Matt Milano is making a difference for this defense.

[wppete]

4 hours ago, Steptide said:

I've been saying since last year that Milano is a beast. I really think he will be a pro bowl player within the next few years. This was a huge draft steal for McDermott 

 

I think he has a good chance to be a Pro Bowler this year. 

[PromoTheRobot]

On 9/23/2018 at 4:37 PM, Don't stop billievein said:

He was everywhere today. Honestly, you can say that the bills have made some questionable personnel decisions but finding this guy in the middle of the draft is paying off.  I’m really liking his game and he is a great compliment to Edmunds. 

 

All teams miss on players. The good ones hit more often.

[Bob in STL]

He is a playmaker for sure and has even more upside in the future. 

 

Nice finding solid starters in round 5 (Wyatt Teller also on that same track).  

[Misterbluesky]

2 minutes ago, wppete said:

 

I think he has a good chance to be a Pro Bowler this year. 

Go back and watch the Baltimore,Chargers and especially the Colts games and get back to me.He was straight up lost and owned in Indianapolis.

[Richard Noggin]

On 9/23/2018 at 5:39 PM, Doc said:

What's even better is that they got him with the pick they got from the Cheaters for "stealing" Mike Gillislee from them.

I love this observation.

On 9/23/2018 at 6:25 PM, LeGOATski said:

Kinda reminds me of Kiko Alonso.

 

Their names even have the same number of letters.

 

Sure, I can buy this. But without the edge, and the injuries.

[Bing Bong]

Milano or Hughes are Bills DPOY runaways.. it's been very clear. You realize Milano's literally in every game ball candidate thread? He's balling and we all know it (I hope).

[folz]

3 hours ago, NewEra said:

He’s been a revelation.  Is he Italian or Latin?  Him and Edmunds are perfect 3 down Lbers for today nfl.  Just have to adjust a little better vs the run.  Both have all pro coverage ability for the position 

 

When he made the pick on Sunday, I said, that kid is just always around the ball. And that is all football instincts (knowledge and preparation). Not saying he has Kuechly-level instincts, but they're pretty damn good...and he's still pretty young.

 

It looks like he is Italian. His twitter page lists "Boston College | Buffalo Bills | " and then there is a post and photo by Joe Tessitore where he calls Milano "My (not so little) brother."

 

https://twitter.com/matthewmilanoo?lang=en

 

 

Edited November 27, 2018 by folz

[TigerJ]

54 minutes ago, wppete said:

 

I think he has a good chance to be a Pro Bowler this year. 

He should be.  He lacks the advantage of name recognition outside of Buffalo fandom.

[WideNine]

5 hours ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

 

He’s always struck me as a good but not great athlete that’s so smart and technically sound he ends up as a standout. 

 

He’s a very clear example of how just slapping together the most talented athletes you can find isn’t a winning formula. 

 

Milano has a nose for the ball, and is one heck of an athlete when asked to drop into coverage.

 

The only struggles I have seen is when teams run right at him - his 6'0 223 lb frame does not exactly shed blockers. He plays a lot more like an extra safety on the field - if he can knife into the backfield and happens to hit the right gap he can trip or wrap up the legs of a RB. If being blocked it isn't even a contest, maybe why the Bills go with their 3 safeties, and 2 linebackers (Lorenzo and Edmunds) and Milano is not part of their goal line package.

 

In most ways Milano is the perfect LB for a team that faces NE and the way they spread the ball around, but I can't say that he isn't a liability against a ground and pound run offense like the Jags were showing early with Fournette. Perhaps like Edmunds he just has to get more experience recognizing run early enough so he can hit the right gap unblocked...they're both young and still have room to grow.

[stevewin]

One of the weird things this season that kind of flew under the radar was Milano losing snaps to Humber at the beginning.  There were a few comments from coaches too that made it seem like they were trying to send him a message.  Hopefully if it was attitude it got fully adjusted 

[Richard Noggin]

5 hours ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

 

He’s always struck me as a good but not great athlete that’s so smart and technically sound he ends up as a standout. 

 

 

Strongly, but respectfully, disagree. Milano's game is quickness, fluidity in the hips, range...being a kind of tweener in college. Athleticism is his thing.

 

While he might not have run a freakish 40 or benched like a beast, Milano's combine numbers, for an NFL linebacker, are quite explosive in a couple categories (his vert and broad jump, specifically, rival Jabril Peppers (who was 10+ lbs lighter at the time):

 

40 Yard Dash:	4.67 seconds
40 Yard (MPH):	17.52 (MPH)
20 Yard Dash:	2.72 seconds
10 Yard Dash:	1.65 seconds
Bench Press:	24 reps (225 lb)

Vertical Leap:	35.0 inches
Broad Jump:	126 inches
20 Yd Shuttle:	4.38 seconds

[Bing Bong]

1 minute ago, Richard Noggin said:

Strongly, but respectfully, disagree. Milano's game is quickness, fluidity in the hips, range...being a kind of tweener in college. Athleticism is his thing.

He's ultra coordinated. Just as important as pure athleticism, and something you don't measure. But just look at his body control. He's like Troy Polamalu in LB form the way he comes up with Turnovers.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

13 minutes ago, Richard Noggin said:

 

Strongly, but respectfully, disagree. Milano's game is quickness, fluidity in the hips, range...being a kind of tweener in college. Athleticism is his thing.

 

While he might not have run a freakish 40 or benched like a beast, Milano's combine numbers, for an NFL linebacker, are quite explosive in a couple categories (his vert and broad jump, specifically, rival Jabril Peppers (who was 10+ lbs lighter at the time):

 

40 Yard Dash:	4.67 seconds
40 Yard (MPH):	17.52 (MPH)
20 Yard Dash:	2.72 seconds
10 Yard Dash:	1.65 seconds
Bench Press:	24 reps (225 lb)

Vertical Leap:	35.0 inches
Broad Jump:	126 inches
20 Yd Shuttle:	4.38 seconds

 

If I said I was responding to the comment about Micah Hyde, do you still feel that way? 

 

Milano is very athletic for a LB. reminds me of Kiko a bit just Less reckless, little smaller. 

Edited November 27, 2018 by Over 29 years of fanhood

[Richard Noggin]

4 minutes ago, PetermanThrew5Picks said:

He's ultra coordinated. Just as important as pure athleticism

Agreed. But are you giving him a backhanded compliment here?

 

Matt Milano IS athletic for an NFL linebacker. 

 

What he's NOT is long or heavy or freakishly fast.

2 minutes ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

 

If I said I was responding to the comment about Micah Hyde, do you still feel that way? 

 

Milano is very athletic for a LB. reminds me of Kiko a bit just Less reckless, little smaller. 

If I said I was completely missing your clear transition from Milano to Hyde, do you forgive me?

 

(I looked back at your post mea culpa Matt Milano is athletic etc.)

[Bing Bong]

4 hours ago, Richard Noggin said:

Agreed. But are you giving him a backhanded compliment here?

 

Matt Milano IS athletic for an NFL linebacker. 

 

What he's NOT is long or heavy or freakishly fast.

Not backhanded at all. He's a phenomenal football player and a steal at the draft because coaches overlook a player that can simply make plays for pure athleticism freaks.

 

He's a natural football player, unlike say barkevkous Mingo

[Doc Brown]

Our whole defense has been impressive.  Even Shaq Lawson is punching back at his critics who labeled him a bust.  Lorenzo Alexander has been excellent.

[longtimebillsfan]

I agree.  He has put together two very nice seasons.  With Milano, Edmunds, and Alexander,  I believe we have a solid linebacker group.  Linebacker is always listed as a high priority for next off season.   I am not sure why unless Alexander's age is an issue or they are looking to add depth.

Edited November 27, 2018 by longtimebillsfan

[Victory Formation]

1 hour ago, longtimebillsfan said:

I agree.  He has put together two very nice seasons.  With Milano, Edmunds, and Alexander,  I believe we have a solid linebacker group.  Linebacker is always listed as a high priority for next off season.   I am not sure why unless Alexander's age is an issue or they are looking to add depth.

They could use somebody behind Lorax. If we draft defense high i hope it's a DE/OLB that can come in and be a punisher. Fournette ran all over Milano and Edmunds. We could use a guy like Chase Winovich to deliver killshots on some of the bigger backs we face while also adding some pass rush.

[Big Gun]

On 9/23/2018 at 6:25 PM, LeGOATski said:

Kinda reminds me of Kiko Alonso.

 

Their names even have the same number of letters.

Matto Milano

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

 

 

[T master]

They need to get this guy extended before his rookie deal is up he is a play maker & if he is able to hit FA he will be gone !! 

 

Make it happen McBean !! 

[Formerly Allan in MD]

On 9/23/2018 at 5:49 PM, Helpmenow said:

Every time I see the #58 I think of conlon and Stratton two punishing backers.

Good analogy.

[buffalobloodfloridahome]

Milano was everywhere today for sure. I just wish we didn't struggle against power backs so much. Fournette just ran right through us and we needed three guys to tackle him. Thank god he got thrown out or the game may have gone completely different. 

[transplantbillsfan]

Milano, Tre White, Hughes and Haushka should all be pro-bowlers and maybe a couple should be All-pros.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

On 9/23/2018 at 6:21 PM, GunnerBill said:

 

Two words: "Nathan" and "Peterman".

Pre-Beane, and you also can’t win ‘em all. No one, not even Belicheat, bats 1000 on draft day, especially in the 5th round where NP was taken. 

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

I absolutely love Milano. The guy just seems to have a nose for the ball. Some guys have that, some guys don’t. Last season while he was still being rotated, I continually said our defense is better with Milano on the field. To get him on the field and keep him there. By the end of the season, Milano became my favorite player on the defense. I got his jersey and kept Posting that we should make him our MLB. I felt like he had the speed and mental capacity to compensate for him being a liability in the run game. Preston Brown was the single worst thing about our defense. The guy was running like he had quick sand for cleats. They should have put a bullseye on him instead of a “52” At that time I wanted to see Milano be the QB of the defense. We needed a guy in the middle that could run and cover. It’s not 1991 anymore. LBs need ru run first and foremost.

 

Obviously all of this changed when we drafted Edmunds. It is so wonderful to see us with 2 incredibly talented, fast young LBs as the centerpieces of our defense moving forward. Edmunds and Milano are the two most exciting lbs we have had since Spikes and Fletcher. And these guys are super young. We are in excellent shape on defense.

[GunnerBill]

3 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

Pre-Beane, and you also can’t win ‘em all. No one, not even Belicheat, bats 1000 on draft day, especially in the 5th round where NP was taken. 

 

Indeed. It isn't compulsary to keep trotting him out on the field when he obviously sucks though. Not to matter. That nightmare is over now. 

 

Milano and Taron Johnson as day 3 picks have far exceeded legitimate expectations. I did like both picks though I have to say.... even Teller has made a decent enough start. 

 

And if the two 'Bama guys can keep coming on that is a massive help. The last UDFA we hit on was Robey-Coleman. The really good teams hit on one every 3 years. 

[Doc]

2 hours ago, T master said:

They need to get this guy extended before his rookie deal is up he is a play maker & if he is able to hit FA he will be gone !! 

 

Make it happen McBean !! 

 

He's under contract until 2020, after which he's an UFA.  However if he keeps playing well, they'll probably offer him a new deal after next season.

[Punching Bag]

5 hours ago, buffalobloodfloridahome said:

Milano was everywhere today for sure. I just wish we didn't struggle against power backs so much. Fournette just ran right through us and we needed three guys to tackle him. Thank god he got thrown out or the game may have gone completely different. 

 

The "ran right through us" only occurred in 1st half.  In the 2nd half the Bills seemed to have it under control before Fornicate was tossed out.

[3rdand12]

I don't know about Bills Runs defense. When you let Poyer and Milano and Edmunds cover a b gaps? we have issues. if you let the front four take care of that, less so.

 Milano is so quick to the ball, you just never want him shedding blockers if you can help it.
hell of a baller and playmaker though. huge asset to the team !

 Going to be a pleasure to watch Edmunds and Milano grow as players and pros.
good things.. good things.. man

[The Now Moment]

On 11/26/2018 at 5:08 PM, C.Biscuit97 said:

I was worried about he holding up physically but he has.  Great young player. 

So is this Whaley or McDermott? I feel like McDermott gets credit for the good picks while Whaley is blamed for the bad decisions in that draft.

Who is a bad pick in that draft?

[The Now Moment]

13 minutes ago, 3rdand12 said:

I don't know about Bills Runs defense. When you let Poyer and Milano and Edmunds cover a b gaps? we have issues. if you let the front four take care of that, less so.

 Milano is so quick to the ball, you just never want him shedding blockers if you can help it.
hell of a baller and playmaker though. huge asset to the team !

 Going to be a pleasure to watch Edmunds and Milano grow as players and pros.
good things.. good things.. man

I expect McDermott to have Lorenzo's 3rd linebacker replacement high on the list of needs this spring.  Adding another young stud to the linebacker core that can play downhill against the run would help with this issue.  They need more talent upfront too.  Kyle has been great this year rushing the passer but as expected he can be pushed around at times against the run.  I expect DT to be high on the list as well in the offseason.  They have plenty of cap space and draft picks to fill a lot of needs.  

[Doc]

5 minutes ago, Buffalo30 said:

I expect McDermott to have Lorenzo's 3rd linebacker replacement high on the list of needs this spring.  Adding another young stud to the linebacker core that can play downhill against the run would help with this issue.  They need more talent upfront too.  Kyle has been great this year rushing the passer but as expected he can be pushed around at times against the run.  I expect DT to be high on the list as well in the offseason.  They have plenty of cap space and draft picks to fill a lot of needs.  

 

Hopefully in FA.  Offensive pickings in FA don't seem that great and will probably need to be addressed in the draft.

[The Now Moment]

Just now, Doc said:

 

Hopefully in FA.  Offensive pickings in FA don't seem that great and will probably need to be addressed in the draft.

I think they will add an offensive lineman or two in FA.  I expect them to draft 1 or more as well.  Wide receiver looks like it'll need to be addressed in the draft.

[WideNine]

18 hours ago, Limeaid said:

 

The "ran right through us" only occurred in 1st half.  In the 2nd half the Bills seemed to have it under control before Fornicate was tossed out.

 

I know I am killing the love fest, but just trying to keep it real. Milano is not very strong against the run, and that is not to take away from how many other plays and turnovers he does make. He is so effective at blitzing and getting to the QB as well as his coverage skills it is a hard decision to ever take him off the field.

 

Feel free to look up his stats for the game (Milano 3 tackles) 1 after Fournette gained 7 yards, 1 where he pushed Hyde out of bounds, and a stop on Bortles for no gain when he tried to scramble. The fact that Poyer our safety led the team with 9 paints a picture of just how many runs were getting to the 2nd level.

 

I don't think that suddenly Milano became a better run stopper in the second half and it is "OK" for a young player like him who is having plenty of success in other areas to have more to his game for coaches to work on. What I did see from the gamebook (besides all the ridiculous penalties I had tried to forget) was that the Bills had inserted Jordan Phillips a 6' 6" 340 lb DT on the line in the 2nd half who I usually only notice in goal line situations and he is in on a lot of stops.

 

I should just buy game pass to see if the "adjustments" the Bills made were more than just personnel or if there was a package/alignment changes too because they did seem to help - I think. Jacksonville also inexplicably started going three and out calling pass after pass and to me it seemed Hackett hit the panic button a bit early and abandoned their running game after only a few stops...going all in on passing against this Bills "D" is not a good idea.

Edited November 28, 2018 by WideNine

[Chandler#81]

I’m loving the kid. In today’s game, coverage LBs are more important than run stuffers and he excels in coverage. Plus, he’s got swag and a nose for the ball. He beefed up from last year and I think he could still add a little more muscle/size w/o negatively impacting his speed. He’s no Jack Lambert, but’s he’s pretty close to Jack Hamm.

[GunnerBill]

7 hours ago, Buffalo30 said:

Who is a bad pick in that draft?

 

Nathan *cough* Peterman.

5 hours ago, WideNine said:

 

I should just buy game pass to see if the "adjustments" the Bills made were more than just personnel or if there was a package/alignment changes too because they did seem to help - I think. Jacksonville also inexplicably started going three and out calling pass after pass and to me it seemed Hackett hit the panic button a bit early and abandoned their running game after only a few stops...going all in on passing against this Bills "D" is not a good idea.

 

You are right to identify that Phillips was in more but they basically went to run blitz as their base defensive calls. They were crashing down on the middle of the Jags offensive line and giving up the edges. The Jags never really seemed to adjust for whatever reason - their response should have been (and Coach Tuesday called it in the game day thread) delayed hand offs, draw plays and quick WR screens to use the Bills aggression at the point of attack against them.... they did nothing. Kept running the dive up the middle and then when that didn't work they put the game into Bortles's hands. 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

Sean McDermott is an NFL head coach largely because of the what he achieved from 2011-2016 as the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. In each of his last five seasons in Carolina, the Panthers boasted a top-1o overall defense in the NFL. In Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos, McDermott’s defense only allowed one offensive touchdown in the contest despite Carolina losing 24-10.

 

Given his success in Carolina that led to an NFL head coaching gig, it would only make sense for McDermott to build a football team full of the similar ingredients that got him to where he is. One of the staples in McDermott’s dominant Carolina defenses was the linebacking duo of Luke Keuchly and Thomas Davis who combined to form one of the league’s best pairings on the second level. When McDermott took over the Bills, nothing remotely close to those linebackers existed on the roster but that has since changed.

[WideNine]

6 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Nathan *cough* Peterman.

 

You are right to identify that Phillips was in more but they basically went to run blitz as their base defensive calls. They were crashing down on the middle of the Jags offensive line and giving up the edges. The Jags never really seemed to adjust for whatever reason - their response should have been (and Coach Tuesday called it in the game day thread) delayed hand offs, draw plays and quick WR screens to use the Bills aggression at the point of attack against them.... they did nothing. Kept running the dive up the middle and then when that didn't work they put the game into Bortles's hands. 

 

Thanks and much appreciated - I guess they are not going to tell every team how they attack a good running game, but was getting tired of hearing over and over about adjustments made at the half and not knowing what they were. I really should just give the NFL more money and get the game pass. I get annoyed with the way the NFL and NHL break all these things up into different packages, but I really like analyzing the games afterwards.

 

Perhaps it was just me, but I thought McDermott seemed a bit annoyed (in his initial post-game press conf) that it took till half-time for Leslie to make the adjustments. Maybe reading too much into it, but I remember that he yanked duties from him earlier in the year.

[MrEpsYtown]

Good thing we didn't sign Zach Brown to some ridiculous contract. We never would have found this guy.