The Bills front office did a ton of work this year on the WR class and then traded for Stefon Diggs, but that work was not wasted

[YoloinOhio]

I predicted the Bills would get at least one WR steal in the draft because they did so much work on scouting and evaluation with WRs this year. It would have been a shame for that to go to waste just because they traded out of the 1st where everyone expected them to take a WR1  and got a vet instead. The fact they took 2 -even after acquiring Diggs -means they believe in both Davis and Hodgins not only talent-wise but as complements to the group they have 

Hodgins is actually similar to Tee Higgins without the tiger paw on the helmet 

[BillsFanForever19]

See ya McKenzie, Foster, and Duke. Numbers game says unless Hodgins performs poorly in camp, they're all gone.

[YoloinOhio]

4 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

See ya McKenzie, Foster, and Duke. Numbers game says unless Hodgins performs poorly in camp, they're all gone.

Competition is king. And when McD was asked what he looked for in a WR he said “well they need to be able to catch the ball.” Word, Coach.  He knows he would have won that playoff game if Duke caught that TD or John Brown gets his feet in bounds. 

Edited April 25, 2020 by YoloinOhio

[JerseyBills]

3 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

See ya McKenzie, Foster, and Duke. Numbers game says unless Hodgins performs poorly in camp, they're all gone.

It was clearly our biggest team fault , WR rarely got yac it seemed and Beane kept saying all off season , he wants TD makers, a guy that can take a 5 yard pass 80 yards. . Well he certainly wasn't lieing , these 2 rookies have a ton of potential. 

1 minute ago, YoloinOhio said:

Competition is king. And when McD was asked what he looked for in a WR he said “well they need to be able to catch the ball.” Word, Coach.  He knows he would have won that playoff game if Duke caught that TD or John Brown gets his feet in bounds. 

Exactly! This WR /RB group will be a massive upgrade from last year. We have so much versatility with the addition of these rookies. Can't wait

[DCofNC]

Just now, YoloinOhio said:

Competition is king. And when McD was asked what he looked for in a WR he said “well they need to be able to catch the ball.” Word, Coach. 

That line is actually pretty telling.  It doesn't matter how big, fast, or explosive you are if you don't catch the darn ball.

[PolishPrince]

I’d rather cut Roberts and keep McKenzie... yes I know McKenzie has some fumbling issues, but if they were that bad why would we design sweeps with him on critical downs?

 

mckenzie is younger, cheaper and more of a WR/sweep threat than Roberts 

[NickelCity]

1 minute ago, PolishPrince said:

I’d rather cut Roberts and keep McKenzie... yes I know McKenzie has some fumbling issues, but if they were that bad why would we design sweeps with him on critical downs?

 

mckenzie is younger, cheaper and more of a WR/sweep threat than Roberts 

 

PR/KR I don't trust McKenzie at all. Wish I did. 

[Buffalo Boy]

    Drive killing drops were huge last year.

We all watched the playoffs and saw all these other teams receivers catching “ bad passes” consistently.

    Getting Josh to the point he trusts his receivers is a huge step forward. He started to throw more 50/50 balls last year. It would be nice to see us win those finally.

    To me Knox AND Beasely have to be more consistent catching . They are starters and starters can’t drop balls as much as they did. 
     It will be nice if one of these rookies comes in and legit competes for playing time AND produces when he gets it....... been a LONG time since we’ve seen that.

Edited April 26, 2020 by Buffalo Boy

[YoloinOhio]

2 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said:

    Drive killing drops were huge last year.

We all watched the playoffs and saw all these other teams receivers catching “ bad passes” consistently.

    Getting Josh to the point he trusts his receivers is a huge step forward. He started to throw more 50/50 balls last year. It would be nice to see us win those finally.

    To me Knox AND Beasely have to be more consistent catching . They are starters and starters can’t drop balls as much as they did. 
     It will be nice if one of these rooms comes in and legit competes for playing time AND produces when he gets it....... been a LONG time since we’ve seen that.

McD wants WR he can trust 

[HOUSE]

1 minute ago, YoloinOhio said:

McD wants WR he can trust 

 

Then why was he looking to acquire  for Antonio Brown ?   lol

[1st Ammendment NoMas]

9 minutes ago, NickelCity said:

 

PR/KR I don't trust McKenzie at all. Wish I did. 

Roberts went to the pro bowl as a KR/PR. We need that more than a gadget play or two. We will find someone for jet sweeps although that was McKenzie's money play and it worked.  But I think it's going to be tough for him. We needed that trickery to pick up those 3rd and 4's but I think we have more versatility and guys like Moss will run it down someones throat to pick up those short yardage 3rds while they open up the field for TE's and inside WR's.

I'd like to see Devin split out with Moss in the backfield and let Devin run those sweeps. You keep a D honest with threats like Davis and Brown and Diggs out there, plus Knox working the middle.  We would have a lot of versatility for those trick plays because a defense won't know what to expect and just when you think they got it figured out, Josh runs a bootleg and scores!!!! GO BILLS

Edited April 25, 2020 by BillsRdue

[Buffalo Boy]

5 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

McD wants WR he can trust 

So does Josh?

[YoloinOhio]

5 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said:

So does Josh?

Put Hodgins in the slot. Matchup nightmare for slot corners with his size and catches everything 

[Logic]

Wawrow made a good point on Twitter.

In what is almost certain to be a shortened or non-existent offseason, it's going to be tough for a guy like Hodgins to claim a roster spot over guys like Foster and McKenzie.

I wish there was someone else on the Bills roster who could return kicks, so that they didn't have to use a coveted WR roster spot -- they usually keep six or less -- on a 30+ year old guy who ONLY contributes as a kick returner. I don't want such a player to push a talented, young guy like Hodgins off the roster.

Alas, the two youngsters each have defined roles. Davis will learn behind John Brown at X and be a situation deep threat and play special teams. Hodgins will be a big slot and red zone weapon. I just hope they make the final 53.

[YoloinOhio]

Just now, Logic said:

Wawrow made a good point on Twitter.

In what is almost certain to be a shortened or non-existent offseason, it's going to be tough for a guy like Hodgins to claim a roster spot over guys like Foster and McKenzie.

I wish there was someone else on the Bills roster who could return kicks, so that they didn't have to use a coveted WR roster spot -- they usually keep six or less -- on a 30+ year old guy who ONLY contributes as a kick returner. I don't want such a player to push a talented, young guy like Hodgins off the roster.

Alas, the two youngsters each have defined roles. Davis will learn behind John Brown at X and be a situation deep threat and play special teams. Hodgins will be a big slot and red zone weapon. I just hope they make the final 53.

I agree with wawrow. It’s why teams depending on rookies to play starting roles are going to struggle a bit imo. But Bills didn’t draft those types. They enhanced a roster instead of filling holes.  I think if they have some semblance of TC, WRs can separate themselves past the starting group 

[Don Otreply]

42 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Competition is king. And when McD was asked what he looked for in a WR he said “well they need to be able to catch the ball.” Word, Coach.  He knows he would have won that playoff game if Duke caught that TD or John Brown gets his feet in bounds. 

Yup, I quoted that very statement by Sean several times in threads post combine. It is the single most important trait for any receiver, nothing else matters if ya can’t do the one thing consistently.

 

Of our current receivers Duke has the 4th highest catch percentage at 63.2 percent, behind Diggs, Brown, and Beasley iirc.  Imo Foster, Nick and Ray Ray should be goners. Roberts, Williams and Mckenzie are all on the bubble. Roberts although good as a returner is not a good WR, sure wish the would assign someone else to do returns and gain a roster position for another scoring option on offense, and let the chips fall where they may with the remaining receivers. Jmo.

 

Go Bills!!!

Edited April 25, 2020 by Don Otreply

[DuckyBoys]

any of these new additions return kicks?  Roberts can go but need a sure handed returner  You can trust Andre wont cough up the ball on returns and you know McDermott values that a ton

[letsgoteam]

Roster is bigger this year correct? 55?

[947]

Who backs up the Slot if Beasley goes down? Maybe Brown could do it, and put Gabe Davis outside. But if Hodgins isn't ready, that helps McKenzie stay around.

[blacklabel]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

Competition is king. And when McD was asked what he looked for in a WR he said “well they need to be able to catch the ball.” Word, Coach.  He knows he would have won that playoff game if Duke caught that TD or John Brown gets his feet in bounds. 

 

Oh man, you just brought back what must've been a repressed memory already. I'd forgotten about Duke's drop. That was a rough one to see. Tough catch for sure, but it was there. I can't quite recall Brown's miss on the other play you mentioned so maybe it was worse, haha. 

[Freddie's Dead]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

Competition is king. And when McD was asked what he looked for in a WR he said “well they need to be able to catch the ball.” Word, Coach.  He knows he would have won that playoff game if Duke caught that TD or John Brown gets his feet in bounds. 

 

My guy McKittrick also dropped the big one.  No guaranteed roster spots.  Me likee.

[SirAndrew]

1 hour ago, Buffalo Boy said:

    Drive killing drops were huge last year.

We all watched the playoffs and saw all these other teams receivers catching “ bad passes” consistently.

    Getting Josh to the point he trusts his receivers is a huge step forward. He started to throw more 50/50 balls last year. It would be nice to see us win those finally.

    To me Knox AND Beasely have to be more consistent catching . They are starters and starters can’t drop balls as much as they did. 
     It will be nice if one of these rooms comes in and legit competes for playing time AND produces when he gets it....... been a LONG time since we’ve seen that.

Yeah, I’d love to see one of these guys give Beasley some competition. I knew that Beasley wasn’t Randy Moss, but I thought he’d be a reliable slot WR with good hands. He put up good numbers, and is an underrated route runner, but the amount of drops are detrimental coming from a starter. Beasley is great at getting open, but he doesn’t make catches that aren’t placed right on him.

[maryland-bills-fan]

2 hours ago, PolishPrince said:

I’d rather cut Roberts and keep McKenzie... yes I know McKenzie has some fumbling issues, but if they were that bad why would we design sweeps with him on critical downs?

 

mckenzie is younger, cheaper and more of a WR/sweep threat than Roberts 

Because none of our RB had the speed to get around the corner, so the jet sweep was a way to make attacking the outside part of our game.

[Augie]

I like the approach, and it’s much like our approach to houses we’ve had. Take the worst room in the house, and make it the best. For us that means a kitchen, or a master bath.

 

For them, last year was the OLine and they started to revamp WR.  This year is all about the WR room. It’s hard to do little patchwork jobs all over that matter. GUT IT, which we have done with WR over the last year or two. 

 

PLEASE let this season come off as planned. If not, we still have smart guys in charge making good decisions. 

Edited April 25, 2020 by Augie

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

2 hours ago, BillsRdue said:

Roberts went to the pro bowl as a KR/PR. We need that more than a gadget play or two. We will find someone for jet sweeps although that was McKenzie's money play and it worked.  But I think it's going to be tough for him. We needed that trickery to pick up those 3rd and 4's but I think we have more versatility and guys like Moss will run it down someones throat to pick up those short yardage 3rds while they open up the field for TE's and inside WR's.

I'd like to see Devin split out with Moss in the backfield and let Devin run those sweeps. You keep a D honest with threats like Davis and Brown and Diggs out there, plus Knox working the middle.  We would have a lot of versatility for those trick plays because a defense won't know what to expect and just when you think they got it figured out, Josh runs a bootleg and scores!!!! GO BILLS

Diggs or Brown should be able to run sweeps well 

 

also moss is faster Than Devin 

[PolishPrince]

58 minutes ago, maryland-bills-fan said:

Because none of our RB had the speed to get around the corner, so the jet sweep was a way to make attacking the outside part of our game.

I understand why we did it... and jet sweeps are usually WR and not RB’s...I’m just saying if fumbling issues are such a concern for McKenzie why do we keep him around for just gadget plays and not have him work on fumbling KR/PR? We even resigned the guy when trading for Diggs who can do sweeps.

 

Roberts brought nothing to our offense and is also over 30. I’m not sure why so many think he’s a lock is my main point.

[y2zipper]

Roberts is a KR/PR and is worth a roster spot for that role alone. Ideally he won't play WR at any point but I'd keep 5 or 6 guys on the roster in front of him. I'd expect it to be...

 

Diggs

Brown

Beasley

 

And then you'll see Foster, McKenzie, the 2 guys they drafted competing for spots. I don't expect Easley or McCloud to make the roster.

[peterpan]

3 hours ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

See ya McKenzie, Foster, and Duke. Numbers game says unless Hodgins performs poorly in camp, they're all gone.

Are any of these guys still Practice squad eligible?  Duke might be...?  Foster would be a stretch....McKenzie I can't see it.  

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they try to PS one of these drafted guys either.  With the idea that they get pulled up when an injury happens or mid season. 

[Comebackkid]

3 hours ago, BillsRdue said:

Roberts went to the pro bowl as a KR/PR. We need that more than a gadget play or two. We will find someone for jet sweeps although that was McKenzie's money play and it worked.  But I think it's going to be tough for him. We needed that trickery to pick up those 3rd and 4's but I think we have more versatility and guys like Moss will run it down someones throat to pick up those short yardage 3rds while they open up the field for TE's and inside WR's.

I'd like to see Devin split out with Moss in the backfield and let Devin run those sweeps. You keep a D honest with threats like Davis and Brown and Diggs out there, plus Knox working the middle.  We would have a lot of versatility for those trick plays because a defense won't know what to expect and just when you think they got it figured out, Josh runs a bootleg and scores!!!! GO BILLS

we get some dudes that can get separation and track/catch the ball and get yac..    we dont have to rely on gadget plays and trickery

[BillsFanForever19]

24 minutes ago, peterpan said:

Are any of these guys still Practice squad eligible?  Duke might be...?  Foster would be a stretch....McKenzie I can't see it.  

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they try to PS one of these drafted guys either.  With the idea that they get pulled up when an injury happens or mid season. 

 

There may be some eligibility left on Foster and/or Williams. But I was referring to the active roster. I should have specified.

[buffalojedwardo]

4 hours ago, NickelCity said:

 

PR/KR I don't trust McKenzie at all. Wish I did. 

I just cant believe with the amount of touchbacks that a return specialist is even a thing anymore. Would rather have Hyde/Mckenzie  return punts and let someone else handle the kickoff returns. 

[eball]

4 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Competition is king. And when McD was asked what he looked for in a WR he said “well they need to be able to catch the ball.” Word, Coach.  He knows he would have won that playoff game if Duke caught that TD or John Brown gets his feet in bounds. 

 

4 hours ago, DCofNC said:

That line is actually pretty telling.  It doesn't matter how big, fast, or explosive you are if you don't catch the darn ball.

 

I have it on pretty good TSW authority that McD "doesn't have a clue" when it comes to offense and skill players, particularly WRs.  You must have it wrong, guys.

[FireChans]

2 hours ago, eball said:

 

 

I have it on pretty good TSW authority that McD "doesn't have a clue" when it comes to offense and skill players, particularly WRs.  You must have it wrong, guys.

Lol this is bold when Gabe Davis hasn’t seen a snap yet. Let’s see what these guys can do.

[Rob's House]

4 hours ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

Diggs or Brown should be able to run sweeps well 

 

also moss is faster Than Devin 

 

I doubt that.

[MJS]

7 hours ago, PolishPrince said:

I’d rather cut Roberts and keep McKenzie... yes I know McKenzie has some fumbling issues, but if they were that bad why would we design sweeps with him on critical downs?

 

mckenzie is younger, cheaper and more of a WR/sweep threat than Roberts 

Roberts is the returner and a darn good one. I'd rather keep the peace of mind knowing he isn't going to do something stupid out there or commit a key turnover to turn momentum to the other team. I sure hope he stays. Plus I think we were one of the better teams in the league at average drive start position or something like that, and a big part of that is the return game.

[Richard Noggin]

29 minutes ago, Rob's House said:

 

I doubt that.

It's actually officially true, albeit fractionally so. 

 

Moss 4.65

Singletary 4.66

 

But Moss more recently ran an electronically-timed 4.52 at a private workout, which might more accurately reflect his game speed on film.

 

So Moss is in fact faster in a straight line. 

[John from Riverside]

We just need guys that won’t drop the ball ⚽️ n big moments

[ngbills]

I don’t expect either wr drafted to make roster. Practice squad or cut. 

[John from Riverside]

5 minutes ago, ngbills said:

I don’t expect either wr drafted to make roster. Practice squad or cut. 

Shall we make a bet on that now?

[LABILLBACKER]

17 minutes ago, ngbills said:

I don’t expect either wr drafted to make roster. Practice squad or cut. 

Very possible.  In a very deep wr draft we waited a very long time to finally pick one. A 4th and 6th round wr isn't guaranteed making this team. Hopefully one of these 2 guys shine. I just don't see any point keeping Easley, McCloud and Foster any longer.  And this will put Duke & McKenzie on the bubble. Roberts is safe as the only return guy.