Voice of the Eagles Merrill Reese: the word is Bills are close to finalizing deal with Zach Ertz

[Draconator]

 

[Figster]

1 minute ago, Boxcar said:

Literally every WR had a significant injury. That affects their ability to create separation. Beasley could barely walk.

Ertz could have helped make up for the injuries. At 6 5 less seperation is needed.

 

Beasley shouldn't have even been in the game then IMO.

[Paul Costa]

8 minutes ago, Figster said:

Ertz could have helped make up for the injuries. At 6 5 less seperation is needed.

 

Beasley shouldn't have even been in the game then IMO.

Solid reason to add Ertz at the right price.it would be great to trade Addison or Klein and switch out each other’s financial problems.

[Boxcar]

10 minutes ago, Figster said:

Ertz could have helped make up for the injuries. At 6 5 less seperation is needed.

 

Beasley shouldn't have even been in the game then IMO.

I won't disagree, but my point is there's more to it than "they were bullied and couldn't fight back"

[Protocal69]

2 hours ago, Rochesterfan said:

 

It depends upon where those catches are coming from.  Zach Ertz is not as good of a receiving threat as Diggs, Beasley, Sanders, or Gabriel Davis - so with the limited number of passes per game (averaged 38 last year) - 

 

Diggs - ~ 11 per game

Sanders - ~ 6 per game

Beasley - ~ 7 per game

Davis - ~ 4 per game

RB’s and McKenzie -~ 5 per game

That leaves you about 5 targets per games and if they all went to Ertz with his career catch % that would get him 50 catches.  My guess is he would not be the only TE targeted so probably 1/3 go to Knox, Hollister, Sweeney- so Ertz would be in the 35 catch range. 
 

If we want him in the 50-55 catch range - then you are pulling targets from Beasley, Sanders, and Davis to feed Ertz and that is a net negative to the offense.  I also do not want to give up assets or pay significant money to Ertz for a 50 catch season.  That is what we got from the TEs last year at a better rate of return with no added cost.

 

I agree that the FO said they got little out of the TE, but they also said the running game struggled and they wanted to improve, but brought back the same o-line and RBs basically.  So yes I think they would like more out of the TE position, but I am not sure it comes from an acquisition like Ertz more an adjustment to game planning.

 

I guess the final thing I would say about this is if I am an opposing defense - I would rather see the Bills throw to Ertz over Diggs, Beasley, Sanders and Davis.  I wouldn’t really adjust coverage to accommodate for Ertz because he is less of a threat than those other guys.  He is also less of a blocker than the other TEs so he helps less on the running plays.  If we decided to run more 2 TE sets you are pulling talented WRs off the field for lesser players including Ertz.  In Philadelphia- Ertz was the best receiver they had for several years or at least top 2 which is why he got the targets.  In Buffalo he comes in as the 5th best target at best and should get targets commensurate with that level of talent.
 

 

 

What you are not taking into consideration is the fact that Ertz would give us more options on a game to game basis. It would allow us to run the ball a little better when needed. Every game doesn't have to be a 10 target game.

 

When teams want to get physical he is a guy that can still get to his spot and provide a security blanket for Josh. Not to mention the things that Knox can pickup from a guy like Ertz.

[BillsShredder83]

13 hours ago, Giuseppe Tognarelli said:

Neither is Ertz though

Knox best year (rookie year, regressed last year)

28 rec, 388 yards, 2 tds

 

Ertz 2019 (not injured)

88rec, 916yds, 6td

 

Knox kills drives with drops, Ertz keeps chains moving and defenses have to gameplan him. Highly doubt any DCs are losing sleep over game planning Dawson, and he sure as heck isn't helping someone else get open. 

[Rochesterfan]

20 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

I am skeptical Sanders gets 6 targets a game.  While he’s a good addition, he’s also not as productive anymore and has no experience with Josh or Daboll complicated offense.  I expect Davis to start over him personally.  
 

Ertz won’t be featured like Philly when he was a key focal point, we just have too many other weapons.  The importance of Ertz is to have a reliable guy who makes plays when called upon.   He is also a great mentor for Knox too.  
 

End of the day, Ertz will be a fantastic add to this team giving Allen another weapon who can be counted on that the defense has to respect and that can contribute to Knox reaching his potential too.  
 

His year end totals don’t matter, he makes this team better by just being on the roster.  I would 100% prefer to have Ertz at TE when we face teams like KC, Cle, or Titans in the AFCCG with a Super Bowl birth on the line.  

 

Get it done Beane.  

 

16 minutes ago, Figster said:

The Bills O lacks physicality in my humble opinion. Josh Allen lacks a TE security blanket he feels is adequate enough to target. Erts helps in both area's IMO. 

 

The Chiefs manhandling of the Bills WR's showed just how one dimensional the Bills O has gotten IMO.

 

I don’t disagree with either of these on a whole, but if someone expects that Ertz is coming in and giving you anything like he produced in Philadelphia in the past that is crazy.  
 

If your expectations are that Ertz gets you 40-50 catches, between 400-500 yards, and 5 TDs.  Then you might be right on.  The question becomes what are you willing to trade and how much are you willing to pay for that kind of production?  
 

Are you willing to give up a mid round pick in what could be the deepest draft in a long, long time after the pandemic and pay him 4/5 of your remaining salary cap space - because I am not sure I am willing to do that for basically the name.  
 

For me - I am not overly concerned if we get him or not.  I would be fine if it was a 7th and Philadelphia maintained 60% of his salary - so we got him at ~3.5 million or if Philadelphia took back salary like Addison and a 7th or Butler and a 7th for Ertz, but if we start pushing 5th round and his full salary - I would rather see Beane wait and try to get him after cuts.

[BillsShredder83]

2 hours ago, Rochesterfan said:

 

It depends upon where those catches are coming from.  Zach Ertz is not as good of a receiving threat as Diggs, Beasley, Sanders, or Gabriel Davis - so with the limited number of passes per game (averaged 38 last year) - 

 

Diggs - ~ 11 per game

Sanders - ~ 6 per game

Beasley - ~ 7 per game

Davis - ~ 4 per game

RB’s and McKenzie -~ 5 per game

That leaves you about 5 targets per games and if they all went to Ertz with his career catch % that would get him 50 catches.  My guess is he would not be the only TE targeted so probably 1/3 go to Knox, Hollister, Sweeney- so Ertz would be in the 35 catch range. 
 

If we want him in the 50-55 catch range - then you are pulling targets from Beasley, Sanders, and Davis to feed Ertz and that is a net negative to the offense.  I also do not want to give up assets or pay significant money to Ertz for a 50 catch season.  That is what we got from the TEs last year at a better rate of return with no added cost.

 

I agree that the FO said they got little out of the TE, but they also said the running game struggled and they wanted to improve, but brought back the same o-line and RBs basically.  So yes I think they would like more out of the TE position, but I am not sure it comes from an acquisition like Ertz more an adjustment to game planning.

 

I guess the final thing I would say about this is if I am an opposing defense - I would rather see the Bills throw to Ertz over Diggs, Beasley, Sanders and Davis.  I wouldn’t really adjust coverage to accommodate for Ertz because he is less of a threat than those other guys.  He is also less of a blocker than the other TEs so he helps less on the running plays.  If we decided to run more 2 TE sets you are pulling talented WRs off the field for lesser players including Ertz.  In Philadelphia- Ertz was the best receiver they had for several years or at least top 2 which is why he got the targets.  In Buffalo he comes in as the 5th best target at best and should get targets commensurate with that level of talent.
 

 

 

More pass attempts and completions to be had when youre stalling on less drives per game.

Edited July 1, 2021 by BillsShredder83

[Fan in Chicago]

2 minutes ago, BillsShredder83 said:

More pass attempts and completions to be had when your stalling on less drives per game.

In general, our O drives were fine and won us 13 games last season. But the limitations were exposed in the Chiefs in-season game and throughout the playoffs.,

We need a credible run game and contribution from TEs to get us over this hump. Those are the kind of games we need help winning. We are no longer just aiming to make the playoffs. 

[BillsShredder83]

1 minute ago, Fan in Chicago said:

In general, our O drives were fine and won us 13 games last season. But the limitations were exposed in the Chiefs in-season game and throughout the playoffs.,

We need a credible run game and contribution from TEs to get us over this hump. Those are the kind of games we need help winning. We are no longer just aiming to make the playoffs. 

Yeah regular season you can't ask for much more. The chiefs exposed our offense as being 1Dimensional. If we can get Ertz on tape having a good year, and Josh has a safety valve, I think it could help put us over the top come playoffs

[Rochesterfan]

10 minutes ago, BillsShredder83 said:

More pass attempts and completions to be had when youre stalling on less drives per game.

 

2 minutes ago, BillsShredder83 said:

Yeah regular season you can't ask for much more. The chiefs exposed our offense as being 1Dimensional. If we can get Ertz on tape having a good year, and Josh has a safety valve, I think it could help put us over the top come playoffs

 

Don’t disagree, but having even 1 healthy WR for the Colts, Ravens, and Chiefs game might have helped even more than Ertz could have.
 

Additionally - not that it matters as he can learn, but Josh Allen has never favored throwing to TEs - even in college with a pro level TE in Hollister - he significantly favored throwing to WRs.  When both Hollister and Gentry were in Wyoming- Gentry got 72 catches, the number 2 wr got mid 30 catches and then Hollister with 30.

 

I think unlike a guy like Jackson - Allen prefers to throw to WRs and use the field outside the numbers and down the field.  I am not sure he is comfortable and has adapted to throwing all of the middle of the field TE safety throws.  He has had them in the past and chosen to bypass that safety route for a WR downfield streaking across the field.

 

He does the same thing with RBs as safety values - he is getting better, but it is more limited.

[The Avenger]

As long as this potential big TE acquisition works as well as the last one when we went out and got Charles Clay, we should have nothing to worry about...😝

[Figster]

4 minutes ago, The Avenger said:

As long as this potential big TE acquisition works as well as the last one when we went out and got Charles Clay, we should have nothing to worry about...😝

Touche

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

 

"Hey, y'all missing me yet?"

*
🦗🦗🦗

 

 

[Figster]

20 minutes ago, Rochesterfan said:

 

 

Don’t disagree, but having even 1 healthy WR for the Colts, Ravens, and Chiefs game might have helped even more than Ertz could have.
 

Additionally - not that it matters as he can learn, but Josh Allen has never favored throwing to TEs - even in college with a pro level TE in Hollister - he significantly favored throwing to WRs.  When both Hollister and Gentry were in Wyoming- Gentry got 72 catches, the number 2 wr got mid 30 catches and then Hollister with 30.

 

I think unlike a guy like Jackson - Allen prefers to throw to WRs and use the field outside the numbers and down the field.  I am not sure he is comfortable and has adapted to throwing all of the middle of the field TE safety throws.  He has had them in the past and chosen to bypass that safety route for a WR downfield streaking across the field.

 

He does the same thing with RBs as safety values - he is getting better, but it is more limited.

Daboll may have to force the issue a little If indeed Ertz becomes a Buffalo Bill. 

 

Good posting man, thanks

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

3 minutes ago, Figster said:

Daboll may have to force the issue a little If indeed Ertz becomes a Buffalo Bill. 

Daboll: "Fer chrissakes, THROW TO THE TE!"

Allen:  "Why?!  I can hurdle that far!"

*
😁

[Hapless Bills Fan]

45 minutes ago, The Avenger said:

As long as this potential big TE acquisition works as well as the last one when we went out and got Charles Clay, we should have nothing to worry about...😝

 

 

Ooooh, Harsh!

[TheBrownBear]

1 hour ago, BillsShredder83 said:

Knox best year (rookie year, regressed last year)

28 rec, 388 yards, 2 tds

 

Ertz 2019 (not injured)

88rec, 916yds, 6td

 

Knox kills drives with drops, Ertz keeps chains moving and defenses have to gameplan him. Highly doubt any DCs are losing sleep over game planning Dawson, and he sure as heck isn't helping someone else get open. 

 

Knox missed 4 games last year to injury/COVID, so it's not really fair to say he regressed.  In fact, I thought he really started to flash down the stretch in the regular season last year.  Hands seemed more reliable and he was being targeted more and more by Josh.  Only 1 drop in his last 8 games (including playoffs) and he had 25 catches for 242 yards and 4 TDs during that stretch.  Not a world beater by any stretch, but promising numbers for a 2nd year project tight end.

 

Having said that, I'm still an advocate of grabbing Ertz in a reasonable trade.  You can't have too many weapons and Ertz is a proven top-5 tight end when healthy.

[stuvian]

This move wouldn't feel very process like but it would signal that we are in win now mode which we should be. I thought Knox made some important plays in post season and am not writing him off yet. 

 

Still I would have thought if we were to do anything in FA it would be at pass rusher. I like our draft picks but pass rushers usually don't blossom right away

[billsfan89]

4 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

I propose that if Ertz is not traded to the Bills in the next 48 hours, we all agree to stop posting rumors from this fake account.

 

That account just reports everything they see on Twitter, it gets somethings right but that's just because it takes a stab at everything. 

2 minutes ago, stuvian said:

This move wouldn't feel very process like but it would signal that we are in win now mode which we should be. I thought Knox made some important plays in post season and am not writing him off yet. 

 

Still I would have thought if we were to do anything in FA it would be at pass rusher. I like our draft picks but pass rushers usually don't blossom right away

 

I don't think this move writes off Knox long term. I think it allows Knox a couple of more years to grow more organically behind Ertz as opposed to playing over his head and possibly developing poorly