ctk232 Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Over the past couple of seasons, and particularly this past year. A few things have stood out to me that I hear very very little about. Things that statistics don't necessarily portray, nor those that the media will cover. 1. Alex Carrington: For the past two seasons, I have watched Alex Carrington perform tremendously every week and every minute he is given to play. He hustles to the play and makes game changing plays that we constantly complain our D-Line doesn't make. Carrington is the most under-valued player on the BIlls defensive line and should he start could make many more plays that he has proven he can make every Sunday. Forget Moore, forget these out-of-position players, we have the talent and we just need to give them the chance. 2. Linebackers: For most of the season I have been waiting for the draft to select a linebacker. Honestly, there are no WR worth drafting in the first couple rounds, nor are there any franchise quarterbacks in the draft period. I keep reading posts about Glennon, Wilson, and company, but these sound more like pleas of desperation after another season of FItzpatrick. We don't need to draft a franchise quarterback this year. We need a game manager in the short term until the franchise qb emerges in the draft. Many super bowl teams have won without a Tom Brady or Eli Manning in the past decade, most notably the Bucs with Johnson and the Ravens with Dilfer. Neither of whom were incredible quarterbacks. That being said, I also don't think our issue is at MLB. Nigel Bradham has established himself as a Rookie force in the league and will continue to do so. He isn't the largest of linebackers but he is certainly the most active and hardest hitting of our core. Kelvin Sheppard needs to stay healthy and could continue to contribute should he maintain his health. Merriman is old, yes, and so is Barnett, but we can afford to part with one and keep the other as a solid back up choice. Furthermore, all this being said, I think we need to use our first round pick on an OLB. We are in desperate need of another pash rusher that we thought was addressed with the signing of Mario in the offseason, but it hasn't completely filled our pash rush need. There is plenty OLB talent worth taking in the first round capable of playing on our defense. 3. Coaching: I'm so tired of our coaching staff. I really am. You play to win the game. Period. So many times I have seen receivers stop running, players give up on plays, not taking the extra play before the two-minute warning, and not driving down the field with two minutes left in the first half to attempt to get an extra three points. This is partially due to Fitz but the fault falls upon the coaching. Our coaches do not motivate the players to play to the talent we are capable of. It sickens me week in and week out how our coaches fail to get the most talent out of our team. I have Bucs roommates and it's unbearable to watch football with them. But one thing I've noticed was their ownership and managing doesn't waste choices in coaching talent. This past year under Schiano after Morris was a drastic change. The Bucs went from awful to a near playoff contender with the exception of a few flaws. But one of them is not coaching. Their players want to play every minute of every game at 1000% and it shows. It was prevalent in week one against the Giants when they took the knee and Coughlin complained and cried about how they played football until the last second. This is what our team needs more than ever. We are not a team in need of more talent, we are a team in need of staff that can manifest that talent and motivate it on the field. All this being said there are more issues that aren't being addressed that deserve note, but they are to come pending our offseason decisions and our draft position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 (edited) I get all, and even agree with a some of it... But merriman as olb just is nails on a chalkboard like those that still count smith as a qb. He's a DE, solidly, in this defense. That and don't hold schiano up as a model of what should be and a think we're atleast close enough to talk about stuff. Edited December 30, 2012 by NoSaint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeisterHollow Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 I've said it countless times - it makes no sense an NFL team will spend millions a year on players that aren't even elite, yet most teams refuse to pay the head coaches comparable pay to elite players. That few million dollars a year saved ends up being THE difference between winning and losing, and all that potential money from being a winner is lost. I scratch my head, am dumbfounded, that an industry as scrutinized, as influential and powerful could have such incompetent decision makers. There is this unevaluated belief that because the NFL is played by men who basically only qualify as capable because they are genetic freaks - the .01% - we sort of extend that mystique, we assume that what goes on behind the scenes, in the locker room, is so complex that the men filling these jobs are also elite. It makes sense - the scarcity of these jobs would suggest that only exceptionally qualified people would be able to get positions. Yet, I see more clearly than ever that the difference between the top organizations and the bottom ones is really distinct in the coaching and personnel departments. That is where striking gold makes all the difference. You would think, for Billion dollar organziations, spending a million dollars on a panel of experts to identify the very best, most intelligent, cutting edge candidates, and to present, say, 8 to 10 candidates to Ralph Wilson, so that he could be assured that whoever sold him on their abilities would really be a solid choice. It's just mind boggling that the Bills could, over and over again, hire these ordinary men! I'm so much hoping that trend stops after today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 I've said it countless times - it makes no sense an NFL team will spend millions a year on players that aren't even elite, yet most teams refuse to pay the head coaches comparable pay to elite players. That few million dollars a year saved ends up being THE difference between winning and losing, and all that potential money from being a winner is lost. I scratch my head, am dumbfounded, that an industry as scrutinized, as influential and powerful could have such incompetent decision makers. There is this unevaluated belief that because the NFL is played by men who basically only qualify as capable because they are genetic freaks - the .01% - we sort of extend that mystique, we assume that what goes on behind the scenes, in the locker room, is so complex that the men filling these jobs are also elite. It makes sense - the scarcity of these jobs would suggest that only exceptionally qualified people would be able to get positions. Yet, I see more clearly than ever that the difference between the top organizations and the bottom ones is really distinct in the coaching and personnel departments. That is where striking gold makes all the difference. You would think, for Billion dollar organziations, spending a million dollars on a panel of experts to identify the very best, most intelligent, cutting edge candidates, and to present, say, 8 to 10 candidates to Ralph Wilson, so that he could be assured that whoever sold him on their abilities would really be a solid choice. It's just mind boggling that the Bills could, over and over again, hire these ordinary men! I'm so much hoping that trend stops after today! It is amazing when they will spend 120m on talent but cut corners on coaches or scouts. The bengals front office not hiring enough scouts was always mind boggling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T master Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Agree with some disagree with some. Carrington was drafted as a 4/3 DE but has done what OUR COACHING STAFF has wanted, bulked up & played DT & done very well as you have pointed out i just wonder what might be if he was to go back to his original weight & play his original position ? I wouldn't mind seeing in preseason what Merriman might do at OLB if it turns out bad put him at DE again (don't know unless you try) I know the entire 4/3 - 3/4 thing but a football player is a football player. What it comes down to is CHEMISTRY !! Really good teams find it between Coaches, Scheme, & Players. If you look at what Harbaugh has done with the talent he inherited compared to what the previous staff did with basically the same players a few were added but basically the same it is amazing what a change in coaching philosophy can make. Which i agree with you is one change that needs too be made... Along with our QB but as you also pointed out this year is not the year to do that in the draft b/c there are a bunch of misses in this draft at QB & that would be just our luck to pick one high in the draft !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_Formerly_of_Roch Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 I'd rather see them take a LB #1 than a reach on some QB. None of the guys Barkley or Smith looks like a can't miss type of guy. They both scare me very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterpan Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Carrington should have been starting over Dareus by week 6 and he would have been for a real coaching staff. Moore finally got PT over Kelsay bc Kelsay got hurt, which was good for the team. Anderson getting hurt helped us too. I kept reading on the bottonm line this morniing that Shawn Peyton will be one of the highest paid coaches with his new deal at 7.5 mil a season. If I were the Bills I would go out and pay a stud HC 10 mil a season then go out and pay the best OC and DC in the league and pay them 7 mil a season if I had to. Fuk I'd give them a $1 Mill bonus for each playoff game they win too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 I'd rather see them take a LB #1 than a reach on some QB. None of the guys Barkley or Smith looks like a can't miss type of guy. They both scare me very much. You don't get can't miss guys unless you pick number 1 AND win the once a decade Andrew luck style lotto. Every qb had questions when he came out. Gotta pull the trigger some day and I like glennon/smith better than gabbert/locker/tannehill so..., we will see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Nice 1st post, OP. welcome to the board! Agree with the undisciplined players. Stevie entered bills lore today but when he wasn't being thrown to, he took the play off. Does anyone expect a long pass by Fitz to be completed?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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