26CornerBlitz Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 Bills Have Solid Options at Inside Linebacker Buffalo's defensive staff will be sifting through their options at inside linebacker to find the best solution after losing Reggie Ragland to a season-ending knee injury. With Ragland out, Zach Brown Out to Prove He’s Fit for the Job Zach Brown is determined to prove he's fit to handle the starting inside linebacker job left behind by the injured Reggie Ragland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qblax16 Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 ILB is going to be a position I watch extra close during the preseason games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 Supposedly Thurman said it's not just a matter of the next guy stepping up, there would be schematic changes with Ragland out for the year. Rex is paraphrased in the article linked above saying that Spikes is a true Mike linebacker which could limit the team schematically. They clearly have different strengths and weaknesses but how much would the D need to change schematically with Hawthorne or Z. Brown? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 I have been trying to hash out in my mind what Thurman meant by that...... Right now I think it is a simple fact of they wont ask Spikes to cover in anything other then zone's....while Ragland and Brown were both going to have expanded coverage duties So.....Spikes will have help with coverage when he is on the field........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cover 1 Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 Supposedly Thurman said it's not just a matter of the next guy stepping up, there would be schematic changes with Ragland out for the year. Rex is paraphrased in the article linked above saying that Spikes is a true Mike linebacker which could limit the team schematically. They clearly have different strengths and weaknesses but how much would the D need to change schematically with Hawthorne or Z. Brown? Just means Preston is the Will when Spikes is in but prob Mike when Zach is in. Which does change some alignments i.e. On blitz calls etc. They may have to consolidate the playbook bc of it esp if Preston or the others in general can't handle dual roles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 Preston Brown and Spikes did play pretty well together on their first go around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie's Dead Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 (edited) Lewis Black quoting Tom Ridge during an orange threat alert: "WE'RE !@#$ED, WE'RE !@#$ED!...RUN, SCURRY, FLEE, FLEE!" Seriously, we have no depth. Spikes is who we thought he is. A decent run-stuffer, but if he's in coverage? (see above) Edited August 11, 2016 by Freddie's Dead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 I think our depth is actually pretty good at ILB if Hawthorne is kept Lots of veteran experience there between the ILBs now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted August 11, 2016 Author Share Posted August 11, 2016 @TheBillsWire Bills assistant head coach Rob Ryan on LB David Hawthorne: ‘He’s very smart': https://t.co/FlS0WRcFfD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 Lewis Black quoting Tom Ridge during an orange threat alert: "WE'RE !@#$ED, WE'RE !@#$ED!...RUN, SCURRY, FLEE, FLEE!" Seriously, we have no depth. Spikes is who we thought he is. A decent run-stuffer, but if he's in coverage? (see above) How bad was he in coverage in 2014? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maury Ballstein Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 Lewis Black quoting Tom Ridge during an orange threat alert: "WE'RE !@#$ED, WE'RE !@#$ED!...RUN, SCURRY, FLEE, FLEE!" Seriously, we have no depth. Spikes is who we thought he is. A decent run-stuffer, but if he's in coverage? (see above) You are. Who were the bills lb's in 14 ? What was that defense ranked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 I have been trying to hash out in my mind what Thurman meant by that...... Right now I think it is a simple fact of they wont ask Spikes to cover in anything other then zone's....while Ragland and Brown were both going to have expanded coverage duties So.....Spikes will have help with coverage when he is on the field........ Any smart qb will audible to a pass when Spikes is one the field. He is a giant liability and it's why his snaps have gone down every year since he's been in the league. This is a huge problem. You are. Who were the bills lb's in 14 ? What was that defense ranked? Who was coordinating that defense? We also had a 2nd team all pro DE, and 3 guys get 10+ sacks. We had 21 sacks as a team last year. IMO, lb is the rb of the defense. They are can be interchangeable if you have a good d line in front of them. Based off last year, I'm not sure that is the case anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 Any smart qb will audible to a pass when Spikes is one the field. He is a giant liability and it's why his snaps have gone down every year since he's been in the league. This is a huge problem. Who was coordinating that defense? We also had a 2nd team all pro DE, and 3 guys get 10+ sacks. We had 21 sacks as a team last year. IMO, lb is the rb of the defense. They are can be interchangeable if you have a good d line in front of them. Based off last year, I'm not sure that is the case anymore. Are you saying that we dont have a good D line? We have a GREAT D line lets not get carried away here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie's Dead Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 You are. Who were the bills lb's in 14 ? What was that defense ranked? If Spikes was that good, why did we cut his a$$ when we could have re-signed him for vet minimum? How bad was he in coverage in 2014? He was routinely beat by TE's and RB's whenever he was asked to cover. It was one of the reasons cited on this board when the Bills released him in 2015. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 Are you saying that we dont have a good D line? We have a GREAT D line lets not get carried away here We had a great d line going into 2015. Again, Mario is the worst human being alive now, but he was voted 2nd team all pro DE. We replaced him with a rookie, who will miss almost half the season. Dareus and Hughes both had down years. Kyle, who I love, is getting old and coming off a major injury. I thought we had the best d line in the NFL going into last year. Sadly, it can no longer be classified as great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maury Ballstein Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 (edited) If Spikes was that good, why did we cut his a$$ when we could have re-signed him for vet minimum? Why did our defense regress when he left ? Why do you and fire Rex cry like babies in every topic ? I don't know chief Edited August 11, 2016 by Ryan L Billz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 If Spikes was that good, why did we cut his a$$ when we could have re-signed him for vet minimum? He was not cut, it was a one year contract; your scythe is very, very dull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 He was not cut, it was a one year contract; your scythe is very, very dull. http://www.espn.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4778403/following-up-on-brandon-spikes You're technically right. But he played less than 50% of all defensive snaps for us. I believe he steadily saw his snaps go down throughout the season. And it's been a trend for him. So while he wasn't cut, we weren't super excited to bring him back last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie's Dead Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 He was not cut, it was a one year contract; your scythe is very, very dull. Fine, you win, he wasn't cut. Why did our defense regress when he left ? Why do you and fire Rex cry like babies in every topic ? I don't know chief The OP's question was about the state of our ILB's. I think it's bad, you think it's great, so we'll just disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorkington Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 I think as long as Z. Brown and Spikes stay healthy, we'll be ok without Ragland. I'm way more concerned about Lawson & Lawson being hurt at this point. But, I'n not an expert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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