Benford activated from IR

[YoloinOhio]

 

[ColoradoBills]

Good deal.

[Blank Stare]

Good to have Benford back. 

[Draconator]

This helps.

[MiltonWaddams]

So, does he move to safety now? Ducks and runs…

[Alphadawg7]

4 minutes ago, MiltonWaddams said:

So, does he move to safety now? Ducks and runs…

 

I was pretty set against moving Tre to safety...but given the circumstances of both Hyde and Hamlin out coupled Tre struggling in coverage and being probably our most exploitable corner right now with his lack of speed or explosion, maybe its not such a crazy idea to slide him over to FS and let Elam, Dane, Taron, and Benford handle the CB duties. 

 

If Hamlin was still out there, I wouldn't suggest this.  But I would think Tre might fare as well or better at safety then our 3rd string FS at this point.  And I do think our pass D will be better with Dane and Elam starting outside right now than Tre.  

 

Tre has made some plays, but he is also very exploitable with his lack of burst and we are set to potentially face teams like Miami and Cincy in playoffs who have some dangerous WR's to account for.  

[Kiva]

Definitely will be an improvement. Welcome back. 

[NickelCity]

We will need him. And early next week I hope we hear that Micah is coming back 🤞🤞🤞🤞

[Saxum]

22 minutes ago, MiltonWaddams said:

So, does he move to safety now? Ducks and runs…

 

Bills have 2 others who can do it - Dean Marlowe and Jared Mayden.

In a critical seeding game best to have someone who has played safety in NFL.

[DCofNC]

He’s a guy they had working at both positions in camp.  I would absolutely be open to him auditioning at FS against NE.  If it’s a horrific failure, we should be able to outscore them anyway.   Same could be said for Tre making the move there for the remainder of the year, but I would think you take the experience of Tre at corner and shift the guy who’s now playing a back up role. 

2 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

Bills have 2 others who can do it - Dean Marlowe and Jared Mayden.

In a critical seeding game best to have someone who has played safety in NFL.

While I’m sure Sean will side with that, do you really want either of those guys on the field at all?  

[Brand J]

And now Elam’s journey to playing time gets even longer…

[CSBill]

He has one game to learn the Safety position. Get it done CB!

[MasterStrategist]

13 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

I was pretty set against moving Tre to safety...but given the circumstances of both Hyde and Hamlin out coupled Tre struggling in coverage and being probably our most exploitable corner right now with his lack of speed or explosion, maybe its not such a crazy idea to slide him over to FS and let Elam, Dane, Taron, and Benford handle the CB duties. 

 

If Hamlin was still out there, I wouldn't suggest this.  But I would think Tre might fare as well or better at safety then our 3rd string FS at this point.  And I do think our pass D will be better with Dane and Elam starting outside right now than Tre.  

 

Tre has made some plays, but he is also very exploitable with his lack of burst and we are set to potentially face teams like Miami and Cincy in playoffs who have some dangerous WR's to account for.  

Usually you're spot on, but this is way off base.

 

1. Bills staff is NOT going to move an all-pro corner to FS, just because he's still recovering from a torn acl. Perhaps this is considered in 12 months, if his burst/speed isn't back to normal.  But right now, we need to be patient as he continues to get more comfortable and that knee will improve.

 

2.  People act like moving a player, who has played corner their entire career, over to safety is an overnight thing.  Micah transitioned, as did Poyer, now so is Cam..but it's not a move you'd do mid/late season...and these guys weren't all-pro at CB before their move either.

 

3. Cam/Dean/Quan: all 3 of these guys are going to be better options, than shifting Tre White to FS, at this point of the season.  I still have faith that one of these 3 will step up for us.  I don't remember seeing Cam or Quan, lined up with Poyer this year.  Makes a HUGE difference with Jordan out there.

 

Benford is another story, but if they had plans to move him (or Tre), we wouldn't have signed Mayden this week.

[Logic]

Here's an unpopular take:

I thought that Cam Lewis -- who will likely be taking over at free safety from here on out -- actually played well in the Minnesota game, EXCEPT for on the famous non-swat-down of the Jefferson catch. Obviously, that's the play that gets remembered, and rightly so. But OTHER than that play, I thought he acquitted himself pretty well. Even on that play, yes, he obviously should have swatted it down instead of going for the pick, but he was in position and was a freak Justin Jefferson play away from having the game-sealing interception.

Anyway, I think we're about to see a bunch more of him, so we'll see if I'm right or I'm a crazy person. If he DOESN'T perform well, I'd have to think the leash won't be very long, since playoff time is coming and Dean Marlowe is a smart vet that knows the system.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Logic

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

35 minutes ago, MiltonWaddams said:

So, does he move to safety now? Ducks and runs…

Not going to lie I had that thought. Now that Damar is looking like a full recovery I don't think it's ghoulish to ask what we do at the position. 

 

Bedford is a zone player and if he is slower on his return I'd see what he can do as a FS. At the least he has a higher upside than Marlowe

[Draconator]

I'd personally like to see Marlowe back in there. 

[MasterStrategist]

2 minutes ago, Logic said:

Here's an unpopular take:

I thought that Cam Lewis -- who will likely be taking over at free safety from here on out -- actually played well in the Minnesota game, EXCEPT for on the famous non-swat-down of the Jefferson catch. Obviously, that's the play that gets remembered, and rightly so. But OTHER than that play, I thought he acquitted himself pretty well. Even on that play, yes, he obviously should have swatted it down instead of going for the pick, but he was in position and was a freak Justin Jefferson play away from having the game-sealing interception.

Anyway, I think we're about to see a bunch more of him, so we'll see if I'm right or I'm a crazy person. If he DOESN'T perform well, I'd have to think the leash won't be very long, since playoff time is coming and Dean Marlowe is a smart vet that knows the system.

100% agree.

 

Cam offers a bit more athleticism, and coverage ability, at the FS spot...just my opinion.  I'd be surprised if it's not him starting Sunday.

[BillsFan130]

30 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

I was pretty set against moving Tre to safety...but given the circumstances of both Hyde and Hamlin out coupled Tre struggling in coverage and being probably our most exploitable corner right now with his lack of speed or explosion, maybe its not such a crazy idea to slide him over to FS and let Elam, Dane, Taron, and Benford handle the CB duties. 

 

If Hamlin was still out there, I wouldn't suggest this.  But I would think Tre might fare as well or better at safety then our 3rd string FS at this point.  And I do think our pass D will be better with Dane and Elam starting outside right now than Tre.  

 

Tre has made some plays, but he is also very exploitable with his lack of burst and we are set to potentially face teams like Miami and Cincy in playoffs who have some dangerous WR's to account for.  

Problem with Tre at safety is historically he is not a good tackler 

[Logic]

For all of this talk of moving various corners to safety now that Hamlin is on IR...

Even IF the coaching staff was going to do that, does anyone actually think that such a transition would go quickly/smoothly enough for the coaching staff to actually insert said converted corner into the starting lineup in the playoffs?!

I think there's about a 0% chance of that happening. If Dean Marlowe, a previously productive, smart, veteran safety who already knows the position and the system, can't crack the starting lineup at safety, does anyone really think a player who's been doing it for a couple weeks could/would?

If we want to have this discussion in the offseason, I'm all for it. But as for the rest of this season/playoffs, I'd be shocked to see anyone other than Cam Lewis, Jaquan Johnson, or Dean Marlowe manning Hamlin's vacated safety spot. And as much as Bills fans may dislike it, Lewis is very likely to get first crack at it.

[The Frankish Reich]

The big loss is in run support, particularly since NE will have to run effectively to stay in this one. And it’s awfully hard to see who fills that role. 

Siran Neal? He’s a mainstay on special teams, and I’d have more faith in him on run support than the other candidates.