The Christian Wade experiment

[Hapless Bills Fan]

12 hours ago, IronMaidenBills said:

The NFL feels like a who’s who club anyways. Wade had athleticism and pure burst out of the backfield I haven’t seen since the spiller years. This actually makes me mad that Moss is on this team but somehow Wade isn’t. Moss is like a banana slug. 

 

In order to play on an NFL football team, it isn't enough to have athleticism and burst out of the backfield.  The player has to actually, you know, be able to ....play football.

 

We've done this Over.  and Over.  and Over again.  Wade didn't know how to follow blockers, because blocking isn't a thing in Rugby.  He didn't know how to block in pass protection, because QBs and the forward pass aren't a thing in Rugby.  It was a valiant attempt to bring him up to speed, but he acknowledged in interviews that he was struggling to learn to  block and to read a D and understand his responsibility in pass protection.  If he hadn't injured his shoulder last summer, we might have seen him get a shot, but he did and we didn't.

 

Give it a rest.

 

 

[Warcodered]

It was a fun story and those two plays in his first preseason were awesome. But let's not forget there was a preseason this last year and it's not like he did much in it after several years to learn the game and our system.

[Don Otreply]

After that one preseason game, did he ever see another snap on offense during any other preseason game?  

[Mr. WEO]

13 hours ago, IronMaidenBills said:

Honestly a totally mismanaged RB just like Spiller. You find ways to incorporate this kind of athleticism, even if they can’t block or do certain RB tasks. 

 

 

You watch these clips, and there is no way you can tell me Moss can do those things. 

 

13 hours ago, IronMaidenBills said:

The NFL feels like a who’s who club anyways. Wade had athleticism and pure burst out of the backfield I haven’t seen since the spiller years. This actually makes me mad that Moss is on this team but somehow Wade isn’t. Moss is like a banana slug. 

 

 

You "haven't seen"...anything, other than a single run ever through a giant hole versus a group of scrubs at the end of a preseason game!

 

come on... you're trolling with this right?  lol

 

Wade put it best--NFL has too many plays and too many meetings for his liking.  He was never for this game.  Why they kept him around will be an eternal mystery.

 

 

 

[Rochesterfan]

2 hours ago, Seoulofstone said:

 That’s kind of my point though. I am sure he is thankful. I’m sure he learned things.
 

But due to the rules of the IPP no matter what he did he couldn’t be promoted in season. If you bake it right down, the fact that IPP players can’t be promoted from the practice squad without being cut-pigeon holes them as developmental projects. Preseason becomes their only hope.

Ultimately he becomes no more than a footnote, and we will never know. plenty of people may think he was unworthy and they maybe right.
 

Im my view either way, It’s a pity that he never got to play in an actual game.

 

 

The rules are IPP are set the way they are because you need to have a balanced roster across the league.

 

The IPP rules never pigeon holed anyone - if the guy was good enough to get playing time and be on the roster - the team has the right to put him on the active roster or on the PS as an active player - 3 different IPP players over the years have made rosters and played in the NFL - including Obada.  Many more never crack a line-up because they just are not good enough - including Wade.
 

Wade was not anywhere near good enough to be on the active roster.  By his own admission - he was still trying to learn plays and his responsibilities after 3 years.  Therefore both Wade and the Bills felt his best spot was as an IPP player spot.  If Wade felt he could play and the Bills didn’t- Wade could have not accepted the IPP designation and become a FA to land on another roster, but since after being cut - no one tried to pick him up - you have your answer - everyone including Wade knows that he was not ready.

 

He had a nice story, but what are you expecting of him if he had gotten into a game.  He was learning about blocking - so you couldn’t trust to have him out on a pass play.  He stated that he struggled to understand how to read blocking because in Rugby there is no blocking - it is run to daylight and then get rid of the ball before being tackled - another foreign concept to him.  In a real game - he would be going against guys that are significantly better athletes that he was - so suddenly the long runs in the preseason against guys that were not making the league are nullified by a LB that is his speed or faster.

 

 

 

 

[Rochesterfan]

54 minutes ago, Seoulofstone said:

  Certainly he was free to become a free agent-no argument with that. I don’t mean this as a criticism of the Bills or Wade, but rather the IPP rules.
 

 My annoyance is more that the IPP creates an in season glass ceiling. The argument that this gives the player a time to stick around and learn may make sense in theory but in practice has not worked, with the exception of Obada who had to be cut to waivers before he could be promoted to the panthers 53.

 

 If your goal is to give opportunities to international players, creating a situation where they have to lose their job before they are eligible for an opportunity strikes me as odd.

If it’s just for show- what’s the point?

 

 

 

I do not understand you Obada comment here because that is not correct.

 

First off there have been a few IPP players that have graduated to active rosters - Obada is one of them. Obada tried out and was cut by 3 teams before getting a shot on the IPP.  Essentially without the IPP his career was dead.

Obada came in through the original IPP where the player did not have to be cut - they just moved to the IPP spot at the end of training camp.  Obada was cut to allow him a shot on the active roster - basically exactly like Wade was each year.  That rule was changed several years ago - allowing all IPP to go through waivers and have a chance to switch teams to make an active roster or an active PS.  If that fails they have the ability to resign to the IPP slot with the full understanding of what that means.

The goal is to give them an opportunity- not to give teams extra spots on their rosters.  When they can play - they succeed- when they can’t - they make good money to enjoy a game.

 

 

 

 

[Seoulofstone]

1 hour ago, Rochesterfan said:

 

I do not understand you Obada comment here because that is not correct.

 

First off there have been a few IPP players that have graduated to active rosters - Obada is one of them. Obada tried out and was cut by 3 teams before getting a shot on the IPP.  Essentially without the IPP his career was dead.

Obada came in through the original IPP where the player did not have to be cut - they just moved to the IPP spot at the end of training camp.  Obada was cut to allow him a shot on the active roster - basically exactly like Wade was each year.  That rule was changed several years ago - allowing all IPP to go through waivers and have a chance to switch teams to make an active roster or an active PS.  If that fails they have the ability to resign to the IPP slot with the full understanding of what that means.

The goal is to give them an opportunity- not to give teams extra spots on their rosters.  When they can play - they succeed- when they can’t - they make good money to enjoy a game.

 

 

 

 

  Again, I think you misunderstand what I’m driving at. I understand the goal of the IPP.
 

I don’t think i ever mentioned that they should get free spots on the roster. Or that other players weren’t getting chances in the IPP. Or that I expect them to become superstars. So I’m not sure why you even bring that up.

 

The reason I mention Obada is because he’s the only successful IPP guy who didn’t go to American college or get drafted, Unlike Mailata, Boeringer and Johnson. Even then, In all of those cases they had to leave the program to be eligible to play. I don’t deny that the IPP acts as a pathway just that once on it paradoxically they can’t play!
 

My point is that a program designed to give opportunity but that prevents you from being activated during the season seems like a contradiction.

 

I completely agree that Wade didn’t use the blockers well on his preseason splash plays. Once he was injured at the start of last season given his age and lack of starting experience I predicted he was done as I am sure did many people. At this stage it is the correct decision.

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by Seoulofstone

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 hours ago, Warcodered said:

It was a fun story and those two plays in his first preseason were awesome. But let's not forget there was a preseason this last year and it's not like he did much in it after several years to learn the game and our system.

 

2 hours ago, Don Otreply said:

After that one preseason game, did he ever see another snap on offense during any other preseason game?  

 

So of course in 2020 there were no preseason games

 

In 2021, he injured his shoulder during practice in mid-August and eventually had season-ending shoulder surgery.  I don't remember when the injury occurred, but the Bills first pre-season game was August 13 and Wade didn't play in it.

 

The "die" was pretty well cast at that point

[HappyDays]

16 hours ago, IronMaidenBills said:

The NFL feels like a who’s who club anyways. Wade had athleticism and pure burst out of the backfield I haven’t seen since the spiller years. This actually makes me mad that Moss is on this team but somehow Wade isn’t. Moss is like a banana slug. 

 

There are tens of thousands of people around the world with a lot more athleticism than Christian Wade who will never ever make it as NFL players. You're joking with this, right?

[GunnerBill]

2 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

Wade put it best--NFL has too many plays and too many meetings for his liking.  He was never for this game.  Why they kept him around will be an eternal mystery.

 

Because he was a free extra player. Not like they could use that spot on someone else. I suspect a really fast guy has some use for scout team purposes even if he doesn't really know the plays. 

 

As soon as the Bills didn't get an extra apot for him and he was taking a spot that someone else could have they cut him loose. 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

3 hours ago, Warcodered said:

It was a fun story and those two plays in his first preseason were awesome. But let's not forget there was a preseason this last year and it's not like he did much in it after several years to learn the game and our system.

did he even play in the 2021 preseason?

 

57 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

So of course in 2020 there were no preseason games

 

In 2021, he injured his shoulder during practice in mid-August and eventually had season-ending shoulder surgery.  I don't remember when the injury occurred, but the Bills first pre-season game was August 13 and Wade didn't play in it.

 

The "die" was pretty well cast at that point 

 

that explains why I don’t recall seeing him 

[without a drought]

5 hours ago, Don Otreply said:

After that one preseason game, did he ever see another snap on offense during any other preseason game?  

His 2 big plays were in his first 2 preseason games. In his final preseason game, he went 5 carries for 15 yards and 3 catches for 7 yards.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

18 hours ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

do you remember The Chroise Gibran Hamdan?

 

many a man has been made legendary by Bills Fans.  
 

 

 

Yeah, but Wade could have been put on special teams to return kicks and punts and put in for special plays. I love McBeane but that doesn't mean they're always right, and not using his skills was a waste of talent. Would if he could have been our tyreek hill?? Guess we'll never know.

 

Keeping Ford and and trading Wyatt Teller was a massive error.

 

[Mr. WEO]

4 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

Yeah, but Wade could have been put on special teams to return kicks and punts and put in for special plays. I love McBeane but that doesn't mean they're always right, and not using his skills was a waste of talent. Would if he could have been our tyreek hill?? Guess we'll never know.

 

Keeping Ford and and trading Wyatt Teller was a massive error.

 

 

Every coach on the Bills disagreed with this as a true statement.