starrymessenger

Maybe just me and I could well be missing something (it's been known to happen) but isn't there a receiver "type" that doesn't have the moves/ quickness to separate but still catches lots of balls...Boldin, Jeffries etc...Not saying Williams is fit to be mentioned in the same breath as those guys, but he would fall into that receiver type. Thing about Boldin especially is that he was very smart, understood coverages and knew how to find open/ soft spots. Don't know if Duke has or can develop that ability. Not saying he can't either, just don't know.

I was very impressed with J. Johnson on that strip + recovery. Doesn't have the measurables that would get him drafted high but looks to be a real good football player above the shoulders. Like Wallace, more evidence that McCoach knows DBs.

Not an elite athlete but what maybe most impresses me is his ability to recover and close the deal. Agree he projects as a solid # 2. Great story too.

And I've been very impressed with him in coverage this preseason. Pretty obvious. Kids gonna be a monsta.

Given the scheme and based on past performance there is no doubt IMO that Spain should start (if healthy of course). He's a starting calibre guard in man. Can't get away from the impression that he's out of shape tho. I get that he's a big guy but I don't recall seeing quite so prominent a paunch in the clips I've watched of him as a Titan. I know he was kept out of practice early on for a hand injury. Maybe that has something to do with it. This ankle thingy won't help either if it keeps him out awhile.

Not worried about the run game this year (unlike some posters). Neither Gore nor Shady can carry an O any more but they will be effective. Add Singletary and maybe a fourth back and it should be more than enuf to take the pressure off of Allen.

The Bills wanted Boldin. It didn't work out. The Bills signed Benjamin. It didn't work out. The Bills looked north of the border to sign Duke. I don't know if he makes the team or not but it looks to me like someone in the organization feels the need for a big physical receiver (maybe Beano).

Ssssh...don't tell them that it's next year they need to tank.

Fatter than Putin's cat.

Stanford and Lacey make it IMO. Joseph is cut, clears waivers and makes it to the PS.

I agree with the poster who said it will be fun to watch. Allen vs Darnold, maybe a first glimpse and a preview of the next ten years in the AFC East. I think they may be under estimating our run game, including the short passing game to RBs. I expect a close game.

If what Bargepole said was true he will prolly be playing rugby in a different hemisphere.

I still think that NP could have a career as a borderline NFL backup. But he should probably have stayed in Winnipeg because he could probably be successful as a starter in the Canadian league where the overall quality of play is maybe somewhere around that of the 3rd preseason game. As far as the Bills are concerned they have a better backup right now.

Johnson can pack another 20lbs of muscle onto his frame. If he does that without losing a step and develops an inside move look out. He seems to have the right mindset. All of the indicators are pointing straight up.

Four star recruit. According to Crabb/Marino (Draft Network) he projects in the pros at centre (lacks the length to play OT and the bulk/strength to play OG). Jeremiah had him as a top UDFA. Some mocks had him going in the 4th (to Jags). Definitely looks like PS material, especially if he's to develop as a centre. Good trade for both teams. He for sure wasn't making the Iggles roster. Showed well in practice so maybe was headed to their PS.

Idk. I could be mistaken but I thought after a year protected as the 11th man on the PS he was essentially a FA. If so isn't the only practical difference between the two situations is that he would not be eligible this year in season if protected. I think we are both assuming that he clears waivers either way. If all things are equal I'd like the ability to call him up in season. Injuries to our RBs could be a factor. I don't really know what we've got in him. I'd really like to see him against better competition. I gather that his main traits as a rugby player that made him one of the best were vision, elusiveness and acceleration. Those are high priority attributes for a NFL RB. Its not clear to me that he cannot catch a football. His only drop was a poorly thrown ball that was tipped. The other poorly thrown ball he caught and ran with for 48 yards. I get that his background is rugby but when he runs he looks to me a lot like a RB, a good one. The kid is a real tease.

To me, given the clarifications, 10 Man PS is maybe the best option for Wade.

I think last roster spot goes to Ray Ray, McKenzie or Duke. I would take McKenzie over Ray Ray. As between McKenzie and Duke its a toss up. it will partly depend on what parts of the playbook the OC plans to run with, and the fact that McKenzie offers some versatility. Both players have strengths and limitations. On the negative side of things if his ball security is still considered in any way a liability that is a big problem for McKenzie. In Duke's case I don't know that he has shown much appetite or ability in blocking despite his frame and he doesn't (or hasn't) played ST to my knowledge. That means his "strengths" have to be considered exceptionally strong if he is to make it. He has shown decent hands and tracking ability - a couple of slants and his TD vs the Panthers. I was interested to see whether he could be effective at least in deep intermediate zones since the long ball was a big part of his game in Canada. Barkley had one 35 yard attempt to him that fell a few yards out of bounds. Thing is what looked to be something less than a starting calibre LB was with him pretty much step for step all the way. Also his QB in Canada threw a very receiver friendly ball. Not sure Josh always does the same, not to mention he really hasn't had the chance to develop any chemistry with the starting QB, at least so far. He apparently was called out by Coach for dogging it in practice. If so that's not a good sign. I think his performance in the next two preseason games (and in the practices) will go a long ways in deciding whether he makes it or not. He's still very much in the running IMO, partly because although there is a lot of competition for that spot its not really at a high level. I don't recall there being a lot of interest in him coming out of Canada. If he doesn't make the Bills I think he will be plying his trade again in Canada. I don't really see him as a candidate for the PS. Either he makes the roster or he is gone.

Love what we've seen of this kid so far versus hamburger helpers. He's got the look of a legit outside speed rusher in process. I look forward to seeing him every Sunday in a couple of years after he's bulked up and developed an inside/counter move. Great late round pick and they will likely to be adding another in next year's draft. In the meantime I'm pretty confident that our ability to pressure QBs will be adequate/good enuf. Pass rush/pressures is not a weakness IMO, even if having a premier player with this skill set (think Frank Clark) would put an already very solid D right over the top to dominant status. The multiple questions/issues are on the other side of the ball.

Lacey is a good ST player. To the extent he improves his standing as an adequate backup LB he helps himself a lot. Johnson absolutely makes the 53 based on what (little) I have seen so far, some of which is downright eyepopping. He has the traits of a good pass rushing DE and now everybody knows it. Word gets around fast. Try to put him on the PS and kiss him goodbye. Whoever scouted this guy for the Bills deserves a raise.

O-line without doubt IMO, given its importance. Obviously a lot depends on Morse's ability to play and for the line to be settled and to begin developing cohesion. Beyond that I've not been impressed with Spain. He looks way out of game shape, he's been turnstiled a couple of times, has been flagged for holding and the thing that most alarmed me was seeing him get absolutely rag dolled once last night. I mean sure the Panthers starting D-line is good but Spain weighs like 330 lbs. He needs to keep his feet and suck it up.

We don't really know just how much juice this kid has got. Obviously the coaches have a better idea. He certainly is a tease though. If the game breaking traits he has flashed are completely legit the Bills might have a decision to make regarding this year's roster. Those types of players are few, far between and valuable. If he's truly the next Human Joystick it might be hard to pass on him. If he can run back punts and kickoffs, albeit in a backup role, I could see him edging out Perry, though of course that wouldn't guarantee him a spot either. There is no way IMO that he bumps a legit veteran RB like Yeldon however. My guess is that the option to stash him as a protected PS player will be just too attractive and easy for the Bills. It's too bad that he can't be promoted in season. Not sure I see the reason for that rule.

The odds are fully staked against this guy ever making the 53. Hard to believe that he could manage the laundry list of things a NFL running back must do to play at this level with no meaningful exposure to the game and qualified coaching. Looks like he can hit a hole but I have no idea how well he would do running inside and in traffic. My impression of the play in rugby is that it is more open and fluid than in football where defences specialize in gap management insofar as shutting down the run is concerned. Mind you there are plenty of good backs who don't bring the ability to execute the complete textbook of assignments. I find the suggestion that he could be useful as a special teamer running back punts and kickoffs intriguing, but the Bills have just signed one of the best in the business who may even be serviceable as a wide receiver. My takeaway is a feeling of regret. True he was going against guys who will be bagging groceries, but based on what I saw and his acknowledged athleticism he looks like he might have some of the attributes that one only finds in a handful of top shelf running backs. S. Barkely could not have executed that counter any better. A poster who knows rugby and has followed his career says he was not the ideal physical specimen for the position he played. Maybe he should have been playing football all along.

Exactly. That was not the call. He saw the hole, hit it quick, changed direction and broke it to the outside. And he looks to have some wheels. Vision and burst. I want to see more of this kid.

Duke is not fast and is not likely to get much in the way of separation. But speed and the ability to separate are not the reasons Anquaan Boldin is on his way to Canton. Size, physicality, hands, the ability to use his body to box out DBs and linebackers, and smarts are the things that Duke will have to show he can do if he is to succeed. I think Beane feels the need for a big WR or two. I wouldn't be surprised if both Duke and Sills wind up figuring in the Bills plans. Agree a great gadget player can be a nice to have but neither Ray Ray or McKenzie strike me as great. I would say goodbye.