Buffalo Rumblings
Buffalo’s Pinball Wizard brings plenty to the gridiron, and Bills Mafia gets to enjoy it for years to come!
The Buffalo Bills and Khalil Shakir agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension, keeping the fan favorite and RAC Master in Buffalo where he belongs. As one of the NFL’s most efficient receivers, and an absolute X-factor out of the slot, Shakir has become quarterback Josh Allen’s go-to receiver in key moments.
I believe Bills Mafia is pretty happy about this news, so let’s run some highlights in the form of analysis so we can analyze what we love so much about the man on the field.
We’re talking highlights, so let’s highlight what we like. Josh Allen was in trouble with the Arizona Cardinals bringing some pressure. Khalil Shakir saw his quarterback in trouble and circled back to a soft spot in the zone. Allen found him but the ball was a bit high. Shakir leaped and extended to snag the ball, which would be good for the first.
A common feature in Shakir highlights is his desire to avoid being tackled. Shakir turned his body to lean and hit the ground running while still in the air. That’s some pretty cool body control. He’s met with a big hit as he lands which does knock him back. But not down. Even at the end of the play Shakir is falling forward to get every inch he can.
For the record, the Bills could have gained a first down here. Shakir didn’t need the touchdown on this play, because there were more chances to hit paydirt. That’s not how Khalil Shakir operates though.
The Bills were looking to convert and keep the drive alive, or at least make a field goal attempt easier. Shakir was open crossing the field, but didn’t have so much separation that a diving tackle wasn’t a threat. Shakir was able to turn upfield fast enough to get yards for the first down and savvy enough to avoid getting tripped up by said diving tackle.
As we’ve seen is the trend, Shakir wasn’t satisfied with “great” and spun to avoid getting pushed out of bounds. The spin took him inside where he was pretty much guaranteed to take a hit but he was able to fall forward for the score.
I have two things to highlight here. The first is the fake-out to freeze the defender and get around for the first down. The second thing to highlight is that although Shakir can be a bit reckless to push for more yards, even he will sometimes see the inevitability of a tackle.
The dive at the end protected his body while still pressing forward for an extra yard or two.
I watched all of Shakir’s catches this season...
