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Should we re-sign Whitner?


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Follow up to Poz post.

Full article:

http://buffalobillsstampede.blogspot.com/2011/06/should-bills-re-sign-donte-whitner.html

 

We all know the team should have drafted Pro-Bowl tackle Haloti Ngata instead. We all know Whitner lacks the talent of top NFL safeties like Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu. But that doesn't mean Whitner can't be a contributor.

 

Like every player, Whitner has strengths and he has weaknesses.

It's hard to ignore a player that racks up 140 tackles in a season, which Whitner did in 2010 thanks in part to the team's switch to a 3-4 defensive scheme. But as solid as he's been against the run, Whitner has struggled just as badly in coverage. His Week 7 performance last year against Todd Heap was as awful as they come.

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Same thing I said for Poz. It all depends on the salary. Donte is a good safety. He is not #9 overall good but he is a solid player. If people could forget where he was drafted and just focus on him being a lunch pail type player he would be just another one of the guys.

 

As usual with Bufrfalo fans we will try to run a solid player out of town just because he wasn't an all star safety because he was drafted at the #9 spot. It's not his fault our developmentally disabled front office picked Donte at #9.

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Excerpted from the Poz thread:

 

Yes, if we can sign him at "fair market value."

 

If he becomes an UFA under the new CBA, and some team gives him a ridiculous above-market offer… that's different.

 

Haven't checked out the comparables yet so I don't know what that number would be.

Edited by San Jose Bills Fan
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Same thing I said for Poz. It all depends on the salary. Donte is a good safety. He is not #9 overall good but he is a solid player. If people could forget where he was drafted and just focus on him being a lunch pail type player he would be just another one of the guys.

 

As usual with Bufrfalo fans we will try to run a solid player out of town just because he wasn't an all star safety because he was drafted at the #9 spot. It's not his fault our developmentally disabled front office picked Donte at #9.

 

+1

 

By the way he cleared out his locker at the end of the season before the rest of the team and media arrived, and by Nix's comments and drafting, I think it's fair to say he's done in Buffalo.

Edited by Mr. Wonderful
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This is a different type of situation than the POZ one.

 

The thing with Whitner is, we already have a better starter on the team. Bryan Scott. So why get into a bidding war over this guy? He was a hard hitter, but whiffed many times as well. I bowed my head in disappointment many times when Whitner went for a big hit, only to bounce of as the opposing player just kept running, he never wrapped up when tackling ...he struggled mightily in coverage, and looked awful when asked to cover tight ends. Scott is better and coverage, and is still very big and a solid tackler. We also signed a promising looking SS in Searcy, along with talk of Aaron Williams being a possible safety. Not to mention Whitner is a douche.

 

Actually if I had to pick one of the two to sign it would be POZ for depth, it's a bigger position of need (but again only at the right contract).

Edited by Turbosrrgood
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Your ability to assess players needs to be questioned.

Question away...Even though you don't offer any reasoning behind your "questioning". So are you saying you didn't watch Whitner miss tackle after tackle? Get beat badly on almost every throw to a TE? Have you watched the two? Scott actually took the starting job away from Whitner in 2009 (Thank you Fewell), Scott had 16 starts between 2008-2009 even at times when Donte was healthy (Ok, a couple of those were at LB)...There was good reason for that. As others have pointed out Nix doesn't seem to have any interest in bringing him back, so I am guessing he doesn't feel too much differently...

Edited by Turbosrrgood
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This is a different type of situation than the POZ one.

 

The thing with Whitner is, we already have a better starter on the team. Bryan Scott. So why get into a bidding war over this guy? He was a hard hitter, but whiffed many times as well. I bowed my head in disappointment many times when Whitner went for a big hit, only to bounce of as the opposing player just kept running, he never wrapped up when tackling ...he struggled mightily in coverage, and looked awful when asked to cover tight ends. Scott is better and coverage, and is still very big and a solid tackler. We also signed a promising looking SS in Searcy, along with talk of Aaron Williams being a possible safety. Not to mention Whitner is a douche.

 

Actually if I had to pick one of the two to sign it would be POZ for depth, it's a bigger position of need (but again only at the right contract).

 

George Wilson is the guy in my opinion. He and Byrd in the secondary in 2009 were pretty damn good. That being said they weren't stepping up to put any crushing blows on anyone but they roamed the secondary and made some great plays.

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We should resign him and Poz, simply due to the fact that both have been good players and have been developed through the organization. We have lost far too many good players over the years by letting them walk. We do not need Whitner and Poz to be Hall of Famers. We need to keep them here and for them to be productive. Then build other good to potentially great players around them through the draft. That is the only way we will contend. We won't do it trying to sign elite free agents to fill gaps in talent.

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