Torell Troup's Progress

[JinWPB]

Seems there are a lot of differing opinions on Troup so here's mine.

With a lot of spare time lately I have replayed most of the second half of the season and what I saw of Troup was:

1)player who got more and more time on the field.

2 most snaps he took on double teams and held his gap pretty well, althought he didn't get a lot of upfield pressure(lack of strength)he rarely was pushed back

3)diagnosed most plays and made good effort in pursuit, had some trouble disengaging from blocks

4) made a few decisive stops,didn't look lost,didn't take plays off and overall as a rookie I think he showed very good

 

From the tone of a lot of posts here I get the feeling you all expected a second round DT to play like a first pick of the draft.

I saw a young player who got better and better that could become a very big part of our defense for years to come.

[jumbalaya]

Gailey brings rookies along very slowly anyway. I feel like Troup will be fine, but hopefully Jasper is breathing down his neck for that nose tackle job and they bring the best out in each other.

Jasper will be ride the practice squad bus for two years and then will be out of football. To think he will be breathing down anybody's neck is overly optimistic.

[Turbosrrgood]

The forums are not for spewing negative garbage just for the sake of doing it.....

 

Are we seriously at the point where we are critiqing a rookie D linemen who didn't even start? Is that where we are at?

 

Actually he did start, twice. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean it is "negative garbage". I also didn't realize you made the rules on exactly what people are allowed to talk about. We are talking about the players on our team, and their play vs their expectations. If that is too tough on your delicate sensibilities there are plenty of other threads...

 

When you have a team that goes 4-12, yeah people are going to talk about WHY. We had the worst run D in the NFL, BY FAR. Naturally people will be looking closely at the D-line... Sorry these threads aren't all roses and sunshine...

 

Jasper will be ride the practice squad bus for two years and then will be out of football. To think he will be breathing down anybody's neck is overly optimistic.

 

Agreed. I'd love to see this guy actually make the team, but it seems pretty doubtful. Don't forget, he didn't even play NT his last year of college... His chances are really going to be hurt if there is no training camp for him to prove himself.

Edited May 26, 2011 by Turbosrrgood

[Rockinon]

Cris Brown's Blog has a little input on Troupe

 

Linky

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Cris Brown's Blog has a little input on Troupe

 

Linky

Looks like by his comments that he's been directed to our little community and has read the posts:

 

TorellTroup So many negative things being said lately. Jus goin to keep my head down and keep grinding.

Edited May 29, 2011 by San Jose Bills Fan

[Turbosrrgood]

Looks like the comments that he's been directed to our little community and has read the posts (this thread) might be true:

 

TorellTroup So many negative things being said lately. Jus goin to keep my head down and keep grinding.

 

Maybe a chip on his shoulder will get him going...I'd love to see some anger and passion out of the guy on the field. He definitely has the size and strength...

 

SJBF, love the top part of your sig by the way...I never understood why Modrak was "highly respected", despite failure after failure...

Edited May 26, 2011 by Turbosrrgood

[buffalohotwings]

Torell,

 

Im sorry I started this thread and said the buffalorumblins article was alarming. Alarming wasn't the right word, and I take it back. I just have high expectations for you, that's all. The bills run D has been really bad and you becoming a starting caliber NT is going to do wonders for this defense. Im sure the addition of Wanny and Dareus, along with your core training, will lead to big things in 2011.

 

Marcel who? Torell Troup in the houssssseee

[Orton's Arm]

Seems there are a lot of differing opinions on Troup so here's mine.

With a lot of spare time lately I have replayed most of the second half of the season and what I saw of Troup was:

1)player who got more and more time on the field.

2 most snaps he took on double teams and held his gap pretty well, althought he didn't get a lot of upfield pressure(lack of strength)he rarely was pushed back

3)diagnosed most plays and made good effort in pursuit, had some trouble disengaging from blocks

4) made a few decisive stops,didn't look lost,didn't take plays off and overall as a rookie I think he showed very good

 

From the tone of a lot of posts here I get the feeling you all expected a second round DT to play like a first pick of the draft.

I saw a young player who got better and better that could become a very big part of our defense for years to come.

This is very encouraging. In a perfect world, Kyle Williams would be at LDE, Dareus at RDE, and Troupe and Jasper would each play about half the snaps at NT. But for that to happen, Troupe and Jasper need to be the best NTs they can be.

 

Also, I sincerely hope Troupe isn't reading this board. If you're learning any new skill, the last thing you need is to deal with large numbers of negative comments from people who doubt you will succeed, and are determined to dissect your smallest shortcomings. Troupe should listen to those who believe he can succeed, and those people only. He will give himself his best chance to succeed by believing in himself, believing in what the coaches tell him, and ignoring all the rest. Reading these or any other fan message boards are a potential distraction from that. Torell, if you're reading this, my advice to you is to make this the last post on these boards that you read. Instead, paint a clear mental picture of yourself as a dominant NT; and focus every day on being the man in that mental picture.

[Mini Max Anderson Fan]

Troup wasn't projected to be a 4th round pick at all. The guy was slotted somewhere in the late 2nd early 3rd round. Also UCF is in the Big East which while not a top tier conference isn't one of the bottom feeders in college football at all.

 

All in all I do agree Troup was a reach BUT not as bad as you are stating it to be. Also Terrance Cody the player that a lot of pundits thought we should have drafted instead of Troup (I also was of that opinion) got hurt last season and wasn't dominant when he was playing either.

 

As I said in a previous post rookie DT's just don't come in and dominate in their 1st year. It takes 2-3 years of progression. Troup isn't some freaky exception like Suh or Gerald McCoy.

 

In response to the bolded statement, I have a question, when was the next Bills pick? Someone mentioned he was slotted (hate that word) at 66. If the Bills wanted Troup and didn't think he would be available at their next pick, then his choice at 41 makes sense. Obviously Buddy and Chan saw something in him to warrant such a high pick and I Billieve in them to turn OUR Bills around.

[John from Riverside]

Actually he did start, twice. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't mean it is "negative garbage". I also didn't realize you made the rules on exactly what people are allowed to talk about. We are talking about the players on our team, and their play vs their expectations. If that is too tough on your delicate sensibilities there are plenty of other threads...

 

When you have a team that goes 4-12, yeah people are going to talk about WHY. We had the worst run D in the NFL, BY FAR. Naturally people will be looking closely at the D-line... Sorry these threads aren't all roses and sunshine...

 

 

 

Agreed. I'd love to see this guy actually make the team, but it seems pretty doubtful. Don't forget, he didn't even play NT his last year of college... His chances are really going to be hurt if there is no training camp for him to prove himself.

 

 

Fine a if you want to sit and whine about rookies then I will continue to call you out about ridiculous statements.....

 

So far in this thread Troupe has been compared to TWO FIRST ROUND PICKS....I guess I need to remind that Troupe is in fact a 2nd round pick

 

- Aaron Maybin.....yes Troupe is definately following down the Aaron Mabin path....except for the fact that Aaron Maybin cannot even get on the special teams unit while Troup actually started games and was the first DT into the rotation behind WIlliams in every game. Troupe for all of the bitching about how horrible he has played has already made more tackles then Aaron Maybin has in his NFL career.

 

- McCargo.....despite the fact that John McCargo was a first round pick he has shown the complete inability to stay on the field and be counted on.....now....John has been a Bill for how many years? Oh and lets see...Troupe has been a Bill for exactly....ONE YEAR

 

- And I will say it again for those who just dont understand......Troupe PLAYS BEHIND A PRO BOWL PLAYER.....which means he is not going to get as many snaps. You actually have to be on the field to make plays you know?

 

- And then there is Chan releasing Marcus Stroud and point blank stating in an interview that he wants to give his younger guys the playing time (Troupe and Carrington) so there is this vote of confidence thing.

 

IMHO the jump in productivity of NFL linemen (both offensive and defensive) from first to second year is huge.....I expect Troupe to be a much more consistant player this next year because I think he is going to be on the field on run downs......clogging up the middleof the field with his 325 pound frame.

[Arkady Renko]

His name is spelled "Troup" not "Troupe."

[Bangarang]

Troup got significantly better as the season progressed. We know he has added a ton of muscle mass to his body and is watching tape of some of the better NTs in the league. Clearly his work ethic is excellent. It disappoints me that there are people more obsessed with Jasper at this point. I'm a big fan of Troup. He's such a liable guy that it's hard not to cheer for him. Expect for him to be big for us as he continues to develop the next couple of seasons. I firmly believe that he will be the anchor in our 3-4 defense for several years.

[Sisyphean Bills]

As far as the pick, the Bills decided they wanted to go with a 3-4 base defense and they didn't have a true space-eating NT. Troup was drafted to fill an obvious hole.

 

Troup's college career started off a bit slowly, but he did see a little playing time as a freshman, grew as a player over his career, and eventually by the end of his senior season was considered an excellent NT prospect for a 3-4 team, and turned some heads in the Shrine game practices. Expect him to step it up and push for more PT this season (if there is a season). Those that thought he'd walk in and dominate the line from day 1 last year were buying into the hype hot and heavy.

 

Now Dareus? It's quite reasonable to project what the guy many considered to be the best player in the country might do as a rookie starter.

 

On the third hand, Jasper is in the Mike Rockwood / Dan Brandenburg category. There were a fair number of people that suggested Levi Brown would start at QB this time last year too.

[Dopey]

The guy IMHO is not built for NT hence the drafting of our 7th round pick Jasper the guy was 440 lbs in college & the Bills scout got him focused on his diet now he's down to a slim 370 lbs & from what i've read has legs like tree trunks .

 

This is our NT of the future i just hope they invest more time in him at the postion than Troupe , nothing against the guy maybe a good depth player for D or ST but this kid is the real deal at NT .

 

Do some research & find out more about him you'll be very surprised & pleased that he was drafted by the Bills !!!!

More time on Jasper?!? Really?!?! That makes no sense.

I hope they spend as much time on one as the other. We are building a team, hopefully a complete team. If reports are correct and Troupe is working hard, why discourage him by treating him like a stepchild and favoring the "new" 7rd rookie with special treatment. If anything, I hope Troupe will take Jasper under his wing and mentor him.

[purple haze]

and his college body of work does not provide any reason to believe he can hack it in the pros.

 

Based on what? He got drafted out of the blue for no reason, huh? No skills. No talent. He was just a guy so some NFL

team was going to draft him between the 2nd to 4th round range of the draft.

 

The fact he was given a draftable grade by NFL scouts in the 2nd to 4th round range tells you his college body of work

and size made scouts believe he had a chance to hack it in the pros.

[Orton's Arm]

As far as the pick, the Bills decided they wanted to go with a 3-4 base defense and they didn't have a true space-eating NT. Troup was drafted to fill an obvious hole.

 

Troup's college career started off a bit slowly, but he did see a little playing time as a freshman, grew as a player over his career, and eventually by the end of his senior season was considered an excellent NT prospect for a 3-4 team, and turned some heads in the Shrine game practices. Expect him to step it up and push for more PT this season (if there is a season). Those that thought he'd walk in and dominate the line from day 1 last year were buying into the hype hot and heavy.

 

Now Dareus? It's quite reasonable to project what the guy many considered to be the best player in the country might do as a rookie starter.

 

On the third hand, Jasper is in the Mike Rockwood / Dan Brandenburg category. There were a fair number of people that suggested Levi Brown would start at QB this time last year too.

Any time you grow a third hand, you should question whether it's as reliable as your first two!

 

One could say that Jasper is in the Rockwood/Brandenburg category. But one could also say he's in the Stevie Johnson/Pat Williams category. Almost from the very beginning, there was significant fan optimism about Stevie Johnson. Much more optimism than had existed for guys like Aaron Merz, Lionel Gates, Jonathan Smith, Jarrett Ferguson, or Kamil Loud. Johnson had qualities which made people say, "This could be a diamond in the rough." The other guys, not so much.

 

I'll grant there's a significant chance Jasper will be the next Mike Rockwood. But. Part of the initial optimism about Rockwood was based on his excessive height. IIRC, part of the reason he didn't become a starter was that he played too stiff, and with too high a center of gravity. Those last few inches of height may well have worked against him. In contrast, Jasper seems to have all the physical tools necessary to be a very successful NT. While that's very far from a guarantee of success, it is enough to warrant significantly more attention than a 7th round pick would typically receive.

[Lurker]

I also didn't realize you made the rules on exactly what people are allowed to talk about.

True. But then again, I also realllllllllly miss having the ignore feature operate like it used to...

[Sisyphean Bills]

Any time you grow a third hand, you should question whether it's as reliable as your first two!

 

One could say that Jasper is in the Rockwood/Brandenburg category. But one could also say he's in the Stevie Johnson/Pat Williams category. Almost from the very beginning, there was significant fan optimism about Stevie Johnson. Much more optimism than had existed for guys like Aaron Merz, Lionel Gates, Jonathan Smith, Jarrett Ferguson, or Kamil Loud. Johnson had qualities which made people say, "This could be a diamond in the rough." The other guys, not so much.

 

I'll grant there's a significant chance Jasper will be the next Mike Rockwood. But. Part of the initial optimism about Rockwood was based on his excessive height. IIRC, part of the reason he didn't become a starter was that he played too stiff, and with too high a center of gravity. Those last few inches of height may well have worked against him. In contrast, Jasper seems to have all the physical tools necessary to be a very successful NT. While that's very far from a guarantee of success, it is enough to warrant significantly more attention than a 7th round pick would typically receive.

Arm, I can tell you back in the day that there were folks that thought Dan Brandenburg was going to be a superstar and crowed about it aplenty. The Rockwood reference was to another guy who came out of Nowhereville but had an instant fan club because of his incredible size. Nobody even knew if he could play football (he was a swimmer as I recall), but some fans got lathered up because he was a giant. Leif Larsen was another DL that comes to mind. The guy could drag a locomotive with his teeth up a gravel road, but he never turned into much of a player.

 

As I recall, fans seemed more optimistic about James Hardly immediately after the draft than Johnson. Personally, having watched Johnson play at Kentucky, I thought he would be a good player. Hardly was good guy to have when you couldn't afford a step ladder though.

 

Truth. Pat Williams and also Jason Peters were both examples of when the Bills hit gold with a UDFA. If Jasper works hard enough to become a perennial Pro Bowl caliber player, then that will be an excellent 7th round, er, Modrak's Wheelhouse, find. Of course, for every Pat Williams there are many Joe Klopfensteins.

[mjt328]

Most rookies deal with growing pains and Troup was no exception.

 

For some, it's the speed of the game. In college, the fast players really stand out. In the NFL, everyone decent has speed. CJ Spiller for instance, found that he can no longer outrun people around the corner and he suffered. His future success will depend on how he adapts to things like reading and following blocks, hitting the hole with speed and also being able to run inside.

 

For most linemen, one of the biggest issues is strength. In college, they can easily overpower the guy across from them. In the NFL, no such luck. That's why scouts always make a big deal about a guy's frame, because it shows how much muscle they can potentially add. Troup seems to have a good frame to add size and strength, so that's a definite positive.

[Rockinon]

Jasper will be ride the practice squad bus for two years and then will be out of football. To think he will be breathing down anybody's neck is overly optimistic.

Not even Heard? You may have to eat those words.