Bernard, Torrence and Benford all officially starters

[oldmanfan]

26 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

 

Couple points:

- There’s a big difference between acknowledging that someone is an expert and asserting their infallibility. 

- On the tax example my MIL had hers done by the same professional for decades. She passed away last year and my wife is handling her estate. She found numerous mistakes in the taxes sent to her by the same professional tax accountant. Some took several corrections before they were fully rectified. Thus the danger of appealing to authority.

- Similarly a lot of fans thought that despite his extensive experience Rex Ryan was going to be a disaster here. And they sure weren’t wrong. I hear the same argument of “he’s the pro.”

- Just because a fan may not be able to do the job of a GM doesn’t mean that they can’t point out where they think he went wrong. I’m not a professional chef, but I can tell you that a meal is terrible when I have a really bad one - and sometimes even when I’m watching one be made. 

- Let’s not confuse name calling and belittling someone with fans voicing legitimate concerns and criticisms.

- I don’t see the same push back when Bills fans criticize other teams players, coaches and GMs. Why the double standard?

 

There’s nothing wrong with a fan stating that they think we will have a problem at MLB because our starting MLB performed poorly last year and hasn’t been on the field in the preseason. That’s legitimate. That doesn’t mean that they’re rooting for the player to fail or rooting against the Bills. 

I did not say anyone is infallible.  Nor did I say fans (short for fanatic after all) don’t get to voice opinions.  Just that, on the whole, folks with more extensive training and expertise in an area have a better chance of being right in that area than those who don’t.  So I prefer to wait and see what happens before criticizing.  People are saying Bernard is doomed to fail based on a very limited data set.  I choose to see how he does before judging.

Edited September 7, 2023 by oldmanfan

[BarleyNY]

21 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

I did not say anyone is infallible.  Nor did I say fans (short for fanatic after all) don’t get to voice opinions.  Just that, on the whole, folks with more extensive training and expertise in an area have a better chance of being right in that area than those who don’t.  So I prefer to wait and see what happens before criticizing.  People are saying Bernard is doomed to fail based on a very limited data set.  I choose to see how he does before judging.

 

And I think it’s fair for fans to be concerned by how poorly Bernard performed last season. That doesn’t mean he can’t improve. 

[oldmanfan]

52 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

 

And I think it’s fair for fans to be concerned by how poorly Bernard performed last season. That doesn’t mean he can’t improve. 

We shall see

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

18 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

 

And I think it’s fair for fans to be concerned by how poorly Bernard performed last season. That doesn’t mean he can’t improve. 

 

I think thats the thing - he was playing for milano i think more than edmunds.  I'm not going to say which he's better suited for, but he definitely seems to offer more from a pass rushing perspective than edmunds ever did.  Whether he can shed, and play downhill i think is going to be the big question.  I'm fairly certain he's probably better in coverage than dodson.  

[BarleyNY]

2 minutes ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

I think thats the thing - he was playing for milano i think more than edmunds.  I'm not going to say which he's better suited for, but he definitely seems to offer more from a pass rushing perspective than edmunds ever did.  Whether he can shed, and play downhill i think is going to be the big question.  I'm fairly certain he's probably better in coverage than dodson.  

 

For all of Edmunds athleticism he was an awful blitzer. It never made sense, but that’s how it was.

[Punching Bag]

19 hours ago, oldmanfan said:

I did not say anyone is infallible.  Nor did I say fans (short for fanatic after all) don’t get to voice opinions.  Just that, on the whole, folks with more extensive training and expertise in an area have a better chance of being right in that area than those who don’t.  So I prefer to wait and see what happens before criticizing.  People are saying Bernard is doomed to fail based on a very limited data set.  I choose to see how he does before judging.

 

Some fans are like media members who want be first to post or criticize and ignore it when they are wrong.

One media member told me that they need to be like a CB and not be affected by botched plays.

[junior]

On 9/6/2023 at 12:21 PM, KDIGGZ said:

Bernard is terrible. He's undersized and for being so you would expect him to be super athletic which he's not. If he would have played in the preseason we would have all seen that. I definitely don't like the idea of them experimenting with him in a live game. This is going to be bad. Hopefully Kirksey will be available but I doubt it 

 

Seems pretty athletic to me, idk 

[TheBeaneBandit]

19 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

 

For all of Edmunds athleticism he was an awful blitzer. It never made sense, but that’s how it was.

Yes. I never seen him cause any pressure unless he shot a gap clean and untouched. Small 205 running backs would basically stonewall him. It's why I would laugh when people suggested the Bills play him at edge.

[jahnyc]

I expect that the Bills defense will be tested by the Jets with a combination of concentrated rushes up the middle and short passes in the middle of the field, both specifically targeting Bernard and his inexperience.  I don't think it helps having Oliver as an undersized DT helps with defending the run if we are going to start Bernard at MLB.

[Coach Tuesday]

39 minutes ago, jahnyc said:

I expect that the Bills defense will be tested by the Jets with a combination of concentrated rushes up the middle and short passes in the middle of the field, both specifically targeting Bernard and his inexperience.  I don't think it helps having Oliver as an undersized DT helps with defending the run if we are going to start Bernard at MLB.

Not just up the middle but side to side using their zone stretch concepts to set up play action short throws to the flat.  They will do that over and over again to get Bernard’s head spinning and then they’ll ignore the flat option and take a deep shot or two.  

[EmotionallyUnstable]

When asked if he’s readyfor Monday Night (quote Per Nick Wojton on BillsWire.)

 

“I think so,” Bernard said. “Super excited to see what happens.”

 

Comments like that must have offenses shaking in fear. 

 

 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

On 9/7/2023 at 5:04 PM, oldmanfan said:

I did not say anyone is infallible.  Nor did I say fans (short for fanatic after all) don’t get to voice opinions.  Just that, on the whole, folks with more extensive training and expertise in an area have a better chance of being right in that area than those who don’t.  So I prefer to wait and see what happens before criticizing.  People are saying Bernard is doomed to fail based on a very limited data set.  I choose to see how he does before judging.

People are saying he is doomed to fail because he is too small to play the position.  His poor showing last year only reinforces that belief. Im sure all of us who think he will be awful would love to be wrong.  Some of us are stuck in the past on what a MLB should look like. Maybe a 225lb linebacker playing the middle is the future. I don't see it yet. Again hope he plays lights out.

 

And as for GM criticism, a GM picked JaMarcus Russell and Johnny Manziel and 32 of them passed on Brady 5 or more times. These people are far from geniuses and we fans watch alot of football too. My hunch is we could suck just as bad as they do figuring out who can play QB and who can not.

[SWATeam]

1 hour ago, ScottLaw said:

Yea… kindve hate the fact that this is basically a try out for Bernard in week one against a division rival who will challenge for the division…. They are forcing him into action because they feel the need to justify the pick and the lack of other options. 

Are you suggesting more investment in the defense???

[Special K]

36 minutes ago, EmotionallyUnstable said:

 

“I think so,” Bernard said. “Super excited to see what happens.”

 

 

 

Did the Bills do a lackluster job at addressing the MLB position over the last two years??

 

”I think so.”😡

 

At this point, Bernard is the only option they have, and I hope they get the most out of him to the point where he is at least not a liability to the defense.

Edited September 9, 2023 by Special K

[Doc]

37 minutes ago, Special K said:

Did the Bills do a lackluster job at addressing the MLB position over the last two years??

 

”I think so.”😡

 

At this point, Bernard is the only option they have, and I hope they get the most out of him to the point where he is at least not a liability to the defense.

 

He's not the only option.  The Ravens traded for Roquan Smith in-season and started him 7 days later.  Kirksey has been on the team for 10 days.

[Special K]

18 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

He's not the only option.  The Ravens traded for Roquan Smith in-season and started him 7 days later.  Kirksey has been on the team for 10 days.

 

True on Kirksey, but I think the Bills might view him as an “in case of emergency, break glass” type of option.

[Doc]

Just now, Special K said:

True on Kirksey, but I think the Bills might view him as an “in case of emergency, break glass” type of option.

 

No way.  He'll be the starter at MLB.  They're just working him in slowly, which is maddening.  He's got the size and experience Bernard lacks.

[Special K]

7 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

No way.  He'll be the starter at MLB.  They're just working him in slowly, which is maddening.  He's got the size and experience Bernard lacks.

 

Kirksey starting sounds good to me, we will see what the Bills think soon enough, I’m sure.

[Doc]

25 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

No, Im suggesting they ***** up with a wasted pick in Bernard based on what we’ve seen…. But he was a McD pick and a 3rd rounder at hat so they are forcing the issue. 

 

By not starting Kirksey?

Edited September 9, 2023 by Doc

[BillsFanForever19]

1 hour ago, ScottLaw said:

No, Im suggesting they ***** up with a wasted pick in Bernard based on what we’ve seen…. But he was a McD pick and a 3rd rounder at hat so they are forcing the issue. 

 

He's entering just Year 2 of a complicated Defense in which he got a total of 43 snaps on Defense as a Rookie. Wayyyyy too early to assume he's a "wasted pick".