Is Buffalo Bills WR Sammy Watkins a diva or a leader?

By afain | Oct 16, 2015

Of all the positions on the football field, it is the wide receiver that is looked upon as the biggest diva on the team. This is a recent happening, as guys like Steve Largent, Jerry Rice and Art Monk were always among the toughest and most well respected players.

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Then came a newer version of wide out. They became the focal point of the offense, and in turn they wanted to be stars, instead of stars they became Divas. Names like Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Keyshawn Johnson led the Diva Revolution of wide outs. With them on the field all of a sudden it became more important to showboat than to win, making sure you had sharpie instead of making sure you had two feet in bounds.

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Now there is a new breed of wide outs in the league, led by Julio Jones, Antonio Brown and AJ Green that appear like they are very workmanlike in the way they handle their business. Of course for every Julio Jones, there is an Odell Beckham Jr, so the jury is out on some of them.

But the question becomes, which camp does Buffalo Bills receiver Sammy Watkins fall into? Bills fans would like to think he is more along the lines of Brown and Green, but if his demands this week are taken into consideration, Watkins may have to change his name to Cher.

Watkins told the Buffalo News earlier this week “I need the ball at least 10 times — I need 10 targets — and l’ll be fine with however many yards I get. You’re making me look bad, and you’re making yourself (the organization) look bad. Why not make both of us look good?”

Watkins’s point is well-taken considering this team traded two first round picks to move up five spots to take Watkins. While he has only played parts or all of three games this season, he has a total of just 13 targets. When you compare that to what a Julio Jones (62 targets coming into Week 6) and AJ Green (43 targets) are doing, Watkins point is valid.

The question becomes, is this something he should air out in public, like a Diva would, or should he have just addressed this with head coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Greg Roman behind closed doors?

Some will say Watkins is taking a leadership role, as he should, and demanding the ball be thrown to him. After all, if you want your playmakers to make plays, they have to have the ball in their hands. With LeSean McCoy injured, there is no question that Watkins is the biggest playmaker this team has.

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Of course, the nay sayers will come out and say that Watkins should let his play do the talking and griping to the press is a sign of immaturity and being spoiled.

Watkins playing this week is also a source of contention apparently, as he told reporters that he was going to play this week, even if it meant reinjuring his calf. But head coach Rex Ryan wasn’t having any of it telling the paper “It isn’t Watkins’ decision to make”.

Personally, I like the kid’s moxie. The Bills so far this season have looked stagnant getting off to a 3-2 start and could use some fire. They just hope the fire Watkins starts doesn’t burn them.

Next: Which Bills are among the best defensive players ever?

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