HankBulloughMellencamp
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Posts posted by HankBulloughMellencamp
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Urlacher-esque?
Not that it has anything to do with anything, but when the Bills formally hired Whaley as their GM, John Murphy had Whaley's former Pitt Panther teammate Ruben Brown on to share his thoughts on the move.
Ruben called Whaley "the original Urlacher" because he played both safety and linebacker ... sort of a hybrid/tweener type like Urlacher was when he came out of college.
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i think there is a whole woodshed of fun coming from these two
Great quote.
It has been some time since we have had 2 guys that are this fast, athletic AND are seemingly engineered to play the linebacker position. I realize these guys are barely out of the incubator stage, but Bradham and Alonzo also come across as guys who relish the idea of flying to the ball and/or making punishing hits when possible ... we need more of that attitude on this defense.
I was also intrigued with the idea of Dansby coming in here, not solely because of his experience but also because he has that kind of attitude/mindset. Any good defense you can remember on any level has it.
I hope I am not Pettine our new D coordinator on the back to soon, but he sure seems to be trying to instill this sort of philosophy with our Bills. Last season's finale not withstanding, I do know that he absolutely owned the Jauron/Gailey Bills during his time in NY.
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I hope the guy is OK, but please stop with the "he is the greatest" comments. If you were unlucky enough to run into "Jimbo" at a bar in his playing days you would realize how much of a jerk he was. His post career has been a complete mess. Take a look at the success of other past QBs that were his contemporaries. Obviously Marino and Elway had more brains than Jimbo. His whole ownership thing with the Bills is a complete joke. Hope the best for his health, but please just fade away and find something to do other than the Bills. Bruce Smith did it right-just go away.
That's a little harsh on #12, bro. Jimbo took more than his fair share of shots to the head and/or solar plexus in his day, so cut the guy a break. He wasn't too bad on the ESPN set before he decided to spend more time on his Hunter's Hope Foundation. And he has pushed hard for more newborn screening nationwide - tough to argue with that one. His football camps have been enjoyed by and inspired greatness in thousands upon thousands of young players. And he puts on a wonderful (and completely free) Day of Hope every Valentine's Day at the fieldhouse for this area with very little fanfare, other than from those who attend and enjoy the day's events with their kids.
Jimbo has accomplished about a thousand times the things you and I put together can rightfully claim in our lives. We all know that he was at times a rooster-sure and arrogant @$$ when he strode into town, as is also evident to those who saw the recent 30-for-30 on Elway/Marino. But he certainly matured over time into a true Buffalo-backer, to the point that he has resided here ever since he played. So to say his "post-career" is a complete mess is just plain ignorant.
And you need to get over your assumed run-in with Jimbo while out on the town. After his playing days were over, I happened to line up and take a whiz a few urinals away from Jimbo back in the earlier days of Chippewa, at McMonkees of all places. I saw him tip the bathroom guy a cool 20-spot on the way out, perhaps paying back some of that bad karma he generated as a younger NFL gunslinger.
By that time, he certainly was, and is, cool as can be. I also know someone who helped take care of Jimbo during one of his recent surgeries. This guy is not from Buffalo originally, and he told me some great stories about how Jimbo busted balls with other patients/hospital workers, and he said #12 made sure to give him a personalized football as a thank you.
Get well, Jimbo ... the best damn QB we have ever had, and probably will ever have.
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Win a few games and I'll be a fan.
Not that I figured otherwise, but you have just essentially outed yourself as a genuine fair-weather Bills fan.
And your "win a few games" requirement leads me to believe that you were quite on board with the Fitz deal at the time we beat the Skins in T.O., and by extension (pun obviously intended) I will also assume you were just tickled when Jauron was given one after a fast start with Trentative at the controls as well.
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I see it like this: Nix was asked to come in and help restore the Bills to respectability, help turn around a putrid roster - and, despite missing on the coach, he did upgrade the roster - which we'll see evidence of this year. Now, when he got here he knew he was only going to be doing this for a few years, so he looked around the NFL landscape and saw a couple capable young men who would be in demand as a good GM option, and instead of risking letting them get scooped up by another team in the interem, he went ahead and brought Doug in as the GM in waiting, allowing him to get accustomed to the area, to the roster, and after this past offseason, Doug certainly had a hand in hiring Marrone and Co.
It was a very wise decision by Nix - and now the Bills have one of the youngest teams in the NFL, both roster-wise, and front office-wise. We have a salary cap that is managable, too. This team went from old, ill run, with a poor roster and no prospects, and in three years has evolved into one of the youngest teams with a ton of potential. Nix did great in that regard. We are a complete 180 from then to now.
I see it like you see it. In retrospect, I am so glad Chan pissed himself down the stretch last year, or he still might be here. I know Greggo was a bust, but Marrone sure looks like the type of coach we have been dreaming about in Buffalo for a long time. I love the fact that he dips out there on the field with the boys.
And it might be awhile before we can say EJ Manuel is legit, but I was loving Robert Woods when I saw what he looked like at the combine. Kiko Alonso jumps off the tape and did so in big games for the Ducks.
Every pessimist on this board has cast TJ Graham, Alex Carrington and Aaron Williams aside, but imagine if those guys actually make plays for us this year. I don't think this is out of the realm of possibility by any means in 2013.
This Kool-Aid Buddy Nix just made sure tastes good to me, and while it is no longer pennies a serving, I agree with your point >>> We are in really decent shape, salary-cap wise. I don't think Nix gets nearly enough credit for that. And it seems Littman/Overdorf will not need any Levitre to be sporting Wood over that reality for next year either.
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Tell me again......for the first time actually........what Brandon did as GM that was so good?
Extending Dick Jauron's contract? Losing the only All Pro player the Bills had in the decade? Enlighten me.
Oh wait, that was all on Ralph Wilson.
Ralph Wilson......the largely successful businessman and non-football man who micro-managed this team into futility for most of half a century. But apparently, that wasn't a large enough sample size for you to judge a "non-football man" upon.
Let's get one thing clear, baseball is an uncomplicated game by comparison to football. Comparisons in baseball are apples to apples. The margin for error is MUCH larger in MLB. The variables are a fraction of those in the game of football. That is why it is relatively easy for a "non-baseball" guy to step in and use traditional business analysis techniques and attain some results. I have no doubt that in time analytics will player a larger role in the NFL, but by the same token I don't see where Russ Brandon is the next Billy Bean. His marketing success has been mostly based on common sense.......not the uncommon sense that a guy like Bean had.
Brandon is just a marketing guy who got promoted because he was managing to make his boss money while the team lost games. It wasn't any miraculous work though. Everyone in the NFL makes money. That's the way it is set up. But when your boss is 90 years old and doesn't know who else to hire.......there you have it.
Outstanding post ... I can not believe that someone is actually suggesting that because moneyball worked and Russ didn't do too bad/can't do any worse, let's get him back in the saddle as our GM. To hell with the guy we just groomed who actually knows/played/scouted the game for a living as opposed to selling tickets.
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Someone has yet to explain, with actual facts, how anything about the process going on at OBD since January 1 leads to any other conclusion but that Nix has been completely in charge of the football side of things up until his announcement yesterday.
It's just another lame attempt to discredit Nix for any potential good he may have actually done. "But he traded back, and drafted guys from the west coast - not the SEC!!!" Child, please.
The phone call to TB convinced me he was still very much in charge. And I, for one, have no huge problem with the job Nix did as a whole, other than to acknowledge Chan was not a good hire, and ask "where the hell is the baby?" But I can see the forest through the trees, too.
I will certainly miss his forthright demeanor and good 'ol boy southern accent. Considering the sunshine Russ Brandon likes to blow up our butts in interviews, Buddy always made sense to me and really seemed as though he was as honest as he could be - even if the truth hurt. Fred Jackson certainly gave the impression that he was the same way with his players as well.
Buddy simply had to rebuild the lines as job one, and I thought he did a darn good job of it while he was here. Other than later round and/or UDFA bloomers like Kyle Williams, Brad Butler and Jason Peters, we all but ignored those spots in the draft under Donahoe/Levy/Brandon - and it showed. By virtue of that, we wasted a ton of coin on marginal-at-best free agents like Langston Walker, Derrick Dockery, Tutan Reyes, Geoff Hangartner etc. Buddy actually found guys off the street who could play, and got them for peanuts. That's a 180 in my book, and the cap space it saved then enabled us to keep those of our own that we needed to keep.
And based on what Chan/Fitz did together early on in Buddy's tenure, I have no real issue with the extension he gave Fitz - it essentially paid Fitz market value for being an NFL starter. And especially when you consider that Buddy built a relatively painless 'out' into the deal, it looked like a smart move at the time. And now in hindsight, when it became painfully obvious that Chan/Fitz were more of a mirage and just not going to get it done here, they were jettisoned.
Buddy's won/loss record is not what we had hoped, but I hang the win-loss record more on Chan's bumbling way of handling the team during game action (ex: Tenn/St. Louis home debacles) than Buddy not putting the talent on the field for him. Was Buddy supposed to veto the pass play than Chan called in the waning moments of the Tennesse game that was in-hand?
Plus, you have to admit, he planned his exit very well - if EJ Manuel stinks, the onus will be squarely on Whaley by the time we know that is the case. If Manuel shines, Buddy the GM may then get some of the credit I think he deserves from some of the armchair curmudgeons that prowl these reaches of cyberspace.
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Crazy as 'ol Buddy on the backroads of Mississip looking for another diamond in the rough.
Individual players still don't tell me about a team. Even if the roster is better (and it should be) the record still doesn't illustrate that. Why?
The answer, IMO, is simple. Personnel placed into a fluid environment of changing schemes will not produce results. Buddy Nix himself ensured that when he made a few key decisions, namely the defensive scheme change that had guys like Kyle Williams masquerading as a 1/0 tech NT. On offense, he seemed to be building the offensive line for the exact opposite of what Gailey wanted to do. While Nix wanted his 330 pound blockers, Gailey wanted a short quick passing game suitable for his lesser QB's that didn't run the ball from anything but a spread based scheme. And then, they draft their water bug back who wasn't a between the tackles runner. Where is the cohesion there?
You can't ever build a team when forcing players into a revolving door or schemes. It doesn't and will not work. Players take time to learn how to play in new alignments, and they certainly aren't set up for success when their talents are not suitable for a scheme.
Another hindsight is 20/20, 'show me the baby' mindset. The last three years are mired in the after-effects of a universally acknowledged bad move by Nix - the hiring of one Chan Gailey. This led us into the "Fitz-is-our-guy" thing, which also meant we did not address QB until now. The criticism of that reality is well justified. But if you think the team Nix walked into is more appealing than the one he has now built, please tell me why were we only able to attract an unemployed retread/lackluster college guy in Gailey (out of left field, no less) with your 'preferred' team as 2010 beckoned?
The 2013 team, as currently constructed, is viewed as attractive enough to lure Marrone, a guy that Cleveland and Philly were reportedly interested in before he essentially chose us. Time will tell if he is a good NFL HC, but in my opinion, this would be a hard point for you to argue about. Factor in the fact that the Jets highly accomplished and respected DC jumped over to our ship (against Sexy Rexy's wishes), and you can hopefully see the point I am making.
And you talk a lot about schemes, but don't seem to understand that the whole 3-4 switch to a 4-3, then back to a 3-4 is not a Nix/scouting flip-flop, but ultimately another Gailey call that obviously went nowhere, much like each of his three seasons as our leader. Gailey's DCs were abysmal. But interestingly, it has had the net effect of seasoning our holdover guys like KW, Carrington and Dareus into (hopefully) useful weapons in the new Pettine hybrid-model defense. Talk schemes all you want, but to me, Buddy has a decent history of finding talent.
And you are criticizing his handling of the offensive line? If there is one area that Nix has handled with aplomb, it has been that unit. Do you remember the contracts we gave to Langston Walker, Derrick Dockery, and even Melvin Fowler? Tutan Reyes? We now have relatively inexpensive guys across the front, and they have protected Fitzy well despite many key injuries. Another point you can try to argue by saying Fitz gets rid of it quickly, but the proof has been on the field. We were able to run it and throw it effectively under Chan, limited only by Fitzy's double-cheekers that topped out at 15 yards.
We don't know this for sure, but the legend is that Buddy couldn't get any top candidates to take the head coaching job that eventually went to Gailey. The perception around the league was that the organization was completely dysfunctional, from a meddling, aging owner, to an incompetent & understaffed coaching department, to a roster without quality players & huge holes at key positions.
Contrast that with this off season: within days, more than 20 guys had contacted the Bills about the HC job. The Bills were able to set up meetings with all the top guys. And after hiring Marrone, they were able to sign a top DC. Several desirable FAs signed w/Buffalo over other teams. And last year they were able to sign arguably the star of the free agent class.
So I would ask the Negative Nancys around here, do you honestly believe the current Bills are the same stinky organization they were 3 or 4 years ago? Or is it possible this really is a team with a strongly positive future, one that players & coaches now view as a good place to be? And if the latter is the case, how can you not give Buddy props for that? And ulimately, props to Brandon?
Agreed, add in the fact that Modrak was director of college scouting or whatever for that first Nix year ... most of the draft work for the 2010 draft was already in the books when Nix got the GM gig. Of course that means Nix came back to Buffalo as a scout under Modrak in 2009. Dysfunction junction.
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I've never seen Whaley before. He looks like he's in good shape. Stick him in at safety!
Whaley played football @ Pitt, safety/linebacker per wikipedia.
Did you also know that Buddy Nix was the Head Coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga back when T.O. went there?
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Do not put words in my mouth. That is not what I meant as I previously explained.
Well, sir, you basically put words into mine by suggesting that we all agree that Nix "bought high" on Fitz, which I don't agree with. I made the point earlier that if Philly had a similar 'out' built into the Mike Vick deal, I would tend to think that, especially with Chip Kelly in there, they would have exercised the 'out' by now.
Hindsight obviously tells us all that Fitz didn't work out for us, but I was OK with the logic of the extension at the time of it based on the need to secure the guy we thought we finally found.
I agree that we disagree.
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Whether you want to call it "good faith" or "panic", the Bills were premature and did not wait it out for a more complete evaluation. It looks like everyone agrees that they "bought high", at the peak of Fitzpatrick's success. It's not the only time either. See: Jauron, Dick.
The Nix/Fitz deal has been beaten to death in this thread, but based on the above quote from Sisyphean Bills, I would say that he was indeed referring to the money as well as the choice.
It'd be super great for the owners/GMs if teams could just string guys along without paying them, let's call it "market value" for argument's sake, but at some point you have to pay guys what they are worth. Teams are still in the cat-bird seat ... if the player does not live up to the contract, you can always cut them. If the contract has good enough protections built-in, which I believe the Fiitz deal did, you don't hurt yourself with too much dead money if that option needs to be exercised.
And the Jauron extension, while it played out in a similar fashion to how Fitzy's deal went, has about as much to do with the Nix conversation that evolved in this thread as the price of tea in China. It is much more analogous, in my opinion, to the extension the new UB AD gave to Jeff Quinn ... but I digress.
At least most seem to agree that Sheppard was not ... not ... not good.
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It's not harping, Kelly made a comment and I just simply pointed out the Fitz signing and then that's how the discussion ensued.
Also, in regards to Kelly's comment that he would of cost more. I just don't buy that, it's not as if Fitz's lack of arm strength, pedigree and mechanics would have been a secret that they would of uncovered after wards, it was right there for everyone to see.
As were his stats and wins against the Raiders, Pats and Eagles at home, he was our guy, happy days were thought to be here again ... you seem to have perfect selective hindsight - don't you remember? All signs were pointing upward on the Fitz-o-meter at that time ... and he was being paid far below starting QB numbers.
We all now know that Fitz fizzled once he autographed the deal, but if he hadn't, he could have commanded more at years end. It was a show of good faith and a way of locking him up more than a panic move.
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Lick My Love Pump
Smell the (football) glove ...
Any and all Spinal Tap references deserve to be celebrated!
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As a greenhorn compared to some of you more prolific posters here at TBD, I enjoyed the discourse in this thread ... it is one that I have been longing to see on the Stadium Wall. Unheralded MLBs such as Mark Maddox, David White, Angelo Crowell, John DiGiorgio and perhaps even Garth Jax made more key plays from the middle than Kelvin.
So at this point, we have clearly established that Sheppard was a bad pick, and Gailey was a bad hire for Mr. Nix. Whatever people now think of Buddy is more in the eye of the beholder based on their respective confidence in where the Bills are now headed.
By no means am I satisfied with Nix's first three years. But SJBF's point about Modrak still being around as head of college scouting (or whatever he was) for Nix's first year is well taken. What a mess we were, who knows where Ralph's head truly was at the end of the Jauron era. But i really like what I see from the last two drafts in particular.
I will say this about Nix ... every time I hear him speak, he usually makes sense to me. I don't religiously listen to his WGR show or anything, but when I do catch clips from it, I usually come away liking what I hear from him.
And I admit that my bias might very well stem from the fact that I love his folksy southern accent ... reminds me so much of Roscoe P. Coltrane with his dog Flash by his side in the front seat. And there is my peace offering/alley-oop lob for you 'Nix-is-a-buffoon' detractors ... dunk away!
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I also think Sheppard will turn out to be a good player for the Colts.
Can I ask, specifically, what have you seen from Sheppard that makes you think he will be anything at all for Indy?
Were you simply not paying attention when he was starting for more than a year & making no significant plays? His tackle totals are downright abysmal for a MLB worth his salt, and I never saw him shed a block and make a play. And I do realize they took him out on 3rd downs for Bryan Scott ... please tell me how "we'd better pull that guy off the field on 3rd downs'' can be considered a good thing?
I am confident that our defense will be much improved under Pettine, who unlike Wannstache, has proven that he knows what he is doing in this NFL day and age. And you will not miss Sheppard ... a used kicking net would have been sufficient in return. I do not think he would have made Marrone's 2013 final roster.
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I hope the Marrone hire turns out differently but there are already whispers that the fix was in from the get-go and there was no real search done.
And my theory behind the Fitz extension is that it was a combination of Nix's poor evaluation skills and the bean counters at OBD. Fitz started strong that year and they thought (incorrectly) that they had a QB who was ascending to the top tier. They rushed to lock him up before he became too expensive. It's not like they thought to themselves, We have the 22nd best QB, time to pay him! Clearly they thought they were getting a good deal. It was stupidity mixed with greed, and we've seen it before.
Where in the world is that coming from? The fact is, several other teams wanted Marrone before we grabbed him, the guy has a stamp of approval from Sean Payton, Bill Parcells, Herm Edwards ... basically anyone who has worked with him. And Bill Polian had him #1 in his potential head coach candidate que.
And your explanation of how they came to decide to extend Fitz is laughable, and hardly refutes any of eballs points. He got paid quite handsomely for the year and a half he played under it, but was basically rewarded with market value for a QB of his ilk/stats if you look at it over the time he was named "the guy" by Gailey. Everyone talks about how much the Fitz extension was worth over the life of it (59 mil or whatever), but no one talks about the relatively painless out that was built into it, which they exercised.
I give Nix credit for that. Ask Philly if they wish they had that kind of protection built into their Mike Vick deal.
But OK, I get it, you think Nix is a bum.
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John, let's recap what (I believe) happened with the Buffalo Bills since Jauron/Fewell and Levy were relieved of their HC and GM duties, respectively, at the conclusion of the 2009 season:
1 -- Ralph hires Buddy Nix to be his GM, bringing back a trusted scout with documented success in SD to help rebuild the franchise
2 -- Buddy has to hire a HC, but top candidates don't want the job; he "settles" on Chan Gailey, who receives recommendations from respected NFL sources like Bill Cowher
3 -- Having hired his HC, Buddy does what any GM would do -- he allows the HC to assemble his staff and determine the direction of the team
4 -- As a GM, Buddy listens to his HC as to the types of players he wants, and directs his scouting department accordingly
5 -- Players are drafted to fit the style Gailey wants
6 -- Gailey's first season (2010) reflects the overall poor talent level on the team, but signs of progress during the 2nd half of the season provide reason for hope
7 -- Quick start to 2011 has many believing the Bills are turning the corner, including the inspired play of Fitzpatrick that leads to a reasonable contract extension for a middle-tier starting QB
8 -- Fitz and entire team slump badly down the stretch in 2011; defense is in shambles leading Gailey to make change at DC to Wannstedt
9 -- In an effort to bolster the defense Nix recruits and signs Mario, something just about everyone thought would be impossible for Nix to accomplish
10 -- Fitz regresses, Gailey shows an inability to manage the team on gamedays, and Wannstedt completely schitts the bed -- resulting in a dreadful 2012 season
11 -- Ralph turns over reigns to Russ, Nix fires Gailey and entire staff, and current rebuilding process begins
12 -- Bills hire HC before other teams with vacancies, leading to presumption they got "their guy" -- 180-degree turnaround from 2009
13 -- Buddy, like any GM, reviews roster with new staff and begins making changes to fit style of Marrone/Pettine
14 -- Here we are
eball, thank you for taking the time to put that excellent timeline together. I could not possibly agree with your perspective more.
QB-wise, when you consider that Gailey was trying to save his arse last year by playing Fitz down the stretch in lieu of Tarvaris Jackson, we are where we are. To start Jackson would have helped the Bills for the future, but would have been a glaring admission of failure by Chan, and would have essentially guaranteed that he'd soon be walking the plank.
And for what it's worth, that phone call to Tampa was quite humerous in how it happened, but I agreed with basically everything Nix said as he chewed the fat with Mark Dominick. The jury is still out on Nix, but I got the sense that he is still very much the guy driving the bus over there. All this talk of him stepping aside for Whaley is pure speculation and perhaps a bit premature.
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None of that is the point. You were the one who said it takes a few years to determine if a player or draft is good or not. That's your quote. Yet you continuously, in every post, whether it is about Nix or about purple Chinese pottery, blast Nix for his horrible drafts of the last few years, two of which shouldn't be counted, according to you.
Thanks, Kelly the Dog.
JohnC - I understand your points about 'this is all on Buddy's watch' ... how do you feel about the Buffalo Sabres GM? Oh, nevermind ...
I can't answer for what Seattle has done other than to say Pete Carroll has done a better job than I thought he might, and it sure helps when you finally get a QB who can play. It is so easy to say "we should have drafted Russell Wilson, and we should have taken Gronk over Aaron Williams" blah blah blah. What a miserable existence it must be to live totally in the past.
As far as the record of Buddy, let me say that I dislike talk about the won-loss records of QBs - I find it to be disrespectful to every other team member. I totally understand why coaches are judged on their won-loss records, since it is a production business, as Chan has said often.
But even looking at last year, Buddy had absolutely nothing to do with Chan not broaching the subject of discussing defense with his DC, Dave Wannstedt, because it "wasn't his place to do so" from week-to-week. Are you kidding me, Chan? Renee Zellweger had Jerry Maguire at "Hello," and Chan lost me at the exact moment I hear the clip in which he said that.
Buddy also didn't squander all-but-certain W's versus the Titans and Rams in the Ralph like Chan did. Unless he was going to fire Chan mid-season, he could only sit and watch as Chan punted from the opponent's 34, and called plays vs. Miami that kept the ball in Choice's hands (and out of Spiller's).
So Buddy sharpened the guillotine and dropped it asafp. And time will tell, but from early appearances, he was able to bring in a much better coach than his first time around. Every move since the season ended makes good sense to me. Hearing that he traded Sheppard, which you seem to agree with, was sweet music to my ears.
Having said all that, I will freely admit that I usually do my best to enjoy the sugar rush every year. I see the Kool-Aid glass as half full, you obviously prefer to say it is half empty and the kids down the street get it more often.
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Not that it absolves Nix because it doesn't.
But in fairness it should be re-mentioned that the Bills coaching staff fell in love with Sheppard at the Senior Bowl and probably played a large role in he being drafted.
The larger point being that to varying degrees like all teams, the coaching staff has input into player selections.
Nice "big picture" interjection, SJBF. With the benefit of hindsight, scouting NFL players is quite easy, isn't it? Nix bashers always bring up Sheppard and A. Williams ... Troup and Carrington are also in the conversations. OK, so we know Troup and Sheppard have not panned out, but we still have a better than 50% chance to get good value out of Carrington and A. Williams.
JohnC, you do realize that the hit rate on even the top rounds of the draft is probably less than 50% across the entire league, right? What do you think of his 1st rounders ... Spiller, Dareus, and Gilmore? How about our inexpensive starting LT, Cordy Glenn? Graham, Bradham, Brooks and even Sanders could very well be impact guys this year.
I love the "hindsight is always 20/20" view of the junior Jerry Sullivans who lambasted Nix for drafting Spiller as a luxury, but now leave that out of the conversation ... (or worse yet, pretend they really wanted us to keep Marshawn here). At least Nix turned that mess into Chris Hariston. And his dirt cheap free agent acquisitions over the years (Urbik, Chandler, Rinehardt, Pears) certainly should count for something in the overall analysis.
I am not saying Nix is the best GM ever; what I do believe is that the lack of talent on the Bills is not nearly as bad as people like to make it out to be, and I love the direction of the team since last year ended. Let's face it, Gailey turned into a very bad hire last year, Fitz fizzled out once pen hit paper, and so Nix did what he had to do as soon as he possibly could do it.
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I like this move simply because we won't be playing Shep. Good guy, hopefully he fits in well in the new system, but I like this move. More time for Kiko on the field.
My thoughts exactly ... the first play Jerry Hughes makes for the Bills will tie him with Kelvin Sheppard for 1 each. The only play I remember #55 making in his entire 2-year run in Buffalo is the opening coverage sack he had vs. Seattle when he went unblocked.
I barely ever remember Sheppard being anywhere near the play, and saw him dancing with blockers often. You just can't have that from your MLB and be any good on D. Hughes is simply a bonus, as I would have been happy if they just cut Sheppard outright. Now if we sign Dansby, I will send Buddy Nix a fruit basket and a box of chocolates.
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I strongly believe that Kaepernick and Wilson, especially the former, can sit in the pocket and pass too. The read-option may be a fad, certainly one that defenses can better prepare for in the future, but it's not like Kaep and Wilson are Tebow. There is absolutely no downside to having a QB that can scramble if necessary.
That said, I don't think Nassib is as athletic as them, but he is pretty mobile in the pocket from what I've seen.
I didn't mean to imply that Wilson and Kaepernick can't throw from the pocket as well. I, like everyone, have been blown away by Wilson's overall command of the 'Hawks, and Kaepernick fired some incredibly precise lasers down the seam during the 49ers run. And Aaron Rodgers is a pocket guy who is also an excellent scrambler - very difficult to defend. Watching Nassib, he reminds me of Rodgers quite a bit.
My point was more that all this loose talk along the lines of "the NFL is changing; you need QBs that can run these new offenses with read-option stuff" is hogwash and has zero evidence of historical success.
Now that Chip Kelly fella and his revolutionary signaling system w/5-hour energy tempo? ... he may be on to something.
Then again, Marchibroda and Belicheat have already shown that kind of thing can work well.
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I'd simply consider Doug Marrone out of touch with the NFL after four years at Syracuse. That he's been out of the league too long. The NFL is changing and Ryan Nassib is no where close to being part of that change. He's a QB from a bygone era that is not coming back. He's slow, unathletic and can't throw a deep ball with accuracy. If he is picked at #8, Marrone officially becomes a moron for thinking he can "manage" a Superbowl win with Nassib when you have QBs like Luck, RGIII, Wilson, Kaepernick, Rodgers and Brees to go through first to get that ring. Sheer lunacy. This is a QB league and Nassib is NOT the QB to win you a Superbowl.
I will even go so far as to say that this whole idea of a "new NFL" with athletic QBs who do read-option stuff on the edges is nothing more than a fad.
It has never proven to be succesful in the NFL in the last 40 years. Randall Cunningham only lasted so long, Mike Vick wisened up, RGIII has already been beaten to a pulp, Wilson and Kaepernick are but infants in the league (and ultimately were defeated in the playoffs).
The only guys who hang in there long-term (and consistently go to/win SBs) sit in the pocket and distribute high-percentage balls (Montana, Warner, Brady, both Mannings, Roethlisberger, Brees, Rodgers, Flacco, etc) ... live to fight another down.
And calling Ryan Nassib unathletic is laughable at best, and only underscores your cluelessness.
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Forget it, he's on a roll!
Made me think of I forget which "Vacation" movie it was ...
"If he leans into you, Clark, best to just let him finish"
(Randy Quaid as) Uncle Eddie talking about his leg-humping dog
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Whether he's a good match or not, he's bigger and better than any ILB we have now. Even if he's at 60%, he's still better than Sheppard. Would be a good signing IMO.
Precisely. To get a guy like Dansby right now would almost make me perform cartwheels. And anyone who would be against this signing based on our current roster needs to have their head examined by NFL/concussion specialists.
His NFL resume speaks for itself, and he would inject a ton of experience and attitude to the middle of the LB corps. I am no fan of Sheppard, who would hopefully learn a thing or two from Karlos, so hopefully he enjoys the cuisine at Tempo. Bruce Smiths do not grow on trees, but I will gladly welcome guys into the fold who seem to share Bruce's self-confidence and "I-am-going-to-kick-your-ass" mindset. After reading some of his quotes, Dansby certainly seems to fit the Bill, pun obviously intended.
I remember Dansby being one of the 'phins defenders who harassed and abused Trent into a turtle-like state at the Ralph on opening day 2010 (when Miami destroyed us in Chan's first year). As you may recall, #5 followed that performance up with a wussified effort in GB, and was promptly cut.
F5 F5 F5!!!
Good article about Byrd agent Eugene Parker by Tim Graham
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
To borrow a quote the Talking Heads, stop making so much sense like that here on TBD. People seem to enjoy hitting the panic button too much, and often in a way that resembles Montgomery Burns working the trap door button when an employee enters his office.
Seriously, we know this guy can play; his absence has only given Searcy (who I am NOT sold on quite yet) A. Williams & the greenhorn draftees some time to get their feet wet back there.
Byrd is a high-character vet, a pro's pro who was brought up in the game - and it shows. The apple certainly did not fall too far from the family tree. Jairus demonstrated a knack for the INT from day one, and he also creates his fair share of turnovers by stripping poorly protected balls loose. And from what I have seen, his tackling has improved by leaps and bounds since he got here.
He will get paid, we just need to let the process play out.
Exactly, if you walk into a dealership with the intent of driving something else out that day, the odds of you getting the fairest deal are not in your favor.