Elam a healthy scratch part deux (now part TRES) (now part QUATRO)

[Mango]

On 9/25/2023 at 3:34 PM, Luka said:

 

I am hoping this is maybe the case for a whole host of reasons. But if the dude is a lockdown man corner vs teams like Miami, you would have to expect he gets to at least dress the other Sundays of the year. 

I think Elam has some upside.  I think maybe the Miami game is a good fit to show that. But I am not sure this staff would or should dress a guy they hate to play every other week for the sake of a single game and player who plays weekly. 

[gobills404]

On 9/25/2023 at 4:19 PM, appoo said:

McDermott isn't moving off White and Benford. He's got arguably the best performing corner pair in the NFL right now, even though the Bills have played crap QBs. 

They’ve been solid but they’re far from the best CB duo in the league

[SCBills]

2 minutes ago, gobills404 said:

They’ve been solid but they’re far from the best CB duo in the league

 

I was somewhat surprised to see it, but Benford and Johnson's coverage metrics are off the charts, while Tre has been solid. 

[appoo]

On 9/27/2023 at 8:55 AM, SCBills said:

 

I was somewhat surprised to see it, but Benford and Johnson's coverage metrics are off the charts, while Tre has been solid. 

I mean they played Howell, Jimmy G, and Zach Wilson which helps quite a bit, but even then they've all looked pretty good by the eye test

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Will there be a 'teil vier'?  Gott im Himmel! 🤔

[No_Matter_What]

I firmly believe he will be active for this one. He won't start, but he'll dress in case we need to change things a little bit.

[without a drought]

I'd rather see Elam dressed over Lewis against Miami. I doubt this game will be about special teams.

[billsfan89]

I think they should dress Elam, Elam ran a 4.39 40 and has a RAS of 8.63. That's by far the best on the team. I know the game isn't purely going to be decided off of Elam playing but the Bills coaches should have their most athletic fast corner active during a game with a team known for their speed. If the corners are getting burnt at least you have someone to turn to. 

[Don Otreply]

I suspect KE has been in finishing school for the last month, and will see time in the Miami game. Jmo

[Virgil]

If Elam doesn't dress for this game, and I'm not saying he should, I think it's fair to ask McD and Beane what that plan is going forward.  Hill is the reason we drafted Elam.

[BigDingus]

24 minutes ago, Virgil said:

If Elam doesn't dress for this game, and I'm not saying he should, I think it's fair to ask McD and Beane what that plan is going forward.  Hill is the reason we drafted Elam.

 

Which is why I think it's a bit silly that people just blame the system & give Elam a pass. 

 

The team clearly knew what they were targeting & knew what worked within our system. They believed Elam's skillset would work well covering covering key guys like Hill. Unfortunately, that just hasn't been the case. It's not that McDermott doesn't like to play rookies (hate that excuse), it's just that Elam isn't what they had hoped.

 

I certainly wish him the best, but having your completely healthy 1st round pick from just a year ago not even dress for games? The Bills coaching staff doesn't think he's the guy.

[skibum]

It's a conundrum, for sure - You want to dress Elam for Miami based on his skill set, but do you really want his first regular season action to be against the likes of Tyreek Hill? Not a great way to shake off the rust. 

[SoCal Deek]

4 minutes ago, skibum said:

It's a conundrum, for sure - You want to dress Elam for Miami based on his skill set, but do you really want his first regular season action to be against the likes of Tyreek Hill? Not a great way to shake off the rust. 

He’s not coming off an injury. I’m assuming he’s been participating in practice every day. No? I agree with Virgil here. If Elam goes the first four games without seeing the field then what are we doing here? Trade him for something of actual value to the roster. 

[DrDawkinstein]

4 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

He’s not coming off an injury. I’m assuming he’s been participating in practice every day. No? I agree with Virgil here. If Elam goes the first four games without seeing the field then what are we doing here? Trade him for something of actual value to the roster. 

 

But what are you going to get for a non-playing DB that would have "actual value to the roster"?

 

As disappointing as Elam is right now, I believe we learned that having decent DBs waiting in the wings is very valuable to the roster as you get through the season and injuries mount.

 

I dont see us trading him for another position that will come in and start, so might as well keep him around in case of emergency.

[Billl]

14 hours ago, Virgil said:

If Elam doesn't dress for this game, and I'm not saying he should, I think it's fair to ask McD and Beane what that plan is going forward.  Hill is the reason we drafted Elam.

Not sure why everyone feels the need to overthink this.  If he didn't completely suck, they'd have him active if even to save face for trading up in the first to draft him.  I'd they can get anything at all for him, they should move on.

[SoCal Deek]

1 minute ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

But what are you going to get for a non-playing DB that would have "actual value to the roster"?

 

As disappointing as Elam is right now, I believe we learned that having decent DBs waiting in the wings is very valuable to the roster as you get through the season and injuries mount.

 

I dont see us trading him for another position that will come in and start, so might as well keep him around in case of emergency.

I have no idea what they can get for a First Round Draft Pick but I sure hope (and actually expect) they’re exploring it. This isn’t all that different from a highly recruited college player who, for whatever reason, isn’t getting playing time. It’s very common these days for those kids to change schools. Your football career is very short. Having him just sit here is a total waste of everyone’s time. 

[Chuck Schick]

31 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

I have no idea what they can get for a First Round Draft Pick but I sure hope (and actually expect) they’re exploring it. This isn’t all that different from a highly recruited college player who, for whatever reason, isn’t getting playing time. It’s very common these days for those kids to change schools. Your football career is very short. Having him just sit here is a total waste of everyone’s time. 

But this isn't college.  We've seen how NFL teams like the Bills look at the big picture as far as roster construction, playing time, etc goes.  It was just a couple seasons ago that they kept Bates on the bench just in case they needed him due to an injury, even though he was better than at least one of the starting O-linemen (Ford).

[Peace Frog]

I don't want Kaiir Elam turning into our next Wyatt Teller.

[DapperCam]

I thought he looked okay last year, and he even had a few big plays. Him being a healthy scratch is really puzzling to me. Is he not doing what the coaches are asking? Did he regress during the off-season? Is he unable to understand zone concepts after this long of a time period?

[Mango]

If Elam is the press man corner everybody says he might be and this is truly just a scheme issue, I think he still needs to be dressing weekly.

I think this either has to be a scheme issue and it is on the coaches to get him on the field putting him in a position to succeed, or he isn't an NFL caliber player. I am not on the "fire McBeane" train, but I don't know if I see a middle ground where both truth's exist. 

He had moments last year, so it is kind of crazy to me he isn't even active on game days. if I recall he graded out fairly average on PFF. Which isn't the worst place to be for a rookie. 

On the flip side I have rallied against AJE sucking but he is having a year so far. So who know.