James Hardy

[billsfan89]

James Hardy has a lot less pressure on him this year than last year. Which is a good thing now the only question is what to do with him this year? IF we go no-huddle and 4 wide than who is our fourth wide is it Hardy or Parrish or Johnson. Is Hardy just a red zone and third down guy?

 

As for next year ( assuming TO leaves town ) what do we do about our number two wide receiver slot is Hardy or even Steve Johnson our guy or do we go into the draft or free agency ( Its an uncapped year so that becomes even more unlikely than it is in a capped year ).

 

For this year I see Hardy as a third down and Red Zone target let him get acclimated to those situations and have him learn a little from TO. The big problem with Hardy is that he doesn't have that tenacity and dominance of space that bigger guys who are not as fast have. TO has a lot of what Hardy needs to develop.

 

We need Hardy or Johnson to develop this year because we can't just have a big hole at wide receiver going into an uncapped year where our top few draft choices become so much more valuable. Simply put we need to have the answer on our roster now before we spend another second or first on a position that we should have been developing.

[WellDressed]

Hopefully making more of these catches with his new number 84

[DDD]

James Hardy has a lot less pressure on him this year than last year. Which is a good thing now the only question is what to do with him this year? IF we go no-huddle and 4 wide than who is our fourth wide is it Hardy or Parrish or Johnson. Is Hardy just a red zone and third down guy?

 

As for next year ( assuming TO leaves town ) what do we do about our number two wide receiver slot is Hardy or even Steve Johnson our guy or do we go into the draft or free agency ( Its an uncapped year so that becomes even more unlikely than it is in a capped year ).

 

For this year I see Hardy as a third down and Red Zone target let him get acclimated to those situations and have him learn a little from TO. The big problem with Hardy is that he doesn't have that tenacity and dominance of space that bigger guys who are not as fast have. TO has a lot of what Hardy needs to develop.

 

We need Hardy or Johnson to develop this year because we can't just have a big hole at wide receiver going into an uncapped year where our top few draft choices become so much more valuable. Simply put we need to have the answer on our roster now before we spend another second or first on a position that we should have been developing.

 

Hardy showed nothing his rookie year. Very disappointing for a guy who basically was handed the #2WR spot in training camp. From what I hear the guy makes Leodis McKelvin look like a Rhodes scholar. Now he blew out his knee. He's toast.

[PushthePile]

Hardy showed nothing his rookie year. Very disappointing for a guy who basically was handed the #2WR spot in training camp. From what I hear the guy makes Leodis McKelvin look like a Rhodes scholar. Now he blew out his knee. He's toast.

I agree. The guy was a complete disaster out there last year. I don't need to wait the mandatory three years. BUST! Sorry Hardy fans it's just how I feel and yes I know the legend of Eric Moulds.

[billsfan89]

Hardy showed nothing his rookie year. Very disappointing for a guy who basically was handed the #2WR spot in training camp. From what I hear the guy makes Leodis McKelvin look like a Rhodes scholar. Now he blew out his knee. He's toast.

 

I wouldn't give up on him yet I give him a limited role this year and see if he develops. They invested too much on him to just dump him in his second year. WR's take a long time to develop and if Hardy can show signs this year than I think he has a chance to be our #2 or 3 down the line not a great chance but a chance. Its just a possibility last year he was given too much too soon he may need to take a step back to take a step froward.

[Boom Jam]

Going out on a limb here... I'm totally in favor of keeping Parrish on the roster over Hardy. Even if it is on special teams, Parrish is a game changer and for this team to compete this year they need game changers anywhere they can plug them into the roster. I don't dislike Hardy, but if it becomes a numbers game for the WRs, I'm hoping they keep Parrish all the way.

[Fingon]

WRs normally suck in their first year.

 

Hardy did not come out of a pro-style offense, and he looked lost last year because he was running routes that were almost completely foreign to him. The guy is 6-6 and runs a 4.45, so i say we withhold judgment on him until he has 2-3 years in the league. The guy was a project coming out of school, played basketball prior to football at IU, and was a 2nd round pick because everyone knew he wouldn't be a difference maker right away.

 

Some of you people need to actually read about Hardy before you pass judgment.

[PushthePile]

WRs normally suck in their first year.

 

Hardy did not come out of a pro-style offense, and he looked lost last year because he was running routes that were almost completely foreign to him. The guy is 6-6 and runs a 4.45, so i say we withhold judgment on him until he has 2-3 years in the league. The guy was a project coming out of school, played basketball prior to football at IU, and was a 2nd round pick because everyone knew he wouldn't be a difference maker right away.

 

Some of you people need to actually read about Hardy before you pass judgment.

I have read alot about Hardy and it contradicts everything I WATCHED. His 4.45 forty looks to be about 4.65 on the field. He's 6-6 going on 5-10 and gets pushed around by corners who are half his size. I don't have a problem waiting for a guy to develop but at least play the freakin game hard. IMO, the guy only has size. His character was a question coming out of school and he wasted no time proving why. At least Marshawn and Dante break their azz on the field. This guy looked disinterested.

[Fingon]

I have read alot about Hardy and it contradicts everything I WATCHED. His 4.45 forty looks to be about 4.65 on the field. He's 6-6 going on 5-10 and gets pushed around by corners who are half his size. I don't have a problem waiting for a guy to develop but at least play the freakin game hard. IMO, the guy only has size. His character was a question coming out of school and he wasted no time proving why. At least Marshawn and Dante break their azz on the field. This guy looked disinterested.

I'm not going to question his effort, because that's pretty much impossible to evaluate unless you extensively study his game, but the reason he looks slow is because he is running pro-style routes for the first time (in maybe his entire life). The guy was a basketball player in HS plus his first year in college, and IU runs a spread offense. In case you did not know, spread routes look absolutely nothing like the pro-style ones used by the Bills. So, the reason CBs blanketed him is because his route running left A LOT to be desired of. Hardy has the speed and size to be successful, but he won't until he can learn to run his routes far more effectively.

[VOR]

Really? Hardy "showed nothing?" Catching the game-winning TD is "nothing?" He also caught another TD. And he had 9 receptions.

[Boom Jam]

Really? Hardy "showed nothing?" Catching the game-winning TD is "nothing?" He also caught another TD. And he had 9 receptions.

 

Didn't they practice that play all week or something? I kinda remember Edwards eluding to that in one of the press conferences. Either way it was impressive,

[Hossage]

I could jump over real cars before I got so fat. I have noticed that losing this weight is not as easy as gaining it was.

[Lurker]

I don't need to wait the mandatory three years. BUST!

You know, some folks said the same about your Avatar early in his career...

[PushthePile]

I don't think it's ridiculous that some fans still have high hopes for him. I just have a different opinion. For every Eric Moulds and Bruce Smith story you can find hundreds of careers like Charles Rogers and Erik Flowers. I don't have game film to study so I can only go on plays where the ball has been thrown his way. From what I saw, the guy is more than a project. I understand that he may have never run pro style routes before but this is a pretty big deal IMO. The NFL is not usually the best place to start learning the basics. The average NFL wideout has been working on his route running since highschool. Why do you think someone like Usain Bolt couldn't make a practice squad? It's not just the route running that scares me. I found it more dissapointing that he never really showed he has the feel of how to use his size. All to often last year I saw Hardy get out muscled by a smaller corner. I'm not the only one to notice his lack of effort either. It's been mentioned by other posters as well. JP losman has thrown a few game winning TD passes but this doesn't mean he can play consistently.

 

The coaching staff made an effort to get him involved early in the season last year. He had a golden opportunity to make an impact on the team. Alot of the balls thrown his way were similar to his TD catch. To me, it seemed like they were trying to put him in a position to make plays in a jump ball situation. Unfortunately alot of the time he struggled to get a hand on the ball. That isn't just route running.

 

Just my two cents. I have been wrong before and I have no problem admitting to it. I am also not afraid to go against the grain and call it like I see it. James Hardy is missing too many major tools to ever be a solid starter. He could develop into a situational threat but offers nothing in terms of special teams and will struggle to find a permanent home. I'll see you all in three years.

[The Senator]

I don't think it's ridiculous that some fans still have high hopes for him. I just have a different opinion. For every Eric Moulds and Bruce Smith story you can find hundreds of careers like Charles Rogers and Erik Flowers. I don't have game film to study so I can only go on plays where the ball has been thrown his way. From what I saw, the guy is more than a project. I understand that he may have never run pro style routes before but this is a pretty big deal IMO. The NFL is not usually the best place to start learning the basics. The average NFL wideout has been working on his route running since highschool. Why do you think someone like Usain Bolt couldn't make a practice squad? It's not just the route running that scares me. I found it more dissapointing that he never really showed he has the feel of how to use his size. All to often last year I saw Hardy get out muscled by a smaller corner. I'm not the only one to notice his lack of effort either. It's been mentioned by other posters as well. JP losman has thrown a few game winning TD passes but this doesn't mean he can play consistently.

 

The coaching staff made an effort to get him involved early in the season last year. He had a golden opportunity to make an impact on the team. Alot of the balls thrown his way were similar to his TD catch. To me, it seemed like they were trying to put him in a position to make plays in a jump ball situation. Unfortunately alot of the time he struggled to get a hand on the ball. That isn't just route running.

 

Just my two cents. I have been wrong before and I have no problem admitting to it. I am also not afraid to go against the grain and call it like I see it. James Hardy is missing too many major tools to ever be a solid starter. He could develop into a situational threat but offers nothing in terms of special teams and will struggle to find a permanent home. I'll see you all in three years.

I figure Hardy to be in his 2nd or 3rd Pro Bowl by then.

[billsfreak]

I really think the Bills plans are for him to sit behind T.O. this year, and after this season, when T.O. is gone, they are hoping he can move to that position. His serious injury last year had to at least play a small part in them going to get Owens to begin with.

[wonderbread]

I could jump over real cars before I got so fat. I have noticed that losing this weight is not as easy as gaining it was.

 

 

You should try to jump over SKOOBY's car. I'd like to see that!

[Magox]

It's a bit premature to call him a bust. He has great size, good speed and a very athletic jumper. He's very raw and I think it would be a bit unreasonable to have expected him to be a solid contributor last year considering his lack of experience. But let's not forget, he made one hell of a catch that won us the game against the Jags. That is a big "W" folks.

 

I am not going to say that he will amount to anything special, because I really don't have too much to go by, to tell you the truth, I am more excited about what Steve Johnson can do. My guess is that Hardy will be competing this year for a roster spot and hopefully he will develop his craft and learn from one of the best in T.O.

 

In regards to his work ethic, I believe I have heard lots of reports of how he is a very willing learner with a great attitude and that should serve him well as long as he continues to do so.

[drewwerd2]

I went to IU, I watched James Hardy, and am an avid fan of Indiana "Football." This guy has plenty of talent he just needs to learn how to run a route. At IU, it was basically a playground style offense with Kellen Lewis going into the huddle saying "get open." He's going to have to adjust to actual routes, along with blocking assignments, and of course, DBs much more adept at keeping up with him and getting into the right position. Still, this guy can soar. As the basketball saying goes "You can't teach height," and Hardy's definitely got that. Not sure if he's got the smarts or drive to be the league's best, but he'll definitely be a playmaker down the line.

[bizell]

I think this year is basically going to be a redshirt for him, due to the timing of his injury last year and the usual recovery time until an athlete is back to their pre-injury form. I don't know if he'll be able to contribute anything until the season after this one.