HerdMenatlity1

Didn't like the pick when drafted, but I'm warming up to it. Through the 1st 5 games this year: 9 total td's (6 passing and 3 rushing) 7 ints and 5 fumbles. Not pretty. The last 5 games this year: 11 total tds(7 passing and 4 rushing) 0 ints and 4 fumbles. ZERO INTs !! Keep throwing to our guys, but tuck that ball away.

The staff has brought in a wr on pace for 90 receptions and 1300 yds along with another on pace for 68 receptions and 718 yds. Sure, Brown was a proven commodity, what's that go to do with anything? Beane tried to get him the year before. Even the best gm's out there miss on a few, but it looks like they fixed it to me. It's ok to let the Kelvin thing go. If you're looking for the perfect GM, you'll never be happy. So, yes I trust them. Instead of picking 1 game to establish Duke can run block, I presented numbers that showed a trend when Duke got the call. Passing numbers way down AND rushing numbers way down. It is what it is, regardless of the Browns game. Can you explain the trend? Four games pre Duke, almost 148 a game on the ground. With Duke, 108 per game on the ground. Post Duke, 124.6 on the ground. Again it is what it is. My analogy is not based on 1 game, but a trend with Duke playing vs. without Duke. Maybe, just maybe Duke wasn't getting the targets cuz he wasn't open. Why would you throw to a wr that is not open when you can throw to an open wr? Because he's big and can fight for it?! Passing numbers went way down with Duke in the lineup compared to Pre and Post Duke. If he was getting open, he would have had more chances. Duke sits and both running and passing picks up, by a lot. When you take a faster wr out for Duke, we really only have 1 down field threat(Brown). That was a really slow group of wr's with Duke in there and it showed. Now we have more of a down field presence, wr's are open more for it and no need to fight for a ball cuz someone isn't open. Plus our TE's can do what Duke does and are better blockers. I was as happy as anyone when he caught that TD, but he just doesn't offer enough right now to break into the starting 53. He tried and it looks like our offense suffered for it. Hope he gets better and produces, but he shouldn't come up just cuz he's 6'2" and 215lbs. It really is hard to argue Duke makes the offense better given what has occurred while he was playing. The trend and numbers show just the opposite. If he's brought up at all, it will most likely be due to injury. Who knows, he might be given a shot during the stretch of tough games coming up(Ravens, Steelers, Pats). Maybe we need his physical presence during that stretch. We'll see. Hopefully the TE's produce in that stretch.

They did explore him as an option He had his chance and our scoring didn't improve, but passing #'s sank. He sits again, scoring goes up and passing #'s drastically improve. Our passing game was better with Zay in there. Check the #'s. I put them in a previous post. You say he's a good edge blocker, but the rushing #'s dropped when Duke played. By a lot. Pre Duke rushing avg per game: 147.25 While Duke played avg per game: 108 Post Duke rushing avg per game: 124.6 Passing numbers dropped by a lot, as did rushing numbers when Duke was in. He then sits and those numbers go up, by a lot. He had his chance and the offense went south while he played. Both passing and rushing. Isn't it easier to actually be open rather than have to fight for the ball cuz you can't get separation? He needs work on run blocking, getting separation from the line of scrimmage without help from a running start and if he's gonna contribute, he really needs to work on ST play. Right now he's just a big slow WR. We have TE's for that. The numbers tell an interesting story, but as others here say, "It takes this staff so damn long to make what seems to us fans easy decisions" or "there is room to explore other personnel options on this roster"(even though they already did).

Here's why I trust the staff and why it makes sense: 4 games pre-Duke: We avg. 19 points per game and 225.75 passing yds per game 3 games with Duke: We avg. 19.33 points per game and 181 passing yds per game 3 games since Duke has been a healthy scratch: We avg. 25.6 points per game and 227.3 passing yds per game Duke got his chance. He scored a TD. We still only scored 14 points that game. Overall his presence hasn't helped like some thought it would. Scoring went up by only .33 per game from the previous 3 games and passing yds went DOWN by over 44 yds per game with him in the lineup. Duke then sits and scoring goes up by over 6 points per game and passing yds go up by over 46 yds per game. Seems the passing game was better both pre and post Duke.

Haven't you heard? He's missing and on some milk carton. Coaches are looking for him, but apparently he's not showing up. Seriously, you couldn't just reply to the other thread? Mods, do we get treats or something for starting a thread?

Barkley be like "Mike, did you see what that guy wrote!? He ain't even me, and I ain't got no rings!!"

A few words for Alex: Golf Fishing Grilling Coaching Beautiful wife and kids Retire

For whatever it's worth to some of you, I was listening to WGR earlier and Sal Capaccio spoke briefly about Duke not being on the game day roster. He basically said what the bold part of my reply says. We're fine in the red zone without him. Actually, we're pretty good. We just need to get there more often and we have been over the past 3 games. Why mess with a good thing? I'm trusting the coaches on this one. He also mentioned ST. Duke isn't fast enough to play ST, so doesn't see him taking a spot over a WR that plays ST. To end his discussion on Duke, Sal also mentioned the coaching staff see's Duke everyday in practice. They would use him if they felt he gave them something they don't have or need. I still feel his biggest issue is getting separation of the snap without the running start. I'm sure he's working on it. He has got good hands. It is a world of difference from last year where we can keep someone like him inactive, when last year he would be a starter on the Bills. That's how bad we were last year at WR.

You know you don't want us to give you $#'!, you want us to give you props. Go pat your own back. Oh, look , you already did. Feel better now?

Vindication for what? For posters who think they know better than the Bills staff on who should be playing?!

Oh, he's a rookie. Or an o-lineman to protect him. Let's stay on topic. Please.

Can we wait til next year, at least? Wow!

He still holds the ball like a loaf of bread. He got sooooo lucky that fumble somehow landed back in his hands near the goal line.

Oh Philip. I said the same thing last week. Probably the week before that too.

Delay of game. Should have never been a play.

A KC loss and they're 1/2 game behind the Raiders in the West. I would love that.

Which is even more of a reason to root for LA, no? KC at 6-5 is better for us than than at 7-4. Chargers would then be 5-6.

The fact that I can watch the games at an establishment and not have people looking at me, wondering WTH is wrong with me would lead me to say I'm not. I must be aging like a fine wine.

Why should Allen throw contested balls to a WR who can't get open when we have WRs who are getting open? Because Duke is big? We have big targets in our TE's. Everyone talks about needing him in the red zone. We have a pretty good % in the red zone without him. In terms of red zone scoring %(TD's) we're 3rd in the NFL. We just haven't gotten there enough. Duke wasn't helping us get there. We have been pretty good getting to the red zone in the last 3 games though, without him. In the last 3 games only 9 teams have more red zone attempts per game than Buffalo and when we get there we score. In the last 3 games only 7 teams are averaging more red zone td's per game. If he was getting open and helping us get to the red zone, he would be playing. As for the CFL and running starts by WR's, maybe you missed my point. I don't think Duke is good at getting separation off the snap because he's not getting a running start. He's still learning to get separation from the snap. That's not a bias. I think an NFL player would take exception to the notion that CFL players coming up work harder than they do. Maybe he gets there, maybe he doesn't. It's a different game. Wider fields, longer end zones and the running starts are things Duke might have used to his advantage in the CFL that he can't take advantage of here. He's not there yet. Like I said a few times, I would love for him to do well, but there's a reason he's not playing right now. To say he's not getting a fair shot isn't true. He's been called up and played a few games. He's practicing every week with the 53 man squad. Maybe, just maybe the coaches just don't see enough from him. Now is not the time to 'try him out'. Just my take.

I had it wrong too. Way better than I thought he would be, especially in his 2nd season. MVP talk in year 2?!? Wow!! Harbaugh has done an excellent job utilizing his skill set.

I'm hoping our game plan helps the young guy out. I also hope the fan base here doesn't blow up with the 'Bust' label if he has a bad game. Ford is a rookie potentially going up against a 9 year vet who has been to 7 pro bowls, a 3x first team all-pro, has over 100 career sacks, a Super Bowl MVP and potentially a HOF jacket.

Pretty sure you meant 'Gracias'. I know, I know, spellcheck. butt Yeu kan overrite spillshek. Eye meen ifn ur gunna b uh shmartash du et write.

A I like what I saw today.

He got a fair shot. He had 4 rec for 29 yds vs. Tenn. and a total of 2 more receptions after that. I wouldn't say he lit it up. I think we can debunk the idea of secrecy. The league is serious about the injury list, so I doubt that's the issue. I think the CFL bias against Duke is a ridiculous theory. We wouldn't have signed him or brought him up if that was the case. Come on, man. Since we're now making up theories here, I have one. Maybe Duke just can't get open consistently without the unfair running start wrs get in the CFL. Maybe, just maybe he's a healthy scratch cuz he's not good enough just yet. I said it before, if he comes up and excels, great. He hasn't. Big leap from CFL to the NFL.

I don't like him, but it was clean.