San Jose Bills Fan Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 A few things: 1) Ironically, Whitner's best season, by far was with the Bills in 2010. 2) I think people would have less of a problem with Whitner if he were drafted where he was supposed to be drafted-- 2nd or 3rd rounds. The fact that the Bills reached for him at #8 overall, bypassing Ngata, made people have higher expectations. 3) Whitner seems to be an average safety-- in decent position most of the type, smart guy, works hard. But he isn't a playmaker. The fact that he has 8 interceptions in his entire career (most of them thrown right to him) is proof of that. He's not a ball hawk; he's not a big-hitter; he's not a playmaker. He's just a fairly steady player. If you asked me whether I would rather have Whitner or Byrd or even Searcy, I would take Byrd and Searcy in a second. Even George Wilson, who had a down year last year, has made more big plays in his career. Agree with most of this. Whitner was maligned because the Bills overdrafted him and because a combination of not producing, his off the field incident, and an occasional quote which rubbed us the wrong way. That said he's a good run defender and an average to poor pass defender. He's a better player than George Wilson IMO but only by a bit and quite a bit more expensive. I do believe that Searcy is an equivalent talent and hope that he will prove so this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Tuesday Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 People love to pile on Whitner because he was drafted too high, has a big mouth, and couldn't wait to leave Buffalo. There is a near-endless parade of players and coaches who leave Buffalo and tell stories about how dysfunctional it is. Given the fact that the Bills have been the worst organization in the NFL for going on 14 years, I don't see how anyone can question what these guys have to say. The haters are right until the Bills prove them wrong by winning games. Some of you should stop acting so emotionally wounded by this stuff - he's right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TC in St. Louis Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 my real name is walter cleaver and id like to sock you one for that comment whitner made a lot of tackles and was a hard hitter. and though he wasnt super at coverage he also made more than his share of plays in the passing game you and others only remember his bouncing off carriers bc its been repeated ad nausem by bills fans who ran him out of town. a large percentage of fans simply must target a scapegoat when a team underperforms and that guy was whitner for that season. if it wasnt for the poor treatment he received here he would probably have stayed again, hes a very good not great player and i wish he was still here Walter, I don't rely on others' perceptions to make assessments like that. I remember Whitner shouldering guys right and left, and rarely using his arms. That said, please tell your mom that is a lovely sweater, and the pearls bring out the brightness in her eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2003Contenders Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I think this is simply exhibit A as to why a team should NEVER draft a safety with such a high pick unless they are already stacked at virtually every other position. Even the greatest safeties can only make plays when the front seven is doing its part. The point is that the Bills were not a very good football team when he came here. The defensive line was a mess, and the linebacking corps was nothing special. Compare that to what the 49ers have. In many ways Donte did get a bit of a bum wrap during his time in Buffalo. He wasn't Ronnie Lott, but he certainly was a good safety. Yes, he struggled in coverage -- but that is why he was a safety and not a corner. (Funny that he is playing the Ravens this weekend; I remember one of his worst games EVER was the meltdown against the Ravens -- when Fitz passed for like 400 yards, while Whitner literally stood and watched more than one receiver make desperation catches.) The problem is that many of us rightly felt that it was foolish of the front office to have invested the #8 overall pick on him, when there were certainly better options available. That was not his fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I think this is simply exhibit A as to why a team should NEVER draft a safety with such a high pick unless they are already stacked at virtually every other position. Even the greatest safeties can only make plays when the front seven is doing its part. The point is that the Bills were not a very good football team when he came here. The defensive line was a mess, and the linebacking corps was nothing special. Compare that to what the 49ers have. In many ways Donte did get a bit of a bum wrap during his time in Buffalo. He wasn't Ronnie Lott, but he certainly was a good safety. Yes, he struggled in coverage -- but that is why he was a safety and not a corner. (Funny that he is playing the Ravens this weekend; I remember one of his worst games EVER was the meltdown against the Ravens -- when Fitz passed for like 400 yards, while Whitner literally stood and watched more than one receiver make desperation catches.) The problem is that many of us rightly felt that it was foolish of the front office to have invested the #8 overall pick on him, when there were certainly better options available. That was not his fault. To further your point, how many safeties have had great careers on bad teams? Off the top of my head I can think of one: Larry Wilson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meathead Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 That said, please tell your mom that is a lovely sweater, and the pearls bring out the brightness in her eyes. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in Chicago Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Whitner left Buffalo with five interceptions, 19 breakups, 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one recovery in 69 games. In 31 regular-season games for San Francisco he has three interceptions, 15 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and four recoveries. http://blogs.buffalo...-situation.html always thought he was a good player. wish he was still here Stats would say that he is doing better in SF than in Buffalo but as others have pointed out, the 9ers front-7 brings a lot more pressure than the Bills' D did during his time here. I would venture to say that given the front-7 prowess of the 9ers, Whitner should have put up much better numbers. Stats aside, in the 9ers games I have watched this season, Whitner does make the occasional play but is largely invisible. Much as he was in Buffalo. An adequate player but not worthy of the lofty draft status or the big contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homey D. Clown Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 whitner benefits from strong lb and d line play. the niners can keep him. resign byrd. I agree, average at best, and I was very glad to see him go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malazan Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I wasn't glad to see him go, but his production did not merit his presence. Let's not forget the market wasn't hot for him and he lucked into San Fran picking him up last moment. He has a big mouth and doesn't back it up on the field. He's a pigeoned holed player. If you ask him to do things that are within his range, he'll be very good. The Bills defense did not and does not currently have the talent level for that. Hopefully, they get there that they can support players like this as it makes you a better overall team when you can have roleplayers on the field more often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prickly Pete Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 He is nothing special, but at least he cares about winning. I wish a bunch of Bills would "guarantee" that the Bills would make the playoffs, during training camp. At least they would be putting something on the line. Yes, he was a bigmouth, but he had some pride at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamSandwhich Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 my real name is walter cleaver and id like to sock you one for that comment whitner made a lot of tackles and was a hard hitter. and though he wasnt super at coverage he also made more than his share of plays in the passing game you and others only remember his bouncing off carriers bc its been repeated ad nausem by bills fans who ran him out of town. a large percentage of fans simply must target a scapegoat when a team underperforms and that guy was whitner for that season. if it wasnt for the poor treatment he received here he would probably have stayed again, hes a very good not great player and i wish he was still here Hmmmmm, hmmmm, hmmmmm, nope, I dont miss him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 This dumbass believed he was in the right system when he was guaranteeing the playoffs. Sour grapes for no reason at all from Donte. He got better money than anyone else would have given him on a rookie contract and a chance to make a name for himself in Buffalo. He is a middle of the pack safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prickly Pete Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 This dumbass believed he was in the right system when he was guaranteeing the playoffs. Sour grapes for no reason at all from Donte. He got better money than anyone else would have given him on a rookie contract and a chance to make a name for himself in Buffalo. He is a middle of the pack safety. That's because he had nothing to compare it to. Now he is with a well run organization... He wanted to stay, but got even more money somewhere else. He obviously made enough of a name for himself in Buffalo to get even more money somewhere else. Who has the sour grapes, you or him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malazan Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 (edited) That's because he had nothing to compare it to. Now he is with a well run organization... He wanted to stay, but got even more money somewhere else. He obviously made enough of a name for himself in Buffalo to get even more money somewhere else. Who has the sour grapes, you or him? He got more money? As I understood it, the Bills had offered him a contract, he tested the market got no interest then came back to the Bills and ended up looking at deal for less money with Cleveland and then got slightly more than that with the 49ers. He is getting a 3 year 11.75 million deal right now. Wasn't the initial Bills offer for about 12 million? Edited January 29, 2013 by jeremy2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Analytics show he was a below average safety with the Bills, and he continues to be a below average safety on the 49ers---he is just surrounded by a much better team that can hide his flaws... Bottom line is Whitner is not and has never been a player that has come close to living up to his draft status... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog69 Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Looking forward to seeing him throw up his hands in confused disgust after a Pitta touchdown Sunday. This was my first thought. Whitner is not a difference maker. He makes the ocassional big hit on a receiver after a 25 yard gain, but he is not as good as the hype. And I personally just cannot stand his personality. I will never forget what a fool he made of himself during the whole tasering incident in Cleveland. He ran his mouth about how he was innocent and the facts would come out. Then he plead guilty. If he would just keep his mouth shut, I think fans would find him a lot more tolerable. Bottom line: If Whitner did not play on Sunday, would the 49ers be significantly worse? I don't believe so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevWarRifleman Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 It was a reach to draft Whitner where we did. But what do we expect from a Levy/Jauron-era draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPS Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I didn't love Whitner, but I saw no reason to scrap him and start over at SS. I hope he wins with his Bills tattoo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I didn't love Whitner, but I saw no reason to scrap him and start over at SS. I hope he wins with his Bills tattoo. Didnt exactly start over as his backup took over and has been much better than Whitner on a whole, both watching on the field and analytically speaking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPS Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Didnt exactly start over as his backup took over and has been much better than Whitner on a whole, both watching on the field and analytically speaking Sorry, I thought we drafted Searcy after. You always need 3 or so decent safeties and letting Whitner go made about as much sense to me as trading Lynch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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