Spencer Brown a Lee smith fill in?

[Buffarukus]

i brought this up in the draft thread and wanted to get a larger take.

 

spencer can set the edge and block better. can run faster? was a former te. can he hang on to the ball?

 

if so, give him reps on big packages for short yardage and redzones and toss the kid some jump balls, whos stopping that?

 

i think teams, especially ones that have to pay high caliber qbs, need to become creative in player usage and save as much as possible not paying for specialty roles.

 

it explains the versatility of D linemen we are picking up as noone is going to be set at a particular position and you can plug in as needed.

 

get a backup guard whos athletic to spot in as fb. make sure your backup wr can field kicks. NEVER pay a kickoff specialist 🙄 

 

i think this is going to have to be the way teams deal with monster qb contracts and the bills are going to experiment.

 

only thing i dont like is i want to see sweeny play more reps. he had very good production before knox was given the #1 spot then was left on the bench. any development there?

 

agree disagree? any other positions you can think of that could have versatility? are injury concerns enough to not set teams up this way?

 

Edited May 1, 2021 by Buffarukus

[wppete]

[Buffarukus]

Just now, wppete said:

 

why is that? youd rather have spencer sit the bench then do essentially what smith did and block? a guard cant clear a hole for a rb?

 

ok

[Shaw66]

3 minutes ago, Buffarukus said:

i brought this up in the draft thread and wanted to get a larger take.

 

spencer can set the edge and block better. can run faster? was a former te. can he hang on to the ball?

 

if so, give him reps on big packages for short yardage and redzones and toss the kid some jump balls, whos stopping that?

 

i think teams, especially ones that have to pay high caliber qbs, need to become creative in player usage and save as much as possible not paying for specialty roles.

 

it explains the versatility of D linemen we are picking up as noone is going to be set at a particular position and you can plug in as needed.

 

get a backup guard whos athletic to spot in as fb. make sure your backup wr can field kicks. NEVER pay a kickoff specialist 🙄 

 

i think this is going to have to be the way teams deal with monster qb contracts and the bills are going to experiment.

 

only thing i dont like is i want to see sweeny play more reps. he had very good production before knox was given the #1 spot then was left on the bench. any development there?

 

agree disagree? any other positions you can think of that could have versatility? are injury concerns enough to not set teams up this way?

 

I think it makes sense, but it's easier said than done.   We'll see. 

[Logic]

If he's active on game days in 2021, you may see him come in for the goal line jumbo packages and tackle eligible plays. It's very possible that he catches a TD pass in 2021. 

That said, he's ALREADY a bit of a project at tackle, and that's where they want him to play long term. Asking him to ALSO learn the plays and responsibilities of a tight end is putting far too much on his plate, in my opinion.

[MrEpsYtown]

I think they sign Jesse James after the draft since all the tight ends are gone. 

[Captain Caveman]

Are there any guys we drafted yet where there's not a thread about turning them into a TE?

[Buffarukus]

Just now, Logic said:

If he's active on game days in 2021, you may see him come in for the goal line jumbo packages and tackle eligible plays. It's very possible that he catches a TD pass in 2021. 

That said, he's ALREADY a bit of a project at tackle, and that's where they want him to play long term. Asking him to ALSO learn the plays and responsibilities of a tight end is putting far too much on his plate, in my opinion.

 

my belief if hes a project then get him reps in games! if he cant block better then lee smith then hes got a long way to go to become a starting tackle. 

[MasterStrategist]

5 minutes ago, Buffarukus said:

i brought this up in the draft thread and wanted to get a larger take.

 

spencer can set the edge and block better. can run faster? was a former te. can he hang on to the ball?

 

if so, give him reps on big packages for short yardage and redzones and toss the kid some jump balls, whos stopping that?

 

i think teams, especially ones that have to pay high caliber qbs, need to become creative in player usage and save as much as possible not paying for specialty roles.

 

it explains the versatility of D linemen we are picking up as noone is going to be set at a particular position and you can plug in as needed.

 

get a backup guard whos athletic to spot in as fb. make sure your backup wr can field kicks. NEVER pay a kickoff specialist 🙄 

 

i think this is going to have to be the way teams deal with monster qb contracts and the bills are going to experiment.

 

only thing i dont like is i want to see sweeny play more reps. he had very good production before knox was given the #1 spot then was left on the bench. any development there?

 

agree disagree? any other positions you can think of that could have versatility? are injury concerns enough to not set teams up this way?

 

Agree he won't replace Lee.  But he could absolutley be used as an exta blocker on the end of line.  I think primarily goalline and short yardage, and won't get my hopes up for any receptions.

 

I think he will get acclimated, perhaps get used as a ST kick block (up the middle)

[Buffarukus]

1 minute ago, Captain Caveman said:

Are there any guys we drafted yet where there's not a thread about turning them into a TE?

 

im not turning anyone into anything. this is about giving him reps and utilizing his abilities in games NOW. 

[BuffaloBillsGospel]

My guess is that he'll be our monster RT for the next decade after Darryl Williams plays out his contract. Why would we draft a project RT to challenge for a TE position? Why wouldn't we just draft a TE? I'm going to assume they don't view this TE class as good as some of us or they like what we have here now. We shall see with the up coming picks.

[Logic]

3 minutes ago, Buffarukus said:

 

my belief if hes a project then get him reps in games! if he cant block better then lee smith then hes got a long way to go to become a starting tackle. 

Right, but....like I said....those reps should come at the tackle position. Asking a raw rookie to learn two positions is just not realistic.

[Buffarukus]

4 minutes ago, MrEpsYtown said:

I think they sign Jesse James after the draft since all the tight ends are gone. 

 

could be. i just dont understand people saying its crazy. utilize any versatility you can to get guys in games instead of sitting on the sidelines and if they show promise thats cap savings for specialist that play limited roles anyways

Just now, Logic said:

Right, but....like I said....those reps should come at the tackle position. Asking a raw rookie to learn two positions is just not realistic.

 

two positions? both primarily block. i dont know how complicated it is to trickle out for a pass but short yardage playing the end of the line cant be that different.

 

if thats the case then having these D linemen playing all over the line is too much as well. 

[Buffarukus]

5 minutes ago, BuffaloBillsGospel said:

My guess is that he'll be our monster RT for the next decade after Darryl Williams plays out his contract. Why would we draft a project RT to challenge for a TE position? Why wouldn't we just draft a TE? I'm going to assume they don't view this TE class as good as some of us or they like what we have here now. We shall see with the up coming picks.

 

ok maybe i didnt explain well. hes not a TE and hes not going to be their long term. your utilizing your roster to fill specialty roles instead of being on the bench all game. thats all. when he steps into be a starter role he onviously cannot be a shortyardage TE.

[Buffarukus]

i got some negative feedback from a fanbase that watched a starting DT get short yard reps at RB and do pretty well. 

 

im crazy.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

I don’t see what’s so horribly wrong with this take.  Bring him in for goalline packages, and once in a while let him slip out for a pass 🤷🏾‍♂️

 

[NewEra]

It sounds outrageous but is it really?  See if he can do it.  If so, can’t hurt. 

[Buffarukus]

4 minutes ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

I don’t see what’s so horribly wrong with this take.  Bring him in for goalline packages, and once in a while let him slip out for a pass 🤷🏾‍♂️

 

 

to be honest i did say replacement in the title so people may be a quick reaction to thinking i want him as a starting te.

[Motorin']

23 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

I think it makes sense, but it's easier said than done.   We'll see. 

 

I could see using Brown as a Tackle eligible in 11 formation in order to pass protect or run block. 

[Logic]

15 minutes ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

I don’t see what’s so horribly wrong with this take.  Bring him in for goalline packages, and once in a while let him slip out for a pass 🤷🏾‍♂️

 

I think all are in agreement that this is a fine plan.

"Lee Smith replacement" sounds like the OP wants him to be a tight end. That's where my hesitation comes in. Goal line packages and occasional tackle eligible plays? Absolutely. Converting him to tight end? Not so much.

[Motorin']

1 minute ago, Logic said:

I think all are in agreement that this is a fine plan.

"Lee Smith replacement" sounds like the OP wants him to be a tight end. That's where my hesitation comes in. Goal line packages and occasional tackle eligible plays? Absolutely. Converting him to tight end? Not so much.

 

Some people looked at Lee Smith as basically a 6th O-Lineman who occasionally went out for passes. 

 

I could see using a huge athletic OT as a blocking TE for more than just goaline situations. 

 

The Bills keep their Te is block on passing downs often.

[Logic]

6 minutes ago, Motorin' said:

 

Some people looked at Lee Smith as basically a 6th O-Lineman who occasionally went out for passes. 

 

I could see using a huge athletic OT as a blocking TE for more than just goaline situations. 

 

The Bills keep their Te is block on passing downs often.

I'm just saying there's a reason that NFL teams don't frequently deploy six offensive linemen between the 20s. The Bills aren't the first team to have good tackle depth, or a backup tackle that can catch passes. 

Also, when Lee Smith was on the field between the 20s, teams basically knew the Bills were running the ball. That's one of the reasons I think they traded him away and brought in Jacob Hollister instead. They want their tight end deployment to not telegraph their intentions to the degree that it did with Smith on the field. If Lee Smith telegraphed run, a sixth offensive lineman damned sure does the same.

Finally, I think there's more to playing the tight end position than "hey, kid, go out there and block on this play". There's a whole different regimen of assignments and responsibilities and checks the player would need to know. It's not Madden, where you can just throw him in and say YOLO.

Cross training at two positions is a tough ask for a raw rookie. That's all I'm saying.

 

Edited May 1, 2021 by Logic

[Johnny Hammersticks]

8 minutes ago, Logic said:

I think all are in agreement that this is a fine plan.

"Lee Smith replacement" sounds like the OP wants him to be a tight end. That's where my hesitation comes in. Goal line packages and occasional tackle eligible plays? Absolutely. Converting him to tight end? Not so much.

 

Okay.  Yeah, we want to develop him as an OT of course.  But I would contend that Lee Smith was probably more of an OT than a TE even though he was listed as a TE on the roster 😂🤣

[Motorin']

1 minute ago, Logic said:

I'm just saying there's a reason that NFL teams don't frequently deploy six offensive linemen between the 20s. The Bills aren't the first team to have good tackle depth, or a backup tackle that can catch passes. 

Also, when Lee Smith was on the field between the 20s, teams basically knew the Bills were running the ball. That's one of the reasons I think they traded him away and brought in Jacob Hollister instead. They want their tight end deployment to not telegraph their intentions to the degree that it did with Smith on the field. If Lee Smith telegraphed run, a sixth offensive lineman damned sure does the same.

Finally, I think there's more to playing the tight end position than "hey, kid, go out there and block on this play". There's a whole different regimen of assignments and responsibilities and checks the player would need to know. It's not Madden, where you can just throw him and and say YOLO.

Cross training at two positions is a tough ask for a raw rookie. That's all I'm saying.

 

 

Sure. Just thinking a little outside the box here.  Not really thinking about training Brown as a TE. More like playing two OT's on one side. 

 

It can still be a passing formation with 3 wr's and 1 rb... Here's a situation, the Chargers were moving Bosa around on both sides. You motion Brown to whatever side Bosa is an and double team him in pass pro. 

[Logic]

Just now, Johnny Hammersticks said:

 

Okay.  Yeah, we want to develop him as an OT of course.  But I would contend that Lee Smith was probably more of an OT than a TE even though he was listed as a TE on the roster 😂🤣

I hear ya.

But Lee Smith had to know the assignments of the tight end for every offensive play in the playbook. He went to tight end meetings and practiced with the tight ends. 

[BuffaloBillsGospel]

41 minutes ago, Buffarukus said:

 

ok maybe i didnt explain well. hes not a TE and hes not going to be their long term. your utilizing your roster to fill specialty roles instead of being on the bench all game. thats all. when he steps into be a starter role he onviously cannot be a shortyardage TE.

 

Ok, even after explaining I'll say no... He'll have zero to do in any capacity at TE for any reasoning. Maybe catch a pass or 2 once every 100th game.

[artmalibu]

Could be a cool jumbo package.  

[gonzo1105]

Instead of TE could I see him as a 6 lineman early on absolutely as a run blocker and goal line TE pass catcher sure

[frostbitmic]

Inside the 5 yard line we're going with..

 

Dawkins - Brown - Ford - Morse - Doyle - Feliciano - Williams ------------- Diggs -- Duke

 

   ......................................... Allen

 

........................................... .......... Moss

 

🤑

[Buffarukus]

26 minutes ago, Motorin' said:

 

Sure. Just thinking a little outside the box here.  Not really thinking about training Brown as a TE. More like playing two OT's on one side. 

 

It can still be a passing formation with 3 wr's and 1 rb... Here's a situation, the Chargers were moving Bosa around on both sides. You motion Brown to whatever side Bosa is an and double team him in pass pro. 

 

this is absolutely what im talking about. creative thinking. if a pass rusher is crushing you all game instead of max protecting and having a te fuctionally become a lineman...PUT IN A LINEMAN. 

 

its amazing how stringent teams have been with roles. i understand complexity and formations but the more you can diversify a roster the less cap hits you take for jobs that see little if any playing time. 

 

when we start having to shed cap space for josh and quality players cant be retained paying a TE 9 million to block when you have a stable of backup linemen who specialize in blocking makes less sense then, no hes a tackle and guard..thats all.

[Buffarukus]

18 minutes ago, frostbitmic said:

Inside the 5 yard line we're going with..

 

Dawkins - Brown - Ford - Morse - Doyle - Feliciano - Williams ------------- Diggs -- Duke

 

   ......................................... Allen

 

........................................... .......... Moss

 

🤑

 

switch out allen with knox

 

moss with star ramming up the middle

 

 

easy td 😉

 

 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

The OP is spot on. The swing tackle will line up in jumbo sets and will report as eligible from time to time. Bates did last year. 

[JoPoy88]

1 hour ago, Buffarukus said:

 

ok maybe i didnt explain well. hes not a TE and hes not going to be their long term. your utilizing your roster to fill specialty roles instead of being on the bench all game. thats all. when he steps into be a starter role he onviously cannot be a shortyardage TE.

Yeah you explained it fine and it’s not a bad idea but your thread title is badly misleading. 

[Buffarukus]

13 minutes ago, JoPoy88 said:

Yeah you explained it fine and it’s not a bad idea but your thread title is badly misleading. 

 

yeah there are quite a few people that literally want guys to switch positions. not what im saying. ill try and change it.

 

edit: done hopefully "fill in" explains it better then "replacement".

Edited May 1, 2021 by Buffarukus

[BuffaloBillyG]

Yes, I can see them doing what they have done with Dawkins in the past and sneaking him out for a pass here and there. He's athletic enough. No reason to not take advantage of that...

[WizdomCalling]

I agree with this thought. He COULD fill in the hole that Lee Smith leaving left us with. He is a big blocker that was at one time a TE. If the coaching staff wants to get him on the field I could see him being a blocking TE (essentially a 6th lineman). He does have that fearlessness in him, did u see his leap through the table? His athleticism is through the roof and he is so big I think defenses might forget he is a TE, potentially leaving him open.  I understand the tackle eligible stuff but if they just make him a TE they wouldnt have to announce his eligibility every time he is on the field. 

[Thurman#1]

7 hours ago, Buffarukus said:

i got some negative feedback from a fanbase that watched a starting DT get short yard reps at RB and do pretty well. 

 

im crazy.

 

 

That DT wasn't a rookie who was struggling to learn his own role. Giving a 10 year vet a few extra plays is different.

 

Down the road I can see him doing tackle eligible stuff. IMO he'll be concentrating on working hard on learning what he needs to do to become a good NFL tackle. If there are other things after that, great, but I think that's very likely to be his first five priorities.

 

Someone talked about being an extra tackle on the end. Yeah, that could make sense, I think, particularly if it comes later in the year after he's found his feet a bit.

Edited May 2, 2021 by Thurman#1

[Buffarukus]

1 hour ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

That DT wasn't a rookie who was struggling to learn his own role. Giving a 10 year vet a few extra plays is different.

 

Down the road I can see him doing tackle eligible stuff. IMO he'll be concentrating on working hard on learning what he needs to do to become a good NFL tackle. If there are other things after that, great, but I think that's very likely to be his first five priorities.

 

Someone talked about being an extra tackle on the end. Yeah, that could make sense, I think, particularly if it comes later in the year after he's found his feet a bit.

 

yeah i can see that. im sure its alot to take in especially being raw. nothing better to learn if your progressing then live ammo and hes not practicing during games so why not give him reps.

 

a big diff between the two is also dt and rb are completely diff. lee smith was a blocker on the edge who occasionally caught a pass. i think they are similar enough where he can practice exactly what hes learning and athletic enough to leak out for a (lee smith) type pass a time or two. 

 

if hes a liability then it is what it is. but def worth a serious look just for a 6 foot 8 target jump ball mismatch.

 

id also like to know why nfl teams cant find centers that can long snap. millions for a single action. things like that when added up save critical roster spots and cap for teams on heavy qb contracts. thats all im saying. get creative and keep talent on the field when you can. losing a poyer for a few million cause you have to pay a blocking te and fb for limited plays or keeping a talented young backup on the bench seems like a old way of thinking.

 

maybe im wrong

Edited May 2, 2021 by Buffarukus

[Mat68]

Fulltime Te?  No.  3 OTs vs 3 TEs on short yardarge or goaline possibly.

[without a drought]

I think he might excel in a 5 TE set.