BillsFanThru-N-Thru Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I know, I know I'm going to take heat for this but there was an interesting article on the BleacherReport about Shawne Merriman and the BillS Defense for the upcoming year. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1206716-shawne-merriman-could-bills-fans-see-the-return-of-lights-out I like how they have the emphasis on the other important cogs on the line and say he's just a nice piece to have. To me Kyle Williams finally being 100% means more then anything else. Between him and Marcell controlling the middle while Mario maintains the left I don't think it matter whether him, Anderson, or Kelsay mans the otherside. Thoughts, and flail away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealityCheck Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 It all makes sense to me man. There is a lot to look forward to. If all those guys are healthy it could mean.......wins? Playoffs? Why not? We've all seen some fools gold over the years but on paper, the D-line looks legit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meathead Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 bad news: most players with that injury never fully return to their former capabilities - doesnt mean they cant play but they have to adapt their game and usually their overall production suffers as a result good news: they are getting better and better with that surgery and more players are returning with a greater level of function faster sooo what does that mean? we have to wait to see if shawn injures himself drinking gatorade but yeah theres reason to be reasonably optimistic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayray808 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 with no injuries... this is a playoff team with injuries... well... you know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaineMoxie Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I think the optimistic thing here is that Merriman's not being relied on. We now have enough other talent that, if they all remain reasonably healthy (expect a few games lost here and there), they should be pretty good - and possibly even scary. Love the reference to that old Dennis Hopper commercial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) bad news: most players with that injury never fully return to their former capabilities - doesnt mean they cant play but they have to adapt their game and usually their overall production suffers as a result good news: they are getting better and better with that surgery and more players are returning with a greater level of function faster sooo what does that mean? we have to wait to see if shawn injures himself drinking gatorade but yeah theres reason to be reasonably optimistic Good news: not all achilles injuries, the surgeries required to repair them, and the length and rigors of rehab are the same. We'll know soon enough about Merriman. But it's encouraging that he's been cleared for full participation. Early reports were that he was showing good explosion off the ball and that's the biggest part of his game. Reason for hope anyway. GO BILLS!!! Edited June 4, 2012 by K-9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I'm drooling to see this defense play this year. Bad things man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Thank you for putting Bleacher Report in you thread title. It's a real courtesy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zulu Cthulhu Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 The "author" actually did a decent job by BR standards. Overall it still sounded like rah-rah blog post by a bills fan but at least he found some stats and info to back it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
You herd it hear last Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Thank you for putting Bleacher Report in you thread title. It's a real courtesy... Because the rest of us posting here deserve pulitzer prizes...riiiiiiiiight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 bad news: most players with that injury never fully return to their former capabilities - doesnt mean they cant play but they have to adapt their game and usually their overall production suffers as a result good news: they are getting better and better with that surgery and more players are returning with a greater level of function faster sooo what does that mean? we have to wait to see if shawn injures himself drinking gatorade but yeah theres reason to be reasonably optimistic In his pre-injury years, Merriman averaged about 13 sacks a year. Over the past three years, he's averaged about 1. So let's split the difference and say he gets 7 this year. I'm okay with that - especially because M. Williams ought to get 10+ and Anderson will push double-digits. Kelsay will get a few. Both K.Williams and M.Dareus are capable of 5+. And then the LBs and DBs may contribute a few more. If all these guys are healthy, what kind of blocking scheme can account for all of them? You can't double-team everybody. The Bleacher Report article, btw, was amateurishly written but I love the author's enthusiasm and the Dennis Hopper/Bruce Smith reference to close it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I wonder if Bruce might come out of retirement to play on this line. With a little luck and some true healing this line could be insane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cotton Fitzsimmons Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It's a well known fact that YE OLE is a big LIGHTS OUT fan... but Merriman looked really strong prior to getting dinged up again last year. Despite the lack of sacks, he was playing the run surprisingly well. If he can return to even 80% of his old form he'll reak havoc on this line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 (edited) Because the rest of us posting here deserve pulitzer prizes...riiiiiiiiight... The rest of us here don't pretend to be real "journalists". BR is nothing more than an obnoxious message board that provides no service other than to whore their articles for clicks. When you guys at BR finally start "publishing" articles on a single page, maybe you'll start getting treated like adults in the writing world. Edited June 5, 2012 by Ramius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSBill Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Thank you for putting Bleacher Report in you thread title. It's a real courtesy... Hey Lurker, they're looking for top writers like you, here's your chance to get a real job: Bleacher Report Writers-Looking for You Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Thank you for putting Bleacher Report in you thread title. It's a real courtesy... He didn't, it was added later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just in Atlanta Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Good grief, enough with the BR bashing. It is what it is. A fan site for fans. Some stories are good, others bad. We serious fans don't have enough "real" news sites to satisfy our cravings. So Bleacher serves a purpose. I read it several times a week. It shouldn't be the pariah it is on this board. Is it really worse than the AFC East blog on ESPN? No need to apologize for posting a BR story, if it's a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFanThru-N-Thru Posted June 5, 2012 Author Share Posted June 5, 2012 He didn't, it was added later. HELL NO it wasn't I put it in there from the get go knowing how people feel about VR ... just your facts straight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It's a well known fact that YE OLE is a big LIGHTS OUT fan... but Merriman looked really strong prior to getting dinged up again last year. Despite the lack of sacks, he was playing the run surprisingly well. If he can return to even 80% of his old form he'll reak havoc on this line. K-9 appreciates YE OLE's keen insight. K-9 thinks YE OLE is gonna see much more than 80% of Merriman this year. Comeback Player of the Year. We all need to get used to it. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeSpeed Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 (edited) In his pre-injury years, Merriman averaged about 13 sacks a year. Over the past three years, he's averaged about 1. So let's split the difference and say he gets 7 this year. I'm okay with that - especially because M. Williams ought to get 10+ and Anderson will push double-digits. Kelsay will get a few. Both K.Williams and M.Dareus are capable of 5+. And then the LBs and DBs may contribute a few more. If all these guys are healthy, what kind of blocking scheme can account for all of them? You can't double-team everybody. The Bleacher Report article, btw, was amateurishly written but I love the author's enthusiasm and the Dennis Hopper/Bruce Smith reference to close it out. Well really you can. Double TEs make for 7 blockers at the line and a RB in the back field make 8. I could see NE doing this against us with their TEs. We would never know which one or both TEs are going out for a pass. The TEs could also chip block and then break off into the pattern. We're going to have an excellent D-line no doubt, but it can be countered. Our LBs and DBs still need to stay awake. Blitzing is the only way to have more rushers than pretection. I believe Wanny doesn't like to do that much. Edited June 5, 2012 by MikeSpeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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