The Buffalo Bills have seemingly left no stone unturned this offseason in their bid to shore up as many weaknesses as possible. To bolster one glaring weakness, the Bills have signed Senorise Perry. A running back by trade, Perry has eight carries for 30 yards in three seasons of playing time. That doesn’t mean Perry hasn’t seen the field on a regular basis. In a rare analysis piece, we dive into the world of special teams.
Play 1
Senorise Perry shows us the real goal of play at the line during a punt. Perry’s collision works as it’s supposed to and slows down a couple members of the punt unit. The intent is to give the returner more time and space. As Perry runs down the field, he weaves in, cuts off one opponent, and keeps running to find another. These blocks live on the razor’s edge. A slight change in angle and this become an illegal block in the back.
Play 2
When looking for good special-teams play it’s best to visualize a footrace. And when I say “footrace” I mean two young siblings trying to get to the car first to determine who rides up front. As Perry moves down the field he cuts the nearest opponent off and then gives a shove. If Senorise Perry could get away with throwing a turtle shell, I assume he would.
Play 3
Perry’s opponent cuts to the sidelines, forcing Perry to weave through traffic to cover. Perry does well with that. However, between the short delay this causes and the speed of the gunner he’s chasing, Perry falls behind. He still makes a key block at the end, though, because he refuses to give up on the play.
Play 4
Here’s our last punting clip. Senorise Perry plays all over on special teams. For this snap he’s inside trying to force his way in to get a block or at least impact the trajectory of the ball. Senorise darts in fast and gets a good shove, though neither are enough to directly impact the punt.
Play 5
Though infrequent, Senorise Perry was asked to handle kickoff returns on occasion. This is a pretty representative return for Perry. The speed and agility displayed are pretty good, as is the ability to stay upright and get a little extra yardage after contact. This play also highlights how critical it is to have a total team effort on returns (for both teams). The kicking team has arranged themselves in a way to prevent a big return and without a bit of luck, the Miami Dolphins would be hard pressed to create a big lane for Perry.
Play 6
This is the second angle of that same kick return. The Houston Texans have an even distribution of players across the field and have made sure to have players at multiple depths as well.
Play 7
This is Perry’s longest return in 2018. It doesn’t get him much farther than the last play. Just like the other return the Dolphins are a little faster getting to their blocks, which helps gain those several extra yards. However, Houston has set up the field nicely and there’s precious few places for Perry to cut through.
Play 8
For this last play, it’s entirely to show speed. Senorise Perry isn’t generally the first one down, but he’s more than capable of holding his own in a foot race.
Summary
If a team is looking to build a core unit for special teams, a player like Senorise Perry makes a lot of sense. While there’s nothing that screams “elite” talent or athleticism, there are also no notable weaknesses. As a solid player all around, Perry can be used all over special-teams formations and adds a lot of depth to this phase of the game.