offde-fence Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 Josh does seem like a very good slot reciever. He's shown he can find the soft spot, and make the clutch catch. I recall a game last year where he made like three first down catches in a row, all pivotal catches. With Nelson's speed, throwing Roscoe into the mix would definately seem to create a mismatch with LB's or Safeties. I think having Owens here will prove to be a good thing for our second year guys, too. Johnson and Hardy now have two premier mentors - and between the two, one of them should be good enough, and hopefully both, to step up next year, and they shouldn't feel too pressured this year, giving them the opportunity for a smooth transition. I think early failure can really mess with a guys future progress (Josh Reed), so this should go well for our young guys. I really like our reciever group better than any other team's. We have unique skills in different ways - small and fast, blocker/solid cathcer -Reed, and tall jumpers. Our OC has just about every kind of weapon that a OC could ask for, considering our TE's and RB's strengths and versatility.
Kelly the Dog Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 Hardy will be ready for training camp. He said himself, recently, that his first game is scheduled to be the last pre-season game.
keithg Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 how great would it be to have our receiving core be a STRENGTH again...it has been a while!!! I too think that both Reed and Johnson have very good years
Big Turk Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 Hello everyone, I ve been thinking with evans and owens starting, who will be out slot or 3rd receiver? Personally, im hoping its Josh Reed, Trent seems comfortable going to him and hes become a reliable target. When will Hardy be ready to go? Week 4? I think we already know what 6 receivers make the roster...Evans, Owens, Reed, Hardy, Parrish, Johnson (unless Parrish gets traded or cut). Thoughts? Andrew Reed...he is one of the best 3rd down possession receivers in the game---go back and watch how many times he caught 3rd down passes well short of the 1st down, but still managed to get the first down by shaking off defenders, bowling over them, slipping away from them, etc... he also has been in top 5 in catch percentage for WR's the past 3 years, so he basically catches everything thrown to him on top of it...
Hazed and Amuzed Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 Reed...he is one of the best 3rd down possession receivers in the game---go back and watch how many times he caught 3rd down passes well short of the 1st down, but still managed to get the first down by shaking off defenders, bowling over them, slipping away from them, etc... he also has been in top 5 in catch percentage for WR's the past 3 years, so he basically catches everything thrown to him on top of it... You're right. About 5 or 6 months ago I looked up his stats regarding how many 3rd down conversions he had to 1st downs and he's led the team over the last 2 years. The guy is the closest thing to money we have on 3rd down.
Poeticlaw Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 Hello everyone, I ve been thinking with evans and owens starting, who will be out slot or 3rd receiver? Personally, im hoping its Josh Reed, Trent seems comfortable going to him and hes become a reliable target. When will Hardy be ready to go? Week 4? I think we already know what 6 receivers make the roster...Evans, Owens, Reed, Hardy, Parrish, Johnson (unless Parrish gets traded or cut). Thoughts? Andrew It seems like such an obvious answer to any bills fan. The true question who is 4th and who doesnt make the roster this season. Everyone knows Reed is the PURE SLOT Receiver number three is where he thrives the most at.
Virgil Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 I think for this year, Josh Reed is out third receiver. Yes, in the past he had some stone hands, but he has since learned how to find soft spots in zone coverage and make the good possession catch. However, I honestly Josh will lose that job over the course of the season if Trent developes the way we hope he does. I personally think that Josh got all of his catches because Trent was constantly in check-down mode and would often look to Josh first. With TO and Evans out there, I think that will free up the 3rd receiver and we will be looking for someone who can do more in open spaces. My first thought would be Parrish in that situation, but my gut tells me Steve Johnson is going to step up and be the slot guy by the end of the year. He has the speed and the hands to provide a good target. The only thing that worries me about this year's roster with WR's is that we have to make decisions about next year too. If the team thinks that TO is going to be a one year player, then the team needs to be thinking about his replacement, which is not going to be Josh Reed. With Hardy's injury, I have to think that Steve Johnson is going to have the leg up on playing time and see the field more this year. Or, unless Hardy comes back all the way and show's the talent he was drafted for, then I see the 2nd round pick getting the nod. It's a really tough scenario with a lot of variables. In the end, I see Hardy or Johnson pushing one another off the roster unfortunately. Evans is going to be here a while and Parrish seems to be the odd man out right now with the FO. In either case, I don't think the Bills can afford to let these Johnson/Hardy sit on the bench too much because we are going to be relying on them a lot next season.
papazoid Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 assuming Evans and Owens are healthy as #1 & #1A...... when the bills go to three wideouts, i would expect Josh Reed to come in next as an inside guy. over the past two seasons he has proven his worth. when they go to 4 wideouts, i would expect Roscoe parrish as an inside guy. i see Johnson backing up evans & owens outside. i think hardy is going to be a non factor early on and possibly a bust, he is slow, a poor route runner, has bad hands and is coming off injury, he is tall tho....i would actually be interested in bulking him up and moving him to tight end.
yall Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 I agree, this board hated Reed 2-3 years ago. I've always been a supporter however, I like the kids style. I had the opportunity to spend an evening with him and a few rookies after the mini-camp of his sophomore year as a Bill. Super nice guy all the way and I hope he kicks a$$ this year. Also I wanted to bump your avatar. Nothing better than a hottie with a binger.
Rico Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 Barring injury and unless Steve Johnson plays out of this world in pre-season, it's T.O. #1 Evans #2 Reed #3 with Johnson, Hardy, and Parrish, a phenomenal stable of WRs.
MattM Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 As someone else noted above, it's nice that the WR spot is finally actually a real strength on this team. Between TO, Evans and Reed and if, and this is a big if, Hardy, Johnson and/or Nelson emerge as a real playmaker to boot, teams are really going to have trouble covering us. We just need to make sure that Trent has the time needed to deliver the pigskin and a major weakness might really become a great strength.
ax4782 Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 Josh Reed. Hardy, Johnson, and Parrish will split time as the number four and probably wide out in goalline situations.
Deadstroke Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 Baring injury, I think Josh is a lock to be the #3/Slot WR, opening day. If Roscoe is still a Bill (I hope he is), I would also use him in the slot, or in 4-wide situations. Johnson should see time at any/all of the WR positions. Hardy (assuming he is healthy) will be most useful as a red zone threat, so that's where he will see most of his time early in the season, I'm guessing. But, hopefully he will be worked into the rotation as the year progresses. Don't get me wrong, I'm not predicting a breakout for Hardy this year but maybe we forget that he was a highly touted second rounder with great height and speed (people forget his combine time was 4.49) and I feel quite sure that for a variety of reasons he lost confidence in himself through his inability to quickly learn route running, the pro playbook, etc, and all that was capped off by the injury. He could very well be a pleasant "surprise" this year and be the kind of player we expected him to be last year! I, for one, hope so anyway!!
Deadstroke Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 assuming Evans and Owens are healthy as #1 & #1A...... when the bills go to three wideouts, i would expect Josh Reed to come in next as an inside guy. over the past two seasons he has proven his worth. when they go to 4 wideouts, i would expect Roscoe parrish as an inside guy. i see Johnson backing up evans & owens outside. i think hardy is going to be a non factor early on and possibly a bust, he is slow, a poor route runner, has bad hands and is coming off injury, he is tall tho....i would actually be interested in bulking him up and moving him to tight end. Your post requires multiple responses: 1) Three (3) wideouts? - I'd LOVE to see 3 wideouts PERMANANTLY! K-Gun revisited! Evans, Owens, Reed, and Shawn Nelson.... give T.E. a little bit of time and ain't NO defense gonna cover all of them!!! 2) Hardy a non factor...slow...bad hands...coming off injury - First, papazoid, he ran a 4.49 in the combine and in case you don't know, that's FAST; bad hands?, not in college, and last year according to the stats he had TWO (2) drops; coming off injury?, that's a non factor. He's due to be 100% by the end of August. Your post?
Alaska Darin Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 I agree, this board hated Reed 2-3 years ago. I've always been a supporter however, I like the kids style. That's because most people on this board don't know crap about football.
Boom Jam Posted May 4, 2009 Posted May 4, 2009 Reed will be a monster with Owens here. He's already been one of our most clutch WR's over the last 2 years. I couldn't agree more. Reed is going to have a huge year.
VJ91 Posted May 4, 2009 Posted May 4, 2009 Hello everyone, I ve been thinking with evans and owens starting, who will be out slot or 3rd receiver? Personally, im hoping its Josh Reed, Trent seems comfortable going to him and hes become a reliable target. When will Hardy be ready to go? Week 4? I think we already know what 6 receivers make the roster...Evans, Owens, Reed, Hardy, Parrish, Johnson (unless Parrish gets traded or cut). Thoughts? Andrew Let's review our choices as we conclude the rookie mini camp. Josh Reed and.......nobody. Yep, looks like Josh Reed should be number 3, unless Stevey Johnson somehow makes a giant leap during this coming training camp and passes Reed. Hardy? Well if his knee is healthy by camp, he should improve, but not nearly enough to be number 3.
ColdBlueNorth Posted May 4, 2009 Posted May 4, 2009 Hello everyone, I ve been thinking with evans and owens starting, who will be out slot or 3rd receiver? Personally, im hoping its Josh Reed, Trent seems comfortable going to him and hes become a reliable target. When will Hardy be ready to go? Week 4? I think we already know what 6 receivers make the roster...Evans, Owens, Reed, Hardy, Parrish, Johnson (unless Parrish gets traded or cut). Thoughts? Andrew Reed and Johnson will share time, with Johnson getting the nod closer to the goal line where he is able to use his size to out-position defenders. However, Josh is so good at finding open space, moving the chains, and blocking downfield he will probably get the bulk of the action outside of the red zone.
San Jose Bills Fan Posted May 4, 2009 Posted May 4, 2009 Josh Reed. Hardy, Johnson, and Parrish will split time as the number four and probably wide out in goalline situations. Don't get me wrong, I'm not predicting a breakout for Hardy this year but maybe we forget that he was a highly touted second rounder with great height and speed (people forget his combine time was 4.49) and I feel quite sure that for a variety of reasons he lost confidence in himself through his inability to quickly learn route running, the pro playbook, etc, and all that was capped off by the injury. He could very well be a pleasant "surprise" this year and be the kind of player we expected him to be last year! I, for one, hope so anyway!! I think Reed will have a good year. Everyone in the organization and all of Bills Nation is gonna want him to have a big role. Johnson I think will get more playing time than Hardy or Parrish. I don't think Parrish will see many snaps from scrimmage but he'll show a flash or two. As for Hardy I could see him being part of the goal line and short yardage package. His size would serve him well. He could finish with a weird stat line like 20 catches, 225 yards but 8 TDs. Anyways this has to be the strongest unit on the team. edit- With Owens, Hardy, Johnson, and Nelson, the Bills have four jump ball receivers for goal line situations. They almost wouldn't need Evans down there.
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