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EmotionallyUnstable

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Posts posted by EmotionallyUnstable

    4-3 Scheme: Our defensive's biggest need

    in The Stadium Wall Archives

    Posted

    Well you said you would and you did.

    Thanks for the post.

    I mentioned it earlier and i will again here. Wannstadt was the linebackers coach last year and was not succesful at getting the players in the correct position. Then we saw it first half of this year. It was appaling actually.

    Agreed about stats. dont care for them much myself. Watching the games and players tells the story well enough.

    Appreciate your re clarifying the players roles in a 4-3. Now could you CC Dave and his crew !

     

    Glad to hear we share similar view points on statistics. Anyone can read a stat. It takes time and effort to truly know your players.

     

    and I don't want to CC Dave. I wouldn't want to distract him from packing his bags...

    Veteran players that need to be cut or re-signed in the offseason

    in The Stadium Wall Archives

    Posted

    I certainly don't wish to turn this into a pro Shep/anti-Shep argument. I'd keep him as a backup and nothing more. I base that on his entire body of work as a pro to date. A couple plays here and there aren't enough to sway me that he can be anything more than a backup. I think we can agree his mental game and team leadership qualities are worth keeping as I said previously but the cold reality is he's just too slow to be a playmaker and that's the most important trait you need in your MLB. Especially in a 43 front.

     

    As for Bradham, he's got a long way to go as well. Nice when he makes a hit, but I've seen him take himself out of position more often than not going back to his first action against the Niners. It would certainly help him if Kyle Moore wasn't such a crappy run defender at DE, too. So I live with him while he's developing but in no way do I think he's the answer yet.

     

    Barnett needs to go. And Scott has no business lining up a an LB. We can agree on that.

     

    I realize you can't simply get rid of everybody. I'll only say that CURRENTLY we don't have ONE bonafide starting LB on the entire team. As bad as our CB and SS play have been this season, it is the LB group that is most responsible for how bad our defense has played and that goes back several seasons, including Fewell's tenure as DC.

     

    GO BILLS!!!

     

    ^^^money.

    4-3 Scheme: Our defensive's biggest need

    in The Stadium Wall Archives

    Posted

    There has been much chatter on TBD about who to cut, who to sign and so on. A lot of it I seem to agree with. However, some people in certain cases rely too heavily on productivity, statistics and results. Tackles, points and rankings are good assessments for a defense, yes. But it is difficult to judge an individual player on this alone. This being said, I would like to argue that our biggest need, by far, is Outside linebacker. Positional roles in a 4-3 scheme are crucial to overall success. Frankly, many players on our defense do not play how scheme intends them to...Positionally, lets look at responsibilities of the front seven in run defense based on our 4-3 scheme.

     

    -Defensive Tackles: Must penetrate LOS and keep guards/center off our linebackers leaving them free to scrape

     

    -Defensive ends: Must compress and contain the football, forcing it inside to our scraping backers

     

    -Mike: Usually responsible for B to B gaps, should scrape closed doors and fill open windows

     

    -Sam: Meet lead blockers @ LOS, head on, keeping the flow dead in its tracks.

     

    -Will: Fill, fill, fill, often unblocked in run game. Must make plays!!! **In football, the Will is the hardest player to block...he is often removed by formation, or left unaccounted for to get lost in traffic.

     

    Buffalo's problem? There is no outside linebackers who can properly fill these roles. Too often is Sheppard (Mike) filling holes and eating guards. When this happens, we rely on guys like Bryan Scott and Nick Barnett to make plays. You think this is an accident? This is strategy. Teams feed off of this. i think if we acquire an outside backer who has a nose for the ball and is not afraid to blow up a 300 lb guard, our defense will greatly improve. I would love to see Kelvin Sheppard roam free in the middle. He makes good reads, is a reliable tackler and a defensive leader. Not a 3 down guy, but don't count this guy out. He does a lot more than make tackles.

     

    I am not spit balling here. But I will not pretend to know it all. This is merely my take. After 4 years of a collegiate career in football, I know a fair share of the x's and o's. I'd love to hear everyone's take on this. So do we really need a MLB? or is lack of execution in our scheme camouflaging our problems...

    Veteran players that need to be cut or re-signed in the offseason

    in The Stadium Wall Archives

    Posted

    When you are 31st against the run and can't stop opposing QBs from running the ball at will, your LB cannot be good against the run!!

     

    Hard to argue the numbers, but correct me if I'm wrong. If a defense is 31st in the league against the rush and the QB cannot be stopped from running the ball, it's the Mike's fault? Not in my eyes, especially in a 4-3. Those D tackles need to keep guards off of our linebackers and they frankly do not. Sometimes, they are blocked INTO our Mike. Yes, he is partially to blame but Shep does his fair share of role playing. He often seems to eat up guards and get to the ball at the LOS, but not necessarily making the play. This leaves the door WIDE open for outside backers to fill. When your outside backers are invisibe, here lies the problem.

     

    **This was our main problem against the run yesterday (IMO)

     

    In regards to the QB rushing the ball, do you mean to say in a read option, scramble, what?

     

    A 4-3 Defense needs capable outside backers, which unfortunately, Nix/Gailey/Wanny forgot about.

    Veteran players that need to be cut or re-signed in the offseason

    in The Stadium Wall Archives

    Posted

    I wish I could agree with you on Shep. But I have seen little evidence that he can be a consistent MLB in this league. Like Fitz, he's got a great aptitude for the game, but he is physically limited. His biggest problem is speed, both lateral and to the hole. He gets lost in traffic far too often and isn't very good at shedding a block. Perhaps I'd keep him around because he's a good presence in the locker room, film room, etc. like Kelsay, but I wouldn't count on him to contribute much in the way of being a playmaker and that's what an MLB has to be first and foremost. Shep just isn't a playmaker.

     

    GO BILLS!!!

     

    Was I watching a different game than everyone else yesterday? Sheppard seems to be the only linebacker on the roster. I never said he was a starter or the most athletic, but he gets to the balls. Here is my reasoning...Barnett is terrible, makes wrong reads and looks like he has cinderblock feet. Bryan Scott, well, no n need explaining here. I don't think Bradham is all that bad. The numbers don't show it, but when I watch him play, he scrapes and fills open holes well (but they take him off the field too oftten). Point being, shep may not be the guy in the future, but he is a consitantly solid tackler, big presence in the middle, a leader of the defense and knows how to make a read. Are you really going to scrap 3 of our 4 'starting' LB's? No way.

    So, was Spiller winded today?

    in The Stadium Wall Archives

    Posted

    All kidding aside, I think Dorin D. could be a player.

     

    Aside from his drops and fumble today, he has shown he can get open. I'd like to see him more in a 2 tight end set

     

    If our offensive can get a good pocket passer and lock up Levitre, I can see the Bills offense (hopefully) transitioning into a 49er type, 2 tight end, smash em, run run play action team. I do not think this is Chan's style at all, but since it's almost Christmas, I can always hope.

    No excuses.

    in The Stadium Wall Archives

    Posted

    It's come to the point in the season (as it usually does) that the Bills are all but lost. I don't expect them to go out and win anymore and that is okay in my book. Their is clearly some unresolved issues throughout the entire organization and my mind has moved onto the crucial off season. Missed tackles, dropped balls, just flat out dumb plays have plagued our team.

     

    However...These are all physical mistakes. I cannot sit here at this point in the season and complain about these mistakes because its been happening all year. But the one thing that I will never understand, in any sport, performance, job or activity, is the blatant lack of effort some of these players have. They really look to me like they just don't give a s*** anymore.

     

    That said:

     

    I love Corey McIntyre's blind side block. At least he's trying, cares and wants to win. Here's a guy who may not be the most effective and great player for the bills, but I'll take a roster full of guys like him before these sad souls who give up on themselves, teammates and the fans. Really is such a same. No pride.

     

    A list of guys I saw take plays off:

     

    M. Williams

    N. Barnett

    G. Wilson

    A. Williams

    J. Rogers

    T. Graham

     

    Maybe I'm just an angry Bills fan and am ranting on and on. But to see that really disgusts me. Effort is the one thing that you have 100% control over. This should NEVER be an issue.

    Veteran players that need to be cut or re-signed in the offseason

    in The Stadium Wall Archives

    Posted

    Cut List:

     

    Barnett

    Sheppard

    Kelsay

    Merriman

    The great Kyle Moore

    Spencer Johnson

    Moats

    Justin Rogers

    Fitzpatrick

    TJack

    Thigpen

    Brad Smith

    Ruvell Martin

    D. Dickerson

    T. Choice

     

    Keep #67 and #31.

     

    Agreed with this list except I'm keeping Sheppard. He can play the run and could be useful if we ever get the right guys around him. Not 3 down guy by any means but I like his physicality. I might keep Dorin, depending on our other FA. I like him, regardless of todays game. He seems to get open and I think he can be used in the run game and as a passing threat. Other wise, well done.

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