T master Posted March 20, 2021 Posted March 20, 2021 I'm not going to vote because i don't know what his chances are but i hope he does he should know the offense very well now & when he has been on the field he has flashed very well i think he could be at least as good as either back they used last season .
Shaw66 Posted March 20, 2021 Author Posted March 20, 2021 11 hours ago, benderbender said: I understand that it was an extra spot, but it still doesn’t follow their m.o. If there was no smoke and no fire, I’d think that they’d clap him on the back last year and say “thanks for hanging out,” and wish him cheerio on his trip back over the pond instead of stringing him along. That’s all. I am biased, I’ll admit. I like his personality and appreciate the chance he’s taking with his career. I’m rooting for him. I don't think that's McD's style. He wants to do the right thing, and if the league wants to promote this sort of experiment - or public relations gimmick, take your pick - that McD won't pull the plug early. After all, the guy doesn't get in the way - he's just an extra body in the meeting rooms. And, as it turned out, he came in useful running the scout team as the Lamar Jackson stand in, and probably at other times when the team was down a running back or two and needed a body to fill in. 2
Simon Says Posted March 20, 2021 Posted March 20, 2021 On 3/19/2021 at 11:46 AM, Shaw66 said: I think you underestimate the level of his talent. When the Bills were preparing for the Ravens, Wade was the guy who played Lamar Jackson on the scout team, because he was the only guy the Bills had with that combination of quickness and speed. The guy is really talented. It's only a question of whether he can learn enough to play the game. I thought it was Ray Ray McCloud who portrayed Lamar Jackson
John from Riverside Posted March 20, 2021 Posted March 20, 2021 I would love to see what Wade could do as a returner
Simon Says Posted March 20, 2021 Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) On 3/19/2021 at 11:00 AM, Shaw66 said: I keep coming back to Wade. We saw the flashes of his talent in the 2019 preseason - he has NFL speed and escapability. Obviously, he has zero football experience. His talents would be a great addition in the Bills' backfield, but does his inexperience make him a liability? He has said that the hardest thing for him to learn has been blocking. I'm sure Josh Allen loves to hear that. Bills need a punt returner and kick returner, and his skills fit there, too. But are the Bills really going to trust him to make the right decisions on those plays? Missing the 2020 preseason really hurt him. As much as I like the idea, I think he's less than 25%. He is almost 30. By the time the game comes naturally to him,I think his skills will have diminished On 3/19/2021 at 12:20 PM, Shaw66 said: I didn't know that. That pretty much closes that door for Wade, and I'm not surprised. Didn't see that. McKenzie might be able to handle punts, still need someone to return kickoffs. Could be a rookie Edited March 20, 2021 by Georgie
Chandler#81 Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 I’d love to see it. I think too much emphasis has been placed on him fully comprehending a pro playbook -and he had more than 2 years to learn it anyway. I believe he’s capable of being a very good RB -even in a limited role. The man has mad talent. How much ‘seasoning’ does a KR need? Try to follow blocks and run like Hell to the other goal line! 1
whatdrought Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 His path is special teams, but I doubt that works for him. It’s a good story, but it’s hard to play in the NFL. 1
Thurman#1 Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 On 3/20/2021 at 12:00 AM, Shaw66 said: I keep coming back to Wade. We saw the flashes of his talent in the 2019 preseason - he has NFL speed and escapability. Obviously, he has zero football experience. His talents would be a great addition in the Bills' backfield, but does his inexperience make him a liability? He has said that the hardest thing for him to learn has been blocking. I'm sure Josh Allen loves to hear that. Bills need a punt returner and kick returner, and his skills fit there, too. But are the Bills really going to trust him to make the right decisions on those plays? Missing the 2020 preseason really hurt him. As much as I like the idea, I think he's less than 25%. 25% sounds like the right area to me. I think it's not as impossible as many people believe after two years. But it will be tough.
skibum Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 I don't see why he couldn't be a return specialist and occasional gadget player.
Shaw66 Posted March 21, 2021 Author Posted March 21, 2021 37 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said: 25% sounds like the right area to me. I think it's not as impossible as many people believe after two years. But it will be tough. I agree. Not quite as impossible as many people think.
Saxum Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 On 3/19/2021 at 12:16 PM, dbfla10 said: "90% of the game is half mental" Well there are a lot of mental players in NFL.
Thurman#1 Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 (edited) On 3/20/2021 at 2:08 AM, Shaw66 said: I agree. Just think about punt returns. Just learning to judge the flight of the ball requires a lot of work, doing it from scratch. Remember, this isn't a guy who grew up shagging fly balls like most American kids. So, he has to learn the flight of the ball, how it curves, how to read the spin, all of that. He has to learn to look away from the ball to gauge where the coverage is, then find the ball. Then catch the ball under pressure, learn when to take the fair catch, learn how to play the ball close to the sideline. Then he has to not fumble when he gets hit two seconds after catching it. A team can tolerate maybe one mistake in any of that process a season; the rest of the time, all of that has to be done right. I don't think that's something you just practice and learn to do without having done it under live fire. Rugby guys spend an awful lot of time practicing kicking and catching. The kicking is punt-style and the balls are pretty close to football-shaped. I doubt this took him more than about ten reps to say, "OK, pretty much the same." Oh, and the rugby guys also have guys running at them full-speed and hitting them after they catch it. EDIT: I see this has already been addressed, but to add on ... KRs don't have terribly technical jobs, not that much thinking to do. It's mostly instinctual avoidance of running bodies and dealing with big hits where the mistakes can be made, and those instincts he has in spades. RBs have more thinking to do, as far as hitting the right hole, but it's not the kind of thinking a QB has to do or anything. Once you know the right hole you just have to decide whether or not the hole's there. Again, a lot of it is the instinct of running for daylight. Rugby players react differently to being tackled but two years should be plenty to develop those instincts. IMO 25% is a solid guess. Edited March 21, 2021 by Thurman#1
Brand J Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 18 hours ago, Georgie said: I thought it was Ray Ray McCloud who portrayed Lamar Jackson Ray Ray wasn’t with the squad. I heard it was Isiah McKenzie. EDIT: yep, it was McKenzie - https://billswire.usatoday.com/2021/01/17/isaiah-mckenzie-happy-act-lamar-jackson-buffalo-bills-jerry-hughes/
NoSaint Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 On 3/19/2021 at 10:51 AM, BornAgainBillsFan said: He'd have to WOW them again in the preseason, including seeing what he can do at PR and KR. Have they announced yet whether or not there'll be a preseason? there will be - not to be political but full vaccination will be a thing by then 5 hours ago, Chandler#81 said: I’d love to see it. I think too much emphasis has been placed on him fully comprehending a pro playbook -and he had more than 2 years to learn it anyway. I believe he’s capable of being a very good RB -even in a limited role. The man has mad talent. How much ‘seasoning’ does a KR need? Try to follow blocks and run like Hell to the other goal line! we see guys step in on special teams with little to no experience there.
Don Otreply Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 Yes, he will be our starter, I heard this during at high level meeting...
Shaw66 Posted March 21, 2021 Author Posted March 21, 2021 2 hours ago, JayBaller10 said: Ray Ray wasn’t with the squad. I heard it was Isiah McKenzie. EDIT: yep, it was McKenzie - https://billswire.usatoday.com/2021/01/17/isaiah-mckenzie-happy-act-lamar-jackson-buffalo-bills-jerry-hughes/ I was wrong. Thanks.
Shaw66 Posted March 21, 2021 Author Posted March 21, 2021 2 hours ago, Thurman#1 said: Rugby guys spend an awful lot of time practicing kicking and catching. The kicking is punt-style and the balls are pretty close to football-shaped. I doubt this took him more than about ten reps to say, "OK, pretty much the same." Oh, and the rugby guys also have guys running at them full-speed and hitting them after they catch it. EDIT: I see this has already been addressed, but to add on ... KRs don't have terribly technical jobs, not that much thinking to do. It's mostly instinctual avoidance of running bodies and dealing with big hits where the mistakes can be made, and those instincts he has in spades. RBs have more thinking to do, as far as hitting the right hole, but it's not the kind of thinking a QB has to do or anything. Once you know the right hole you just have to decide whether or not the hole's there. Again, a lot of it is the instinct of running for daylight. Rugby players react differently to being tackled but two years should be plenty to develop those instincts. IMO 25% is a solid guess. In his podcast interview with some guy in England, Wade said it wasn't easy learning to catch a football. I don't think the issue with punt and kick returns is that it's technical. The issue that it is very high risk. One mistake can be a 50-yard turnover. It's a high-pressure, three-second-or-less play where you have to make the right decision, every time. It's why I always breathe easy when Hyde goes back to return punts. He has excellent hands and makes the right decision virtually all the time. Roberts was excellent at it, too. Wade simply has never - not once - stood under a punt with even NCAA Division I players coming at him, with decisions to be made about catch or not, fair catch or not, how to play the sideline. He didn't do it his first season, he might have done it if he had a preseason in 2020 but he didn't. I just don't see how McD can decide to go into 2021 season taking that risk on punts. Kickoffs, maybe, but not punts. One turnover on punts and kickoffs is too many, two would be completely unacceptable. Now, the guy is a veteran professional athlete, and he will have had two years of various kinds of opportunities to learn the game, so maybe, just maybe he can do it. Still, like you, I'd call no better than 25%.
ExWNYer Posted March 21, 2021 Posted March 21, 2021 Nice guy, nice story, next to no chance of making the final roster. 25% is way too generous. He'll be 30 in May and has little to no experience playing the game. His 15 minutes are almost up. Kudos for even giving it a shot, Christian, and good luck to you.
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