Andy Benoit's 2018 Top Twelve Defensive Rookies; Tremaine Edmunds at 11; Cover 1 Breaks Down Edmunds in Week 14

[nedboy7]

3 hours ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

 

Is this your first time?

 

People often tend to react to poorly founded opinions by injecting perspective. Or at least it’s commonplace here.  

 

Welcome btw.  

 

Nice tone. How is it a poor opinion to think trading up for the 4th LB was not a good idea?  I’m confused. It seems you are taking his opinion personally. 

[billsfan89]

1 hour ago, mjt328 said:

When judging a draft pick, I think it's fair to look at the player who was selected -- as well as any other players who could have been selected instead. 

It's also fair to criticize a GM for trading up, if it's eventually shown the move was not necessary.

 

However, it's not fair to judge any player so early into his career.

Whether good or bad.

 

Let's see how Tremaine Edmunds stacks up on this list 3-4 years down the road.

 

 

 

If Edmunds turns out to be a consistent probowler for 5-7 years then the pick will be worth it. The Bills swapped an early 3rd for a mid 5th to trade up to 16 to take him, that's a significant cost but its not tragic to move up to take a prospect you think is elite. Value is a valid concern but a modest trade up to acquire an elite player is not something a team will likely regret. 

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Context for Tremaine Edmunds’s Performance vs. the Jets

 

 

Erik Turner - 12/12/2018

 

Rookie linebacker Tremaine Edmunds was drafted 16th overall by the Bills and immediately inserted into the middle linebacker role in Leslie Frazier’s defense. The now 20-year-old has had a rollercoaster of a season. At times his natural athleticism has shone through, but at other times his immaturity at the position has led people to question the selection.

 

Bob Babich, his position coach, and I talk about that often. Sometimes we’re having meetings and we’re just talking and leading meetings, and we talk about all the things that we put on his plate, and then you realize how young he is, and the fact that it’s a new position, because he was an outside linebacker in college. Now, you’re a middle linebacker in the National Football League, so young at what he’s doing, to see his growth is just incredible. You have high hopes for his future. He’s just going to keep getting better and better. -DC Leslie Frazier

 

Those who believe that Edmunds was over-drafted or not worth the selection may not truly understand what he is asked to do. Most fans will chalk up Frazier’s statement about Edmunds becoming more “comfortable in this system” or how “his communication, handling all the different things that show up during a ball game that he struggled with early in the season” as coach-speak, but you will see all of those things in action in this article.

 

So today, I want to dive into Edmunds’s film vs. the Jets to show you some of his good and bad plays, but more importantly, to give you some context surrounding what he is being asked to do. This should help you understand why he was in a position to make the interception downfield and why he was half a click late and unable make the tackle on another play.

 

One of the major coverages the Bills play is quarters. You will see it creep up several times in this game, so I’ll give you a crash course into quarters coverage from the perspective of the Mike linebacker. One of the main ways to beat this coverage is to attack the middle linebacker, and teams did that frequently in 2017 when Preston Brown was the Mike. They had a ton of success. Edmunds has done a much better job, but there is still room for improvement.

 

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Kyle Williams: "Continue to Prepare" (6:46)

Defensive Tackle Kyle Williams addressed the media inside the locker room topics include; LB Tremaine Edmunds leadership skills, QB Josh Allen setting into a leadership role on the offense, and his message to the team for the final three weeks.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

2 hours ago, nedboy7 said:

 

Nice tone. How is it a poor opinion to think trading up for the 4th LB was not a good idea?  I’m confused. It seems you are taking his opinion personally. 

 

Actually I was closer to taking the objection to my objection of the opinion seriously. 

 

To clear the confusion, of course its unassailable logic to conclude abs contrast the entire career trajectory of several rookies on different teams 13 games into their career. 

 

 I mean what else is there to know? 

[78thealltimegreat]

Give Edmunds time he’ll be a good one but LVE is probably headed to Canton Ohio the kid is that good 

[TigerJ]

Woulda, coulda, shoulda.  I don't worry overmuch about that stuff.  I love the athleticism and potential of both Allen and Edmunds.  Maybe the fact that they are a little more raw than somebody else that Buffalo could have taken, or maybe Buffalo could have taken somebody later that would have been as effective, or even more effective as rookies.  But now they are both Bills and have all kinds of upside.  It's just exciting to me to watch them climb the learning curve to see where they end up.  Next year, when both will have the benefit of a year of experience as going to be awesome.

[K-9]

I’ve suspected that Edmunds’s biggest issue is hesitancy born out of thinking too much. After reading Frazier’s comments above, I’m convinced of it. 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

4 hours ago, K-9 said:

I’ve suspected that Edmunds’s biggest issue is hesitancy born out of thinking too much. After reading Frazier’s comments above, I’m convinced of it. 

 

He was scouted in college as biting on the wrong hole or play action. With experience, film and reps, he’s going to outgrow that. 

[K-9]

4 minutes ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

 

He was scouted in college as biting on the wrong hole or play action. With experience, film and reps, he’s going to outgrow that. 

Yeah, I agree that biting on play fakes is one of his issues, but I think he’s improved in that area, at least incrementally, over the course of the season. I still think his biggest issue is hesitancy though. He’s been sipping from a fire hose since OTAs.

[John from Riverside]

17 hours ago, 78thealltimegreat said:

Give Edmunds time he’ll be a good one but LVE is probably headed to Canton Ohio the kid is that good 

In year 1 we are making these kinds of statements....LOL

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

2 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Yeah, I agree that biting on play fakes is one of his issues, but I think he’s improved in that area, at least incrementally, over the course of the season. I still think his biggest issue is hesitancy though. He’s been sipping from a fire hose since OTAs.

 

Right- he was abused by Baltimore and San Diego in that regard. But it’s been improving.  

 

Thinking some one of the hesitation is trying to avoid the above. 

 

Maybe he’s never going to be instinctive like Ray Lewis but he can certainly work his way to looking like it. 

[JerseyBills]

I think you could have made an argument for Taron Johnson on this list too. I also think Edmunds makes a considerable jump in year 2. For 20 years old , handling the responsibilities of a MLB, he's done a fine job in year 1, i think we're talking pro bowl potential in year 2 as he cleans up a couple kinks in his game. Overall, Back to Back great drafts, most excited Ive been for the future as a Bill fan in my lifetime.

Edited December 13, 2018 by JerseyBills

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[Big Turk]

23 hours ago, 78thealltimegreat said:

Give Edmunds time he’ll be a good one but LVE is probably headed to Canton Ohio the kid is that good 

Funny that's the opinion of many Bills defensive vets when asked about Edmunds...and they were not joking.

 

Wonder what they know that most posters don't...things that make you go hmmm....

[Thurman#1]

On 12/13/2018 at 1:25 AM, Dadonkadonk said:

So far trading up for Edmunds looks like a wasted pick. They could have found a LB in the second round and had another high draft pick for the OL.

Poor choice by Beane to trade up.

Edmunds the player however has been fine. If he continues to get better he can be the anchor the defense needs for the next 5-7 years. And still only be 27. Amazing.

 

 

Getting a great player is worth a trade up, at least if it's not sacrificing 1st rounder or a pick that would prevent you from trading up for a possible franchise QB.

 

They gave up the 22nd and 65th for the Edmunds pick and the 154th. If he turns out as well as even you think he might, it will have been a very good trade. Yeah, they could have used the 65th (the first pick of the third round, by the way, not the 2nd) to find an LB. Who wouldn't have been as good as Edmunds, in the McDermott scheme in which having a real stud at that position is necessary.

 

Both the player and the trade make sense ... if he turns out as well as we all hope he will.

Edited December 14, 2018 by Thurman#1

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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — During his weekly news conference on Monday, Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier couldn’t contain his excitement about rookie linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Each question prompted a smile and a story from Frazier, who has taken great pride in watching the 20-year old first-round pick develop this season.

 

Perhaps the greatest sign of that development came last Thursday, a few days before the Bills would host the Jets. For years, defensive tackle Kyle Williams has led a players-only meeting for the defense on Thursday to review their 9-on-7 film from practice. He wants to make sure everyone is on the same page with the run defense, so they know what runs to expect when the offense comes out in a certain formation and how to respond.

 

Last week, Williams thought it would be a good idea for Edmunds to run the meeting. He may be just 20 years old, but Williams already views him as the one who will be leading this defense for years.

 

“He’s a guy that displays the right habits,” Williams said. “He wants to be better at everything. I want to help him to grow. I want Tremaine to be as good a football player as I think Tremaine wants to be. I see somebody that is going to be a cornerstone here for a longtime. You play a mike position where you need to be the bellcow. So let’s get this started early, I’ll help you.”

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