What Is It With Elam?

[st pete gogolak]

Just now, Alphadawg7 said:

Didn’t we just extend Douglas 2 years?

Did we? I thought he was FA after this season. Could be wrong.

[Simon]

2 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Didn’t we just extend Douglas 2 years?

 

They restructured him with some void years but I think he's still essentially a FA after this season.

[Alphadawg7]

2 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

They restructured him with some void years but I think he's still essentially a FA after this season.

Ah gotcha

[FireChans]

Elam is what he has been since he joined the team.

 

-a bad scheme fit

 

-A weird locker room issue where some coaches seem to hate him

 

-a backup level player on this defense.

 

Folks really are gonna buy back into “he will start next year.”

 

He won’t. He’s a backup on this team at best. McD and co thought DANE JACKSON was better than him. He was boundary CB4 LAST YEAR, behind Tre, Dane and Benford. 

 

When Tre went down, they threw Elam out there and he played HORRIBLE against Jacksonville. So they stashed him on IR and traded for Douglas. He’s not just unlucky he’s behind Benford and Douglas. McD and co have actively found other players to play over him.

 

And they will again next year.

 

He is a backup until he walks in FA. If Dane Jackson was still here, we all know he starts over Elam. There’s no reason to keep pretending otherwise.

[Alphadawg7]

4 minutes ago, st pete gogolak said:

Did we? I thought he was FA after this season. Could be wrong.

Simon I think just cleared it up just above in a comment

[billsbackto81]

2 hours ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

He is a horrible draft pick.  

Yeah, that's not his fault though.

[st pete gogolak]

1 minute ago, FireChans said:

Elam is what he has been since he joined the team.

 

-a bad scheme fit

 

-A weird locker room issue where some coaches seem to hate him

 

-a backup level player on this defense.

 

Folks really are gonna buy back into “he will start next year.”

 

He won’t. He’s a backup on this team at best. McD and co thought DANE JACKSON was better than him. He was boundary CB4 LAST YEAR, behind Tre, Dane and Benford. 

 

When Tre went down, they threw Elam out there and he played HORRIBLE against Jacksonville. So they stashed him on IR and traded for Douglas. He’s not just unlucky he’s behind Benford and Douglas. McD and co have actively found other players to play over him.

 

And they will again next year.

 

He is a backup until he walks in FA. If Dane Jackson was still here, we all know he starts over Elam. There’s no reason to keep pretending otherwise.

Supposedly he was hurt in JAX game (yeah, he was horrible in that game). Otherwise, when he plays, he makes plays and looked ok today. Granted, Benford and Douglas are better but it wouldn’t shock me if they let Douglas walk and give Elam first crack at starting CB.

[boyst]

2 hours ago, Simon said:

 

I don't disagree but it is weird that he's not a regular in the dime.

All I can convince myself is that his skills lack that of a field corner to play in the 3rd dime WR. Elam is a boundary corner with a specific skillset that seems very good when he is able to utilize it and below par when he can't.

 

 

I don't want to give up on this guy but it's hard to hold out hope when he can't get in there. Benford misses 2-3 games a year and we need Elam for that time. Douglas was a liability today but the defense was in general. 

[Aussie Joe]

15 minutes ago, st pete gogolak said:

So do you let Douglas walk and pencil in Elam as a starter next year?

Personally I would trade Elam this offseason … 

 

I think Douglas will be seeking a big final payday elsewhere… so that probably means they will go with a combination of a mid- tier level free agent and a second round pick …

[Prospector]

I thought he made a pretty physical tackle on the side line… I was like, who tf is 5?! And then I was like… good for you 

[Success]

If everyone on D played with his mindset, we'd get 4-5 turnovers a game.

 

[FireChans]

7 minutes ago, st pete gogolak said:

Supposedly he was hurt in JAX game (yeah, he was horrible in that game). Otherwise, when he plays, he makes plays and looked ok today. Granted, Benford and Douglas are better but it wouldn’t shock me if they let Douglas walk and give Elam first crack at starting CB.

I personally think there’s a higher chance he’s not in a Bills uni than in serious consideration to start.

 

He hasn’t been in serious consideration since his rookie year. 
 

Next year will be more of the same. They will draft a kid relatively high, sign a decent FA and those guys will play over him unless they get hurt.

[DCofNC]

1 hour ago, warrior9 said:

So you think he should play just because of his draft spot? 

He would be a starter on 25 other teams. 

 

Benford is playing at an All-Pro level right now and Douglas is also playing at a very high level. You can only play so many CBs. He went in today, and played VERY well.... 

 

You'd also be the first person to blame Beane (for lack of depth) once we get to play offs, have injuries, and then we have a scrub play. If Douglas/ Benford get hurt, there is literally no fall off.. I think that says everything. 

Please, get real.  If he was close to starting quality, he wouldn’t be sitting behind guys who couldn’t crack the roster on 30 other teams.  You are delusional.

[JohnNord]

2 hours ago, Simon said:

 

I don't disagree but it is weird that he's not a regular in the dime.

He’s not a great tackler and isn’t good against the run.  Lewis or Ingram give them more in Dime

[PoundingDog]

1 hour ago, Aussie Joe said:

So do you let Douglas walk and pencil in Elam as a starter next year?

It is the most likely scenario to me. Douglas is looking for the last big pay day and he's not going to sign a one year kind of short term deal. It's probably the reason the Bills just added a void year in his contract restructure, not plain extension, like Beane heard the expected numbers from Douglas side and didn't feel the need to negotiate on the re-structure conversation. I do expect the Bills to draft a CB somewhere next year but Elam will be the de facto starter to start the 2025 off-season.

 

I thought Elam actually played fine today. Not great and not bad. He did get fooled by Hill double move, but Hill can make almost every CB in NFL fooled there, with Tua practically throwing quick passes all day. In fact I felt Elam's recovery speed showed up on that play, like McDermott said in the post game, within a whisker of defending that pass.

 

Can Elam become another Rasul Douglas - a late boomer in NFL? I don't know. He seemed to be lacking natural instincts of where the play is going to be. As he moves around NFL, learning different systems, getting more experience of playing, he might be a capable starter. But superbowl hundary Bills don't have time to wait for that to happen.   

[BigDingus]

He's not good. You remember a couple of good plays, then forget all the plays he gets torched.

[Saxum]

1 hour ago, PoundingDog said:

It is the most likely scenario to me. Douglas is looking for the last big pay day and he's not going to sign a one year kind of short term deal. It's probably the reason the Bills just added a void year in his contract restructure, not plain extension, like Beane heard the expected numbers from Douglas side and didn't feel the need to negotiate on the re-structure conversation. I do expect the Bills to draft a CB somewhere next year but Elam will be the de facto starter to start the 2025 off-season.

 

I thought Elam actually played fine today. Not great and not bad. He did get fooled by Hill double move, but Hill can make almost every CB in NFL fooled there, with Tua practically throwing quick passes all day. In fact I felt Elam's recovery speed showed up on that play, like McDermott said in the post game, within a whisker of defending that pass.

 

Can Elam become another Rasul Douglas - a late boomer in NFL? I don't know. He seemed to be lacking natural instincts of where the play is going to be. As he moves around NFL, learning different systems, getting more experience of playing, he might be a capable starter. But superbowl hundary Bills don't have time to wait for that to happen.   

 

Do you think Elam can grow long enough whiskers?

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think dog?

[ExiledInIllinois]

8 hours ago, Mike in Horseheads said:

I'm guessing doghouse for something

He hasn't accepted Jesus as his Lord & savior. 

 

??

 

I figure I troll you before the dude from Up Upstate NY does!😉😜  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 4 by ExiledInIllinois

[GASabresIUFan]

5 hours ago, JohnNord said:

He’s not a great tackler and isn’t good against the run.

Either was Deion Sanders.

 

Elam is the likely starter next season unless Ingram beats him out for the job.  

[That's No Moon]

3 minutes ago, GASabresIUFan said:

Elam is the likely starter next season unless Ingram beats him out for the job.  

Yeah, but McD does love him some slow, no draft pedigree, DBs.