bodied sure handed receiving threat this team has. Unfortunately, that's including Tight Ends since Knox is Mr. Unreliable when it comes to catching the damn football.

 

Duke has more catches and TDs than Foster does this year on just over half the targets.

 

I like Foster, but he and McKenzie are interchangeable in this offense if Allen can't hit him on the deep balls and McKenzie is more elusive.

 

Just activate Duke and use him situationally.

[Nelius]

3 minutes ago, Logic said:

Drew Haddad, Martin Nance, and Da'Rick Rodgers say hello!

 

But did any of them lead the CFL in receiving? I know it's meaningless, but it's still pretty cool. Plus only Da'Rick also had an NFL TD, so there's a tiny bit of understandable magic to Duke and I'm on board. But yeah, totally down to pick the next practice squad WR heart throb, it is a thing.

 

 

[Dopey]

1 hour ago, Nelius said:

 

Jerry Rice ran a 4.71. Just saying, just saying. Not comparing Duke to Rice by any means obviously, but Jerry Rice, Anquan Boldin, and Larry Fitzgerald would all like a word with you, sir.

Jrober38 did say "typically".

[Nelius]

30 minutes ago, Dopey said:

Jrober38 did say "typically".

 

Cris Carter, Chad Johnson, Hines Ward, Brandon Marshall, and Brandon Lloyd for honorable mention? Lots of slow 40 times for a lot of good receivers. If anything, it seems far more rare for the 4.3 burners to turn into anything more than gadget players, let alone a Hall of Famer.

[BADOLBILZ]

30 minutes ago, Nelius said:

 

Cris Carter, Chad Johnson, Hines Ward, Brandon Marshall, and Brandon Lloyd for honorable mention? Lots of slow 40 times for a lot of good receivers. If anything, it seems far more rare for the 4.3 burners to turn into anything more than gadget players, let alone a Hall of Famer.

 

 

Duke has no speed,  is not at all quick and has about the same vertical leap as Cody Ford.

 

He has nice body control and very good ball skills and is very physical.   He's basically an undersized and slow receiving tight end.  

 

You are comparing him to WR's who were smooth and sudden and had a lot of traits Duke does not have beyond just being slower in the 40 than most of them.

[transplantbillsfan]

No, I am not REMOTELY saying Duke Williams is on the level of one current 1st ballot HOFer and one future 1st ballot HOFer...

 

but...

 

When was the last time Buffalo had AND utilized a well known surehanded AND big bodied WR or TE?

 

Pete Metzelaars????

 

I'm talking surehanded in the manner that Gronk's scouting report describes him, which is the description of "consistent hands and plucks the ball." Gonzales was the same player throughout his career.

 

Is there any more important attribute as a guy who catches the football?

 

Guys, the Bills have the HIGHEST drop percentage in the NFL through 13 games BY FAR!!!

 

Has the Bills organization been overvaluing lesser important skillsets over the last 2+ decades?

 

I feel like off the top of my head I can go through a BUNCH of NFL teams and find guys very recently that fit this category:

 

Detroit had Megatron 

San Diego had Gates

Tampa has Mike Evan's

Pat's had Gronk

Cardinals have Fitz

Cleveland had Gordon (saw Pats and now Seahawks follow)

Bengals have AJ Green

Bears then Eagles had/have Jeffery 

Saints have Michael Thomas

Saints then Eagles had/have Jimmy Graham 

Chiefs have Kelce (had Gonzalez)

Falcons have Julio (had Gonzalez)

Panthers have Olsen

 

 

Honestly, do we have this guy on the roster? I truly think Knox could be that guy if he could learn to catch the damn football, but not right now. Maybe he gets with the jugs machine and wildly improves next year... happened with Gonzalez in the aforementioned show by his own admission.

 

Truthfully, right now the closest guy we have is Duke Williams, who's inactive every week.

 

This all just seems like a bad recipe for a team with a young QB who's been repeatedly advertised as "inaccurate."

 

Again, the Bills have the 2nd highest total number of drops in the NFL but have the highest drop % in the NFL!!!

 

This has been seemingly a trend with this team as we care about "versatility" and "athleticism"--see Charles Clay. Those are great traits unless they exist without the ability to reliably finish the play.

 

I hope Knox becomes this guy next year, but he sucks for reliability right now.

 

Time to activate Duke and start throwing it to him. 

 

Get a true #1 next year, but let's make sure we have all our best options actually active to start utilizing them so we can make some damn noise this year...and it starts Sunday!!!

Edited December 14, 2019 by transplantbillsfan

[buffaloboyinATL]

That is a bit of a reach, no?

 

 

p.s.  Buffalo has Knox

 

 

Edited December 14, 2019 by buffaloboyinATL

[Bangarang]

Good lord this is so ***** stupid 

[Kirby Jackson]

Every time I watch Tom Brady play I feel like we need to bring up Davis Webb. I mean both players throw the ball with their right arm. Am I doing this right?

Edited December 14, 2019 by Kirby Jackson

[transplantbillsfan]

48 minutes ago, buffaloboyinATL said:

That is a bit of a reach, no?

 

 

p.s.  Buffalo has Knox

 

 

 

Knox can't catch.

 

That's one of just 2 critical components 

7 minutes ago, Bangarang said:

Good lord this is so ***** stupid 

 

Stop being such a whiny cotton headed ninny muggins.

 

I'm looking at this year. Duke can be cut in the offseason for all I care so long as we take care of the prerequisite qualifications.

 

Stop focusing on your misconception that I'm comparing Duke Williams with Gonzalez and Gronk--which I'm not--and start focusing on our most disturbing issue...

 

HIGHEST DROP PERCENTAGE IN THE NFL

Edited December 14, 2019 by transplantbillsfan

[transplantbillsfan]

10 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Every time I watch Tom Brady play I feel like we need to bring up Davis Webb. I mean both plays throw the ball with their right arm. Am I doing this right?

 

Wow.

 

Really idiotic.

 

Especially now in a league that's pretty obviously veering strongly away from the statuesque QB and in a year when Brady blows.