PFW audibles

[dave mcbride]

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/06/02/insider-patriots-targeting-veteran-wideout

 

• "Did anyone wonder why Denver passed on Marcell Dareus? What you have to remember — one of John Fox's best friends is (former Panthers DL coach) Sal Sunsieri. He coaches (linebackers) for Alabama now. Fox took the best pass rusher and emphasized how he will be able to contribute on every down. He did not think (Dareus) would be a three-down player. … (Buffalo GM) Buddy Nix apparently did. Or maybe he just missed it, like the huge mistake he made giving the oldest right tackle in the league (ORT Cornell Green) a lot of money. How well did that work out? About as good as flipping to a '30' defense and moving all of their best players out of position. Buddy knows how to fool (owner Ralph) Wilson."

[Coach Tuesday]

Cue the "who cares what some anonymous scout has to say" responses.

 

If this team wins less than 6 games next year, are folks going to start questioning whether Buddy knows what he is doing? Or will the grace period be extended? I see so many "Buddy and Chan are turning this thing around" posts, and God I hope it's true. But so far, I haven't seen it with my own eyes. At all.

 

(Cue the "Go away doom and gloomers" responses...)

[Doc]

And Von Miller was easily blocked by TE's at times in college. What does it all mean? We'll find out when they get on the field, not based on what PFW, John Fox, or Sal Sunsieri speculate.

[VirginiaMike]

Sounds like this guy has it in for Buddy. I am one who believe that Marcell Dareus will excel for the Bills. I am not as positive abut Von Miller. I think it'll be interesting when the Bills 3rd round choice, Kelvin Sheppard, out plays Miller (of course I am an incurable optimist)

[John from Riverside]

LOL.....anyone who thinks Darius was a bad pick just instantly loses credibility.

 

Not only was he one of the best players in the draft....he also was a player at one of our most glaring needs......

[Ghost of Rob Johnson]

Wow, that "scout" has alot of venom for Buddy, wonder what he did to piss him off?

[PromoTheRobot]

Someone please show this article to Dareus before each game, especially before the Denver game.

 

PTR

[K-9]

So is this anonymous source implying that the Alabama LB coach specifically told his good friend John Fox that Dareus isn't a four down player?

 

Is there any evidence, based on his college career, that Dareus CAN'T be an every down player?

 

Are there ANY links to articles suggesting Dareus can't be an every down player?

 

Has Fox been criticized by Denver fans/media for taking Miller instead of Dareus?

 

Whoever the source for the article is, he obviously has an axe to grind with Buddy Nix. To suggest Nix was incorrect to draft Dareus because Green didn't pan out is stupid. To suggest Nix is pulling the wool over RW's eyes by doing so is even dumber.

 

Would the anonymous source have praised Nix for passing on Dareus? I doubt it.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[Doc]

LOL.....anyone who thinks Darius was a bad pick just instantly loses credibility.

 

Not only was he one of the best players in the draft....he also was a player at one of our most glaring needs......

PFW has lacked cred since Buschbaum died. It's stupid stuff like this that reminds me that they're still around.

[Coach Tuesday]

Criticizing the Dareus pick is stupid, especially because the snippet makes it seem like Nix passed up on Miller - he didn't have the chance to draft Miller.

 

But I don't think that's the thrust of the quote. It's questioning Nix's ability to team-build, which is a concern I share. It accurately mentions that Nix chose to go into last season without a starting right tackle. The results were catastrophic. It also points out the extremely ill-advised decision to switch defensive schemes, also catastrophic. All I'm saying is, the jury is still out on Nix.

[Kelly the Dog]

What a terrible article.

 

First, he did not give Cornell Green a lot of money, he gave him average starter money and then immediately cut him when he didn't play well (not to mention that half the reason he was signed was because he was a veteran and three of the other starters were basically second year players.

 

Second, Nix moved our best defensive players so much out of position that they had their best years? Kyle Williams and Paul Posluzney? Jairus Byrd from free safety to free safety? The move to a different defense was imperative, and he knew it was going to take more than a year to restock the mess that Jauron left with the Tampa -2. Everyone knew that.

 

And third, is he talking about the John Fox that just lorded over the worst team in pro football only to be fired from that job and hired by one of very few teams in worse shape and hands than the Bills are?

[K-9]

What a terrible article.

 

First, he did not give Cornell Green a lot of money, he gave him average starter money and then immediately cut him when he didn't play well (not to mention that half the reason he was signed was because he was a veteran and three of the other starters were basically second year players.

 

Second, Nix moved our best defensive players so much out of position that they had their best years? Kyle Williams and Paul Posluzney? Jairus Byrd from free safety to free safety? The move to a different defense was imperative, and he knew it was going to take more than a year to restock the mess that Jauron left with the Tampa -2. Everyone knew that.

 

And third, is he talking about the John Fox that just lorded over the worst team in pro football only to be fired from that job and hired by one of very few teams in worse shape and hands than the Bills are?

 

I hadn't thought of that before. It's kind of funny that a coach went from the worst team to the second worst team. I guess Fox is a climber.

 

Good points about players out of position. I think Kelsay and Stroud were the only players truly out of position. Kelsay and Stroud playing next to each other was a bad experiment. KW went from a 3 technique DT to a 1 gap NT and played great. Poz went from a 43 MLB to a 34 ILB (an easier transition than the reverse) and was just as bad, his tackle totals notwithstanding. I just don't think Poz is starter material in the NFL regardless of front seven alignment.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[billsintaiwan]

i just want to add that scouts can be snippy clique bitches. i've mentioned before that i scout baseball in taiwan, and the atmosphere ranges from professional and cool to monkeys throwing feces. depends on the time of the year mostly.

 

scouting in any sport is an inexact science and the vagueness of it all leads to a bunch of insecure guys acting like they know more than everyone else. sources get inflated, news gets mangled, rumors become truth, etc...

 

i think 'audibles' is interesting sometimes, but their 'sources' really don't like nix. i remember him being referred to as a 'joke' when he was hired. they probably ask the same five or six guys for opinions and they all have axes to grind.

 

the best scouts i know in baseball wouldn't give out little snippets like that. they don't need to make other people think they're clever or rip on fellow scouts. bad scouts out themselves eventually. and if you are a good scout, you want lots of bad scouts around. makes your job easier. you would never rip on them. at most, you might sing their praises if anyone asks.

 

i'm betting nix makes this guy look silly over the next couple years, but there is no accountability since he remains anonymous.

[Red Squirrel]

What a terrible article.

 

First, he did not give Cornell Green a lot of money, he gave him average starter money and then immediately cut him when he didn't play well (not to mention that half the reason he was signed was because he was a veteran and three of the other starters were basically second year players.

 

Second, Nix moved our best defensive players so much out of position that they had their best years? Kyle Williams and Paul Posluzney? Jairus Byrd from free safety to free safety? The move to a different defense was imperative, and he knew it was going to take more than a year to restock the mess that Jauron left with the Tampa -2. Everyone knew that.

 

And third, is he talking about the John Fox that just lorded over the worst team in pro football only to be fired from that job and hired by one of very few teams in worse shape and hands than the Bills are?

 

I think your first and third points are excellent. The second point...huh? Williams was very good both years; Byrd went from a ballhawk to a non-entity; Poz was Poz...average. Everyone *didn't* know they needed to change scheme. If anything was learned last year it's that the talent level (and the always underrated continuity) makes more difference than scheme. The "Tampa-2" you malign did very well against the pass in 2009; George Edwards' D was awful against the pass. Both were awful against the run.

 

Bills pass defense:

2009 184 YPG; 14 TDs; 28 INTs; 61.1 passer rating against

2010 192 YPG; 28 TDs; 11 INTs; 92.6 passer rating against

 

Bills run defense:

2009 156.3 YPG; 19 TDs; 4.7 per carry

2010 169.6 YPG; 18 TDs; 4.8 per carry

 

That is a DRASTIC difference in pass defense, folks. I know it is hard to give Jauron credit for anything, but it is clear that he had a better idea how to stop the pass than the current group. I like Gailey, but I think if they had hired Fewell as HC and Gailey as OC, we might have won 8 or 9 games. It isn't like you can't find 4 or 5 close ones that could have turned if one or two passes were broken up.

Edited June 2, 2011 by Red Squirrel

[Lurker]

PFW has lacked cred since Buschbaum died. It's stupid stuff like this that reminds me that they're still around.

It's too bad that a once-proud publication like PFW has to yell "fire" in the theater just like the rest of the Internet hoi polloi.

 

Then again, just think how much this guy is making as a credentialed journalist...

[K-9]

I think your first and third points are excellent. The second point...huh? Williams was very good both years; Byrd went from a ballhawk to a non-entity; Poz was Poz...average. Everyone *didn't* know they needed to change scheme. If anything was learned last year it's that the talent level (and the always underrated continuity) makes more difference than scheme. The "Tampa-2" you malign did very well against the pass in 2009; George Edwards' D was awful against the pass. Both were awful against the run.

 

Bills pass defense:

2009 184 YPG; 14 TDs; 28 INTs; 61.1 passer rating against

2010 192 YPG; 28 TDs; 11 INTs; 92.6 passer rating against

 

Bills run defense:

2009 156.3 YPG; 19 TDs; 4.7 per carry

2010 169.6 YPG; 18 TDs; 4.8 per carry

 

That is a DRASTIC difference in pass defense, folks. I know it is hard to give Jauron credit for anything, but it is clear that he had a better idea how to stop the pass than the current group. I like Gailey, but I think if they had hired Fewell as HC and Gailey as OC, we might have won 8 or 9 games. It isn't like you can't find 4 or 5 close ones that could have turned if one or two passes were broken up.

 

The biggest difference in stopping the pass between '09 and '10 was the ability for the front seven to pressure the QB. Not necessarily in terms of sacks but in hurries. We simply couldn't pressure the pocket in 2010. We really missed Schobel and, as bad as Kelsay is as an LB, he could bring pressure as a 43 DE in the past.

 

Byrd played just as much cover 2 out of the 34 as he did out of the 43. I think the big difference was that Fewell wasn't afraid to bring more pressure than Jauron after DJ was canned in '09. Also, we all know now that Byrd was nursing a chronic groin injury last season as well.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[Kelly the Dog]

I think your first and third points are excellent. The second point...huh? Williams was very good both years; Byrd went from a ballhawk to a non-entity; Poz was Poz...average. Everyone *didn't* know they needed to change scheme. If anything was learned last year it's that the talent level (and the always underrated continuity) makes more difference than scheme. The "Tampa-2" you malign did very well against the pass in 2009; George Edwards' D was awful against the pass. Both were awful against the run.

 

Bills pass defense:

2009 184 YPG; 14 TDs; 28 INTs; 61.1 passer rating against

2010 192 YPG; 28 TDs; 11 INTs; 92.6 passer rating against

 

Bills run defense:

2009 156.3 YPG; 19 TDs; 4.7 per carry

2010 169.6 YPG; 18 TDs; 4.8 per carry

 

That is a DRASTIC difference in pass defense, folks. I know it is hard to give Jauron credit for anything, but it is clear that he had a better idea how to stop the pass than the current group. I like Gailey, but I think if they had hired Fewell as HC and Gailey as OC, we might have won 8 or 9 games. It isn't like you can't find 4 or 5 close ones that could have turned if one or two passes were broken up.

Our defense has been terrible as long as the offense has. We generated a pass rush in 2009 with a mostly healthy Schobel which led to a bunch of turnovers but we still could not stop anyone, especially when it mattered, and we were bullied. Last year, in the first year in a new scheme, with no Schobel and devastated by injuries, we scrambled the entire year. The turnovers in 2009 were more of an aberration for Jauron and our version of the Tampa 2 than anything (I think we had 10,18 and 13 INTs in his other three years)

 

That said, I thought Perry Fewell was an excellent DC with what he had to work with, I wish he was still here, and I have no confidence whatsoever in George Edwards. I hope with Wanny's help he proves me wrong. But there is no question that we were too small, and slow, and weak, and had few real playmakers on defense, and that a change in scheme was needed. Not to mention our best player retired.

Edited June 2, 2011 by Kelly the Fair and Balanced Dog

[Ghost of Rob Johnson]

Criticizing the Dareus pick is stupid, especially because the snippet makes it seem like Nix passed up on Miller - he didn't have the chance to draft Miller.

 

But I don't think that's the thrust of the quote. It's questioning Nix's ability to team-build, which is a concern I share. It accurately mentions that Nix chose to go into last season without a starting right tackle. The results were catastrophic. It also points out the extremely ill-advised decision to switch defensive schemes, also catastrophic. All I'm saying is, the jury is still out on Nix.

I think that's fair, but if the scheme they ultimately want to run is the 34 why not switch to it and let the current guys sink or swim in it to get that transition year out of the way early in the rebuild.

 

Also, alot of the quote came off as petty. It's impossible to comeback since you don't know what team he's from, but all teams have missed from time to time on free agents and the $3M they lost on Green is nothing compared to some of the guaranteed money thrown around out there.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Bills pass defense:

2009 184 YPG; 14 TDs; 28 INTs; 61.1 passer rating against

2010 192 YPG; 28 TDs; 11 INTs; 92.6 passer rating against

 

Bills run defense:

2009 156.3 YPG; 19 TDs; 4.7 per carry

2010 169.6 YPG; 18 TDs; 4.8 per carry

 

That is a DRASTIC difference in pass defense, folks. I know it is hard to give Jauron credit for anything, but it is clear that he had a better idea how to stop the pass than the current group. I like Gailey, but I think if they had hired Fewell as HC and Gailey as OC, we might have won 8 or 9 games. It isn't like you can't find 4 or 5 close ones that could have turned if one or two passes were broken up.

 

The biggest difference in stopping the pass between '09 and '10 was the ability for the front seven to pressure the QB. Not necessarily in terms of sacks but in hurries. We simply couldn't pressure the pocket in 2010. We really missed Schobel and, as bad as Kelsay is as an LB, he could bring pressure as a 43 DE in the past.

 

Byrd played just as much cover 2 out of the 34 as he did out of the 43. I think the big difference was that Fewell wasn't afraid to bring more pressure than Jauron after DJ was canned in '09. Also, we all know now that Byrd was nursing a chronic groin injury last season as well.

One other note to the step down in pass defense during last year's transition is that the DB Coach, George Catavolos was retained from the Jauron Regime.

[tonyjustbcuz]

Cue the "who cares what some anonymous scout has to say" responses.

 

If this team wins less than 6 games next year, are folks going to start questioning whether Buddy knows what he is doing? Or will the grace period be extended? I see so many "Buddy and Chan are turning this thing around" posts, and God I hope it's true. But so far, I haven't seen it with my own eyes. At all.

 

(Cue the "Go away doom and gloomers" responses...)

 

 

I like your response to the subject matter! I know it's early but I think the Bills will win just that...6 games! They really have a hard schedule..It seems that way nearly every year! When your not that good I suppose every schedule looks tough! I can't remember ever hearing in the past several seasons that they have an easy schedule? Then again over a decade without any playoff game(s) may be part of it!

 

I think 6 wins is a fair assesment overall...based on what I have seen in Nix's and Gailey's tenure so far. I do like that they got Wannstandt, and that D. Whaley jumped ship from the Steelers to the Bills. In some ways I've seen some improvements, but I think generally the unwillingness of the Bills organization to make multiple significant player acquisitions in free agency has and will hurt them until they stop using free agency just to find midling players for depth or meet positional number needs on the roster. If you can get a free agent or two that is still young enough, and talented enough to make an impact the Bills need to entertain that route. Not so much a T.O. type of player for the purpose of filling some seats knowing that he is near the end of his career, but a real game changer even if you have to pay a bit too much to do it! I'm not saying to live and die by free agency the way Daniel Snyder does when it comes to his Washington Redskins!

 

Year after year we lose key players to teams that are willing to pay too much for talent, and then we create the circle of self implosion that the Bills management causes on their own inferior personnel design. This year we are bound to lose more free agents whenever the leaugue is back in the business, although the quality (lack therof) may not be as sorely missed as in previous years. The Bills philosophy cannot work as its flawed from the onset! If you avoid marquee talent available in free agency? and instead just sign free agents for either depth or marginal players like Nix calls them...how do you replace players over the years that are either coming into their own, or have excelled when they leave a void and depart via free agency? ie: Nate Clements, Jabari Greer, Antwoine Winfield, Pat Williams, Sam Cowhart, Leonhard, etc...etc..So many more! I know its not all Buddy Nix's fault, but all the Bills have been doing is mostly drafting, to feel holes over the years for players that have exited! All we really have been doing is trying to fill these voids instead of adding depth at positions like New England and Indianapolis does every year.

 

Missing on several drafts have really hurt the Bills as well...and I really don't have a high level of confidence in the C.J. Spiller pick and never have. I was not impressed with last years draft at all, and if anything I was pretty upset. The year before selecting Maybin which has been talked about a lot was flat out the wrong pick as Orakapo was there for the taking! H. Ngata was there a few years ago etc...Talent evaluation (Modrak..Thank God he's gone..maybe the best off-season move) is crucial, and the Bills have severely lacked in this category. This years draft appears to be much better although it'll take a while to know. You can't have bad drafts, not believe in free agents, and lose key players to free agency!!! That's a no-brainer and to date the Bills just don't get it! We'll see how Nix does in Free agency this year, but if it's same 'ole, same'ole....well then the writing is on the wall and it may as well be in cement as we'll be seeing a new GM (Doug Whaley), and new Coach in 2 years!!! Like Rocky said "There is no tomorrow" If the Bills aren't careful these words may apply to the whole organization!

 

I do agree that free agency is not your principal means of becoming a good team, but other teams that have built up through the draft like the N.Y. Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers are not afraid of dipping their hand into the cookie jar and pulling a vital player from the free agent market. Unfortuantely, when the Bills have dipped into the well they have misjudged talent and overpaid for players that did not live up to their expectations! That's where your Bill Polians, Bill Parcells, and Bill Bellichecks come into play (But not these Bills so far! Pun intended!) as they are good talent evaluators. I have not seen that from the Bills organization and if Marcell Dareus is a perrenial Pro Bowl player I think most of it is because of where the Bills picked, and that Dareus was practically a no-brainer!

 

So what's the point? I guess the point is that as long as Ralph Wilson is around and the owner of the Bills, unless he just someday say's the heck with it and spends right up to the cap and circumvents it with creative contracts like everyone else does!...Unless that happens which I doubt! I think the Bills are destined for mediocrity. I would be surprised if they didn't trade out of the #1 spot if and when they ever have that selection as that would require the Bills to outlay the biggest contract in NFL history! (or the player probably would refuse to sign! as we know how players and agents are these days!) Could you imagine Andrew Lucks contract, if that were the case???????? Do you see the Bills willing to pay that???? when they could trade down and get maybe two lower first round picks and save a ton of cash! Well the 1st pick pick is more likely than the 32nd pick will be anytime soon.

 

Until I see differently, I look at it as a circle of self-destruction (or implosion..) and it's of our own doing...and this is why Buddy was hired over many others who have won before...because deep down we would not pay these coaches fair market value...but most of all the coaches and GM's out there understand the Bills philosophy at ownership level, and realize that the organization is not designed for championships, instead it is designed to keep things marginal...all good things in moderation...give the fans a few good men...a little hope...a little luck...but not Andrew Luck, Not Superbowl rings, Not big time coaches and Personnel people, as all we are really trying to do is keep the seats mostly full, at a marginal cost which entitles Ralph Wilson to be a very wealthy man when he meets his maker!

Edited June 2, 2011 by tonyjustbcuz