Great breakdown of McGovern and Harty (The Athletic; paywalled)

[dave mcbride]

Nitty gritty breakdowns with lots of still shots of their strengths and weaknesses. Good stuff: https://theathletic.com/4340812/2023/03/24/bills-connor-mcgovern-deonte-harty/

[Sierra Foothills]

Thanks Dave.

 

Yes good breakdowns. I hope they do the same for the Bills remaining free agent class.

 

[akcash]

I watched a decent amount of reps with Connor McGovers and I totally agree. This dude is like freaky good in pass pro. It's like he totally disables the DT after one second. Its pretty cool.

[HOUSE]

Great a Paywall,  let me find my wallet 

Not

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

6 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

Great a Paywall,  let me find my wallet 

Said HOUSE never...😏

*
😁

[ExWNYer]

7 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

Great a Paywall,  let me find my wallet 

Not

 

 

[Doc]

So McGovern will play LG, keeping Bates at RG? 

[Success]

I feel like both guys bring a lot of things to the table that we were really lacking.  We need good hands guys, who can get yards after the catch.  Very low-key additions, but with Allen as their QB, they could both be really good for us.

 

[Nephilim17]

Anyone care to do a summary or share a couple salient points for those of us who don't subscribe?

[Buddo]

19 minutes ago, Nephilim17 said:

Anyone care to do a summary or share a couple salient points for those of us who don't subscribe?

 

McGovern is a good pass protector, and Harty is quick, but small, and is likely to be a McKenzie replacement.

[947]

There's a lot of breakdown & individual play analysis, but here's their conclusions:

 

 

So, what are the Bills getting in McGovern?

It really depends on what they ask him to do, but he seems to be a nice fit into the Bills’ blocking scheme that requires more movement ability out of their front five. McGovern could struggle a bit if they swing to a more power-based run game with Damien Harris. But as a pass blocker, which is what the Bills ask their offensive linemen to do more often than not, they are getting a good player. McGovern looks like an average to slightly above-average starting guard in the Bills’ scheme and a significant upgrade over Rodger Saffold at left guard if McGovern’s 2022 tape holds up.

 

 

So, what are the Bills getting in Harty?

Beane said they looked at Harty to fill their WR4 role and everything Harty showed on film in 2021 indicates a chess-piece player from multiple spots of the offense with the potential to make game-changing plays at any moment. His overall speed on one side can attract attention away from Stefon Diggs, and if it doesn’t, they have a potential one-on-one matchup with what is likely the fastest player on the field. The Bills also have had a lot of trouble with quick screens over the years, but Harty allows them to do slower-developing screens to him, allowing the blockers to get out ahead of him and the speed to erase that gap in time lost. Additionally, Harty has the potential to be a menace during Josh Allen’s many improvisational plays, with defenders losing track of him deep enough to take the top off the defense. He should play at least 25 to 40 percent of snaps each week and is a clear upgrade over Isaiah McKenzie.

[First Round Bust]

1 hour ago, Nephilim17 said:

Anyone care to do a summary or share a couple salient points for those of us who don't subscribe?

An athletic subscription can be had cheaper than you think...and the content is darn good...signed a cheap bass-turd

 

McGovern has deceptive size and arm length. Usually with guards, you see them be a little shorter than a typical lineman with smaller arms. But McGovern is huge comparatively. He has a 6-foot-5 frame with over 34-inch-long arms, a length acceptable by offensive tackle standards. And on the film, you can see how the height and arm length impact his game positively as a pass blocker immediately. The long arms help catch the defender even if they worm free, and he combines that with quick feet to put together a lot of controlled pass-blocking reps.

But even more impressive is how he maintains that control even after losing at the beginning of the rep. McGovern uses his long frame to get wide and establish a balanced base, combining a perfect blend of maintaining enough balance to hold his ground while not extending his legs too wide to throw himself off balance. Even if he gets bull-rushed and knocked back by a defensive tackle, McGovern’s recovery is excellent, and he appears to be at his best working backward. 

 

Harty is a speed merchant. GM Brandon Beane wasn’t exaggerating when he said, “When you just turn on the tape, you can feel speed.” That quickness will force a lot of cornerbacks into playing it safe. Because getting beaten over the top can lead to lost starting roles, Harty gets several opportunities against off-coverage. When they do, his speed and long-ball potential freezes defenders on underneath routes. He generally doesn’t have to worry about deception in his breakdown and can instead do a quick break to his route destination. But the reason he gets those opportunities is because of the long speed. 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by First Round Bust
sp

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

Article must have been written a few days go as not mention of the Bills signing Harris.

 

Will agree Athletic does have very good well written content.   Admittedly sometimes a little longer than I'd like, though does seem like the articles have got shorter than they use to be.

[Nephilim17]

1 hour ago, 947 said:

a chess-piece player from multiple spots of the offense with the potential to make game-changing plays at any moment. His overall speed on one side can attract attention away from Stefon Diggs

So Harty, as small as he is, will play some outside and not just be in the slot?

Thanks again.

[Beck Water]

3 hours ago, Nephilim17 said:

So Harty, as small as he is, will play some outside and not just be in the slot?

Thanks again.

I would take that from what Beane said, that he’s a vertical threat who can track the ball

 

From the Athletic article describing him as a “speed merchant” who can exploit coverage that fears letting him past to cut underneath, I think he’ll play in the slot but maybe less than one would think against zone

Edited March 26, 2023 by Beck Water

[Dan Darragh]

9 hours ago, First Round Bust said:

An athletic subscription can be had cheaper than you think...and the content is darn good...signed a cheap bass-turd

 

 

This.

 

I hate paywalls but this is one I pay for gladly.  Content on the level of the old SI back in the glory days, but tailored for your favorite teams.

[CSBill]

Good, and Good

[Thurman#1]

23 hours ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said:

Article must have been written a few days go as not mention of the Bills signing Harris.

 

Will agree Athletic does have very good well written content.   Admittedly sometimes a little longer than I'd like, though does seem like the articles have got shorter than they use to be.

 

 

He does mention Harris in the 2nd paragraph and says he pointed the article towards the top financial commitments.

 

Harris comes with only $1.7M for one year, so fairly legit.

 

And yeah, I subscribe and think it's worth it. I love longer articles myself, if they're not fluffed out, and the Athletic articles have a ton of interesting content, IMO.

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Thurman#1

[The Frankish Reich]

2 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

He does mention Harris in the 2nd paragraph and says he pointed the article towards the top financial commitments.

 

Harris comes with only $1.7M for one year, so fairly legit.

 

And yeah, I subscribe and think it's worth it. I love longer articles myself, if they're not fluffed out, and the Athletic articles have a ton of interesting content, IMO.

 

And it comes along with a NYT subscription now, and there’s lots of cheapo intro offers for 1 year online subscriptions. I just had my wife cancel so I can get the cheapo rate.