John Miller Fully Committed to Regaining Starting Role

[Magox]

Just now, ScottLaw said:

He improved later in the season.

 

He had some god awful games earlier in the year. I'm not sure how you can say Miller was the better guard last year when he never played. 

 

I never did say Miller was the better guard, I'm guessing you meant to say Ducasse.   In which I'd say that Miller did play, and he played early on.  Not sure if you remember but they were platooning the two for the first few games and Miller was the one who was grading out horribly and Ducasse won the job. 

 

[billsfan89]

44 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

I don't get the reluctance to play Groy?

 

It's insane how much they simply refuse to play the guy even as the talent he is benched behind continues to dissipate. 

[Kwai San]

I have thought since the EW retirement that the Bills O-Line was gonna be OK - obviously the brain trust at OBD thinks the same since they waited till the late rounds to address the O-line......having said that they are going to def have growing pains......I would not wanna be the Bills starting QB the first few games......hopefully they let JA watch from the sidelines for awhile before throwing him into the fracases called the Bills O-line

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

3 hours ago, Magox said:

 

Never mind the fact that anyone who didn't have a preconceived view or agenda knows that Vlad clearly was the better guard in last year's system.

 

With that said, new year, new system and I wouldn't be surprised to see Miller win the job.

 

...wouldn't surprise me if someone along the OL was an inherent weakness versus the guy sitting and McDaboll stayed quiet about it....if that one piece served as disruptive to his offense, his "temper" could flare up.....

[JohnBonhamRocks]

How far can he throw a dumbbell? 

 

Kidding aside, I would love to see him regain his form before last year. It would not be ideal, but I could at least live with that version of Miller, last year's Ducasse, and the best man who wins between Bodine and Groy between them. 

[Rocky Landing]

4 hours ago, thurst44 said:

I totally ripped Ducasse going into the season, but then when I watched him closely during the season on all-22, thought he was perfectly fine, and while neither my own acumen nor PFF are perfect judges (particularly the former), it''s the best I have to go by. Most people digging in to him now have provided much less proof (just seems like preconceived notions):

 

Here's PFF:

https://www.profootballfocus.com/nfl/players/vladimir-ducasse/5586

Vlad got absolutely hammered on these boards last season. Mills has been a perennial black sheep, as well, but I always thought that he was getting steadily better, season to season. I thought Ducasse looked like a tree stump last season, but I admit that the constant bashing on this site may have influenced my opinion. 

 

But, I also believe that Tyrod Taylor (whom I am a fan of), stretched the pocket too far on every play, and his O-line needed eyes on the back of their heads to defend him. That doesn't forgive all of Ducasse's perceived deficiencies, but maybe our O-line isn't going to be the train wreck it looks like on paper?

Edited May 25, 2018 by Rocky Landing

[Buddy Hix]

Good to hear. I’m expecting a down year based on the schedule and roster turnover but guys like Miller and Shaq could change that.

[RoyBatty is alive]

5 hours ago, HappyDays said:

I had almost forgotten he existed. I swear he had a really good rookie year before disappearing.

 

 

Ducasse is playing LG. Based on the first week of OTAs the starting line is Dawkins, Ducasse, Bodine, Miller, Mills. Ideally I'd like Teller or Groy to win the LG spot before the season is over.

Another year of Mills, hard to fathom but at least he was greatly improved last year.

[Doc]

Why don't they put Miller at LG, where he mostly played in college, especially since Ducasse did alright at RG?  And if Bodine is the starting center...

[Shaw66]

Strictly reading between the lines, but I'd guess that Miller came to camp complacent last year.   Two year starter and all that.    Why do I say that?

 

Because when he talks about how focused he is and how hard he's worked in the off-season, etc., it sounds like that's new to him, like he didn't get the memo last year when McD showed up.   You don't work hard, all day, every day, you aren't playing for McDermott.  

 

It sounds like he's now gotten and read the memo.   I expect we'll see the results on the field this fall. 

[Happy]

I'm fully committed to John Miller regaining the starting RT this year.  Vlad is depth, IMO.

[njbuff]

Dawkins at LT......... good

Vlad at LG.......... OMG

Bodine at C............... OMG

Miller at RG............. pray for a bounce back season or another OMG

Mills at RT............... OMG

 

This is one hideous starting OL on paper.

 

I didn't realize how bad this was.

 

Allen shouldn't be near a starting position until this OL is fixed. Let Peterman or McCarron get killed.

 

I don't worry so much about what's going on at WR or the inexperience at QB, cause this OL as currently constituted is going to derail any hopes of having a good offense.

 

On paper, this might be the most hideous OL in team history and that is saying something.

 

I hope that Teller can emerge as a LG out of the gate as a 5th round steal, Groy is the starting C (proved to be very solid in Wood's place when Wood was injured), Miller becomes solid again and McDermott can show the faith the staff had in him by retaining him on the roster and unseat Mills........ otherwise...............

 

LOOK OUT BELOW.

[njbuff]

Just now, ScottLaw said:

Stop being negative.?

 

All joking aside............... did I say anything that is wrong there?

 

I hope I am WAY WRONG, otherwise this OL can easily derail the entire season.

 

You can't fix all your teams ills in one off season, but this OL looks really really bad on paper if a few guys don't emerge.

[blacklabel]

Definitely puzzling as to why they prefer to keep Groy locked into a backup role. I get that he has the ability to fill in at C/G but they matched the offer sheet from the Rams last season to keep him here. I guess maybe they prefer him in his current role because it'll allow them to carry one less OL during the season?? That'd open up a roster spot elsewhere but that feels like a lame reason to keep the guy at second string. Pretty much everybody agrees that he held it down pretty well when Wood missed time in 2016. I assume he'll get a shot to win a starting job in camp, at least.

 

Miller made huge strides from his rookie to his second year. His skill-set just wasn't a good fit for what Dennison was trying to accomplish. As stated previously, if they decide to use more power than zone schemes then Miller has a good chance to win a starting gig.

 

Mills showed some improvement last season. He can hold his own against bigger pass rushers but he is consistently bad against speed rushers. We'll see if Marshall Newhouse can give him a run for his money.

 

The comments from Bengals fans on Bodine certainly haven't provided much reassurance but we'll see. 

 

Hopefully Dawkins doesn't fall into a sophomore slump. Could happen depending on the blocking scheme they run.

 

Teller could turn out to be a steal if they can reach him. I guess his not-so-great senior year was a result of him not getting along with the coaches. Not sure if it's true but I believe I read that he played most of last season with an undisclosed injury so that may have caused his play to drop some. McBeane obviously wouldn't take a player seen as lazy so they must be alright with his senior year and believe the right kind of coaching can turn him into a starter.

 

No superstars on this OL but, I dunno, may not be as horrible as some think. This coaching staff seems to be geared towards running schemes that will maximize a players skill set, you know, the opposite of what Dennison did last season. I think McDermott has been great so far but if he has one blunder it's his decision to hire Rick Dennison. That dude seemed like a last resort kind of hire. I've always wondered if McDermott decided to hire him because Dennison was the OC who helped defeat McDermott's defense in SB50.

Edited May 25, 2018 by blacklabel

[Rocky Landing]

43 minutes ago, Doc said:

Why don't they put Miller at LG, where he mostly played in college, especially since Ducasse did alright at RG?  And if Bodine is the starting center...

I gotta believe that they're going to be moving people around, and trying different combinations before they find one that works the best. Guessing it's going to look pretty ugly for while. Maybe a long while...

[RoyBatty is alive]

45 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Strictly reading between the lines, but I'd guess that Miller came to camp complacent last year.   Two year starter and all that.    Why do I say that?

 

Because when he talks about how focused he is and how hard he's worked in the off-season, etc., it sounds like that's new to him, like he didn't get the memo last year when McD showed up.   You don't work hard, all day, every day, you aren't playing for McDermott.  

 

It sounds like he's now gotten and read the memo.   I expect we'll see the results on the field this fall. 

I think you are on to something Shaw but i think the motivation is a little more obvious,. this is the final year of his rookie contract.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

...if it was not the scheme, can anybody shed some light how the kid went from the penthouse to outhouse overnight based on this assessment??.............

 

By: Stephen Culley | February 28, 2017 : BILLSWIRE/PFF

When the Buffalo Bills selected offensive guard John Miller in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft, they felt that they had acquired a player that could be an early starter and should develop into a very good one. After a tough rookie season that saw Miller plagued with an ankle issue and struggling to deal with the death of his mother, Miller started to blossom into what the organization hoped he could during his sophomore season in the NFL.

 

That progression has been noticed by the analysts at Pro Football Focus, naming Miller as the most-improved second-year player in the NFL by their grading system.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

5 hours ago, ALF said:

Hope someone can outplay Mills at RT.

Shouldn't be difficult.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

1 minute ago, Formerly Allan in MD said:

Shouldn't be difficult.

so then shed some light how the kid went from the penthouse to outhouse overnight based on PFF's assessment if it shouldn't be THAT hard??.

[transient]

Second Bills former starting guard this week to be fully committed. Hope it doesn’t start a trend.