Donte Whitner - You got to love him!

[akm0404]

Donte Whitner is so far from being the problem with this team that it isn't even funny.

 

Guy is a solid, not spectacular player, who actually cares if the team wins or loses. He would play for most other NFL teams, and that really can't be said about most of our players. Worry more about them and stop being haters.

[Acantha]

Yeah, a defense that allows him to make tackles 10 yards downfield because the front 7 can't stop the run. This isn't a London Fletcher complaint, Donte didn't make plays at the LOS when he was put there often by the previous regime, so he claims that the new defense that allows him to play deeper suits him. Maybe in run defense, but he still doesn't make plays in coverage. There is no defense that will make Whitner into the player he thinks he is.

Aren't you kind of picking certain things out of that argument to suit your purpose? You're saying that he's playing deeper and covering for a bad group of LB's but still isn't making plays in coverage, but wouldn't a safety playing with a better group of LB's and not having to play a certain way to cover for their deficiencies at least have the chance to show more ability playing a pure safety role?

 

Not saying I disagree with your assessment of his talent, just that I think your statement above makes an argument for the opposite point of view.

[yungmack]

He's not an amazing safety by any means. We have Scott and Wilson to take his spot if he sign elsewhere. Saying that, I want to see him in a bills uni for the next 3-5 years. He plays hard. He really cares. He flys around out there sacrificing his body like no one else on this team (sure, sometimes he misses, but he smacks people up too). People say that this team plays harder than any team in the NFL. Why is that? Why do we play harder? I know I'll get flames for this, but I feel he is one of the reasons we play so hard. He's the vocal leader out there defensively, a unit that has gotten better each and every week (minus the Viking game). I can only remember a few times this year when he was beaten for big plays, against the run or pass. He may run his mouth a lot, but he helps run this d as well. Keep donte (though don't be stupid and give him a redic contract). I hope he wants to stay.

I agree with you. If any of the secondary have to leave, I nominate Youboty and McKelvin.

[NoSaint]

Millions of people post on twitter everyday. And plenty of those tweets are bitching about work.

 

Whitner, along with all other football players, are human. They're just normal people with a job and career like the rest of us. The only difference is that they are in the spotlight, and are in a position where bored/jealous people get to pas judgment on their every move.

 

Everyone who gets in a huff about an athlete or celebrity's twitter, needs to just take a breath and relax.

 

You're seeing a one second snap shot of their thought at that very moment. It means very little.

 

and many of those complaining about work get fired.

 

that said, i hope we can keep him. I think an above average contract is pretty fair. just not elite.

[greenmohawk]

Donte's looked good blitzing this year, they should send him more often.

[tennesseeboy]

of course teams pay based on what you mean to them. That's the whole point isn't it?

[BADOLBILZ]

Aren't you kind of picking certain things out of that argument to suit your purpose? You're saying that he's playing deeper and covering for a bad group of LB's but still isn't making plays in coverage, but wouldn't a safety playing with a better group of LB's and not having to play a certain way to cover for their deficiencies at least have the chance to show more ability playing a pure safety role?

 

Not saying I disagree with your assessment of his talent, just that I think your statement above makes an argument for the opposite point of view.

 

Making tackles 10 yards from the LOS isn't covering for the front 7, it's just called playing behind it.

 

My point is, he isn't very good at the LOS, and he isn't good in coverage. When you think of an outstanding safety, it's that guy who always seems to be breaking up plays, a guy who always seems to know what is coming and often makes the opposing offense look bad for running that play. When does Whitner do this? Never?

 

He's not bad, but he's not exceptional either. Perhaps the thing he is most lacking most is instincts in pass coverage. For one example, think back to the Vikings game, where he got burned for a long TD at the goal line. He was the deep support and ran for the pylon with his head straight up and his arms outstretched like he was fielding a punt. Totally oblivious of the WR who caught it waist high in front of a clueless Donte.

 

To me, that's Donte being Donte. That's what you get with him. And that's fine. You can't have 22 All Pros. But you also can't pay a complementary player $6-7M per year and then expect to build and maintain a defense with enough playmakers to put a consistent winner on the field.

 

The reality in the NFL is that stars make two, three, even four times as much as the average starters. If you have a roster filled with guys like Whiter and Kelsay making half or more of what the superstars of the game at their positions make, then one of two things is going to happen. Either you aren't going to field a good defense, or you will have long term payroll issues.

 

But I can see where Donte is coming from. He saw the contract the Bills gave Kelsay, who was playing absolutely AWFUL at the time and he heard their lame justification for it.

 

Whitner's contribution is clearly more than Kelsay's and he is also invested in the success of the team and on-board with the coaching all the things that supposedly made Kelsay worthwhile.

 

And he has a point. But two wrongs don't make a right and inexplicable signings like the Kelsay signing have repercussions. Signing Donte to a contract Donte feels is fair is just going to cause more of these problems and quite possibly.....HOPEFULLY....the next contracts that are up for extension will be those of better players than Kelsay and Whitner.

[C.Biscuit97]

Just think. Some kid out there with a legitimately functional brain missed out on an education because this clown got to go for free.

 

Clown? Who the !@#$ are you to call out someone's intelligence? Stop being jealous of Whitner because he found a career that people actually care about (enough to whine about his Twitter posts).

 

Jealousy is a female dog. Get your own life instead worrying about someone else's.

Edited December 23, 2010 by C.Biscuit97

[Sabre Bill]

lil D's big brother??

 

Pretty passionate defense of Athletes getting free rides to colleges that cost Students tens of thousands of dollars.

 

I'm not sure that I even disagree with your point, but your post seems pretty angst-ridden over one of the gentler names he's been called today . . .

 

Lot's of talented students don't get to go to college. That seems a bit unfair when you see athletes act as if they didn't benefit from going.

 

Not sure if it's fair to think Donte, or any other athlete, unfairly took someone else's spot, but . . .

[marsadale]

Just think. Some kid out there with a legitimately functional brain missed out on an education because this clown got to go for free.

maybe that kid should have posted a better time in the 40 comin outta highschool.

 

Millions of people post on twitter everyday. And plenty of those tweets are bitching about work.

 

Whitner, along with all other football players, are human. They're just normal people with a job and career like the rest of us. The only difference is that they are in the spotlight, and are in a position where bored/jealous people get to pas judgment on their every move.

 

Everyone who gets in a huff about an athlete or celebrity's twitter, needs to just take a breath and relax.

 

You're seeing a one second snap shot of their thought at that very moment. It means very little.

now that you mention it....who the f*** pays attn to whats said on twitter? if yer like, some big twitter fan, yer kinda f***ed up to begin with. sorry just my opinion...maybe ill TWEET it.

Edited December 23, 2010 by marsadale

[BillsVet]

Did everyone completely forget how many games this guy hast cost the bills because he can't cover a single tight end? The defense has picked up against mostly mediocre teams. Once he is gone this team will immediately get better.

 

As someone wonderfully put it, he leads the NFL in hits delivered after TD catches. No one questions the work ethic, but he's not the type to get a pay raise over his rookie contract. I think the Bills know they'll have a high pick come April and are preparing for it.

[qdawg in philly]

Most can't even spell GPA at the U

Who cares?! The U sends the best to league!!!

[Gugny]

Clown? Who the !@#$ are you to call out someone's intelligence? Stop being jealous of Whitner because he found a career that people actually care about (enough to whine about his Twitter posts).

 

Jealousy is a female dog. Get your own life instead worrying about someone else's.

My knock on Whitner is specific to his, what I deem as, overuse of Twitter. He shouldn't be negotiating via Twitter. Would anyone expect an NFL Owner to post business on a social networking site? Can you imagine if Dan Snyder tweeted - "McNabb's our number 3, LOL!" Why is it acceptable for the players to do it.

 

I will admit that I shouldn't have deduced that Whitner's not an intelligent man.

 

And in the same breath you're telling me to get my own life instead of worrying about someone else's ... you seem to be awfully interested in what I'm thinking and doing.

 

Hypocrite.

 

Merry Christmas.

[Bill from NYC]

My knock on Whitner is specific to his, what I deem as, overuse of Twitter. He shouldn't be negotiating via Twitter. Would anyone expect an NFL Owner to post business on a social networking site? Can you imagine if Dan Snyder tweeted - "McNabb's our number 3, LOL!" Why is it acceptable for the players to do it.

Merry Christmas.

 

It's true. Before we talk about how Whitner communicates, we should talk about his clutch, game changing big plays.

 

OK, now that that's finished, I wonder what cell phone network he uses?

[Dawgg]

And in the same breath you're telling me to get my own life instead of worrying about someone else's ... you seem to be awfully interested in what I'm thinking and doing.

 

Hypocrite.

 

Merry Christmas.

Don't worry about C.Biscuit97. She knows little about the business of football and is incapable of objective thought.

BADOL put it well, referring to her as the Matt Millen of TBD