BADOLBILZ Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Now that Willis is out of the playoffs, there are no teams featuring first round runnin' bax. It's just a sampling of the direction the NFL has been going in since the Bills last made the playoffs, but you people who defend the Bills overemphasis on the pedigree of their running backs....take note. Arguably, there hasn't been a championship team who was carried by a running back since Emmitt Smith. The closest being Marshall Faulk a dozen years ago......but even that is WAY in the rear view mirror. The Alex Gibbs driven running games of Denver and now Houston still win games, but without need for high pedigree backs. They MAKE backs look good. The easiest path to success is to be great at passing the ball and great at getting to the passer. Runnin' bax are an accessory. I know NoSaint has said on this board that the Saints don't regret drafting Mark Ingram in round one last spring, but the fact remains.....the Saints drafted Reggie Bush and Mark Ingram in round 1 over a 5 year period and neither played a snap for them yesterday. Meanwhile, they didn't apply anywhere near the pressure that the Niners did to their QB and that's why they lost. Those picks would have been better served going to defense...or OL obviously. The Niners took the longer route to success because they don't throw the ball great. But they have invested heavily in OT's and DE's. Their set of 4 are all first rounders. Their QB, though a disappointment for a long time, was also a first rounder. They haven't drafted perfectly, but their recent picks have been well placed and the importance of that should be something Bills fans can appreciate. The teams that made it to the divisional round are loaded with high pedigree QB's, OT's and pass rushers. They haven't all become All Pro players, but the results are hard to ignore. If you take the draft as a process......where you aren't reaching for need or perceived need......and you build these positions.....it is more likely to yield playoff fruit. The Niners have the makings of a LONG TIME contender. That's the objective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 (edited) Now that Willis is out of the playoffs, there are no teams featuring first round runnin' bax. It's just a sampling of the direction the NFL has been going in since the Bills last made the playoffs, but you people who defend the Bills overemphasis on the pedigree of their running backs....take note. Arguably, there hasn't been a championship team who was carried by a running back since Emmitt Smith. The closest being Marshall Faulk a dozen years ago......but even that is WAY in the rear view mirror. The Alex Gibbs driven running games of Denver and now Houston still win games, but without need for high pedigree backs. They MAKE backs look good. The easiest path to success is to be great at passing the ball and great at getting to the passer. Runnin' bax are an accessory. I know NoSaint has said on this board that the Saints don't regret drafting Mark Ingram in round one last spring, but the fact remains.....the Saints drafted Reggie Bush and Mark Ingram in round 1 over a 5 year period and neither played a snap for them yesterday. Meanwhile, they didn't apply anywhere near the pressure that the Niners did to their QB and that's why they lost. Those picks would have been better served going to defense...or OL obviously. The Niners took the longer route to success because they don't throw the ball great. But they have invested heavily in OT's and DE's. Their set of 4 are all first rounders. Their QB, though a disappointment for a long time, was also a first rounder. They haven't drafted perfectly, but their recent picks have been well placed and the importance of that should be something Bills fans can appreciate. The teams that made it to the divisional round are loaded with high pedigree QB's, OT's and pass rushers. They haven't all become All Pro players, but the results are hard to ignore. If you take the draft as a process......where you aren't reaching for need or perceived need......and you build these positions.....it is more likely to yield playoff fruit. The Niners have the makings of a LONG TIME contender. That's the objective. Haha touché. I will say Reggie was huge in the superbowl run, while having to lean on ivory instead of Ingram once pt got hurt was HUGE yesterday. Ivory tips the saints playcalling dramatically as they don't trust him in the passing game AT ALL. Ingram was a big part of keeping balance this year, and not tipping the playcall. I don't think that's how you build a team, and the saints draft strategy and ours are not the same at this point. I think they still take Ingram, but they are able to make moves like that based on a stacked roster They felt they were one player from a ring, and that he was the last chance to get that guy. If he was healthy, they may have been right. He was a key piece on one of the greatest offenses in the history of the NFL. Edited January 15, 2012 by NoSaint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrobot Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Teams that changed RB's from last year averaged 6 more wins this year. But you make a point. 2011 Pick 28, Mark Ingram, was picked by the Saints over BigUglies Carimi and Wilkerson. 2010 Pick 9, C.J. Spiller, was picked by the Bills over BigUglies Tyson Alualu and Anthony Davis. 2010 Pick 12, Ryan Mathews, by the Chargers over BigUglies Pierre-Paul, Derrick Morgan, Iupati, and Pouncey. 2009 Pick 12, Knowshon Moreno by the Broncos over BigUglies Orakpo, Ayers, and Wood. There will always be those of us that prefer BigUglies to RB's in the draft, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonborn10 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Plenty of great TE's left in the playoffs though....When will we finally address this huge hole in our offense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 Teams that changed RB's from last year averaged 6 more wins this year. But you make a point. 2011 Pick 28, Mark Ingram, was picked by the Saints over BigUglies Carimi and Wilkerson. 2010 Pick 9, C.J. Spiller, was picked by the Bills over BigUglies Tyson Alualu and Anthony Davis. 2010 Pick 12, Ryan Mathews, by the Chargers over BigUglies Pierre-Paul, Derrick Morgan, Iupati, and Pouncey. 2009 Pick 12, Knowshon Moreno by the Broncos over BigUglies Orakpo, Ayers, and Wood. There will always be those of us that prefer BigUglies to RB's in the draft, I think. Yeah I don't think it is even a preference though. Unless you are stacked, it's hard for me to see any justification in going with a rb in round 1. If you are going to go offense, the goal should be to make your QB perform better. In terms of impact on QB play, the RB has become third to WR and even TE. And that's because a good run blocking OL can make an average back into a pro bowler. A great OL makes a QB look better too, but it is still easier to categorize the quality of WR's and TE's because quite often it is still about beating your man one-on-one at those positions. What it comes down to is that the quality of your running back is much less important in todays game Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I say that Corey Dillion was the difference maker for the Pats* when they were winning, Willie Parker was huge for Pittsburgh, Jamal Lewis for the Ravens, and you already stated about Marshall Faulk. The NFL is more of a passing league now, but teams who run the ball are not excluded from the title talk. If you can run the football, control the clock, and you have an excellent defense I still say you have a better chance of winning than the other guys. There is something about imposing your will on another defense, especially via the ground game and not to mention it sets up play-action. Defense still wins championships as evidenced by the Giants against the vaunted 18-0 Pats* a couple of years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I was surprised to see Gore was a R3 pick. He's been so highly touted for so long that I thought otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 Plenty of great TE's left in the playoffs though....When will we finally address this huge hole in our offense. True. The Bills could have made their QB's perform far better over the last twelve years with a quality TE. Instead we got a whole lot of RB's and DB's in round one then a whole lotta' reaching for needs in much of the rest of the draft. The TE is a position that you technically don't have to have on the field and the Bills seemed to prioritize it as such instead of recognizing that a quality TE is a great way to beat the prevalant cover 2 coverage that most teams employ in the secondary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marauderswr80 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 With RBs they can be had in any round! I really do think in years to come RBs wont be drafted till later rounds.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 I say that Corey Dillion was the difference maker for the Pats* when they were winning, Willie Parker was huge for Pittsburgh, Jamal Lewis for the Ravens, and you already stated about Marshall Faulk. The NFL is more of a passing league now, but teams who run the ball are not excluded from the title talk. If you can run the football, control the clock, and you have an excellent defense I still say you have a better chance of winning than the other guys. There is something about imposing your will on another defense, especially via the ground game and not to mention it sets up play-action. Defense still wins championships as evidenced by the Giants against the vaunted 18-0 Pats* a couple of years ago. The Pats were already a SB champ without Dillon(Antowain Smith was the RB). Dillon was a finishing touch, but not the reason the Pats were title contenders. Same with fast Willie. I'm not saying it doesn't help to have a good RB. It helps to have good players ANYWHERE. But it is not the foundation of a team. Running back production is so easily replaced by other RB's. I mean, you need a RB you can find a functional one on the street. You want a pass rusher or a QB or a edge blocker? That's an entirely different story. The Bills treat the RB like the foundation of the team. It is traditionally priority #1 or #1A. Half their first round picks have been running backs or defensive backs since 1970. HALF. Insanity. I was surprised to see Gore was a R3 pick. He's been so highly touted for so long that I thought otherwise. There are always functional backs in later rounds and of all the positons you are most likely to find a star RB late in the draft of undrafted free agency than any other. By burning high picks on RB's, the Bills have missed out on good players at key positions in round one and missed the opportunity to get high value RB's later. STILL, Fred Jackson fell into their lap. That's how easy to get them they are. You can literally get one by accident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mob16151 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I was surprised to see Gore was a R3 pick. He's been so highly touted for so long that I thought otherwise. He would have went higher in the draft, but he had so many injuries in college Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 The Pats were already a SB champ without Dillon(Antowain Smith was the RB). Dillon was a finishing touch, but not the reason the Pats were title contenders. Same with fast Willie. I'm not saying it doesn't help to have a good RB. It helps to have good players ANYWHERE. But it is not the foundation of a team. Running back production is so easily replaced by other RB's. I mean, you need a RB you can find a functional one on the street. You want a pass rusher or a QB or a edge blocker? That's an entirely different story. The Bills treat the RB like the foundation of the team. It is traditionally priority #1 or #1A. Half their first round picks have been running backs or defensive backs since 1970. HALF. Insanity. Correct you are my friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KollegeStudnet Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Interesting point! I'm interested in QB situation...except for Brady...the majority of the QBs playing in the playoffs this year and/or every year in the past...have been first round selections....Maybe, OBD should look into that someday! Maybe, someday...somewhere....the Bills will be in the playoffs again!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 He would have went higher in the draft, but he had so many injuries in college Yes he would have. He is the most talented back ever to play at Miami, IMO. But the injuries reduced him. He was better as a reshirt freshman than he has ever been in the NFL, and he has been a very productive back. But at one time, he had EVERYTHING. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Yes he would have. He is the most talented back ever to play at Miami, IMO. But the injuries reduced him. He was better as a reshirt freshman than he has ever been in the NFL, and he has been a very productive back. But at one time, he had EVERYTHING. Lamar Miller may very well have been in the same conversation, but he has bolted for the NFL this year as a RS Sophomore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 True. The Bills could have made their QB's perform far better over the last twelve years with a quality TE. Instead we got a whole lot of RB's and DB's in round one then a whole lotta' reaching for needs in much of the rest of the draft. The TE is a position that you technically don't have to have on the field and the Bills seemed to prioritize it as such instead of recognizing that a quality TE is a great way to beat the prevalant cover 2 coverage that most teams employ in the secondary. I hear ya. Brady threw for 200 yards the other day to Hernandez and Gronkowski. Btw, Gronkowski looks about as good as any TE I have ever seen. If he stays healthy he looks like a hall of fame player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBD Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Ricky Williams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puente Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Ricky Williams People we have a winner!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Well, NE has spent a 1st round (Maroney) and 2 2nd rounders on rbs in the last 6 years. Also, the Ravens gave up picks to acquire Willis (former 1st) and drafted Ray Rice with a 2nd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrobot Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 With RBs they can be had in any round! I really do think in years to come RBs wont be drafted till later rounds.... Agreed. Under no conditions should we be thinking about RB before RD5 this year or any other year. This year the RB's I like are Isaiah Pead (Cincinnati), or Cyrus Gray (Texas A&M), either of whom would be our 5th round pick. Pead is one of the 4 best RB's at picking up a blitz IMHO (one of the others being Trent Richardson). My other late round RB steal is Tauren Poole (Tennessee), who gained 140 yards against Oregon last year--In the first half. He can catch the ball well. Don't know about SMU junior Zach Line declaring yet, but he trails only Eric Dickerson in yards in one season and had a 6.1 ypc against the likes of TCU, ECU, Texas A&M, and Pittsburgh. He's in our mocks at RD6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts