Possible McKenzie Replacement Bills sign Deonte Harty (formally Deonte Harris)

[Slippery Rubber Mats]

I really liked Harris, I don't know about this Harty. Hopefully he hasn't lost any of Harris's speed.

[NewEra]

11 minutes ago, Einstein said:

Wow. Some of the Saints fans (his former team) are obliterating this signing.

 

 

Here are the comments from the Saints forum:

 

 

"Unfortunately, it seems Deontay’s small body may not be able to consistently endure full seasons at the pro level. He also seemed zoned out last season." - breesgirl

 

 

"Already missed 23 games in 4 years due to injury and 3 to suspension. Not to mention the 9 fumbles in the games he did play. Buffalo did us a favor, we will break a table for em." - 44slayer

 

 

"My gosh, you can’t make these contracts up. The money teams are throwing at former Saints players is ridiculous. He basically won the lottery. I don’t think any other team except for the Bills were going to offer him that kind of money. He is an injury waiting to happen just because of his small stature." - dvdman

 

 

"Expensive guy for the rehab room" - dataussie

 

 

"He will probably fit in really well there. He always seemed to have some potential that wasn't fully unlocked here and Shaheed just made him expendable. Wish him well" - t-rex23

 

 

"Massive overpay" - Beerbaron

 

 

"They can have him" - Rajincajun83

 

 

"Won't miss this guy." Que Que 6

 

 

"Small school KR/PR guys are a dime a dozen as UDFAs, next." - Seafog

 

 

"The Bills overpaid for Harty just like the Saints did for Peat" - fishing4food

 

 

"He wasn't playing even when healthy last year was he? I don't get the big money on this one." - Elvis

 

 

"That is an expensive addition to their Tub Club. Glad we moved on from him, we dont need inactive all stars." - 44slayer

 

 

"He showed up in the 2019 and 2020 playoffs. But as the TB game showed in 2020, he could be a big asset when healthy (although he looked shaky last year even before he got hurt) but he was prone to injuries." - lordpoopington

 

 

"Loved him whole here and made a lot of plays for us. I wish him well" - tim martin

 

 

"Agreed. I know players are worth whatever anyone is willing to pay them, but this seems like a massive overpay for someone that's barely on the field and when he is, the impact is minimal outside of a VERY small handful of highlight plays." - saintaholic

 

 

"They must really need a PR/KR/WR4 type. That’s a ridiculous amount for him. Glad he got paid. Even happier my Saints didn’t write that check. Good luck to him, though." - breesgirl

 

 

"Shame, he was great here and has been my favourite return man by far as a Saint. Crazy to see how many guys are signing away from us for big money!" - Cowtownsaint

 

 

"If he can stay healthy in Buffalo, it's a great offense for him to be in. A ton of speed and QB with an absolute cannon in Allen." - belowzero

 

 

"I wish him well, but players of his stature rarely have long careers in the NFL…." - sfidc3

 

 

"Hes gonna check out on them too." - shortfuzed9

 

 

"Allen has an arm. He will hit Harty with some deep shots and he will be their returner. If he's healthy and his head is in a good place, this will be a good fit for him." - MV2

 

 

"Nice for him ,that's a lot of $ But i'd rather keep Shaheed than Harty" - killerdescore

 

 

"We have a bigger and cheaper and younger version of him in Shaheed... So he was never coming back here anyway... I wish him well in Buffalo... He was a good player here." - infoman

link

 

Omg….someone can clip all of comments he found on the interwebs that fit his agenda!! Amazing!!  
 

Looks like I’m wrong.  He sucks.  Bad signing.  My bad for trying to make a bad signing sound much better than it actually is

[ColoradoBills]

1 minute ago, Beck Water said:

 

Well, he played with Drew Brees 9 games in 2019 and 8 games in 2020, if you want to count that.

Last 2 years with the Saints of course were an unholy brew of Siemian, Winston, Dalton, and Hill.

Harty's best year to date was 2021, 5 games with Winston, 6 games with Sieman, 1 game with Hill

 

 

LOL.  I was just looking that up to post.  You need to add 1 game started by Ian Book.

 

Yep, the Saints are something else.  I laugh when fans on this board want the Bills to emulate their "system".

[Nephilim17]

13 minutes ago, First Round Bust said:

impressive aspect of Harty’s game is his mere 5.3% career drop rate. On 97 career targets in the regular season, he’s only dropped four balls. On top of being a big play waiting to happen, he’s reliable. And the yards after catch stat is just the icing on the cake for him.

That's great. Really looking forward to seeing him play for us.

[Alphadawg7]

8 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

You expect fans of a player, outgoing to actually give you legitimate criticisms
 

You’re better than this, I think

No…no he’s not.  He’s definitely not better than this.  This is always his posting theme…doom and gloom, everything the Bills do is wrong.  Yet I can’t recall anything I’ve ever seen him post be right.  

[John from Riverside]

4 minutes ago, Airseven said:

 

You can't reason with the fluff fans. Everything is gold until it isn't.

Oh, this is Rich coming from the guy that can’t keep from spewing ***** out of his mouth

[ElMarko]

5 minutes ago, Success said:

 

I think the opposite.

 

We always have posters on here who think they know more than everyone, and are sure that this player or that player is going to be a miss - even though they know very little about that player.

 

Why not look at a signing like this in a positive way?  I can pretty much guarantee that Beane and his braintrust have pored over film of this guy, done the pros & cons analysis, looked at the upside, and made a sound decision. Like all GM decisions in the NFL, some work out, and some don't.  

 

But the negative comments on here are what I find hilarious.  I don't know the guy - but this signing is the worst!  I mean, huh?  

 

Allen is the greatest example. THAT thread from draft day is actually fun to revisit.  This isn't a big enough signing to warrant a "bust" label if Harty doesn't work out.  But I think he'll excel w/ Allen - we needed speed, we needed separation, we needed good hands.

 

Exactly. As Marv once said "if you listen to the fans, you sit with the fans"

[Billsguy]

Yikes! 

 

The guy has a great agent. The contract is rich for a tiny receiver with no stats.

[Alphadawg7]

4 minutes ago, Airseven said:

 

You can't reason with the fluff fans. Everything is gold until it isn't.

Do you find it interesting that most often the only people that ever agrees with you is posters like Einstein and you’re most often the only the person that ever agrees with him?  
 

Should tell you something…although I don’t expect you will correctly identify the something:

[Einstein]

6 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Omg….someone can clip all of comments he found on the interwebs that fit his agenda!! Amazing!!  
 

Looks like I’m wrong.  He sucks.  Bad signing.  My bad for trying to make a bad signing sound much better than it actually is

 

All the interwebs? Or just 1 forum. Like this one. Where the fans have been watching him for 4 years.

 

Uh-huh. 

 

I know, I know - You know him better since he was on your fantasy team before.

 

[Big Turk]

 

[Dan in Owego]

PFF loved loved loved this signing and player, and i know highlight videos aren't always the best evaluation, but DAMN this dude is lightning.

[Beck Water]

19 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

 

I was going by the comments here that were praising Beane for signing a guy that would replace McKenzie, who's a classic slot WR.  I know little of this superstar burgeoning WR named Harty.  LOL  

 

Slowly?  Well, if you think it's more rapidly, so be it.  My point, Beane didn't do himself a favor with this signing.  Yes, I realize that the forum's gaga over it, that's the entertaining part about it.  We'll sign a few dumpster diving players, probably more OL-men, and the optimism will be through the roof there too.  LOL  Just pointing it out.  

 

I mean seriously, look back historically at all the signings that everyone claimed would help us, Hines for example offensively, he was supposed to be that short option that Allen missed.  LOL, he had 5 catches here last season.  OK, so he only played half a season.  He had 25 catches, five times as many, in one fewer games in Indy last season.  We can double that to 10 for the full season.  He averaged 47 in five seasons in Indy.  

 

Do with it what you will. 

 

It seems to me there's been a lot of talk on this board since the playoff exit, criticizing Beane's drafting and player personnel decisions.  Somehow the Bills have managed to have a #2 or #1 defense 3 of the last 4 years with horrible personnel management and currently, no players on defense who would fetch a 2nd round pick.  Go Figgur.

 

I didn't understand the euphoria about Hines myself.  Some people on the board were reacting as though he was our Budget Christian McCaffrey.  I looked at his record with Indy and thought he was a signing for ST and as an injury reserve for Cook and for McKenzie, given that Shakir seemed to be struggling a bit to master the slot and get open and was not "all that and a bag of chips" as a KR/PR.  Hines filled that role. 

 

Allen misses short options because his brain edits them out when he scans the field like the new Smartphone photo software, and Dorsey/Brady seem less able than Daboll/Dorsey at smacking some sense into him.

 

[Mr. WEO]

He's so bad he had to change his name...

 

13.5/2 for a guy with 64 catches in 4 seasons. 

 

Wizardry!

[Einstein]

2 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Do you find it interesting that most often the only people that ever agrees with you is posters like Einstein and you’re most often the only the person that ever agrees with him?  
 

Should tell you something

 

That intelligence is in short supply? Im just kidding of course  

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

5’6”???  I will never understand this tendency 

[Alphadawg7]

Just now, Einstein said:

 

That intelligence is in short supply? Im just kidding of course  

 
Ok that was funny 👏 nice

[PBF81]

1 minute ago, Success said:

Why not look at a signing like this in a positive way?  I can pretty much guarantee that Beane and his braintrust have pored over film of this guy, done the pros & cons analysis, looked at the upside, and made a sound decision. Like all GM decisions in the NFL, some work out, and some don't.  

 

I'd love to be able to do that, I try.  Just not seeing it here.  Then again I didn't see it with Zay Jones either who made his reputation in college in garbage time in 5 WR sets.  My having pointed that out didn't go over well either.  LOL  

 

If you do, great.  Time will tell.  Nothing that you or I or anyone else bickers about makes any iota of a difference whatsoever.  

 

I'd be careful citing Beane's record tho, he just released a very good WR that had a far better track record at a huge PAC-10 school.  I can pretty much guarantee that Beane and his braintrust have pored over film of that guy, done the pros & cons analysis, looked at the upside there too.  Clearly they whiffed.  He's also whiffed on quite a few free agents.  We could go through them.  Point being, it's a double-edged sword.  

 

We'll see what happens.  I can see him contributing.  Do I envision him being a difference-maker in any way, shape, or form?  No.  Could I be wrong?  Sure, of course.  Could we win the Super Bowl?  Sure, of course.  Maybe Harty pleasantly surprises me and posts 1,000 yards and 10 TDs and brings us some much needed offensive performance against Cinci and KC in the playoffs, and then our Super Bowl opponent.  I certainly hope so.  But would I bet on it, not a chance.  

 

There's no sense in bickering and arguing over who killed who.  This is supposed to be a happy occasion!  😁  

 

 

[Alphadawg7]

1 minute ago, Einstein said:

 

That intelligence is in short supply? Im just kidding of course  

You guys just always take the most negative angle in every topic.  Just don’t get the obsession with that.  
 

No one is looking at this signing as some  magic pill to solve our issues, but this need to go all sky is falling over it makes no sense. 

[NewEra]

3 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

All the interwebs? Or just 1 forum. Like this one. Where the fans have been watching him for 4 years.

 

Uh-huh. 

 

I know, I know - You know him better since he was on your fantasy team before.

 

Where people, like you, have been watching for 4 years….. did you copy and paste the complimentary posts too?  Or are you saying that there weren’t any positive posts about him?  
 

the stupid games you play are for kids. I’ve resisted for awhile, but you’re now ignored. Have fun wallowing in misery with the rest of the sadness brigade.  

[Chaos]

He had two receptions last year.  Is he a special teams guy only?

[PBF81]

15 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

3 of the last 6 "executives of the year" have been fired lol. 

 

LOL, that's truly hilarious.  I had no idea.  

 

What's going to be even more hilarious is all of the posters here that defend him now that want to burn down OBD, the stadium, cancel the new stadium, and eradicate Bills history from their memories, if we don't win the division and either don't make the playoffs or get ousted again in the D or WC rounds.  Just duck if that happens.  

 

I hope we win the Super Bowl, but should we not, I'll be among the rational ones.  LOL  

 

Go BILLS!!!  

 

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by PBF81

[Einstein]

Just now, Alphadawg7 said:

You guys just always take the most negative angle in every topic.  Just don’t get the obsession with that.  

 

It's honestly not intentional. I just give my authentic opinion. I have been stoked about front office moves in the past though. LOVED the Diggs move. Praised it up an down. Loved drafting Spencer Brown (due to his size). Thought Settle was a great signing too.

 

 

1 minute ago, NewEra said:

did you copy and paste the complimentary posts too?    

 

Yes I did. This question shows you didn't even read what the Saints fans have to say. Which proves you only seek out positive comments.

[NewEra]

1 minute ago, Alphadawg7 said:

You guys just always take the most negative angle in every topic.  Just don’t get the obsession with that.  
 

No one is looking at this signing as some  magic pill to solve our issues, but this need to go all sky is falling over it makes no sense. 

And continuously putting words in people mouths while also cherry picking everything he can find while ignoring the other side of the argument.  
 

I’ve finally put and end to it using the ignore function.  I recommend the entire site do the same. 

6 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

I like it… Like I said, get another dominant guy across from Diggs and they are set…. Just a draft pick(especially in this draft) isn’t enough IMO. 

Word.  Feeling is mutual.  

[ngbills]

Don’t get this one. We have money to Hines and now sign this guy while we have huge needs. Also prioritized a lot of other ST guys. We still need OL, WR, RB, TE, LB, CB,S…

[PBF81]

8 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

It seems to me there's been a lot of talk on this board since the playoff exit, criticizing Beane's drafting and player personnel decisions.  Somehow the Bills have managed to have a #2 or #1 defense 3 of the last 4 years with horrible personnel management and currently, no players on defense who would fetch a 2nd round pick.  Go Figgur.

 

I didn't understand the euphoria about Hines myself.  Some people on the board were reacting as though he was our Budget Christian McCaffrey.  I looked at his record with Indy and thought he was a signing for ST and as an injury reserve for Cook and for McKenzie, given that Shakir seemed to be struggling a bit to master the slot and get open and was not "all that and a bag of chips" as a KR/PR.  Hines filled that role. 

 

Allen misses short options because his brain edits them out when he scans the field like the new Smartphone photo software, and Dorsey/Brady seem less able than Daboll/Dorsey at smacking some sense into him.

 

Great response!  Thanks!!  

 

Not sure why Allen misses those options, last year he was much better at it.  I'd like to see Allen play when he's A, got a decent OL that he finally develops some chemistry with, much like Kelly had with Ballard, Ritcher, Hull, and Wolford;  B, with some semblance of a rushing game that something other than DFL without Allen's carries;  C, better play-calling;  and D, without a season full of dropped passes.  

 

IMO Allen's situation isnt' fair to Allen and it's prevented him from being able to focus on what other QBs behind good OLs and with some kind of rushing game can focus on.  

 

Here's my thing about Hines, doubling last season's receiving input, where he excels as a RB, he had 10 catches, about a fifth of what he had at Indy in five seasons, with a different QB each and every season he was there.  Five different QBs in five seasons.  So why the dramatic dropoff here after Beane's promises of the opposite.  (rhetorical)  

 

As to the performance of the team, D #1/#2, etc., the problem is that they play the complete opposite in the playoffs, particularly against KC and now Cinci where they seem to all but literally take a vacation.  

 

Our problem hasn't been the regular season, it's been the playoffs.  None of Beane's 1st or 2nd round picks have stepped up to even approach impact play in the playoffs with anything even approaching regularity.  Who's to blame?   I'd say it was him, but apparently I don't know what I'm talking about, so I'm told.  😁 

 

 

[JohnBonhamRocks]

4 minutes ago, ngbills said:

Don’t get this one. We have money to Hines and now sign this guy while we have huge needs. Also prioritized a lot of other ST guys. We still need OL, WR, RB, TE, LB, CB,S…

Can cross off S - Poyer reportedly back

[John from Riverside]

16 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

All the interwebs? Or just 1 forum. Like this one. Where the fans have been watching him for 4 years.

 

Uh-huh. 

 

I know, I know - You know him better since he was on your fantasy team before.

 

I’m just gonna lay this out there do you think it’s possible just may be possible
That the fans might not be so enamored with him because he was injured all year?

[Einstein]

Just now, John from Riverside said:

I’m just gonna lay this out there do you think it’s possible just may be possible
That the fans might not be so enamored with him because he was injured all year?

 

I think that's a big part of it. They mentioned it multiple times. He has been injured all 4 years he has been in the NFL. And apparently struggles with fumbles.

[ngbills]

1 minute ago, JohnBonhamRocks said:

Can cross off S - Poyer reportedly back

Him and Hyde will miss games next year. And only have a couple years left. We need depth. 

[Warriorspikes51]

Just now, ngbills said:

Him and Hyde will miss games next year. And only have a couple years left. We need depth. 

 

Ah got your crystal ball out eh?  

[UKBillFan]

Am I right to feel that Harty is an attempt to upgrade on McKenzie at four, with Diggs, a newcomer and Davis above him? Cut McKenzie and there’s very little cap hit either.

 

He has pace and he seems to be pretty reliable with his hands which is a plus. The Saints fans don’t seem overly upset with his departure because of his injury record. Him staying healthy will be key as we have been able to call on McKenzie, more often than not.

[Jerboski]

Seems like we overpaid from my view 

[FLFan]

35 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

You expect fans of a player, outgoing to actually give you legitimate criticisms
 

You’re better than this, I think

You are mistaken.  He is not. 

[Mr. WEO]

21 minutes ago, Success said:

 

I think the opposite.

 

We always have posters on here who think they know more than everyone, and are sure that this player or that player is going to be a miss - even though they know very little about that player.

 

Why not look at a signing like this in a positive way?  I can pretty much guarantee that Beane and his braintrust have pored over film of this guy, done the pros & cons analysis, looked at the upside, and made a sound decision. Like all GM decisions in the NFL, some work out, and some don't.  

 

But the negative comments on here are what I find hilarious.  I don't know the guy - but this signing is the worst!  I mean, huh?  

 

Allen is the greatest example. THAT thread from draft day is actually fun to revisit.  This isn't a big enough signing to warrant a "bust" label if Harty doesn't work out.  But I think he'll excel w/ Allen - we needed speed, we needed separation, we needed good hands.

 

 

Maybe over a 3 course lunch.  There's not much to see.  He's had under 100 targets and had 2 seasons of single digit snap counts, max coming in at 36% once. 

 

I think some of the criticism may be related to the question of: is this guy better than McKenzie, who would play for a fraction of this guy will cost, or if he's just another receiver decision that doesn't work out (like Sanders, Crowder, Duke Williams, Foster, Andre Holmes, Beasley 2.0, "Smoke" 2.0....).

[ngbills]

2 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

I’m just gonna lay this out there do you think it’s possible just may be possible
That the fans might not be so enamored with him because he was injured all year?

 

1 minute ago, Einstein said:

 

I think that's a big part of it. They mentioned it multiple times. He has been injured all 4 years he has been in the NFL. And apparently struggles with fumbles.

It feels like another one of these moves that will backfire. Either will be hurt or McD won’t trust. And I thought drafting both Stevenson and Shakir both were addressing the return game. Both McK and Hines can be return guys. Seems like another luxury move that does not address the glaring holes. 

[In Summary]

4 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

6 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

Not sure why Allen misses those options, last year he was much better at it.  I'd like to see Allen play when he's A, got a decent OL that he finally develops some chemistry with, much like Kelly had with Ballard, Ritcher, Hull, and Wolford;  B, 

You cannot question the commitment of the 90's Bills to OL.  

 

 

[ngbills]

4 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

 

Ah got your crystal ball out eh?  

Just a realistic expectation given age and recent history. Both were beaten up last year. Hyde is still an unknown. 

[Bronxbomber21]

God &%*& it BEANE how many times do I have to tell you to get a new phone service?  I told you to go get Lavonte not Deonte !

[Warriorspikes51]

Just now, ngbills said:

Just a realistic expectation given age and recent history. Both were beaten up last year. Hyde is still an unknown. 

& prior to that? What did they miss since 2017? like a combined 3 games?