Ramius Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Jim Leonhard is a very special player and is a student of the game. But let's also recognize that he's benefited from playing behind the front 7 in Balt & NYJ. He's the perfect DB for those teams. He'd be below average on any other team. Great post. Jim Leonard, while a nice player, greatly benefits from having played on some phenomenal defenses. In Buffalo, he struggled because he was actually asked to make plays and carry a big load. He appears to succeed in Baltimore and on the Jets, because he's probably the 9th or 10th biggest threat on the starting 11 of each of those squads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan89 Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 Wasn't Jim Leonard one of TBD's Favorite Whipping Boys when he was with the Bills? Football Prospectus called him one of the worst starters in the NFL in 2007 when he was with the Bills. In 3 years with Buffalo lets face it he sucked and it was a combination of just getting into the league and the Tampa 2 system not working well for him. Then he went to Baltimore as a backup and had one hell of a year starting due to injury and preforming well in a new scheme. He signs with the Jets and is now a pretty good player. The guy just wasn't a fit here in Buffalo sometimes that happens I can't say the organization really dropped the ball with Leonard its just the guy passed through the organization and didn't flourish here. He needed to go elsewhere to be successful and did. I honestly don't think Leonard would have worked in Buffalo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 (edited) Put Leonhard on a mediocre defense and see what you think of him then. Put any player on a mediocre defense and see how their production declines. No team is going to field all-stars at every position. But having a savvy player who sets up the other DBs is a good asset to have. Edited December 5, 2010 by JohnC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 Ah, the myth of JL. A great story and it is amazing what he accomplished. But there are a million JLs in the league. He's a smart player who probably helps out an idiot like Cromartie but he is hardly a game changing player. Tough injury though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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