dorquemada Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 40 minutes ago, matter2003 said: Maybe Epenesa will release something better?? If he releases anything at all it's bound to be better 1
DrDawkinstein Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 23 minutes ago, H2o said: I wouldn't say he was dominant, but he did have 4 really good years in a Bills uni. I could see Epenesa having a similar career. I think a full offseason in an NFL strength and conditioning program will benefit him a lot. He looks to have dropped about 20lbs since his time at Iowa and I believe that weight loss has affected his playing strength. I think he'll need to stay slim in order to ever become a pass rusher like Schobel. If he bulks back up, that puts him back into the Kelsay/Lawson category. I dunno. I go back and forth on this kid. Not making any concrete judgements until we get to a better year next year.
H2o Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 Just now, DrDawkinstein said: I think he'll need to stay slim in order to ever become a pass rusher like Schobel. If he bulks back up, that puts him back into the Kelsay/Lawson category. I dunno. I go back and forth on this kid. Not making any concrete judgements until we get to a better year next year. Yeah, I definitely don't want to see him back up to 280lbs and losing the twitch we have seen on the field, but I do believe that an offseason in the strength and conditioning program will go a long way with his functional strength. This offseason was just completely jacked, especially for the rookies just coming into the league. 1
ProcessTruster Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 1 hour ago, DrDawkinstein said: I'm giving him a big pass on this season with the lack of rookie OTAs, the shortened offseason, etc with COVID. Hope to see much more from him next year. Oh yeah, he'll be bigger and stronger with a full offseason of pro level training. We have a good one there. Sucks not having Jordan and Shaq this year, but developing AJ in the offseaso will pay off to some extent when the salary cap man comes callin' next year. He may even come on towards the end of this year. We'll see. McBeanes had him pegged right as a 2nd round prospect. Trust the Process.
BillsVet Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 1 hour ago, Motorin' said: Jerry Hughes has 3 TFL over 436 plays compared to AJ's 2 TFL across 110 plays. That's a TFL ever 145 plays for Jerry and every 55 plays for AJ. It's too small of a sample size probably, but you're not really making your case by focusing on the #'s. AJ's QB hits are ever 55 plays and Jerry's is 1 every 54.5 plays. I want to see him take snaps away from Murphy who is a waste of space far too often. There are lies, damn lies, and statistics. You get bonus points in your "argument" for telling me who said that.
LABILLBACKER Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 I'm confident he'll be exactly who the coaching staff is molding him into. Lorenzo Alexander 1
BuffaloBillies Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 6 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said: I'm confident he'll be exactly who the coaching staff is molding him into. Lorenzo Alexander Speaking of Lorenzo... this bye week is the perfect time for him to come back and enjoy the stretch run/playoffs. C'mon Lorax/Bills, Make it happen! 1
Bleeding Bills Blue Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 I like his hands and his drive. Both make him a good fit on this defense. He doesn't have as much of a raw athleticism of murphy - but i think he can be a better player. I can't stand murphy sometimes. Epenesa almost forced a fumble sticking with a play when he rushed from the opposite side. Murphy was trotting and epenesa (a slower player) ran right past him. The play isn't over! Get on your horse! 5 minutes ago, BuffaloBillies said: Speaking of Lorenzo... this bye week is the perfect time for him to come back and enjoy the stretch run/playoffs. C'mon Lorax/Bills, Make it happen! Can it be for murphy?
LABILLBACKER Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 12 minutes ago, BuffaloBillies said: Speaking of Lorenzo... this bye week is the perfect time for him to come back and enjoy the stretch run/playoffs. C'mon Lorax/Bills, Make it happen! Not gunna happen. If McD was going to talk him into returning it would've been weeks ago.
TigerJ Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 1 hour ago, GunnerBill said: And 1 sack. I don't see enough either way yet. I am actually in favour of trying to get him on the field more so we have an idea whether he can play a bigger role next year. I think Epenesa is a guy who will need to win battles more with technique rather than natural talent (understanding that every player needs a mix of both) as such I'm not shocked that he lacks a little in the way of production early in his career. He's going to need development to be a long term success. Getting on the field is an important part of that.
The Jokeman Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 2 hours ago, Motorin' said: First let me say I like this guy. He's flashed some explosiveness and violence from the DE position, and has made some plays. I think losing him and Dane Jackson against the Cards hampered the defensive effort last Sunday. Now to his head injury. I was very surprised to see him walking off the field bc the last play I remembered him in was when he chased down Kyler Murray for the tackle while attempting a wild tomahawk chop. Then he jumps up in celebration towards the Bills sideline and tumbles over as the cameras cut away. Did he face plant right in front of McDermott and give himself a concussion? Losing Dane hurt especially since Worley drew a flag on one of the passes he was defending. Espenesa to me hasn't show that much thus far.
Motorin' Posted November 18, 2020 Author Posted November 18, 2020 36 minutes ago, BillsVet said: There are lies, damn lies, and statistics. You get bonus points in your "argument" for telling me who said that. The full quote is "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." And Mark Twain was quoting Benjamin Disraeli.
Mr. WEO Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 2 hours ago, BillsVet said: In 8 games Epenesa has participated in 110 snaps or 16% of those in games he's played. Has 2 TFL and 2 QB hits: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/EpenAJ00.htm I'm not seeing what you're seeing. Seems like the coaching staff is seeing what you're seeing.
BillsVet Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 1 hour ago, LABILLBACKER said: I'm confident he'll be exactly who the coaching staff is molding him into. Lorenzo Alexander If he follows along Alexander's career track, we should see Epenesa become that sort of player by the year 2029.
Buffalo Junction Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 2 hours ago, dneveu said: I like his hands and his drive. Both make him a good fit on this defense. He doesn't have as much of a raw athleticism of murphy - but i think he can be a better player. 2 hours ago, TigerJ said: I think Epenesa is a guy who will need to win battles more with technique rather than natural talent (understanding that every player needs a mix of both) as such I'm not shocked that he lacks a little in the way of production early in his career. He's going to need development to be a long term success. Getting on the field is an important part of that. He’s surprisingly good at hand fighting. Seems that a big issue though is recognizing blocking angles and combo blocks quick enough to respond before they get into his body. He’s dedicated enough to get there and seems to be improving as he gains experience. I think a year of NFL 🏋️♂️ 🏃♂️ along with that drive will get him to a point where he’s a reliable starter. I don’t think he’ll truly be a top end DE though unless he somehow manages to get back up to 280ish without losing any explosiveness.
Bleeding Bills Blue Posted November 19, 2020 Posted November 19, 2020 15 hours ago, Buffalo Junction said: He’s surprisingly good at hand fighting. Seems that a big issue though is recognizing blocking angles and combo blocks quick enough to respond before they get into his body. He’s dedicated enough to get there and seems to be improving as he gains experience. I think a year of NFL 🏋️♂️ 🏃♂️ along with that drive will get him to a point where he’s a reliable starter. I don’t think he’ll truly be a top end DE though unless he somehow manages to get back up to 280ish without losing any explosiveness. Its a hard position to project - and there are plenty of stories of players breaking out as pass rushers well passed their rookie contracts. Hand usage and technique are big, but understanding your role as the 1/11 and how to manipulate the QB and the pocket... there's a lot to learn there. 1
LABILLBACKER Posted November 19, 2020 Posted November 19, 2020 17 hours ago, BillsVet said: If he follows along Alexander's career track, we should see Epenesa become that sort of player by the year 2029. I doubt its going to take that long.
Buffalo Junction Posted November 19, 2020 Posted November 19, 2020 18 minutes ago, dneveu said: Its a hard position to project - and there are plenty of stories of players breaking out as pass rushers well passed their rookie contracts. Hand usage and technique are big, but understanding your role as the 1/11 and how to manipulate the QB and the pocket... there's a lot to learn there. It certainly happens. I just don’t think he has the athletic ceiling to put up Mack or Watt type of numbers, which is why he wasn’t a first rounder. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him turn into one of those 7-10 sack type of guys. Coming out I was more impressed with his ability to disrupt than his pass rushing.
CaptnCoke11 Posted November 19, 2020 Posted November 19, 2020 Funny to see a lot of people writing him off already. I don’t think the plan was to draft him and be a plug n play guy day 1. The coaching staff had him slim down so he’s development is still very much in progress. 1
Bleeding Bills Blue Posted November 19, 2020 Posted November 19, 2020 44 minutes ago, Buffalo Junction said: It certainly happens. I just don’t think he has the athletic ceiling to put up Mack or Watt type of numbers, which is why he wasn’t a first rounder. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him turn into one of those 7-10 sack type of guys. Coming out I was more impressed with his ability to disrupt than his pass rushing. Yeah - Even just as an active tackler that's what i'd like to see. If he can contribute 5+ sacks and lead the dline in tackles that'd be good. 2
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