D-Line, if we draft Dareus

[Fingon]

4-3:

 

Merriman- Williams - Dareus - Moats/Carrington

 

3-4:

 

Dareus- Williams - Carrington

[RealityCheck]

So with the recent rumors and projections, Denver really seems to like Von Miller. We are pretty much at their mercy, but we are pretty much guaranteed a really good player. So we get Marcell Dareus, but what would D-line look like in the 2011 season. Do we have too much invested already? How many d-line men would we need to play a real 3-4?

 

Kyle Williams- Will see the field more than any other Bills d-line men, deservedly so. Playmaker, especially when rushing the passer and uses his pentration skills. 3 technique

Torrell Troup- 2nd round pick. Run stuffer, hopefully gets a lot better in his 2nd year. Nose tackle

Alex Carrington- 3rd round pick. Very good potential and can become a complete DE in 34. 5 technique

Dwan Edwards- The biggest free agent from the Nix era. Solid, versatile, but not over powering. 3 or 5 technique

Chris Kelsay- The underwhelming classic face of the Bills defense. Get a lot of PT, but clearly doesnt fit in a 34. DE in 4-3 looks.

Spencer Johnson- Good depth, average player with ST value. 3 or 5 technique.

*Marcell Dareus*- Could play in many positions along the line. Powerful, quick, can shed blocks. ?????

 

So my question is, where does he play and who is not starting? Personally, I would like to see Kelsay go (his contract extension was overrated and can be release without the bills losing too much money). Have Dareus playing a 5 technique in 34 looks and maybe DE in 4-3 looks. I think he is quick enough to play out on the edge. Maybe the Bills D staff will do something creative for a change.

Talking about the draft is one thing right now. But I don't think my brain can handle projecting who will step up in training camp AND not get injured before September. All I think I know is that we don't have enough invested at any position. Anybody seen a baby?

[bills1960]

Troup and Williams will probably share a more even amount of playing time this year, depending on how Troup improves. But I'm more worried about the DE position. Who knows how Carrington will progress, Kelsay is a 3-4 OLB, Johnson is a career backup at best and Dawn Edwards is the closest thing we have to a starter. Draft Dareus and our problems will be solved.

Edited April 28, 2011 by bills1960

[808]

Kelsay is a 3-4 OLB,

 

 

???? no he really isnt.hes a slow average 43 end. did you see how lost he was when trying to play OLB? he looked like a racoon witha peanut butter jar stuck on his head

[Cash]

I think you will see Dareus as a BJ Raji type for us. He will prob play 5 tech and a little nose at times this year, before being a half nose guard half 5 tech and could eventually be the starting Nose. I just don’t see KW holding down the nose for the rest of his career, and Troup is expected to start at some point I would expect. Even if he does start, we will need more than 1 NG. KW and Dareus can be in the rotation at both positions, primarily on passing downs.

 

Troupe = NG on non-passing downs.

Dareus or KW = NG on 3rd and longs

Dareus and KW, with some Carrington and Ewards mixed in. = 5 techs on non-passing downs

Carrington and KW or Dareus = 5 techs on 3rd and longs

 

We obviouisly cannot have all 4 on the field at once in a 3-4, but I think thats a very good rotation of players. In other news, Imagine trying to run on KW(LE) Dareus(3 tech) Troup(NG) Carrington(RE). not a bad 4 man front for short yardage.

 

I tend to agree. Ngata is another massive and nimble guy who alternates between the nose and 5-tech (in both cases, Ryan Pickett & Kelly Gregg are big factors in pushing Raji/Ngata to end). I see Dareus as that type of player, but spending more time at DE. If we draft him, I think he starts at LDE from day 1 in the 3-4, and at DT in a 4-3 look.

 

To the OP's point, Kelsay shouldn't factor into this discussion much. If last year was any indication, Kelsay will only play DE in nickel or dime situations - never in a base 3-4 or 4-3. And I'm sure Carrington would be given an opportunity to win the job over Dareus or Edwards, but I imagine the coaching staff would be pretty surprised if Carrington did win it. He's a 3rd-rounder (not exactly guaranteed starter in year 2) who got like 100 total snaps last year. That's not a guy who can just be penciled in to play 40 snaps a game. I would expect Carrington to be part of the D-line rotation, but strictly as a backup. Same thing with Spencer Johnson. I would think Troup would also come off the bench, but with a bit of a bigger role, since he'd be part of probably any goal line package.