After watching Welker, can Parrish fill that roll for Bills?

[muestafa1]

Despite the loss, Wes Welker made some decent plays for the Pats. The screens, crossing patterns (Picks) the Pats ran really helped him out and gave him space to make plays.

All I could think of when I saw Welker making plays, is that the Bills have a short, fast receiver in Roscoe Parrish who is supposed to create the same type of mismatches for opposing defenses. Is Welker that much better of a football player or does it come down to the Pats knowing how to utilize him properly? I think Parrish has faster raw speed, but Welker is one shifty little guy!

Hopefully our new OC will call some plays designed to utilize Parrish's speeed, give him a cushion, and give him some space to rack up yards after the catch. (I know finding another receiving threat in the draft or FA would help open things up for Parrish underneath as well)

[venis2k1]

As far as who starts in the slot next year? I guess it comes down to if you think reeds blocking ability outweighs Roscoe's big play ability.

[yordad]

Parrish is faster, and has faster cuts. I believe it is just the Pats utilizing Welker better. Well, that combined with they have a better QB, and Welker actually catches, which Parrish has seemed to have a problem with lately.

[gr8slayer]

Good question.... Unlikely though, Welker is pretty damn good.

[raphael120]

Lesse...Welker is how much bigger than Parrish?

[gr8slayer]

Lesse...Welker is how much bigger than Parrish?
Not much, might even be shorter.

[Mr. Miyagi]

I don't think Roscoe with his small frame can take a hit like Welker can and still hold on to the ball.

I hate Welker just because he's a Pat but damn he's a good football player.

[JJamezz]

I don't know if Parrish can be Welker, but he's definitely being under (and mis) used..

How many of us laughed our asses off at NE for giving up a 2nd rounder for him last year? Being utilized correctly means a lot..

[Mahdi]

Despite the loss, Wes Welker made some decent plays for the Pats. The screens, crossing patterns (Picks) the Pats ran really helped him out and gave him space to make plays.

All I could think of when I saw Welker making plays, is that the Bills have a short, fast receiver in Roscoe Parrish who is supposed to create the same type of mismatches for opposing defenses. Is Welker that much better of a football player or does it come down to the Pats knowing how to utilize him properly? I think Parrish has faster raw speed, but Welker is one shifty little guy!

Hopefully our new OC will call some plays designed to utilize Parrish's speeed, give him a cushion, and give him some space to rack up yards after the catch. (I know finding another receiving threat in the draft or FA would help open things up for Parrish underneath as well)
If we can get an impact WR opposite Evans and a TE that can threaten the middle of the field than Parrish can do very similar things to Welker.

[gr8slayer]

I don't know if Parrish can be Welker, but he's definitely being under (and mis) used..

How many of us laughed our asses off at NE for giving up a 2nd rounder for him last year? Being utilized correctly means a lot..
You are being under (and mis) used. Where's my highlight films :mad:

[don137]

Sadly enough Josh Reed, IMO, is a better poor man's Welker. One of Reeds best traits coming out of college was his ability to run after the catch however he does not seem flashy enough at this level. Blocking wise he is right up there with Welker. If you could combine Parrish speed with Reed's blocking you would have a player better than Welker.

[gr8slayer]

I still think that Reed is our best all around WR :couch:

[Oaf]

Good story of Welker starting as a UDFA KR for the Dolphins and slowly working his way up to 3rd WR to only be shocked by the Pats trade and then getting 100 catches. I always thought he was a threat when we played the Fins back then.

Parrish can be that guy for us. Fairchild just had no clue how to use him. I don't think I saw Parrish once in motion at the snap this year.

[gr8slayer]

Good story of Welker starting as a UDFA KR for the Dolphins and slowly working his way up to 3rd WR to only be shocked by the Pats trade and then getting 100 catches. I always thought he was a threat when we played the Fins back then.

Parrish can be that guy for us. Fairchild just had no clue how to use him. I don't think I saw Parrish once in motion at the snap this year.
Funny thing is, Welker was a freaking beast as a STer in college. In the Devin Hester era of drafting he would have been a 3rd or 4th round pick just on return ability alone.

[patmoran2006]

Welker catches everything and is a better route runner.

I do agree about the theory of Parrish though in that position. Good post.

[Confused]

I'd say welker can take a shot better than Roscoe, but roscoe is faster and quicker.. The pat use Welker the same way we should use roscoe.....alot!!!!

[trapezeus]

the pats 1 and 2 receivers draw more attention than the bills 1 and 2 receivers. hence the mismatch isn't going to be there as consistantly. also KEvin Faulk is a beast on 3rd down too, so they have better players that get one on one match ups. the bills currently don't have that. but if they bolster their WR's this year, maybe it will work

[Ingtar33]

Parrish is faster, and has faster cuts. I believe it is just the Pats utilizing Welker better. Well, that combined with they have a better QB, and Welker actually catches, which Parrish has seemed to have a problem with lately.

bingo.

[Akhippo]

Welker is not in the same area as far as a return man vs Roscoe. Welker is so overrated in that category. No real moves, just fast and straight ahead.

But I think Roscoe could be every bit as good as Welker if used just like Wes. Lynch can be the Faulk. One more #2 and someone who can utilize them and we have a very good offense.

[Philagape]

Is Welker that much better of a football player or does it come down to the Pats knowing how to utilize him properly?

A.



Welker had a decent year for the Fins too.

[LtFinFan66]

Funny thing is, Welker was a freaking beast as a STer in college. In the Devin Hester era of drafting he would have been a 3rd or 4th round pick just on return ability alone.He only came in 2 years before Hester. And in case folks forgot, San Diego had him first and cut him

[LifetimeBillsFan]

I think that Parrish can fill that role if he does three things to improve his game:

1.) He has to continue to get stronger, particularly in the lower body. there isn't a lot of difference in size between the two, but Welker is stronger and is able to use his strength when a defender only gets a hand on him to pull away for that sometimes very critical extra yard or two. Roscoe has gotten stronger since coming into the league, but needs to keep working on that.

2.) Parrish has to learn that there are times when you dance and times when you don't: like a lot of small, very quick guys, Roscoe has a tendency to look to side-step the defender when he gets the ball rather than use his speed to blow past him. Side-stepping a defender is a good thing for a small guy to do sometimes, but you're not going forward when you are side-stepping--for all intents and purposes you are stopping your forward momentum completely in order to manoever (it's an aerodynamic principle used in the design of fighter planes)--and, even if you are successful in getting by the first defender, it gives the defense a split second more to react cut off your advance before you can regain any speed going forward. In some situtations it is just better to use speed and strength to shake off or run through an arm-tackle and get going down the field at full speed as quickly as possible. Welker seems to be able to distinguish between when it is best for him to try to side-step the defender and when it would be better for him to just try to use his speed and strength to get past him. Roscoe still needs to get better at making that judgement: there were more than a few times when the Bills did throw short passes to Parrish when took too ling trying to side-step the opponent and got caught for only a short gain, rather than gaining the needed yardage on the play--you don't see that happen that often with Welker.

3.) Parrish needs to continue to work on his hands and get better at catching the ball consistently. No receiver catches them all--I've seen Welker drop some catchable balls too--but most of the throws to a slot receiver like Parrish or Welker are going to be short throws and, to be effective, he has to catch those throws consistently and can't have many lapses in concentration because, usually, those throws are intended to keep the chains moving for the offense and any drops are likely to stall a possession.

It would help if Parrish worked a little more on blocking--Welker isn't the biggest guy, but he is willing to stick his nose in there and make a block, even if he gets knocked out of the way. Being a little guy is no excuse for not being a willing blocker: a little guy may not be able to stand up a much bigger defender and stop him, but, if he gets in front of the defender and sticks his nose in there, he can slow the defender up and sometimes that is just enough to give the ball-carrier that half-step that he needs to turn a short gain into a big one. But, in Roscoe's case, this also relates to my first point about him getting a little stronger. I don't think that he is necessarily an unwilling blocker, just that he needs to work on his blocking some and it would be easier for him to do that and make him more effective if he were stronger.

Those are the things that I see that Parrish can do to make himself more of the kind of offensive threat that Welker has become (and Welker didn't become the player that he is overnight, either).

Then, there are some things that the Bills need to do to make Parrish more of the kind of threat that Welker is in the Pats' offense:

1.) The Bills need to get better and more consistent QB play. A lot of the throws to the slot receivers are short throws that have to be accurate and thrown on time. Many times the slot receiver isn't the first option on the play, but the QB still has to read the defense, recognize that the first option isn't going to be open and get the ball out to the slot receiver quickly--on time--and accurately for the play to be successful. The Bills have tried at times to get the ball into Parrish's hands so that he could make a play, but, except for a couple of situations, it is hard to remember their QBs delivering the ball to Parrish on time and in a situation where he could do much once he got the ball--let alone doing that consistently. Some of that is on the play-calling, but as much or perhaps even more is on the QBs. Losman hasn't shown that he can deliever this kind of throw consistently with any accuracy--in part because his preference is to wait and let the deep throws develop--and, while Edwards has shown some ability to make these throws, Edwards still has to get better at making them and become more confident in his ability to fit the throws in without turning the ball over (by all reports, Edwards has shown a reluctance to try to make certain throws in games because he has been overly concerned with not turning the ball over--a point that the coaches have stressed with their QBs). This will be a key thing to watch in Edwards' development going into next season: if he can beome more confident in his ability to get the ball to Parrish without turning it over, it will allow Parrish to become a bigger and more effective weapon in the Bills offense.

2.) It would help Parrish immensely if the Bills were to add another speedy wide receiver to play opposite Lee Evans. One of the things that makes Welker so effective in the Pats' offense is that Welker plays in the slot between R.Moss and D.Stallworth, two extremely fast WRs who are always able to pull the outside coverage down the field and away from him--which leaves Welker a large area between the LBs and the safety to go essentially one-on-one with a nickle-back, a match-up that should favor a quick, fast slot receiver like Welker or Parrish virtually every time. With P.Price having lost a step and J.Reed not having the speed to force opposing corners to respect his ability to burn them deep (with the Pats,if you try to take away Welker, Stallworth or Moss will make you pay deep!), the Bills can't utilize Parrish the way that the Pats use Welker, let alone maximize his abilities. For Parrish to even be in a position to fill the role that Welker does in the Pats' offense, the Bills MUST add a fast WR who can step in and start opposite Lee Evans: he doesn't have to be a budding superstar in the R.Moss category--D.Stallworth isn't that kind of WR--but he does have to be a guy who has the kind of deep speed that opposing defenses are forced to respect.

3.) The Bills must diversify their play-calling. It's not how many times they run the ball on first down: while many have ballyhoed the fact that the Bills ran the ball 58 % of the time on first down, there were teams that ran the ball significantly more often on first down and the top ranked teams in terms of running the ball on first down nearly all made the playoffs (ESPN the magazine did an article on that about 6 weeks ago). It is the mix of plays that they use and the timing of when they use those plays that matters. They don't necessarily need a big-time deep-threat at TE (if they have a deep threat at WR opposite Lee Evans, the middle of the field will open up even for a slower TE to exploit)--many have observed that the NY Giants became a better and more efficient offense after blocking TE K.Boss replaced the higher profile, deep receiving threat, J.Shockey at TE--they need to have players who will open up certain parts of the field and a mix of plays that can be used to keep opposing defenses off balance and exploit the weak areas in the defense. They need for Marshawn Lynch to become a better pass-blocker (did you see what B.Jacobs did to stop the Pats' blitzers in the SB?) so that they don't have to take him off the field on third down in passing situations and can utilize his receiving skills more often than they did this past season, but they also need to have a better mix of plays that will allow them to throw the ball to Lynch other downs and that will keep opposing defenses guessing about what Lynch will do when he is in the game (the Giants didn't always have the bigger, better blocker, Jacobs in the game when they threw the ball and didn't always throw the ball just on 3rd down). Having more play-makers (specifically another deep threat at WR) and diversifying their play-calling to better utilize their play-makers and keep opposing defenses off balance will keep defenses, who are aware of the fact that Parrish is/can be a play-maker, from concentrating attention on Parrish when he is in the game and serve to allow him to fill the kind of role that Welker plays in the Pats offense (everybody knows that Welker is a dangerous play-maker, but with the other play-makers that the Pats have on the field and the fact that they don't know which play-maker is gonig to get the ball on any given down, opposing defenses can't concentrate on taking him away without risking getting burned by someone else in a different area--which just makes Welker that much more effective).

Yes, Parrish could fill the role that Welker plays in the Pats' offense for the Bills offense. But, he has to do some things to make himself better able to fill that role first. And, his teammates (specifically the QBs) and the team itself have to do some things to help him be more effective in that role than he has been as well. If he does his part and they do theirs, Parrish can fill that role. But, if he doesn't do his part and/or his teammates, the front office and/or the coaching staff fail to do what they need to do, he will remain just a great punt returner with unfulfilled potential to be a dangerous play-maker as a receiver. IMHO, everybody is going to have to do their part for Parrish to become the kind of effective threat for the Bills offense that Welker has become for the Pats' offense.

[gr8slayer]

He only came in 2 years before Hester. And in case folks forgot, San Diego had him first and cut him
My point is that now with his return ability in college he would not have been undrafted.

[Historian]

No.

He's too fast.

[Ickybaluky]

Just because they are both short doesn't mean they are the same player. Welker is a different player. And for those that think it was all how the Pats utilize him, don't forget he led the Dolphins in receptions the year prior as well. That is 2 straight season he led his team in receptions.

That said, Parrish is grossly underutilized. I'm not sure why you wouldn't try to get him the ball in the open field more often, whether through screens, reverses or whatever. He is an electric player with the ball in his hands.

Welker knows how to get open, has great hands and moves upfield quickly once he gets the ball. That is a lot harder to do than it sounds. Remember, for as much as Devon Hester is an incredible return man, he has struggled to establish himself as a WR. It takes more than speed and agility.

[gr8slayer]

Just because they are both short doesn't mean they are the same player. Welker is a different player. And for those that think it was all how the Pats utilize him, don't forget he led the Dolphins in receptions the year prior as well. That is 2 straight season he led his team in receptions.

That said, Parrish is grossly underutilized. I'm not sure why you wouldn't try to get him the ball in the open field more often, whether through screens, reverses or whatever. He is an electric player with the ball in his hands.

Welker knows how to get open, has great hands and moves upfield quickly once he gets the ball. That is a lot harder to do than it sounds. Remember, for as much as Devon Hester is an incredible return man, he has struggled to establish himself as a WR. It takes more than speed and agility.
Because he was a DB the better part of his football career.

[blackonyx89]

Welker is not in the same area as far as a return man vs Roscoe. Welker is so overrated in that category. No real moves, just fast and straight ahead.

But I think Roscoe could be every bit as good as Welker if used just like Wes. Lynch can be the Faulk. One more #2 and someone who can utilize them and we have a very good offense.

Welker is like Chrebet and Phil McConkey form the old Giants. Overachiever
with mediocre skills. I'll take that if that can help the team win!!!

[Throne Logic]

I think Roscoe could be every bit as good as Welker if used just like Wes. Lynch can be the Faulk. One more #2 and someone who can utilize them and we have a very good offense.

Welker has that uncanny ability to get open in the short routes. Parrish has not shown that he can do this. Of course, as others have mentioned, Fairchild never really tried to involve Parrish in this manner. We'll see what happens with the "new" offensive approach. Comparing QB styles only (read: talent level aside), Trent is more of a Tom Brady - like passer. He'll progress through reads and look for Parrish if they have him in the "Welker role".

Now, the main reason I replied, I have to respectfully disagree with your second statement here. Faulk has been a major part of the Patriots sustained success over the past several years. However, his role has been to come in for spot duty and make the critical play - third down plays, for example. Lynch needs to be the feature back. He's proven that he can be a playmaker even for a crappy offense and they should put the ball in his hands as much as possible.

If you want to compare a player to Faulk, you should take another look at Jackson. He steps in for spot duty and finds ways to get it done. Jackson is a prime candidate for the Bills "unsung hero" role in the years to come.

[JJamezz]

You are being under (and mis) used. Where's my highlight films :mad:

Damn writer's strike.. what can ya do..?

[gr8slayer]

Damn writer's strike.. what can ya do..?
I'll pay you for a highlight film that covers the year. Especially Marshawn runs.

[realdealryan]

After watching Brady, can Edwards fill THAT role?

[gr8slayer]

After watching Brady, can Edwards fill THAT role?
:ill: