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What the f#$k is OBD dong with the fullback position? No name free agent, no name draft pick. Do they really think the soldier fullback is the answer? I don't think the answer is currently on the roster.

Why Not Hamdan?

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Viti is a beast. The guy benched an Army school record 470 lbs at his workout. The guy is as good, if not better, at lead blocking as Owen Schmitt. Viti is going to make the team, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was the starter. He is the next generation of Sam Gash and Lorenzo Neal.

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My guess is that Schoenert likely plans to go with using an HB rather than a FB.

 

1. I think this why we have stocked up with a bunch of pseudo TEs.

 

2. As excited as fans are on this board about Viti, it seems pretty doubtful that the team would be counting upon two journeymen and a UDFA to produce a player who will start for us or whom we will depend upon very much. Viti has an impressive build but seriously he is a project for us who should consider himself lucky if he makes the PS.

 

3. Our gaggle on RBs includes players like Wright who actually in college was a short yardage back and a good pass catcher and while no one should be under any illusions that sparkplug Omrob did any blocking in college, he is tough to bring down and has no break away speed, if the Bills coaches can teach either how to block they may fill the goaline and short yardage role that is normally the FB function.

 

My guess is that the Bills go FB less are far as their line-up this year.

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My guess is that Schoenert likely plans to go with using an HB rather than a FB.

 

1. I think this why we have stocked up with a bunch of pseudo TEs.

 

2. As excited as fans are on this board about Viti, it seems pretty doubtful that the team would be counting upon two journeymen and a UDFA to produce a player who will start for us or whom we will depend upon very much. Viti has an impressive build but seriously he is a project for us who should consider himself lucky if he makes the PS.

 

3. Our gaggle on RBs includes players like Wright who actually in college was a short yardage back and a good pass catcher and while no one should be under any illusions that sparkplug Omrob did any blocking in college, he is tough to bring down and has no break away speed, if the Bills coaches can teach either how to block they may fill the goaline and short yardage role that is normally the FB function.

 

My guess is that the Bills go FB less are far as their line-up this year.

I thought I remembered Schonert actually coming out and saying we were going to use a true fullback this year?

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Viti is a beast. The guy benched an Army school record 470 lbs at his workout. The guy is as good, if not better, at lead blocking as Owen Schmitt. Viti is going to make the team, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was the starter. He is the next generation of Sam Gash and Lorenzo Neal.

 

I'll be honest, I've been here a while and you're probably the poster I most likely agree with all of the time, but we're really far off on this Viti thing. I don't understand how you can be so obsessed with an UDFA FB from the army. If he was anything like you say he is (better lead blocker than Schmitt, a starter, and the next generation of Gash and Neal) don't you think he would have been drafted? I think you are really exaggerating his skill set and abilities. Those things you mentioned ought to be characteristics of a FB drafted in the 2nd round.

 

He sounds like he has the attitude and strength, but football is much more than that.

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I'll be honest, I've been here a while and you're probably the poster I most likely agree with all of the time, but we're really far off on this Viti thing. I don't understand how you can be so obsessed with an UDFA FB from the army. If he was anything like you say he is (better lead blocker than Schmitt, a starter, and the next generation of Gash and Neal) don't you think he would have been drafted? I think you are really exaggerating his skill set and abilities. Those things you mentioned ought to be characteristics of a FB drafted in the 2nd round.

 

He sounds like he has the attitude and strength, but football is much more than that.

Honestly, when is the last time a true fullback went in the 2nd round? As someone has pointed out recently (maybe it was in this thread for all I can remember) there just isn't a premium on one-dimensional lead blockers in today's game. I wouldn't be schocked to see a couple good ones pop up here or there that went undrafted.

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Majeski's take on Viti...

"He's a classic isolation fullback that will go up there and hit somebody in line," said Majeski. "He's a good pass protector. He's maxed out in terms of size and strength. There is no place left for him to get any bigger. His legs have muscles, his torso has muscles. Everything is muscle on him."

 

You just know he said, or wanted to say, "He's got muscles in his shite!"

 

I'd love to see him blow up the opposition on special teams.

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Viti is a beast. The guy benched an Army school record 470 lbs at his workout. The guy is as good, if not better, at lead blocking as Owen Schmitt. Viti is going to make the team, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was the starter. He is the next generation of Sam Gash and Lorenzo Neal.

But i heard that the bills have to draft him in the 4th round because hes amazing

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What the f#$k is OBD dong with the fullback position? No name free agent, no name draft pick. Do they really think the soldier fullback is the answer? I don't think the answer is currently on the roster.

 

I disagree. If we got a couple guys whose parents didn't even bother to name them...well, then it seems to me they might have the right background to be a fullback in the NFL.

 

Hell, I'd have to assume anybody in that situation would be bat-sh-- crazy, and I certainly wouldn't want to ram into him at full speed.

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I'll be honest, I've been here a while and you're probably the poster I most likely agree with all of the time, but we're really far off on this Viti thing. I don't understand how you can be so obsessed with an UDFA FB from the army. If he was anything like you say he is (better lead blocker than Schmitt, a starter, and the next generation of Gash and Neal) don't you think he would have been drafted? I think you are really exaggerating his skill set and abilities. Those things you mentioned ought to be characteristics of a FB drafted in the 2nd round.

 

He sounds like he has the attitude and strength, but football is much more than that.

 

I can understand the concern about the fact that he was a UDFA. However, there are a lot of factors that contribute to that fact. First, the FB position in football is one that the majority of teams aren't utilizing much any more. Most teams are using the HB or are going to a two-back system. Thus, the need for a primarily blocking FB who can knock people off the ball is shrinking. In the early 90s when the FB was a huge part of most teams' offensive sets, a guy like Schmitt would have been gone in the third round, and Hillis is likely gone early fourth. Viti likely would also have been drafted in the sixth. However, that isn' t the case anymore.

 

Viti is a very strong lead blocker. Many draftniks rated him as a better lead blocker than Schmitt. He's also stronger and is a bit more compact in terms of size, which gives him excellent leverage against bigger linemen and linebackers. Exactly what you are looking for in a true FB. Also, while he isn't going to rocket down the field after the catch, he does have decent hands and is a good option for the third and one scenarios and on the goaline where a guy who can get low and run with power is a must. I'm not saying he is going to be the best fullback ever. I hope that's not how it came across. I do, however, think he will be the starter this year for the Bills. There have been a lot of great FBs who have come in as UDFAs. There have been a lot of great players at other positions that have been UDFAs. We already have another one on the team now in Jason Peters. Maybe I'm wrong, but I hope Viti is as good as his tangibles suggest he could be.

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Have you been drinking heavily tonight?

No more than usual.

 

I unfortunately sometimes state things so that folks can choose to take them in the extreme (as is the norm unfortunately on message boards like TSW). This is fine as being EXXTTRREEEME is the advertising norm these days, but actually I find football fun to watch because generally it is not extreme at all Teams have chosen to operate under conditions like the salary cap or roster limits which force them to make a decision of choosing either this PR that. However, these stark decision are almost invariably based on half-empty/half-full considerations that nothing is really cut and dried.

 

This great IMHO because if the result was so clear and drop dead certain then why even bother to consider or argue over multiple possibilities.

 

As far as an FB choice goes, like many things regarding the Bills roster ST will be the deciding factor.

 

Would the Bills love to have FB Viti on their roster? You bet. However, this will only happen if he turns out to show very good productivity as an ST player. If he proves to have the speed to be a top notch wedge buster or blocker then they will even go into the season with an FB on the roster for blocking when we go to a fullhouse backfield. However, will we go completely standard FB-less using H-backs/TEs to fill the role. Possibly that too if the good ST chops are shown by players such as Schouman, Johnson or Massoquoi.

 

My betting right now is that 4th and 3rd year TEs are more likely to get the H-back role rather than UDFA Viti, however I easily could be wrong on this choice of critical importance to these individual players but of marginal significance either way to the Bills prospects of success.

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