the missing link - an Alvin Kamara-type player

[LABILLBACKER]

47 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

Najee Harris or Travis Etienne would look great in a Bills uniform...very likely one of them or both is available at 30.

 

47 minutes ago, SCBills said:

Najee Harris and Travis Etienne are as close as it comes to Alvin Kamara in this draft (or any recent ones).

Those are the 2 guys I'd target. There are NO compelling pass rushers @ 30. That RB would be on a rookie deal for 5 years. Moss RB2. Then get an OL coach who can teach these guys a better run scheme. 

[Paup 1995MVP]

32 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

It is a total waste. RB’s are a dime a dozen. 

 

People need to understand that when you draft around 30, the philosophy also changes. you really have to stick to your board. Oftentimes you can get one of the higher rated interior linemen or ILB or safety around there. The Bills can’t be reaching for gadget guys or niche players. 

Did you watch Alabama or Clemson play the past couple seasons?  Etienne or Najee Harris are certainly not nitch players.  They are studs who would make our offense much more dynamic.  Singletary brings next to nothing.  He has no explosion power or burst.  And Moss may be a little better, but not much.  We can find good interior lineman or inside LB's later in the draft or in free agency.  We drafted Edmunds in the first round, and he has done nothing to live up to first round status.  In fact, I will be so bold as to say that AJ Klein made as much if not more of an impact in games for us this season then Edmunds did.  

[oldmanfan]

I would take the approach of adding more talent up front.  I think Feliciano is better at C than Morse, so put him there, get Ford back at one G and upgrade the other spot - Boettger is average at best. Get a House Ballard type at RT to replace Williams.  And make sure the O line coach drills on run blocking.

 

Open up more holes I think Moss would be fine, Williams as well, and Motor will have to earn a spot

[Reed83HOF]

46 minutes ago, Rico said:

I don’t like burning a #1 on a RB, but I would not complain if we drafted Etienne.

I'm starting to come around on trying to sign Curtis Samuel if he hits UFA for the speed component and seeing if we can package our 1 and some picks for an edge freak on D. 

 

Free agency should be crazy this year with the low cap and some good people could be let go (Von Miller as an example). I would be looking for a proven vet on D, which may require a trade and loss of first rounder. 

 

Just the thoughts bouncing around in my dumb head right now...

[4BillsintheBurgh]

18 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

Good post, but the thing about Kamara is that he is a great route runner, which is everything to me. He can run WR routes, RB routes, etc. I actually think Yelden is a decent receiving back, but the other two aren't. But Yelden is likely gone and is basically a JAG overall. I just think it adds another dimension to an offense that needs to get to KC's level in order to beat them. You have to account for a player like that on every play he's in there. 

 

As for Drake, I've seen enough over the years to think he's a good dual threat. His numbers were down this year, but they were excellent last year after he joined AZ. I doubt that's a result of physical decline. He has a solid 40 time, too, fwiw - 4.45. 

Although just a jag, I just don't understand why he couldn't have been used more because of the versatility he brings. That was  a big fail for Daboll this year as far as I am concerned.

[Reed83HOF]

1 minute ago, oldmanfan said:

I would take the approach of adding more talent up front.  I think Feliciano is better at C than Morse, so put him there, get Ford back at one G and upgrade the other spot - Boettger is average at best. Get a House Ballard type at RT to replace Williams.  And make sure the O line coach drills on run blocking.

 

Open up more holes I think Moss would be fine, Williams as well, and Motor will have to earn a spot

I have been thinking about this as well and it makes a lot of sense

[MJS]

Our missing link is the best dual threat running back in the league who set the single game rushing TD record and may be a hall of famer one day?

 

Yeah, I'd think a player like that would help. But maybe it's unrealistic to expect to get someone like that.

[Reed83HOF]

2 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

 

Those are the 2 guys I'd target. There are NO compelling pass rushers @ 30. That RB would be on a rookie deal for 5 years. Moss RB2. Then get an OL coach who can teach these guys a better run scheme. 

I'm think Beane is going big game hunting to work on getting us over the hump. We don't have enough picks to jump up in the top 10, I'm thinking we trade like last year

[SCBills]

34 minutes ago, dneveu said:

 

Drake had a lower yards per carry at the end of the year than Singletary and Moss.  He also had a lower yards per reception.

 

I personally think a better offensive line kinda cures a lot of what ails the rushing offense.  Everyone would love a Kamara - but I don't think he'd ever see 100 targets when 250 go to diggs and beasely.  Same goes with an ekeler type (Chargers are actually a worse rushing offense than buffalo). 

 

If there's a belief that kamara would help you beat the chiefs, I can understand the thought.  I don't think having him would have turned this team from 13-3 to considerably better.  But if you think that matchup is the difference I get it.  Personally I think they need to identify a better defensive strategy for RPOs.

 

However I'm not ready to condemn a player for a drop - did we condemn thomas for fumbling in the super bowl?  The offensive line failed down the stretch against blitzes, and couldn't generate much push in the run game.  There are 5 starters there, and buffalo hasn't spent a ton of draft capital there (Dawkins, Ford, Teller).  An infusion of talent there could help the group get younger and better.

 

I mean, you can just watch Singletary with your own two eyes and see how limited he is.  

 

Zack Moss is fine as the #2 back, but when JAG Yeldon is turning the same 1-2 yard Singletary runs into 4-5 yards and Singletary screws up massive check downs plays in BOTH Kansas City games, it's glaring to see that he just isn't it.  

 

We have a QB who hates to check down, and the few times he does, we can't have a RB that maybe catches the ball, and if he does, does nothing with it.  It's absurd at this point with him.  

[MJS]

1 minute ago, SCBills said:

 

I mean, you can just watch Singletary with your own two eyes and see how limited he is.  

 

Zack Moss is fine as the #2 back, but when JAG Yeldon is turning the same 1-2 yard Singletary runs into 4-5 yards and Singletary screws up massive check downs plays in BOTH Kansas City games, it's glaring to see that he just isn't it.  

 

We have a QB who hates to check down, and the few times he does, we can't have a RB that maybe catches the ball, and if he does, does nothing with it.  It's absurd at this point with him.  

Singletary is puzzling to me. I really expected a big year out of him. He looked pretty dang good last season. Not sure what happened.

 

Our oline really regressed in run blocking too, for some reason. Daboll needs to fix that and get more creative with the run game.

 

I'm all for trying to trade for or draft a big time running back. A guy with speed and explosiveness.

[dave mcbride]

18 minutes ago, 4BillsintheBurgh said:

Although just a jag, I just don't understand why he couldn't have been used more because of the versatility he brings. That was  a big fail for Daboll this year as far as I am concerned.

I think he was in their doghouse because of fumbling. That may be the sort of thing they saw in practice and which we didn't know about. When he fumbled early last year in the red zone, we saw very little of him afterward. Historically, though, he hasn't been a particularly bad fumbler.

Edited January 26, 2021 by dave mcbride

[dave mcbride]

31 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

The Bills finished second in the NFL in scoring.

 

RB is not a position I would put much into...........they've expended two picks in round 3 on RB's which was two too many for anything short of a game changer.........now it's incumbent on the Bills All-world personnel department to find that big play guy late in the draft and UDFA.

 

I like the suggestion of some that McKenzie be used more out of the backfield.

 

Drake is an enigma.........I expect Moss will be a better player next year than Drake..........I know that's not the type of player you are looking for but just that I think Drake will be a bust wherever he goes.

I get the scoring, but in the playoffs you have to be able to switch gears against good teams. They couldn't run against any of the teams they faced, and if not for the pick six, they're winning by the skin of their teeth (and maybe even losing to Baltimore) because they can't get more than mid-20s level points. Same thing with KC. I'm talking about an ingredient for a championship-level team, not about scoring 48 points vs. Jacksonville in early October. 

[RyanC883]

if you think the RB you'll get at 30 is a difference maker, then you take him at 30.  If you don't think there is much difference between the guy at 30 and a 3rd rounder, wait and go IOL or IDL, or LB, or whatever.  But the argument that RB's are a dime a dozen is patently false.  Put McCaffery, Barkley, Cook, Kamara on the Bills and the offense is exponentionallybetter/harder to defend.     

[Antonio]

1 hour ago, Big Turk said:

Najee Harris or Travis Etienne would look great in a Bills uniform...very likely one of them or both is available at 30.

 

Etienn would be awesome, but I would try to get him in the 2nd, with a trade up. 

[dave mcbride]

1 minute ago, Antonio said:

 

Etienn would be awesome, but I would try to get him in the 2nd, with a trade up. 

Or a trade down from 30, which would be preferable given that it'll land the Bills an extra pick.

[The Jokeman]

32 minutes ago, Reed83HOF said:

I'm think Beane is going big game hunting to work on getting us over the hump. We don't have enough picks to jump up in the top 10, I'm thinking we trade like last year

If Beane was going to make a trade I'd love to see us get Tarik Cohen from the Bears as think he the type of RB we need. 

[DaggersEOD]

35 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

I would take the approach of adding more talent up front.  I think Feliciano is better at C than Morse, so put him there, get Ford back at one G and upgrade the other spot - Boettger is average at best. Get a House Ballard type at RT to replace Williams.  And make sure the O line coach drills on run blocking.

 

Open up more holes I think Moss would be fine, Williams as well, and Motor will have to earn a spot

 

I have zero emotional attachment to our current crop of RBs. They are like 7-9 / 6-10 seasons. Could be worse...but not considered good by any stretch. So I am all about getting an impact RB.

 

We just need to find one that excels when consistently hit 3 yards behind the LOS, in order to be a good fit for our system 😉

 

Joking aside, we need a 1-cut explosive back, but he will be wasted behind our current O-Line IMO.

 

We need to scheme/make holes first IMO, so I agree, we need a SERIOUS plan to address our Rushing attack and IMO, a new RB isn't going to solve all our problems.

[Motorin']

1 hour ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

It is a total waste. RB’s are a dime a dozen. 

 

People need to understand that when you draft around 30, the philosophy also changes. you really have to stick to your board. Oftentimes you can get one of the higher rated interior linemen or ILB or safety around there. The Bills can’t be reaching for gadget guys or niche players. 

 

Ettienne and Harris are not a dime a dozen. Moss and Motor are a dime a dozen. And neither of them are gadget players. They are both game changers, not just in the running game but perhaps more importantly in the passing game. Either of them would give Josh a deadly weapon to utilize on quick passes to the flats. 

[dave mcbride]

49 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

The Bills finished second in the NFL in scoring.

 

RB is not a position I would put much into...........they've expended two picks in round 3 on RB's which was two too many for anything short of a game changer.........now it's incumbent on the Bills All-world personnel department to find that big play guy late in the draft and UDFA.

 

I like the suggestion of some that McKenzie be used more out of the backfield.

 

Drake is an enigma.........I expect Moss will be a better player next year than Drake..........I know that's not the type of player you are looking for but just that I think Drake will be a bust wherever he goes.

Another point about championships and rushing the ball: 

 

2018: NE was 3rd in rushing attempts and 5th in yards

2017: Philly was 6th in attempts and 3rd in yards

2016: NE was 3rd in attempts and 7th in yards

2015: Denver was 17th in attempts and 17th in yards (better than their passing numbers; they won with defense anyway)

2014: NE was 13th in attempts and 18th in yards

2013: Seattle was 2nd in attempts and 4th in yards

2012: Baltimore was 12th in attempts and 11th in yards

 

Last year, the Chiefs were 27th in attempts and 23rd in yards, and in 2011, the Giants were 22nd in attempts and 32nd in yards. Still, the majority of teams listed above do run the ball and most had great passing games too (Denver in 2015 was an anomaly). Seattle barely threw it 2014 (31st in the league in attempts), but they were 10th in TD passes and had a team passer rating of 102.4.

 

My point is, you can be a pass-first team, but when you absolutely need to turn on a run game in the playoffs in order to keep teams honest and your own attack balanced, you gotta have some horses. In three playoff games, the Bills' RBs ran it 30 times for 112 yards (3.7 ypc) and reeled off zero big plays. 

[st pete gogolak]

1 hour ago, MJS said:

Our missing link is the best dual threat running back in the league who set the single game rushing TD record and may be a hall of famer one day?

 

Yeah, I'd think a player like that would help. But maybe it's unrealistic to expect to get someone like that.

Bingo.  That’s a pet peeve. “We need to get a Kelce or Kamara or J.J. Watt or Bruce Smith.” Let’s just go out and get a couple of Hall of Famers or future Hall of Famers.  That will fix our problems.