Bills practice Thurs 8/17 starting with McD interview

[FilthyBeast]

2 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Him saying he’s concerned about MLB made me upset. Huge failure.

 

Agree, and the fact that he's publicly acknowledging the obvious is a major concern for a team that still fancies themselves as a division winner/SB contender.

 

Have to believe Beane is going to try and swing a trade for a viable option soon knowing all these DE/DT aren't making the final roster...

[HappyDays]

Hopefully the Bills social media team posts this video.

[Simon]

1 minute ago, HappyDays said:

Hopefully the Bills social media team posts this video.

 

I'm just hoping his elbow didn't fall off 

[Warcodered]

Just now, Simon said:

 

I'm just hoping his elbow didn't fall off 

The sleeve is clearly to hide his robotic replacement.

[The_Ripster]

6 minutes ago, gordong said:

not sure Shorter has done enough to make this roster. and I don't see anyway they keep 7 WR. 

 

5 minutes ago, Araiza Curse said:

Before, I feel like the Bills didn’t keep 7WRs because we always kept an extra spot for Taiwan. Now he is off the team, they likely go 7 WRs. 

That’s fine, then cut Shorter and keep Isabella and we roll. 

Diggs
Davis
Harty 

On paper, those 3 are the only locks because it would really mess up the teams' bankroll if they were to be cut.

Sherfield seems like a guy they brought in to back up Diggs, and from what I've read he has been impressive.

After that, you have two 5th rounders (Shorter and Shakir) and a multitude of other dudes who have all impressed. (Patmon, Shavers, Ateman)

Can't see them keeping the older 5th rounder over the newer one, kinda defeats the purpose of why they drafted Shorter in the first place.
And I doubt they have plans to keep more than 2 dedicated slot/gadget WR's. 

My best guess...

Diggs

Davis

Harty

Sherfield 

Shorter
Shavers

From what I've read Shorter is a special teams ace at gunner , and so is Shavers (he was actually Araiza's gunner on ST for the aztecs).

Also, don't forget Kincaid needs touches too so imo there is no real reason to put such a heavy emphasis on slot depth, especially when they have Diggs and Sherfield + Harty if they wanna mix things up.
 

 

 

 

 

[Augie]

2 hours ago, NewEra said:

There’s a big difference between being concerned and being very concerned!

 

 

 

I’m guessing it’s a “very” big difference.   😋

[That's No Moon]

42 minutes ago, OldTimer1960 said:

I think that the idea that the Bills are “loaded” at WR is funny.  They have 2 proven players in Diggs and Davis.  The idea that Harty, Sherfield and Shakir are so good that they could not be beaten out is absurd.

A cart loaded with manure is still loaded.

[Beck Water]

1 hour ago, Shaw66 said:

I think all of this is spot one.  As someone else, I think if you'd asked the Bills in May who the MLB would be, they would have said Bernard.   I think Bernard was less than they hoped, and that's why Dodson was competitive.   

 

Good chance it'll be Bernard when he works his way back in, and Williams later in the season (perhaps with Milano or a safety calling the defense).   And heavy doses of Klein.   

 

Far from ideal.  

 

I could just be a Nattering Nabob of Negativity here, but I didn't think Bernard looked like he could tackle a RB with a full head of steam last season, and he looked just the same arriving for OTAs. 

 

So unsure why they thought Bernard would be It at MLB

[Big Turk]

3 hours ago, Slippery Rubber Mats said:

 

Isaiah sucked last year. I think if he showed he was dependable he would have got a lot more run. He just kinda sucks.

 

Maybe Isabella doesn't suck. Or maybe he sucked but doesn't suck anymore.

 

No offense but Arizona kinda sucked last year and Kliff Kingsbury's schemes left a lot to be desired.

[Beck Water]

 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

41 minutes ago, FilthyBeast said:

 

Agree, and the fact that he's publicly acknowledging the obvious is a major concern for a team that still fancies themselves as a division winner/SB contender.

 

Have to believe Beane is going to try and swing a trade for a viable option soon knowing all these DE/DT aren't making the final roster...

An undrafted and 2 3rd round reaches was the competition.

 

I’m very concerned with the coaches and management.

[Alphadawg7]

2 hours ago, Beck Water said:

 

The fact is, McKenzie managed to stay in the league and on the field for 6 seasons, now going into his 7th and still fighting for a roster spot.  He's a popular whipping boy here on TBD, but 5th round picks don't do that unless show something. 

 

What are the options here?  Either McKenzie, in fact, doesn't suck - he didn't succeed when asked to take on a broader role as Beasley's replacement in the slot, but when he was used in ways that exploited his speed, he stayed on the team and on the field.  Or, our FO/pro player personnel and offensive coaches are just stupid because they failed to agree with you that he sucked.  (And built a top-5 offense the last 3 years while being so stupid)

 

"Don't hassle me with the Facts, Son"

My point wasn't about McKenzie succeeding or not in his role as a Beasley slot replacement (he didn't), my point was that the Bills offensive coaches last season had Hines for half the season and McKenzie all season (two fast guys), and did not manage to use them in a way that leveraged their best attribute - their speed.

 

 

 

Isabella was drafted in the 2nd round.  High draft picks usually get more leeway, yet he was dumped off his first team before the end of his contract.  They tried to trade him and no one was interested. 

 

It's always possible that "3rd team's the charm", sure

 

 

 

Who do you feel they could have signed at MLB but didn't?  Don't tell me Lavonte David or Bobby Wagner.  The first wanted to keep his family in Tampa where they've lived for 11 years.  The second wanted to "go home" to Seattle.

Let’s state it properly then in regards to McKenzie.  He sucks as a starting WR in the NFL.  He doesn’t have great hands, doesn’t make tough catches, doesn’t track the deep ball well nullifying some of the value of his speed, he isn’t a consistent route runner, doesn’t catch well in traffic, and he isn’t cerebral on the field.  
 

However, he is a good gadget player and reserve piece to have on the team who can also provide some value as a returner.  However, the fact he isn’t cerebral on the field causes lapses in judgement that can be costly as returner too, so he’s better suited for a backup returner than a primary returner.  
 

He’s a fun guy, I liked having him here, but he was a very poor option as a starting player and was really at his best when used in a more gadget type role.  

Edited August 17, 2023 by Alphadawg7

[Beck Water]

 

1 hour ago, LeGOATski said:

Can McD just play MLB himself?

 

I'll just drop this here:

 

I'm gonna go with "no"

 

 

 

Clearly off the turf

[AuntieEm]

1 hour ago, OldTimer1960 said:

I think that the idea that the Bills are “loaded” at WR is funny.  They have 2 proven players in Diggs and Davis.  The idea that Harty, Sherfield and Shakir are so good that they could not be beaten out is absurd.

 

Agree and who is to say a walk on makes the team over that highly recruited star on full scholarship......   if Shakir can't beat out competition maybe they trade him to Giants or other needy team for a draft pick based on his stats as he develops.

Edited August 17, 2023 by AuntieEm

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

49 minutes ago, OldTimer1960 said:

But why are they locks?  They are certainly not very proven.  Shakir in particular isn't.  Harty is a proven special teams player and Sherfield had 30 catches last year.  I'm arguing that we are over-rating Harty, Sherfield and Shakir.  Harty has 64 NFL catches over 4 years, Sherfield has 67 over 5 years and Shakir has 10 in 1 year.  Does that scream "proven"?

 

Please don't interpret this to mean that I think they are horrible.  I am only saying that they are really not proven, so why would they be considered "locks" to make the roster?

 

Harty there are cap ramifications with cutting him - not to mention we don't know how and where he fits in the return game and the offense.  He also was an all-pro return man his rookie year.  

 

Sherfield is a core special teams player, fast, and a plus blocker.  Replaces Kumerow, and can play inside and outside on offense.  

 

Shakir has 2 years of cost control and probably should have gone prior to round 5.  There's a lot of potential there, and potential value on his current rookie deal.  

[Robert Paulson]

1 hour ago, Cheektowaga Chad said:

I think they are talking up Isabella so that he stays and goes to the practice squad for a few weeks at the very least. (Assumed your comment was about Isabella)

yes Isabelle

 

I think Boogie is the second option talking him up to get a pick for him

 

they raved about how Boogie did against future  burger flippers and Amazon drivers

[RoyBatty is alive]

3 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Him saying he’s concerned about MLB made me upset. Huge failure.

Well then go ahead and freak out about it.

 

Last time McDermott was "concerned" about something (Diggs not at practice) we spent weeks debating it here.

[Don Otreply]

51 minutes ago, OldTimer1960 said:

But why are they locks?  They are certainly not very proven.  Shakir in particular isn't.  Harty is a proven special teams player and Sherfield had 30 catches last year.  I'm arguing that we are over-rating Harty, Sherfield and Shakir.  Harty has 64 NFL catches over 4 years, Sherfield has 67 over 5 years and Shakir has 10 in 1 year.  Does that scream "proven"?

 

Please don't interpret this to mean that I think they are horrible.  I am only saying that they are really not proven, so why would they be considered "locks" to make the roster?

Comparing them to the WR rated below them, then they are essentially locks, who else is going to take those spots? 

[Alphadawg7]

46 minutes ago, OldTimer1960 said:

But why are they locks?  They are certainly not very proven.  Shakir in particular isn't.  Harty is a proven special teams player and Sherfield had 30 catches last year.  I'm arguing that we are over-rating Harty, Sherfield and Shakir.  Harty has 64 NFL catches over 4 years, Sherfield has 67 over 5 years and Shakir has 10 in 1 year.  Does that scream "proven"?

 

Please don't interpret this to mean that I think they are horrible.  I am only saying that they are really not proven, so why would they be considered "locks" to make the roster?

Googling stats is a terrible way to answer that question as it not only lacks context of their past circumstances, it contains no information or data from this off-season and camp.

 

Sherfield and Harty are near locks because they are better players than their stat sheet shows do to lesser opportunities and they have had great camps.  Their roster spots biggest threat would be injuries to themselves at this point.  
 

Shakir isn’t as safe IMO, but he’s pretty safe because they really like him and he’s shown some good things too even with some things he needs to work on.  He won’t be a safe stash on the PS, so if they want to keep him it has to be on the 53 man roster.
 

Andy Isabella could make the cut decisions interesting if he keeps turning the coaches heads for all the right reasons.  
 

I think we keep 6 WRs:

Diggs, Davis, Sherfield, Harty, Shakir, Isabella

 

Shorter goes to the PS unless they keep 7 in which he would be the 7th guy.

[HOUSE]

This Damien Harris kid ain't cutting the mustard in Buffalo anymore...

Go rest your knee somewhere else.

Edited August 17, 2023 by HOUSE