Training Camp - 8/3 - 9:45am

[Patrick Duffy]

1 minute ago, Bangarang said:

If Dorian Williams is nothing more than a WLB then that pick becomes more of a head scratcher given Milano is signed through 2026.

 

Agree, only thing I can guess is maybe they are just going to have him learn both positions?

[BuffaloBillyG]

4 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Awesome 3rd round pick on a guy that will probably be a healthy scratch the entire year. What a waste. Should have been a DE, DT, or OT. 

Which one? Not which position...which player that was available at that pick should have been taken? Or just take one for the sake of taking one? 

[Warriorspikes51]

2 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

You are correct. Don't understand this coaching staff. Elam was the best defender on the field in the playoffs. Was far better than White. 

Let the kid play. 

 

Benford also looked promising before injury.

White

Elam

Benford

Jackson

[The Wiz]

 

[Bangarang]

10 minutes ago, Patrick Duffy said:

 

Agree, only thing I can guess is maybe they are just going to have him learn both positions?

Seems like they’ve already given up on him playing MLB. Tough to see him getting much playing time behind Milano. Makes you wonder if they even had a plan for him when he was drafted.

[drummernut74]

12 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

You are correct. Don't understand this coaching staff. Elam was the best defender on the field in the playoffs. Was far better than White. 

Let the kid play. 

Because the bottom line is that we are predominantly a zone D team, and his strengths are press - man.  Perhaps drafted out of desperation, but also our coaches are excessively stubborn about practice habits and learning schedules, and he's just been more slow in learning zone concepts and how to play in space

[Process]

14 minutes ago, Bangarang said:

If Dorian Williams is nothing more than a WLB then that pick becomes more of a head scratcher given Milano is signed through 2026.

We knew this right away. Beane said immediately after the draft pick in his press conference that he was a special teams player. Brutal. 

[Beck Water]

30 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Or an indication they liked Spector there and want to see if the others can match???

 

Theoretically possible, but given that the other two actually have starts at LB and Spector has limited snaps on ST and was inactive most of last season....

 

....unlikely.

 

Just now, Process said:

We knew this right away. Beane said immediately after the draft pick in his press conference that he was a special teams player. Brutal. 

 

I think you are taking what Beane said out of context.

Edited August 3, 2023 by Beck Water

[Warriorspikes51]

Just now, Beck Water said:

 

Theoretically possible, but given that the other two actually have starts at LB and Spector has limited snaps on ST and was inactive most of last season....

 

....unlikely.

 

I thought there was a report that Spector was showing leadership there in practice, oh well 

[The Wiz]

 

[OldTimer1960]

1 minute ago, Bangarang said:

Seems like they’ve already given up on him playing MLB. Tough to see him getting much playing time behind Milano. Makes you wonder if they even had a plan for him when he was drafted.

He is a rookie from not a big time program.  They don’t want to overload him by having him learn 2 positions- and a rookie at MLB calling defense in the huddle is risky.  Too early to panic on a rookie late 3rd round pick.

[Beck Water]

1 minute ago, Bangarang said:

Seems like they’ve already given up on him playing MLB. Tough to see him getting much playing time behind Milano. Makes you wonder if they even had a plan for him when he was drafted.

 

They discussed the plan at the time.  They like him, they don't want to overload him, they plan to start him learning WLB and playing ST this season and develop from there.  The MLB is a complex role, he has to not only know his role but the role of the other LB, the nickel, the DBs on every play call and then how that changes with pre snap and post snap motion.

[Logic]

1 minute ago, Bangarang said:

Seems like they’ve already given up on him playing MLB. Tough to see him getting much playing time behind Milano. Makes you wonder if they even had a plan for him when he was drafted.

I don't think spending a late 3rd round pick in a shallow draft on a player with the intent to have him be a high quality backup WLB -- Milano has certainly missed time here and there throughout his career -- and special teams cog is all that strange.

During the drought years, we often counted on 3rd round picks to play immediately and to be core starters by year two. When a team is as good as the Bills have become, I don't think that's always going to happen.

As far as I'm concerned, if Dorian Williams turns out to be a quality WLB that can keep the Bills defense humming if Milano misses plays or games with injury, I'll consider it a fine draft pick.

[Max Fischer]

23 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

 

That pick was a waste for this season then 

 

Selecting a backup WLB is not a waste. Fan expectation levels can be so out-of-whack. 

[Beck Water]

3 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

 

I thought there was a report that Spector was showing leadership there in practice, oh well 

 

Def. showing leadership, but it's one thing to show leadership and another to read your keys and be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.  Which I'm not saying he wasn't, but if they assessed the film from the first 5 practices and decided Dodson and Bernard were significantly ahead, they got to roll with that.

Edited August 3, 2023 by Beck Water

[YattaOkasan]

18 minutes ago, Son of a K-Gun said:

Do we get to boo the practice refs?

Everyone needs to practice.  Get the vocal chords into midseason form

11 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Awesome 3rd round pick on a guy that will probably be a healthy scratch the entire year. What a waste. Should have been a DE, DT, or OT. 

Why do you think he'll be a healthy scratch?  I expect him to have a lot of ST reps which should be enough value to get him a jersey on game day.

 

On the Elam issue, I think the coaches are just making him earn it and know its not handed to him.  To expand, the coaches love players that have been challenged in their careers.  I suspect they think its important to have that resilient in the face adversity trait.  Elam has not really been challenged in that way in his career.  Son of an NFL player thats a 5 star recruit that goes to the SEC and plays right away.  Hopeful this is the case because Elam has still been getting a lot of reps with the first team and at the end of the year was the CB2 they went with.  I think this offseason they want to challenge him and see him rise to it before having him take over.  

[Don Otreply]

20 minutes ago, Patrick Duffy said:

 

Agree, only thing I can guess is maybe they are just going to have him learn both positions?

Beane stated from the start DW wouldn’t be playing MLB , WLB would be his spot to start off, this was at the start the off season iirc. This isn’t a permanent assignment, but more so to bring him up to NFL standards for future seasons. It’s no big deal, I believe it’s called player development…, 

Edited August 3, 2023 by Don Otreply

[Max Fischer]

20 minutes ago, Patrick Duffy said:

 

Agree, only thing I can guess is maybe they are just going to have him learn both positions?

 

Same fans if Milano gets injured: "This team is so short-sighted, they don't have a decent player to fill in!!!!!"

Edited August 3, 2023 by Max Fischer

[Brand J]

15 minutes ago, Bangarang said:

If Dorian Williams is nothing more than a WLB then that pick becomes more of a head scratcher given Milano is signed through 2026.

They picked Williams with the hopes he’d play MLB this year. When he got in there in the Spring, Beane said it was a little bit too much for him coming from his simple system at Tulane, so they moved him to WLB and will again give him an opportunity to compete at MLB next year, when he has a year under his belt. I agree it seems to be a wasted 3rd round pick this season, but maybe he grows and becomes something. The likelihood is that he doesn’t, but hey, optimism is more fun than pessimism.

[HappyDays]

Weird about Spector. He got a chance with the 1s and by all accounts played quite well. Now he is permanently relegated to the 3rd team. It seems like Dodson is the leader in the competition but I worry about him. When Edmunds missed the 2nd half of the Minnesota game, Dodson was his replacement and looked awful IMO. It was a big reason Minnesota was suddenly able to move the ball at will.