Are you concerned about Elam?

[Rochesterfan]

31 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

Did you know that Einstein was often mocked early on because people found his thoughts and theories to be inane?

 

It turned out that his theories were correct, of course, but the lesser intellectually gifted couldn’t interpret it until much time had passed.

 

 

I know and you are no Einstein.  
 

Your just inane.

 

 

[longtimebillsfan]

1 hour ago, Einstein said:

With how good Benford looks, and with Elam’s contributions coming partially on special teams tonight, it leads the mind to wonder what other 1st round pick we could have acquired rather than a DB that is a depth player in a backfield that is missing it’s starter.

 

Not concerned at all.  What is it with everyone expecting instant success for every rookie we draft?

 

It can take two to three years fir a player to handle the conversion to tgr NFL.

 

Patience my boy.  Patience.

[MarlinTheMagician]

I was there with a high-up seat on the 50 - perfect to watch plays develop.  Watched Elam, he played well.

 

[longtimebillsfan]

1 minute ago, Gene1973 said:

If it takes a first round DB 2-3 years to play well, that is a problem...

No, it is reality.  Look at Josh his first year.

 

Not all players make that adjustment that quickly.

 

Why are you worrying about Elam?  The Bills just dismantled the reigning super bowl champions while playing a less than perfect game.

 

Enjoy the moment.

[OZBILLS]

I have no concerns. Life is good

[Rocky Landing]

In my opinion, CB is the weakest position on the team. Elam will grow, and so will Benford. But, I can't wait for White to return.

[cba fan]

6 minutes ago, Gene1973 said:

If it takes a first round DB 2-3 years to play well, that is a problem...

i don't agree. Half of first rounder's bust or are barely avg..

 

If they become good in 2 to 3 it is great. Much better than being in the bust category.

[Malazan]

1 hour ago, Einstein said:

With how good Benford looks, and with Elam’s contributions coming partially on special teams tonight, it leads the mind to wonder what other 1st round pick we could have acquired rather than a DB that is a depth player in a backfield that is missing it’s starter.

 

I think you're in for a miserable season with how good the Bills will be. 

[JoPoy88]

1 hour ago, Einstein said:

With how good Benford looks, and with Elam’s contributions coming partially on special teams tonight, it leads the mind to wonder what other 1st round pick we could have acquired rather than a DB that is a depth player in a backfield that is missing it’s starter.

 

I’m more concerned about your post life around here. You’re terrible.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Good problem to have.  We have no idea how Tre will play when he comes back. 

 

Also, pass rush makes any DB look better. 

 

Even knowing what we know now, I think DB in the first round was the right move.

[Agent 91]

The way I look at it... we are on trajectory to have 4 starting quality corners when tre comes back. Hell of a problem to have.. I can see a world where we go scheme specific and you see elam in man dominant and maybe benford and or Jackson in more hybrid game plans.  Let's face it,  we did FBT have many holes to fill and I believe we can say,  corner is not a weak spot for the foreseeable future

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

1 hour ago, Einstein said:

With how good Benford looks, and with Elam’s contributions coming partially on special teams tonight, it leads the mind to wonder what other 1st round pick we could have acquired rather than a DB that is a depth player in a backfield that is missing it’s starter.

 

Or we can be excited that we got two starting caliber corners to add to a unit without much depth last season. Who cares which one of those two guys is better 1 game into their career 

[billsfan3482]

17 minutes ago, Gene1973 said:

If it takes a first round DB 2-3 years to play well, that is a problem...

This kind of thinking makes no sense!  What problem??   ALL that matters is that the coaching staff puts

out the best players to win games.  No way the Bills and staff are sitting telling each other that Elam not being ready is a problem. Just corny fans

needing drama to bring up..  Best player starts, thats all there is too it, not draft position.

 

In another thread someone mentioned  Knox signing his extension and how he only had 1 catch for 5 yds vs the rams. I mean come on people!!! Knox has to have stats that satisfy you and his extension??  Get a life.

 

The only STAT that should matter is the WIN. 

[John from Riverside]

Also let’s be real the kids split time is this a matter of elam being bad or is this a matter of Benfotd being good

 

Neither one embarrassed himself tonight

[GunnerBill]

I would be if I thought it was because Elam is struggling. I don't. I think it is because Benford is shining. 

 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

Elam is more than fine. I think McDermott found the next Josh Norman. That mid-late round diamond CB that starts immediately. Benford is the real deal. Let’s stop trying to find a reason to bash Elam. He hasn’t been bad, Benford has just been better. He’s a bigger more athletic version of Levi Wallace already.

Edited September 9, 2022 by Buffalo_Stampede

[gonzo1105]

I didn’t like the pick when they drafted him. I thought he was overrated coming out. You can check my history if you don’t believe it. 

He got burnt way too much his senior year of college, was incredibly grabby, and not a great tackler. I hope the guy is successful, I really do but have a 6th round FCS corner starting over you isn’t a great sign 

 

[GreggTX]

Too soon to worry about Elam and he looked fine in his debut. Benford is my early favorite for Steal Of The Draft.

[JoPoy88]

4 hours ago, Einstein said:

With how good Benford looks, and with Elam’s contributions coming partially on special teams tonight, it leads the mind to wonder what other 1st round pick we could have acquired rather than a DB that is a depth player in a backfield that is missing it’s starter.

 

he’s a rookie. Week 1. You make me sick

[JohnNord]

4 hours ago, Einstein said:

With how good Benford looks, and with Elam’s contributions coming partially on special teams tonight, it leads the mind to wonder what other 1st round pick we could have acquired rather than a DB that is a depth player in a backfield that is missing it’s starter.

 

Not concerned but I think it speaks more to how well Bedford is playing as a rookie than it does it says about Elam not being good.  It’s going to take some time for him to learn the defense 

[YoloinOhio]

No

[Mr. WEO]

Which one is he?

[Ya Digg?]

How did you watch that game last night and decide this would be a good thread to start?

[JoPoy88]

2 minutes ago, Ya Digg? said:

How did you watch that game last night and decide this would be a good thread to start?

course not you think he actually watched the game?

[Brandon]

No,  because I think it says a lot more about how good and just how big of a surprise that Benford has been than anything about Elam.   

[Fixxxer]

At this point in time, no. He played several snaps last night and he didn't look out of position or not aware of his assignments (always from the TV broadcast prespective) Benford and Elam will be fine until the Goalie returns. 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

He always frightened me.

[longtimebillsfan]

5 hours ago, Gene1973 said:

I am not worried about Elam. However, I think teams choosing 1st round DB's expect them to start and play well pretty much by mid-season. QB's get drafted way higher than they should due to the importance and need of that position, so they are allowed more time to develop.

You are most certainly entitled to your opinion.

[foreboding]

Wait...we got a stud cb at the end of the 1st and then beane did his thing and got a draft steal in the 6th...one draft, 2 starter level guys...and we should be unhappy?

[RyanC883]

a fair point by the OP since we are a team in win-now mode.  But I think of it more as we could have White, Jackson, Benford, and Elam for a long time at outside CB (if we can afford to keep Jackson).  Elam looked okay when he was in.  

Edited September 9, 2022 by RyanC883

[mjt328]

The way Dane Jackson looked, both rookies are going to be watching from the sidelines a good chunk of the season.

 

[bmur66]

More impressed with Benford than worried about Elam. This is a good thing.

[4merper4mer]

3 minutes ago, bmur66 said:

More impressed with Benford than worried about Elam. This is a good thing.

Villanova plays a similar system to the Bills evidently.  Florida does not.  Elam will be fine.

[Matt_In_NH]

eye brows raised a little since he did not start over Benford but not concerned.  Guys take time to develop and do so at different rates/times.   That really shows Benford outplayed him all preseason, they would have defaulted to the first round pick if it was close.  For me it comes down to is it Benford is shockingly good or Elam shockingly bad.   Based on the on field play of both, they have not been terrible so I think Bedford has just way outperformed his draft position.

[teef]

One game has been played.  One. 

[Luka]

These threads are fun. Just FYI, if you actually watched the game last night, you'd have seen Elam in on obvious passing situations. The concerns with Elam are in the run game. Once we were up 14, Elam was on the field more and more. Taron was also out there, Jackson was out there. Coverage by committee.  

[NoSaint]

7 hours ago, Einstein said:

With how good Benford looks, and with Elam’s contributions coming partially on special teams tonight, it leads the mind to wonder what other 1st round pick we could have acquired rather than a DB that is a depth player in a backfield that is missing it’s starter.

 

depth in a backfield that plays 3 guys at the position, if not 4, and will almost always be effected by injuries. And is expensive to staff long term too.

[Royale with Cheese]

7 hours ago, Einstein said:

 

Did you know that Einstein was often mocked early on because people found his thoughts and theories to be inane?

 

It turned out that his theories were correct, of course, but the lesser intellectually gifted couldn’t interpret it until much time had passed.

 

 

That's true and here's a thread of you arguing that the Titans roster is better than the Bills.  Also talking up the Rams.

 

Start on page 11.

 

 

[SoMAn]

Not concerned. Doesn’t matter to me where in the draft he was taken. 
The Bills have been great at spotting potential and developing the players.

The biggest miss was probably Cody Ford. But there have been far more hits than misses.

Elam just needs some coaching to refine his game. Hopefully, seeing Benford steal the starting position will either light Elam’s fire, or tell us he’s easily defeated. If Benford turns out to be a good starter opposite Tre, so be it. 
I still think the Bills were determined to get a CB early in the last draft, and after the run on corners, Elam was a consolation prize and maybe number 3 or 4 on their draft board. 
To answer the OP directly- No. After seeing the Bills humiliate the defending champs on their home field, not the least bit concerned. 
 

Edited September 9, 2022 by SoMAn

[Big Turk]

Again, Benford played a very similar scheme in college to what the Bills play now while Elam was predominately man and needed to learn off ball coverage. 

 

Benford clearly had an advantage in terms of understanding how to play and his comfort level in the scheme.

 

Elam hasn't been bad, Benford just is ahead of him in his comfort level in the scheme and has played well from the word go...he earned the start.

 

Don't be worried, be happy they found another gem at DB in the late rounds.

 

Elam is going to be fine and rotated in last night playing about even time with Benford from what they said and looked good. Honestly was there a player who didn't look good on D?