Pyrite Gal Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 I think the interesting next step will be to see what effects on the team the final pre-season camp cuts will bring (though they will not be the final roster cuts as PS decision and potential pick-ups of other cut players remain to be done before the season starts). 1. The Eric King cut was a bit surprising to me, particularly with Youbouty being unavailable for the team to play and evaluate for the most part. This may simply be that Thomas impressed while King (whose man did burn him on Wed.) did not. Howebver, the interesting thing this may mean is that the Bills feel pretty set at CN as they may be close to consummating a long-term deal with Clements who looked very good to me this pre-season at CB. 2. The Greg Jerman cut was actually a welcome surprise to me because I had begun to assume we would hav to use this inadequate player as our lead back-up tackle. However, the team seems to believe in Butler and/or Pennington taking on these roles. I did not see much in pre-season games which I could notice like them pancaking opponents which indicated they were ready to contribute to this team at tackle if necessary. However, its nice to se that likely subtleties one can only divine in practice or when you know the schemes and plays called give JMacand the crew the comfort to go with these youngsters as back-ups. if they can do it this is a really good thing. 3. It will be interesting to see whether they cut of Gates came because Shaud Williams really provides such a more flexible ST option (if WM gets more use on 3rd down then Williams will need to contribute on ST). It did not surprise me at all that Thomas beat our Gates as though Gates produced more as a runner and the casual fan sees little more than this (though Gates nose for the endzone was impressive his running did not separate him enough from Thomas to overcome him showing little as a pass receiver, nor did he show the production a vet is likely to bring on blitz pick0up, blocking on end arounds or on SI) but it did sur[rise me that Gates was in more danger than Shaud of not making the roster. 4. DiGrigorio beatung out Exekial is quite interesting, but i suspect that what this means if Fletch ever needs to be replaced for more than a series is that the Bills will let Ellison or Stamer start for Crowell whom I suspect would be the choice to take the MLB jpb which he back-up for last year until TKO was injured and he moved to the Will job. I could not even see Ezekial handling the back-up duties for more than giving Fletch the occaissional blow and i am even less confident of DiGrigorio doing it (thought congrats to him for making the roster). 5. Whitner starts at SS as expected but with less pressure on him to star immediately and him paying a little price on the depth chart for holding out so long. Interesting theatics but reality is reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live&DieBillsFootball Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 I think the interesting next step will be to see what effects on the team the final pre-season camp cuts will bring (though they will not be the final roster cuts as PS decision and potential pick-ups of other cut players remain to be done before the season starts). 1. The Eric King cut was a bit surprising to me, particularly with Youbouty being unavailable for the team to play and evaluate for the most part. This may simply be that Thomas impressed while King (whose man did burn him on Wed.) did not. Howebver, the interesting thing this may mean is that the Bills feel pretty set at CN as they may be close to consummating a long-term deal with Clements who looked very good to me this pre-season at CB. 2. The Greg Jerman cut was actually a welcome surprise to me because I had begun to assume we would hav to use this inadequate player as our lead back-up tackle. However, the team seems to believe in Butler and/or Pennington taking on these roles. I did not see much in pre-season games which I could notice like them pancaking opponents which indicated they were ready to contribute to this team at tackle if necessary. However, its nice to se that likely subtleties one can only divine in practice or when you know the schemes and plays called give JMacand the crew the comfort to go with these youngsters as back-ups. if they can do it this is a really good thing. 3. It will be interesting to see whether they cut of Gates came because Shaud Williams really provides such a more flexible ST option (if WM gets more use on 3rd down then Williams will need to contribute on ST). It did not surprise me at all that Thomas beat our Gates as though Gates produced more as a runner and the casual fan sees little more than this (though Gates nose for the endzone was impressive his running did not separate him enough from Thomas to overcome him showing little as a pass receiver, nor did he show the production a vet is likely to bring on blitz pick0up, blocking on end arounds or on SI) but it did sur[rise me that Gates was in more danger than Shaud of not making the roster. 4. DiGrigorio beatung out Exekial is quite interesting, but i suspect that what this means if Fletch ever needs to be replaced for more than a series is that the Bills will let Ellison or Stamer start for Crowell whom I suspect would be the choice to take the MLB jpb which he back-up for last year until TKO was injured and he moved to the Will job. I could not even see Ezekial handling the back-up duties for more than giving Fletch the occaissional blow and i am even less confident of DiGrigorio doing it (thought congrats to him for making the roster). 5. Whitner starts at SS as expected but with less pressure on him to star immediately and him paying a little price on the depth chart for holding out so long. Interesting theatics but reality is reality. 760397[/snapback] I agree with a lot of what you said. 1. Corner - Greer is the nickel back and Youbouty is the front runner to succeed Nate next season. King is short and played short during preseason. 2. Jerman looked terrible in the preseason and I'm glad to see him gone. I thought Pennington and Butler held their own but I still expect a waiver pickup to be our #3 for this season. 3. A-Train and L-Train look like the same guy. Williams gives us a change of pace back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahnyc Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Not sure why you think the Bills may be close to consummating a long-term deal with Clements. I have not read any reports that the Bills and Clements are even in negotiations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Gal Posted September 3, 2006 Author Share Posted September 3, 2006 Not sure why you think the Bills may be close to consummating a long-term deal with Clements. I have not read any reports that the Bills and Clements are even in negotiations. 760489[/snapback] My thought is that the King cut may simply be because the Bills view Thomas as a better player right now than King (could be but I saw no huge difference in quality between the two in play) amd/or they saw far better upside long-term in Thomas than King (could be also but I saw little development upside potential in Thomas and King had shortcomings but held his own vying with Greer last year and was a young player with some pro experience compared to Thomas who was a young player with no pro experience and not a lot of upside I saw, The other leftfield theory that gave rise to this musing was the thought that the Bills braintrust must feel somewhat secure at CB if they are willing to invest in the marginal upside potential of Thomas over the limited but better upside of King. The presence of Youbouty as the heir apparent for Clements spot provides some potential, but our inability to really work him this pre-season presents a wildcard. Potentially the Bills feel secure enough at CB to invest in a rookie over a vet who show roughly the same limited potential because they feel they are about to nail down the CB issue for years to come by signing Clements long-term to join McGee who was extended. They then would have the young Greer who was impressive (again) in pre-season at nickel and Youbouty in the wings. If I had my top 3 CBs under contract with a guy thought to be a 1st rounder who I got him when he dropped to 3 in the wings, i feel fairly secure tossing away a vet who has played nickel in favor of Thomas. If on the other hand, my starter, NC is uncertain and Youbouty looks good on paper but reality is uncertain, I am a bit more reluctant to toss my vet who played nickel with few complaints last year to invest in Thomas. A fairly refined and marginal analysus, but get 'er done marv as far as extending NC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 I agree with a lot of what you said. 1. Corner - Greer is the nickel back and Youbouty is the front runner to succeed Nate next season. King is short and played short during preseason. 760475[/snapback] Actually King is listed at 5'10" and McGee is 5'9". King got cut, but I don't think it is because he is too short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Actually King is listed at 5'10" and McGee is 5'9". King got cut, but I don't think it is because he is too short. 760548[/snapback] Yes and no. It could be that the team didn't want three small CBs and felt that King was the worst of the three. Thomas is listed at 5'11" 192, which is decent size. Not a helluva lot bigger than what King is listed at but King always looked pretty short to me on the field. Good build but he didn't look 5'10". King really had a bad game against Detroit. Thomas has played seven years in the league. Players don't usually last that long at CB with no talent. Youboty and Greer are young. Youboty and McGee are locked up long term. Greer was one of the biggest stars in camp. It wasn't out of nowhere that King didn't make it and Thomas did. Furthermore, a lot of the draft sites have King measured at 5'8". This one from USA Today via NFL.Com has him at 5.08.4 which to me sounds like a combine measurement. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/20...ke%20Forest.htm http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2005/king_eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepthefaith Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Not sure why you think the Bills may be close to consummating a long-term deal with Clements. I have not read any reports that the Bills and Clements are even in negotiations. 760489[/snapback] Agreed. I would expect the current front office and coaching staff to look closely at Nate's performance for several games (at least) before they engage in any contract talks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Yes and no. It could be that the team didn't want three small CBs and felt that King was the worst of the three. Thomas is listed at 5'11" 192, which is decent size. Not a helluva lot bigger than what King is listed at but King always looked pretty short to me on the field. Good build but he didn't look 5'10". King really had a bad game against Detroit. Thomas has played seven years in the league. Players don't usually last that long at CB with no talent. Youboty and Greer are young. Youboty and McGee are locked up long term. Greer was one of the biggest stars in camp. It wasn't out of nowhere that King didn't make it and Thomas did. Furthermore, a lot of the draft sites have King measured at 5'8". This one from USA Today via NFL.Com has him at 5.08.4 which to me sounds like a combine measurement. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/20...ke%20Forest.htm http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2005/king_eric 760555[/snapback] Experience is one thing that Thomas brings. I just thought that King showed enough to keep a roster spot, but Thomas obviously showed more in the coaches eyes. Go Milwaukee, I mean Kiwaukee or whatever you're first name is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Although there's not been hard evidence saying NC will sign long-term; there's also no real indication that NC will be gone either. For that matter, there's no indication that McGahee is gone as well. However, everyone just assumes that both of these guys are gone next year; to the point where we should cut them both now. So, why can't we entertain the thought that NC will be here next year? At this point, its just as likely as him being gone. Which, in essence, means we don't really know where he'll be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 So King is eligible for the PS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Although there's not been hard evidence saying NC will sign long-term; there's also no real indication that NC will be gone either. For that matter, there's no indication that McGahee is gone as well. However, everyone just assumes that both of these guys are gone next year; to the point where we should cut them both now. So, why can't we entertain the thought that NC will be here next year? At this point, its just as likely as him being gone. Which, in essence, means we don't really know where he'll be. 760570[/snapback] Well, there is some evidence that Clements will be gone next year. The Bills coerced him into signing his one year franchise contract a couple months ago by assuring him that they wouldn't franchise him next year. Meaning he's gone if they don't do a long term deal, as opposed to "maybe gone but we can keep him if we want to like we did this year". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Well, there is some evidence that Clements will be gone next year. The Bills coerced him into signing his one year franchise contract a couple months ago by assuring him that they wouldn't franchise him next year. Meaning he's gone if they don't do a long term deal, as opposed to "maybe gone but we can keep him if we want to like we did this year". 760573[/snapback] True. But can't we also look at it as Clements has a good agent that negotiated him the best deal. And if he plays deservingly this season, his agent will likewise negotiate a similarly great long-term deal for Clements with the Bills. However, perhaps he'll paly so-so, but still demand such a great deal and we'll let him walk. I certainly think either could happen. But, most of what happens should be a function of how NC plays this season, how the young guys play, and finally the deal his agent demands. But, at this point, I think there's just no way to tell. Saying he'll be gone is speculation, just as saying he'll be here is speculation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oregonbbfan Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Could someone help on this. Is that ROTO site bogus? I thought the Bills picked up a WR from Dallas named Ward who we were going to use as a CB. Also remember something like they cut K Thomas to make room. Was that all a joke? I have looked at the roster and don't see it or hear anyone talk about it. Did I answer my own question that it is bogus. Please confirm. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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