ny33 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 http://blogs.buffalonews.com/press-coverage/2013/04/nigel-bradham-bills-expect-him-to-be-a-defensive-playmaker-.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 "We've got some talent there," Nix said, "and a lot more than people think." Is any other GM selling his roster to the fans like this? They're not nearly as bad as we think! Phew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 "We've got some talent there," Nix said, "and a lot more than people think." Is any other GM selling his roster to the fans like this? They're not nearly as bad as we think! Phew! And of course he likes them and thinks they're better, he picked 'em. I don't know what he is seeing though. I think Bradham could be very good, and we also have... oh wait, no we don't... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 And of course he likes them and thinks they're better, he picked 'em. I don't know what he is seeing though. I think Bradham could be very good, and we also have... oh wait, no we don't... Well, they signed Lawson, who obviously they think can play. Sheppard was much better as a rookie playing in a 3-4 than he was last season, so that may factor in as well. Add in the idea that guys like Moats and Anderson will likely see time as OLBs when the team lines up in a 34, and you start to get the feel for what Nix is saying. I don't necessarily agree with him, but I think that's what he means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Bills Fan Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 And of course he likes them and thinks they're better, he picked 'em. I don't know what he is seeing though. I think Bradham could be very good, and we also have... oh wait, no we don't... lol CBF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jukester Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 I liked this part: 'Bradham also is bullish on his evolution as a defensive playmaker and emphasized Pettine's proclivity for "a lot more blitzing ... so it'll be a lot more fun."' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Well, they signed Lawson, who obviously they think can play. Sheppard was much better as a rookie playing in a 3-4 than he was last season, so that may factor in as well. Add in the idea that guys like Moats and Anderson will likely see time as OLBs when the team lines up in a 34, and you start to get the feel for what Nix is saying. I don't necessarily agree with him, but I think that's what he means. I was high on Sheppard as a draft pick and he has looked terrible to me the entire time. I don't think Moats is anything more than an average back-up. I like Lawson as kind of a decent to pretty good cog, not really a playmaker. If you count Mario and Mark Anderson as LBs, then we have a bunch of talent back there, but they're not going to be playing that position more than 25% of the time. Anderson is a guy who may still be a very valuable player for us that people are forgetting about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 If you can't be optimistic in the off-season, when can you? It's all we usually have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 I don't know what he is seeing though. This is a bigger smoke screen from Buddy than any so far, IMO. It would not surprise me one bit if they went LB with number eight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB2004 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 And of course he likes them and thinks they're better, he picked 'em. That is pretty accurate. Forget getting the best player available this year. Get a position of need for a change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Saying "our LBs suck" isn't exactly inspiring to your current players and staff, now, is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEra Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 If you can't be optimistic in the off-season, when can you? It's all we usually have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 The article has me pumped. Yes, it was a miserable season to behold but I liked what I saw in Bradham. He got better each week. When you're a fan of a team that ..well, SUX, you try to find something encouraging and Nigel was one of them for me. He played well for a rookie in Wanny's vanilla D. Just my opinion, but I don't think this is a 'Buddy pre-draft smoke-screen' the kid is a worthy starting LB just entering his second season with a new, aggressive D approach. Things could be worse.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeisterHollow Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Judging the Bills defensive talent, from a positional perspective, isn't as easy as its been in the past. We simply don't know how Pettine wants to line everyone up. If, for instance, he plans on using Mark Anderson and Mario Williams to fill the same OLB spot, then you've got to think that position is stacked - earning something like 20-25 million a year just between the two! On the opposite side you have Manny Lawson, who, I believe, is expected to be a 3 down LB - that ability being what drew Buffalo to him. Nigel Bradham is also a 3 down LB, and I think a very promising one. So, if that is how the Bills are lining up the LB'ers, then we're only really missing a good starter at ILB, beside Nigel. That, to me, doesn't make us terribly weak there. We have Scott and the kid - Dotson? - we just signed as lighter nickel type LB'ers. We have Moats, White as backups - and Sheppard, if we find a good starter to go next to Bradham - would make a good backup. So, to round off that group we need another LB'er to backup Lawson, and a starter at ILB. With Williams moving to Safety, I am excited about our secondary! I can imagine he and Byrd flying around making plays, and if we add a good starter to the CB group, our secondary might be VERY GOOD. How about our D-line? Kyle Williams is getting older, but I think he'll be good for another 2 years. Dareus is legit. Carrington is also very good, I think. Branch will give us a good NT option. Troupe will be a bit of a wild-card. I feel like we're missing a real agile space eating NT who is versatile enough to play DT/NT. Maybe Branch is that guy. If so, this is a strong unit, no? According to my reckoning, we're a starting caliber player at ILB, and maybe a good CB, and a NT away from being one of the most talented defenses in the NFL. Throw in Pettine calling the plays - and I think we're going to see a totally different Bills defense this year - like night and day different. I'm comfortable guessing we'll be a top 12 defense right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KollegeStudnet Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 If you can't be optimistic in the off-season, when can you? It's all we usually have. Ha true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perk71 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 If you can't be optimistic in the off-season, when can you? It's all we usually have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 I personally think Nigel Bradham is a monster.....he showed a lot of good stuff last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDIGGZ Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Did anyone hear the Mark Anderson interview on the John Murphy show? Anderson is now an OLB. He goes to the linebacker meetings and his position coach is the linebacker's coach. Sounds to me like we are running a 3-4 even though they haven't publicly said so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Did anyone hear the Mark Anderson interview on the John Murphy show? Anderson is now an OLB. He goes to the linebacker meetings and his position coach is the linebacker's coach. Sounds to me like we are running a 3-4 even though they haven't publicly said so About what I figured...he'll play OLB opposite Lawson when the team lines up in a 34, with Bradham and Sheppard inside. Mario, Kyle, and Dareus play the line with Carrington, Branch, and Gilbert rotating in (and Troup if he makes the team). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 About what I figured...he'll play OLB opposite Lawson when the team lines up in a 34, with Bradham and Sheppard inside. Mario, Kyle, and Dareus play the line with Carrington, Branch, and Gilbert rotating in (and Troup if he makes the team). The year before we signed Anderson, and he had double digit sacks, he mostly played 4-3 DE. But late in the season and during the playoffs, the Pats played a 3-4. Anderson was an OLB, played 3 downs, and he played great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 "We've got some talent there," Nix said, "and a lot more than people think." When Nix arrived, as I recall he was quoted saying that a lot of people think the Bills have no players and "I'm telling you folks the cupboard is not bare" Later that year, Wilson was quoted as saying with a hearty laugh "we started out with no players. Our drafts have been horrible". I think the 2nd year he was quoted as saying "we're a lot closer than people think" I think last year he kept his mouth shut, but it was pretty clear from the FA activity they thought they were only a couple of pieces away. Can we say...his comments lack credibility? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 The Bills talent is not as bad as most of the people on this forum think. Every team in the league has roster holes. However the good teams have two things: 1) Competent QBing 2) Competent Head Coaching The Bills have had neither for an eternity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
folz Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 Did everyone catch how Buddy started his talk about Bradham at the press conference? I could be wrong but it sounds like he says, "Yeah, I love this ol' Boy" Classic Buddy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 Saying "our LBs suck" isn't exactly inspiring to your current players and staff, now, is it? And no one expects honesty this time of year anyway... About what I figured...he'll play OLB opposite Lawson when the team lines up in a 34, with Bradham and Sheppard inside. Mario, Kyle, and Dareus play the line with Carrington, Branch, and Gilbert rotating in (and Troup if he makes the team). Agreed... We'll see quickly how good Pettine really is...Because I'll say this forever and a day...KW is not a NT, and every team and their mother is going to look to pound the rock right at us...I would not be surprised at all to see Branch in there at NT a lot when were in the 3-4...I think, more than anything, the new D could seriously cut down on playing time for KW...Which could actually be a very good thing considering his injury concerns... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ny33 Posted April 18, 2013 Author Share Posted April 18, 2013 And no one expects honesty this time of year anyway... Agreed... We'll see quickly how good Pettine really is...Because I'll say this forever and a day...KW is not a NT, and every team and their mother is going to look to pound the rock right at us...I would not be surprised at all to see Branch in there at NT a lot when were in the 3-4...I think, more than anything, the new D could seriously cut down on playing time for KW...Which could actually be a very good thing considering his injury concerns... We have, honestly, quite a quandary when it comes to how we will fit our scheme to Pettine's defense, assuming that he uses a similar scheme to what he designed for the Jets. This draft will be very telling. I can't want for the season, if only for the excitement of our defensive schemes compared to the vanilla formations and playcalls of 2012-2013. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 We have, honestly, quite a quandary when it comes to how we will fit our scheme to Pettine's defense, assuming that he uses a similar scheme to what he designed for the Jets. This draft will be very telling. I can't want for the season, if only for the excitement of our defensive schemes compared to the vanilla formations and playcalls of 2012-2013. And the draft could be misleading if they went offense all the way in the 1st 3-4 rounds!! Did everyone catch how Buddy started his talk about Bradham at the press conference? I could be wrong but it sounds like he says, "Yeah, I love this ol' Boy" Classic Buddy! Are a huge smokescreen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ny33 Posted April 18, 2013 Author Share Posted April 18, 2013 (edited) Hah; we'll see. If they draft certain positions: i.e., safety, C.B., OG, we'll have a good sense of what the staff thinks of the roster. I look forward to the draft. Edited April 18, 2013 by ny33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEra Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 We have, honestly, quite a quandary when it comes to how we will fit our scheme to Pettine's defense, assuming that he uses a similar scheme to what he designed for the Jets. This draft will be very telling. I can't want for the season, if only for the excitement of our defensive schemes compared to the vanilla formations and playcalls of 2012-2013. The defensive scheme.....can't wait to see it in action. We have some good pass rushers from the OLB DE spot. We'll see some Kw, Dareus, carrington at DE with Williams, Anderson, moats, Lawson, Bradham bringing some heat from the LB spot. And when we play the 4-3, our main 4 mixed with blitzes should Bring good results. Our defense scheme and rarely rushing more than 3 or 4 put me to sleep. If our d is gonna get beat, I'd rather see them take chances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ny33 Posted April 18, 2013 Author Share Posted April 18, 2013 The defensive scheme.....can't wait to see it in action. We have some good pass rushers from the OLB DE spot. We'll see some Kw, Dareus, carrington at DE with Williams, Anderson, moats, Lawson, Bradham bringing some heat from the LB spot. And when we play the 4-3, our main 4 mixed with blitzes should Bring good results. Our defense scheme and rarely rushing more than 3 or 4 put me to sleep. If our d is gonna get beat, I'd rather see them take chances. Our recent history may misguide me, but I have a great deal of faith in our defense from a personnel and coaching perspective. However, I believe our offensive overachieved; I hope that the scouting team can identify a long-term Q.B. and validate fans' belief that our o-line is good enough to not use a high pick along the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealityCheck Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 Given how most of the defensive players have been utilized I find it hard to evaluate them. When you don't stunt, twist, or blitz it's hard to quantify if we have any playmakers on that side of the ball. Wanny made everybody look bad on D. Play after play, you new where everybody was gonna line up and what their responsibilities were. No team has enough talent to field a defense like that anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 I am excited to see what the new scheme brings. Also sounds like Nix and prior coaching staff were not on the same page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhitewalkerInPhilly Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 About what I figured...he'll play OLB opposite Lawson when the team lines up in a 34, with Bradham and Sheppard inside. Mario, Kyle, and Dareus play the line with Carrington, Branch, and Gilbert rotating in (and Troup if he makes the team). Have you seen anything about where Mario would line up? I know there's been speculation, but with picking up Branch I assumed that he would be a 3-4 designated rushing linebacker. And no one expects honesty this time of year anyway... Agreed... We'll see quickly how good Pettine really is...Because I'll say this forever and a day...KW is not a NT, and every team and their mother is going to look to pound the rock right at us...I would not be surprised at all to see Branch in there at NT a lot when were in the 3-4...I think, more than anything, the new D could seriously cut down on playing time for KW...Which could actually be a very good thing considering his injury concerns... What would you think about Dareus at NT? If I had to pick someone, it would be between him and Branch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickedface Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 i thought the d had some talent, i still think that wanny's scheme was built for failure. no balls at all. there was no aggressiveness and hardly any blitzing. the top defenses in the league tend to be blitz heavy. i like what i am hearing about the changes to the defense. if this def is like what the jests have been running then there will be tons of blitzing. which can make even a mediocre secondary look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbillsfan Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 the defensive talent is not as bad as it played. not sure what kyle has left, daruis is a key for me . Bradham and sheppard might do very will inside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Lightning Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 The Bills talent is not as bad as most of the people on this forum think. Every team in the league has roster holes. However the good teams have two things: 1) Competent QBing 2) Competent Head Coaching The Bills have had neither for an eternity. This. Let's move on. Get a QB at 8 and see if this new coaching staff can get this team back on track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibuya Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 Coaching and scheme will make all the difference and many of the players we do have wil look much better then they have under Gailey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metzelaars_lives Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 And no one expects honesty this time of year anyway... Agreed... We'll see quickly how good Pettine really is...Because I'll say this forever and a day...KW is not a NT, and every team and their mother is going to look to pound the rock right at us...I would not be surprised at all to see Branch in there at NT a lot when were in the 3-4...I think, more than anything, the new D could seriously cut down on playing time for KW...Which could actually be a very good thing considering his injury concerns... Really? He played literally his best football as a pro as straight up 3-4 NT during the 2010 season. Remember the Steelers game? One of the best single game performances I've ever seen. I would say though that in a perfect world, he Dareus and Carrington are all 4-3 DT's but what are yoiu gonna do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 Did anyone hear the Mark Anderson interview on the John Murphy show? Anderson is now an OLB. He goes to the linebacker meetings and his position coach is the linebacker's coach. Sounds to me like we are running a 3-4 even though they haven't publicly said so Not a big surprise, but definitely news to me - thanks for posting. Anyone got a link? I guess I could probably find one myself via the google if I was really motivated. When Nix arrived, as I recall he was quoted saying that a lot of people think the Bills have no players and "I'm telling you folks the cupboard is not bare" Later that year, Wilson was quoted as saying with a hearty laugh "we started out with no players. Our drafts have been horrible". I think the 2nd year he was quoted as saying "we're a lot closer than people think" I think last year he kept his mouth shut, but it was pretty clear from the FA activity they thought they were only a couple of pieces away. Can we say...his comments lack credibility? Very much so. Nix loves talking about how we're better than people think, but it doesn't ever seem to lead to wins. The Bills talent is not as bad as most of the people on this forum think. Every team in the league has roster holes. However the good teams have two things: 1) Competent QBing 2) Competent Head Coaching The Bills have had neither for an eternity. Correct. Re: my comments above, to Nix's credit, he's not 100% incompetent. He clearly is right in his player evaluations some of the time, but his miserable failures at QB and Head Coach have masked his successes elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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