Robert Meachem

[cieslak86]

Robert Meachem from Tennessee recently declared for the draft. I think this guy would be a perfect fit for the Bills.

 

He's 6-3, 210, runs a 4.45 40, and most people project him to be a first rounder. I think he may go higher than some people think, I predict he has a real good combine or individual workout.

 

He has the size to be a redzone target that we could really use and the speed to be another deep threat that Fairchild and Jauron covet in their wideouts.

 

A lot of people are saying we should get Jarrett but I don't think he'd fit in the Bills offense as well as Meachem.

 

What u think?

[Ozymandius]

Why is Meacham a better fit than Jarrett?

[cieslak86]

Why is Meacham a better fit than Jarrett?

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that this Bills regime is more interested in WRs who can stretch the field than possession receivers who may not be as fast.

 

Jarrett is definitely a good player who I really like, but he's not as fast as Meachem.

 

I agree with a lot of people that we need a big redzone target more than another deep threat, but just by the way the Bills handled last offseason (signed price, re-signed reed, signed andre davis), it seems like the Bills are more interested in agility and speed in their WR corps than height. Meachem would give us some of both.

[Ozymandius]

Jarrett seems to stretch the field to me just fine.

[Pyrite Gal]

I think part of the problem here is that outside of Evans the Bills did not use the deep threats they had adequately as consistent targets and that getting a speedy guy who can stretch the field is not going to be much of an addition if he is not used adequately.

 

Fairchild never seemed to get the knack of using his RBs much as receivers and this had the effect of allowing DBs and LBs not to worry as much about them and instead concentrate on not releasing or covering the WRs. Some might blame this on WM a part of the continuing crusade to blame him for everything. However, the facts seem to be that he was on occaision effective (for example on the first play Sunday he caught and ran for a nice gain on a play that was called back due to a movement penalty). In addition, Shelton was simply inadequate as a pass catcher.

 

PP in fact was utilized to a nice tune of about 50 catches but these mostly were using him as a possession receiver.

 

Parrish has great speed and good running ability but this happened inconsistently as well.

 

Unless there is some announced recognition of this problem, getting another speedy guy is fairly unexciting to me in terms of improving our O production.

[Whitner20]

I wish we could get Jarrett, but let's face reality, our defense is in major problems and we're possibily losing 3 key players, thus, we're drafting defense first.

 

Besides, this guy is a late to early 2nd round at best anyways.

[Steven in MD]

Why is Meacham a better fit than Jarrett?

Tennessee receivers are just better....USC receivers have under produced in the NFL while UT receivers have excelled.

[Sketch Soland]

Tennessee receivers are just better....USC receivers have under produced in the NFL while UT receivers have excelled.

 

Really? I'm curious for you to list the UT receivers who have "excelled" over the last ten years or so....

[Steven in MD]

Really? I'm curious for you to list the UT receivers who have "excelled" over the last ten years or so....

Peerless Price

Donte Stallworth

Erik Parker

Kelley Washington

Cedrick Wilson

 

Jason Witten (though he is a TE)

 

Just the current players here

[Sketch Soland]

Peerless Price

Donte Stallworth

Erik Parker

Kelley Washington

Cedrick Wilson

 

Jason Witten (though he is a TE)

 

Just the current players here

 

So by "excelled" (which I take to me "elite") you actually mean "still plays in the NFL"? Witten obviously is an above average TE, although he had an off-year this year (he got better when Romo took the reins). Peerless was a great flash in the pan during his first time with us, but obviously has never been a consistent top-shelf WR. Stallworth has the potential but has been injury prone and who knows? Erik Parker? Kelley Washington? They haven't done anything to merit attention as special. Cedrick Wilson? Same thing. My point is that I would say that UT WR's are the definition of Under Producing in the NFL....

[Whitner20]

So by "excelled" (which I take to me "elite") you actually mean "still plays in the NFL"? Witten obviously is an above average TE, although he had an off-year this year (he got better when Romo took the reins). Peerless was a great flash in the pan during his first time with us, but obviously has never been a consistent top-shelf WR. Stallworth has the potential but has been injury prone and who knows? Erik Parker? Kelley Washington? They haven't done anything to merit attention as special. Cedrick Wilson? Same thing. My point is that I would say that UT WR's are the definition of Under Producing in the NFL....

 

Yeah that is not a very good list of WR's. Jarrett will probably be better then all of those guys. lol

[Kuile]

After watching Meachem against PSU during the Outback Bowl, I think he would benefit from one more year at UT. I like him, but I would prefer a little more polish. I like Jarrett's talent (would also like to see him stay at USC), but do you think Marv and Dick will take a guy with even slight "character concerns?"

[KD in CA]

Peerless Price

Donte Stallworth

Erik Parker

Kelley Washington

Cedrick Wilson

 

"Excelled"?? More like a bunch of journeymen #3 WRs, with the mild exception of Stallworth.

 

Career Avg: Rec Yds TD

Stallworth 47 703 5.6

 

Price 49 652 3.9

 

Parker 37 517 2.2

 

Washington 18 223 2.2

 

Wilson 27 360 1.2

 

compared to:

 

K. Johnson 74 961 6.0

[tennesseeboy]

Meacham would be a great first round pick for someone who needs a great receiver. Unless he can put on about 145 lbs and play defensive tackle or offensive gaurd, I think we should pass on him.

[Steven in MD]

So by "excelled" (which I take to me "elite") you actually mean "still plays in the NFL"? Witten obviously is an above average TE, although he had an off-year this year (he got better when Romo took the reins). Peerless was a great flash in the pan during his first time with us, but obviously has never been a consistent top-shelf WR. Stallworth has the potential but has been injury prone and who knows? Erik Parker? Kelley Washington? They haven't done anything to merit attention as special. Cedrick Wilson? Same thing. My point is that I would say that UT WR's are the definition of Under Producing in the NFL....

Name the elite WR from USC....MeShawn? I would take a TN receiver over a USC receiver anyday.

[cieslak86]

The Bills need a WR badly. We have one weapon in the passing game, Evans. No receiving threat at tight end, 2 slot receivers (Roscoe and Reed), and arguably the worst #2 receiver in the NFL (price).

 

They really need to build the offense around JP and Evans, and if the Bills want to see those guys continue to improve, they should get them some help. I know we need o-line help as well, but it's a lot easier to pick up a solid guard in free agency than it is to find a WR. Unless you wanna pay Drew Bennett 30 mil over 5 years, the draft is the only way we're finding another receiver.

 

We have lots of needs (2 OGs?, MLB, CB, DT) but wideout is just as glaring, considering we have no #2 receiver. As much as I like Roscoe, Reed, and Price, none of them is a #2 WR. Teams eventually are going to figure out that if you shut down Evans, you shut down the Bills offense. Also, we have zero red zone targets, and Meachem could help take some of the pressure off Evans as well as give us some size inside the 20.

[Max997]

Peerless Price

Donte Stallworth

Erik Parker

Kelley Washington

Cedrick Wilson

 

Jason Witten (though he is a TE)

 

Just the current players here

 

 

none of those guys have excelled in the NFL so stop being a homer

 

 

WR is not a major need for this team, upgrading both lines, LB, CB and TE are the top priorities

[Pyrite Gal]

So by "excelled" (which I take to me "elite") you actually mean "still plays in the NFL"? Witten obviously is an above average TE, although he had an off-year this year (he got better when Romo took the reins). Peerless was a great flash in the pan during his first time with us, but obviously has never been a consistent top-shelf WR. Stallworth has the potential but has been injury prone and who knows? Erik Parker? Kelley Washington? They haven't done anything to merit attention as special. Cedrick Wilson? Same thing. My point is that I would say that UT WR's are the definition of Under Producing in the NFL....

 

I know folks have both real and actually pretend bones to pick with Peerless (it is definitely true he did not perform at a level anywhere near the amount TD stuck Arthur Blank and AT for when he traded him and AT signed him to a huge contract, but his level of development and then accomplishment which brought him the big contract he never lived up to was deserved which makes him more than the standard journeyman.

 

Also, his accomplishments this past year as a Bill were not amazingly fantastic, but were real snd represent a real comeback from his AT failure which to me makes him more than a simple flash in the pan of his best year.

 

Specifically going to the stats which do not prove he is a great player (stats can "indicate" a lot but really "prove" very little) but indicatee a development and then some resurgence:

 

1. PP had 4 very good years here. Shat complaint beyond subjective concerns can there be about his production when he increased his number of catches, yaradage and TDs here each one of his four years culminating in the huge 2002 year he had when he earned the huge contract from AT.

 

Many posters even seemed to have misunderstood one subjective complaint they made based on an objective fact when in 2000 he did have four fumbles. However, rather than the subjective conclusion some folks have tried to draw from this that he is a weenie, if one watched the Bills games that year one would have to note that these fumbles actually occured when he almost eluded the first hit and a second tackler tagged him with the first pursuer setting him up hanging on his ankle.

 

If anything, watching the game showed that PP's big problem that year was that he wouldn't go down with the first hit and he would fumble struggling for meaningless yards.

 

Rather than a flash in the pan, his numbers show a football player who developed in a straight upward line before the change of scenery to Michael Vick's team resulted in a complete failure to connect with this unique talent.

 

2. If you insist on calling him a flash in the pan, the stats indicate that this was a fairly large pan lasting four years. One might call him a journeyman if you consider 3 teams a journey though clearly there are a ton of NFL players (even good ones like Larry Centers) who took a journey to many more cities and teams. However a look at the stats this year indicate that he has flashed at least twice if you want to call his large pan a brief moment.

 

His 49 catches this year as our #2 WR are not great (or even qualify as VERY good) numbers, but I think they do qualify as good numbers for a reciever.

 

If someone told me our #2 would register 3 catches a game I would not have been overjoyed but I would have found this number quite workable for an offense. The problem I have with this number is how he was used in our O since his ypc is so low because he was used as a possession receiver.

 

He can play this game as shown by his relatively low number of fumbles in his career (1 for the Bills this year and his worst year I mentioned before is slightly less than half his total). However, this seems like a waste of resources as the reports from Allen Wilson and others who see him a lot is that though he has slowed from his youth (as all people do) he still retains a lot of speed.

 

I know that we were reining in the O for the developing JP, but I wish Fairchild had actually made better use of the resources I think he had in using more 3 wide sets with the speed of Evans, PP, and Parrish pressuring Ds and him utilizing WM more as a reciever. Even in empty backfield sets I prefer using Reed more a fellow who can then pick on the zones an empty backfield forces opponents into or if one decides to use him have him be our #3 looking for RAC rather than the #2 he was often employed as.

 

Perhaps Fairchild. JMac and Jauron reached a conclusion that our OL was so bad it simply could not protect even the fleet footed Losman in empty backfield or repetitive 3 WR sets.

 

If so and they really laid low this year because they knew we were re-building at best and not going anywhere then I look forward to them coming back in 2005 even with essentially the same O crew. JP looks like he has developed nicely and can be trusted to let it hang out a little more (though his INTs when he was struggling to catch up against a great Ravens D were troubling events which I simply hope are learning experiences) and we can look beyond a Daumon Shelton who really did next to nothing and run WM behind a much improved OL over the crew which began last year.

 

Overall, the best thing about PP is that even in his worse days in AT he repeated the feat he has accomplished 5 times for Buffalo of starting all 16 games (not something valueless and to be ignored in today's NFL). Despite the whines of many fans. objectively PP has a record of answering the starters gun game in and game out and subjectively for the unbiased viewer he is a hard worker and catcher who has given little or no hint of the droppsies which we have seen in real life from Reed in his second year.

 

Peerless is by no means the best WR in the league (and never has been at any point in his career). However, he is a hard worker with mutant speed who can be a potent part of a productive O if used properly and his teammates perform up to reasonable expectations (which our OL did not do this year, which JP finally did as the season went on and WM has not done so consistently.

[nuklz2594]

wasn't perry tuttle from u of tennessee?