Jump to content

Who is your main DARK HORSE this season for the BILLS?


Recommended Posts

23 hours ago, Ramza86 said:

I want to believe in Singletary. I think hes going to be at his best this year and itll translate on the field.

 

I tend to favor Zack Moss more. Bigger, stronger, straight-line runner, and equipped to handle majority of carries. Reminds me a lot of Travis Henry (without the 15 kids.) I think he has more potential than DS. The drawback is his speed. He ran a 4.65 at the combine, but speed is not as important for RB's as one would think. He makes up for it w/ patience.

 

Don't get me wrong. I do like Singletary, but he just LOOKS like a 3rd down back. He's a smaller guy at 5'7, 203 lbs. I love his shiftiness. He's not fast fast, but he has "game speed" and he seems to be a better receiver at the moment (besides that terrible drop against KC.) He had an amazing rookie season averaging 5.8 yards a carry then fell off a little bit his sophomore season  My NFL player comparison would be Kevin Faulk. If you're not old enough to remember, he was backup RB for New England. A great utility knife and had a knack for picking up 1st downs. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Probably not a dark horse but I think Sanders racks up somewhere between 900 and 1,100 yards and has a bit of a resurgence season. Diggs probably drops down to around 1200 yards with our WR corps being more well rounded this year with additional improvement from Davis and McKenzie as well. Beasely's production probably drops down to around 600 yards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/10/2021 at 12:45 PM, The_Ripster said:

I like ur pick and reasoning for Hollister having a big season this year. I can also see Breida breaking some big plays after he gets comfortable with the system.

My 2 defensive dark horses are Darryl Johnson + Justin Zimmer. Johnson had roughly the same stats as Epenesa last season and Zimmer showed his ability to get to the QB. I can see hem both taking that next step this season alongside the more obvious players like AJE and Ed Oliver.

 

I never really considered Justin Zimmer until seeing your post. He made maximum value out of the plays he was on the field and he also has youth on his side. What's also encouraging to me is last year was only his 3rd season and the only year he was ever given any meaningful amount of snaps. I can definitely see why u chose him. Excellent choice. 👍

  • Like (+1) 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/10/2021 at 1:01 PM, Baba Booey said:

Tremaine Edmunds!! He FINALLY becomes the middle linebacker we all thought he would be. It’s his year, and he will not disappoint!!!

 

In my eyes I don't really see him as a dark horse because of his draft status and the fact that he was practically handed the starting position, but to each his own. I think of a guy more like Lorenzo Alexander or Jordan Phillips as a true dark horse. Mostly late rounders, journeyman, or guys previously thought to be busts. 

 

On 6/10/2021 at 2:57 PM, wvbillsfan said:

Dawson Knox

Third year in the league. Tight ends usually take longer to develop. It’s his time. 

 

Let's hope someone develops. Personally it doesn't matter to me, but I'm rolling the dice with Hollister. I can also see why someone would go with Knox as well.

 

On 6/10/2021 at 3:15 PM, I'm Spartacus said:

Jordan Poyer. I think he is on a mission to make the Pro Bowl.

 

Again, not really a dark horse I don't think. Poyer is established around the league as a pretty good safety. I feel the Hyde/Poyer tandem is greater than the sum of its parts )or however that saying goes.) Put them both together and they become great. Kind of like the Power Rangers.

Edited by ChronicAndKnuckles
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Rocky Landing said:

It's pretty amazing the quality, and pedigree of players that are being considered "dark Horses" in this thread. In fact, numerous "dark horses" in this thread are last years starters-- a year that we went to the AFCCG.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, but everyone has their own definition I guess.

 

13 hours ago, eball said:

I believe it’s going to be Knox (unless the Bills acquire Ertz).  I believe in the kid and his teammates have raved about him.  It’s been about learning the position and it sounds as though he has put a lot of effort in this offseason.

 

Otherwise, I would love for it to be Phillips.  Such a great guy; if he can tap back into that potential we saw early on it would be awesome.

 

Also, don’t sleep on Justin Zimmer.

 

This is the 2nd time I've seen Zimmer mentioned and now I wish I put him on my list! 😞 He shined in every chance he was given. And last season was pretty much the only one where he had any meaningful amount of snaps. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/10/2021 at 11:04 AM, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

I apologize if this thread has been done before. I wanted to make one for myself that I can look back on at the end of the season to see who the more accurate guesses were.

 

It's pretty self-explanatory, but every year on almost every NFL team, a guy you'd least expect comes out of nowhere to have a good to great season. Who is your favorite candidate to have a breakout year? People's definition of a "dark horse" may vary. Just use your best judgement. A good example would be...

 

Gabe Davis. 4th rounder rookie puts up 600 yards & 7 TD's as well as some very clutch catches in the playoffs. Not earth-shattering stats, but very impressive nonetheless given his draft status and Diggs/Beasley taking away targets. Pre-Diggs I think he could've had a 1K+ yard season.

 

Who is/are your dark horse breakout candidate(s) for this coming season and why? 🧐

 

My favorite dark horse for this coming season is Jacob Hollister. 

 

Advantages going into camp:

 

1) One of Allen's favorite targets at Wyoming. Competition could heat up fast if they can pick up where they left off.

 

2) Overall competition is pretty weak. What else can I say? Our starting TE last season had 288 yards +3 TD's. Dawson Knox is his biggest competitor.

 

3) Pretty fluid route running and moves well for a big guy. When I watch the little bit of NFL tape, I see a guy who has deceptive speed and prototypical size. 

 

4) My opinion is that he was underutilized w/ Seattle. If he can win a starting spot, the Bills will use him more often. I'm hoping he can become a decent red zone threat as well.

 

5) Youth. At age 27, he still has time on his side. Not an old dog so he can still learn new tricks. 

 

Disadvantages going into camp: 

 

1) Hollister is not good in the run game. From what I've read & seen, he's a terrible in-line blocker and this could cost him playing time in certain packages 

 

2) Buffalo will be his 3rd team in 5 years. I'm not sure what went wrong w/ the Patriots and Seahawks or why he was let go. It doesn't look great, but maybe a change of scenery w/ a familiar face is what he needs.

 

3) Numbers. His best season in the NFL was 349 yards + 3 TD's (still better than Knox.) I think w/ Allen throwing to him, he won't have a problem topping those #'s

 

Honorable mentions: AJ Epenesa,Zack Moss. 

 

✌️❤️🏈

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great thread.

 

It really illustrates an important point..........aside from Josh Allen,  Stef Diggs and Cole Beasley nobody else on the Bills had a "career" year kinda' season in 2020.......and still the team went 13-3 and reached the AFCCG.

 

There are MANY breakout(and bounce back) candidates returning.........and free agents like Hollister, Lamp and Obada all offer a lot of promise

 

 

  • Like (+1) 1
  • Thank you (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Duke Williams - This would be a real dark horse.

 

Hollister - He has that college connection with Josh. It also seemed like he made plays when I caught Seahawks games. Since I'll be watching every Bills game, he'll make tons of plays. He may take the #1 TE role over Knox.

 

Mitchell Trubiski - He'll only get one start, week 18 after we've clinched homefield for the playoffs, but he and the other backups will have a helluva game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, frostbitmic said:

Duke Williams - This would be a real dark horse.

 

Hollister - He has that college connection with Josh. It also seemed like he made plays when I caught Seahawks games. Since I'll be watching every Bills game, he'll make tons of plays. He may take the #1 TE role over Knox.

 

Mitchell Trubiski - He'll only get one start, week 18 after we've clinched homefield for the playoffs, but he and the other backups will have a helluva game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wonder if Daboll might design a few trick plays that include Trubisky? He's currently the second best QB in the division. It'd be pretty cool to see Josh and Mitch on the field at the same time. And Daboll does love his trick plays.

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/11/2021 at 11:39 AM, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

 

I tend to favor Zack Moss more. Bigger, stronger, straight-line runner, and equipped to handle majority of carries. Reminds me a lot of Travis Henry (without the 15 kids.) I think he has more potential than DS. The drawback is his speed. He ran a 4.65 at the combine, but speed is not as important for RB's as one would think. He makes up for it w/ patience.

 

Don't get me wrong. I do like Singletary, but he just LOOKS like a 3rd down back. He's a smaller guy at 5'7, 203 lbs. I love his shiftiness. He's not fast fast, but he has "game speed" and he seems to be a better receiver at the moment (besides that terrible drop against KC.) He had an amazing rookie season averaging 5.8 yards a carry then fell off a little bit his sophomore season  My NFL player comparison would be Kevin Faulk. If you're not old enough to remember, he was backup RB for New England. A great utility knife and had a knack for picking up 1st downs. 

From what I understand, they actually changed the blocking scheme because Zack was not patient enough. Singletary on the other hand was great at waiting for his blockers. Zach came from a system where he would hit the hole quickly. Singletary came from a system where the play took longer for the hole to open up. Now, I think the team is experimenting with different blocking schemes and I think that they will figure some things out. Last year was a mess because people on the OL were moving around, injuries, and they simply didn't have enough time to get the run game going. That will be addressed this year and I believe all of the RBs will benefit from that. The offense is still going to be a predominantly pass heavy, but the coaches have made clear that the run game needs to be more effective.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/10/2021 at 10:22 AM, Kwai San said:

I am firmly in the AJE camp.....my hope is he takes a HUGE leap with the proper conditioning and training camp under his belt.....

Me to because we basically keep all the same guys from last year. And drafted two DE to get us pass KC that’s going to be a up hill battle for two rookies. P.S I hope Ed Oliver balls out 

 

  • Awesome! (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, snafu said:

I always look at the third year guys for breakouts.

Oliver

Ford

Singletary

Knox

 

If even one of those four have a big (breakout) year, that's great.  More than one would be phenomenal.

 

 

Please Oliver that would be huge for our defense 

  • Agree 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/12/2021 at 1:52 PM, 97bills said:

Me to because we basically keep all the same guys from last year. And drafted two DE to get us pass KC that’s going to be a up hill battle for two rookies. P.S I hope Ed Oliver balls out 

 

 

Oh that would be Oh So Sweet!  Ed and AJ balling out......man that line would be bitchin!!!!

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a list of guys I’m rooting for and hoping for big jumps. 
 

Dane Jackson - love what he brought last year, wanted to see more, he’ll have a shot at starting.

 

Obada, exciting athlete, not sure where he fits with all the additions to DE, but I expect he will get a good opportunity to make some noise.

 

Knox, break out year.  The tools are awesome, has to get that ball to his hands before he runs.  If he can get that focus down, we could have a Kelce TYPE of player, not that level of elite, but even half of that would be awesome.

 

Josh Allen, get this as a dark horse, he could become the only QB to get 3 receivers to 1000 yards in a season since 2008 and there’s the incredibly unlikely scenario they could get 4. 

  • Thank you (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/10/2021 at 1:36 PM, mjt328 said:

I could see a lot of Bills players step up this year.

 

Devin Singletary

People forget that he was pretty good as a rookie.  I believe last year's run-game struggles were caused by a multitude of factors (blocking, gameplan), and not just the running backs.  

 

I think people were really quick to write him off.  He had a great rookie season, when the offense was a bit more balanced.  I know we are a passing offense, but I have to believe that Daboll finds a way to use the running backs to better effect this year.  I think he re-bounds!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/11/2021 at 7:01 PM, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

 

In my eyes I don't really see him as a dark horse because of his draft status and the fact that he was practically handed the starting position, but to each his own. I think of a guy more like Lorenzo Alexander or Jordan Phillips as a true dark horse. Mostly late rounders, journeyman, or guys previously thought to be busts. 

 

 

Let's hope someone develops. Personally it doesn't matter to me, but I'm rolling the dice with Hollister. I can also see why someone would go with Knox as well.

 

 

Again, not really a dark horse I don't think. Poyer is established around the league as a pretty good safety. I feel the Hyde/Poyer tandem is greater than the sum of its parts )or however that saying goes.) Put them both together and they become great. Kind of like the Power Rangers.

Phillips was a second round draft pick.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...