Opposing passers avoiding Bills rookie Kaiir Elam

[Woodman]

Opposing quarterbacks are staying away from Kaiir Elam.

The Buffalo Bills’ rookie cornerback was targeted only once in Sunday’s victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Elam has been targeted on only 10 passes so far through four games.

It’s a strong start for the team’s first-round draft choice.

How much is to be gleaned from the avoidance? It’s probably early to make definitive conclusions. Obviously, Elam has not been busting assignments, and the game does not look too big for him. He's playing physical. He's tackling well. He also is benefitting from the collective strength of the defense. The Bills play a lot of zone coverage, get a lot of pressure with the front four and often dictate where the ball gets thrown.


https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/position-grades-opposing-passers-avoiding-bills-rookie-kaiir-elam/article_9a0e0da6-43f8-11ed-bb54-1f0744e7f8ac.html

[Buffalogic]

Gotta go somewhere when Tre is back.

[Woodman]

Gotta go somewhere when Tre is back.

When he does return he will be tested plenty you can bet.

[TacklingDummy]

When he does return he will be tested plenty you can bet.

Would like to see him get a dozen or so snaps this week if they plan on using him against KC.

[Goobylal]

When he does return he will be tested plenty you can bet.

Why wouldn't he be tested now? He's a rookie.

[notacon]

Elam seems to be progressing very well.

This bodes well for the Bills secondary as the year progresses and Tre’ comes back.

[Woodman]

Why wouldn't he be tested now? He's a rookie.

It's not Elam I speak of .... it's White being tested as to whether he's fully recovered.

[Woodman]

Would like to see him get a dozen or so snaps this week if they plan on using him against KC.
A pitch count ..... I could see that as a possibility. :scratch:

[sukie]

Didn’t Bedford start in Titans game? Naturally Elam wasn’t targeted much

[Woodman]

Didn’t Bedford start in Titans game? Naturally Elam wasn’t targeted much
True! :cheers:

That has to have something to do with the target numbers.

[Mace]

Didn’t Bedford start in Titans game? Naturally Elam wasn’t targeted much

Oh ho, Smartacus walks among us !

They could have peppered him with unexpected passes on the sidelines to break his nerve, but they didn't. So there.

It's a strategy I've always wanted to see the Bills employ. Allen rolls out toward the opposing sideline and picks a target drinking gatorade or a coach looking at his tablet. Shock and awe.

[kgun12]

Would like to see him get a dozen or so snaps this week if they plan on using him against KC.

Did I miss something did they activate White this week?

[Cntrygal]

Did I miss something did they activate White this week?

No, not yet.

[TigerJ]

When he does return he will be tested plenty you can bet.Opposing QBs may want to test Tre White for a few games after he comes back to see if he really has his legs under him and his confidence.

[Woodman]

Did I miss something did they activate White this week?
Not that i've heard.

[Woodman]

Opposing QBs may want to test Tre White for a few games after he comes back to see if he really has his legs under him and his confidence.
Exactly! :cheers:

[notacon]

Didn’t Bedford start in Titans game? Naturally Elam wasn’t targeted much

Irrelevent.

Elam got 66% of the defensive snaps against Tennessee.

In fact, of the main three CB players Elam has had the most so far this season.....


Kaiir Elam - 75.85%
Dane Jackson - 66.95%
Christian Benford - 46.19%

[ghz in pittsburgh]

He's a rookie and has a LONG way to go. I like his attitude. You can bet KC will target him.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kaiir Elam was &quot;disappointed&quot; the number of completions he gave up early. <br>I asked him about moving past that to make an INT later.<br><br>&quot;I&#39;m a way better player than what I gave up. I was thinking about how to fix it.&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Billsmafia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Billsmafia</a> <a href="https://t.co/M9Jr4dRvEP">pic.twitter.com/M9Jr4dRvEP</a></p>&mdash; Thad Brown (@thadbrown7) <a href="https://twitter.com/thadbrown7/status/1579250019160723457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[YardRat]

Yeah they went right at him yesterday. Something like 10 completions on 13 attempts for 120+ yards.

He shouldn't be happy at all.

I like his attitude.

[Cntrygal]

Yeah they went right at him yesterday. Something like 10 completions on 13 attempts for 120+ yards.

He shouldn't be happy at all.

I like his attitude.

It wouldn't surprise me to hear that he's already talked/watched the film with Tre.

[DraftBoy]

A little odd to see Benford significantly ahead of Elam early on pre-injury. I’m assuming that since Elam is traditionally a physical CB he’ll need more time to adjust to the NFL level. The INT should be a confidence booster even with the down day.

He’ll get better.

[Goobylal]

A little odd to see Benford significantly ahead of Elam early on pre-injury. I’m assuming that since Elam is traditionally a physical CB he’ll need more time to adjust to the NFL level. The INT should be a confidence booster even with the down day.

He’ll get better.

Benford played in a zone scheme in college and Elam played man. Elam's still learning.

[DraftBoy]

Benford played in a zone scheme in college and Elam played man. Elam's still learning.

Benford was considered among the rawest of CB’s in the draft with high upside due to his size and athleticism. Also Florida ran zone coverage concepts as well. They weren’t in man coverage only 100% of the time.

We don’t have to make up excuses for why our first round pick in year 1 is behind our other pick. Just enjoy the embarrassment of riches.

[Forward_Lateral]

Elam got picked on a bit yesterday, but it really didn't matter. He also had a nice INT. He's been playing well the past few games, but obviously has a lot to work on. It's nice to have him learning, while they have the benefit of it not costing them, game wise. Yet.

[YardRat]

Benford was considered among the rawest of CB’s in the draft with high upside due to his size and athleticism. Also Florida ran zone coverage concepts as well. They weren’t in man coverage only 100% of the time.

We don’t have to make up excuses for why our first round pick in year 1 is behind our other pick. Just enjoy the embarrassment of riches.

If it's a made up excuse, then it's made up by the team. Frasier has commented a few times on how much press man Elam played at Florida and how raw he was with off coverages and the nuances of zone concepts because "he didn't do a lot of (that) at Florida".

[ghz in pittsburgh]

Elam got picked on a bit yesterday, but it really didn't matter. He also had a nice INT. He's been playing well the past few games, but obviously has a lot to work on. It's nice to have him learning, while they have the benefit of it not costing them, game wise. Yet.
It's all relative. It didn't matter because it was a blowout. He is said to "play well" in the Ravens game because Lamar does not throw to outside in general. To imply that opposition QBs afraid of throwing to Elam's direction because he's play well is just ... I rest my case. BTW, Sunday was Pickett, rookie QB on his first NFL game .

[Forward_Lateral]

It's all relative. It didn't matter because it was a blowout. He is said to "play well" in the Ravens game because Lamar does not throw to outside in general. To imply that opposition QBs afraid of throwing to Elam's direction because he's play well is just ... I rest my case. BTW, Sunday was Pickett, rookie QB on his first NFL game .
Thanks, I was aware that it was Pickett's first game. He also has 2 major outside weapons in Pickens and Johnson.

[notacon]

Yeah they went right at him yesterday. Something like 10 completions on 13 attempts for 120+ yards.

He shouldn't be happy at all.

I like his attitude.

I remember seeing this about Elam’s interview with the Bills. They asked him a boilerplate question about where he thinks he needs to show improvement in his game.

And he pulls out a freakin’ notebook where he “wrote down everything I did wrong...”


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Holy crap!!!!

Yeah....I like his attitude and I’m sure the Bills do too.<iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/widget_iframe.7dae38096d06923d683a2a807172322a.html?origin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.billszone.com" title="Twitter settings iframe" style="display: none;"></iframe><iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="Twitter analytics iframe" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;"></iframe><iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/widget_iframe.7dae38096d06923d683a2a807172322a.html?origin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.billszone.com" title="Twitter settings iframe" style="display: none;"></iframe><iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="Twitter analytics iframe" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;"></iframe><iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/widget_iframe.7dae38096d06923d683a2a807172322a.html?origin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.billszone.com" title="Twitter settings iframe" style="display: none;"></iframe><iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="Twitter analytics iframe" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;"></iframe>

[DraftBoy]

If it's a made up excuse, then it's made up by the team. Frasier has commented a few times on how much press man Elam played at Florida and how raw he was with off coverages and the nuances of zone concepts because "he didn't do a lot of (that) at Florida".

Goes double if it’s a coach statement to the media.

[YardRat]

Goes double if it’s a coach statement to the media.

No, it pretty much renders your statement meaningless. It's ridiculous to minimize what training and experience these kids have leading up to the step up. Draft position may become moot as soon as the pads are put on for the first time, but the resume' is still relevant.

[DraftBoy]

No, it pretty much renders your statement meaningless. It's ridiculous to minimize what training and experience these kids have leading up to the step up. Draft position may become moot as soon as the pads are put on for the first time, but the resume' is still relevant.

Florida ran zone cover concepts, I don’t know how anybody who watched a single drive of Florida football could ever disagree with that. They were man heavy but ran plenty of zone too. It’s a significant part of Grantham’s 3-4 1-Gap system because he likes to zone blitz out of it. Elam got to play more on an island than any other CB at UF in the scheme but it’s not like he never practiced or played in the concept of zone coverage.

[YardRat]

Florida ran zone cover concepts, I don’t know how anybody who watched a single drive of Florida football could ever disagree with that. They were man heavy but ran plenty of zone too. It’s a significant part of Grantham’s 3-4 1-Gap system because he likes to zone blitz out of it. Elam got to play more on an island than any other CB at UF in the scheme but it’s not like he never practiced or played in the concept of zone coverage.

Zone blitz concepts have absolutely zero to do with shell coverages, you know this. Even on the infrequent occasions where Florida might have run zone shells, Elam was mostly still in man while the rest of the secondary played zone. That is completely different than actually playing in zone, the shades, leverages etc are still completely different. You know this also.

[DraftBoy]

Zone blitz concepts have absolutely zero to do with shell coverages, you know this. Even on the infrequent occasions where Florida might have run zone shells, Elam was mostly still in man while the rest of the secondary played zone. That is completely different than actually playing in zone, the shades, leverages etc are still completely different. You know this also.

That’s not an accurate statement you start with. The rest is just speculation without data.

[Goobylal]

That’s not an accurate statement you start with. The rest is just speculation without data.

And yours isn't? You're saying that Leslie Frazier is lying and you know the real truth?

[Oaf]

It's all relative. It didn't matter because it was a blowout. He is said to "play well" in the Ravens game because Lamar does not throw to outside in general. To imply that opposition QBs afraid of throwing to Elam's direction because he's play well is just ... I rest my case. BTW, Sunday was Pickett, rookie QB on his first NFL game .
Elam is a bit soft so far. At least he also hasn't given up any major busts. Hopefully his prep translate to play soon.

[DraftBoy]

And yours isn't? You're saying that Leslie Frazier is lying and you know the real truth?

Is that what I said? Or is that what you choose to infer?

[Goobylal]

Is that what I said? Or is that what you choose to infer?

Just a few posts up you called Frazier a liar. Did you not?

[DraftBoy]

Just a few posts up you called Frazier a liar. Did you not?

Nope. Just called out coach speak to media.

If you think that’s lying then you probably have a point, but it’s not something worth getting into.

[YardRat]

That’s not an accurate statement you start with. The rest is just speculation without data.

Of course it is accurate.

I'm sorry, I missed the data you presented to support the premise that Elam played zone coverage at Florida, which # post was it again?

[Night Train]

Regardless, rookie CB's get targeted.

It's science !

[notacon]

Jesus. The Bills team passing defense is ranked #4 at 182.6 yards per game allowed.

Behind only:

Denver - 176.6
Green Bay - 177.0
San Fran - 177.8

And that is against some very good QB’s....Stafford, Tannehill, Jackson & Tua (who the game before Buffalo passed for 461 yards...against the Bills he was limited to about a third of that....only 171 yards).


Along the way, they are missing both of their starting safeties for two of those games. One starting CB for two games (Dane Jackson) and the other rookie (Bedford) who’s started the year at the #2 CB spot.

And all season, missing their All Pro CB in Tre’ White.

What are you guys arguing about????

By ANY measure, the Bills secondary (and defense overall) is doing a fantastic job.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

Regardless, you know what Andy Reed and Mahomes are thinking when they look over the Steelers game tape and plan their attack.

[Goobylal]

Regardless, you know what Andy Reed and Mahomes are thinking when they look over the Steelers game tape and plan their attack.

Likewise the Bills will look at what the Colts did to them.

[Woodman]

This week should be interesting ..... let's see if we can get a few big plays from the rookies.