Curtis Samuel -- wtf???

[dave mcbride]

Judging from his performance in 2022 and 2023, Curtis Samuel is not a bad player at all and is indeed a moderately productive one if used properly. 

 

In this system, though, it feels like most throws to Curtis Samuel are behind the LOS and they seem to end up with him tackled around or slightly behind the LOS. It's baffling. He has long been a fairly productive player, with 171 touches (126 catches for 10 ypr; 45 runs for 5.1 ypc) and 10 TDs in the 25 games he played for Washington in the previous two years. That's basically 7 touches for 60 yards and .4 TDs per game, and with garbage QBs throwing to him. He had a 69 percent catch rate too. For the Bills, he has 12 touches on 16 targets/carries for freaking 54 yards over five games and hasn't sniffed the EZ. He is averaging 3.4 yards per play he's involved in, and he's a WIDE RECEIVER. That shouldn't happen; it's terrible. He's not a true difference maker, but he's certainly not this bad.  

 

At this point, I have to think he's simply being misused.

Edited October 7 by dave mcbride

[Logic]

Unless he's got an injury that's not on the weekly injury report or just suddenly turned to dust over the offseason, the only reasonable conclusion is that Joe Brady has been criminally misusing/underusing him.

[Roundybout]

This is the most baffling part of the offense this year.

[streetkings01]

Reminds me Hines and Harty….team has no idea how to use Swiss Army knife type players! Brady should watch the old tapes when Daboll was here, the way he used McKenzie should be the same we use Samuel.

[BarleyNY]

Combination of turf toe and horrifically poor usage.

[billsfanmiamioh]

He was battling turf toe wasn’t he? Could factor into his dismal production so far but his use or lack thereof has been a big disappointment. 

[colin]

3 minutes ago, Logic said:

Unless he's got an injury that's not on the weekly injury report or just suddenly turned to dust over the offseason, the only reasonable conclusion is that Joe Brady has been criminally misusing/underusing him.

 

whynotboth.giff

 

i have no idea how to embed it

[NewEra]

It’s baffling 

[Blank Stare]

Might be something to those critics that proclaimed Brady can’t design/run pass plays well enough. 

[Bangarang]

Obviously Brady wanted him but has no idea how to get him the ball unless it's a WR screen.

[dorquemada]

Bad coaching will make merely adequate players seem terrible, and great players merely adequate

 

The Bills have terrible coaching.  Brady has nothing and is all out of ideas, meanwhile McD continues to pursue his system wherein the evidence of our eyes is ignored in pursuit of a ideological goal, which overrules common sense and the reality of the roster.  Our defense continues to be unable to handle 3rd and long.  Im sure someone keeps the stats, and maybe Ill go look for them later, but ive never watched a team, even a BAD team, that gives up as many 3rd and longs as the Bills the last several years.  That's even with the massive investment year after year in the D.  It's a fail and the sooner we acknowledge that the better we can all feel about being a .500 team

[MJS]

You have to put this one on Brady. With Shakir out, he should have been the one to be able to step up and get targets. But they seem to only want to use him as a gadget guy occasionally. Plus, he is supposed to be getting rushing touches. But they haven't been doing that with him either.

[Roundybout]

5 minutes ago, dorquemada said:

Bad coaching will make merely adequate players seem terrible, and great players merely adequate

 

The Bills have terrible coaching.  Brady has nothing and is all out of ideas, meanwhile McD continues to pursue his system wherein the evidence of our eyes is ignored in pursuit of a ideological goal, which overrules common sense and the reality of the roster.  Our defense continues to be unable to handle 3rd and long.  Im sure someone keeps the stats, and maybe Ill go look for them later, but ive never watched a team, even a BAD team, that gives up as many 3rd and longs as the Bills the last several years.  That's even with the massive investment year after year in the D.  It's a fail and the sooner we acknowledge that the better we can all feel about being a .500 team

What goal could McD possibly have to make the offense worse? Why would he ever decide this? 
 

Come on.

[Sojourner]

Gadget player whose production on his career has been a result of being on teams that were forced to pass. 

The money won’t justify the production he’ll have. As simple as that. We overpaid. 

 

[HOUSE]

You are not loving this WR room? It is quietly getting worse

 

Edited October 7 by HOUSE

[dave mcbride]

1 minute ago, Sojourner said:

Gadget player whose production on his career has been a result of being on teams that were forced to pass. 

The money won’t justify the production he’ll have. As simple as that. We overpaid. 

 

The Bills were forced to pass the last two games too. And they were forced to pass in game one given that they were down by 2 TDs. 

[ALLinALLEN]

It's infuriating. And if this is truly a "transition" year - why did Beane give him $8m x 3years?

[Lost]

I dunno, the few times Josh did target him deep, he had no separation and doesn't have the size or jump ball skills to make those contested catches.  

[Sojourner]

7 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

The Bills were forced to pass the last two games too. And they were forced to pass in game one given that they were down by 2 TDs. 

I hear you, I’m just saying that his best years have been on teams records were

 

5-11

5-11

8-8-1

4-13

 

It works out to around 60 receptions for 700 yards a year. 
 

An option lower down on the selection. 
 

For around the same price they could have had Tyler Boyd.
 

Even DJ Chark, Noah Brown would have been cheaper. 

Edited October 7 by Sojourner

[dorquemada]

8 minutes ago, Roundybout said:

What goal could McD possibly have to make the offense worse? Why would he ever decide this? 
 

Come on.

 

His goal isn't to make the offense worse.  The offense being terrible is a side effect of his monomaniacal focus on complimentary football and desire to field an offense that would have been perfectly average in the 1970s.  His goal is to show everyone how brilliant his system is and isn't going to suddenly change course. He coaches by platitudes and when things go wrong he doubles down.