RD 1, Pick 30: Greg Rousseau, Edge (Miami) Public Poll Added

[BruceVilanch]

23 minutes ago, nbbillsfan said:

while I would love this to be true, I don’t really see it. Rousseau played at about 246 and Calais played at close to 290. Even with a full year of bulking, Greg was about 25 lighter on draft day. Maybe Greg can grow into his body, but Calais was an much bigger as a draft prospect. 

I mean, I was 215 in the military, and I'm 250 now, so it CAN happen!

[CaptnCoke11]

2 hours ago, Mat68 said:

The comp is Cilias Campbell.  Same school similar size, similar measurables.  Covid 19 allowed a player like Rousseau to fall.  As a redshirt freshman first time playing de got 15.5 sacks.  If he had 1/2 that production last year he is a top 20 pick.  

I don’t see the comp to Campbell other than school.  They aren’t even close to the same type of player 

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, nbbillsfan said:

while I would love this to be true, I don’t really see it. Rousseau played at about 246 and Calais played at close to 290. Even with a full year of bulking, Greg was about 25 lighter on draft day. Maybe Greg can grow into his body, but Calais was an much bigger as a draft prospect. 

 

 

The comparison has some to do with the school and some with their measurables being similar(like their relatively unimpressive 30" vertical leaps) but I think it's also that they were both kinda' slept on in the draft process.

 

Early in Campbell's college career there was a lot of speculation that he could be a top 5 overall pick.   When he hit the draft process the talking heads were running him down and you'd regularly see him mocked as an afterthought in the 4th or 5th round.    When Arizona selected him in round 2 the attitude from most was "too rich for my blood".

 

The story is similar with Rousseau.   First impression was great.........and people have been trying to talk themselves out of it since.

 

Campbell ended up playing in the 3-4 which muted his production but people in the NFL knew how good he was.   Then when he went to Jacksonville late in his career and was turned loose he put up big numbers despite not being a twitchy, quick edge.   

 

Campbell is more powerful,  but Rousseau's length is more functional.   His hands are almost 2" larger than Campbell and those have been Rousseau's calling card.    He makes plays on the ball and tackles people from unexpected angles..........they function well with his "GPS" as Beane calls it........a knack for finding the football and getting to it.

 

I think he has a chance to be a big stat producer,  even if it isn't pretty.    And that said,  he's very inexperienced.   Maybe they can develop him more as a pure edge rusher as well.   I was impressed by some of the work they did with the relatively stiff AJ Epenesa last year.

[No_Matter_What]

10 hours ago, BuffaloRebound said:

I don’t necessarily disagree but if Beane was sure in what he had with Rousseau I can’t see him making the Basham pick when you also factor in Epenesa last year.  If all 3 of them hit, Beane isn’t gonna be able to sign them all to a 2nd contract.  Seems like it was a pick 3 and hope at least 1 or 2 hits deal .  My guess is if Beane knew Basham was gonna be there at pick 61, he would’ve picked a DB at pick 30.   

 

If all of them hit, then we will have at least 3 years of good/great production from each, which is by itself great. Then we will decide which one or two are the best and keep them and let the third one go for comp pick. I think it would be an amazing problem to have.

[BigDingus]

On 5/1/2021 at 8:46 PM, White Linen said:

 

Way too broad of an apology.  No where near the same type of player and not drafted near each other.   There's little to compare to have any rational discussion about them but if you want to compare players we drafted 12 years apart, have fun.

You are way too sensitive man lol. Way to overblow the tiniest thing & get defensive about it. Maybe re-read my original post & realize I never once insulted the guy. I'm sorry if he's your dad or something.

On 5/2/2021 at 7:13 AM, Don Otreply said:

Look at the crew that drafted Maybin..., that pretty much says it all, 

 

The crew that drafted Maybin was a bunch of dolts. I'm not worried in the slightest.

[BuffaloRebound]

4 hours ago, No_Matter_What said:

 

If all of them hit, then we will have at least 3 years of good/great production from each, which is by itself great. Then we will decide which one or two are the best and keep them and let the third one go for comp pick. I think it would be an amazing problem to have.

I don’t know.  I mean you gotta admit Oliver, Epenesa, Rousseau, and Basham is a bit over-kill in terms of high draft picks on the D-Line the last 3 years.  There’s far worse positions to be using that kind of draft capital on, but just seems like we could get old at WR and DB rather quickly.  

[Don Otreply]

4 hours ago, BigDingus said:

You are way too sensitive man lol. Way to overblow the tiniest thing & get defensive about it. Maybe re-read my original post & realize I never once insulted the guy. I'm sorry if he's your dad or something.

 

The crew that drafted Maybin was a bunch of dolts. I'm not worried in the slightest.

Nor should anyone be, 

[BarleyNY]

14 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

Pardon me for being blunt about it, but you have to realize that Beane takes the best player available in the early rounds.   He isn't looking his roster.   (Now, of course, if the BPA is a QB, Beane's not taking him.)   

 

If the BPA at 30 had been a corner, Beane would have taken him and probably hoped that one of Rousseau or Basham fell to him in the second round.   He may even have tried to trade up.   But Beane said that the corners they liked always were gone before their pick came.  

 

What Beane said was that Rousseau was his BPA at 30 - and happily filled a need, and Basham was a clear BPA in the next round, and he plays a "premium position."  In essence, he said maybe you can have too many good punters, but you can't have too many good defensive ends.  

 

I hear what you're saying about Epenesa and all, and the answer is that McDermott and Beane don't care.   They want the best talent they can get, and they'll figure out what to do with it.  Who knows what's going to happen?  Maybe Rousseau turns into a tackle and they trade Oliver.   Or they trade Epenesa.   Or one of them has a career-altering injury.   McBeane aren't concerned about that today (even though it confuses you and me).  They just aren't.   Take the best players you can get and figure out what to do with them later.  

I think the BPA angle gets simplified and thrown around too much without context.  There are many different ways to define BPA wrt drafting.  Ability, upside, floor, positional value, scarcity, risk, FA replacement cost, need, scheme fit, etc., etc.  There is almost never a clear cut winner across the criteria.  I’m sure that at 30 Beane could’ve justified a number of players as the  “best available”.  Or a trade up or down the board for that matter.

 

The Bills strategy seems pretty clear.  DEs have drawn the largest free agent contracts recently.  Premium position and expensive to get one as a FA so they have loaded up on them in the last two drafts in order to shore up that position and save cap space next season and beyond.  Ditto OT with 3rd & 5th round picks.  The Rousseau pick wasn’t just a matter of “we’re picking 30th and he’s the BPA there, so nothing to do but take him”.  It was definitely more strategy driven.

 

Like a lot of people here I’d have rather had them focus at least somewhat on short term improvement and spread their capital around to other important areas of the team.  I get the plan, but I’m just disappointed by it because I don’t see how it get the Bills over the hump to a championship. 

[Boxcar]

16 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

Pardon me for being blunt about it, but you have to realize that Beane takes the best player available in the early rounds.   He isn't looking his roster.   (Now, of course, if the BPA is a QB, Beane's not taking him.)   

 

If the BPA at 30 had been a corner, Beane would have taken him and probably hoped that one of Rousseau or Basham fell to him in the second round.   He may even have tried to trade up.   But Beane said that the corners they liked always were gone before their pick came.  

 

What Beane said was that Rousseau was his BPA at 30 - and happily filled a need, and Basham was a clear BPA in the next round, and he plays a "premium position."  In essence, he said maybe you can have too many good punters, but you can't have too many good defensive ends.  

 

I hear what you're saying about Epenesa and all, and the answer is that McDermott and Beane don't care.   They want the best talent they can get, and they'll figure out what to do with it.  Who knows what's going to happen?  Maybe Rousseau turns into a tackle and they trade Oliver.   Or they trade Epenesa.   Or one of them has a career-altering injury.   McBeane aren't concerned about that today (even though it confuses you and me).  They just aren't.   Take the best players you can get and figure out what to do with them later.  

What's great about Rousseau is that he's played effectively as a DT, so he should be able to rotate inside and outside. Hell, he could probably play LB in a pinch, who knows. Guy is a freak.

[YoloinOhio]

Come on Bills, this triggers 

 

 

[Einstein's Dog]

3 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

The Bills strategy seems pretty clear.  DEs have drawn the largest free agent contracts recently.  Premium position and expensive to get one as a FA so they have loaded up on them in the last two drafts in order to shore up that position and save cap space next season and beyond.  Ditto OT with 3rd & 5th round picks.  The Rousseau pick wasn’t just a matter of “we’re picking 30th and he’s the BPA there, so nothing to do but take him”.  It was definitely more strategy driven.

 

Like a lot of people here I’d have rather had them focus at least somewhat on short term improvement and spread their capital around to other important areas of the team.  I get the plan, but I’m just disappointed by it because I don’t see how it get the Bills over the hump to a championship. 

I was in total agreement with you until you got to the last paragraph.  What would you have liked them to do?  

 

I can understand it a little, I would like to see Ertz come here.  But for the draft the Bills took the bpa in the area of expensive need.  It's how you stay good for a lengthy period of time.

[Shaw66]

2 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

I think the BPA angle gets simplified and thrown around too much without context.  There are many different ways to define BPA wrt drafting.  Ability, upside, floor, positional value, scarcity, risk, FA replacement cost, need, scheme fit, etc., etc.  There is almost never a clear cut winner across the criteria.  I’m sure that at 30 Beane could’ve justified a number of players as the  “best available”.  Or a trade up or down the board for that matter.

 

The Bills strategy seems pretty clear.  DEs have drawn the largest free agent contracts recently.  Premium position and expensive to get one as a FA so they have loaded up on them in the last two drafts in order to shore up that position and save cap space next season and beyond.  Ditto OT with 3rd & 5th round picks.  The Rousseau pick wasn’t just a matter of “we’re picking 30th and he’s the BPA there, so nothing to do but take him”.  It was definitely more strategy driven.

 

Like a lot of people here I’d have rather had them focus at least somewhat on short term improvement and spread their capital around to other important areas of the team.  I get the plan, but I’m just disappointed by it because I don’t see how it get the Bills over the hump to a championship. 

I think is a pretty fair, if overly broad, statement.  They grade each player and rank them, and in the first couple of rounds, they take the guy they graded highest, regardless of whether any one thinks the Bills "need" someone at that position.   Clearly, that was the case with Basham.  No reasonable person would think that the Bills "needed" a defensive end with Hughes, Addison, Epenesa, and Rousseau on board.  The Basham pick had nothing to do with short-term improvement, what you say you wanted.  And that was exactly my point - Beane has said over and over again that he does not use the early round draft picks for "need," or for "short-term-improvement."   So, I get that people may criticize this or other drafts for failing to fill "needs" in the early rounds, but from my point of view of that's a pointless complaint.  We all know that's not how Beane is going to operate.   It's the equivalent of complaining that the Bills team colors should be orange and black - they aren't, and there's nothing to be done about it. 

 

As for whether Beane's is the right strategy, I think it is.  I say this often - the game is more about coaching and less about talent than many fans think.  McBeane's strategy is acquire the best talent in the aggregate and let the coaches figure out how to deploy it.   Your strategy is to have the best talent possible at each position.   Well, so long as his corner backs, for example, can play up to some standard, McDermott doesn't care all that much how high over that standard any particular corner back is.  Sure, he wants the best players he can get at the position, but if the guys he has are good enough, he knows that the success or failure of the defense will ride on how well the coaches scheme, teach the scheme, and get the players to execute that scheme.   The execution of the scheme depends less on talent and more on brains and determination than most fans think.   In other words, McBeane care about having impact players, but where they have those impact players in the lineup is less important than we the fans tend to think.  

 

I do think you're correct, however, in that the definition of BPA is broader than most people (including me, and that's why I find your post informative) generally think and that position and need enter into that ranking.   No matter how talented the guy is, a punter is not going to be the BPA because of his position, and no matter how talented the guy is, a QB is not going to be the BPA for the Bills because of lack of need.   But as I just said, Basham's position on the Bills' big board did not change after the Rousseau pick.  His position vis a vis other players on the board didn't change.  Need may have been a factor in determining his rank on the board, but his rank didn't change. 

[BarleyNY]

1 minute ago, Einstein's Dog said:

I was in total agreement with you until you got to the last paragraph.  What would you have liked them to do?  

 

I can understand it a little, I would like to see Ertz come here.  But for the draft the Bills took the bpa in the area of expensive need.  It's how you stay good for a lengthy period of time.

Dunno, maybe select a CB, speed WR, 1 Tech or even a TE that could contribute this season - even if it meant maneuvering in the draft a bit (nothing extravagant).  Or they could’ve selected some other needed depth position like center so we have someone in the pipeline that can take over for Morse this season if/when Morse has another concussion or (more hopefully) next season.  Instead we probably will be shuffling the line and/or looking for a center next offseason.  We don’t have much in the way of CBs on contract after this season either.  We could use more help there this season and in the immediate future.  I expected more from the draft than a couple DEs who will be developing for next season and two longer term projects at OT.  That’s what I feel like we got. 

[junior]

13 hours ago, CaptnCoke11 said:

I don’t see the comp to Campbell other than school.  They aren’t even close to the same type of player 

 

16 hours ago, Mat68 said:

The comp is Cilias Campbell.  Same school similar size, similar measurables.  Covid 19 allowed a player like Rousseau to fall.  As a redshirt freshman first time playing de got 15.5 sacks.  If he had 1/2 that production last year he is a top 20 pick.  

 

15 hours ago, nbbillsfan said:

while I would love this to be true, I don’t really see it. Rousseau played at about 246 and Calais played at close to 290. Even with a full year of bulking, Greg was about 25 lighter on draft day. Maybe Greg can grow into his body, but Calais was an much bigger as a draft prospect. 

 

 

I think the better comp is Carlos Dunlap. Here are their measurables:

 

Gregory Rousseau

• Height: 6'6"
• Weight: 266 lbs.
• Arm length: 33.75"
• Hand size: 11"
• 40 yard dash: 4.69 sec.
• Vertical: 30"
• Bench press: 21
• Broad jump: 9'7"
• Shuttle: 4.45 sec.
• 3 cone: 7.5 sec.

 

Carlos Dunlap:

• Height: 6'6"
• Weight: 278 lbs.
• Arm length: 34.5"
• Hand size: 10"
• 40 yard dash: 4.68 sec.
• Vertical: 31.5"
• Bench press: 21
• Broad jump: 9'3"
• Shuttle: 4.61
• 3 cone: 7.21

 

I couldn't find any of Dunlap's college tape, but some of his NFL highlights look similar to Rousseau's. I'd be pretty happy if Rousseau turned out to be like him.

[NewEra]

20 hours ago, BuffaloRebound said:

I don’t necessarily disagree but if Beane was sure in what he had with Rousseau I can’t see him making the Basham pick when you also factor in Epenesa last year.  If all 3 of them hit, Beane isn’t gonna be able to sign them all to a 2nd contract.  Seems like it was a pick 3 and hope at least 1 or 2 hits deal .  My guess is if Beane knew Basham was gonna be there at pick 61, he would’ve picked a DB at pick 30.   

If all 3 hit than we have 3 good DEs for the next 3-5 years and we can trade one for a 2nd rd pick.  Not a bad problem to have.  Having 3 good pass rushers + Ed would give us a dynamic pass rush.  That’s the best case scenario

[Rocket94]

45 minutes ago, NewEra said:

If all 3 hit than we have 3 good DEs for the next 3-5 years and we can trade one for a 2nd rd pick.  Not a bad problem to have.  Having 3 good pass rushers + Ed would give us a dynamic pass rush.  That’s the best case scenario

I say keep all three if they work out. I would maximize their talents and have them all over the field!

[NewEra]

5 minutes ago, Rocket94 said:

I say keep all three if they work out. I would maximize their talents and have them all over the field!

Tough to pay 3 stud DEs while paying a QB 40M+.  We’ll be lucky to keep 2 imo

[Coach Tuesday]

2 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Tough to pay 3 stud DEs while paying a QB 40M+.  We’ll be lucky to keep 2 imo

 

For years the Bills have treated the draft like a hole-filling exercise and it has never worked out.  Ever.  The strategy this year was simple: BPA at premium positions.  You seem to be complaining that they didn't reach for a lower-level cornerback or center instead of a higher-rated pass rusher or tackle prospect.  That kind of approach is what has demonstratively failed for this franchise for decades.  If the worst thing that comes out of the last two drafts is that they end up with too many good young d-line prospects in a couple of years, that would be an amazing problem to have.

[Shaw66]

I listened to some of the call with Beane, Schoen and whoever with season ticket holders.   He said an interesting thing about the first round, including the corner back decision.

 

He actually said something like all of the guys on whom they had a first round grade were gone after the first 12 or 15 picks, except Rousseau.   Jaycee Horne and Surtain were the two CBs who went that high.   

 

So, they were just waiting to see if Rousseau fell.  Now, maybe there was another name in there, but the cupboard was essentially bare half way through the first round. 

 

He also said, I think, that when they were on the clock in the first round, a team called wanting to trade up into the first, but the Bills were taking the guy they had with a first-round grade.   If Rousseau hadn't been there, they would have been trading out of the first round.   He said in a different interview that they had a trade in place for their second round pick but declined it because Basham fell to them.  

 

It's interesting because I used to wonder about those drafts when Belichick kept trading back.  The Bills were one player away from trading back in the first, and one player away from trading back in the second.  The Bills could have been sitting with something like three thirds and an extra second next year.  

[HeHateMe]

29 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

 

For years the Bills have treated the draft like a hole-filling exercise and it has never worked out.  Ever.  The strategy this year was simple: BPA at premium positions.  You seem to be complaining that they didn't reach for a lower-level cornerback or center instead of a higher-rated pass rusher or tackle prospect.  That kind of approach is what has demonstratively failed for this franchise for decades.  If the worst thing that comes out of the last two drafts is that they end up with too many good young d-line prospects in a couple of years, that would be an amazing problem to have.

This is exactly right, we can draft a center in round 3 next year in a better draft... And draft corner higher if needed.  They are probably bringing in another vet at CB this year anyways.  You know what helps DBs the most?  A great pass rush... 

 

No one can cover Tyrek Hill or Kelce, you have to get to Mahomes and throw off his timing, etc.

[LABILLBACKER]

1 hour ago, NewEra said:

If all 3 hit than we have 3 good DEs for the next 3-5 years and we can trade one for a 2nd rd pick.  Not a bad problem to have.  Having 3 good pass rushers + Ed would give us a dynamic pass rush.  That’s the best case scenario

Maybe somewhere in the near future Sean decides to scrub the idea of using a 1T and go with this NASCAR style front line? This would allow us to keep all 3.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

11 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

I listened to some of the call with Beane, Schoen and whoever with season ticket holders.   He said an interesting thing about the first round, including the corner back decision.

 

He actually said something like all of the guys on whom they had a first round grade were gone after the first 12 or 15 picks, except Rousseau.   Jaycee Horne and Surtain were the two CBs who went that high.   

 

So, they were just waiting to see if Rousseau fell.  Now, maybe there was another name in there, but the cupboard was essentially bare half way through the first round. 

 

He also said, I think, that when they were on the clock in the first round, a team called wanting to trade up into the first, but the Bills were taking the guy they had with a first-round grade.   If Rousseau hadn't been there, they would have been trading out of the first round.   He said in a different interview that they had a trade in place for their second round pick but declined it because Basham fell to them.  

 

It's interesting because I used to wonder about those drafts when Belichick kept trading back.  The Bills were one player away from trading back in the first, and one player away from trading back in the second.  The Bills could have been sitting with something like three thirds and an extra second next year.  

3 3rds and an extra 2nd, no pass rushers. I mean they could have had Ronnie Perkins in the 3rd but he's more of an undersized guy. 

[Shaw66]

8 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

3 3rds and an extra 2nd, no pass rushers. I mean they could have had Ronnie Perkins in the 3rd but he's more of an undersized guy. 

Yes, and no pass rushers.   Not by choice - would have been a situation where both guys were gone.   I suppose that if Rousseau had gone at 28, Beane would have traded down out of the first and then used the extra capital to trade up in the second to be sure he didn't miss out on Basham.  

14 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Maybe somewhere in the near future Sean decides to scrub the idea of using a 1T and go with this NASCAR style front line? This would allow us to keep all 3.

Have any teams used that alignment much in the past few years?

[Punching Bag]

 I think he will be a media magnet.  Heard his conversation with One Bills Drive and he seems a natural for back and forth and constantly laughing with Chris Brown.  I think he will be a frequent guest on that show.

[NewEra]

2 hours ago, NewEra said:

Tough to pay 3 stud DEs while paying a QB 40M+.  We’ll be lucky to keep 2 imo

 

2 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

 

For years the Bills have treated the draft like a hole-filling exercise and it has never worked out.  Ever.  The strategy this year was simple: BPA at premium positions.  You seem to be complaining that they didn't reach for a lower-level cornerback or center instead of a higher-rated pass rusher or tackle prospect.  That kind of approach is what has demonstratively failed for this franchise for decades.  If the worst thing that comes out of the last two drafts is that they end up with too many good young d-line prospects in a couple of years, that would be an amazing problem to have.

Ok, I’m really confused. After reading my quote in bold, you came to the conclusion that I’m complaining that “they didn’t reach for a lower level cornerback or center instead of the higher rated pass rusher or tackle prospect?” 😳

 

If you are gathering information you read from my other posts and not the post that you quoted, I’ll rehash my initial thoughts on the draft:  

I gave Tyson Campbell and Asante Samuel late 1st - early 2nd rd grades I gave Rousseau the same, but I had him more as a 3T than a DE.  
 

Looking at the 2nd rd prospects, I thought that there a handful of pass rushers that would be there when we pick in rd 2 that we’re similar to Rousseau in ability.  At CB, I thought there would be 1 CB (adebo, and that could be a reach) available, that I’d take with the 62nd pick.   Based on that information, I was hoping we would take Tyson Campbell (or even Samuel) rd 1 and BPA DE rd 2.  That would give us the best bang for our buck at positions of great value and need.

 

When we chose Rousseau, I understood it and I wasn’t mad. Made sense.  I like the player and person.  I didn’t expect Beane to look take the same approach I did (looking into rd 2 to help decide the pick in rd 1), but I had hoped he might.  
 

Our pick came up in Rd 2 and the CBs I expected to be selected, had been selected. The only Cb I would take was a adebo, but I thought Beane might view him as a reach there.  I expected and hoped that we would take Dyami Brown as he was my BPA and the best potential building block for our team.  If not Dyami, I wanted Creed Humphrey.  A beast of a center and perfect fit for this team going forward. I had late 1st-  early 2nd rd grades on both of them.  Then we chose Basham.  A guy I had a late 2nd- early 3rd rd grade on.  I wasn’t happy with the pick because I thought we took a lesser player at a position that we just drafted.  But I understood why they chose him.  Taking pass rushers is a great option.  Premium position and much needed.  
 

rd 3 came up and we still hadn’t drafted a corner.  My BPAS were something along the lines of  Perkins, Molden, Melinfonwu, Rochell, Meinerz, Trey Smith, Jay Tufele, tylan wallce, Tyler shelvin, jabril Cox, Michael Carter and Kenneth Gainwell.  Then we chose a tackle.  I liked the player and I get the pick....it’s just not the direction I was thinking.  He wasn’t on my radar and I was shocked.  
 

Doyle wasn’t on my radar.  I didn’t do any homework on him and I there were several other players I would taken over him.  He’s a great athlete with tremendous upside.  I get it, but I would’ve gone in a different direction, namely Trey Smith. 
 

overall, I’m happy with the draft.  I would’ve preferred to have more of a 2021 impact than it will, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the draft.  Beane did good.  I realize that there’s more than one way to build a super bowl team.  I think Rousseau and Basham are McD type DEs and Brown will eventually be a very good RT that will get paid 13M+ a year after the next 4 seasons. 

 

in closing, to respond to “You seem to be complaining that they didn't reach for a lower-level cornerback or center instead of a higher-rated pass rusher or tackle prospect”....... the players I wanted weren’t “lower level” imo.  The players I wanted were higher level than the players we drafted in rd 2 and 3 while being similarly graded in rd 1.  My grades are obviously different than Beanes, which is expected.  
 

sorry I should’ve given you the abridged version 😉

 

 

57 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 I think he will be a media magnet.  Heard his conversation with One Bills Drive and he seems a natural for back and forth and constantly laughing with Chris Brown.  I think he will be a frequent guest on that show.

For sure.  He’s quite the conversationalist. Great charisma

Edited May 5, 2021 by NewEra

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Maybe somewhere in the near future Sean decides to scrub the idea of using a 1T and go with this NASCAR style front line? This would allow us to keep all 3.

Idk man.  We scrubbed the idea last year.  Didn’t work out too well. Gotta have a big boy capable of it on the roster or teams will make us pay.  We saw it last year. 

[Rocket94]

2 hours ago, NewEra said:

Tough to pay 3 stud DEs while paying a QB 40M+.  We’ll be lucky to keep 2 imo

True...a guy can dream can’t he!

[BADOLBILZ]

6 hours ago, NewEra said:

Idk man.  We scrubbed the idea last year.  Didn’t work out too well. 

 

 

Buffalo, Green Bay and Kansas City all allowed 4.5-4.7 yards per rush.......insignficant differences between them........that's 3 of the 4 championship game teams and best teams of the season.

 

So it worked out well.

 

Some fans pride was hurt by seeing teams run for more yardage than in the past.......but when you are good you don't get to play terrible schedules and pad your defensive stat lines any longer.   The Bills average run D in 2019 was a product of an easy schedule and great health at LB.

 

The 2020 Bills were hurt much, much more by their lack of pass rush and the subsequent additional production they allowed in the air.

 

In the old days a rushing yard was worth 2 passing yards........and only 3 things could happen when you threw the ball and 2 of them were bad.

 

Today........for the most part a yard gained is a yard gained, either way.........it's just much harder to play keep away and keep scores down............and NOW when you RUN the ball 4 things can happen and 3 of them are bad (bad: small yardage versus a passing play, holding penalties, fumbles).

 

[BADOLBILZ]

On 4/30/2021 at 5:57 PM, buffaloboyinATL said:

Mariucci just named the Bills as the team he thought did the best job filling their biggest need in the draft. He seemed excited about Rousseau.  

 

 

Daniel Jeremiah expressed the same sentiment..........but for the entire draft.    

 

Of course, some of the fan-perceived glaring needs weren't as big as they felt to the fanbase:

 

RB:  In an outside zone scheme you don't need a star RB to produce big..........athletic OL are more important.......Bills were short in the department last season.........they've addressed that athleticism with Lamp, Brown and Doyle this offseason.

 

CB:  Would be nice to add another stud........but they are a heavy zone team that tries to keep the ball in front of them.   One of the advantages of playing zone is not needing 3 elite athletes at CB.    

 

1 Tech:  The 3 winningest teams last year were KC, Green Bay and Buffalo........their run defense's allowed about the same ypc, 4.5-4.7 yards.   It's a passing league.   I don't pretend to know what the Bills are thinking but they haven't tried to add a single 1 tech to the roster since Star opted out and they cut Vincent Taylor.   That would be unusual at any position, let alone one that fans see as so critical.   At some point,  maybe it's time to consider that they are trying to go with less snaps from traffic cone 1 techs than they traditionally did prior to last season.

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Buffalo, Green Bay and Kansas City all allowed 4.5-4.7 yards per rush.......insignficant differences between them........that's 3 of the 4 championship game teams and best teams of the season.

 

So it worked out well.

 

Some fans pride was hurt by seeing teams run for more yardage than in the past.......but when you are good you don't get to play terrible schedules and pad your defensive stat lines any longer.   The Bills average run D in 2019 was a product of an easy schedule and great health at LB.

 

The 2020 Bills were hurt much, much more by their lack of pass rush and the subsequent additional production they allowed in the air.

 

In the old days a rushing yard was worth 2 passing yards........and only 3 things could happen when you threw the ball and 2 of them were bad.

 

Today........for the most part a yard gained is a yard gained, either way.........it's just much harder to play keep away and keep scores down............and NOW when you RUN the ball 4 things can happen and 3 of them are bad (bad: small yardage versus a passing play, holding penalties, fumbles).

 

That doesn’t mean our run defense was very good, which was my point.  Tied for 9th worst in ypc.  Our passing offense allowed us big leads and we’re rarely in position where teams could afford to grind out the clock running the ball.  
 

We sat Harrison Phillips for 3 games, starting with the first KC game.  They ran all over us. Partly due to our game plan, partly due to the fact that our only 1T that game was Butler, who isn’t a 1T, especially that time of the year.  We sat Harrison and ran with 1 1T vs the Seahawks (who we were blowing out and didn’t have enough time to run) and again vs the cardinals, who gashed us on the ground the entire game.  After the bye, Harrison was active and our D played better.  We got better 1tech play.  
 

my point was, playing without any 1techs wasn’t a good look for us defensively.  We should have 1 legit 1T and a backup 1T that is over 300lbs.  You saw what happened to Zimmer when he gave it a go.  He was getting destroyed out there. Same for Jefferson.  Ed oliver was playing some 1T when Harrison was inactive. That should never happen. When we went with Butler and 3 290lb DTs our D got ran all over in 2 of the 3 games.  

 

do you think we should play with zero 1techs?

Edited May 6, 2021 by NewEra

[NewEra]

41 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Daniel Jeremiah expressed the same sentiment..........but for the entire draft.    

 

Of course, some of the fan-perceived glaring needs weren't as big as they felt to the fanbase:

 

RB:  In an outside zone scheme you don't need a star RB to produce big..........athletic OL are more important.......Bills were short in the department last season.........they've addressed that athleticism with Lamp, Brown and Doyle this offseason.

 

CB:  Would be nice to add another stud........but they are a heavy zone team that tries to keep the ball in front of them.   One of the advantages of playing zone is not needing 3 elite athletes at CB.    

 

1 Tech:  The 3 winningest teams last year were KC, Green Bay and Buffalo........their run defense's allowed about the same ypc, 4.5-4.7 yards.   It's a passing league.   I don't pretend to know what the Bills are thinking but they haven't tried to add a single 1 tech to the roster since Star opted out and they cut Vincent Taylor.   That would be unusual at any position, let alone one that fans see as so critical.   At some point,  maybe it's time to consider that they are trying to go with less snaps from traffic cone 1 techs than they traditionally did prior to last season.

Don’t you think adding a good corner that can play man or zone would be a good idea?  Our personnel at cb is pigeonholing us into playing deep scared zone on all the crucial 3rd downs.  So predictable.
 

the chiefs have Frazier’s number so dialed in that we should just call out our defense to them, maybe that would confuse the defense more than Frazier does.  It’s pathetic.  And you know it.  Not sure how you can sit here and say that we’re a competent defense with Levi Wallace out there just patrolling his zone playing 8 yards off his man every play because we’re afraid he’s going to get beat deep.  That’s the reality of our defense last year vs KC......and they had an OL of all backups.  
 

the first game, we allowed them to run for 11 yards a clip because we were scared of getting beat deep. The second game we played 5 yards off every receiver because we were scared of getting beat deep.  McDermott said that he gave man a shot in the 2nd half and that turned out even worse....because we don’t have any good corners other than white.....and he got scorched too. Everyone talks about the Bucs DL and LBs, deservedly so, but the Bucs have invested 2 2nd rd picks (Davis and Bunting) and a 3rd rd pick (Dean) in corners alone.  At safety, Winfield (2nd rd pick), Edwards (3rd rd pick) and Whitehead was a 4th. 

like you’ve said, it’s a passing league.....you better have guys that can run and cover.  Levi can’t run and it limits us defensively.  “We play zone D” isn’t an excuse imo.  We need to be able to play both.  
 

I really hope Dane can step up and be the guy because McD doesn’t trust Levi, for good reason

Edited May 6, 2021 by NewEra

[Chandler#81]

Some great dialog, folks. juss sayin’👍

[BillsShredder83]

@SDS any reason we unpinned these? Not complaining but pretty sure I remember them pinned for a month+ in previous years. I think it encourages more dialogue, especially with news coming to a crawl post draft. Thanks for making this my favorite place to visit 900xs a day!

[BillsVet]

8 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

Daniel Jeremiah expressed the same sentiment..........but for the entire draft.    

 

Of course, some of the fan-perceived glaring needs weren't as big as they felt to the fanbase:

 

RB:  In an outside zone scheme you don't need a star RB to produce big..........athletic OL are more important.......Bills were short in the department last season.........they've addressed that athleticism with Lamp, Brown and Doyle this offseason.

 

CB:  Would be nice to add another stud........but they are a heavy zone team that tries to keep the ball in front of them.   One of the advantages of playing zone is not needing 3 elite athletes at CB.    

 

1 Tech:  The 3 winningest teams last year were KC, Green Bay and Buffalo........their run defense's allowed about the same ypc, 4.5-4.7 yards.   It's a passing league.   I don't pretend to know what the Bills are thinking but they haven't tried to add a single 1 tech to the roster since Star opted out and they cut Vincent Taylor.   That would be unusual at any position, let alone one that fans see as so critical.   At some point,  maybe it's time to consider that they are trying to go with less snaps from traffic cone 1 techs than they traditionally did prior to last season.

 

I think it was after the Houston WC loss when Beane said in the season ending PC that you're defined by how you lose your last game.  The AFC CG loss was not the result of poor RB play, the lack of a 1T, or even CB2.  The major personnel issue was a pass rush that could not pressure Mahomes and they've sought to improve that.

 

Now, if only they can become more aggressive in game-plan/play-calling on both sides of the ball. 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

10 hours ago, NewEra said:

Don’t you think adding a good corner that can play man or zone would be a good idea?  Our personnel at cb is pigeonholing us into playing deep scared zone on all the crucial 3rd downs.  So predictable.
 

the chiefs have Frazier’s number so dialed in that we should just call out our defense to them, maybe that would confuse the defense more than Frazier does.  It’s pathetic.  And you know it.  Not sure how you can sit here and say that we’re a competent defense with Levi Wallace out there just patrolling his zone playing 8 yards off his man every play because we’re afraid he’s going to get beat deep.  That’s the reality of our defense last year vs KC......and they had an OL of all backups.  
 

the first game, we allowed them to run for 11 yards a clip because we were scared of getting beat deep. The second game we played 5 yards off every receiver because we were scared of getting beat deep.  McDermott said that he gave man a shot in the 2nd half and that turned out even worse....because we don’t have any good corners other than white.....and he got scorched too. Everyone talks about the Bucs DL and LBs, deservedly so, but the Bucs have invested 2 2nd rd picks (Davis and Bunting) and a 3rd rd pick (Dean) in corners alone.  At safety, Winfield (2nd rd pick), Edwards (3rd rd pick) and Whitehead was a 4th. 

like you’ve said, it’s a passing league.....you better have guys that can run and cover.  Levi can’t run and it limits us defensively.  “We play zone D” isn’t an excuse imo.  We need to be able to play both.  
 

I really hope Dane can step up and be the guy because McD doesn’t trust Levi, for good reason

 

 

I'd definitely like them to add a high quality man coverage CB to allow them to be more multiple in their looks,   but yes they can be a good defense without one.    

 

Ideally, I want Tre White on a stud TE like Kelce.........at which point THEN they are exposed more outside of the numbers.   

 

Truth be told, I did not love the CB's in this class and I'm certainly not reaching over a better prospect pass rusher just to add a more suspect prospect at CB.

 

If the Bills want to add a CB with first round measurables then they can call Gareon Conley.   He's out there.   If they want a Melifonwu........Obi just got released by the Niners so there's another elite athlete for the secondary.     

[thunderingsquid]

Is he really going to wear #50?  If so I have a Vosean Joseph jersey that could use a facelift.

[Victory Formation]

On 5/5/2021 at 1:55 PM, junior12thman92 said:

 

 

 

 

I think the better comp is Carlos Dunlap. Here are their measurables:

 

Gregory Rousseau

• Height: 6'6"
• Weight: 266 lbs.
• Arm length: 33.75"
• Hand size: 11"
• 40 yard dash: 4.69 sec.
• Vertical: 30"
• Bench press: 21
• Broad jump: 9'7"
• Shuttle: 4.45 sec.
• 3 cone: 7.5 sec.

 

Carlos Dunlap:

• Height: 6'6"
• Weight: 278 lbs.
• Arm length: 34.5"
• Hand size: 10"
• 40 yard dash: 4.68 sec.
• Vertical: 31.5"
• Bench press: 21
• Broad jump: 9'3"
• Shuttle: 4.61
• 3 cone: 7.21

 

I couldn't find any of Dunlap's college tape, but some of his NFL highlights look similar to Rousseau's. I'd be pretty happy if Rousseau turned out to be like him.

He reminds me a little of Chris Jones, except he’s smaller. Your Carlos Dunlap comparison though is shocking.. Nearly identical numbers. If he’s anything like Dunlop or Jones I’m good with the pick. 👍

[Coach Tuesday]

6 minutes ago, Victory Formation said:

He reminds me a little of Chris Jones, except he’s smaller. Your Carlos Dunlap comparison though is shocking.. Nearly identical numbers. If he’s anything like Dunlop or Jones I’m good with the pick. 👍

Basham = Jones