Raheem Blackshear Overreaction/Hype

[Alphadawg7]

IMHO both Hodgins and Blackshear hype is out of control.  

 

Hodgins is averaging a whopping 9 yards per catch through 2 games...while leading the team in targets, catches and playing against backups and scrubs who wont be on rosters come week 1.  If one of our top 3 WR's was doing that, everyone would be freaking out saying we need to go find a WR to replace him. 

 

Blackshear had a 6 carry for 11 yards first game and has really only had one good or standout play, a 25 yard run in the 2nd game against guys who wont be on NFL rosters week 1.  But now he is getting the Antonio Williams hype, but at least AW did something in a regular season game.  

 

I am all for young guys, and I will root for these guys to make the team, I have nothing against them.  But man, the over exaggeration on them is so thick that I have seen suggestions to trade away better players to make sure we keep them.  They are being talked up like they are future all pros and need to be kept at all costs.  Yet neither has really lit the league on fire despite weak competition.  

[JoPoy88]

7 hours ago, mrags said:

Ugh.

good argument 

[Beerball]

11 hours ago, jwhit34 said:

Underdog stories, especially RBs and WRs, seem to be a tradition unlike any other for Bills fans, and probably fans of most other teams. 

 

This year is no different. In the tradition of Da'Rick Rogers, Naaman Roosevelt, Brandon Reilly, Dez Lewis, Joique Bell, Cierre Wood, Christian Wade, Antonio Williams and of course Duke Williams, this year we have Raheem Blackshear.

 

Raheem Blackshear is a nice story. UDFA, comes in and does well in the first two preseason games, doing a lot to at least make it a tough decision on cutdown day for the Bills. But this is a story we see almost every year. 

 

Let's look at this objectively in terms of making the roster and what he could potentially provide to the team:

 

In terms of running ability:

• He is not a more accomplished runner than Devin Singletary
• He is not a more powerful or effective short yardage runner than Zack Moss
• He is not faster or a better pass catching back than James Cook

 

In terms of special teams:

• He is not better than Taiwan Jones
• He is at best in the mix in terms of kick returner but one cannot make a case that he is by far the best return man

 

If all of that is accurate, then he is perfect for the practice squad. Remember, every team in the NFL passed on him for all 7 rounds. Sure, there are UDFAs that make it, but a good showing in preseason games vs. 2nd, 3rd and 4th stringers will not change the minds of many (any?) NFL GMs. Go to the ESPN Scores page and scroll through and see who led each game in rushing. There were a lot of Blackshear-esque performances by guys you never heard of. 

 

Blackshear is a nice story, but I expect him to be on the practice squad.

 

 

 

I wondered where that wet blanket was.

[HOUSE]

I hate to say it but it's to much about round drafted. Had Blackshear been drafted in the 2nd round the guy would be a lock

[HereComesTheReignAgain]

8 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

I hate to say it but it's to much about round drafted. Had Blackshear been drafted in the 2nd round the guy would be a lock

Had Blackshear been a better player, he might have been drafted in the 2nd round. 

[Buffalo716]

Just now, HOUSE said:

I hate to say it but it's to much about round drafted. Had Blackshear been drafted in the 2nd round the guy would be a lock

I’m not saying he hasn’t looked good for an undrafted rookie

 

But yeah the hype on him is getting way too high

 

He’s a Small back who struggled to pass protect in college … He’s a good developmental #3 or 4 rn with some potential 

 

But there’s a lot of running backs in the NFL with potential… He’s absolutely not as good as Singletary or moss 

 

And time will tell the difference between him and cook

 

But He’s not a goal line back, And he doesn’t have the size to be a feature back 

 

Hes a developmental guy with some traits , I would keep him over duke… but he’s not some superstar in the making 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John from Riverside]

I mean you could be right Antonio Williams is killing it in preseason for the team he’s on right now

 

But black sheer has literally not made a wrong move this preseason

Edited August 22, 2022 by John from Riverside

[ColoradoBills]

38 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Blackshear had a 6 carry for 11 yards first game and has really only had one good or standout play, a 25 yard run in the 2nd game against guys who wont be on NFL rosters week 1.  But now he is getting the Antonio Williams hype, but at least AW did something in a regular season game. 

 

He's an UDFA playing very well.  I don't understand why you only put up the stats you did.

Colts:

6 rushes-11 yards rushing (like you pointed out) but how about the rest?

4 Catches - 60 yards

2 KR and 1 PR

1 solo tackle on ST.

Broncos:

5 rushes - 58 yards

2 catches - 21 yards

1 KR

 

The young man has done well in camp and preseason and for sure deserves at least a PS spot and a chance to compete for RB3 next year.

He has already shown he can perform and do what the coaches have asked him to do.

If others hype him more than you think he deserves that's cool but at least give him props for what he has done.

 

[Augie]

6 hours ago, jwhit34 said:

The group hasn't played a game yet, they show promise but we will see. 

 

I would take the 1985 draft class over this one:

Bruce Smith

Derrick Burroughs (unfortunate that injuries curtailed his career)

Chris Burkett

Frank Reich

Andre Reed 

Dale Hellestrae (over 200 games as a long snapper)

Hal Garner

Ron Pitts

 

They also picked up UDFA Scott Norwood

 

1987 was also very good:

Shane Conlan

Nate Odomes

Roland Mitchell (ended up in the Leonard Smith trade)

David Brandon

Jamie Mueller

Leon Seals

Keith McKellar

Howard Ballard

 

UDFA Mitch Frerotte

 

Bill Polian had a 4 year run in the draft (1985-88) that was amazing. 

 

It’s a sliding scale. The VERY best make the Wall of Fame and maybe the HOF……and the bottom guys just get let in on a secret handshake. 

[ROCBillsBeliever]

5 hours ago, skibum said:

I also noticed he has a bad habit of doing these little hop-step , skippy things while trying to decide on a running lane, rather than keeping the wheels turning. A pro RB has to keep the wheels moving at all times. 

 

Disagree. Exhibit A: Barry MFing Sanders:

 

 

Dude would be going faster than anyone on the field, forward, freeze like a beam of ice hit him momentarily, then be going backwards, just as swiftly... Sanders understood the pause, and used it to pity more fools than a cow-pie has flies!

[Solomon Grundy]

3 hours ago, HereComesTheReignAgain said:

Had Blackshear been a better player, he might have been drafted in the 2nd round. 

As would've Tom Brady😎

[PromoTheRobot]

45 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

As would've Tom Brady😎

 

Bingo. What's been the difference between Blackshear and James Cook? Not much, except one was drafted.

[hondo in seattle]

4 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

IMHO both Hodgins and Blackshear hype is out of control.  

 

Hodgins is averaging a whopping 9 yards per catch through 2 games...while leading the team in targets, catches and playing against backups and scrubs who wont be on rosters come week 1.  If one of our top 3 WR's was doing that, everyone would be freaking out saying we need to go find a WR to replace him. 

 

Blackshear had a 6 carry for 11 yards first game and has really only had one good or standout play, a 25 yard run in the 2nd game against guys who wont be on NFL rosters week 1.  But now he is getting the Antonio Williams hype, but at least AW did something in a regular season game.  

 

I am all for young guys, and I will root for these guys to make the team, I have nothing against them.  But man, the over exaggeration on them is so thick that I have seen suggestions to trade away better players to make sure we keep them.  They are being talked up like they are future all pros and need to be kept at all costs.  Yet neither has really lit the league on fire despite weak competition.  

 

I think some of the Hodgins hype comes from fans who were worried about our depth at wideout.  Hodgins is NOT one our top three WRs and is not playing like one.  But, as an unheralded sixth round draft pick, he's performing better than many expected.  And that's exciting if you're a Bills fan who was losing sleep over WR bench.   

[HappyDays]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

What's been the difference between Blackshear and James Cook? Not much, except one was drafted.

 

And all of the college tape that shows what Cook can do as a route runner and pass catcher and with the ball in his hands against top college defensemen... Cook was drafted because he has elite traits. Blackshear doesn't have elite anything. He is decently agile and fast.

[John from Riverside]

4 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

And all of the college tape that shows what Cook can do as a route runner and pass catcher and with the ball in his hands against top college defensemen... Cook was drafted because he has elite traits. Blackshear doesn't have elite anything. He is decently agile and fast.

Cook also hasn’t really played a lot in preseason it’s hard to get a handle on a player that doesn’t get any reps you would have to think that the bills have a real plan for him come in the regular season that doesn’t involve him being on the inactive roster

[Bob in STL]

At the end of the day it’s up to the coaches and staff to pick the best players no matter where they were drafted. They see almost everything, including training room dynamics, practice habits, and personal habits - all of which play a part. 

[That's No Moon]

29 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

Blackshear doesn't have elite anything. He is decently agile and fast.

He also looks natural catching the ball which many backs are not. Given the way the Bills use their backs this is important. Maybe the most important pre-season stats for Blackshear are the KR and ST tackle stats.  

[Richard Noggin]

16 hours ago, jwhit34 said:

 

Let's look at this objectively in terms of making the roster and what he could potentially provide to the team:

 

In terms of running ability:

• He is not a more accomplished runner than Devin Singletary
• He is not a more powerful or effective short yardage runner than Zack Moss
• He is not faster or a better pass catching back than James Cook

 

In terms of special teams:

• He is not better than Taiwan Jones
• He is at best in the mix in terms of kick returner but one cannot make a case that he is by far the best return man

 

 

You say this is an objective look at Blackshear's chances, but then you selectively measure this longshot's various traits against the team's RESPECTIVE BEST OPTIONS in each category. That seems disingenuous. Moss only has an explicit advantage over Blackshear in 1/5 of your chosen categories, for example. Devin Singletary is clearly superior in 1/5 (the first one, of course, but probably also the second one until proven otherwise). Plus, "more accomplished" (the first criterium) seems ridiculous when comparing an UDFA against a 4th year 3rd round pick. 

 

I don't even really disagree with your ultimate conclusion. I just think your arguments defending it are questionable. 

 

In my view, if the Bills intend to keep Blackshear on the roster, then that means Taiwan Jones is gone. The other 3 RBs have skillsets he can't replace on offense (to your points, actually). Jones probably CAN be replaced by Blackshear or someone else on STs. And Blackshear maybe is best seen as a very poor man's version of Cook, in that he brings juice to the offense and STs (neither Singletary nor Moss can offer STs value and the kind of playmaking some are seeing in Blackshear's potential).

[That's No Moon]

38 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

And all of the college tape that shows what Cook can do as a route runner and pass catcher and with the ball in his hands against top college defensemen... Cook was drafted because he has elite traits. Blackshear doesn't have elite anything. He is decently agile and fast.

Cook looked really smooth the other day.  Some guys are violent runners, some are more herky jerky, Cook was just gliding out there - like water off a duck.  I'm excited to see more of him.

[John from Riverside]

I’m re-watching the Broncos game right now I don’t know man blackshear looks really good he has no wasted motion doesn’t take a negative play and appears to be able to do it all in both the run and the pass I realize that he is going against grocery clerks in the future but

[That's No Moon]

9 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

I’m re-watching the Broncos game right now I don’t know man blackshear looks really good he has no wasted motion doesn’t take a negative play and appears to be able to do it all in both the run and the pass I realize that he is going against grocery clerks in the future but

He should get a lot of work on Friday. Friday will actually be very interesting in terms of usage for a lot of players.

Edited August 23, 2022 by That's No Moon

[BillsFanForever19]

I've said this in other posts. But this concept of "there's no way we can sneak him on the Practice Squad" makes me laugh.

 

There are UDFA RB's across the league who have looked good late in Pre-Season games while playing against other UDFA's/Late Rounders/Practice Squad/Future Cut Players.

 

No team that felt he wasn't worth Drafting in 7 Rounds is going to look at what he did in the 3rd and 4th Quarters of Pre-Season games after Singletary, Cook, Moss, and Johnson got their carries on another team and say "I must sign this man to my 53 man roster!"

 

Every season, fans fall in love with a fringe roster player and work themselves up into thinking we can't sneak them on the Practice Squad. Seldom if ever are they given roster spots on other teams.

 

It's been talked about all offseason that "difficult decisions" will have to be made given the strength of our roster. This isn't even one of them. Gone are the years of a UDFA impressing late in games and earning a spot because the open spots don't really exist on this team anymore.

 

Every year since McDermott has been here, he's kept 3 True RB's (Singletary, Cook, and Moss), a core Special Teams RB (Jones, who isn't going anywhere no matter how hard certain fans want it), and a FB (Gilliam).

 

Of those 3 True RB's, McDermott only dresses 2 on Game Day and the 3rd (whether it was Matt Breida or T.J. Yeldon before him) only dresses if there's an injury or poor play from one of the normal 2. So there's no way they're going to carry more than 3 when the 3rd doesn't even play.

 

Long story short, he's earned the right to replace Antonio Williams on our Practice Squad. In the EXTREMELY unlikely chance that Blackshear was scooped up, they'd probably be thrilled for him getting a better opportunity elsewhere than he would here. They'd look to bring back Duke (who's above Blackshear on the depth chart, has looked just as good, if not better, scoring 2 TD's last week and showing Return ability) or sign another RB to the Practice Squad and not lose any sleep.

Edited August 23, 2022 by BillsFanForever19

[Buffalosouth]

My 7 year old started in about him today and I had to explain that every year there is a guy like that on the team. We all like em but they aren't making the team.

[HereComesTheReignAgain]

8 hours ago, Solomon Grundy said:

As would've Tom Brady😎

So far I’ve seen Blackshear compared to Thurman Thomas and Tom Brady. It really is ridiculous.  

[machine gun kelly]

23 hours ago, jwhit34 said:

Underdog stories, especially RBs and WRs, seem to be a tradition unlike any other for Bills fans, and probably fans of most other teams. 

 

This year is no different. In the tradition of Da'Rick Rogers, Naaman Roosevelt, Brandon Reilly, Dez Lewis, Joique Bell, Cierre Wood, Christian Wade, Antonio Williams and of course Duke Williams, this year we have Raheem Blackshear.

 

Raheem Blackshear is a nice story. UDFA, comes in and does well in the first two preseason games, doing a lot to at least make it a tough decision on cutdown day for the Bills. But this is a story we see almost every year. 

 

Let's look at this objectively in terms of making the roster and what he could potentially provide to the team:

 

In terms of running ability:

• He is not a more accomplished runner than Devin Singletary
• He is not a more powerful or effective short yardage runner than Zack Moss
• He is not faster or a better pass catching back than James Cook

 

In terms of special teams:

• He is not better than Taiwan Jones
• He is at best in the mix in terms of kick returner but one cannot make a case that he is by far the best return man

 

If all of that is accurate, then he is perfect for the practice squad. Remember, every team in the NFL passed on him for all 7 rounds. Sure, there are UDFAs that make it, but a good showing in preseason games vs. 2nd, 3rd and 4th stringers will not change the minds of many (any?) NFL GMs. Go to the ESPN Scores page and scroll through and see who led each game in rushing. There were a lot of Blackshear-esque performances by guys you never heard of. 

 

Blackshear is a nice story, but I expect him to be on the practice squad.

 

 

 

J, well said as it’s Antonio Williams, Duke Williams, Christian Wade, 5.0.

 

Hes a nice practice squad guy.  To keep in perspective, he had starting linemen blowing holes for him against their backups.  He’s not doing the same against starters in the league.

[4thandGoal]

18 hours ago, mrags said:

 

this whole argument for me with everyone here isn’t even about Blackshear. It’s the point that STs is a waste of a roster position. I don’t care who it is. LB. WR. RB. DB. Any position. I’ll take an extra player at any position vs just a guy that runs down on kickoffs. Hell, I would rather kick the damn kickoff out of bounds and give it to our opponents at the 40 every single time we score, and count on our defense to hold them instead of giving scrubs like Kumerow and Jones jobs. They are useless on this team and good for almost nothing. 

 

 

I didnt like any of your arguments but I was willing to read them... This one made me laugh - "... would rather kick the damn kickoff out of bounds..."  HAHA. You should become a GM -- you can take Beane's spot

[Alphadawg7]

13 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

He's an UDFA playing very well.  I don't understand why you only put up the stats you did.

Colts:

6 rushes-11 yards rushing (like you pointed out) but how about the rest?

4 Catches - 60 yards

2 KR and 1 PR

1 solo tackle on ST.

Broncos:

5 rushes - 58 yards

2 catches - 21 yards

1 KR

 

The young man has done well in camp and preseason and for sure deserves at least a PS spot and a chance to compete for RB3 next year.

He has already shown he can perform and do what the coaches have asked him to do.

If others hype him more than you think he deserves that's cool but at least give him props for what he has done.

 

I was talking about as a runner that’s why, because I’ve seen people suggest trading our other RBs to keep him on the active 53…and not just Moss (who is someone that could get traded), but trades of Devin and even Cook.
 

Im in no way against him, and like his potential too, and if he doesn’t make the roster I’m certain he will be on the PS.  

[ddaryl]

1 hour ago, HereComesTheReignAgain said:

So far I’ve seen Blackshear compared to Thurman Thomas and Tom Brady. It really is ridiculous.  

 

 

Delusions of Grandeur

1 hour ago, machine gun kelly said:

J, well said as it’s Antonio Williams, Duke Williams, Christian Wade, 5.0.

 

Hes a nice practice squad guy.  To keep in perspective, he had starting linemen blowing holes for him against their backups.  He’s not doing the same against starters in the league.

 

 

Exactly... Name a RB that struggled against Denver?

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

5 hours ago, Buffalosouth said:

My 7 year old started in about him today and I had to explain that every year there is a guy like that on the team. We all like em but they aren't making the team.

Sometimes the young see things most clearly! 

[corta765]

14 hours ago, badassgixxer05 said:

Blackshear isnt making it to the practice squad. He will be on an active roster somewhere if he shows out again in a third game. If we want to stash him, we should probably not play him much in the 3rd game. lol

I mean there is always guys you are rooting for to make it. Hogan actually did. The other guys had little to no chance. Blackshear does.

 

Hogan was a WR4 maybe WR3 at for a little guy which is great for any guy trying to make the NFL. Fans acted like he was the 2nd coming of Wes Welker and his loss was something huge when in the grand scheme it really wasn't.

[badassgixxer05]

4 minutes ago, corta765 said:

 

Hogan was a WR4 maybe WR3 at for a little guy which is great for any guy trying to make the NFL. Fans acted like he was the 2nd coming of Wes Welker and his loss was something huge when in the grand scheme it really wasn't.

Donald Jones and David Nelson were starting WRs for the Bills at one point... Cant blame fans for thinking Hogan was good. We hadnt seen good WRs in a long long time. lol 

[corta765]

Just now, badassgixxer05 said:

Donald Jones and David Nelson were starting WRs for the Bills at one point... Cant blame fans for thinking Hogan was good. We hadnt seen good WRs in a long long time. lol 

 

Lol I loved David Nelson, my wife did too although for an entirely different reason hahaha

[Irv]

He's no Da'Rick.  

[The Jokeman]

I'm rooting for Blackshear but all of a sudden reading this thread and the name Marcus Murphy came into my head. 

[Mat68]

I think he will make it to PS.  He has potential

[Buffalosouth]

10 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Sometimes the young see things most clearly! 

Robert Foster used to be his favorite Bills player.

[ganesh]

On 8/22/2022 at 5:56 PM, ddaryl said:

I do not see the Bills even entertaining the thoughts of ditching Singletary, Moss, or Cook for Blackshear

Bingo !

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

Don’t forget that Austin Ekeler was an undrafted free agent. He only got a chance because Melvin Gordon held out.

 

Sometimes you have to roll the dice on these late-round and undrafted RBs. 

[BillsFanForever19]

38 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Don’t forget that Austin Ekeler was an undrafted free agent. He only got a chance because Melvin Gordon held out.

 

Sometimes you have to roll the dice on these late-round and undrafted RBs. 

 

Correct. He got a shot because they were a bad roster with open spots on the depth chart. We have 4 different RB's that are above him on the depth chart and saw the field before he did in Pre-Season.

 

He's not getting a spot above Singletary, Cook, or Moss. With what Duke Johnson has shown on Goal Lines and Return (in more important playing time), I don't think they'd even keep Blackshear over him. And he's probably not going to make the roster either.

 

Blackshear has a spot on this team. It's the Practice Squad. He'll be released, unclaimed, and be back for development.

 

People need to learn to stop falling in love with fringe prospects performances in the Pre-Season against other fringe prospects. There's a reason they're playing that late in the game. And that's they aren't valued by the team as much as other players. Blackshear is 2022's Christian Wade or Antonio Williams and his role on this team will be the same as theirs.

Edited August 24, 2022 by BillsFanForever19

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Don’t forget that Austin Ekeler was an undrafted free agent. He only got a chance because Melvin Gordon held out.

 

Sometimes you have to roll the dice on these late-round and undrafted RBs. 

 

We all know that productive RB's can be found anywhere (though Beane has expended early draft picks on 3 of them).

 

Are you predicting that Blackshear is another Austin Ekeler? 

 

Ekeler earned his job on a lesser roster than the one the Bills have now but more importantly he excelled both at RB and on special teams.

 

The route to making this opening week 53 man roster for Blackshear and Duke Johnson is to not only produce at RB but to push Taiwan Jones off the roster with their special teams play.

Edited August 24, 2022 by BADOLBILZ
Blackshear edit