Thisistheyear Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 (edited) I was listening to Mike and Mike this morning. They were discussing how it will be incumbent on the leaders of each team to keep their teams focused and working together in the event of a lockout that stretches through OTAs or even training camp. I didn't get to listen to most of the discussion, but it got me thinking. If the lockout is prolonged, the best teams in 2011 may just be the teams with the leadership to stay focused throughout the ordeal. Teams like Green Bay and Pittsburgh may not miss a beat, while teams like Cinci or Oakland may have a lot of players who lose discipline and are not ready for the season to start. Where does that leave the Bills? I'm not sure, but I'm starting to like their extension of Chris Kelsay a bit. Without being inside that lockeroom, it's impossible for any of us to determine who the players look to for leadership. The coaches, however, do know. Is it possible that part of the reason for keeping Kelsay in the fold is because of the lockout factor? Donte Whitner's a free agent and not going to pick up the phone to make sure his teammates are in the weight room. Marcus Stroud is gone. Where is the veteran leadership on D? Poz? Kyle Williams? McGee? Without doing any research whatsoever, I'm going to go out on a limb and say we are one of the younger teams in the league. I was once indifferent towards Kelsay, but leadership is a more valuable commodity than ever right now and if signing him was part of a bigger plan then I applaud it. I know the signing took place months ago. But looking at it in the context of the lockout makes me think this organization may finally be taking care of the little things and are courageous enough to do what they think is right, not what will sell tickets or placate fans in the short term. It's possible, likely even, the front office knew they would take a PR hit for the move and did it anyway. I like that kind of thinking. Edited February 21, 2011 by Thisistheyear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Two things come to mind when contemplating a long, offseason work stoppage. Firstly, although it's the intention of leaders like TB's Josh Freeman and NO's Drew Brees (and others) to hold informal workouts with their receivers (often times with detailed instructions provided by the coaching staffs), there is little doubt in my mind that the NFLPA will strongly discourage this practice. By continuing to work and hone team skills during an organized work stoppage might be viewed as undermining the union position during the work stoppage. I don't have an opinion on this aspect but just pointing out that I expect it to arise as an issue if the work stoppage is prolonged. Secondly, the event of a long work stoppage IMO, will severely hurt those teams with first year head coaches/coaching staffs. In the past teams with new coaching staffs were awarded additional days of offseason OTAs to help bring them up to speed. In a shortened offseason, teams with new coaching staffs will have less time to close the gap on those teams with incumbent staffs. Bottom line, those teams with established coaching staffs will have an even bigger advantage than usual over those teams with new coaching staffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog69 Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 This is a really interesting point. I had heard reference to this back during superbowl week. They were talking about how some of the premier QBs were already getting secret practice plan schedules and things like that from the coaches so they could keep the team together and in some semblance of preparedness should there be a lockout. As you mention, the stronger, more veteran team will probably have an advantage over teams like Cincy, Oakland and Buffalo. Hopefully Fitz can keep it together. This might be the one and only reason I would like to see the BIlls re-sign Whitner now. From what I understand, he has hosted weekly study sessions for the defensive players ever since he got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 This is a really interesting point. I had heard reference to this back during superbowl week. They were talking about how some of the premier QBs were already getting secret practice plan schedules and things like that from the coaches so they could keep the team together and in some semblance of preparedness should there be a lockout. As you mention, the stronger, more veteran team will probably have an advantage over teams like Cincy, Oakland and Buffalo. Hopefully Fitz can keep it together. This might be the one and only reason I would like to see the BIlls re-sign Whitner now. From what I understand, he has hosted weekly study sessions for the defensive players ever since he got here. I could see Fitz trying to rally the offense around him. On D...do we really want that D rallying around anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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