Bills sign Mack Hollins

[JohnBonhamRocks]

People commenting on the page count, you do know if we were just in talks with him this whole time instead of having signed him that this would be at like 50-60 pages, right?

[mrags]

20 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

 

I know.

 

Hollins is not the only WR we are going to add.  They will add another one via draft or squeeze some money in FA....they are not leaving a hole at #2 WR.

 

Is it because the 1999 Buffalo Bills special teams were dumber than monkeys?

I’m done with you. 

[TheyCallMeAndy]

3 minutes ago, JohnBonhamRocks said:

People commenting on the page count, you do know if we were just in talks with him this whole time instead of having signed him that this would be at like 50-60 pages, right?

12 years ago Mack Hollins is the type of guy we brought in to start. 
 

There would have been a Bills PR Hype Video and everything. 

Edited March 14 by TheyCallMeAndy

[Rocky Landing]

This is a frustrating part of the offseason when a certain number of fans will, once again, opine that depth players are a waste of money, and special teams don't matter. Every season proves both perspectives wrong, but here we go anyway.

 

After watching some footage of Hollins playing (what little I could find), and looking at his stats, I think he could be a good hire for the money. He's tall and strong, and plays the ST position of gunner well (which is a need, now that Siran has retired to the Dolphins...). Offensively, it looks like his strengths are exceptional run blocking, a decent catch radius, reliable hands, and decent contested-catch ability. His negatives are that he looks slow, doesn't get separation, and has surprisingly little YAC. He could be a good situational player in the run game, and also as a red-zone target. Even if he doesn't get many targets, opposing teams will absolutely have to account for a 6'4" target with reliable hands in the end zone. If he manages to actually earn the max $3M on his contract, we should all be pretty happy with the result.

[DrDawkinstein]

1 hour ago, JohnBonhamRocks said:

People commenting on the page count, you do know if we were just in talks with him this whole time instead of having signed him that this would be at like 50-60 pages, right?

 

I'll never forgive/forget Jeremy Maclin. That was a great thread, all for nothing.

[Turk71]

17 hours ago, mrags said:

 

hows about we make a bet, what do you believe is a successful year for Hollins this season? I’m curious to know what you think. I bet he doesn’t get even 35 catches or 300 yards. Which imo, and based on the arguments that I’ve been making, is less than even a street free agent rookie could come up with in the same role. 

If he was being brought in as a wr2 I could understand your pov...but he isn't a wr2.

A successful season for Hollins?

Leads a much improved Bills STs unit and catches a few timely passes. I hope he will be a high effort, energy and enthusiasm kind of player who can contribute multiple ways.

A really successful season?

Leads the Bills STs to an elite level and makes the Pro Bowl as a STer. Fills in nicely at receiver when needed and hauls in 5 or 6 tds as a 6'4" red zone threat. (Back at North Carolina he was a big, relatively fast  downfield threat, his career TD% was a ridiculous 25%.... 20 tds 81 catches, avg over 20 per catch, taken 4th rnd). That td% obviously has never materialized for him in the pros, but he excels as a STer and is a very good blocker.

He is not wr2 Davis' replacement....but according to ESPN Analytics he was open a lot more often than Gabe Davis was and was rated higher overall last season;  being open and catching the ball were the 2 categories he was significantly higher in.

 He's not being brought in as a wr2, nor is he being paid like one;  but if he has to fill in I think he might do better than most imagine with Josh Allen throwing him the ball.

 

Edited March 14 by Turk71

[Aussie Joe]

1 hour ago, Rocky Landing said:

This is a frustrating part of the offseason when a certain number of fans will, once again, opine that depth players are a waste of money, and special teams don't matter. Every season proves both perspectives wrong, but here we go anyway.

 

After watching some footage of Hollins playing (what little I could find), and looking at his stats, I think he could be a good hire for the money. He's tall and strong, and plays the ST position of gunner well (which is a need, now that Siran has retired to the Dolphins...). Offensively, it looks like his strengths are exceptional run blocking, a decent catch radius, reliable hands, and decent contested-catch ability. His negatives are that he looks slow, doesn't get separation, and has surprisingly little YAC. He could be a good situational player in the run game, and also as a red-zone target. Even if he doesn't get many targets, opposing teams will absolutely have to account for a 6'4" target with reliable hands in the end zone. If he manages to actually earn the max $3M on his contract, we should all be pretty happy with the result.

He is probably getting around $1.7m with $400k   guaranteed ( my guess) so expectations should be low …  he even might actually play to that value level 

 

But he wasn’t the guy I had in mind for my FA Wide Receiver signing this off-season … when they only have Diggs, Shakir and Shorter on the roster so far …

Edited March 14 by Aussie Joe

[Turk71]

3 minutes ago, Aussie Joe said:

He is probably getting around $1.7m with $400k   guaranteed ( my guess) so expectations should be low …  he even might actually play to that value level 

 

But he wasn’t the guy I had in mind for my FA Wide Receiver signing this off-season … when they only have Diggs, Shakir and Shorter on the roster so far …It’s Beane being a little too clever with the comp picks I think 

So this makes Diggs, Shakir, Shorter, and Hollins the only wrs on the roster so far?

That leaves plenty of room for a high draft pick, and plenty of room and time for a quality veteran

[Aussie Joe]

Just now, Turk71 said:

So this makes Diggs, Shakir, Shorter, and Hollins the only wrs on the roster so far?

That leaves plenty of room for a high draft pick, and plenty of room and time for a quality veteran

Or two draft picks in the “best WR class ever “ when they have got 11 picks to make and they are struggling for every dollar? 

 

Or they just go with 5 WR on the roster like last year 

[BananaB]

53 minutes ago, Rocky Landing said:

This is a frustrating part of the offseason when a certain number of fans will, once again, opine that depth players are a waste of money, and special teams don't matter. Every season proves both perspectives wrong, but here we go anyway.

 

After watching some footage of Hollins playing (what little I could find), and looking at his stats, I think he could be a good hire for the money. He's tall and strong, and plays the ST position of gunner well (which is a need, now that Siran has retired to the Dolphins...). Offensively, it looks like his strengths are exceptional run blocking, a decent catch radius, reliable hands, and decent contested-catch ability. His negatives are that he looks slow, doesn't get separation, and has surprisingly little YAC. He could be a good situational player in the run game, and also as a red-zone target. Even if he doesn't get many targets, opposing teams will absolutely have to account for a 6'4" target with reliable hands in the end zone. If he manages to actually earn the max $3M on his contract, we should all be pretty happy with the result.

Come TC we’ll all be reading how this guy is gonna take this offense to another level. Especially if Josh Allen says something nice about him. Last year he said Sherfield was fast and some fans drooled over it until mid October when they realized that’s the only thing he had going for him. 

[Aussie Joe]

1 minute ago, BananaB said:

Come TC we’ll all be reading how this guy is gonna take this offense to another level. Especially if Josh Allen says something nice about him. Last year he said Sherfield was fast and some fans drooled over it until mid October when they realized that’s the only thing he had going for him. 

Probably… Josh will talk him up … but in reality he will be the last guy he looks for 

[BananaB]

4 minutes ago, Aussie Joe said:

Probably… Josh will talk him up … but in reality he will be the last guy he looks for 

Not sure it’s talking him up by giving a man a compliment, just how the posters on this board will take it

[Matt_In_NH]

This guy has some nice quotes

 

 “I don't like soft people. I don't even like people who eat with utensils. Eat with your hands, that's what they're there for." - Mack Hollins

 

“If you can’t eat it with your hands, you shouldn’t be eating it.”

When a reporter inquired about soup, he said, “Shouldn’t be eating soup. You’ve never seen a lion eat soup. You’ve never seen a gorilla eat soup. You’ve never seen anything savage eat soup.”

 

“I hate cats. Cats will steal your soul. Never trust a cat. The small ones? No. Never look them in the eye.”

Big cats, like lions, he likes. Hollins said his father owned a lion when he was growing up in Ohio.

“It wasn’t one of those TLC hang-in-the-house lions. It was in a big cage. Killed a deer and ate it.”

 

“If I cut the roots out of a tree, it wouldn’t make very much sense. If this is how I feel the ground, this is how I connect to everything around me, why would I cover it?” he asked, moving his feet back and forth. “Nobody is wearing mittens here, but everyone has shoes on. Feet and hands are the exact same when you’re a baby and then all of a sudden they put shoes on, and they stop feeling (the ground).”

[Aussie Joe]

1 hour ago, Turk71 said:

So this makes Diggs, Shakir, Shorter, and Hollins the only wrs on the roster so far?

That leaves plenty of room for a high draft pick, and plenty of room and time for a quality veteran

Looks like you were right …

 

I was expecting a move in the Curtis Samuel range initially .., the Hollins move confused me 😎

Edited March 14 by Aussie Joe

[Rocky Landing]

28 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

This guy has some nice quotes

 

 “I don't like soft people. I don't even like people who eat with utensils. Eat with your hands, that's what they're there for." - Mack Hollins

 

“If you can’t eat it with your hands, you shouldn’t be eating it.”

When a reporter inquired about soup, he said, “Shouldn’t be eating soup. You’ve never seen a lion eat soup. You’ve never seen a gorilla eat soup. You’ve never seen anything savage eat soup.”

 

“I hate cats. Cats will steal your soul. Never trust a cat. The small ones? No. Never look them in the eye.”

Big cats, like lions, he likes. Hollins said his father owned a lion when he was growing up in Ohio.

“It wasn’t one of those TLC hang-in-the-house lions. It was in a big cage. Killed a deer and ate it.”

 

“If I cut the roots out of a tree, it wouldn’t make very much sense. If this is how I feel the ground, this is how I connect to everything around me, why would I cover it?” he asked, moving his feet back and forth. “Nobody is wearing mittens here, but everyone has shoes on. Feet and hands are the exact same when you’re a baby and then all of a sudden they put shoes on, and they stop feeling (the ground).”

Hm. Starting to like the guy. I hope he can ball. 

[ColoradoBills]

Suddenly Hollins is fighting for one of the last WR slots.  After a drafted WR and assuming the Bills keep 6.

[Rocky Landing]

1 hour ago, Aussie Joe said:

He is probably getting around $1.7m with $400k   guaranteed ( my guess) so expectations should be low …  he even might actually play to that value level 

 

But he wasn’t the guy I had in mind for my FA Wide Receiver signing this off-season … when they only have Diggs, Shakir and Shorter on the roster so far …

Bet you feel a lot better now tho, eh?

[Aussie Joe]

Just now, Rocky Landing said:

Bet you feel a lot better now tho, eh?

Yes … probably feeling better than Mack Hollins is feeling 

[Rocky Landing]

5 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

Suddenly Hollins is fighting for one of the last WR slots.  After a drafted WR and assuming the Bills keep 6.

I think the notion of Hollins as Siran Neal’s’ replacement increases the likelihood of that (as well as Hollins’ chances at the 53). 

[SydneyBillsFan]

Super impressive in his first interview on the Bills YouTube page. Very intelligent guy.

 

Now I'm really hoping he has success here.

[mrags]

1 hour ago, Turk71 said:

If he was being brought in as a wr2 I could understand your pov...but he isn't a wr2.

A successful season for Hollins?

Leads a much improved Bills STs unit and catches a few timely passes. I hope he will be a high effort, energy and enthusiasm kind of player who can contribute multiple ways.

A really successful season?

Leads the Bills STs to an elite level and makes the Pro Bowl as a STer. Fills in nicely at receiver when needed and hauls in 5 or 6 tds as a 6'4" red zone threat. (Back at North Carolina he was a big, relatively fast  downfield threat, his career TD% was a ridiculous 25%.... 20 tds 81 catches, avg over 20 per catch, taken 4th rnd). That td% obviously has never materialized for him in the pros, but he excels as a STer and is a very good blocker.

He is not wr2 Davis' replacement....but according to ESPN Analytics he was open a lot more often than Gabe Davis was and was rated higher overall last season;  being open and catching the ball were the 2 categories he was significantly higher in.

 He's not being brought in as a wr2, nor is he being paid like one;  but if he has to fill in I think he might do better than most imagine with Josh Allen throwing him the ball.

 

Like I think with some others on here I think you’re delusional. 
 

im done with the subject. Not talking about this useless waste of a player or the cap space that he takes up anymore. 
 

everyone can enjoy hoping for something that will never be. 

[Royale with Cheese]

3 hours ago, mrags said:

I’m done with you. 

Is it because I said Hollins wouldn’t be the only WR we add and we won’t neglect the #2 WR position?

[DrMaxPower]

On 3/13/2024 at 4:41 PM, DrMaxPower said:

There are a couple prominent philosophies on this board that I will never understand.

 

1. The endless desire to convert decent corners to safety.

 

2. The idea that that you can just plug any UDFA into depth spots and get similar results to a multi year vet.

 

There is a reason most of those guys washout without ever making a roster. There is a reason that EVERY team has half a dozen vets playing depth/ST roles. Expecting to hit and get contributors on your UDFA's and later round picks is a recipe for disaster. If this was a bottom dweller team undergoing a rebuild, OK. Maybe you take that chance. That is not Bills situation. They will never rebuild as long as Josh is under center. They are going to make sure to cover their butts with options. If a draft pick or UDFA outperforms him, great.

 

If they fail to invest significantly in the draft at WR, go nuts. Anybody that thought we were going to pay 8 figures APY for the Mooneys or Samuels of the world was kidding themselves. We're shopping at the Dollar Store this year to reset the cap.

 

Well shut my mouth.... in my defence, it was a lot cheaper than speculated. But still, pleasant surprise.

 

I think this says we're down to the 1.7 signings and the draft to fill remaining gaps.

[Rocky Landing]

Come to think of it, I suppose one of the “competitions to watch” going into TC (at least from a fan perspective) might end up being Mack Hollins vs Tyrell Shavers?

[mrags]

52 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

Is it because I said Hollins wouldn’t be the only WR we add and we won’t neglect the #2 WR position?

I’m done with you. 

[Royale with Cheese]

1 hour ago, mrags said:

I’m done with you. 

Yes, you have said this 4 times now.

Is it because you can’t name one team who has or will ever implement your roster building strategy?

What’s funny to me is if Beane had 50% of our WR core as rookie UDFA, you would be mad.

Edited March 15 by Royale with Cheese

[Gambit]

1 hour ago, mrags said:

I’m done with you. 

One more time and I might believe you 

[Mike in Horseheads]

2 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said:

Yes, you have said this 4 times now.

Is it because you can’t name one team who has or will ever implement your roster building strategy?

What’s funny to me is if Beane had 50% of our WR core as rookie UDFA, you would be mad.

Why are you baiting him over and over, stop being a troll?

 

[JPL7]

Hollins is the 2024 version of when we signed Andre Holmes in 2028. A tall, lanky, special teams guy who is a former Raider that will catch about 15 passes for under 200 yards for the season. Nothing to write home (or should I say “Holmes”) about. 

[Jay_Fixit]

On 3/14/2024 at 5:01 PM, mrags said:

I’m done with you. 

Ya but did you see the guy who’s brother was a Falcons fan so he knows all about Mack Hollins and his one season in Atlanta where he caught 18 balls as the 5th option?

 

[Beck Water]

On 3/13/2024 at 9:30 AM, Captain Hindsight said:

Atlanta has the talent to challenge for the NFC title. With Cousins in the fold, they are an easy bet to win the south 

 

Considering Tampa, the team that won the south, had only 2 more wins than Atlanta and a record of 9-8, that could be true.

[5ths the charm]

On 3/13/2024 at 10:31 AM, BillsFan130 said:

Probably the Trent sherfield role i would imagine.

Lol you mean over paid-under delivered?

[BillsFan130]

1 hour ago, 5ths the charm said:

Lol you mean over paid-under delivered?

While he was disappointing, I think our expectations were in the wrong place with Sherfield.

 

Last year he was playing "up to 1.7" mil or something like that.

 

He was basically signed to be a special teams player/run blocker/WR 5 , so if we thought he was gonna be a difference maker on offence, I think we were being naive

Edited March 16 by BillsFan130

[The Frankish Reich]

59 minutes ago, BillsFan130 said:

While he was disappointing, I think our expectations were in the wrong place with Sherfield.

 

Last year he was playing "up to 1.7" mil or something like that.

 

He was basically signed to be a special teams player/run blocker/WR 5 , so if we thought he was gonna be a difference maker on offence, I think we were being naive

That one catch made it all worthwhile.

And with that ... goodbye, Mr. Sherfield. That was one to remember.

[HappyDays]

Why did we give him $2.6M?? This is an awful signing if that number is true, and apparently it may cost us a comp pick. We need to stop being obsessed with special teams players.

 

Edited March 16 by HappyDays

[FireChans]

5 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

Why did we give him $2.6M?? This is an awful signing if that number is true, and apparently it may cost us a comp pick. We need to stop being obsessed with special teams players.

 

I’ve been saying this for years, get an original take!

[Aussie Joe]

1 hour ago, HappyDays said:

Why did we give him $2.6M?? This is an awful signing if that number is true, and apparently it may cost us a comp pick. We need to stop being obsessed with special teams players.

 

I would have guessed Hollins around that $1.7 m number that Beane likes to hand out … However .. I see he got $2.5m last year …

 

Market prices going up though with the increased cap …

 

Couldn’t they have used one of their 5th round picks  on a guy for ST and who may have some upside at his own position.. and at least you just pay him under a million pa rookie money for 4 years  whilst you find out … its what they did with Siran Neal…

 

Edited March 17 by Aussie Joe

[Bills!Win!]

I’m expecting Hollins to be another Jake Kumerow. Not a great player, just solid when needed 

Edited March 17 by Bills!Win!

[Rocky Landing]

On 3/16/2024 at 4:56 PM, Aussie Joe said:

I would have guessed Hollins around that $1.7 m number that Beane likes to hand out … However .. I see he got $2.5m last year …

 

Market prices going up though with the increased cap …

 

Couldn’t they have used one of their 5th round picks  on a guy for ST and who may have some upside at his own position.. and at least you just pay him under a million pa rookie money for 4 years  whilst you find out … its what they did with Siran Neal…

 

The thing about Hollins vs. a draft pick is that we know exactly what Hollins can do, and how well. He's pretty much a known commodity-- a situational WR with specific skills. The only real question, IMO, is whether those skills fit into a position of need, and I certainly think they do. We know he's a decent gunner (position of need with the loss of Siran Neal), and we know he's a decent run blocker (position of need with the losses of Davis, and Sherfield). 

 

We also know that he's 6'4", and strong with decent hands, a decent catch %, and contested catch ability. And we know he's slow, doesn't get separation, and not a lot of YAC (you can even see those negatives on his highlight reel). But if we stand him up like a ficus tree in the end zone in redone situations, opposing teams will have to account for him, and even if he doesn't get a single target, he becomes valuable as such.

 

There's been a lot of debate in these pages about what he can, or cannot become, and I don't see the point. We know what he is, and for the money, it seems like a pretty smart signing to me.

[Warriorspikes51]

On 3/16/2024 at 6:49 PM, HappyDays said:

Why did we give him $2.6M?? This is an awful signing if that number is true, and apparently it may cost us a comp pick. We need to stop being obsessed with special teams players.

 

 

Hollins is more than a STer.  The guy can actually play WR at a reasonably good level 

in 2022, 57 for 690  4TD

Much better than what Sherfield or Harty have ever produced 

I figured it would be 3 Million actually 

Edited March 18 by Warriorspikes51