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Despite hefty contract, Bills’ Lotulelei is OK with not being a star - BNews


elroy16

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Decent piece on Lotulelei with a quote that stood out to me.

 

http://buffalonews.com/2018/06/07/despite-hefty-contract-bills-lotulelei-is-ok-with-not-being-a-star/

 

 

Quote

“I mean, I understand what they’ve done to get me here,” he said. “I appreciate it and it means a lot to me, so I haven't done anything but work since I got here, trying to fit in, trying to earn the right to play with these guys. They’re a real accomplished defense, especially coming off last year. They’ve got some top-notch players on their defense, so it means a lot to me to be able to come here and try to work to be a part of what they’ve got here.

 

 

As always, a new player mentions the process, one eleventh, or earning the right to play.

 

And the quote that was interesting to me.

 

Quote

After five seasons as a pro, Lotulelei isn’t all that different than he was when he walked away from the game after school or was going through the motions in junior college. It takes more than money to motivate him.

“I like to go out there and have fun,” he said. “If I'm not enjoying it, it’s hard for me to actually put my all into it. Being here has kind of turned that around for me.”

 

 

I'm not sure what exactly was going on in Carolina, but it doesn't sound like he was enjoying himself and maybe wasn't giving 100%. It's interesting that he followed his old D coordinator, you might think he was part of the problem, but I assume that isn't the case.

 

I hate saying, "I hope this millionaire athlete can stay motivated," but I try to catch myself, they are just people after all. God knows I could stand to be more motivated at work. 

 

 

Anyway, hopefully we can see him come in and play well. I doubt he puts up more than 3-5 sacks, but he could have a much bigger impact than his stats show if he plays at a high level.

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16 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I’m thinking maybe his role changed in Carolina and he wasn’t able to play the position to his strengths?

 

That would make sense, especially if you think about him signing with his old DC where he can go back to what he used to do.

 

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Really solid player. Not a star IMO. But a good space eater, good tackler, good run stuffer, decent pass rusher. A great guy to have in the middle. A rock for our defense for many years to come. 

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I'm not sure why Star underperformed last year in Carolina.  It's easy to surmise, though, that Beane and McD paid a hefty price for him because they expect him to make a difference on a Buffalo DL that was pretty weak against the run last year. 

 

If the professionals who know him - and this D - really well expect good things, then so do I.   But only time will tell.

 

 

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2 hours ago, elroy16 said:

 

I'm not sure what exactly was going on in Carolina, but it doesn't sound like he was enjoying himself and maybe wasn't giving 100%. It's interesting that he followed his old D coordinator, you might think he was part of the problem, but I assume that isn't the case.

 

 

Maybe the lack of fun started last year after Coach McD and Beane left?

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2 hours ago, Soda Popinski said:

He'll be a star in Buffalo if our run defense improves.   We know what it takes to do the dirty work and this fanbase loves guys who are underrated.    

 

This.  Our run defense has been horrendous for so long.  Anyone that helps to improve it is going to get viewed favorably by the fanbase as a whole. 

 

Yearly run defense ranks for the last 10 years (by rush yards/game):

 

2017:  29

2016:  29

2015:  16

2014:  11

2013: 27

2012:  31

2011:  28

2010:  32

2009:  31

2008:  22

 

I'm pretty sure that even before 2008, it was still really bad, so this trend goes back even further I think. 

 

How can we be so bad at stopping the run year in and year out?  Blows my mind.  The one year that stands out is 2014, the one year we had Schwartz as the D coordinator.  What an awful mistake it was to get rid of him

 

 

 

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When people see the contract, they expect results. But at his position, "results" don't necessarily show up on the stat sheet as much as they DO at other positions. What I expect to see is the defense as a whole improve in the rankings, run defense in particular, as well as less tackles by our safeties and more by our LBs.  Those are the results that a good player at his position should help to provide. Of course, it's a team game, and any jump in the rankings will require others around him to do their part, but high level of play from him should make everyone else's jobs that much easier. 

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He will be a star, because that's his name.  None the less, he's not going to go out there and give us eye popping statistics.  There's no statistic for occupying space.  There's no statistic for taking on two offensive linemen so that an edge rusher or linebacker can make a play.  There's one DT in the top-90 in the NFL in tackles.  There's only one in the top-30 in sacks.  That's not why the Bills paid him.  Anyone that doesn't understand that is just missing reality.  If they have improved the run defense with this signing, they've done a lot more for this Bills defense than most people will realize.  

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13 minutes ago, berg1029 said:

 

This.  Our run defense has been horrendous for so long.  Anyone that helps to improve it is going to get viewed favorably by the fanbase as a whole. 

 

Yearly run defense ranks for the last 10 years (by rush yards/game):

 

2017:  29

2016:  29

2015:  16

2014:  11

2013: 27

2012:  31

2011:  28

2010:  32

2009:  31

2008:  22

 

I'm pretty sure that even before 2008, it was still really bad, so this trend goes back even further I think. 

 

How can we be so bad at stopping the run year in and year out?  Blows my mind.  The one year that stands out is 2014, the one year we had Schwartz as the D coordinator.  What an awful mistake it was to get rid of him

 

 

 

 

Schwartz and a semi-motivated lineman who lost his motivation in 2015 and now is in Jacksonville.

 

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28 minutes ago, berg1029 said:

 

This.  Our run defense has been horrendous for so long.  Anyone that helps to improve it is going to get viewed favorably by the fanbase as a whole. 

 

Yearly run defense ranks for the last 10 years (by rush yards/game):

 

2017:  29

2016:  29

2015:  16

2014:  11

2013: 27

2012:  31

2011:  28

2010:  32

2009:  31

2008:  22

 

I'm pretty sure that even before 2008, it was still really bad, so this trend goes back even further I think. 

 

How can we be so bad at stopping the run year in and year out?  Blows my mind.  The one year that stands out is 2014, the one year we had Schwartz as the D coordinator.  What an awful mistake it was to get rid of him

 

 

 

my god.... I guess I hadn't really looked back at it..... this is really really pathetic. geez.

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1 hour ago, berg1029 said:

 

This.  Our run defense has been horrendous for so long.  Anyone that helps to improve it is going to get viewed favorably by the fanbase as a whole. 

 

Yearly run defense ranks for the last 10 years (by rush yards/game):

 

2017:  29

2016:  29

2015:  16

2014:  11

2013: 27

2012:  31

2011:  28

2010:  32

2009:  31

2008:  22

 

I'm pretty sure that even before 2008, it was still really bad, so this trend goes back even further I think. 

 

How can we be so bad at stopping the run year in and year out?  Blows my mind.  The one year that stands out is 2014, the one year we had Schwartz as the D coordinator.  What an awful mistake it was to get rid of him

 

 

 

 

JMO, but some of those years, the run D wasn't quite as bad as the rankings show, from an efficiency standpoint. Still not very good, but in some of those years, the Bills offenses were terrible, and they were often playing from behind. Opponents were spending much of 3rd quarters and most of 4th quarters running the ball and killing clock, adding to the Bills total rushing YPG on defense. Granted, it was up to the players to stop those runs, and they often didn't, but it had some effect on the overall rankings.

 

On the flip side, in a couple of those years, it appeared as if the Bills pass defense was very good, when looking at total passing YPG against (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012). But it was more of a reflection of opponents running the ball a lot, because the offense sucked, and opponents were killing clock, and because the run D wasn't very good. 

 

Not trying to argue your point at all. Just saying that there is some correlation between offensive production (or lack there of) and defensive statistics/rankings, and that those rankings may be at least a little bit deceiving. But yeah, the run defense has been pretty bad overall. In 2014, they were pretty good, and especially good through the first 8 games. For a while, Opponents were averaging less than 3 YPC, tops in the league. Brandon Spikes was a big part of that, but of course he wasn't a 3 down Mike. That average worsened over the last half of the season, starting with Jamal Charles and the Chiefs.

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Something about this is borderline hilarious to me: 

 

Utah, Utah State and Oregon State expressed interest, although “I was lighter, about 260 pounds, so they didn’t know if I was a D-tackle or a D-end.” During his redshirt year, Lotulelei, mainly through inactivity, added nearly 100 pounds. That intensified the interest of the three Division I schools.

 

 

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For big men in the trenches it is so much about playing with energy and a mindset. Technique is important but can be learned. Staying motivated will go a long way. The rotation of Kyle, Star, And Harrison can be really special. If they can get anything out of Washington or another DT they could make a drastic improvement to what we seen the last two years.

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20 minutes ago, Drunken Pygmy Goat said:

 

JMO, but some of those years, the run D wasn't quite as bad as the rankings show, from an efficiency standpoint. Still not very good, but in some of those years, the Bills offenses were terrible, and they were often playing from behind. Opponents were spending much of 3rd quarters and most of 4th quarters running the ball and killing clock, adding to the Bills total rushing YPG on defense. Granted, it was up to the players to stop those runs, and they often didn't, but it had some effect on the overall rankings.

 

On the flip side, in a couple of those years, it appeared as if the Bills pass defense was very good, when looking at total passing YPG against (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012). But it was more of a reflection of opponents running the ball a lot, because the offense sucked, and opponents were killing clock, and because the run D wasn't very good. 

 

Not trying to argue your point at all. Just saying that there is some correlation between offensive production (or lack there of) and defensive statistics/rankings, and that those rankings may be at least a little bit deceiving. But yeah, the run defense has been pretty bad overall. In 2014, they were pretty good, and especially good through the first 8 games. For a while, Opponents were averaging less than 3 YPC, tops in the league. Brandon Spikes was a big part of that, but of course he wasn't a 3 down Mike. That average worsened over the last half of the season, starting with Jamal Charles and the Chiefs.

 

Honestly, I think they have been that bad at stopping the run.  Basically since Dick Jauron took over in the early 2000s, we have been pretty darn bad at stopping the run. Every season, it feels like there are one or two games where the other team literally doesn't pass the ball and literally just runs it down our throats (think Saints game or second patriots game from last year, the games vs. the dolphins in years past with Jay Ajayi, etc.)

 

IMO, the Bill's pass defense was good because we have a had a good secondary for a long time.  We've been blessed with really good defensive backs, think about all the good ones that we've had over the past 10 or so years. 

 

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