CincyBillsFan Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 Gilliam is one of a large number of young Bills players who could really take off this season. Without making any big free agent signings this team could be a lot better if the younger players like Singleterry, Moss, Gilliam, Espinosa, Philips, Knox, Sweeny, Ford, Oliver, Davis and others I can't remember make a jump in performance this year. Hell, Allen & Edmends have room to get even better. This reminds of back in the late 80's when we had a lot of young players poised to make the leap - and they did. 1
Hapless Bills Fan Posted July 16, 2021 Author Posted July 16, 2021 8 hours ago, Buffalo716 said: You can't do all that much.. but you're tough as nails 🤨 God that's like a poor man Swiss army knife LOL that was my thought. His college stats: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/reggie-gilliam-1.html On the other hand, I'm sure every team needs a handful of guys who do their job, do it well, and don't cry about lack of stats And if "low man wins" blocking he does have that advantage
BigAl2526 Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 I think Gilliam's only route to a roster spot is if the Bills decide they want to run more plays with a fullback or H-Back in the backfield. He's not better than other TEs on the roster at catching the ball or inline blocking, as far as I'm aware, and I think the Bills can get some solid special teams play out of other TEs on the roster. 1
Sherlock Holmes Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 10 hours ago, Johnny Hammersticks said: “Gilliam is like a flip phone.” WTF? 🤣😂 Yes, old and outdated...
ChronicAndKnuckles Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 12 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/reggie-gilliam-one-of-more-intriguing-players-on-bills-roster/article_38fe8f8e-e0fa-11eb-997d-9ba3e9fb2cf9.html I didn't realize how short he was: His college coaches have fine things to say about him and his background: I want more at TE and more at RB for the Bills, but I can't help rooting for this kid. Maybe he can become like a Demarco type (sp?) or maybe even Chris Cooley. I always root for the fullbacks because they’re a dying breed. Who remembers Sam Gash and Larry Centers? Great fullbacks for the Bills. 2 1
Hapless Bills Fan Posted July 16, 2021 Author Posted July 16, 2021 1 hour ago, Sherlock Holmes said: Yes, old and outdated... Except he's not
FilthyBeast Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 Not really sure where he fits in and at best he's competing for a 3rd TE spot on the roster (assuming we even keep 3 and/or don't make a power move for a guy like Ertz). He flashed a few nice things early in the season last year including a TD catch but then did virtually nothing the rest of the season so would be very surprised if he's on the roster this year.
Hapless Bills Fan Posted July 16, 2021 Author Posted July 16, 2021 3 minutes ago, FilthyBeast said: Not really sure where he fits in and at best he's competing for a 3rd TE spot on the roster (assuming we even keep 3 and/or don't make a power move for a guy like Ertz). He flashed a few nice things early in the season last year including a TD catch but then did virtually nothing the rest of the season so would be very surprised if he's on the roster this year. His "virtually nothing" involved playing a lot of ST snaps - nearly half on average, but up to 75% in some games. 189 ST snaps, 9th most on the roster. 2 tackles and 1 FF. (Apparently ST was his "thing" at Toledo, where he blocked 6 kicks). We know that McDermott loves him his ST specialists. We kept 4 TE last year counting Gilliam (Knox, Kroft, Smith, Gilliam) We're going into camp with 6. I think Knox is a lock and Hollister is a pretty good bet. That leaves 4 guy for 2 spots, if we go with the roster composition we had last year. I put a bunch of links below, I'll put my bottom line here: unless Becker has really come on or myocarditis has really hurt Sweeney, I think we keep Sweeney and Gilliam (ST), and offer Morris a spot on the practice squad to develop in lieu of Becker. Sweeney made it into 6 games his rookie season and showed some good stuff. Finished with 8 receptions for 114 yds, 8.8 ypt. That said, we might cut down on TE to leave an extra roster spot for positions where we're deep, like WR or DE. If it comes down to Bam Johnson vs Gilliam, I think Bam gets the nod. Nate Becker was inactive last year and only played in 1 game. I think he's more of a blocking-type TE, but they seem to have liked what they got out of rookie Gilliam better than what they got out of Becker. But maybe he's taken a step. Sweeney was injured then out for the year with Covid. I had wondered if his injury was a bit "mysterious" as far as giving him more time to develop. That leaves Quintin Morris, an UDFA rookie from Bowling Green who is listed as 6'2", 252 (2" taller and 4 lbs heavier) I really don't know anything about these guys for any kind of educated guess on who gets kept and who gets cut, so I did some hunting: Sweeney (good hands, physical on his routes, can block but needs lower body strength, not athletic enough to separate vs. man. good football IQ, "technician") https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/tommy-sweeney https://www.nfl.com/prospects/tommy-sweeney/32005357-4539-3041-578e-743d87b9a544 https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/6/11/22525787/90-players-in-90-days-tight-end-tommy-sweeney-buffalo-bills-2021-nfl-offseason Becker (no pre-draft profile I could find, but lauded as "blocking TE" https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/5/22/22447473/90-players-in-90-days-tight-end-nate-becker-buffalo-bills-2021-nfl-offseason Gilliam (no pre-draft profile I could find) https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/6/28/22552756/90-players-in-90-days-tight-end-reggie-gilliam-buffalo-bills-2021-nfl-offseason Morris (may be trying to play at too heavy a weight, needs to improve as a blocker, limited route tree but runs it well) https://www.nfl.com/prospects/quintin-morris/32004d4f-5248-9431-3daa-d300b23a42bc [film clip of him hurdling a guy - he may be a "gamer"] https://thedraftnetwork.com/articles/2021-nfl-draft-scouting-report--te-quintin-morris little bit on him in here: https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/6/9/22523597/ranking-the-buffalo-bills-undrafted-free-agents-by-roster-potential For fairness and comparison, Knox (he's got the athleticism and the raw abilities, needs to put it on the field. https://www.nfl.com/prospects/dawson-knox/32004b4e-4f49-0795-942a-0c363ee9b439 https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/dawson-knox Hollister https://www.pff.com/news/draft-pff-scouting-report-jacob-hollister-te-wyoming https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/6/3/22464615/90-players-in-90-days-tight-end-jacob-hollister-buffalo-bills-2021-nfl-offseason 1 1
The Frankish Reich Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 3 hours ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said: Maybe he can become like a Demarco type (sp?) Come to think of it, I don’t recall us ever using Gilliam on the fly route. 1
Ethan in Cleveland Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 I think they will cut Johnson and the back-up linebackers are mostly terrible, so I think Gilliam stays for his ST's snaps.
JakeFrommStateFarm Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 Flip phone ? It just takes forever to text anything
Logic Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 Gilliam is what I call a "glue player". You've got your star players, your great players, your very good players....the names you know. The guys you see on highlights. The guys whose jerseys you see being worn by fans in the stands. But working alongside all of those guys, setting them up for glory, often working in anonymity...are the glue guys. They may not be fancy or exciting, they may not have trading cards or make the Sportscenter top 10 Plays, but they're important. Oftentimes, without their contributions, the splash plays wouldn't happen. ONE solid special teams play where a guy stays in his lane and prevents a kick return score and the team wins by 4 points. ONE solidly fundamental block on a blitzing defender and the QB is kept upright long enough to throw a 40 yard bomb for six. Glue guys. They matter. Reggie "Glue" Gilliam. Can't live without 'em. 5 1
Hapless Bills Fan Posted July 16, 2021 Author Posted July 16, 2021 1 hour ago, Ethan in Portland said: I think they will cut Johnson and the back-up linebackers are mostly terrible, so I think Gilliam stays for his ST's snaps. I don't understand this sentence. You think they will cut Darryl Johnson, got it And the back-up linebackers are mostly terrible - as backup linebackers? as ST players? What? Matekevich and Andre' Smith are core special teams players I also thought they played pretty well when they got the "nod" as linebackers and Matekevich may have moved ahead of Tyrell Dodson on the depth chart. We have 10 LB on the roster right now, 4 of whom weren't on the team last year Who are you talking about? 2
warrior9 Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 8 hours ago, CincyBillsFan said: Gilliam is one of a large number of young Bills players who could really take off this season. Without making any big free agent signings this team could be a lot better if the younger players like Singleterry, Moss, Gilliam, Espinosa, Philips, Knox, Sweeny, Ford, Oliver, Davis and others I can't remember make a jump in performance this year. Hell, Allen & Edmends have room to get even better. This reminds of back in the late 80's when we had a lot of young players poised to make the leap - and they did. IIRC, Gilliam had a big block on Josh's long TD run vs. Denver. I think he has a lot of talent. He's a small school guy at a dying position in football. I hope we can use him as an "h-back" type use as motion, etc. because he can catch the rock. I'd like to see him get 8-12 snaps a game. 2
ghostwriter Posted July 17, 2021 Posted July 17, 2021 Seems like our unofficial FB/H-Back. He’s a TE only in title, not so much in nature. I think his major competition is Jacob Hollister whom I feel can play FB/H-Back/TE. One thing Gilliam has going for him though is his versatility. He can play STs and that greatly helps him. Can I justify Gilliam over Knox, Hollister and Sweeney? No. If we keep 4 TEs though maybe. But I don’t think we’re done at TE. We made a play at Ertz, but it didn’t work out, maybe he gets cut and we sign him, but who knows? If that doesn’t happen I could see us adding another guy after the roster cuts/trim downs or maybe Beane signs someone from someone else’s practice squad. All in all, I’d be surprised if Gillian makes the team.
Ethan in Cleveland Posted July 17, 2021 Posted July 17, 2021 15 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: I don't understand this sentence. You think they will cut Darryl Johnson, got it And the back-up linebackers are mostly terrible - as backup linebackers? as ST players? What? Matekevich and Andre' Smith are core special teams players I also thought they played pretty well when they got the "nod" as linebackers and Matekevich may have moved ahead of Tyrell Dodson on the depth chart. We have 10 LB on the roster right now, 4 of whom weren't on the team last year Who are you talking about? Thanks for reminding me about Smith and Matakevich. I forgot how many special teams snaps they got. I don't really know if they are any good at STs but they are not guys that you can count on to play significant snaps on defense. With that said, you are correct they did make some free agent signings that may improve the quality of the depth. I generally feel the Bills overvalue special teams but with that said they are unlikely to give a ton of reps to the rookie DL guys. So I think Gilliam still makes the roster though I can easily see them going with 3 TEs so they can carry an extra linemen. Same way as hope they only go with two QBs
billsbackto81 Posted July 17, 2021 Posted July 17, 2021 There's a reason McBeane and Co. are hoping Knox develops. A reason they're inquiring about Ertz and a reason they brought in Hollister. They are not sleeping on Gilliam, they're straight up comatose when it comes to him.
Hapless Bills Fan Posted July 17, 2021 Author Posted July 17, 2021 3 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said: Thanks for reminding me about Smith and Matakevich. I forgot how many special teams snaps they got. I don't really know if they are any good at STs but they are not guys that you can count on to play significant snaps on defense. With that said, you are correct they did make some free agent signings that may improve the quality of the depth. I generally feel the Bills overvalue special teams but with that said they are unlikely to give a ton of reps to the rookie DL guys. So I think Gilliam still makes the roster though I can easily see them going with 3 TEs so they can carry an extra linemen. Same way as hope they only go with two QBs I'd like to give a little Due Credit to @GunnerBill's excellent write-up on different special teams coverage roles, what players filled them last year, and what players on this year's roster are candidates, so Imma link it here: I think he makes a good case that with Belichick and one of his former minions (who appears to share his philosophy) in the division, the Bills need to value ST. Step back from the division, and the Colts, Titans and Ravens all place that same high value on ST as a way to turn the game. Certainly the Titans slaughtered us in good part due to ST miscues (a fumble and a long return) - they were winning anyway, but it turned a lead into an insurmountable lead. The Colts damned near beat us in part due to pinning us deep the entire first half, also ST. Anyway. Matakevich was signed specifically for his ST prowess so I think we can answer your question "I don't know if they are any good at ST" with "Dirty Red sure is". Andre Smith was activated from the PS for 3 games to "backfill" on ST when the primary backup LBs had to fill in for injury, but they must have liked what they saw because they activated him for good as a ST guy when Dodson went on IR, and when Dodson came off he didn't "bump" him. As far as backup LB snaps, I think part of what happened early on is they were trying to "next man up" guys into the Milano-size and Edmunds-size roles left when those guys went out injured. And it didn't work too well (same with Klein). When they adjusted the roles, suddenly Klein was winning "AFC Defensive Player of the Week" honors and looked pretty good. The Bills were giving Matakevich snaps at the end of the season - not just Miami but the two previous games - and Smith got the snaps on D in the Miami game - so I think both Matakevich and Smith may have surpassed Dodson on the depth chart last season. But of course Dodson could have been trying to rush back and not really healed. I thought they both played well against Miami, but of course the same objection as is made about Williams at RB in that game holds true - Miami was whupped and they knew it and were kind of heading for the bus in the 2nd half
Hapless Bills Fan Posted July 17, 2021 Author Posted July 17, 2021 7 minutes ago, Frat-Train said: Don’t you tell me where I can and can’t sleep! Float trip with my sis-in-law and she was kinda testy. She went to hang one end of a clothesline on a tree I told her "don't put it on that tree!" She gave me a look "don't tell me what to do!" I said "OK, Go ahead and use the tree covered with poison ivy, then!" 1
Recommended Posts