We're near Olympic track speed now, does it make a difference

[Skooby]

I'm actually of the mindset that our WR core is on par to being being near open every pass. Does this seem reasonable ??

[BillsFever21]

I'm actually of the mindset that our WR core is on par to being being near open every pass. Does this seem reasonable ??

No. If speed translated to being open all of the time then many fast players that never did squat in the NFL would've been HOF players.

[OpIv37]

A few things:

Hussein Bolt is the fastest human being on the planet. Jerry Jones put him in pads and let him try out for the Cowboys. Utter disaster.

Remember Antonio Brown? He was a WR/KR for the Bills maybe 8 or 10 years ago. Lightning fast in a straight line, couldn't make a cut to save his life. It was like his brain couldn't keep up with his feet. The guy would catch the kickoff and cover a **** ton of yardage on his initial run, but he was moving so fast that he would fall almost every single time he tried to cut. He literally hit the oncoming defenders so fast that his brain couldn't decide what to do in time for his legs to do it.

Speed does not equal success in the NFL. It takes more than that.

[Meathead]

corps

[Mouldsie]

Stevie is always open.

[better days]

No. If speed translated to being open all of the time then many fast players that never did squat in the NFL would've been HOF players.


Yeah, hopefully these guys have hands as well. I have faith that Ike Hilliard the WR Coach can teach these guys to run routes.

[elltrain22]

Op kinda nailed it. You can't just have speed, or you'll get washed out. As a NFL wr, you have to have solid fund's, besides speed. You have to be able to run real good routes, catch the ball in traffic, and stay healthy. These are big question marks, but the biggest question mark, do we have the qb to find these guys. Thats the biggest question of all. We'll see...

[better days]

Op kinda nailed it. You can't just have speed, or you'll get washed out. As a NFL wr, you have to have solid fund's, besides speed. You have to be able to run real good routes, catch the ball in traffic, and stay healthy. These are big question marks, but the biggest question mark, do we have the qb to find these guys. Thats the biggest question of all. We'll see...

Well, I don't think there is any question about the QB. Whoever starts will be able to get the ball to the WR. Something we haven't seen in a long time.

[Ingtar33]

Jerry Rice fell in the NFL draft because he ran a 4.6...

no one could catch Jerry Rice in the open field. He was much faster in pads then he was in some arbitrary 40 yard sprint.

[Extremebillsfan247]

I'm actually of the mindset that our WR core is on par to being being near open every pass. Does this seem reasonable ??
I think it will boil down to how well they are coached.

[stuckincincy]

I'm actually of the mindset that our WR core is on par to being being near open every pass. Does this seem reasonable ??


Sure. They've been waiting to spring it on the rest of the NFL for the past 13 years. :handball:

[DynaPaul]

As long as they're not like Raghib Ismail we should be good.

[EDS]

As long as they're not like Raghib Ismail we should be good.

If Goodwin or Graham turn out as good as the Rocket that would not be a bad thing - he had a few 1,000 yard seasons if memory serves.

[Pinkerton Security]

A few things:

Hussein Bolt is the fastest human being on the planet. Jerry Jones put him in pads and let him try out for the Cowboys. Utter disaster.

Remember Antonio Brown? He was a WR/KR for the Bills maybe 8 or 10 years ago. Lightning fast in a straight line, couldn't make a cut to save his life. It was like his brain couldn't keep up with his feet. The guy would catch the kickoff and cover a **** ton of yardage on his initial run, but he was moving so fast that he would fall almost every single time he tried to cut. He literally hit the oncoming defenders so fast that his brain couldn't decide what to do in time for his legs to do it.

Speed does not equal success in the NFL. It takes more than that.

Hussein Bolt? Is this some strange Jamaican-Iraqi hybrid? Usain.

[EDS]

Hussein Bolt? Is this some strange Jamaican-Iraqi hybrid? Usain.

Bluto: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
Otter: [whispering] Germans?
Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.

[better days]

Sure. They've been waiting to spring it on the rest of the NFL for the past 13 years. :handball:

Well, this is the year. Teams won't know what to expect of the Bills on offense or defense. HAPPY to play the Pats* in the first game so Belichick has no real game film of the Bills to watch.

[justasportsfan]

trackstars don't automatically transition to receivers/rbs just like Sumo wrestlers don't automatically become linemen.

[Pinkerton Security]

trackstars don't automatically transition to receivers/rbs just like Sumo wrestlers don't automatically become linemen.

right. So i can add something to this post other than be the grammatical a-hole, speed is important but it has to be used the right way...look at CJ Spiller...he came into the league and was instantly one of the fastest guys on the field on every play. However, that didnt truly matter until he learned how to be patient and allow plays to develop. This shows that instincts and reading blocks may even be more valuable than speed.

[Buddo]

Speed will kill teams, but it has to be given the opportunity to be used.
Our receivers, aside from Stevie, who is slow by comparison, have yet to show that they can get themselves open at all, let alone consistently.
Speed alone, does not get you open.
While I'm a lot more optimistic about this group's potential, than I have been in years, they are incredibly raw, and need some serious coaching up to be successful when the pads come on.

My own personal pov, is that Woods will make the transition quickly, as his route running is silky smooth, but as to how the rest of them fare, it will be down to coaching and desire.
Assuming Rogers behaves himself, then he also has a shot at making a relatively quick transition, as he has more size than the other guys, and from what I understand, isn't afraid to use it - and that will help him in the NFL.

If all goes according to plan, this bunch could become one of the scariest groups of WRs around, in a couple of years, but rarely does everything go to plan, in the NFL.

[stuckincincy]

Speed will kill teams, but it has to be given the opportunity to be used.
Our receivers, aside from Stevie, who is slow by comparison, have yet to show that they can get themselves open at all, let alone consistently.
Speed alone, does not get you open.
While I'm a lot more optimistic about this group's potential, than I have been in years, they are incredibly raw, and need some serious coaching up to be successful when the pads come on.

My own personal pov, is that Woods will make the transition quickly, as his route running is silky smooth, but as to how the rest of them fare, it will be down to coaching and desire.
Assuming Rogers behaves himself, then he also has a shot at making a relatively quick transition, as he has more size than the other guys, and from what I understand, isn't afraid to use it - and that will help him in the NFL.

If all goes according to plan, this bunch could become one of the scariest groups of WRs around, in a couple of years, but rarely does everything go to plan, in the NFL.


Good post. I still think that Marquise Goodwin was an odd pick at that spot...another lb would have been my choice, or perhaps a TE.

[Buddo]

Good post. I still think that Marquise Goodwin was an odd pick at that spot...another lb would have been my choice, or perhaps a TE.

I tend to agree, but having said that, I think that view is more colored by the fact we got Rogers as an UDFA, and I also feel that the desire to have serious speed on the field at all times, means that the Goodwin pick, might have been part of their 'plan', even without getting Rogers.
While they obviously aren't the same player, being able to have graham or Goodwin out there, at any given time, will cause defenses to always have to worry about a deep threat, and you can't just keep sending one guy deep all day, as he will get physically tired. Having another guy to give whoever starts a breather, while still offering that deep threat, is something that could well have been part of the offensive planning.

Of course, that may just be complete supposition, but I think you have to be upbeat about the future for this group of WRs, assuming good behavior, good coaching, and the willingness to put the work in. The future looks very much like we will have plenty of options to throw a football to.

[stuckincincy]

I tend to agree, but having said that, I think that view is more colored by the fact we got Rogers as an UDFA, and I also feel that the desire to have serious speed on the field at all times, means that the Goodwin pick, might have been part of their 'plan', even without getting Rogers.
While they obviously aren't the same player, being able to have graham or Goodwin out there, at any given time, will cause defenses to always have to worry about a deep threat, and you can't just keep sending one guy deep all day, as he will get physically tired. Having another guy to give whoever starts a breather, while still offering that deep threat, is something that could well have been part of the offensive planning.

Of course, that may just be complete supposition, but I think you have to be upbeat about the future for this group of WRs, assuming good behavior, good coaching, and the willingness to put the work in. The future looks very much like we will have plenty of options to throw a football to.

Well, if all it takes is a couple of fast receivers always on the field, I'd think that other teams in the league would have figured that out a while back. I don't see the Bills having an OL that can consistently allow a qb enough time for deep patterns to develop. They certainly used a quick pass release game the past few seasons to mask deficiencies, and I don't see much happening to improve that OL.

OTOH, the NFL rule changes seem to inexorably be driving the game to a more or less an "Arena football" thing...and add in this new rule where RBs are going to be called for lowering their heads. It should be a real pip to see how that plays out.

Who knows? Perhaps the future of NFL ball will be 5 wrs and 6 dbs. Ugh.


I am looking forward to the coaching changes.

[Mouldsie]

Well, if all it takes is a couple of fast receivers always on the field, I'd think that other teams in the league would have figured that out a while back. I don't see the Bills having an OL that can consistently allow a qb enough time for deep patterns to develop. They certainly used a quick pass release game the past few seasons to mask deficiencies, and I don't see much happening to improve that OL.

OTOH, the NFL rule changes seem to inexorably be driving the game to a more or less an "Arena football" thing...and add in this new rule where RBs are going to be called for lowering their heads. It should be a real pip to see how that plays out.

Who knows? Perhaps the future of NFL ball will be 5 wrs and 6 dbs. Ugh.


I am looking forward to the coaching changes.


Power Football still wins games. Bal, SF, Alabama...

Once the majority of teams jump on a bandwagon it's usually smart to jump off. We are a few years away from that point but I see it happening. The NFL is cyclical.

The only thing that changes that theory, as you mentioned, could be rule changes.

[stuckincincy]

Power Football still wins games. Bal, SF, Alabama...

Once the majority of teams jump on a bandwagon it's usually smart to jump off. We are a few years away from that point but I see it happening. The NFL is cyclical.

The only thing that changes that theory, as you mentioned, could be rule changes.

Speaking of running, I wonder what the Bills have planned for the FB spot, given the uncertainty at guard. It doesn't take much to spring Spiller, and a good blocking FB is IMO a necessity.

I'd like the team pay attention to CIN's cuts - they picked up former NYJ FB John Connor late last season to fill in for the injured Chris Pressley. With their drafting of Tyler Eifert #1, CIN is thinking about using 2nd year TE Orson Charles at H-back, who they should have used more, last season...IMO. The incumbent TE, Jermaine Gresham, has alligator arms and shies away from contact.

BTW - if somehow they cut Charles, BUF should try to grab him.

[Skooby]

Speaking of running, I wonder what the Bills have planned for the FB spot, given the uncertainty at guard. It doesn't take much to spring Spiller, and a good blocking FB is IMO a necessity.

I'd like the team pay attention to CIN's cuts - they picked up former NYJ FB John Connor late last season to fill in for the injured Chris Pressley. With their drafting of Tyler Eifert #1, CIN is thinking about using 2nd year TE Orson Charles at H-back, who they should have used more, last season...IMO. The incumbent TE, Jermaine Gresham, has alligator arms and shies away from contact.

BTW - if somehow they cut Charles, BUF should try to grab him.

Bills don't need a FB in our offense.

[stuckincincy]

Bills don't need a FB in our offense.

Levitre's gone - and - they are a club that runs it up the gut:

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/OL

[Historian]

Give me a team of Reeds and Biletnikoffs and I'll beat you every time.

[Skooby]

Give me a team of Reeds and Biletnikoffs and I'll beat you every time.

LOL, classic.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Levitre's gone - and - they are a club that runs it up the gut:

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/OL

True, but that was under Gailey.