John from Riverside Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Made a key catch today and that non pass interference call was really iffy to me which could have been big its a start
BADOLBILZ Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 For what its worth Jerry Rice had a lot of drops in the first half of his rookie year. He has a lot to prove, but I hope he gets a chance. Its still so early, especially for a WR. Not everyone at that position comes in and performs like OBJ. WR is especially hard transition. His brain probably just needs to cacthup to the demamds of the progame, and, then hopefully, his natural ability will finally come out. Disclaimer: Im NOT his agent. Aaaaaaaaand.........then there is the Bills Josh Reed. Jr year wins Belitnikoff Award as top WR in NCAA.......catching 94 passes for 1740 yards for LSU........a place hardly known for big WR stats. Bills draft him early in round 2 and in his rookie year looked absolutely fantastic....superglue for hands.......basically looked like what Hines Ward was becoming. Next year........gets handed the #2 WR position with Peerless Price out of the way.........gets the yips dropping a gift wrapped long bomb against Jacksonville........and his career stalls as he becomes a middling bum of a receiver that needed constant apologizing for.
mannc Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Aaaaaaaaand.........then there is the Bills Josh Reed. Jr year wins Belitnikoff Award as top WR in NCAA.......catching 94 passes for 1740 yards for LSU........a place hardly known for big WR stats. Bills draft him early in round 2 and in his rookie year looked absolutely fantastic....superglue for hands.......basically looked like what Hines Ward was becoming. Next year........gets handed the #2 WR position with Peerless Price out of the way.........gets the yips dropping a gift wrapped long bomb against Jacksonville........and his career stalls as he becomes a middling bum of a receiver that needed constant apologizing for. But he sure could block...
Mark Vader Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Remember Eric Moulds in his first two seasons? Was looking like a colossal bust. Patience. This
1st Ammendment NoMas Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 He didn't have a bad game. Made 2 players he should make and didn't get many targets. Stop hating on the kid he was friendly and positive when I met him and is improving What are you talking about? Zay had the most targets of any receiver 9 and only 2 catches. TT was 18-24 to everyone else and 2-9 to Zay, We aren't hating on him, but he needs to sit and learn. He is a liability to the offense right now. I hope Streater comes back and they bring Reilly up.
BADOLBILZ Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Remember Eric Moulds in his first two seasons? Was looking like a colossal bust. Patience. There is no way that a player like young Eric Moulds even stays on the Bills roster of the last decade long enough to emerge as the player he did. Man literally choked out a lady friend student in Buffalo...... raising her off the ground by her neck...........bashed her into a wall.........had the Bills attorney busy as hell for his first two years with his violence issues and ridiculous attempts to evade child support in MS. Young players with serious issues are nothing new for the Bills and if they treated them all the way they've treated guys like Lynch and Peters and Watkins..............guys like Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith, Andre Reed, Biscuit........they never grow into the players that they become. So while Zay may be playing terrible.........they gotta' learn to develop young players better..........issues with talented ones are NOTHING NEW.
Kelly the Dog Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 What are you talking about? Zay had the most targets of any receiver 9 and only 2 catches. TT was 18-24 to everyone else and 2-9 to Zay, We aren't hating on him, but he needs to sit and learn. He is a liability to the offense right now. I hope Streater comes back and they bring Reilly up.I would say there were four of those nine where Tyrod just threw it away or over his head out of bounds or were not serious targets. Not excusing Zay because I think he dropped another one or two. But a few of those he was the closest guy to the pass when TT was just unloading it.
NoSaint Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Seems like a kid that should've been a wr3 or 4 with some well crafted packages ala deonte today only out there for like 15 pass plays. Being forced to be our WR1 with no other real threats likely had him not just facing tougher coverage but having to master the entire offense very quickly and that's a lot of pressure for a day 2 pick. Now do you let him play through it or pull him back?
Kelly the Dog Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Seems like a kid that should've been a wr3 or 4 with some well crafted packages ala deonte today only out there for like 15 pass plays. Being forced to be our WR1 with no other real threats likely had him not just facing tougher coverage but having to master the entire offense very quickly and that's a lot of pressure for a day 2 pick. Now do you let him play through it or pull him back? Not sure about that. He's just dropping balls he should catch. It's just nerves to me. He is getting open. He is usually in the right spot. You don't think too much and then forget to catch the ball (outside of running before catching it which isn't what is happening). He's just dropping balls right in his hands he should catch. The only other thing I see him doing wrong is a few times he didn't track the ball well when it was in the air.
BADOLBILZ Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Seems like a kid that should've been a wr3 or 4 with some well crafted packages ala deonte today only out there for like 15 pass plays. Being forced to be our WR1 with no other real threats likely had him not just facing tougher coverage but having to master the entire offense very quickly and that's a lot of pressure for a day 2 pick. Now do you let him play through it or pull him back? I hate seeing rookies brought in and handed starting positions with no real competition. Beyond the initial pressure to learn the whole offense as you said..........it's simply unnatural for them to just be handed jobs without earning them via competition and can lead to the kind of "in your own head" mental issues that Zay has exhibited and that we often see with young QB's who are handed jobs without earning them.
RyanC883 Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 According to the box score, he was targeted 9 times.. for 2 catches. This brings him to 23 targets on the year with only 5 catches I'm not ready to give up on him yet, he definitely has the physical tools to get the job done. It's just a matter of getting over his case of the dropsies. You don't catch as many balls as he did in college with stone hands. A lot of the "targets" to Zay today were a bit off the mark/uncatchable.
Sammy Watkins' Rib Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 According to the box score, he was targeted 9 times.. for 2 catches. This brings him to 23 targets on the year with only 5 catches Those are last weeks target numbers actually. He's up to 32 targets now on the season and only 7 receptions. A pitiful 22% catch rate. A lot of the "targets" to Zay today were a bit off the mark/uncatchable. As another poster mentioned Taylor was 18/24 to all other receivers and 2/9 to Zay. And this is pretty much a weekly thing. So the question is, if we bench Zay and have another player run Zay's routes, can Taylor hit that player for better than a 22% completion rate? That's a pretty low bar. I got to believe so.
Dragonborn10 Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Too soon to call him a bust. He appears to be getting open which is harder to do in the NFL. His issue is he came from a small school and needs to be WR #3 or 4 to learn the NFL game. Instead he is being asked to be the #1. Too much too soon. Second half catches were good. Hopefully more to come. Like many posters said on here. Give him a WR screen or let him run a reverse early in the game to calm him down.
Kelly the Dog Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 (edited) Those are last weeks target numbers actually. He's up to 32 targets now on the season and only 7 receptions. A pitiful 22% catch rate. As another poster mentioned Taylor was 18/24 to all other receivers and 2/9 to Zay. And this is pretty much a weekly thing. So the question is, if we bench Zay and have another player run Zay's routes, can Taylor hit that player for better than a 22% completion rate? That's a pretty low bar. I got to believe so. While that is true the only other option is Andre Holmes. Tate and Kaelin Clay are not real NFL every down receivers either. It would be at most a weak bandaid. The only way to really eliminate it with the players we have is to keep throwing to Zay and hope he snaps out of it. Thompson is an NFL receiver. He is one of two we really have right now, and one of them has one hand. Edited October 23, 2017 by Kelly the Dog
folz Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Give the kid a break. He's a rookie in his 6th pro game. He's just a little inside his own head right now. It's not his fault that he was drafted to a team with a weak WR corps and he was forced to be a number 2 and then number 1 receiver (with Matthews and Clay down) right out of the gate. That's a lot of pressure for a kid coming from a small school. If we had at least two solid threats ahead of him and he was eased into a slot receiver role, his development would have probably been better, without so much pressure. But despite his drops, he's getting valuable starting experience. He just needs to gain Tyrod's trust back and catch some passes to get his own confidence back. How anyone can call a player a bust after 6 games is beyond me. Honestly, how many draft picks 2nd round or lower each year bust out right away? Many receivers don't fully get it until their third year. For the love of God, let the young players develop before you run them out of town.
Kelly the Dog Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Give the kid a break. He's a rookie in his 6th pro game. He's just a little inside his own head right now. It's not his fault that he was drafted to a team with a weak WR corps and he was forced to be a number 2 and then number 1 receiver (with Matthews and Clay down) right out of the gate. That's a lot of pressure for a kid coming from a small school. If we had at least two solid threats ahead of him and he was eased into a slot receiver role, his development would have probably been better, without so much pressure. But despite his drops, he's getting valuable starting experience. He just needs to gain Tyrod's trust back and catch some passes to get his own confidence back. How anyone can call a player a bust after 6 games is beyond me. Honestly, how many draft picks 2nd round or lower each year bust out right away? Many receivers don't fully get it until their third year. For the love of God, let the young players develop before you run them out of town. Zay and his yips are a different animal though. What you're describing is true for a lot of rookies and young guys but that is not what is happening here. It's not as though he is not producing because the NFL game is different or more complex or he is having trouble getting off the line or finding seams or getting open. He's doing all of those. In fact, even though he's literally the worst producing WR stats wise ( he's not close to the worst receiver), He is not given any credit he really deserves for getting open, running routes, getting off the line, etc. To be fair to him, the real hard part of being an NFL rookie WR taken in the second round he is excelling in. Most guys wouldn't be open as much as he has been. He just has a huge mental problem right now. It's Steve Sax like. He is not catching simple passes. And it's six games now. Badol is right. Some guys like Josh Reed never get over it. It seems strange but it's true. I believe he will be fine but it's not a guarantee. The good part about it is we know he has good hands. That's his best attribute. So it's very possible that as soon as he gets out of this slump it will be behind him. But again that is not a guarantee. You would think three or four games would be enough. But he dropped the first one to him yesterday too. Fans don't often realize how much confidence is a very fickle thing in a pro athlete's head.
transplantbillsfan Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 True. But having to dive for it to hit him Im the hands. We won no need for complaints. Huh? The pass Jones dropped today he didn't have to dive for. What're you talking about? Stop being so shady, Shady Remember Eric Moulds in his first two seasons? Was looking like a colossal bust. Patience. Great point, actually I would say there were four of those nine where Tyrod just threw it away or over his head out of bounds or were not serious targets. Not excusing Zay because I think he dropped another one or two. But a few of those he was the closest guy to the pass when TT was just unloading it. It's just the fact that EVERY game there's one or two he drops that's a little ridiculous and is getting frustrating.
Kelly the Dog Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Huh? The pass Jones dropped today he didn't have to dive for. What're you talking about? Stop being so shady, Shady Great point, actually It's just the fact that EVERY game there's one or two he drops that's a little ridiculous and is getting frustrating. No question. No one wants to hear this but he's literally the worst starting WR in the league. It's not even close. And it's not like he's producing but we have to put up with some drops. He's literally the worst. Out of, say, 64. I do think he will snap out of it soon. I do think we should still throw to him. I do think he is a big talent. And it's all a mind game he will soon get out of. That is not guaranteed of course. But I truly believe it is nerves way more than talent. And as soon as the nerves don't spook him like they are now he will be fine. He's actually open a lot. That's usually a much bigger problem for a #2 WR. He'll be fine but we don't know if it's game 7 or 10 or 12 or 15. And the longer it takes the worse we are. Deonte is a much more reliable guy now.
CDogg20 Posted October 23, 2017 Posted October 23, 2017 Similar thread to there is a ball in the air but Zay could not find it. They need to put Zay J on the bench for two weeks... Then forget about about him forever. Good thing you dont make the call then. He dropped one early then bounced back well. Give him time. Not saying hes Cris Carter but people wanted to give up on him early too...
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