I'm not going to be critical. First game and some of the low gains no one could make yards. He took care of the ball. He made some good blocks on pass pro. You could see some things there to build on. I realize they wanted to get him a rhythm but his snap count was way too high. He had a couple issues on check downs but so did Ben. Late and inaccurate. There was one near the goal line. I think if Ben is quick and accurate he would have been a problem to stop short of the goal line. They have to find easy ways to get him the ball in space. Swings, screens, early checkdowns. And it felt if they were stopped on 1st down pass they were doing the obligatory second down run. That's the time to get him a short pass.
Najee observations
- Thread starter SteelerSask2
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he had a few nice runs in the second half. Ben missed him on at least two passes to the flat and on one over the middle he did not get his head around quick enough. More time with Ben and they will get it together
We have 2 rookies at lt and C, a second year guy making his fifth start at LG, and a free agent acquisition at RG… the RT is a one year starter who probably graded out lowest of the whole line last year and isn’t a natural runblocker… they barely have played with each other
also the best blocking te is a rookie and its a brand new offense and blocking scheme
we had a rookie Rb starting behind that line… rookies process things slower as it is… and they have no feel for nfl speed…
there was a really good reason many of is didn’t want a RB in the first and it had absolutely nothing to do with talent levels of Harris… taking him in the first assured he would be starting even if he wasn’t ready… and the line being less than gelled really opens up young rbs to developing bad habits or getting injured …. I mean we were really lucky to find two oline starters as low as we did… that oline is a giant gamble that might pay off great in time….
I don’t think I am going to worry about Harris as a long term problem.. he will most likely be fine in a couple games at most…the rb position is easy to pick up in the nfl… and the kid does seem to have a lot of skill…
(If by some terrible bad luck he does falter and end up a bust in a couple of years, we better never ever draft a back that high ever again or I will one man riot lol)
also the best blocking te is a rookie and its a brand new offense and blocking scheme
we had a rookie Rb starting behind that line… rookies process things slower as it is… and they have no feel for nfl speed…
there was a really good reason many of is didn’t want a RB in the first and it had absolutely nothing to do with talent levels of Harris… taking him in the first assured he would be starting even if he wasn’t ready… and the line being less than gelled really opens up young rbs to developing bad habits or getting injured …. I mean we were really lucky to find two oline starters as low as we did… that oline is a giant gamble that might pay off great in time….
I don’t think I am going to worry about Harris as a long term problem.. he will most likely be fine in a couple games at most…the rb position is easy to pick up in the nfl… and the kid does seem to have a lot of skill…
(If by some terrible bad luck he does falter and end up a bust in a couple of years, we better never ever draft a back that high ever again or I will one man riot lol)
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Very well said. I mean, we already saw this story in 2008...We lost Faneca, Marvel, and Simmons and had already lost Hartings the year prior. The OL was in shambles and we draft Mendenhall #1 and Sweed #2 and the Tomlinism was, "weapons are a form of protection."
Najee was like a veteran out there today (minus not getting his head around in time for Ben's pass) - he really picked up some blitzes and was split out wide on a few series. The guy is going to be a beast and he's just getting started. Conditioning, vision, instincts, speed, size, confidence etc. - this dude has it all, and is gonna be a stud.
Tomlin was a complete *** hat yesterday in how he played Najee. First, playing him on every offensive snap as a rookie is ludicrous. As in shape as he is, he will still hit the rookie wall way before week 17. He should be getting at least a few series off per game the entire season. That is just common sense. Even the top RB's in the game get series off throughout the game. Dumb! Dumb! Dumb!
I know he did get his head around on the one throw that Ben had a talk with him about but they need several dump-offs to him every game to help loosen up the D and give them something to think about. Overall, our O play calling still has a long way to go.
I know he did get his head around on the one throw that Ben had a talk with him about but they need several dump-offs to him every game to help loosen up the D and give them something to think about. Overall, our O play calling still has a long way to go.
Who is more overpaid on this team then Derek Watt. 3.25m per year to play what one or two offensive snaps and Sp. Teams. He just doesn't fit into the scheme. It feels like his offensive plays are like toss weak. You run it once in a while to keep them honest. Sometimes I honestly think they signed him to help keep his brother.
I thought he looked good considering that was a very good defense he was running against out there yesterday.
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Maybe to help keep his brother but now it's his brother who keeps him on the team. How many tackles / blocked punts did he have on ST yesterday ?
Salute the nation
I think Najee is going to get better and he looked solid but he is lacking a little bit with that "twitchy" ability.
From year 1 to 2 is where we'll see an improvement but for his first game and playing every snap.. solid B performance IMO.
From year 1 to 2 is where we'll see an improvement but for his first game and playing every snap.. solid B performance IMO.
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Outside of that long run, he was not overly impressive.
He looked a step slow to me, perhaps due to nerves, and was out of sync with Ben on the short throws.
On his 3rd and goal reception short of the goalline he was one on one with the DB and failed to break or elude the tackle. It was disappointing, as that is the kind of play he was drafted to make.
He definitely has talent, but I'm not sure he's the kind of back that can make the blocking look better than it is, which is kind of what we were hoping for.
He looked a step slow to me, perhaps due to nerves, and was out of sync with Ben on the short throws.
On his 3rd and goal reception short of the goalline he was one on one with the DB and failed to break or elude the tackle. It was disappointing, as that is the kind of play he was drafted to make.
He definitely has talent, but I'm not sure he's the kind of back that can make the blocking look better than it is, which is kind of what we were hoping for.
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FatsHolmes
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What I like about him is that he falls forward. He seems to always get a yard or two on the way down.
I think he has NFL caliber blocking right now. He has good vision and the run average will improve with good line play. Which I anticipate improving game to game. I don't mind the occasional struggle but that first half performance or ones like it need to stay in the rear view mirror. In reality no back will explode when they are stacking the lines. It will be up to the offense to capitalize when they are daring the team to throw. Which for the most part they did it albeit later in the game.
My observation was...
he was not the best back on the field yesterday.
he was not the best back on the field yesterday.
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I'll give him a pass, they stacked the box and the O-line didn't give him many running lanes. He showed good burst on the one 18 yard run.
He looked nervous like he was trying too hard and in a hurry. He didn't show much agility or vision, or tackle breaking ability. He looked like he almost ran into his own blocker a few times. Every rush was a 2 yard gain with a few going for negative yards. He also should work on his timing/ pass catching with Ben.
Honestly I was expecting more from him, but the Bills have a solid defense and were looking to stop the run.
He better get it together quick, another couple games like this, I will be very concerned. I think it was just a rough first day with much room for improvement.
He looked nervous like he was trying too hard and in a hurry. He didn't show much agility or vision, or tackle breaking ability. He looked like he almost ran into his own blocker a few times. Every rush was a 2 yard gain with a few going for negative yards. He also should work on his timing/ pass catching with Ben.
Honestly I was expecting more from him, but the Bills have a solid defense and were looking to stop the run.
He better get it together quick, another couple games like this, I will be very concerned. I think it was just a rough first day with much room for improvement.
Ok, I'll weigh too...
First game. Brand new OL. Brand new OC. Brand new RB1.
The Bills constantly stacked the box knowing that we had to prove 'who we are' on offense---the first half proved them right.
After rewatching the game this morning - yes, Ben missed two check downs to Najee. The defense was no one was scared of Najee because we didn't open up the field until the 3rd quarter. I still need to see more from OC Canada, but, it was the first game so there are 17 games left to see improvement.
Najee had to impressive runs - the first at the top of the 3rd quarter - the counter run up the middle for 10 yards and the run of the right side later for 18. His pass pro is above the line but for those who felt he was 'over used' that is a ridiculous statement.
Ok, now back to our regularly schedule Monday morning bitchfest after a win...
First game. Brand new OL. Brand new OC. Brand new RB1.
The Bills constantly stacked the box knowing that we had to prove 'who we are' on offense---the first half proved them right.
After rewatching the game this morning - yes, Ben missed two check downs to Najee. The defense was no one was scared of Najee because we didn't open up the field until the 3rd quarter. I still need to see more from OC Canada, but, it was the first game so there are 17 games left to see improvement.
Najee had to impressive runs - the first at the top of the 3rd quarter - the counter run up the middle for 10 yards and the run of the right side later for 18. His pass pro is above the line but for those who felt he was 'over used' that is a ridiculous statement.
Ok, now back to our regularly schedule Monday morning bitchfest after a win...
Minus the one where he didn't break and get his head around fast enough, he was out of sync with Ben because all of the balls were thrown high.
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Geez, some of you guys are brutal. It’s his first game playing behind an OL with two rookies, a first year starter in Big Dot, a castoff replacing DeCastro and ******* Chucks at RT for God sake. Then you have Ben exclusively running out of the shotgun, looks a lot like last years offense to me, and some of you expect Najee to run for 100 plus yards. Now, you refuse to insert Derek Watt in at FB who before coming here had established himself as a damn good FB so why not use him? Also, it’s going to take some time for the OL to gel and get comfortable so being hard on Najee is crazy.
You’ll see that this kid will be special but give it some time. Oh, and it was a pretty damn good defense in Buffalo as well.
You’ll see that this kid will be special but give it some time. Oh, and it was a pretty damn good defense in Buffalo as well.
As long as Najee gets his head around quicker on pass plays, he'll make some big plays for us!
You think his head might be too big?
Youtube will give you your answer if yinz look quick enough.
