Good Night / Bad Night - Pre-season game 3

[GunnerBill]

It was backups all the way for the Bills in their pre-season finale against Carolina so let's have a look at who helped themselves and who hurt themselves in the battles at the back of the roster and for the practice squad, but before we do... a call out for the Panthers roster which includes not only former Bills Jacob Hollister (we'll always have pre-season 2021) and Jordan Matthews (now a tight end - who knew he was still in the league??) but also Ihmir Smith-Marsette and DiCaprio Bootle (who both made my draft sleepers thread in 2021 coming out of Iowa and Nebraska respectively). A reminder that the rosters of bottom feeding NFL teams have a glorious "where are they now?" quality to them . Anyway, onto the Bills.... 

 

Good Night for...

 

Ja'Marcus Ingram - I know Ingram is locked in on a roster spot as this team's fourth corner but it is almost impossible to overstate how good a summer the former University of Buffalo product has had. He was hanging with Carolina's 1st team receivers and had two really nice coverage reps on that first drive down in the endzone against Diontae Johnson. Caps a really impressive pre-season and his emergence, coupled with an improved showing from Kaiir Elam this summer, has taken outside corner from a depth concern to potentially one of the deeper spots on the Bills roster. 

 

Frank Gore Jnr - Hope the injury he suffered late is not serious because over 100 yards and a touchdown at 5.6 per carry wrapped up a terrific pre-season for Gore. Man does he run like his dad? He's never going to be the biggest or the fastest but his vision, his knowledge of the position, and his ability to fall forward are going to make him a valuable commodity on cutdown day if he is healthy. I think there is a possibility he gets claimed off waivers because I can see a team or two combining the tape with the name and being willing to take a chance on the lineage. If I was the Bills decision maker I'd consider keeping him over Ty Johnson who is an ultimate JAG but I don't expect them to do that and as such Gore may well end up on someone else's 53. 

 

Tre' McKitty - Worth reminding people that McKitty was a third round pick of the Chargers back in 2021 after a collegiate career where he was a starter at Florida State and Georgia. It didn't work out in LA and he was released last October after which the Bills added him to their practice squad. He has been the forgotten man of this tight end battle but with Quintin Morris hurt (and possibly heading to IR) there is at least one spot on the roster to shoot for and that third tight end normally has to block some, and has to play special teams. McKitty does and Zach Davidson doesn't (he has tried a bit of teams play this pre-season but it's very much a work in progress). McKitty had a nice block on Gore's TD run, and two catches on the night, including an impressive acrobatic grab for the 2 point conversion. If there is a name on the 53 come Tuesday that nobody has been talking about his might be it. I still think Davidson's roster chances come down to whether the Bills keep a 4th tight end who is "just" a receiving tight end.

 

Deon Cain - I have called the receiver battle beyond the established "top 4" on the Bills depth chart a few words over this summer. Uninspiring is the polite term. Utter garbage might be more accurate. However, Deon Cain as a late entrant is intriguing. He won a National Championship with Clemson while in college but suffered an ACL in his rookie training camp with the Colts. His career has never really recovered its momentum from there but he was the MVP of the USFL Championship game last year and while he is probably in last chance saloon territory as far as the NFL goes he caught the ball (I know, how novel) and he showed more bust after the catch than KJ Hamler. I suspect he would need to be allocated one of the six allowed "veteran" slots on a practice squad, and that might make his path tougher, but I'd be in favour of keeping him around more so than some of the other contenders. 

 

Te'Cory Couch - When people say "get rid of the pre-season altogether" I always object. The reason is the opportunity for guys like this. Couch got on the field a bit in the second half of week 1 and the very end of week 2 but he played as the "starting" nickel with the second team defense that started the game last night and played throughout. They used him in a Taron Johnson esque way combining his time between a true slot corner position and playing in the box as a third linebacker. The kid took his chance. 10 total tackles and a sack, plus a good special teams play on the opening kick off. I think he has worked his way onto the practice squad. Good job. 

 

 

Bad Night for...

 

Tyler Bass - You know when I said it was backups all the way? Yea, well worryingly the worst night of the lot belonged to the one man on the field the Bills will need to rely on when the season begins. Missed a field goal from 51 (and he has plenty of leg it's accuracy that is the issue) and fluffed a kick off not hitting the landing zone and causing a drive start at the 40 yard line. McDermott was pretty direct about him when asked afterwards but this is a problem. The second half of his 2023 season was a disaster and he has not re-found his mojo. The contract is a problem if the Bills wanted to cut bait but the reality is his leash must be pretty short at this point. 

 

Linebackers - The Andreessen hype has cleared and this performance was much more reminiscent of his week 1 effort than the MVP display against the Steelers. I expand it out beyond him thought because Deion Jones was bad too (I believe it was he who misplayed his responsibility on the goalline - the Bills are almost always will on tight end, mike on running back in those situations - although clearly Andreessen had issues communicating the call) and Edefuan Olofoshio was a liability in coverage in the second half too. Andreessen got washed on a Panthers rushing touchdown up the middle and also struggled twice carrying vertical routes in coverage down the field. I still suspect last week makes it risky to try and sneak Buffalo Joe to the practice squad but the Bills might now feel it is worth the risk. 

 

Tyrell Shavers - He was this year's OTAs and early camp receiving darling. There seems to be one every year. They rarely make the team. I don't think Shavers is making the team either. Not going to put the drop on our first offensive play on him, DiNucci has to make a better throw, but the missed touchdown was 100% on Shavers. That is a perfectly thrown ball by DiNucci and while Shavers does a great job with his release he slows and starts looking for the ball way too early. He has to stay with the route there and trust the ball will be where it needs to be. It should have been a simple touchdown grab. I just don't see a guy here who has shown enough to make the team. If MVS is not healthy I might be tempted to roster four receivers at initial cuts and see what shakes loose elsewhere. The rest of these guys suck. 

 

Kyron Brown - Brown spent all last year on the Bills' practice squad and at the start of the spring there were those who thought he was essentially battling Ja'Marcus Ingram for a potential roster spot at corner. He has been absolutely dreadful in pre-season. He got worked again last night, gave up another touchdown, missed a chance for an endzone pick and was just generally out of position and out of his depth at every turn. Against Carolina backups. Yea. That's bad. I believe he might have played himself off the practice squad. I certainly hope that is the case. The idea of him being called upon for a real game is terrifying. 

 

Casey Toohill - When Toohill signed in the spring he was expected to factor into the defensive end battle, after all, he lodged 5 sacks last season in a situational pass rusher role with the Commanders. He lost most of his camp to injury and that is unfortunate but he got his first game action last night and looked way below the level of the guys he is competition with. He got a free run at a sack on Bryce Young on the first drive, but whiffed, and it didn't get any better from there. One of the easier cuts the Bills will make this week. 

 

Okay guys, add your own, flame away, and begin the two weeks of bickering before the Cardinals come to town! We are on to Arizona!!!

Edited August 25 by GunnerBill

[Dr. Who]

Insightful as always, thank you. The WR room is the most talked about subject, and everyone has made their particular stance clear by this point. It's an unfortunate place to be with Josh Allen in his prime, retooling the roster or not. The Bass situation is the one that for sure will lose you games. They can't wait till next year to fix it. 

[BillsFan130]

Good post- In total going into the season compared going into camp, this is how I feel personally about the roster:

 

QBs- Feel worse as trubisky looked bad and is injured

 

RBs- Feel better as Ray Davis showing promise

 

WRs-  Somehow I even feel worse about this group and besides Shakir, got questions about everyone. (Samuels health always seems to be an issue)

 

O line- Hard to really tell. Depth looks descent though including Grable

 

TEs- Same- Kincaid and Knox didn't play much but we know what the bills have here as it's a position of strength

 

D line- Probably better as a whole. Rousseau showing he's ready for a breakout, Johnson looks descent and Solomon showing promise 

 

LBs- Of course worse cause the Milano injury. Dorian Williams has potential, but he's a bit of a soup sandwich out there

 

CBs- Definitely better. Elam had a strong camp/ pre season. Hardy could be a steal and Ingram looked good

 

Safeties-Shaky to begin with, but now  Worse cause the injuries/ lack of continuity

 

Special teams- Worse- I think we can all agree about this as Bass continues to struggle 

Edited August 25 by BillsFan130

[NeverOutNick]

42 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Deon Cain - I have called the receiver battle beyond the established "top 4" on the Bills depth chart a few words over this summer. Uninspiring is the polite term. Utter garbage might be more accurate. However, Deon Cain as a late entrant is intriguing. He won a National Championship with Clemson while in college but suffered an ACL in his rookie training camp with the Colts. His career has never really recovered its momentum from there but he was the MVP of the USFL Championship game last year and while he is probably in last chance saloon territory as far as the NFL goes he caught the ball (I know, how novel) and he showed more burst after the catch than KJ Hamler. I suspect he would need to be allocated one of the six allowed "veteran" slots on a practice squad, and that might make his path tougher, but I'd be in favour of keeping him around more so than some of the other contenders. 

 

I agree that Cain showed up and deserves at least a practice squad spot but the bolded just isn’t true. Not sure if Hamler hurt you or not jk but the disdain is clouding your judgement of what he can do for our offense. He’s at the very least the backup role to what they want Samuel to be but with the added dimension of being able to blow the top off of the defense. With the ball in his hands he’s clearly the most dynamic player on the field. Hes had some ups and downs this preseason but unlike MVS and other jags he’s worth the risk imo  

[GunnerBill]

29 minutes ago, NeverOutNick said:

I agree that Cain showed up and deserves at least a practice squad spot but the bolded just isn’t true. Not sure if Hamler hurt you or not jk but the disdain is clouding your judgement of what he can do for our offense. He’s at the very least the backup role to what they want Samuel to be but with the added dimension of being able to blow the top off of the defense. With the ball in his hands he’s clearly the most dynamic player on the field. Hes had some ups and downs this preseason but unlike MVS and other jags he’s worth the risk imo  

 

His two catches last night he stumbled forward about 4 yards then fell over. I like Hamler. Liked him a lot coming out. But he has been totally ineffectual this summer. His best plays were at the end of last night as a running back. 

[MikePJ76]

they are going to need someone who is big enough to play the run at the end since solomon and miller are specialists essentially.  I think since this was toohills first time playing this summer he may get a break.

 

just feels like they need another end who can play the run.  I don't think jonathan makes the team.  They have the starters and smoot at end who will play the run well.  Maybe I am crazy I just think they need a traditional strong side end who can force the runnning game back inside.  Seems like they dont have that type of guy.  I dont think the d-line is as good as people seem to make it out to be.  I hope they add a player to this group over the next 48 hours.

[Orlando Buffalo]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

It was backups all the way for the Bills in their pre-season finale against Carolina so let's have a look at who helped themselves and who hurt themselves in the battles at the back of the roster and for the practice squad, but before we do... a call out for the Panthers roster which includes not only former Bills Jacob Hollister (we'll always have pre-season 2021) and Jordan Matthews (now a tight end - who knew he was still in the league??) but also Ihmir Smith-Marsette and DiCaprio Bootle (who both made my draft sleepers thread in 2021 coming out of Iowa and Nebraska respectively). A reminder that the rosters of bottom feeding NFL teams have a glorious "where are they now?" quality to them . Anyway, onto the Bills.... 

 

Good Night for...

 

Ja'Marcus Ingram - I know Ingram is locked in on a roster spot as this team's fourth corner but it is almost impossible to overstate how good a summer the former University of Buffalo product has had. He was hanging with Carolina's 1st team receivers and had two really nice coverage reps on that first drive down in the endzone against Diontae Johnson. Caps a really impressive pre-season and his emergence, coupled with an improved showing from Kaiir Elam this summer, has taken outside corner from a depth concern to potentially one of the deeper spots on the Bills roster. 

 

Frank Gore Jnr - Hope the injury he suffered late is not serious because over 100 yards and a touchdown at 5.6 per carry wrapped up a terrific pre-season for Gore. Man does he run like his dad? He's never going to be the biggest or the fastest but his vision, his knowledge of the position, and his ability to fall forward are going to make him a valuable commodity on cutdown day if he is healthy. I think there is a possibility he gets claimed off waivers because I can see a team or two combining the tape with the name and being willing to take a chance on the lineage. If I was the Bills decision maker I'd consider keeping him over Ty Johnson who is an ultimate JAG but I don't expect them to do that and as such Gore may well end up on someone else's 53. 

 

Tre' McKitty - Worth reminding people that McKitty was a third round pick of the Chargers back in 2021 after a collegiate career where he was a starter at Florida State and Georgia. It didn't work out in LA and he was released last October after which the Bills added him to their practice squad. He has been the forgotten man of this tight end battle but with Quintin Morris hurt (and possibly heading to IR) there is at least one spot on the roster to shoot for and that third tight end normally has to block some, and has to play special teams. McKitty does and Zach Davidson doesn't (he has tried a bit of teams play this pre-season but it's very much a work in progress). McKitty had a nice block on Gore's TD run, and two catches on the night, including an impressive acrobatic grab for the 2 point conversion. If there is a name on the 53 come Tuesday that nobody has been talking about his might be it. I still think Davidson's roster chances come down to whether the Bills keep a 4th tight end who is "just" a receiving tight end.

 

Deon Cain - I have called the receiver battle beyond the established "top 4" on the Bills depth chart a few words over this summer. Uninspiring is the polite term. Utter garbage might be more accurate. However, Deon Cain as a late entrant is intriguing. He won a National Championship with Clemson while in college but suffered an ACL in his rookie training camp with the Colts. His career has never really recovered its momentum from there but he was the MVP of the USFL Championship game last year and while he is probably in last chance saloon territory as far as the NFL goes he caught the ball (I know, how novel) and he showed more bust after the catch than KJ Hamler. I suspect he would need to be allocated one of the six allowed "veteran" slots on a practice squad, and that might make his path tougher, but I'd be in favour of keeping him around more so than some of the other contenders. 

 

Te'Cory Couch - When people say "get rid of the pre-season altogether" I always object. The reason is the opportunity for guys like this. Couch got on the field a bit in the second half of week 1 and the very end of week 2 but he played as the "starting" nickel with the second team defense that started the game last night and played throughout. They used him in a Taron Johnson esque way combining his time between a true slot corner position and playing in the box as a third linebacker. The kid took his chance. 10 total tackles and a sack, plus a good special teams play on the opening kick off. I think he has worked his way onto the practice squad. Good job. 

 

 

Bad Night for...

 

Tyler Bass - You know when I said it was backups all the way? Yea, well worryingly the worst night of the lot belonged to the one man on the field the Bills will need to rely on when the season begins. Missed a field goal from 51 (and he has plenty of leg it's accuracy that is the issue) and fluffed a kick off not hitting the landing zone and causing a drive start at the 40 yard line. McDermott was pretty direct about him when asked afterwards but this is a problem. The second half of his 2023 season was a disaster and he has not re-found his mojo. The contract is a problem if the Bills wanted to cut bait but the reality is his leash must be pretty short at this point. 

 

Linebackers - The Andreessen hype has cleared and this performance was much more reminiscent of his week 1 effort than the MVP display against the Steelers. I expand it out beyond him thought because Deion Jones was bad too (I believe it was he who misplayed his responsibility on the goalline - the Bills are almost always will on tight end, mike on running back in those situations - although clearly Andreessen had issues communicating the call) and Edefuan Olofoshio was a liability in coverage in the second half too. Andreessen got washed on a Panthers rushing touchdown up the middle and also struggled twice carrying vertical routes in coverage down the field. I still suspect last week makes it risky to try and sneak Buffalo Joe to the practice squad but the Bills might now feel it is worth the risk. 

 

Tyrell Shavers - He was this year's OTAs and early camp receiving darling. There seems to be one every year. They rarely make the team. I don't think Shavers is making the team either. Not going to put the drop on our first offensive play on him, DiNucci has to make a better throw, but the missed touchdown was 100% on Shavers. That is a perfectly thrown ball by DiNucci and while Shavers does a great job with his release he slows and starts looking for the ball way too early. He has to stay with the route there and trust the ball will be where it needs to be. It should have been a simple touchdown grab. I just don't see a guy here who has shown enough to make the team. If MVS is not healthy I might be tempted to roster four receivers at initial cuts and see what shakes loose elsewhere. The rest of these guys suck. 

 

Kyron Brown - Brown spent all last year on the Bills' practice squad and at the start of the spring there were those who thought he was essentially battling Ja'Marcus Ingram for a potential roster spot at corner. He has been absolutely dreadful in pre-season. He got worked again last night, gave up another touchdown, missed a chance for an endzone pick and was just generally out of position and out of his depth at every turn. Against Carolina backups. Yea. That's bad. I believe he might have played himself off the practice squad. I certainly hope that is the case. The idea of him being called upon for a real game is terrifying. 

 

Casey Toohill - When Toohill signed in the spring he was expected to factor into the defensive end battle, after all, he lodged 5 sacks last season in a situational pass rusher role with the Commanders. He lost most of his camp to injury and that is unfortunate but he got his first game action last night and looked way below the level of the guys he is competition with. He got a free run at a sack on Bryce Young on the first drive, but whiffed, and it didn't get any better from there. One of the easier cuts the Bills will make this week. 

 

Okay guys, add your own, flame away, and begin the two weeks of bickering before the Cardinals come to town! We are on to Arizona!!!

I had no idea who Cain or Couch before the game but was impressed by both, and hope they get to practice squad. 

[CNYfan]

I thought the Safety # 27 (? Jackson) played well and has to be in consideration for one of those Vet Practice Squad spots.  

 

Cain looked better than most of the receivers after Samuel and Shakir have looked this year.   

 

 

[Slippery Rubber Mats]

22 minutes ago, CNYfan said:

I thought the Safety # 27 (? Jackson) played well and has to be in consideration for one of those Vet Practice Squad spots.  

 

Cain looked better than most of the receivers after Samuel and Shakir have looked this year.   

 

 

 

I could see Jackson making the team pretty easy with how safety injuries have played out so far

[MasterStrategist]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

It was backups all the way for the Bills in their pre-season finale against Carolina so let's have a look at who helped themselves and who hurt themselves in the battles at the back of the roster and for the practice squad, but before we do... a call out for the Panthers roster which includes not only former Bills Jacob Hollister (we'll always have pre-season 2021) and Jordan Matthews (now a tight end - who knew he was still in the league??) but also Ihmir Smith-Marsette and DiCaprio Bootle (who both made my draft sleepers thread in 2021 coming out of Iowa and Nebraska respectively). A reminder that the rosters of bottom feeding NFL teams have a glorious "where are they now?" quality to them . Anyway, onto the Bills.... 

 

Good Night for...

 

Ja'Marcus Ingram - I know Ingram is locked in on a roster spot as this team's fourth corner but it is almost impossible to overstate how good a summer the former University of Buffalo product has had. He was hanging with Carolina's 1st team receivers and had two really nice coverage reps on that first drive down in the endzone against Diontae Johnson. Caps a really impressive pre-season and his emergence, coupled with an improved showing from Kaiir Elam this summer, has taken outside corner from a depth concern to potentially one of the deeper spots on the Bills roster. 

 

Frank Gore Jnr - Hope the injury he suffered late is not serious because over 100 yards and a touchdown at 5.6 per carry wrapped up a terrific pre-season for Gore. Man does he run like his dad? He's never going to be the biggest or the fastest but his vision, his knowledge of the position, and his ability to fall forward are going to make him a valuable commodity on cutdown day if he is healthy. I think there is a possibility he gets claimed off waivers because I can see a team or two combining the tape with the name and being willing to take a chance on the lineage. If I was the Bills decision maker I'd consider keeping him over Ty Johnson who is an ultimate JAG but I don't expect them to do that and as such Gore may well end up on someone else's 53. 

 

Tre' McKitty - Worth reminding people that McKitty was a third round pick of the Chargers back in 2021 after a collegiate career where he was a starter at Florida State and Georgia. It didn't work out in LA and he was released last October after which the Bills added him to their practice squad. He has been the forgotten man of this tight end battle but with Quintin Morris hurt (and possibly heading to IR) there is at least one spot on the roster to shoot for and that third tight end normally has to block some, and has to play special teams. McKitty does and Zach Davidson doesn't (he has tried a bit of teams play this pre-season but it's very much a work in progress). McKitty had a nice block on Gore's TD run, and two catches on the night, including an impressive acrobatic grab for the 2 point conversion. If there is a name on the 53 come Tuesday that nobody has been talking about his might be it. I still think Davidson's roster chances come down to whether the Bills keep a 4th tight end who is "just" a receiving tight end.

 

Deon Cain - I have called the receiver battle beyond the established "top 4" on the Bills depth chart a few words over this summer. Uninspiring is the polite term. Utter garbage might be more accurate. However, Deon Cain as a late entrant is intriguing. He won a National Championship with Clemson while in college but suffered an ACL in his rookie training camp with the Colts. His career has never really recovered its momentum from there but he was the MVP of the USFL Championship game last year and while he is probably in last chance saloon territory as far as the NFL goes he caught the ball (I know, how novel) and he showed more bust after the catch than KJ Hamler. I suspect he would need to be allocated one of the six allowed "veteran" slots on a practice squad, and that might make his path tougher, but I'd be in favour of keeping him around more so than some of the other contenders. 

 

Te'Cory Couch - When people say "get rid of the pre-season altogether" I always object. The reason is the opportunity for guys like this. Couch got on the field a bit in the second half of week 1 and the very end of week 2 but he played as the "starting" nickel with the second team defense that started the game last night and played throughout. They used him in a Taron Johnson esque way combining his time between a true slot corner position and playing in the box as a third linebacker. The kid took his chance. 10 total tackles and a sack, plus a good special teams play on the opening kick off. I think he has worked his way onto the practice squad. Good job. 

 

 

Bad Night for...

 

Tyler Bass - You know when I said it was backups all the way? Yea, well worryingly the worst night of the lot belonged to the one man on the field the Bills will need to rely on when the season begins. Missed a field goal from 51 (and he has plenty of leg it's accuracy that is the issue) and fluffed a kick off not hitting the landing zone and causing a drive start at the 40 yard line. McDermott was pretty direct about him when asked afterwards but this is a problem. The second half of his 2023 season was a disaster and he has not re-found his mojo. The contract is a problem if the Bills wanted to cut bait but the reality is his leash must be pretty short at this point. 

 

Linebackers - The Andreessen hype has cleared and this performance was much more reminiscent of his week 1 effort than the MVP display against the Steelers. I expand it out beyond him thought because Deion Jones was bad too (I believe it was he who misplayed his responsibility on the goalline - the Bills are almost always will on tight end, mike on running back in those situations - although clearly Andreessen had issues communicating the call) and Edefuan Olofoshio was a liability in coverage in the second half too. Andreessen got washed on a Panthers rushing touchdown up the middle and also struggled twice carrying vertical routes in coverage down the field. I still suspect last week makes it risky to try and sneak Buffalo Joe to the practice squad but the Bills might now feel it is worth the risk. 

 

Tyrell Shavers - He was this year's OTAs and early camp receiving darling. There seems to be one every year. They rarely make the team. I don't think Shavers is making the team either. Not going to put the drop on our first offensive play on him, DiNucci has to make a better throw, but the missed touchdown was 100% on Shavers. That is a perfectly thrown ball by DiNucci and while Shavers does a great job with his release he slows and starts looking for the ball way too early. He has to stay with the route there and trust the ball will be where it needs to be. It should have been a simple touchdown grab. I just don't see a guy here who has shown enough to make the team. If MVS is not healthy I might be tempted to roster four receivers at initial cuts and see what shakes loose elsewhere. The rest of these guys suck. 

 

Kyron Brown - Brown spent all last year on the Bills' practice squad and at the start of the spring there were those who thought he was essentially battling Ja'Marcus Ingram for a potential roster spot at corner. He has been absolutely dreadful in pre-season. He got worked again last night, gave up another touchdown, missed a chance for an endzone pick and was just generally out of position and out of his depth at every turn. Against Carolina backups. Yea. That's bad. I believe he might have played himself off the practice squad. I certainly hope that is the case. The idea of him being called upon for a real game is terrifying. 

 

Casey Toohill - When Toohill signed in the spring he was expected to factor into the defensive end battle, after all, he lodged 5 sacks last season in a situational pass rusher role with the Commanders. He lost most of his camp to injury and that is unfortunate but he got his first game action last night and looked way below the level of the guys he is competition with. He got a free run at a sack on Bryce Young on the first drive, but whiffed, and it didn't get any better from there. One of the easier cuts the Bills will make this week. 

 

Okay guys, add your own, flame away, and begin the two weeks of bickering before the Cardinals come to town! We are on to Arizona!!!

Agree to disagree on Shavers.  He had his man beat by 5 yards...you throttle down so you don't run out of real estate in the end zone.   Not like he slowed down much either, Dinucci clearly missed an easy layup...wide open receiver, absolutely zero need to lead him like he did.  If the CB is on his back hip, then yes that's on Shavers, but he wasn't.  I coached WRs and everyone will say the same, throttle down when that open approaching end zone.  Dinucci put that 1-2 yards from the ending

 

If MVS is healthy, it's either Shavers or Hamler IMO.  I give the edge to Shavers, due to S/T coverage and his very good blocking ability.

 

Cain is perfect for the P/S.  Catches a couple hot passes, and good YAC, but what has he proved downfield, shown in practice, etc.  

 

Gore Jr over Ty isn't happening.  Ty and Evans are the only backs with Cooks skillset.  While I wanted to draft Gore late, we still got him and hopefully can sneak him onto P/S.  Along with Evans.

 

Agree with the rest.  I'd add Hardys decision making to the "good" category, on returns.  He's a local kid for me, glad to see him doing well.

 

Bass & Martin are my main concerns heading into the season. Alot of tough games, S/T needs to be good and consistent.  More so concerned that Bass has just gone off the reservation mentally/compromised technique.  We need a K on the P/S, perhaps that will help Bass.  Martin with another line drive down the middle yesterday- hopefully he can be more consistent with hangtime/directional kicks

[CNYfan]

Special Teams are terrible

[julian]

I believe the staff will take into consideration who Andreessen was playing with this game when comparing to the previous game where he looked incredible playing along side starters.

 

Given the teams injury issues at the position, the kid should make the 53 but I’m often wrong so I don’t pay attention to myself.

[Maynard]

Good post. I’m very concerned about our WR corp as are many - outside of Kincaid entering his 2nd year and Shakir picking up where he left off last year. This was a grave mistake by the FO. My biggest fear is that the FO is putting everything on Allen’s back this season, which may ultimately lead to injury. Right now, I don’t have faith in Samuel nor Coleman and I sure hope I’m wrong on that. 

[Old Coot]

1 hour ago, Maynard said:

I’m very concerned about our WR corp as are many - outside of Kincaid entering his 2nd year and Shakir picking up where he left off last year. This was a grave mistake by the FO. My biggest fear is that the FO is putting everything on Allen’s back this season, which may ultimately lead to injury. Right now, I don’t have faith in Samuel nor Coleman and I sure hope I’m wrong on that. 

I, too, am concerned about the WR corps. But remember that the Bills were in salary cap jail. They could not keep everyone and they could not spend big on a top quality WR. What are your thoughts on how the FO might have made the WR room better?

[GunnerBill]

2 minutes ago, Old Coot said:

I, too, am concerned about the WR corps. But remember that the Bills were in salary cap jail. They could not keep everyone and they could not spend big on a top quality WR. What are your thoughts on how the FO might have made the WR room better?

 

Made better decisions in 2022 and 2023. I think once we get to this offseason, sure, there were some limits to their options. Although even then they had the choice to be more aggressive at the draft, they had the choice to target a true outside free agent... someone like DJ Chark rather than someone like Mack Hollins who feels like a safe "locker room presence" vet rather than a "best receiver available" vet.

[skibum]

2 hours ago, Maynard said:

Good post. I’m very concerned about our WR corp as are many - outside of Kincaid entering his 2nd year and Shakir picking up where he left off last year. This was a grave mistake by the FO. My biggest fear is that the FO is putting everything on Allen’s back this season, which may ultimately lead to injury. Right now, I don’t have faith in Samuel nor Coleman and I sure hope I’m wrong on that. 

Yes, love him or hate him, Diggs was a bona fide baller, and there is not one of those in this WR group. Really, there isn't (yet) one for Josh to throw to at any position. We have nothing but hope at this point. An old familiar feeling. 

[HappyDays]

It was a better night for Darrynton Evans than Gore IMO. He showed burst and pass catching ability, look no further than his TD to see both on display. That is a more important skill set than plodding contact balance. Several times yesterday I saw Gore entering wide open turf but the space got swallowed up quickly because he couldn't burst through it. The next corner he turns will be the first. I think he easily makes it onto the PS. I'm a tad more concerned about Evans getting through waivers but ultimately I think they both make it. Ty Johnson still gets the 3rd RB spot because he can handle kickoffs. Side note - the play of Evans in preseason is why I'm not a fan of drafting a RB in the 4th round but it is what it is.

 

On Andreessen - He looks totally lost in pass coverage. He has shown he can mostly diagnose run plays and shoot gaps but that isn't going to be enough to make an NFL team. As a smaller MLB he needs to be able to read all plays quickly or else he is in danger of getting washed out of the play. Hip movements look stiff to me too, if you compare it to say Terrel Bernard the difference is stark.

 

On WRs - My god the room is even worse than I thought and you know I was already more pessimistic than most. Samuel's turf toe appears to be mostly minor, but the prospect of losing him for even one game has shown how distressingly thin we are at the position. Utter malpractice from this regime. We're an injury away from Deon Cain or KJ Hamler taking real snaps in an NFL game. Our top 2 in Shakir and Samuel have had what I would classify as good training camp and preseason but no one is mistaking them for superstars or guys that can carry the load. Outside we have a known JAG in Hollins and a rookie that is still very much developing, and that's it. If fans are expecting a Josh Allen led passing offense to automatically have top 5 production, I think they are in for a rude awakening.

 

I'll also say that Elam indirectly had a bad night. Nothing that he did specifically, I know two catches were in his area of the field but not sure they were specifically his responsibility. But Ingram and Hardy both are out there making plays. Ingram played a fade route perfectly without committing a penalty like we have seen Elam do a dozen times, and against a legit NFL WR at that. Hardy has shown a knack for making those zone transitions that Elam has always struggled with. It's actually very impressive to watch a supposed slot prospect perfectly play the middle of an under/over combo outside and break on the ball in whichever direction the QB throws it. The Bills traditionally have kept 4 outside CBs active on gameday and I wonder if Elam will be the odd man out.

 

Edited August 25 by HappyDays

[Coach Tuesday]

1 minute ago, HappyDays said:

It was a better night for Darrynton Evans than Gore IMO. He showed burst and pass catching ability, look no further than his TD to see both on display. That is a more important skill set than plodding contact balance. Several timed yesterday I saw Gore entering wide open turf but the space got swallowed up quickly because he couldn't burst through it. The next corner he turns will be the first. I think he easily makes it onto the PS. I'm a tad more concerned about Evans getting through waivers but ultimately I think they both make it. Ty Johnson still gets the 3rd RB spot because he can handle kickoffs. Side note - the play of Evans in preseason is why I'm not a fan of drafting a RB in the 4th round but it is what it is.

 

On Andreessen - he looks totally lost in pass coverage. He has shown he can mostly diagnose run plays and shoot gaps but that isn't going to be enough to make an NFL team. As a smaller MLB he needs to be able to read all plays quickly or else he is in danger of getting washed out of the play. Hip movements look stiff to me too, if you compare it to say Terrel Bernard the difference is stark.

 

On WRs - My god the room is even worse than I thought and you know i was already more pessimistic than most. Samuel's turf toe appears to be mostly minor, but the prospect of losing him for even one game has shown how distressingly thin we are at the position. Utter malpractice from this regime. We're an injury away from Deon Cain or KJ Hamler taking real snaps in an NFL game. Our top 2 in Shakir and Samuel have had what I would classify as good training camp and preseason but no one is mistaking them for superstars or guys that can carry the load. Outside we have a known JAG in Hollins and a rookie that is still very much developing, and that's it. If fans are expecting a Josh Allen led passing offense to automatically have top 5 production, I think they are in for a rude awakening.

 

I'll also say that Elam indirectly had a bad night. Nothing that he did specifically, I know two catches were in his area of the field but not sure they were specifically his responsibility. But Ingram and Hardy both are out there making plays. Ingram played a fade route perfectly without committing a penalty like we have seen Elam do a dozen times, and against a legit NFL WR at that. Hardy has shown a knack for making those zone transitions that Elam has always struggled with. It's actually very impressive to watch a supposed slot prospect perfectly play the middle of an under/over combo outside and break on the ball in whichever direction the QB throws it. The Bills traditionally have kept 4 outside CBs active on gameday and I wonder if Elam will be the odd man out.

Trading Elam for a WR seems like the obvious solution to me…

[ColoradoBills]

5 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

 

Okay guys, add your own, flame away, and begin the two weeks of bickering before the Cardinals come to town! We are on to Arizona!!!

 

Good post, but I'll add my thoughts.

 

I'll start with the TEs.  Kincaid and Knox are obvious.  The thing is all 3 of the others have an argument for making the team.

Totally agree about McKitty.  Lots of fans don't know his skillset.  Whatever happens to Morris, McKitty and Davidson, there will be

a lot of grief posted here.  IMO Beane needs to keep 2 of the 3 and hope the other makes it to the PS.  Not only for this year but

because of the uncertainty of the Knox contract going forward.  If it's 4 on the 53 or one going to start the season on IR it's a pretty

big decision in my mind.  I'm very interested in what happens and I hope I'm not disappointed in the end.

 

I'll admit I am surprisingly impressed with Gore.  But I don't think he will be signed if cut and he is definitely in the running for PS.

It just seems to me that his skillset is a subset of Davis.  Ty Johnson is a JAG player but one that has a little of both Cook and Davis 

skills.  That's why I think he is RB3.

 

Shavers has played well with Josh this camp.  Preseason has hindered all the bubble players because of QB play.  The TD miss IMO was on

BOTH DiNucci and Shavers.  It's MVS, Shavers and Hamler fighting for 2 spots.  MVS is making the team, but I like the idea of IRing him

for 4 weeks to start the season.  Get him totally healthy and familiar with the system.  Use that time to decide between Shavers and Hamler.

 

I really like the rest of your evaluations.

[HappyDays]

4 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Trading Elam for a WR seems like the obvious solution to me…

 

If the rumors about Darius Slayton being a trade possibility are true, I would offer Elam and a 5th. The Giants need CB help. Haven't heard any other WR trade buzz. But it seems unthinkable that this will be the group we'll be entering the season with.