ColdBlueNorth
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Posts posted by ColdBlueNorth
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Obviously you are entitled to your opinion--I haven't seen anything to suggest that Martin is either good or versatile.
I also don't agree with your take on the situation after seeing what info has been made available to the public.
Well, I think it is a case of an affluent young man who comes from a good family not wanting to play in the gutter with Richie. Also, I look at Martin's history and Richie's and I am afraid that I don't see anything in Martin's past that shows he is a problem child, and Incognito's is chock full of crap. There is nothing about this hazing BS between a new player and a veteran that just went too far that tells me Martin cannot play at a high level in this league. Forget all that beer-guzzling, chest thumping, macho BS the kid has size and talent as an offensive linemen and would likely be an upgrade to most of the linemen the Bills have grabbed off the scrap heap.
NFL Draft analysis of Martin:
Overview
Martin is one of two tackle prospects in this year's class who could be called elite, and given the value of the position will be a likely first-round pick because of it. He embodied all that Stanford football was throughout his time there, as he is an aggressive, smart, technically sound prospect who will enter the league at a stage in his development where he should be able to contribute immediately.
Analysis
Strengths
Martin has prototypical skills for the position. He missed just two games in his career and is extremely tough. He carries his weight well and is one of the most technically sound prospects in the draft. He has a smooth, efficient pass set that allows him to get a solid base and work from a balanced state. He is powerful and aggressive against the run and has good footwork for his size. Martin was the anchor of a very polished offensive line and is simply an NFL-ready tackle.
At Stanford he played left tackle for that unknown QB... Andrew Luck. Protecting Luck's blind side, Luck was only sacked 9 times in 2011. The Dolphins felt good enough about him at the beginning of last season to move him from the right tackle position they had him playing to left replacing aging pro-bowler Jake Long. The Dolphins were a shambles without him in the lineup and even worse when Incognito had to sit out - none of that bothered me in the least.
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Martin is a good versatile O-Lineman who decided not to stick around and be Incognito's B word forever. It is not a surprise that Richie crossed the line, he has been doing that since he came into the league.
I don't care what happened in the Miami locker room and neither will the Bills if they can get some help along the O-line.
Miami's loss can be our gain - that's a win/win in my book.
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seems we wanted to talk him into staying and he may have even considered but werent going to block him either-- if you had to try to read it as an outsider.
Reading between the Marrone lines I felt he was saying that he did not find it valuable to force retention of a coach if that coach wanted to be elsewhere even if the Bills had contractual leverage. Makes sense, as anyone who has worked with someone who feels trapped at their job can attest. You want coaches that want to be where they are at and you also want to give your new DC a chance to fill out his roster of assistants with folks that understand his defensive philosophy and playbook.
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Just to be clear....you are saying the Seahawks got away with stuff that was called all year? Have you watched many Seahawk games this season? I've watched them all.
That game was called like every Seahawk game all year.
Just to be clear - I said what I said, which had little to do with what you just said.
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Unbelievable topic. I bet you won't find 3 plays that should have drawn a flag. This was physical domination. The refs called a great, consistent game and were what they should be: a non-factor.
The only thing unbelievable about certain topics is how often folks say that "this topic is unbelievable" as they reply to it, thus making the topic relevant.
There is something to this topic. Fans often see one set of rules in the regular season of a sport that seem to be thrown out in playoffs or championship matches. This is true of hockey, and often true for football.
I think the lesson Bills football and hockey teams have had to learn the hard way is you build and coach your team for how the games are played in the post season. Personally, my preference is to let them play fast and hard all year. Nothing worse in my mind than a game turning into a zebra show, but if the application or non-application of the rules are not consistent it erodes the integrity of a sport.
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That defense was one of the most impressive things I have seen. God damn.
Yup.
Totally prepared. I was really impressed with the way their safeties would peel off a Denver receiver running a deep post to come up on the receiver trying to take advantage of the soft spots underneath. They saw the routes before they developed and ended up having tight over and under coverage on the places where TE's or Welker normally flourish.
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Got a lot of grief for saying the fix was in so why watch till the end, but we all know there are key times in a game where a call or non-call can swing a game. Denver driving and getting an obvious PI call that puts them at 1st and goal, then putting up some points before the half may have made it a different game. Perhaps this game and some of the calls that benefited Seattle balances the karmic criminality of the calls when Seattle was robbed in their SB with the Steelers.
Congrats to the Hawks for joining the ranks of SB winners.
Not saying that Denver would have won, just that the game may have been more watchable. Manning was definitely off on a lot of his throws due to the edge pressure that Seattle was able to bring. Over running coverage on that pop-fly kick to Harvin was another example of "one often meets their destiny on the road they take to avoid it".
Denver has more issues at heart than calls going for or against them. It nearly made me sick to see the level of non-compete that Denver receiver showed when Manning's arm was hit and threw that pass that looked like a bad punt. Rather than bail your QB out and act like a DB on that play knocking that ball down or even taking an offensive PI, his receiver just stood there and let it get intercepted virtually non-contested. Then it gets ran back for a score. I thought that Ball was going to be a better runner coming into this league than he has been, and without sporting a lead Denver looks very ordinary.
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OK, I wanted the Seahawks to win because they don't have a SB win but after watching that blatant pass interference non-call and the twitch false-start called on Denver's o-line...that killed that key Denver drive why should I worry.
The fix is in.
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While he claims his D will not change concept I believe that is a misnomer. His D line will attack rather than read and react but with out the blitzing and stunts we saw with Pettine. I hope he is successful.
I did not hear him make that claim.
What I did hear, was that Schwartz admitted that he was not Mike Pettine - and got that out of the way. Then Marrone said that they were already looking at making some changes to make the defense better before Pettine left AND Schwartz said he was going to do a review of the defense and the things we did well he would likely keep and then he would take his own approach to addressing things that our defense did poorly. He does not stick to one philosophy, but game plans based on the opponent and other details like down and distance and such.
As far as the wide-9 approach, he was truthful in that every team employs that alignment from time to time and he has found it to be useful with the right personnel. He is in for a bit of a shock regarding Bills fans most of us DO know what a wide 9 alignment is.
Basically, all I heard from him is a common-sense approach to defense and to some degree he is right regarding continuity. For most professional football players, playing in the same system for the same guys for more than a few years is rare, and can be considered a luxury or drudgery if the scheme blows. Our guys will adjust, or some of them will move on when their contracts expire (or before if the fit is not right).
He didn't sound married to a strict philosophy other than your D-linemen have to win battles....
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You get a pass.
You "came out" after the Bills posted another solid 6-10 record.
Wear what you want, but no body paint...unless you are a hot woman then as Mr. Marrone would say "obviously" you get another pass, "obviously".
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Schematically, I do hope Schwartz adjusts to fit the Bills' personnel. Not only because I am concerned about having to re-tool the personnel yet again, but more importantly, because I think Pettine's philosophy is the smarter and more effective one.
What I love about the Rex Ryan/Mike Pettine defense is that it is designed to confuse. Confusion buys time for the pass rush, and forces the offense to make mistakes in protection. In today's passing league where QBs are so prepared pre-snap, making them (and their o-linemen) think for an extra half-second is often the difference between success and failure.
The "wide 9", by contrast, seems to me to be a cheap way to generate more pressure using a base 4-3. And if the pressure doesn't get there, you're left with a vanilla D and huge, extra-wide running lanes. You also need your LBs to be thumpers because they'll be getting less protection from the front four. I'm not a big fan of it.
On a related point, I can see why Schwartz's D was considered too dependent on the front 4 in Tennessee: they had one really good - albeit dominant - player on that defense. When Fat Albert was on his game, he was hands-down the most dominant and disruptive defender in the league, and I can understand why you'd design a defense around him if you were Schwartz - especially since they had no other real studs on that roster. So you design a defense around Albert, who was unblockable when he cared - and then when he took plays or games off, your D understandably would look totally ineffective and ill-designed. That's why Albert was such a coach killer.
Anyhow - assuming Schwartz is as flexible as they say - I'm still a huge fan of this hire.
The proof actually shows that Schwartz using a wide 9 for both ends and covering the gaps with the linebackers usually performed well against the very thing Pettine's system struggled with - that being stopping runs and stopping teams on 3rd down. The trade-offs are that I do think that Pettine's system generated more confusion, got to the QB more and created turnovers against opponents passing game, but our smaller ends were sometimes man-handled when they lined up shading inside against the O or head-up playing 2-gap. When the ends were covered by a lineman then pulling guards, uncovered linemen, and power running backs, would hit our smaller linebackers running downhill and we were gashed by those longer runs.
Do I think we may have taken a step back? Honestly I do at this point. In my mind Pettine was a proven commodity and Schwartz not-so-much wearing the Bills colors. He is probably the best of the rest, if you discount Wade (and I am not sure that Wilson would ever agree to have him back).
I think Pettine is a rare football guy who has been around football his entire life and is likely better suited to being creative with the personnel he has. Schwartz has shown that with the right pieces in his defense they can be very good. His defenses struggled against pass-catching tight ends, but I think he has the right personnel here to address that issue better, but he will need to tweak the roster to run the base he likes to run. I believe at least one linebacker that is a bit more stout at the point of attack will be needed and I am not sure if Kiko is out there every down - we will see.
I believe Schwartz was in over his head as a HC, but I believe that the more simplified DC role will be one that he should thrive in. As I pointed out in an earlier response, there are quite a few examples of coordinators that failed as HC's, who seem to flourish when they get canned and go back into a coordinator role. Some folks are just better with that singular focus.
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I just woke up here on the West Coast, turned on my computer to NFL.com and saw this story. My first reaction was that my heart sank. I saw a lot of dirty football coming out of Detroit under his tenure. Of course, this is only as a casual observer of the Lions. As bad as we've been over that past decade, I've always appreciated out team's class. Gailey benched SJ over an end zone celebration. Schwartz allowed some truly reprehensible play on the field.
A lot of the dirty play was 100% centered around Suh, who simply is a dirty player. If you look at team penalties for 2013, Detroit was not penalized as much as Buffalo was and (big surprise) Indy and New England were the least penalized. Since 2007 New England has always been in the top 10 least penalized teams.
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In my mind, it would be Eric Ebron. He is the type if TE that the league is going toward. And the reason I would be OK with a OT in the top 10 is because our QB is significantly better without pressure on him (like most QBs) and although he has mobility I would rather him not be running for his life and getting hurt. He is still very inexperienced so the better the OL is the better he can learn, progress and not get hurt. Regardless of who he is throwing to, if he is running for his life and the pocket is constantly breaking down it won't matter what WRs or TEs are put there.
Ebron is that high-risk, high-reward kind of player... TE's get hurt (alot), but having a TE with speed and hands creates so many options for an offense it is hard to pass on a good one. Chandler made Fitz a high efficiency QB in the red zone. Teams had to pick their poison down there, but Chandler getting injured set the offense back as I believe losing their key TE's in NE set their offense back, but they have an all pro veteran QB in Brady to compensate.
I would not mind rolling the dice on him early... my biggest concern is injury with that type of player, but you have that risk with any player taken early.
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I don't see a big problem with this. The guy has a resume, and plenty of failed HC's flourish when they go back to their more comfortable coordinator roles.
As far as his enthusiasm and lack of discipline, I think that is a perfect counter to Marrone who I believe is more rigid and structured and remember Marrone was the first coach to punish Dareus for slacking and not showing up to team meetings....
He will do well - interesting to see what defensive players the Bills will target in the draft - DC's always try to put their mark on a team pretty quickly. For Pettine it was taking a chance with Kiko, we should be able to get an idea of what position Schwartz feels needs upgrading pretty quickly.
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Most of the criticism of Buddy is for his job as the GM, not as the head scout. He's back to his natural role, and that's a good thing.
This, and he didn't do too shabby a job stocking the chargers with talent when he was with them. Whaley would be wise to pool all the resources at his disposal putting together their draft board - nothing wrong with that.
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Not a Marrone guy?
My guess is that he was not a "Pettine guy".
This is normal IMO for a first year coaching staff - you bring a bunch of alpha male coaches together for the first time some of them get along and others not so much.
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Are you saying that Marcel Dareus is undersized? If so, I disagree.
I am not sure that it takes much bigger players, but it definitely requires not leaving gaping holes for RBs to run through. Those holes aren't always caused by DL being man-handled by OL. Sometimes it is defenders not being in the right places
Dareus may not be undersized, but he is not a prototypical NT either. He is however the Bills current best option for playing that 2-gap over center, but he is better suited for shedding blockers and getting upfield.
I guess I am ok with Dareus in the middle, but when Pettine moves him away from the middle (which happens too often for a defense that does not have another DT that can play NT) or when he is getting a break or hurt, the drop off in the middle of the defense is huge. Kyle is not a mauler, neither is Branch, or the other serviceable linemen, and Mario can be blocked on the edge.
I would like to see another road grading run stopper picked up, so you don't lose s much moving Dareus out of the middle, or spelling him.
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And then you get beaten by the majority of the league who employ a pass first approach. The Jets, while being the best in the league vs. the run, had some trouble stopping the pass and as such their D wasn't as dominant as it could have been. In fact, the Bills allowed fewer yards per play than the Jets.
Take a look at the Hawks. Their D isn't too different from what Buffalo does. The run a base 4-3 with a mix of 3-4 and they pressure the QB by disguising who is coming. They don't throw a ton of size on the field like you suggest, in fact their DL is kind of small. What they do have are players who are more disciplined and don't make the big mistakes that cost the Bills all season.
The Hawks have one of the more dominating NTs in the game right now in Brandon Mebane. He's not small. He does not get all the press, but he is solid and does not get moved around.
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The Patriots pick up a bruising running back and go all down your throat against teams when everyone has been loading up on defensive backs and safeties and lighter linebackers who can cover athletic TEs to stop Brady from spreading it around. Always feels like the league is one step behind these clowns.
They dabbled using that against us 2 seasons ago and made Wannstedt look like a more complete idiot than he was when he loaded up the box with defensive backs and safeties to stop the short pass and they plowed over our guys with off tackle runs... hard to forget how helpless and hapless the Bill's defense looked that day.
They dusted it off again right in time for the post season and they are going to be very difficult to beat.
As sick as it makes me feel, Belicheat will likely end up with another ring out of this if Blount can stay healthy and folks cannot figure out a plan B to stop their offense.
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It's a shame. Did you listen to the inteview after the FL. State game? These people live among us and go on to birth more.. A real shame. Colleges should be ashamed.
Was just looking through the OSU standardized reading and math scores for their football program that they gave to CNN... one individual even scored a grade equivalency of <1st. Less than 1st grade level competency. How can that person be a student at a university?
For some reason the Tommy Boy movie comes to mind, but at least his character could spell "Herbie Hancock".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UOsQ2epsI2M
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Couple of things.
The number cited was 8-10% of REVENUE PRODUCING SPORTS, not all athletes. Second, colleges today look for well rounded classes, not necessarily well rounded students. They want kids who bring a particular passion or strength to the school, these kids just happen to be strength in a skill that brings a chit ton of money into a school and fund the rest of the athletic programs...as someone who went to school on a swimming scholarship, and has a daughter who swims...I am not to worried about 8 kids on a football team who may not meet the regular standards of the school.
As important, these kids are getting a chance....if you are reading at third grade level my gut tells me you did not have parents that were involved and prolly in some tough conditions economically....
What harm is really done here?
BTW, I ain't buying this 50% figure. My job has me working with HR and Talent Acquistion heads in Fortune 500 companies.....they spend a good bit of their recruiting budget at the college level. Problem is kids , and their parents, think taking a job a 50k out of college is not a good ROI after all the years and expense of college....plenty of jobs out there for college kids, few takers
Lets be accurate here. The study showing 8-10% of college athletes reading below a third grade level, and that 60% were reading between a 4th and 8th grade level. It was for football and basketball specifically and at UNC specifically, but I read that studies done for the University of Kentucky were even more alarming. But you are right regarding the sports and that those are the Big 2 in regards to revenue generation.
I am sure that much of the controversy comes into play because African Americans make up a larger percentage of players in football and basketball programs, but I do not think that race was cited in this study at all. She did cite in her whistle-blowing the following:
"No-show classes, that were heavily attended by athletes, were offered by the African-American Studies department. Called “paper classes,” they were supposed to be lecture courses, but the requirements were never met. Willingham said she learned of these when she was assisting an athlete with a paper she called a “cut-and-paste job.” The student had received a grade of B or better."
I know plenty of young black athletes who keep their grades up, and I think they should have a leg up getting full or partial scholarships over someone who doesn't have the grades, but runs a better 40.
It is almost humorous the way the big programs are scurrying from the light like cockroaches. Click on a few of them to see the responses.
http://www.cnn.com/i...ores/index.html
The harm is that there are kids getting a free ride at major universities that receive plenty of federal dollars, our dollars that should be going to pay for athletes who can both compete on the court and field while also meeting minimum university academic qualification for entry standards. The harm is when educators who are passionate about both sports and academics bring the issue to light they are dismissed. And, it is just plain wrong to reward that behavior, and it is a by-product of the profiteering cancer that has pervaded our higher education institutions.
I think the NCAA should have more stringent educational standards and quality controls, and I believe they and the universities should share revenue with the athletes they are profiting from. That should be incentive enough to have athletes working for scholarships or getting onto a university starting roster to keep in school and keep their grades up.
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Just amazed that the recent "news" that a good percentage of college athletes cannot read or write at a college level is actually "news". I thought everyone knew this.
Frankly, having attended youth combines, USA Youth Football and NUC events for aspiring high school athletes you run into your fair share of der-t-der kids that you would expect would only have options in JUCO, but plenty of universities will stand in line just to get that rare athletic ability - educational acumen be damned.
It is not just the Southern kids coming out of the states that rank low on standardized tests, there is plenty of dumb to go around and at least most of the Southern kids say "sir" and "mam" especially those from military families. I hear that so rarely these days from young adults that it takes you by surprise at first - a pleasant surprise.
But the dark side to letting poor students slide because of their athletic ability is that it simply has to involve some level of deception and falsification of grades or tests. That creates a subculture that deception and cheating is not only permissible - it is the norm. And there are plenty of parents and coaches who feel it is their duty to protect this environment that lets those students slide. It is an environment and support structure that is inherently unhealthy.
If it was only about helping kids afford college when they could not otherwise do so, that would be understandable to a degree. However, when it is more about bypassing and cheating the system to fast-track kids with exceptional athletic ability one has to ask, what happens when most of these kids wash out, as most will, or when they get injured, what is their "plan-B"?
Now it seems, the lady who "exposed" the elephant in the room is receiving death threats. The system is clearly broken and there is so much money on the line for the NCAA and Universities that it will likely just be hidden a lot better rather than addressed, and there are plenty of folks that would make those kinds of threats to protect the status quo.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/09/us/ncaa-athletes-unc-response/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
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I know it is unpopular here but my second favorite team is New England and Belichick, to me, might be the best coach I have ever seen in any sport.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbfxKCL4Dsk&feature=player_detailpage
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having a second favorite team is polygamy and blaspheme
That is why I changed my response to "least repulsive"
Per Bills text Rob Moore hired as WR coach
in The Stadium Wall Archives
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Completely homer response, but yeah I like this move.
You get that synergy and you know that he and Hackett will be on the same page.