BuffaloBilliever Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Has this guy even seen the field? He's listed as dressed, but I've searched the sidelines and have not once seen this guy on the field. I was excited when we picked him up, what's the deal here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frez Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Has this guy even seen the field? He's listed as dressed, but I've searched the sidelines and have not once seen this guy on the field. I was excited when we picked him up, what's the deal here? 861071[/snapback] That's a great question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodnarb Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 my understanding of it is that he missed half of camp, if not more, and has not been able to overtake KT at nickel. I think it has less to do with Ashton and more to do with the coaches liking KT and the chemistry he has right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tasker Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Yeah, clearly he is behind KT, and we have played so many close games the last couple weeks there has been no room for getting your feet wet late in games if you aren't the best option available. I hope this is not an indication of his ability, and I would really like to see him on the field before the season is over. But if seeing him practice day in day out DJ doesn't think he is better than KT then that isn't necessarily a good sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantankerous Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 He's dressed for one game...and was holding a clipboard on the sideline the whole game. I too am curious as to why he hasn't seen any action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFLstyle Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 hopefully he gets some playing time this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Gal Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Yeah, clearly he is behind KT, and we have played so many close games the last couple weeks there has been no room for getting your feet wet late in games if you aren't the best option available. I hope this is not an indication of his ability, and I would really like to see him on the field before the season is over. But if seeing him practice day in day out DJ doesn't think he is better than KT then that isn't necessarily a good sign. 861121[/snapback] While no results do not bode well as an indication of his ability, there clearly are so many non-football play issues involved in the KT vs. Youbouty thang that it seems fairly rediculous to draw many conclusions about what this says about Youbputy's general abilities or any conclusion as to what this would mean for next year. Specifically, despite his up and down moments, one of the main things which he has going for him is that he is familiar with Jauron/Fewell and the Jauron/Fewell system and style from before. The importance of this factor is magnified this year as the coaches are getting into a totally new situation and the familiarity which comes with KT is a welcome aspect amidst so many variables. Yet, it is clear that it is not the case that KT is the perfect player it is simply the case that his limitations are a known commodity amidst many unknowns as to what players can/can't do and how the Bills system works/dpes not work. Next year, with a seasons experience under their belt, KT will likely be judged more on what he can/cannot do versus the same for Youbouty. Further, it is of import not only that Youbouty missed invalubable camp time, but why he missed it. Recovering from physical injury and its uncertainties is one thing, but Youbouty missed time because his mother died and he is the oldest son and to my understanding (and please correct me if I am wrong since I tend to not follow the soap operas inherent in the game but this one impacts play so i have noticed but not focused on it) is really the man of the house for his young siblings. At any rate while Youbouty does not have the usual physical uncertainties of missed time to recover from. He clearly has been knocked for a loop as most losing a parent would be and has had additional responsiblities forced on him at an age many young folks do not. Clearly losing the person who raised you can knock some for a loop (see our old tackle MW) but like it or not it is a measure of character whether it does and many folks recover from this horrendous trauma to be better people. We'll see. In addition to the parent loss trauma, Youbouty has the extra complication of being the man of the house, and fortunately, his new job gives him at least an advantage as a breadwinner. The scuttlebutt is that he needed some finishing anyway to gain some maturity and he has gotten it bigtime from a non football occurence. As a Bills fan and more as a person I hope he steps up to this challenge and it helps him be a better player and more important a better person, but all bets are off IMHO about figuring out which will be the outcome in this case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoeparrishfanII Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Guys give the kid a break. He's going to be a good corner. Exactly how many rookies whould you like to have playing on this defence? Williams, Ellison, Simpson, Whitner, and Youboty? Maybe dj wants to have some veterans out there while were still "officialy" in the playoff hunt. Add in that he missed almost all of camp, and maybe the coaches would like to see how he plays agaist the opposition in some games that don't matter before they throw him to the wolves- no matter how physically talented he is. Also. Kiwalkee Thomas is not that bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBilliever Posted December 9, 2006 Author Share Posted December 9, 2006 Yeesh, just wonderin haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oneonta Buffalo Fan Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Has this guy even seen the field? He's listed as dressed, but I've searched the sidelines and have not once seen this guy on the field. I was excited when we picked him up, what's the deal here? 861071[/snapback] Give him time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koufax Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Clarification: I'm a big Youboty fan, and think he will be fine and a future starter. The point I was making is that he has not been able to move ahead of KT on the depth chart right now. I think he will definitely pass him by the 2007 season, but I had hopes that his physical talents would be able to overcome his missed time to start his rookie year. Possibilities: 2006 KT > 2006AY due to circumstance (rookie/missing time). or 2006 AY > 2006 KT, but DJ either has made a mistake in evaluating this, or does not want to rock the boat while playoff hopes are alive. Either way I would love if we can find a way to get Ashton on the field (hopefully in a blowout we are winning?) in 2007, both for his development and experience, and so that he can be better evaluated. I definitely want to re-sign Nate, but if KT is a good nickel, and Ashton can step in as a starting corner, it gives us a backup plan. I find that backup plan scarier if Ashton finishes the year without playing a down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Gal Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Clarification: I'm a big Youboty fan, and think he will be fine and a future starter. The point I was making is that he has not been able to move ahead of KT on the depth chart right now. I think he will definitely pass him by the 2007 season, but I had hopes that his physical talents would be able to overcome his missed time to start his rookie year. Possibilities: 2006 KT > 2006AY due to circumstance (rookie/missing time). or 2006 AY > 2006 KT, but DJ either has made a mistake in evaluating this, or does not want to rock the boat while playoff hopes are alive. Either way I would love if we can find a way to get Ashton on the field (hopefully in a blowout we are winning?) in 2007, both for his development and experience, and so that he can be better evaluated. I definitely want to re-sign Nate, but if KT is a good nickel, and Ashton can step in as a starting corner, it gives us a backup plan. I find that backup plan scarier if Ashton finishes the year without playing a down. 861209[/snapback] I think the simpler explanation rather than any grand judgments being made about Youbouty as being a mispick or a failure at this early date in his career (we have seen way too many examples of players who easily could have been judged failures at the early stages of their careers who later became Pro Bowlers like Moulds that it would simply be nuts to reach such a conclusion regarding Youbouty at this point) is that he was understood to be a player who was physically talented but needed some time off the Pro field before he was ready to play. This was true even if he had enjoyed a full camp and had no distractions even when he was in. The reality is that the Bills only judged Youbouty to be in their plans to see the field this year if he absorbed the D right away and played well enough during experiment time in pre-season that he demanded to be played. The reality was that he had zero absorption of the new D due to timing of a parental death and the extra familial responsibilities he had to carry. Further, when he finally came to the team, all prep and time was given to starting two rookies in the secondary due to the injury to TV. If there were any rational hopes of accelerating his learning when the season started, they were put on hold by the huge number of rookies who started and the team having far bigger fish to fry than devote time to training a rookie in the basics of the D (the level where he was regardless of any physical talent shown) much beyond TV playing coach til he went elsewhere. I do not think that even if he was fine with nothing abnormal in his life that one could reach any definite conclusions about him not playing much. The bad timing (as if there is a good time for a death of a parent) meant that Youboty was a non issue as a potential starter or even significant player from the start. In fact, given that the rap on him was a lack of maturity which impacted the mental side of the game for him, the real-life pressure which demands immediate adulthood and responsibility for him and the singular focus he has been forced to have on watching and learning the game may in fact coincidentally the best thing for him in terms of his developing as a player. Maybe not also and the real answer is we will see, However, the theory of him maturing as he clearlt needed to do is at least as valid a possibility if not more calid than the idea that KT is clearly the better player. The question about Youbouty was never his physcal ability. In fact, he is physically gifted enough that he was easily seen as a player capable of coming out early and even spirred some first rounder talk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarthur31 Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I don't know. Maybe it's just me but I don't think Ashton would do very well on the line pass blocking and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills Fan888 Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I can't wait to see him play. Now that were pretty much out of the play-off race I think we should play him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 With all of the injuries you would think we will see him get some playing time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibs Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I think the simpler explanation rather than any grand judgments being made about Youbouty as.......861278[/snapback] Well put PG. Am I imagining or is your typing better than it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generaLee83 Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Guys give the kid a break. He's going to be a good corner. Exactly how many rookies whould you like to have playing on this defence? Williams, Ellison, Simpson, Whitner, and Youboty? Maybe dj wants to have some veterans out there while were still "officialy" in the playoff hunt. Add in that he missed almost all of camp, and maybe the coaches would like to see how he plays agaist the opposition in some games that don't matter before they throw him to the wolves- no matter how physically talented he is. Also. Kiwalkee Thomas is not that bad. 861176[/snapback] I'd like to see as many as possible at this point in the season. Now this season is about player development since the playoffs are out of the picture. 9-7 would be nice but I'd like to see Youboty get some experience as in all likelihood this team will not be able to re-sign Clements. That leaves McGee and K.Thomas as this teams starting corners next year, ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twist_to_open Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I for one am in no hurry to see him pushed out there. Having a best friend as a Ohio state alum I saw every Buckeye game last year and although he has awesome talent he was capable of getting burned at times, Id rather have the coaching staff work with this kid, learn the system, ween him into the NFL and give him time to develop. He will be money but he needs time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koufax Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I definitely agree he needs time and not being on the field does not indicate any failure as a pick. If we get Nate back he has even more time to develop, but I don't think he needs to have training wheels, and I would like to see him play in games this year, not so I can judge him as a success or bust, but so he can speed up his learning. Acknowledging his particular situation, at the same age from the same school at the same position, Nate played 16 games as a rookie (for a team coming off a 8-8 season and dropping to 3-13, so not a perfect blueprint) and had 53 tackles, a sack, and three picks. I'm not saying Ashton needs to accomplish that, but DB is not the QB position and does not require years of grooming. Also, even if the team can't focus on him catching up at the expense of others, you certainly hope and expect that he has been able to make a great deal of progress understanding the system since he has been back with the team. So again, in full support of Ashton and with full patience (because I want him to help us win a Super Bowl in the next five years a lot more than I care about him contributing this season), I think it is reasonable to expect that he has had some time to study and practice and close the knowledge gap with KT somewhat, allowing his physical talent advantages to cover some more of the gap. I would really like him to get on the field in the next four weeks for his own development, and so we can all say "wow, this kid has skills" and get excited. If we re-sign Nate and have Nate and Ashton at CB, with McGee as nickel (and returns obviously) and KT as a backup, and have Dante and Ko at safeties, I think that is the kind of secondary that can be a key piece of returning to the playoffs and winning a Super Bowl, and other than expensive veteran Nate is a tremendously young and cheap secondary as well. Go Bills! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Gal Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 I don't know. Maybe it's just me but I don't think Ashton would do very well on the line pass blocking and such. 861322[/snapback] Well, no one would mistake him for D'Brick or more accurately for Nate Clements but despite the fears he seemed to do okay today being pressed into service to play a back-up role. All kidding aside I think the bottomline is that all in all despite grief from the pundits for missing the boat on the draft in his first go round as GM it looks like Marv gets the preliminary laugh at the pundits in terms of judging this year's draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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