The Edmunds Report - Week 3, WTF's v. Bills, 09/26/21

[Freddie's Dead]

Since Edmunds is still getting so much hate, I'm going to do this weekly.  The PIT game convinced me that much of the Edmunds hate is undeserved, but I want to see if I'm missing anything.  I'll use the same point system -1, 0, +1, and keep a running total.  I'll ignore plays where he's not involved and only look at coverage if he's onscreen (I don't have the All-22).  I'll also flag plays for the haterz so they can skip the rest.  Let's go to the tape.

 

WTF 1st possession

1st and 10, WTF 21.  Run off RT, TE overruns the hole, blocked out (HATERZ PLAY), 9 yard gain (-1,-1)

3rd and 2, WTF 29.  McKissic comes out, throws a pick on TE, draws the OPI after first down by McLaurin (+1,0)

3rd and 12, WTF 19.  TE covers Logan Thomas in flat, makes tackle 1 yard short of first down (+1,+1)

 

WTF 2nd possession

3rd and 8, WTF 37.  TE blitzes, but peels off to cover RB in the flat, Muffler goes to Logan Thomas, fumble (+1,+2)

 

WTF 3rd possession

1st and 10, WTF 25.  TE blitzes, doesn't get there, 10 yard reception (0,+2)

1st and 10, WTF 35.  Run, TE blocked at point of attack, 4 yard gain (0,+2)

2nd and 6, WTF 39.  TE drops into coverage on the right, Muffler throws left, Poyer INT (0,+2)

 

WTF 4th possession

1st and 10, WTF 25.  TE calls a line shift, Gibson up the gut, stuffed by TE in the hole for 2 yards (+1,+3)

2nd and 8, WTF 27.  TE drops into coverage, screen to Gibson, TE blocked 11 yards downfield by 79 (HATERZ PLAY), turns to chase Gibson, runs into a pile of people (-1,+2) You know the rest, complete Bills D collapse, 73 yard TD

 

WTF 5th possession

1st and 10, BUF 24.  WR end around, TE blocked backward at point of attack, 7 yard gain (-1,+1)

2nd and 3, BUF 17.  Gibson sweep, TE pursues down line, Poyer 1 yard TFL (0,+1)

3rd and 4, BUF 18.  TE drops into short zone, covers 13, then slides to 17, Logan Thomas settles in seam behind TE, 15 yard completion (0,+1)

2nd and goal, BUF 3.  TE drops into coverage, Muffler takes off and beats everyone to the pylon (0,+1) 

 

WTF 6th possession

1st and 10, WTF 25.  TE drops into coverage, Muffler chased OB, 1 yard gain (0,+1)

2nd and 9, WTF 26.  TE drops into coverage, Gibson sweep TFL by Cookie (0,+1)

3rd and 10, WTF 25.  TE drops into coverage, Muffler complete to 13, TE WITH THE STUFF, laying the lumber on 13, 3 yards short of 1st down (+1,+2)

 

WTF 7th possession

1st and 10, WTF 25.  TE drops, McKissic run, TE blocked 5 yards downfield (HATERZ PLAY), 10 yards, 1st down (-1,+1)

1st and 10, WTF 35.  TE drops into coverage on Logan Thomas, Muffler throws it, Thomas tips it, Taron Johnson INT.  Did not see the holding call on TE, which was declined, looked like he had good coverage otherwise (0,+1)

1st and 10, WTF 41.  TE covers McKissic in the flat, Muffler throws to McKissic, 4 yard gain (0,+1)

 

1st half observations:

 

1.  Up and down half for TE.

2.  I flagged three HATERZ PLAYs that the haterz will use to talk down TE.

3.  Neither Rapelisberger nor Muffler threw much TE's way in coverage.  Those who keep saying that TE is terrible in coverage need to show us some tape, 'cause I'm not seeing it.

 

WTF 8th Possession

1st and 10, WTF 40.  TE on a delayed blitz, Muffler with 1st down completion to McLaurin (0,+1)

1st and 10, BUF 45.  McKissic run, TE sets edge, McK cuts inside, 5 yard run (0,+1)

2nd and 5, BUF 40.  Jet sweep, TE chases down the line, cleans up the 5 yard TFL with Hyde (+1,+2) 

3rd and 10, BUF 45.  TE in coverage on Logan Thomas, Muffler throws incomplete to WR left (+1,+3)

 

WTF 9th possession

1st and 15, WTF 5.  Gibson run, TE sheds a block, dives for the tackle but Gibson fakes him out his jockstrap (HATERZ PLAY, but can't lie, TE looked stupid on this one), 7 yard gain (-1,+2)

2nd and 8, WTF 12.  TE drops, Muffler goes past LOS and throws, illegal forward pass, loss of down (+1,+3)

3rd and 13, WTF 7.  TE drops, Muffler throws his way, and Hyde makes the pick.  It looks like TE baited him into the INT, something I saw another poster complain about, that TE never "baits" the QB.  Sure looks like he did there (+1,+4)

 

WTF 10th possession

1st and 10, WTF 25.  TE washed out a bit, 3 yard run gain (0,+4)

 

WTF 11th possession

1st and 10, WTF 1.  TE piles into line, 1 yard run (0,+4)

2nd and 9, WTF 2.  TE drops, Muffler does not throw his way yet again, dropped pass (0,+4)

3rd and 9, WTF 2.  TE drops, Muffler hits McKissic on safety valve, jukes TE for first down (HATERZ PLAY, but agree, TE needs to make that tackle short of the sticks) (-1,+3)

1st and 10, WTF 14.  TE drops, Muffler pulls it down and scrambles for 7 (0,+3)

2nd and 3, WTF 21.  Muffler with the play action, throws and TREMAINE EDMUNDS, WITH THE REJECTION! (in my best Marv Albert)  Great play by TE, Muffler caught the rejection, and TE cleaned up with a 1 yard TFL (+1,+4)

3rd and 5, WTF 20.  TE drops, Muffler pulls it down after finding no one open, and dives short of 1st down (0,+4)

4th and 1, WTF 24.  TE plugs up the middle, and Cookie cleans Muffler's clock (+1,+5)

 

WTF 12th possession

1st and 10, WTF 25.  Gibson off-tackle, TE sheds blocks and makes the tackle, 7 yard gain (HATERZ PLAY) (0,+5)

2nd and 3, WTF 32.  Gibson up the gut, TE sheds a block, completely whiffs on the tackle (HATERZ PLAY, but again, TE looked stupid on this one) 1st down run (-1,+4)

2nd and 13, WTF 35.  TE covers Logan again, makes tackle after completion to other receiver (0,+4)

1st and 10, BUF 44.  TE drops, Muffler throws to McLaurin, TE misses the tackle (-1,+3)

 

Conclusions

1.  Edmunds is a good MLB, not great.  The Bills will re-sign him if the price is right.

2.  His coverage skills are excellent.  They rarely throw his way, and when they do, he usually makes the tackle for minimal gain.

3.  The haterz had more fodder with today's game, because there were two plays I saw where TE looked completely stupid.  I didn't see that against PIT.

4.  I thought TE had a better game against the Squeelers than he did against the WTF's.  My grades for TE so far:

 

Squeelers - B+

WTF's - B- 

 

For the haterz, I get it, I was with you.  You see one or two plays that look bad, and you extrapolate to TE's entire body of work.  The best example is coverage skills.  I see the complaints, but outside a TE seam route against PIT, TE is solid in coverage.  If you have examples that prove that wrong, please post.  For now, I'm looking forward to seeing TE get better.  

Edited September 28, 2021 by Freddie's Dead

[Robert Paulson]

Keep this up because all i see/notice is the bad. It is nice to read an objective review.

[Brand J]

You obviously put a lot of time into this and for that it’s appreciated. It is a subjective grading system, so some of your +1 plays and other assessments could definitely be argued - “TE drops into coverage, Heinicke throws beyond the LOS +1” “TE called for holding, but I didnt see it 0.” There are others like this, but I chose two as an example.
The fact remains, Edmund’s game changing, impact plays are few and far between. His mistakes are magnified because he routinely fails to make splash plays and his missteps stand out like a flashlight in a dark room. He’s not a “terrible” player, but he’s not a difference-maker either, I’d move on after the season for any dollar amount over $10M/yr.

Ideally I’d love to see what he would fetch in a trade.

[kjack151]

Great job!  I appreciate an objective evaluation.  I recall when some folks were complaining about Star’s Lotulelei not producing on the field.  We all saw what happened last year when he wasn’t there. It’s not all about spectacular plays

[qwksilver]

Thanks for doing this homework. This will be very interesting. Looking forward to the coming weeks.

[LeGOATski]

Another poster told me he's a "net negative," so.... 

[Freddie's Dead]

20 minutes ago, JayBaller10 said:

You obviously put a lot of time into this and for that it’s appreciated. It is a subjective grading system, so some of your +1 plays and other assessments could definitely be argued - “TE drops into coverage, Heinicke throws beyond the LOS +1” “TE called for holding, but I didnt see it 0.” There are others like this, but I chose two as an example.
The fact remains, Edmund’s game changing, impact plays are few and far between. His mistakes are magnified because he routinely fails to make splash plays and his missteps stand out like a flashlight in a dark room. He’s not a “terrible” player, but he’s not a difference-maker either, I’d move on after the season for any dollar amount over $10M/yr.

Ideally I’d love to see what he would fetch in a trade.

 

The grading system is totally subjective, since I have no clue what TE's assignment is on any given play.  When Muffler made the illegal forward pass, I gave TE a +1, because his coverage led to the pump fake which took Muffler past the LOS.  I gave him a 0 on the triple penalty play because I couldn't see the hold, it was declined, and the coverage led to the INT.  If you want to give him a -1, fine, but I thought the 0 was fair since there was both + and - on the play.

 

Yes, Edmunds is not flashy, but I'm coming around to the fact that his play allows Cookie to roam free.  On plays where TE is occupying a blocker, someone else is making the play.  He did have three big plays today, two third down stops and the PD and TFL.  The last competent MLB we had before Edmunds was London Fletcher, and we ran him out of town on a rail due to many of the same criticisms I hear about Edmunds.  He went on to play 7 more years for the Redskins, among the league leaders in tackles every year, while we went through Posluszny, #LegendofDirtyKiko, etc.  I don't want to go back to those days.  I see TE re-signing for $7-8M/year.  I expect TBD to go ballistic.   

 

Edited September 28, 2021 by Freddie's Dead

[MJS]

Edmunds is generally solid in coverage, but people don't usually see that on the broadcast.

 

It's just a bunch of fans yelling for no reason. Is Edmunds an elite player? No. Does he suck? No. He makes some plays, he misses some plays, he cleans up tackles, and he is decent in coverage.

 

He'll have to step up his game if he wants a good 2nd contract.

[Richard Noggin]

On that QB TD run to the right Edmunds was still bizarrely GIVING GROUND in the endzone (adhering to his pass coverage responsibility like a good boy) while Heinecke was already advancing the ball upfield toward the right pylon. It was crazy how late he finally planted a damned foot in the ground and moved toward the actual threat. 

 

Does anyone else recall that slow-mo replay? I try to be objective on TE, but that play was just mystifying. WTF was he doing staying back WELL after the QB broke the line of scrimmage? I cannot reconcile that play, and I'm afraid it's representative of his passive play in general. 

[qwksilver]

I'll be interested to see what TE's score is when used as a blitzer/rusher. 

[Freddie's Dead]

11 minutes ago, Richard Noggin said:

On that QB TD run to the right Edmunds was still bizarrely GIVING GROUND in the endzone (adhering to his pass coverage responsibility like a good boy) while Heinecke was already advancing the ball upfield toward the right pylon. It was crazy how late he finally planted a damned foot in the ground and moved toward the actual threat. 

 

Does anyone else recall that slow-mo replay? I try to be objective on TE, but that play was just mystifying. WTF was he doing staying back WELL after the QB broke the line of scrimmage? I cannot reconcile that play, and I'm afraid it's representative of his passive play in general. 

 

From the EZ angle, TE was about 10 yards to the left of Muffler when Muffler took off.  TE runs laterally at full speed and is about a yard away when Muffler hit the pylon.  He wasn't the reason Muffler scored on that play.  

 

6 minutes ago, qwksilver said:

I'll be interested to see what TE's score is when used as a blitzer/rusher. 

 

Not the best.  He had the big PD and then TFL when Muffler caught the deflection, but other than that, I don't remember seeing TE make an impact play while rushing/blitzing.  To be fair, there were only about 5 or 6 plays total in the PIT and WTF games when TE rushed the passer.  I will keep track of that in the next review, so thanks for the suggestion!

Edited September 28, 2021 by Freddie's Dead

[Motorin']

17 minutes ago, MJS said:

Edmunds is generally solid in coverage, but people don't usually see that on the broadcast.

 

It's just a bunch of fans yelling for no reason. Is Edmunds an elite player? No. Does he suck? No. He makes some plays, he misses some plays, he cleans up tackles, and he is decent in coverage.

 

He'll have to step up his game if he wants a good 2nd contract.

 

That's where I'm at. His performance doesn't warrant the resources to be made the 2nd highest paid player on the defence. Is he even top half? above who:

 

1. Tre 

2. Milano 

3. Hyde 

4. Poyer 

5. Oliver 

6. Jerry 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2021 by Motorin'

[Bangarang]

TE is the Donte Whitner of MLBs. There, I said it

[LABILLBACKER]

10 minutes ago, Motorin' said:

 

That's where I'm at. His performance doesn't warrant the resources to be made the 2nd highest paid player on the defence. Is he even top half? above who:

 

1. Tre 

2. Milano 

3. Hyde 

4. Poyer 

5. Oliver 

6. Jerry 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree....I don't care anymore how McD wants to use him. He's not worth a penny more than these top 5.  Too much backpedaling into no man's land. Zero splash plays. Frustrating instincts. Shut down Kelce in 2 weeks and I'll get off his back.

[Freddie's Dead]

2 minutes ago, Bangarang said:

TE is the Donte Whitner of MLBs. There, I said it

 

No need to insult TE.

[JohninMinn.]

Edmunds has the speed and size but lacks football instinct. I'm hoping the light eventually comes on through sheer playing time. The clock is ticking....

[Richard Noggin]

22 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

From the EZ angle, TE was about 10 yards to the left of Muffler when Muffler took off.  TE runs laterally at full speed and is about a yard away when Muffler hit the pylon.  He wasn't the reason Muffler scored on that play.  

 

I'm not suggesting TE was the reason Heinecke scored on that scramble, but I AM suggesting he failed to come off his coverage responsibility even as the QB crossed the LOS and advanced the ball. I'm suggesting TE is often hesitant and late to react and therefore does not make plays outside the scope of his prescribed responsibilities. Which means he is just a talented chess piece who only impacts plays in a passive way, if at all.

[QCity]

11 minutes ago, Bangarang said:

TE is the Donte Whitner of MLBs. There, I said it

 

That's....   actually pretty accurate.

[Bray Wyatt]

So over the course of the game he finished as a plus 3? Am I reading that right? If so I think that would qualify as average and not a b minus, more like a c.

 

regardless, that is well below expectations of a first rd line backer in his 4th year 

[LeGOATski]

16 minutes ago, Bangarang said:

TE is the Donte Whitner of MLBs. There, I said it

I hope he'll at least be better in the booth...

17 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

I agree....I don't care anymore how McD wants to use him. He's not worth a penny more than these top 5.  Too much backpedaling into no man's land. Zero splash plays. Frustrating instincts. Shut down Kelce in 2 weeks and I'll get off his back.

"Backpedaling into no man's land" is how you keep Heinicke from throwing it to Logan Thomas down the middle....

 

It's not a glorious role, I know

[John from Riverside]

So it seems that people don’t dislike Edmunds so much as they’re thinking about the money it’s going to cost to keep them guess what folks it’s not your money

[Freddie's Dead]

24 minutes ago, Bray Wyatt said:

So over the course of the game he finished as a plus 3? Am I reading that right? If so I think that would qualify as average and not a b minus, more like a c.

 

regardless, that is well below expectations of a first rd line backer in his 4th year 

 

B- because he was much more of a Dow Joneser against WTF than he was against PIT.  You want to call that a C, fine.

 

22 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

I hope he'll at least be better in the booth...

"Backpedaling into no man's land" is how you keep Heinicke from throwing it to Logan Thomas down the middle....

 

It's not a glorious role, I know

 

BIMBO!!  

Edited September 28, 2021 by Freddie's Dead

[Mr. Wonderful]

To the casual observer, he seems to make most of his plays behind him instead of in front of him. He's chasing ball carriers from behind instead of pursuing to the point of attack.        

[Freddie's Dead]

27 minutes ago, Richard Noggin said:

I'm not suggesting TE was the reason Heinecke scored on that scramble, but I AM suggesting he failed to come off his coverage responsibility even as the QB crossed the LOS and advanced the ball. I'm suggesting TE is often hesitant and late to react and therefore does not make plays outside the scope of his prescribed responsibilities. Which means he is just a talented chess piece who only impacts plays in a passive way, if at all.

 

I didn't see that.  I saw TE stay in the zone and pursue Muffler after he crossed the LOS.  We just gonna disagree about that play.

[LeGOATski]

3 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

BIMBO!!  

[Freddie's Dead]

Just now, LeGOATski said:

 

Short Circuit reference....

[Solomon Grundy]

I'm loving the Edmunds Report!! 

[Rc2catch]

First I haven’t seen it acknowledged yet. Kudos to WTF throughout the whole breakdown. WFT just doesn’t work right in my brain for them 😂😂 

 

I value things like this, because I think it’s good to point out under the radar things. That said, Edmunds is not elite and splashy and that’s basically what I see most of the people disliking him say. First year all we heard was Leighton Vander Esch was soooo amazing and Edmunds sucks. First year. 
LVE is hurt non stop and still a solid player but he’s certainly not the elite talent everyone thought he was year one. Edmunds is just never going to make some people happy. We hear the contract talk now but the hate was there long before a possible contract extension. People’s minds are made up and no analysis is going to change that. People want an attacking player similar to what Milano or Devin white are and that’s just not gonna be Edmunds. Not here. Rather it’s coaching or him he just doesn’t play aggressively. Maybe someone smarter can add in to this or refute it but I rewatched some of the Miami game and his “pass rushes” and he doesn’t really even try a move or move his hands. It’s like he’s coached to run straight in and be absorbed by a lineman. That happens on run plays as well. For me and my opinion anyways I feel like this is coached into him to a certain extent. He absorbs a linemen and someone else frees up to make a play. We are onto contract chatter for him now and I’m all for extending him if they choose to. I trust Mcdermott and Beane to make these choices. I have a hard time finding ways to agree with people hating our own players. Not everyone but some of these posters literally hate Edmunds guts. If you got a Bills uniform on and don’t hit women or rape or hurt kids you got my support. 

[Freddie's Dead]

2 minutes ago, Rc2catch said:

First I haven’t seen it acknowledged yet. Kudos to WTF throughout the whole breakdown. WFT just doesn’t work right in my brain for them 😂😂 

 

It’s like he’s coached to run straight in and be absorbed by a lineman. That happens on run plays as well. For me and my opinion anyways I feel like this is coached into him to a certain extent. He absorbs a linemen and someone else frees up to make a play.

 

I had to go back to correct it because a few WFT's had slipped in....

 

You've made an astute observation.  There are lots of things to see when iso'ing on TE, but it's like you say.  He absorbs blockers, then others routinely make the play.  I also wonder if it's coaching, because while he sheds blocks from time to time, he most often just absorbs them.  It's weird.  

[Rc2catch]

4 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

I had to go back to correct it because a few WFT's had slipped in....

 

You've made an astute observation.  There are lots of things to see when iso'ing on TE, but it's like you say.  He absorbs blockers, then others routinely make the play.  I also wonder if it's coaching, because while he sheds blocks from time to time, he most often just absorbs them.  It's weird.  

I had this chat with my dad. Why Edmunds doesn’t seem to fight harder to get through the line on blitzes. Best I could come up with is maybe it’s coached to stay around the line of scrimmage. So if the back or quarterback have the ball and get through Edmunds can pull away easily and chase them down. Kinda the last line of the middle level of defense. He does retreat from being absorbed opposed to pushing through and tries to catch up to possible plays. But I’m certainly no expert and I don’t rewatch a lot of the games. The Miami thing was something I noticed live so I went back to see. 

[QCity]

1 hour ago, John from Riverside said:

So it seems that people don’t dislike Edmunds so much as they’re thinking about the money it’s going to cost to keep them guess what folks it’s not your money

 

The "it's not your money" refrain has always been a load of BS from people that don't understand the ramifications of the salary cap. It's right up there with the "the cap doesn't apply to good GMs" argument which is even more ridiculous. There's a price for overpaying players and it's not always as simple as losing a rostered asset, there's also a lost opportunity cost for not being able to bring in new players that's hard to quantify. This isn't fantasy football where money doesn't matter.

[Big C]

2 hours ago, JohninMinn. said:

Edmunds has the speed and size but lacks football instinct. I'm hoping the light eventually comes on through sheer playing time. The clock is ticking....

See the thing is they are trusting him to make pre-snap reads and call shifts and the unit as a whole seems to be working. I agree that he isn’t the most physical run defender and doesn’t make many impact plays but how can we be sure he isn’t doing his job? The defense is playing really well and has played better when he is out there and healthy (note how the defense got better in the second half of last season). His speed and size absolutely make him one to avoid in the pass game and the pass game is increasingly more important in this league. 

[Freddie's Dead]

18 minutes ago, Big C said:

See the thing is they are trusting him to make pre-snap reads and call shifts and the unit as a whole seems to be working. I agree that he isn’t the most physical run defender and doesn’t make many impact plays but how can we be sure he isn’t doing his job? The defense is playing really well and has played better when he is out there and healthy (note how the defense got better in the second half of last season). His speed and size absolutely make him one to avoid in the pass game and the pass game is increasingly more important in this league. 

 

The QBing of the D is almost totally discounted by the haterz.  Edmunds is one of the few defenders taking every snap.  That says a lot about the faith they have in him.  I'm coming around to that point of view.

[Utah John]

The coaches are using Edmunds the way they think best.  They aren't looking for splash plays from him.  They want him to eat space and force action to places where they want it to go to.  

 

This defense is not 11 guys running around.  It's one unit with 11 parts, and if it's working well the MLB has a lot to do with its success.

 

Edmunds on another team might be given very different duties and perhaps would become a dominant force by himself.  On this team, he's the glue that keeps everything working together.  

[GunnerBill]

The holding call was legit. He grabbed the back of Logan Thomas's jersey.

[Freddie's Dead]

9 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

The holding call was legit. He grabbed the back of Logan Thomas's jersey.

 

I didn't see it and they never bothered replaying it, even through the massive delay.  Did you get it elsewhere?

[John from Riverside]

2 hours ago, QCity said:

 

The "it's not your money" refrain has always been a load of BS from people that don't understand the ramifications of the salary cap. It's right up there with the "the cap doesn't apply to good GMs" argument which is even more ridiculous. There's a price for overpaying players and it's not always as simple as losing a rostered asset, there's also a lost opportunity cost for not being able to bring in new players that's hard to quantify. This isn't fantasy football where money doesn't matter.

Frankly beane has earned the right to be respected on his decision on this which ever way he goes he may decide that Edmonds isn’t worth the money

[GunnerBill]

55 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

I didn't see it and they never bothered replaying it, even through the massive delay.  Did you get it elsewhere?

 

Yea. The all 22. It's soft but both the hold and the illegal contact they called on him on that same play were fair calls IMO. He tugged the back of Thomas's jersey with his left hand and then he made contact just before the ball arrived. It was the sort of play where if the ball just goes off Thomas's hands incomplete the ref might decide not to throw the flag but two small fouls on a play that leads to a turnover I thought they were the right call. 

[Rochesterfan]

6 hours ago, JayBaller10 said:

You obviously put a lot of time into this and for that it’s appreciated. It is a subjective grading system, so some of your +1 plays and other assessments could definitely be argued - “TE drops into coverage, Heinicke throws beyond the LOS +1” “TE called for holding, but I didnt see it 0.” There are others like this, but I chose two as an example.
The fact remains, Edmund’s game changing, impact plays are few and far between. His mistakes are magnified because he routinely fails to make splash plays and his missteps stand out like a flashlight in a dark room. He’s not a “terrible” player, but he’s not a difference-maker either, I’d move on after the season for any dollar amount over $10M/yr.

Ideally I’d love to see what he would fetch in a trade.

 

Well I don’t disagree - the question becomes then are you willing to play with Milano and Klein then as your 2 LBs.  Most likely - since Edmunds is routinely considered a top 5-10 LB you are not finding a replacement at that level - especially with knowledge of this defense and the ability to call plays and cover.

 

So I guess the biggest question is are you willing to completely change Milano’s role from the attacking LB to a coverage LB and have a Klein level LB starting opposite?  Since Klein (and many other LBs in this league) can’t cover as well as Edmunds - what impact does that have?

 

I think people would be surprised at how much worse this defense becomes with a below average replacement in for Edmunds.  We saw last year when Milano and Edmunds were hurt - exactly how well the 2 compliment each other and how Klein could play the attacking role, but could not play the coverage role.  
 

I do think you could play someone else in that spot that can get you more “splash plays” - I just think those plays then come out of the things Milano currently does because Milano would switch to the coverage and contain LB.

 

 

[timekills17]

6 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

So it seems that people don’t dislike Edmunds so much as they’re thinking about the money it’s going to cost to keep them guess what folks it’s not your money

 

I dislike this thought process more than I dislike the potential for "overpaying" Edmunds.

 

Every time I here this I think "No one who understands the NFL and salary caps is concerned about overpaying a player because it will cost *them*. It's because it means money isn't available to pay OTHER BETTER/DESERVING players."

 

It has *nothing* do to with whose money it is. This is like people saying "The owner is rich; he can afford to pay X$ to some player."

That has absolutely zero to do with. All owners are rich, and all have the exact same amount of money they MUST spend and CAN spend - and no more than that.

 

If we pay more to Edmunds than he's actually "worth" then we have less money UNDER THE CAP to spend on other players. Which might mean we miss out on acquiring or keeping another player a firm market value who can help the team win.

 

Just stop with the discussion about whose money is being spent. The discussion is what % of the total amount a team IS ALLOWED to spend makes sense.