ChanOverChin
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Posts posted by ChanOverChin
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My point was simply that the more merriman is on the field the better off our defense will be.........because of his intensity, his leadership, his pass rush ability, and his knack for doing what it takes to win.
I don't expect him to be a cover LB. he will certainly do the most damage for us as a pass rusher. However, he is the type of player that Wanny will need to move around to get the most out of him as a pass rusher. That's why i think it would be wise to use him as a DE at times and as a LB at times. Let Wanny decide where he can best exploit a blocking matchup rather than just insert him at RDE and allow the opposing OC to predetermine who he has to go up against.
Merriman can be our X-factor if you will. He can do a lot of things from a lot of different spots on the field.
Examples:
4-3 RDE
4-3 LDE
4-2 rush LB
4-2 cover LB (short areas)
4-1 blitz LB
1 of 4 quick pass rushers in obvious long yardage passing situations.
The bottom line is that wanny needs to get Merriman on the field as much as possible. He's a big time player. He's a difference maker.
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We all know by now that Shawne Merriman was once a Pro Bowl OLB (in a 3-4 alignment for the SD Chargers). Coach Gailey said back In Feb. 2012 that he would prefer Merriman to just play DE and basically be a designated pass rusher. That's mostly because Gailey was just glad to get anything from Merriman at that point in time, considering his recent injury history.
But what's really got me excited is that Merriman seems to be in great shape....completely healthy.......and that could mean that he could give the Bills more than a part time role as a designated pass rusher. He could actually push for a starting position as an OLB in the Bills' new 4-3 defense. That, my friends, is big, big news!!!!! Really big news!!
You add a proven Pro Bowl talent like Merriman (who has slimmed down) to this new defense on a full time basis (or at least close to a full time basis) and now you really have something. Sure, we could see K. Morrison still play quite a bit at OLB because he's no slouch..............he is a proven veteran tackler, both as a MLB and an OLB with the Raiders. He's just not S. Merriman, who is an absolute beast when fully healthy and highly motivated. Merriman is also a great leader who can really impose his will on the opposing team. He's a guy who his teammates will follow and respect because they know what he is capable of. If he can play full time for the Bills (or close to it) the sky's the limit for the Bills' defense in 2012/2013.
Potential Starting Bills Defense (w/ Merriman at OLB):
D-Line: Mario Williams/Kyle Williams/Marcel Dareus/Mark Anderson
LBs: Nick Barnett/Kelvin Sheppard/Shawne Merriman
Secondary: Stephon Gilmore/George Wilson/Jarius Byrd/Aaron Williams.
There are SIX strong leaders in that group including: M. Williams, K. Williams, M. Dareus, N. Barnett, S. Merriman, and G. Wilson. EIGHT potential Pro Bowl players.
Being able to put Merriman on the field full time makes everybody better, gives us another strong leader, yet another great pass rusher, and a guy who knows how to win. He's a guy that the other players (like Sheppard) will look to for guidance. He will raise the level of play of this defense because of his intensity alone.
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Teen Insight, save the advice. Aren't you the one who doesn't like to read.........uh umm.................more than a few lines?? Your poor attention span is not my problem.
List for me all of the original posts that you have started.
You've made 278 posts..........and none of them have been an orignal post in all that time. Why is that??
Start a thread and watch how easily I can pick it apart if I'm so inclined. Go ahead start a thread.
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Don't be a hater bro.
Others have copied the exact same link that I provided for other sites. The topic was chosen because Dareus will likely take a big step up this year for the reasons mentioned in my post above.
Dareus is a natural born leader. Even as a rookie he was leading his teammates. He can do that because his teammates respect him. That's very rare for an NFL rookie.
Some of you guys don't care for BR, I get that. But the point is better made with a video or quote to back it up, no matter where it comes from.
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Tough crowd.
Let me know when one of you start an original topic.
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Everything this offseason points to a monster season in 2012 for Dareus:
• He will get a full offseason to work on his game and a season of experience, during which he learned how to be a pro.
• The Bills changed defensive schemes this offseason, and there will be more four-man fronts. Dareus won't have to occupy blockers as much this year.
• The players around Dareus have vastly improved. Kyle Williams is back at defensive tackle, while Mario Williams and Mark Anderson are on the outside.
Defenses are often going to have to single-block Dareus. After watching him toward the end of 2011, he is not a player you want to single-block.
Don't be shocked if Dareus -- and not Kyle or Mario Williams -- winds up leading Buffalo's impressive defensive line.
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Fitz is obviously a big key for us this year. He knows it. We know it.
Having had success last year with the current offense and with most of the guys that he will be playing with this year has to give him a lot of confidence.
Hopefully, we can keep him healthy for the duration of the year and then you never know what might happen.
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We won't try to use our LBs to cover their TEs. We'll likely use B. Scott to cover Gronk and G. Wilson to cover Hernandez.
The Bills won't likely play a standard 4-3 vs NE since NE is normally in pass mode and will use four receivers (i.e. combination of TEs and WRs) most of the time.
We may use one LB (Barnett) or evn no LB (all DBs) plus a four man rush.
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Sure it will be Brady vs Fitz, but our defense will have a lot to say about the overall outcome of each game vs NE. We need to be able to at least slow down the Pats' offense. If we can do that then we stand a chance of beating them.
The Pats have the easiest strength of schedule in the league in 2012 so they definitely have an advanteous already. They have dominated the AFC East for many years now so they are the team to beat, like it or not. As long as they have Belicheck and Brady (since they are about the only two who have remained constant through their years of winning the division), they will be tough to beat.
If I'm the Bills' GM I'm trying to build my defense to contend with NE's spread, quick-hitting offense. That means having a guy who can cover Welker and a guy who can cover Gronk, and a front four that can pressure Brady (and actually hit him on occasion). They have the toughest offense to deal with on our schedule, and unfortunately, we have to produce more wins than them (or at least as many with the tie breaker in our favor) to win the division. Otherwise, we have to settle for making it into the playoffs as a wildcard, which can be pretty dicey.
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Could the AFC East be decided by one major matchup..........namely, New England's juggeraut offense versus Buffalo's newly built, 4-3, pass rushing defense??
I don't mean to discount the Jets or the Dolphins because anything can happen in a 16 game season, but all signs are pointing to the fact that the Bills have improved significantly enough, especially on defense, to leap frog over NYJ and Miami to finally provide a very strong challenge to New England for the division title and an automatic playoff berth.
It's obvious that the Bills chose to put most of their resources and moola into fortifying their defense. As I mentioned in a previous post, they have added no less than SIX potential new starters on defense including Ma. Williams, M. Anderson, K. Morrison, K. Sheppard, S. Gilmore, and A. Williams. These are significant addtions to the starting lineup, and what's more, these guys are tailor-made to play in the 4-3, Buffalo's new defensive alignment this year.
If you consider that two standout starters from the previous year, K. Williams and G. Wilson, missed most of last year, then it's more like the Bills have added EIGHT new starters to their newly built defense in comparison to last year's team. And the holdovers are no slouch either. The three returning starters to go with the eight players mentioned above are M. Dareus, N. Barnett, and J. Byrd. Throw in some more pretty good players like S. Merriman, C. Kelsay, D. Edwards, Sp. Johnson, A. Moats, T. McGee, L. McKelvin, and B. Scott and Dave Wannstedt certainly has a lot more to work with than his predecessor did.
New England will field quite a talented offensive team, starting with T. Brady at QB, J. Addai and D. Woodhead at RB, Gronkowski and Hernandez at TE, and B. Lloyd, W. Welker, and D. Branch at WR. Their one weakness on offense, which could be a big one, is that their longtime LT, M. Light, has retired and has been replaced by a relatively inexperienced N. Solder.
I don't think NE's RBs will scare anybody. They have a lot of no name, unproven RBs on their roster. Can Addai stay healthy?? Is he the same player that he once was?? I say no to both. I think NE's running game could be a weakness for them as well.
On the other hand, their TEs and WRs are quite could. Can we generate enough pressure on Brady to be able to shorten the time frame to cover guys like Gronk, Welker, and Lloyd?? You can see why Wanny wants to be able to rush only four guys because he knows that he will need seven to cover NE's five skill players.
Since NE likes to go with 1 RB/2 TEs/2 WRs or 1 RB/1 TE/3 WRs or 1 RB/4 WRs or five receivers the Bills will need to adjust be playing more of their cover guys rather than their three starting LBs (Barnett/Sheppard/Morrison). Most likely they will play Barnett in the middle along with six other cover guys (Gilmore, A. Williams, Wilson, Byrd Scott, and T. McGee or McKelvin). The question is, can these guys adequately cover NE's best receivers?? Can our front four (Ma. Williams, Dareus, K. Williams, M. Anderson w/ S. Merriman, C. Kelsay, D. Edwards, and Sp. Johnson as part of the rotation) generate enough of a pass rush to disrupt Brady??
It's definitely going to be tough, but I think Buffalo is far better equipped to stop NE's offense than it was last year, especially if they can make the Pats one dimensional.
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I agree. That's what we're up against. It may take awhile for the new players to learn each other's tendencies.
But really, it's amazing how quickly Nix has been able to improve the overall depth of the team. In year's past, once we lost a few starters our season would take a huge nose dive. Hopefully, this year, if guys get injured it's only for a few games and not the entire season. We do have a lot more capable players behind our starters. in some cases, we will have former starters behind this year's starters. You know that's pretty good depth when that's the case.
I'm sorry the way that the rosters turned out above. I had them shown in nice columns with the starters all in caps along the left side column, but it didn't print that way unfortunately.
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I was finally able to get my hands on the 2011 53 man roster. Please see listed below. This will give us a chance to see very clearly the changes/improvements that have been made, especially at key positions.
2011Bills Roster:
Pos.STARTERBackupReserveWR19 - DONALD JONES86 - David NelsonLT77 - DEMETRIUS BELL75 - Chris HairstonLG67 - ANDY LEVITREC70 - ERIC WOOD74 - Colin BrownRG60 - KRAIG URBIK76 - Chad RinehartRT79 - ERIK PEARS71 - Sam YoungTE84 - SCOTT CHANDLER80 - David Martin85 - Lee SmithWR13 - STEVIE JOHNSON11 - Roscoe Parrish81 - Marcus EasleyQB14 - RYAN FITZPATRICK4 - Tyler Thigpen16 - Brad SmithRB22 - FRED JACKSON28 - C.J. Spiller20 - Johnny WhiteFB86 - COREY MCINTYREDE99 - MARCELL DAREUS72 - Kellen HeardNT95 - KYLE WILLIAMS96 - Torell TroupDE98 - DWAN EDWARDS92 - Alex CarringtonSLB90 - CHRIS KELSAY91 - Spencer JohnsonMLB54 - ANDRA DAVIS58 - Kirk Morrison55 - Kelvin SheppardWLB50 - NICK BARNETT52 - Arthur Moats51 - Chris WhiteJLB56 - SHAWNE MERRIMAN57 - Danny Batten48 - Robert EddinsLCB24 - TERRENCE McGEE21 - Leodis McKelvin26 - Justin RogersSS37 - GEORGE WILSON43 - Bryan Scott25 - Da'Norris SearcyFS31 - JAIRUS BYRDRCB29 - DRAYTON FLORENCE23 - Aaron WilliamsK9 - RIAN LINDELLP8 - BRIAN MOORMANLS65 - GARRISON SANBORN
My Projected 2012 Bills Roster:
Pos.STARTERBackupReserveWR19 - DONALD JONES80 - Derek Hagan16 - Brad SmithLT77 - CORDY GLENN75 - Chris HairstonLG67 - ANDY LEVITRE76 - Chad RinehartC70 - ERIC WOOD74 - Colin BrownRG60 - KRAIG URBIK76 - Chad RinehartRT79 - ERIK PEARS66 - Zebrie SandersTE84 - SCOTT CHANDLER85 - Lee Smith42 - Dorin DickersonWR13 - STEVIE JOHNSON81 - Marcus EasleyWR86 - DAVID NELSON11 - TJ GrahamRB22 - FRED JACKSON28 - C.J. Spiller30 - Tashard ChoiceQB14 - RYAN FITZPATRICK10 - Vince Young16 - Brad SmithDE93 - MARK ANDERSON56 - Shawne Merriman52 - Arthur MoatsDT95 - KYLE WILLIAMS98 - Dwan Edwards96 - Torell TroupDT99 - MARCEL DAREUS91 - Spencer Johnson92 - Alex CarringtonDE94 - MARIO WILLIAMS90 - Chris KelsaySLB58 - KIRK MORRISON53 - Nigel Bradham43 - Bryan ScottWLB50 - NICK BARNETT52 - Arthur MoatsMLB55 - KELVIN SHEPPARD58 - Kirk Morrison45 - Tank CarderLCB23 - AARON WILLIAMS24 - Terence McGee26 - Justin RogersSS37 - GEORGE WILSON43 - Bryan ScottFS31 - JAIRUS BYRD25 - Da'Norris SearcyRCB27 - STEPHON GILMORE21 - Leodis McKelvin33 - Ron BrooksK9 - RIAN LINDELLP8 - BRIAN MOORMANLS65 - GARRISON SANBORN
2011 vs 2012 Comparison:
Comparing the starting lineups from 2011 vs 2012 shows that on offense we have exchanged Glenn for Bell at LT and that's pretty much it because WR Nelson started last year as much as McIntyre did. The difference is that we have much more depth and experience this year. Fitz knows Gailey's system better, Jackson and Spiller are ready to become very productive players, Young gives us a much better option at backup QB, and there is far more potential at WR with guys like Easley, Graham, Hagan, and Smith ready to contribute. D. Dickerson could be a nice suprise as an H-back. Choice gives us an experienced third RB where we've always had a rookie/nobody, and Hairston, Sanders, Rinehart, Brown give us nice depth on the O-line. Heck, with the addition of QB Coach M. Lee the Bills may find a way to get the most out of the tremendous athletic ability/versatility that both B. Smith and V. Young possess.
Comparing the starting lineups from 2011 vs 2012 shows that on defense we project SIX new starters, including M. Williams, M. Anderson, K. Morrison, K. Sheppard, S. Gilmore, and A. Williams. Not to mention that solid leaders like K. Williams and G. Wilson were both out for most of last year. That's like adding EIGHT new quality starters to the defensive starting lineup to go with three pretty talented players in Dareus, Barnett, and Byrd. Expect Dareus to really blossom and be an even better player than he was last year with so many talented players around him and with K. Williams playing next to him to help guide him. It gets even better because the Bills have improved their depth at DL and LB as well. The D-line is especially strong and very deep. Guys like Merriman and Kelsay will help to keep the pressure on the opposing QB. Edwards and Johnson are solid, veteran DTs. Carrington and Troup are both young and talented DLs who are also ready to contribute. Sheppard and Morrison will get to show what they can do as 4-3 LBs. Bradham, Moats, and Carder are all very inexperienced so this could be a weakness. McKillop might surpise and make the final roster instead of one of them. Scott will play cover LB in obvious passing situations since he has shown that he can cover opposing TEs quite well. In the secondary, Gilmore could be the shutdown corner that every tema needs to cover the opposing team's best WR. A. Williams showed some big play ability last year before getting injured. McGee is back. McKelvin looks to be improved covering the slot. Rogers and Brooks are very fast and ready to contribute on ST.
Comparing the starting lineups from 2011 vs 2012 shows that on ST we will virtually be the same when it comes to the K/P/LS. Powell could unseat Moorman, but I'm sticking with Moorman for now. Potter could help the team out eventually, but I expect him to be on the PS at least initially. Our coverage units and return units could be improved with the additions of Graham, Bradham, Carder, and Brooks.
Overall, this team has greatly improved on defense and has added quality depth everywhere. One possible weakness is the group that is backing up the three projected starting LBs. Getting Fitz to play better and more consistently will be an important factor. Utilizing the Wildcat with the athletes that we've added on offense could help us to move the chains more often and put more points on the board. How well we match up with New England's offense (our defense vs their offense) may be the key to finally surpassing them.
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I agree with everything on this projected roster except for two guys, Heard and Potter.
QB- (3) Fitz, Young, Smith
RB- (4) Freddy, CJ, Choice, CMac
TE- (1) Chandler
WR- (6) Stevie, Nelson, Jones, Graham, Hagan, Easley
OT- (4) Hairston, Pears, Glenn, Sanders
OG- (3) Levitre, Rhinehardt, Ubrik
C- (1) Wood
DE- (4) Williams, Merriman, Kelsey, Anderson
DT- (4) Dareus, Williams, Johnson, Heard
OLB- (4) Barnett, Morrison, Bradham, Carder
ILB- (1) Shephard
CB- (6) Gilmore, Williams, McGee, McKelvin, Rogers, Brooks
SS- (2) Wilson, Searcy
FS- (2) Byrd, Scott
K/P- (4) Lindell, Morman, Sanborn, Rookie Kicker
Heard is certainly a good player, but may not fit into Wanny's pass rushing DT scheme. Heard is more of a run stuffer than a lean pass rusher.
Potter would be an awful nice luxury to have on the team, but I think that the Bills have too many talented players at other positions to keep Potter. Hopefully, the Bills can retain him on the PS and maybe activate later in the year if injures start to take their toll.
49 players are listed minus the two that I mentioned means that the other 6 that I would project include:
D. Edwards, Carrington, Moats, C. Brown, Dickerson, McKillop.
CMac makes the team because of his ST prowess.
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There's obviously some subjectivity in performing an exercise like this, but these are the players that I think have a roster spot locked up prior to training camp (of course, barring an injury or trade). Some guys are not on this list because they haven't proven themselves yet or because their high salary cap figure is not commensurate with how they are performing/how others at their position are performing.
The locks (39 players):
QB (2): Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brad Smith <LI>RB (3): Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller, C. McIntyre<LI>WR (4): Stevie Johnson, David Nelson, Donald Jones, T.J. Graham <LI>TE (1): Scott Chandler <LI>OT (3): Cordy Glenn, Erik Pears, Chris Hairston, <LI>OG (3): Andy Levitre, Kraig Urbik, Chad Rinehart <LI>C (1): Eric Wood <LI>DE (4): Mario Williams, Mark Anderson, Chris Kelsay, Shawne Merriman <LI>DT (3): Kyle Williams, Marcell Dareus, Spencer Johnson, Dwan Edwards<LI>OLB (4): Nick Barnett, Kirk Morrison, Bryan Scott, Nigel Bradham,
ILB (1): Kelvin Sheppard <LI>CB (4): Stephon Gilmore, Aaron Williams, Justin Rogers, Ron Brooks <LI>S (3): Jairus Byrd, George Wilson, Da'Norris Searcy <LI>SP (2): Rian Lindell, Garrison Sanborn
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In short, we have much better talent on defense than in recent years and we actually have guys playing positions that they are well suited to play as opposed to forcing them to play a position to suit a scheme (i.e. Kelsay and Sp. Johnson playing OLB last year). We also have great leadership on defense. Guys like K. Williams, Ma. Williams, Dareus, Merriman, Barnett and G. Wilson. In addition, we have a DC who has a wealth of experience in the NFL with putting players in a position to succeed and who also has been very successful himself in the NFL with running a simple 4-3 alignment.
Wannstedt may not be a standout NFL HC, but he has certainly been a standout NFL DC. He's not going to be switching froma 4-3 to a 3-4 and back. He's not going to be guessing whether to run this package or that package in 2nd and ten and 3rd and 4 situations. He knows when to blitz and when not to blitz, He knows how to disguise the blitz. And he knows from experience that it's better to keep things simple with a designated four man rush by letting guys allow their athleticism take over rather than complicate things so much that guys are hestitating because they aren't quite sure if they're carrying out the correct assignment.
Yes, a lot has to come together in one short offseason, but as I mentioned above, the Texans and the Packers did it in recent years so can't the Bills do the same??
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To make a jump from 26 into the top three is a pretty big leap and not one you see often ... Last year the Texans jumped from 30th to second. A few years ago Green Bay was able to jump from the 20s to top 5.
That being said, it takes a lot of pieces falling into place to be able make such a drastic jump
My reasoning why I can see it happening for the Bills this year:
5. Veteran Leadership - This is the most leadership I have seen on this Bills defense since 2004 when we had the #2 ranked defense. I think Nix has brought in the right type of guys. Barnett, Mario, Merriman to go with guys like <A class=sbn-auto-link href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1915/george-wilson" peppyCount="38">George Wilson and Kyle Williams. These guys set the right example and bring the right approach both on the field and off. Tremendous work ethic and attitude which should exude to the young guys we have added recently as well. When you look at the Baltimore Ravens, when they bring in new people they immediately have Ray Lewis right there letting them know what is to be expected. You can't overstate how important that veteran presence is
4. Improvement in Second Year Players - I expect some significant improvements in some of our younger guys especially now that they have gotten a full offseason under their belts. I am expecting Dareus to be flat out dominant. I also expect Sheppard to excel as the MLB in the 4-3. Lastly, I expect Aaron Williams to earn a starting CB spot with Florence gone and McGee banged up. I have high expectations for all 3 of these guys. I really think the 2011 draft is one of the best we have had in a long time
3. Return of Injured Players - The biggest name here is obviously Kyle Williams. His return is going to help everyone on that defensive line. When healthy he can be unblockable. 2010 he was arguably our best defensive player if not our best player overall. Shawn Merriman also seems ready to return. Yes he has done nothing significant as a Bill but I still have high hopes for him. He is still only 28 years old, knows how to be disruptive on the D-line, and can set the edge in the run game something that we missed when he got injured. He also brings an attitude to the defense that I love. George Wilson and Terrence McGee also missed some time last year. I think their veteran presence is important in what is going to be a very young secondary. Wilson also had a knack for making big plays.
2. New Additions - The Bills didn't make a ton of new additions but I think they brought in guys who will make an impact. The Bills specifically upgraded the pass defense which is what most offenses are all about nowadays. Obviously Mario Williams what more can be said. Has the ability to improve everyone around him. He demands attention from opposing offenses. Can flat out dominate a game. 5 sacks in 5 games last year. Our top pass rusher last year was Dareus with 5.5 sacks for the whole season. That says something. A little bit more underrated signing was Mark Anderson but a guy who gives the Bills even more options rushing the passer. Has a variety of moves and surprising quickness. 12 sacks last year through the regular season and post season. Very impressive. And lastly adding Gilmore in the draft. I fully expect him to be a starter come opening day. His combination of size and speed is something we need in this secondary. I think he will be a significant upgrade over Florence he is clearly on a downslide.
1. Veteran Defensive Coordinator - One thing that happened with both the Texans and the Packers when they made their dramatic jumps was a change in coordinators. Texans brought in Philips and Packers brought in Capers. There's something to bringing in a veteran coordinator and allowing him to run a defense he knows well. With Dave Wannstedt we are getting a guy who knows how to run a 4-3 defense. You can look at the rankings of his defenses over the years and know that he knows what he is doing. I don't think anything is going to be more important to us improving defensively than promoting Wannstedt to coordinator. Yes you have to players but you have to be able to put them in positions to succeed as well. Right now I think we have both the talent and the coaching to really be a great defense. The addition of Wannstedt as the full-time DC may turn out to be the #1 reason why the Bills make the playoffs in 2012-2013.
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Regarding our safeties, Wilson and Byrd, SI (an unbiased, knowledgeable, respected publication) published a ranking of all of the SSs and FSs in the NFL earlier this year and believe it or not they had G. Wilson listed as the #3 overall SS and Byrd as the #2 overall FS.
I'm not saying that I necessarily agree or disagree with that, but I think once you have seen that you start to realize that both of these guys are pretty darn good and very respected around the league.
Wilson was having a great year last year until he got injured. Byrd has always been solid. He had an unbelievable rookie year.
I think people are going to see how much of a difference that having a dominant pass rush can make for the guys in the secondary. We have virtually no pass rush last year. This year, I expect that we'll have one of the best..............and that should translate into a lot of sacks and turnovers. it should also make things a lot easier for guys like Wilson and Byrd, who could very well prove to be deserving of the rankings that SI gave them.
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Parrish wasn't much of a loss because his scrawny 168 lbs could never stay healthy enough to really do any damage as an offensive weapon. We have plenty of players who can replace him as a punter returner, which is where Parrish made his mark.
Florence was a good CB at one time, but he seemed to decline as the season wore on, which Nix seemed to recognized. Gilmore is the guy that the Bills wanted all along at #10 overall. I'm confident from what the Bills have said about him that he's already a better CB than Florence.
The three guys the Bills were looking to take at #10 overall were Keuchly, Gilmore, and Glenn. Keuchly was taken at #9 overall so they chose between Gilmore and Glenn. They chose Gilmore because there was no way that he would make it into R2. As it turned out, Glenn did make it to R2 because many/most teams believed him to be an OG and not a LT. The Bills feel strongly that Glenn is an NFL caliber starting LT and were ecstatic to get him in R2. They purported to the league that he was nothing more than an OG, but obviously believed otherwise.
I don't think that it's much of a stretch to project Glenn to be a better player than Bell. Bell was certainly adequate, but not a dominant player. With Glenn's enormous size and rare athletic ability for such a big man, he certainly could be. It may take some time for him to get there though.
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What are the differences this year from last year's team??
Here are the highlights:
1. Wannstedt is the new DC. This should be a big improvement unto itself. Our guys are better suited to be in the 4-3 because the D-line is now a huge strength....easily the deepest position group on the roster.
2. Gailey has more time to implement his offensive system and do what he does best.......be creative. Most of the offensive players have at least a year in the offensive system, which makes it a much more comfortable situation for them.
3. The D-line is stud-like. M. Williams and M. Anderson have been added. We had nobody last year who could rush the passer like they can. K. Williiams and S. Merriman are available for the entire season. Both are dominant players when healthy. Dareus is now a vet. What a great player he already is. I expect Dareus and M. Williams to put in Pro Bowl performances this year. D. Edwards, Sp. Johnson, and C. Kelsay are no longer required to be starters, but they make for very good role players.
4. F. Jackson and CJ Spiller are both ready to take off and really stand out in the NFL. Having Jackson for the entire year this year would make a huge difference. He may very well be our MVP and one of the top 5 RBs in the NFL. We really need a combo nickname for Jax and Spill.
5. S. Gilmore and A. Williams will be a huge improvement over what we had last year. Gilmore will start from Day 1 and could be a shutdown corner for us, which is something that every successful team needs. McKelvin is in his contract year and looks to be highly motivated to prove himself this year. McGee comes back and adds quality depth. Brooks and Rogers are young and hungry and should help to improve our ST.
6. Wilson and Byrd form one of the best safety duos in the entire league. Wilson's big play ability was sorely missed when he was injured last year. Byrd should greatly benefit from the much improved pass rush and start to rack up the INTs like he once did in his rookie year.
7. C. Glenn gives us the prototypical LT to protect Fitz's blindside. His size alone will make it tough for pass rushers to get around him. His bulk will be a huge boost for the running game.
8. Not a lot of big names at the WR position, but having guys like D. Jones, Easley, Hagan, B. Smith, and Graham for a full season gives us a receiving corps by committee that is pretty diverse. D. Jones appears to be coming into his own. Hagan showed last year that he can be productive. B. Smith provides good size and athleticism. Easley and Graham have the speed to stretch the defense. These guys are good compliments to the uncoverable St. Johnson and the solid pssession receiver that is S. Nelson.
9. V. Young and B. Smith could be a deadly combination when used on the field at the same time. Young is a big, strong, superb athlete who you know Gailey will find a way to use to his best advantage. Smith is pretty much the same thing. With much more time to be creative expect Gailey to find a way to get these two guys on the field so that they can make their just contributions. I'm very excited to see these guys in a Bills uniform for a full season. Before Gailey went away from the Wildcat about halfway through the season, Smith was having a lot of success in the Wildcat in converting third and short situations. Now Gailey has QB Coach, Mark Lee, the architect of the Wildcat to help him devise plays for guys like Smith, Young, Jackson, Spiller, and St. Johnson.
10. QB Coach, M. Lee, may turn out to be the best off season acquisition of all. That's because he is working to improve Fitz's mechanics and overall footwork, which could help Fitz to be a much more consistently good to great QB. Since the QB position is such an important position, helping Fitz go from good to great would be the best improvement of all.
11. LBs K. Sheppard and K. Morrison were both on the roster last year, but didn't play prominent roles. Since they are both better suited to be 4-3 LBs we should expect much more production from them. Wanny really seems to love Sheppard in the MLB role and Morrison, while not a big name, is certainly a proven veteran player who is a tackling machine and who is accustomed to be successful in the 4-3.
Overall, the Bills have lost very little (CB D. Florence/LT D. Bell - both replaced by better players), but have gained so much.
As a life long Bills fan, this has to be the best off season for the Bills in their history. It gives me the same feeling as when B. Polian traded two R1 picks for OLB C. Bennett.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrR2ydrgxsY&feature=player_embedded.
I don't think most of us realize just how quick and fat DE Mark Anderson is. He is a holy terror all by himself when comes to getting to the QB.
After you watch the above video you'll see what a disruptive force he was for the Patriots last year.
With Mario Williams on the other side garnering double teams and most of the attention you can fully expect Anderson to be in one on one situations most of the time............and that means he's going to be getting to the QB an awful lot.
it's really going to be exciting to see Mario Williams, Dareus, K. Williams, and M. Anderson on the field all at the same time. Throw in S. Merriman and D. Edwards and you've got possibly the best D-line in the league. Right up there with the NYG D-line, which is really saying something.
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Good points all around.
Still, the NFL is a business and for the players, it's all about production. I would like to see the Bills keep both Kelsay and Merriman at their current salaries because it would mean that both are being highly productive. Even with all that the Bills have spent recently, they're still well under the cap.
The one thing that I will say is that I think the Bills will think hard about keeping Kelsay at $5.75M if he's not a starter or at least a major contributor on defense. That's a lot of money to pay someone who's not a starter and/or not producing a whole lot. The same goes for Merriman. This is his last shot to show that he's healthy and ready to contribute for an entire season. He's certainly worth the risk (i.e the big salary) because he's one helluva player when he's completely healthy. let's hope and pray that he can play like he did when he was with the Chargers. Our defense will be sensational with Ma. Williams on one side and a dynamo like Merriman on the other.
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http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/cap-hit/.
Here are some guys whose salaries don't seeme to be commensurate with their production thus far:
Kelsay $5.75M
Merriman $5.75M
D. Edwards $4.175M
Sp. Johnson $4M
B. Smith $3.75M
T. Thigpen $3M
C. McIntyre $1.1M
T. Troup $942K
L. Dotson $700K
D. Clowney $700K
K. Moore $615K
J. Gilbert $615K
From that list, there's no way that Thigpen stays for $3M when the Bills now have Young as their #2 QB. Expect him to be waived at some point.
I can't believe Kelsay's $5.75M. Merriman's $5.75M and Edwards' $4.175M have been a rip off thus far. Sp. Johnson's $4M and B. Smith's $3.75M are surprises as well.
However, in Wannstedt's 4-3 I think that Kelsay, Merriman, Edwards and Johnson could be revitalized. iI they are, nobody will care how much money they're making.
Bills' current cap figure is $112,950,146.
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According to QB coach Mark Lee, Fitz needs to correct a few fundamentals regarding his foot placement, opening of his hips when throwing to his left as well as keeping his elbow up when he releases the ball.
Hopefully, all of these corrections will help Fitz and not simply frustrate him. i don't know many professional QBs who like to be tinkered with after playing in the league for so long.
The bottom line for the Bills is that they really, really, REALLY need Fitz to play well this year and stay healthy if they have any hope of making the playoffs.
Can a QB coach really come in, make several adjustments, and help an NFL QB be more accurate and more decisive after all of these years??
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OFFENSE: 24
QB: Fitzparick/Young/B. Smith
RB: Jackson/Spiller/Choice
FB: McIntyre
TE: Chandler/L. Smith/Dickerson
WR: St. Johnson/Nelson/Easley/Hagan/Graham/D. Jones (B. Smith)
OL: Glenn/Levitre/Wood/Urbik/Pears/Hairston/Rheinhart/Sanders
SPECIAL TEAMS: 3
K: Lindell
P: Lindell
LS: Sanborn
DEFENSE: 26
DE: Ma. Williams/Anderson/Merriman/Kelsay/Moats
DT: K. Williams/Dareus/Edwards/Sp. Johnson/Troup/Carrington
OLB: Barnett/Morrison/Bradham/Carder (Moats/Scott)
MLB: Sheppard (Barnett)
CB: Gilmore/A. Williams/T. McGee/McKelvin/Brooks/Rogers
SS: Wilson/Scott
FS: Byrd/Searcy
This is the deepest roster we have had in a long time. We could still use a few veteran players to fill a few holes.
For instance, if the Bills were to pick up a veteran WR then they could improve their depth and maybe eliminate two of the six
players listed above, which would free up another roster spot.
Dickerson is not a shoe-in either. If he doesn't prove worthy the Bills may only keep two TEs.
Where the Bills could really use a veteran addition (besides WR) is at LB. There are certainly FAs out there who are better than
what we have on the roster now. Guys like Farrior/McIntosh/Henderson.
McGee's health is a real problem. He's still not 100%. Even if he gets to 100%, will he last the enitre season?? History says no.
It might be wise to bring in another CB just in case.
S. Merriman..................the BEAST is back!!
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
Merriman IS a better DE than M. Anderson..............and that's to take nothing away from Anderson............he's pretty darn good.
I think Anderson will be the starting RDE because that is his only true position. Merriman can be used in a variety of ways.........and likely will be.
Nix took a big chance on Merriman because of the potential big reward that he brings. Wanny has to be drooling at the thought of having such a great weapon in Merriman to move around in order to create
matchup problems.
The more that Merriman demonstrates that he's 100% the more excited Wanny has to be.
The more that Merriman plays the more that Bills fans will have to cheer about.