Kaiir Elam discussing the last 2 years & his struggles...

[JGMcD2]

7 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

I cringe every time I read something as unaware and ridiculous as this. Elam isn’t some child trying to learn to ride a bike or a junior high schooler struggling with algebra. This is a grown man who is being paid millions of dollars to do his job. I’m sure he’s trying and getting help from his team, but the adults in the room understand what happens when a team member can’t do their job and holds his team back. 

I cringe every time I read something as unaware and ridiculous as this. 

 

You don't think there is learning required to play CB in the NFL? There is a reason they get paid millions of dollars to do the job. It's really hard, when something is really hard, it requires learning. Nobody is disputing that the team won't move on if he doesn't improve, but I'm not sure why you're "cringing" at the prospect of learning from failure when science backs up it is a prerequisite for success. 

Edited May 29 by JGMcD2

[SoonerBillsFan]

41 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Well you've posted about your perceived phenomenon of Bills fans wanting to see players fail..........so when you post a self-stroker I think it's fair to assume you do so because you want credit for not being one of those imaginary Bills fans that want to see Chase Claypool drop a game winning TD or Kaiir Elam give one up. 

I think you read way too much Into things.

Edited May 29 by SoonerBillsFan

[Old Coot]

5 hours ago, Buff the Cat said:

I think his quote about working with Taron Johnson and "playing smaller" is in part about being in position, specifically when playing zone coverage. I played DB for a number of years and in college as well, and if you have a proclivity towards man coverage it can be really hard to drop into your proper zone spot when in zone coverage. This, in my experience, is difficult because you feel as though you are too far away from anyone you should be covering and tend to cheat towards the nearest guy you see which just throws off your zone.

Good point. Add to this that in NFL defenses, the zones aren't static. They often adjust to the route combos being run so the zones may shift or convert to man depending on the combos. This puts a premium on a CB being able to read several WRs routes quickly.

[ColoradoBills]

1 hour ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Well you've posted about your perceived phenomenon of Bills fans wanting to see players fail..........so when you post a self-stroker I think it's fair to assume you do so because you want credit for not being one of those imaginary Bills fans that want to see Chase Claypool drop a game winning TD or Kaiir Elam give one up. 

 

Your critique of the Bills organization as a whole is fine and has balanced the board out for years.

There are all kinds of fans in the world, I find it best to accept them all IF they are truly fans.

[White Linen]

15 hours ago, BigDingus said:

 

I'm probably one of the most vocal "Elam is a bust" guys on the board, but man I really want him to prove me wrong.

 

He says "it's not like I was cutting corners, it's not like I wasn't listening, wasn't taking notes, wasn't preparing the right way... just that it allowed me to learn though..."

 

What does that even mean? He's clearly acknowledging he's fallen short, but if it was none of those things that held him back & he was doing all those things right, how did he learn anything from that?

 

I know he's trying to give off a positive attitude & show he's got a positive mindset, but it makes me think "well then why is a 1st round talent struggling to fight for a backup role if they're already listening, taking notes, preparing the right way, etc.?"

 

The idea that McDermott doesn't play rookies was always a silly excuse & definitely not true, but on the other hand he's being kept around for a reason. There's obviously still potential that the coaching staff sees, and he has had some clutch moments for us.

 

Hoping at the end of the year someone can quote this thread & say "Hahaha you were wrong!" but I've all but checked out on expecting anything from Elam.

 

Um, he's 23, entering his 3rd year and had a serious foot injury.  You've all but checked out on him?  That's just ridiculous.  

[bigduke6]

for a first round pick,  who was a man to man corner in college, its beyond me why he was drafted by Beane and McD.  surely McD,  a guy who knows corners,  knew there was a possibility of Elam not being comfortable with playing in a primarily zone defense.  round peg square hole.  Elam has shown flashes of being a good corner,  hes also shown to be a liability with penalties.  just not sure what you do with this young man.   im sure his confidence isnt great at this point.  seems like a dumb pick,  that has now affected this young mans future and wasted a valuable pick in the process.

[T master]

8 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

 

My issues were your condescending response to posters legitimately voicing concerns about a player doing their job while at the same time giving said player a pass for their substantial underperformance. There’s a huge difference between a first round pick being buried on the depth chart for two seasons and a productive player figuring out some of the finer points of the game. I think most here can distinguish between the two. Acting like they are the same is ridiculous. 

 

I guess we look at things differently because on one hand you say i'm condescending but it's okay for the OP to call the guy a bust or admit that he is the biggest one to do so on the board ???

 

I was posting mainly on that response & that one that Thad Brown had in the link that was put up . So although you took it as being that way that is not what i was doing . And my statement about lessons learned was about me myself & I no one else just stating a personal fact .

 

But I'm big enough if taken that way by you or the OP i will apologize for it & will move on ... But i still feel that he will turn it around from being able to sit & hopefully learn from the experience and maybe even be a bit more motivated to do better ...

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

Elam has his place.

 

He can cover bigger slower WRs like Coleman who he completely shut down in OTAs

[oldmanfan]

Elam has to figure out how to play zone concepts.  Coming into his third year time for the light to come on.  I’m thinking it will.

[FireChans]

9 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

I cringe every time I read something as unaware and ridiculous as this. Elam isn’t some child trying to learn to ride a bike or a junior high schooler struggling with algebra. This is a grown man who is being paid millions of dollars to do his job. I’m sure he’s trying and getting help from his team, but the adults in the room understand what happens when a team member can’t do their job and holds his team back. 

Most elite TBD post I’ve read in a while.

[BigAl2526]

I'm hopeful that Elam is going to stick with the team.  Playing time may be tough to come by though.  Rasul Douglas is a very good CB and we all can see how solid Benford has been.  I think Elam is going to get most of his reps when opposing teams play with 4 receivers on the field.  Otherwise, he'll be mostly stuck on the bench barring injury to Benford or Douglas.

Edited May 30 by BigAl2526

[Rampant Buffalo]

5 hours ago, JakeFrommStateFarm said:

Elam has his place.

 

He can cover bigger slower WRs like Coleman who he completely shut down in OTAs

 

Great. Now I feel sooooo much better! 🙂👍

[Buffalo716]

7 hours ago, FireChans said:

Most elite TBD post I’ve read in a while.

Besides the dude has actually made plays in some limited time... Has picked off Patrick mahomes twice 

 

Mckelvin took years to turn into a solid corner... But once the light clicked he became very steady 

 

Elam is on the same trajectory and will probably give us a few good seasons... People act like him being injured can't affect a corner 

 

This is the reason why you draft corners every year... So you can have four guys you can play

 

He certainly is not a lost cause

Edited May 30 by Buffalo716

[MarlinTheMagician]

Kind of funny, I posted how much I like this board because of its fan insight and enthusiasm, despite some issues.  Then the thread immediately degenerated into a bunch of insults and arguing.  I guess that just has to be part of it, unfortunately. 😔

[Allen2Moulds]

Make or break year for Elam. I agree with others, that if you struggle with zone, Safety is an even worse spot. 

 

In an ideal world, the light comes on this year, and he forces his way onto the field

I know Benford has been a pretty solid CB, but he seems like he would be an even better safety, maybe elite. I also know it's not happening, but still fun to discuss.

Edited May 30 by Allen2Moulds

[Green Lightning]

14 hours ago, bigduke6 said:

for a first round pick,  who was a man to man corner in college, its beyond me why he was drafted by Beane and McD.  surely McD,  a guy who knows corners,  knew there was a possibility of Elam not being comfortable with playing in a primarily zone defense.  round peg square hole.  Elam has shown flashes of being a good corner,  hes also shown to be a liability with penalties.  just not sure what you do with this young man.   im sure his confidence isnt great at this point.  seems like a dumb pick,  that has now affected this young mans future and wasted a valuable pick in the process.

Maybe they wanted to have more with man-to-man packages to change up on offenses and needed that skill set - figuring they could teach him zone.  Last year he had a foot issue, let's see what he has got this year. He's had some solid moments in games.  With all the size/speed receivers we'll be seeing, someone with his physical abilities would be huge addition.

[The Jokeman]

On 5/29/2024 at 2:48 AM, BigDingus said:

 

I'm probably one of the most vocal "Elam is a bust" guys on the board, but man I really want him to prove me wrong.

 

He says "it's not like I was cutting corners, it's not like I wasn't listening, wasn't taking notes, wasn't preparing the right way... just that it allowed me to learn though..."

 

What does that even mean? He's clearly acknowledging he's fallen short, but if it was none of those things that held him back & he was doing all those things right, how did he learn anything from that?

 

I know he's trying to give off a positive attitude & show he's got a positive mindset, but it makes me think "well then why is a 1st round talent struggling to fight for a backup role if they're already listening, taking notes, preparing the right way, etc.?"

 

The idea that McDermott doesn't play rookies was always a silly excuse & definitely not true, but on the other hand he's being kept around for a reason. There's obviously still potential that the coaching staff sees, and he has had some clutch moments for us.

 

Hoping at the end of the year someone can quote this thread & say "Hahaha you were wrong!" but I've all but checked out on expecting anything from Elam.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for last season if he was indeed injured. That said he needs to step up this season and be on the field, even if it's as a Dane Jackson replacement or first man off the bench as an outside CB. I agree that when we drafted him questioned his ability yet Thad Brown comments are questionable at best, as Kair's draft profile felt could play as a zone corner and had the ability to play well in a Cover 3. Reading his profile now that "Elam has early CB3 and eventual CB2 value as a press and zone corner." seems to be a fair assessment. 

[Bob in STL]

On 5/29/2024 at 8:21 AM, MarlinTheMagician said:

Safety.  I have inside information (maybe it is public and I don't know it), that they really want to look at him as a safety.  That might help the grabbiness at the top of routes - seeing the play unfold and running to the catch point rather than trying to mirror sometimes.  Others on here have posted he would be terrible at safety, but the Bills believe there is at least some chance those posters are wrong.

A safety is typically a guy that can tackle.  Not sure that he can.  

 

His zone play is poor, not sure he can read the plays either.  

 

I hope he figures it out.  

 

Edited May 30 by Bob in STL

[Udubalum07]

I'm rooting for him.  I haven't heard a single peep about him being a distraction or discontent, which speaks to his character. 

 

It has seemed to me that he still thinks a lot rather than looking comfortable.  He gets juked a lot, but with his athleticism has been able to make up for it, and come back and make a play on the ball.  He just doesn't have the natural feel for the defense that Benford or Butler do.

 

I hope it turns around for him, because he seems like a really good dude, and it would be great to have reliable corners like we had reliable safeties for the next 5 years or so. 

[Not at the table Karlos]

21 hours ago, JakeFrommStateFarm said:

Elam has his place.

 

He can cover bigger slower WRs like Coleman who he completely shut down in OTAs

He’s also played very well against Tyreek Hill.