SageAgainstTheMachine Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 I'm aware that he's a million miles away from being an elite Tight End, but I was impressed by what I saw from Royal on Sunday. Even though the touchdown comprised most of his 52 yards, he didn't have any drops, picked up a few first downs, and he blocked incredibly well, especially against the pass rush. I won't judge based on one game, but could Royal possibly be less of a liability than we all thought he'd be? Bottomline, I thought that TE would be far away the biggest weakness of the offense, but Sunday's game was certainly encouraging from Royal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebug Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 I'm aware that he's a million miles away from being an elite Tight End, but I was impressed by what I saw from Royal on Sunday. Even though the touchdown comprised most of his 52 yards, he didn't have any drops, picked up a few first downs, and he blocked incredibly well, especially against the pass rush. I won't judge based on one game, but could Royal possibly be less of a liability than we all thought he'd be? Bottomline, I thought that TE would be far away the biggest weakness of the offense, but Sunday's game was certainly encouraging from Royal. Robert Royal continues to move up my list of fav players, he just needs to keep it going. GO BILLS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsWatch Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Royal was going to second level knocking LBs down all game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantankerous Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 He should have gotten out of bounds with about 25 seconds left in the second quarter...He didn't even try, like he didn't know the situation. I was pissed. His touchdown catch was nice though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 He should have gotten out of bounds with about 25 seconds left in the second quarter...He didn't even try, like he didn't know the situation. I was pissed. His touchdown catch was nice though. He apparently owned up to that after the game -- realized what a bonehead play it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsWatch Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 He should have gotten out of bounds with about 25 seconds left in the second quarter...He didn't even try, like he didn't know the situation. I was pissed. His touchdown catch was nice though. Read the transcript from interview after game for more details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 He apparently owned up to that after the game -- realized what a bonehead play it was. I always respect a player who can man up and admit he made a mistake, especially one that didn't turn out to be crucial. It says to me that he's committed to improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dog14787 Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Its early, but Robert Royal is playing like a pro bowl caliber TE. The two TD's against the Steelers and then again on the first game against the seahawks tells me we are perfectly fine at the TE position. A position I once thought was a weakness is turning out to be a position of strength. Robert Royal is swiftly becoming TE's security blanket, the big fella can catch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clownments22 Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 I've always been a fan of Robert Royal. I've actually gotten ripped on here for supporting him a few times, but he really put his time in this off season. I was lucky enough to meet him at camp in 07. He's a great teammate and a leader and he seems to care a lot about the organization. I think he probably saw over the off season that everyone thought TE was a big concern and he did something about it to make the team better. What more can you ask from the guy. He's not the most talented, and makes some mental slips sometimes, but he's a very good all around TE. He's got some chemistry going with Tredwards and he's in great shape to make an impact this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartyBall4Buffalo Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 If Robert Royal can split the seems 30 yards downfield on a weekly basis, even as a decoy, That's a huge upgrade at the position that I simply can not overstate. Stuff like that opens up everything. It keeps safeties out of the box in the run game. Keeps double teams off Evans. Makes reads easier for the quarterback. I still think we need an upgrade at the position, but so far Royal has been impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murra Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 He should have gotten out of bounds with about 25 seconds left in the second quarter...He didn't even try, like he didn't know the situation. I was pissed. His touchdown catch was nice though. If only that was his only issue with being out of bounds... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 I am of the opinion that the only thing which stopped Royal from being an elite TE is his hands. Royal is listed as being the same height as, and 5 pounds lighter than Antonio Gates. It wouldn't surprise me if Royal was stronger. He is a fine blocker; he gets open consistently, and is even fast enough to get into the endzone. I don't know if a player can develop a pair of good hands at age 30. Maybe he can. Trent has an easy ball to catch, and I'm not sure how he was used in DC. What I do know is the Royal and Edwards appear to have a very good chemistry, and if it continues, it is going to win them football games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_wag Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Its early, but Robert Royal is playing like a pro bowl caliber TE. The two TD's against the Steelers and then again on the first game against the seahawks tells me we are perfectly fine at the TE position. A position I once thought was a weakness is turning out to be a position of strength. Robert Royal is swiftly becoming TE's security blanket, the big fella can catch while i've always been a royal supporter, i don't think the bills are "perfectly fine" at the TE position, even if he plays like he did week 1 consistently the rest of the way.......yes, they can get by with that, but in order to move this offense to the next level they need someone with more natural ability then royal.......he's never going to be an elite TE because he is limited by his speed and athletic ability, but he does make the most of what he has ideally, i'd love to see this position addressed in the first round of the next draft, as it is extremely difficult to find an elite TE in free agency.........and with royal signed into 2009, i think this is a great window to add a talented guy who can ease his way into the lineup and eventually make royal a true plus as a #2 TE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillnutinHouston Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Royal makes too many glaring, dumb mistakes for me to be comfortable with him (taking huge gorilla steps in the endzone a year or 2 ago when tiptoeing would have easily gotten us 7, and Sunday's failure to get out of bounds). But I will say that his play in the preseason has been good, and he was effective on Sunday. He's apparently in the best shape of his career and motivated so that is a good sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 I am of the opinion that the only thing which stopped Royal from being an elite TE is his hands. Royal is listed as being the same height as, and 5 pounds lighter than Antonio Gates. It wouldn't surprise me if Royal was stronger. He is a fine blocker; he gets open consistently, and is even fast enough to get into the endzone. I don't know if a player can develop a pair of good hands at age 30. Maybe he can. Trent has an easy ball to catch, and I'm not sure how he was used in DC. What I do know is the Royal and Edwards appear to have a very good chemistry, and if it continues, it is going to win them football games. That is why we've seen Royal's production improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 It's continually amazing to me that some folks don't appreciate the fact that a player can actually develop and improve over the course of a career. Two years ago Royal was beginning to emerge as a legitimate receiving threat, but he had some injury issues and (like every Buffalo offensive player) was limited by inconsistent QB play and poor playcalling. He has dedicated himself to his conditioning and it is showing. For those counting, that's three TDs from Edwards in very limited game action so far this season. A little brain fart about not getting OB in the first half isn't going to cause me to lose sleep, if he continues to play this way. The possibilities become endless when you think about Buffalo's RZ offense if a team has to defend Evans, Lynch, Royal, and (hopefully) Hardy -- plus they have to be aware of a quick screen to Roscoe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 It's continually amazing to me that some folks don't appreciate the fact that a player can actually develop and improve over the course of a career. Two years ago Royal was beginning to emerge as a legitimate receiving threat, but he had some injury issues and (like every Buffalo offensive player) was limited by inconsistent QB play and poor playcalling. He has dedicated himself to his conditioning and it is showing. For those counting, that's three TDs from Edwards in very limited game action so far this season. A little brain fart about not getting OB in the first half isn't going to cause me to lose sleep, if he continues to play this way. The possibilities become endless when you think about Buffalo's RZ offense if a team has to defend Evans, Lynch, Royal, and (hopefully) Hardy -- plus they have to be aware of a quick screen to Roscoe. Please calm down. Nobody is saying that Royal is not talented. The thing is, he is 30. I am guessing that most TEs develop at a younger age. If Royal can defy the norm, this would be nothing short of great for the Bills. As I said, the guy does many things well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Its early, but Robert Royal is playing like a pro bowl caliber TE. The two TD's against the Steelers and then again on the first game against the seahawks tells me we are perfectly fine at the TE position. A position I once thought was a weakness is turning out to be a position of strength. Robert Royal is swiftly becoming TE's security blanket, the big fella can catch C'mon. I like Royal but after 1 game you are putting him in the Pro Bowl. This board gets too up after a win and too down after a loss. We have a good team here. Let's keep things in perspective. If we lose next week people will want to cut everyone and fire the whole staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebug Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 C'mon. I like Royal but after 1 game you are putting him in the Pro Bowl. This board gets too up after a win and too down after a loss. We have a good team here. Let's keep things in perspective. If we lose next week people will want to cut everyone and fire the whole staff. If we lose next week I say fire DJ and bench TE for sure... GO BILLS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 If we lose next week I say fire DJ and bench TE for sure... GO BILLS! See what I mean!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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