WR Position and my thoughts

[wagne591]

I don't post on here much and i can't say i am a football guru when it comes to play calling and formations but I have some thoughts and concerns from an average football knowledge fan and die Hard Bills Fan so please hear me out.

 

The WR position is a concern for me as it is improving all over the lease and that is where the money is.  Our draft classes do not reflect that in recent years.  I know we have Diggs but lets be honest that is it.  When our offense started humming the past two years we also had a vet receiver as the number 2 or backup using Smoke for that roll and Sanders last year as a solid number two.  That to me is what made Gabe Davis great as a solid 3.  Gabe to me has those games where he either catches everything thrown at him or he drops everything thrown at him, you never know what you are going to get.  At least with a veteran #2 we always had another option.  This is one of the reasons i would sign OBJ now...not for this year its too late but for next year and draft a WR either in RD 1 or 2.  That is would replenish our WR corps real fast just need to find that reliable slot guy then.  Imagine

Diggs

OBJ 

Davis

Shak (who seems to catch everything under the sun just needs to learn the slot position in this offense so Beasley coming back will be big just for that)

and a round 1 or 2 pick 

 

Our receiver corps would go from a weak point this year to a strong point next year.  With just signing OBJ and hopefully you hit on that draft pick but with OBJ here if we miss on the pick next year there is always 2024 and our receiver corps doesn't drop off.  That is me.

 

I am also glad and mad we signed Beasley.  Glad for our young guys who need a savvy vet and mentor...but mad that Beasley hasn't been on our team all year long.  He was kind of the glue that kept the offense going especially on third and short always knew where the soft spot was and Josh trusted him.  

 

It makes me wonder how the heck they are using I Mac in the slot.  To me (and this is from an average fan who doesn't know how to watch film) it seems like they are always trying to get I Mac the ball while in motion for YAC yards instead of just having him use the speed as a threat and then sitting in the zone knowing that he will probably not get any YAC yards but picking up first downs.  That is what Beasley did and we miss.  I think if they used I Mac in that form his crossing patterns would be even more dynamic and unpredictable which looks to me like that is what they are now predictable always catching the ball going towards the sideline instead of in the middle of the field.  

 

I know this is long and I usually don't break it up into semi paragraphs but i am trying to do better.  Thoughts...

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

forget about OBJ. I don't see him here and every team he visited, he was turned down any offers. he's a wash this season while recovering from acl surgery, his second time (same left knee) in two years.

 

there is a reason why he was rejected by both the cowboys and giants. 

[BuffaloBillies]

Just need to catch the ball when it's hitting your hands, Gabe, Dirty, Knox, Singletary... and even you a few times this year, Diggs. The drops are maddening and drive killers making games losses or so close at the end my blood pressure rises. Beasley was a good re-sign.

[GunnerBill]

Shakir catches everything under the sun. If 52.9% of the world is above the sun. 

[TheBrownBear]

Ah..."please hear me out"...the kiss of death for any post.

[SoCal Deek]

I can summarize it in two sentences:

 

Following the Chiefs playoff game, the Bills management clearly expected Gabe Davis to blossom into a significant threat.  That has not happened.

 

The end.

[Simon]

9 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

Shakir catches everything under the sun. If 52.9% of the world is above the sun. 

 

What the bloody hell would an Englishman know about sun?

[Epstein's Mother]

2 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

I can summarize it in two sentences:

 

Following the Chiefs playoff game, the Bills management and fans clearly expected Gabe Davis to blossom into a significant threat.  That has not happened.

 

The end.

 

That's better.

[CoudyBills]

7 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

Shakir catches everything under the sun. If 52.9% of the world is above the sun.

Well, actually the sun falls on roughly half the earth at a time, or so I've read.  Apparently this past July 8th it was like 99%.

[T master]

OBJ might be a help but who knows how healthy he can be & who wants to sign him to a multi year contract not knowing if he back to his old self ? Sure he's a talent but given the unknown i don't see Beane pulling the trigger on him .

 

Maybe if he comes back to a team this year then with the added time off during the off season there is a possibility but I'd rather have someone not coming off a injury that doesn't have to learn the entire offense in a very short period of time . But that's just me .

[SoCal Deek]

1 minute ago, Epstein's Mother said:

 

That's better.

Ha....I was actually going to put that in there....but was trying to keep it short and sweet! 😂

[Aesop]

The resigning of Beas is big imo. Crowder was supposed to be that guy this year, but injuries derailed that. McKenzie is not a slot and that's not a knock on him at all. He is a fantastic weapon to have, especially with his quickness mixed with pre snap motion. Finding the zone over the middle and manipulating defenders is a fine art. Think Wes Welker, Brandon Stokely, Julian Edelman. Beas understands these concepts and thrives in the slot. The knock on him was always YAC, hence the Crowder signing in the off season. Having a bonified slot is what this offense has missed this season. It helps JA17 through his progressions and opens things up on the outside. 

[LABILLBACKER]

Recently I started a top7 wr thread. Trying to get a feel for who's our WR2?  As I expected after Diggs no one could come up with a definitive #2.  Gabe unfortunately has been inconsistent and I'm afraid he'll be that way his whole career. Knox has been open but Josh isn't looking his way as often or he's asked to block because our RT's all blow. After Gabe & Dawson the drop off is extreme. This organization has to decide to either build around Josh or keep dicking around on defensive picks.  And with a defensive HC this probably won't end the way we want.

[newcam2012]

Just now, LABILLBACKER said:

Recently I started a top7 wr thread. Trying to get a feel for who's our WR2?  As I expected after Diggs no one could come up with a definitive #2.  Gabe unfortunately has been inconsistent and I'm afraid he'll be that way his whole career. Knox has been open but Josh isn't looking his way as often or he's asked to block because our RT's all blow. After Gabe & Dawson the drop off is extreme. This organization has to decide to either build around Josh or keep dicking around on defensive picks.  And with a defensive HC this probably won't end the way we want.

The WR core including Knox has been disappointing. Gabe hasn't been nearly as dynamic or consistent as a number 2 WR. Knox just isn't being utilized as a pass like you said. Lil Dirty is either good or bad with little in between. Can't count on him. Shakir is non existent. Kumerrow when healthy isn't very good. Brown and Beasley are dart throws. Crowder can't see the field year after year. The offense lacks constitency and true weapons. The Oline needs to be addressed to. Brown just blows and Stafford is washed. Add in an average RB core as well. Add it all up and you have a Franchise QB with little weapons and protection. Exactly why the Bills offense is no longer a quick strike feared offense. With Josh the Bills always have a chance. The defense is going to have to win a lot of games for the Bills. Very confident they could with a healthy Hyde and Von. With those 2 out it becomes a tall task for Buffalo. I'm not so confident they can defend KC and Cinci with any consistency. Thus, the offense at some point is going to have to respond. 

[Solomon Grundy]

My question is will they address this problem in the offseason with the attention it needs? Is there a receiver in the draft that can come in and produce immediately like Wilson, Olave?

[TheBeaneBandit]

43 minutes ago, wagne591 said:

I don't post on here much and i can't say i am a football guru when it comes to play calling and formations but I have some thoughts and concerns from an average football knowledge fan and die Hard Bills Fan so please hear me out.

 

The WR position is a concern for me as it is improving all over the lease and that is where the money is.  Our draft classes do not reflect that in recent years.  I know we have Diggs but lets be honest that is it.  When our offense started humming the past two years we also had a vet receiver as the number 2 or backup using Smoke for that roll and Sanders last year as a solid number two.  That to me is what made Gabe Davis great as a solid 3.  Gabe to me has those games where he either catches everything thrown at him or he drops everything thrown at him, you never know what you are going to get.  At least with a veteran #2 we always had another option.  This is one of the reasons i would sign OBJ now...not for this year its too late but for next year and draft a WR either in RD 1 or 2.  That is would replenish our WR corps real fast just need to find that reliable slot guy then.  Imagine

Diggs

OBJ 

Davis

Shak (who seems to catch everything under the sun just needs to learn the slot position in this offense so Beasley coming back will be big just for that)

and a round 1 or 2 pick 

 

Our receiver corps would go from a weak point this year to a strong point next year.  With just signing OBJ and hopefully you hit on that draft pick but with OBJ here if we miss on the pick next year there is always 2024 and our receiver corps doesn't drop off.  That is me.

 

I am also glad and mad we signed Beasley.  Glad for our young guys who need a savvy vet and mentor...but mad that Beasley hasn't been on our team all year long.  He was kind of the glue that kept the offense going especially on third and short always knew where the soft spot was and Josh trusted him.  

 

It makes me wonder how the heck they are using I Mac in the slot.  To me (and this is from an average fan who doesn't know how to watch film) it seems like they are always trying to get I Mac the ball while in motion for YAC yards instead of just having him use the speed as a threat and then sitting in the zone knowing that he will probably not get any YAC yards but picking up first downs.  That is what Beasley did and we miss.  I think if they used I Mac in that form his crossing patterns would be even more dynamic and unpredictable which looks to me like that is what they are now predictable always catching the ball going towards the sideline instead of in the middle of the field.  

 

I know this is long and I usually don't break it up into semi paragraphs but i am trying to do better.  Thoughts...

I'll break my thoughts down best I can. Draft receivers early and often because it's gonna be next to impossible to sign good ones in free agency. We also got to put more priority on offensive line talent before we break our QB. Both need to start happening this offseason.

[Charles Romes]

Shakir’s lack of production is shocking, after all the reports on how advanced his route running is.  He must be getting zero separation from CB3 every play. I did not see much burst on his college tape (he looked like Sills to me) but bought into all the hype coming out of camp, now I’m depressed.  I can easily see him off the roster next year given the disaster that has taken place this year. 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Charles Romes

[whorlnut]

33 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Recently I started a top7 wr thread. Trying to get a feel for who's our WR2?  As I expected after Diggs no one could come up with a definitive #2.  Gabe unfortunately has been inconsistent and I'm afraid he'll be that way his whole career. Knox has been open but Josh isn't looking his way as often or he's asked to block because our RT's all blow. After Gabe & Dawson the drop off is extreme. This organization has to decide to either build around Josh or keep dicking around on defensive picks.  And with a defensive HC this probably won't end the way we want.

Well…McD is gonna have to ask himself…”do I want to win or do I want the best defense ever”?  His defense is really good to great. It’s the offense that needs work now. People will argue our offensive ranking, but imo it’s very misleading. This team has holes on offense and Allen is used to covering them up. We need to build around him. 

15 minutes ago, Charles Romes said:

Shakir’s lack of production is shocking, after all the reports on how advanced his route running is.  He must be getting zero separation from CB3 every play. I did not see much burst on his college tape (he looked like Sills to me) but bought into all the hype coming out of camp, now I’m depressed.  I can easily see him off the roster next year given the disaster that has taken place this year. 

I really like Shakir a lot, but we really need to stop getting so excited about 4th and 5th round receiver picks. For the most part, there are reasons they were passed over so many times. Sure…you will catch lightning in a bottle sometimes, but these guys drop due to a lack of something. Some overcome it, but others do not. We need to start drafting studs in the early part of the draft. 

[Nephilim17]

I'd like to see us draft a really fast WR with proven hands to stretch the field. He can be taller and win the jump balls or just be fast and tough like DeSean Jackson but he has to have a proven history of catching. Much like the "you can't teach accuracy" argument (which is not 100% true but more often than not it does apply), it seems like many receivers still have drop issues many years into the pros (Knox, Davis, McKenzie)...

 

And invest a top pick on this. Then O-line.

[whorlnut]

My dream pick in 1 would be Jalin Hyatt from Tennessee. Go watch a highlight video of him and tell me he wouldn’t go well with Diggs on the outside.