Hardly an impact from Bills’ Hardy

By Anthony Bialy  |   Thursday, December 11, 2008  |  Comments( 101 )

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It’s not that Buffalo Bills wide receiver James Hardy is tied for the 239th-most reception yards in the NFL this year, or that one of the players he’s tied with is former remarkably unproductive Bill Sam Aiken. The biggest problem with Hardy is that he’s only 25th in yardage among rookies, with unheralded teammate Steve Johnson only one place and 3 feet behind. Even at a tough position for first-year men to succeed, Buffalo’s second-rounder is underperforming in a most unimpressive way, as he’s provided no relief for a passing game that could have used marginal help from him and didn’t even get that.

Even when given chances, Hardy doesn’t take them, a truth on display in Toronto against the Miami Dolphins. His involvement in the third-down play with about three minutes left in the first quarter, namely the attempted pass that was temporarily ruled a fumble before being permanently designated an incompletion, summed up the casual approach that has shaped his NFL career so far.

Regardless of the outcome determined after replay, the obvious point is that Dolphins cornerback Will Allen outfought him for the ball; considering both the game and season situations, Hardy should have been willing to inflict or receive a flesh wound to make that catch, and instead he was content with letting his field goal kicker have a try at it on the next play. A little fervor is apparently a lot to request.

That play was the biggest reason why he was held to yet another no-catch game. Failing to get mentioned in the box score has become a common problem, as the Indiana man has receptions in only four of Buffalo’s games. He’s gotten nine grabs in those contests where he’s been involved at all, good for a bad 87 yards on the year; he’s averaged 9.7 yards per catch, too, which puts him in possession receiver/running back/tight end territory.

The best example of the way Hardy’s season has unfolded came in his absence, namely on the end-zone interception targeted for Lee Evans. On a pass that essentially turned into a rebound attempt, Allen boxed out and grabbed possession. The 6-foot-5 Hardy, who happened to play basketball at Indiana, would have theoretically been perfect to use in that scenario; as it worked out, a wideout 7 inches shorter looked like a point guard getting shoved aside in the paint.

It could have been the coaches’ fault for not calling his number; on the other hand, it could be that Hardy simply hasn’t earned enough trust to be inserted into the huddle despite his advantageous physical gifts. And what has he done to earn that faith? The coordinator’s decision could serve as the first questionable yet understandable done made by this staff in about a month.

The non-appearance was a symbolic moment for a player who was supposed to alleviate some of the stress on Evans’ hull; instead of enjoying the voyage, the Bills’ solitary genuine receiving threat is going to be able to maintain his lonely title for three years’ running, as the one player brought in specifically to help has not even started to adjust. It’s why Hardy will struggle to have a 100-yard season, much less finish higher than in his current eighth place on his own team in catching gains. Johnson, a single yard behind with 86, is looking to pass, and that’s as much of a positive for the 224th overall pick as it is an indication that the man taken 183 spots earlier isn’t helping.
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CommentsComments: 101  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Kegman		10:02 AM
12/11/2008
Hardy's performance is just another symptom of a sick offense. He's a rookie and I would give him the benefit of a doubt for this...
No.2
cwc41		10:21 AM
12/11/2008
Just another example of coaches failing. OK, Hardy hasn't developed yet. That blame should be shared by him and the guys that...
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No.3
Derek		10:48 AM
12/11/2008
Hardy is talented...but what first round draft pick is an impact player his first year? Anquoin Bolden? DeSean Jackson?...
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