Rocky Landing

Gore needs 522 yards to pass Barry Sanders, and become the third all-time rushing leader in the NFL. With McCoy's release, his chances of achieving that goal just improved. He can't not be thinking of that.

Duke is a big, strong dude with great hands, and an enormous catch radius. I will say that he looked a little slow in preseason game #4, but I chalked that up to him being out there blocking for almost the entire game. He did not look slow in games one thru three. But the line that "he can't get separation" is bogus. He's a talented route runner that can reel in passes thrown into tight coverage, and it's his sheer strength that gives him that edge. The only other WR with a similar catch radius, IMO, is Brown. And, I don't believe we had another WR who could highpoint as well as he could. I don't think that is an attribute that should be ignored-- neither his ability to block. I believe we will regret not signing him. I hope he clears waivers, and makes the PS, but I doubt he will.

Actually, I believe I am wrong. He does have to clear waivers even for his IPPP extra roster spot. Pretty sure he’ll clear waivers, though.

Does anyone know the timeline for waivers? I know they have to clear in the order of the draft, so how long does that process take?

No doubt. Ray Ray is a little built up in Buffalo, I think both by fans and players. You can’t not love the guy. But from a tape perspective, he’s had some mistakes that really call his consistency into question.

I would think that Wade is a lock for the IPPP PS tenth spot, in which (I believe?) he doesn't have to clear waivers, and other teams can't claim him.

Wow. This is an amazing statement. I said in an earlier post that I didn't want to be the guy that accuses others of not understanding football, but you are definitely treading on 'doesn't-understand-football' territory, here. You can't not know that blocking was a big part of Duke's job last night? Considering many of the formations he was placed in, I suspected early on the coaches had him in there primarily to evaluate his blocking. He was lined up on the inside and blocking on just about every run play he was on the field for. He blocked for other receivers downfield on some plays. He did this because it's his job.

Sure, but I tend to believe that if McKensie weren’t safe, he would have been on the field.

I feel like he was out there on ST on several plays.

Judging by the personnel on the field tonight, I’m guessing that McKensie, and Zay are safe.

Plenty.

I predict that Tyree will stink in the first quarter, but will find his groove midway through the second quarter. By the end of the game, he'' look like a bonafide NFL prospect... -ish.

I hope they hand the ball to Wade 25 times. He'll run circles around the scrubs he'll be playing against. I suspect that the more snaps any WR gets, the less likely they will be on the team.

I don't think there are going to be too many guys playing tonight who will have much of a chance, anyway. I suspect that the more snaps a WR gets, the less likely he's being considered for the 53.

I met them both on that "I, Tanya" spoof they did for the ESPYs. They're both pretty cool, actually-- especially her.

Yeah, you've mentioned that.

I guess the bottom line is that I don’t agree with your take on Duke Williams. At all. I think your reliance on bare numbers is shortsighted, and incomplete. And your dismissal of his abilities, and the aptitude’s he has shown so far is biased. Whether it’s in a Bills uniform, or not, I do believe that Duke Williams will prove you wrong.

I think the argument on this thread has started to center around this very question. It may very well be that it comes down to one, or the other. Personally, I think the chances of the Bills keeping seven WRs is very slim. We may only take five, IMO-- Beane has hinted at this more than once. They may feel that Zay has already reached his potential. In all honesty, I was very hopeful for Zay's improvement when he came back from the offseason 15lbs heavier. Would you say that you've seen improve this preseason from where he left off last season? I thought I saw him do some pretty athletic things in TC, but he seems to have the same issues with catch radius, high-pointing, and ball drops that he had last season. And, right now, if the choice were between Zay, and Duke (and it may be), I would prefer what Duke brings to the table.

I've met quite a few pro athletes on commercials. Ive met maybe 20, or so NFL players. I met Rogers on an ESPN gig I did last year for the ESPYs. He was actually one of the more decent guys to be around. Good sense of humor, and friendly to the crew. Gave me some good-natured crap for wearing a Bills hat.

It'll be interesting to see how much playing time they give him tonight. The fewer snaps he gets, the more likely they're putting him on the roster. We'll know soon enough, I guess.

I think you may have missed some of Duke's backstory, which is one of the things that makes him such an intriguing player for fans. He was a star out of HS, and at Auburn, but was kicked out of Auburn for a drunken bar brawl he was involved in. He wasn't able to play a snap of football for months leading up to the combine. He spiraled down from there, and got his life together in the CFL. I don't know how much of his story (outside of raw stats) you're aware of, but a lot of your knocks on him seem to miss, or ignore his history. What we're seeing in these last couple preseason games is the potential that many saw in him start to play out. I'm proud to say that I predicted this, myself-- that once the pads came on, and the real hitting started, was when we would see Duke excel. I posted back in the Spring that if Duke made the 53, he could be the best blocking WR we've ever had. He's been showing that aptitude in the last two games, as well. You shouldn't ignore, or downplay that potential.

I'll watch my calves.

Check it out. Gugny went trolling and landed ten pages of fish! Well done, sir!

I do, in fact. I think one of the exciting things that happens in team sports (all of them, really) is that the game can occasionally come down to one guy being able to execute their role. One muffed PAT can cost the game. Yes, I like that. It's one of the things that defines "any given Sunday."

If I understand roster cuts correctly, players clear waivers in the same order as the draft, so Bellichick*, and the Pats* wouldn't be able to claim him until all the other teams have passed on him, which I doubt would happen.