Bills working out FA receiver Andy Isabella tomorrow UPDATE: SIGNED

[Rc2catch]

I guess Nkeal Harry is getting a workout too?? Happy they let Isabella try to compete for a spot 

[Don Otreply]

2 hours ago, boyst said:

Not what I said either.

 

On a case by case basis to judge a statement made by someone, in this case Scott, you must analyze the merit.

In this “case” Scott, bless his heart, hasn’t had a positive thing to say about this team in likely a decade plus, so the concept of merit went out the window a while ago, jmo. 

[Nervous Guy]

59 minutes ago, BrainwashedBillsFan said:

What about Zay Jones? Not sure what round we drafted him in tho 

Second round in 2017...nice comparison.

[BillsFanForever19]

1 hour ago, JaCrispy said:

Well, as far as I’m concerned, the #6 WR spot is wide open…anything can happen…👍

 

Not really. Usually don't cut a 5th Round Pick in the same year. 6th Round is usually the ceiling for same year Draft Picks cuts. Justin Shorter would really have to fall on his face in an epic fashion to not make the 53. Beane even said when he picked him he envisioned him "having a jersey" Year 1 as a Special Teamer, at least. I don't think Shorter is going anywhere Year 1. With his physical attributes and where he was selected, it would be a risky proposition trying to sneak him on the Practice Squad and keep him there.

Edited July 28, 2023 by BillsFanForever19

[John from Riverside]

25 minutes ago, newcam2012 said:

WR2 position is open too. After Diggs there's a huge drop off. The Bills WR core isn't anything scary. Dhop or OBJ would have put a little fear in opposing g defenses. Instead BB decided to allocate his money elsewhere. 

We were top-five in offense last year

[Beck Water]

3 hours ago, HOUSE said:

Sounds like a coaching problem to me

 

https://www.revengeofthebirds.com/2020/12/18/22188502/cardinals-misfiring-on-isabella

 

So the author's solution to getting production out of Andy Isabella is he should be the #1 or #2 WR ahead of DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitz and Christian Kirk?

🤔

I don't think he's gonna be the #1 or #2 WR here, either

And I think Josh Allen needs to build a lot of trust to throw so it gets there just as the receiver is coming out of his breaks

 

Then there's the point that a change of scene to Baltimore didn't seem to help him any

[John from Riverside]

Is shakur spot safe?

 

 

[Beck Water]

32 minutes ago, Franchiseneedsme said:

I loved this kid coming out. 

He's had a tiny Murry who couldn't see him down field, and A Baltimore  offence that doesn't  throw the ball/ backup QBs.  He might have something legit to offer

 

I'll hope you're right

 

1 minute ago, John from Riverside said:

Is shakur spot safe?

 

 

 

To put it bluntly:

 

No.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Beck Water

[John from Riverside]

23 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

Like not throwing scraps at the WR position just because you traded for Diggs three years ago?

We use the first round pick on the receiving threat this year
 

 

[Warcodered]

 

some musical chairs at who's competing to make the bottom of the WR room/practice squad.

[HOUSE]

3 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

So the author's solution to getting production out of Andy Isabella is he should be the #1 or #2 WR ahead of DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitz and Christian Kirk?

🤔

I don't think he's gonna be the #1 or #2 WR here, either

And I think Josh Allen needs to build a lot of trust to throw so it gets there just as the receiver is coming out of his breaks

 

Then there's the point that a change of scene to Baltimore didn't seem to help him any

This is the guy I wanted in the 2nd round, the failure is a mystery.  I been reading alot about him today. Almost every story says he never got much of a chance with either team

[John from Riverside]

1 minute ago, HOUSE said:

This is the guy I wanted in the 2nd round, the failure is a mystery.  I been reading alot about him today. Almost every story says he never got much of a chance with either team

I think it’s going to be hard here as well
 

For all of the talk that we don’t address the wide receiver position, we do have some players that can actually play the position

[BuffaloBillyG]

6 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

Is shakur spot safe?

 

 

I mean, some talk about Shakir like he's going to be the second coming of Jerry Rice, but he is what he is. At the end of the day as much as I personally like the kid and think there is potential...he's a 5th round pick that had trouble seeing the field as a rookie and is reportedly dropping balls in camp this far.  

 

He's going to have to earn his spot IMO.

 

 

[Beck Water]

3 hours ago, newcam2012 said:

You don't think the Bills great coaching staff with Allen can't elevate his game? You can't teach speed.

 

You can't coach speed, but we've had our share of speedsters who can't ball.

So you can't coach ball into a guy who isn't a football player to start with (TJ Graham, Robert Foster, Marquez Stevenson)
 

TJ Graham went through 6 teams plus CFL

Foster is currently a FA after 7 teams gave him a try

Stevenson was just cut by the Panthers, his 3rd team.

 

Now I'll grant Isabella stayed with his first team 3 years, which puts him ahead of those guys as a football player.   But the point remains - you can't coach speed, but you can't football into a guy who doesn't have the instincts for it by the time he hits the pros, either

 

Maybe I'm wrong about Isabella.  Maybe he can ball, and just hasn't had the right chance with the right coach used in the right way.

 

1 hour ago, SMAKCruiser said:

How often has a second round bust caught on with another team 4 years later and have a productive career?

 

Zay Jones.  Took 5-6 years though.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Beck Water

[Warcodered]

6 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

This is the guy I wanted in the 2nd round, the failure is a mystery.  I been reading alot about him today. Almost every story says he never got much of a chance with either team

Feels like there's even more people in front of him here, he's not a 2nd round pick here, he's going to have grind it out to get ahead of people.

[Buffalo Boy]

17 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

We were top-five in offense last year

   Remove Josh rushing production, heck, remove half of it and where are we?

   Stats😕

[Beck Water]

2 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

I mean, some talk about Shakir like he's going to be the second coming of Jerry Rice, but he is what he is. At the end of the day as much as I personally like the kid and think there is potential...he's a 5th round pick that had trouble seeing the field as a rookie and is reportedly dropping balls in camp this far.  

 

He's going to have to earn his spot IMO.

 

Exactly. 

 

Starting out, the patience a team has for a player who is struggling, roughly tracks with where he was drafted, and whether he was drafted by the current staff or not.  So 3rd round pick Dawson Knox gets more patience when he looks like "dropsome" than 5th round pick Khalil Shakir.  Then, a player earns patience by what he's contributed to the team.  Gabe Davis has had 1 game >200 yds, 5 games over 100 yds, and something like 15 games over 70 yds (ave 70 ypg is what the top-15 WR collect).  That's out of 54 games played.  So that's pushing towards 30% of his games, contribute yardage at the level of a top WR.  That earns him extra patience for a 4th rounder.

 

Last season, people on this board loved to prop Shakir up because they were frustrated with the guy playing ahead of him - Isaiah McKenzie.  And he did show flashes.

 

But it's also true Shakir dropped 2 of his 20 targets last season - scored drops, meaning someone said "yeah, a decent receiver oughtta haul that one in"

There were times when he ran the wrong route.  There were times against zone when he threw the mail flag up oblivious to where he was relative to defenders who weren't actually chasing him.

 

Like @BuffaloBillyG said, he's gonna have to earn it, and he's got competition.

[BillsFanForever19]

39 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

To put it bluntly:

 

No.

 

30 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

I mean, some talk about Shakir like he's going to be the second coming of Jerry Rice, but he is what he is. At the end of the day as much as I personally like the kid and think there is potential...he's a 5th round pick that had trouble seeing the field as a rookie and is reportedly dropping balls in camp this far.  

 

He's going to have to earn his spot IMO.

 

I couldn't disagree with you both more. Shakir is safe. I don't think he's "the second coming of Jerry Rice". But he played well being brought along slowly as a Rookie and has been talked up by Beane and McDermott post season as in line to get more reps going into Year 2. The Drafting of Kincaid will surely mean he's going to being splitting reps in the Slot. But he isn't going anywhere barring injury.

 

At the end of the day, Isabella is only making it if we decide to keep 7 WR's or someone gets injured. Diggs, Davis, Harty, Shakir, Sherfield, and Shorter are pretty much set in stone - save for an injury.

Edited July 28, 2023 by BillsFanForever19

[John from Riverside]

5 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

 

I couldn't disagree with you both more. Shakir is safe. I don't think he's "the second coming of Jerry Rice". But he played well being brought along slowly as a Rookie and has been talked up by Beane and McDermott post season as in line to get more reps going into Year 2. The Drafting of Kincaid will surely mean he's going to being splitting reps in the Slot. But he isn't going anywhere barring injury.

 

At the end of the day, Isabella is only making it if we decide to keep 7 WR's or someone gets injured. Diggs, Davis, Harty, Shakir, Sherfield, and Shorter are pretty much set in stone - save for an injury.

I was surprised that they signed Isabella, but he is basically a lottery ticket

[BuffaloBillyG]

7 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

 

I couldn't disagree with you both more. Shakir is safe. I don't think he's "the second coming of Jerry Rice". But he played well being brought along slowly as a Rookie and has been talked up by Beane and McDermott post season as in line to get more reps going into Year 2. The Drafting of Kincaid will surely mean he's going to being splitting reps in the Slot. But he isn't going anywhere barring injury.

 

At the end of the day, Isabella is only making it if we decide to keep 7 WR's or someone gets injured. Diggs, Davis, Harty, Shakir, Sherfield, and Shorter are pretty much set in stone - save for an injury.

Yeah and you probably aren't wrong in what the result will be. But at the end of the day if the Bills don't feel his play deserves continued investment or someone out plays him on the field they do not have a significant investment in him this far and could move on if a better option presents itself. 

 

I don't see it happening as I believe he will show to be one of the top 6 WRs, but if he doesn't they will move on.