CT/Fordham Bills Fan Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 Trying to see what the best option would be for the LB corps for next year. I think we let Fletcher go, get a new young MLB and leave the OLB's as Crowell and Spikes and see if Spikes can regain his play. If he can't, put in Ellison. But if he can, we have Ellison for Pass coverage and depth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generaLee83 Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Trying to see what the best option would be for the LB corps for next year. I think we let Fletcher go, get a new young MLB and leave the OLB's as Crowell and Spikes and see if Spikes can regain his play. If he can't, put in Ellison. But if he can, we have Ellison for Pass coverage and depth I agree that most likely Fletch is gone, Spikes may follow also. Many cite that TKO may see full recovery, I don't think waiting for this to happen is going to be part of Marv's approach in the off season. Marv goes after or drafts smart, youthful players. Even if TKO does fully recover how many good years does he have left? The draft this year will be strongly defensive with probably 1 O-lineman picked up. I'd imagine an MLB early on, maybe 2nd or 3rd round. We'll see Crowell, Rookie MLB and Ellison all starting next year. It'll be a real fast LB corps, just have to hope that their instincts get on the same page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Gal Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 This sounds like a disaster to me which would make next season a rough experiment at best (this is even assuming that the Bills somehow find the rookie equivalent of LT as a player at MLB and somehow get TKO to recover fully or Crowell to recover fully and have play calling done by an OLB since I do not see a rookie taking on that task and our safties having trouble taking it on in their second full years). Which rookie did you specifically have in mind at MLB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAT Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 let LF go ,pick up a solid FA and a guy in the 2/ 3 round. If we can keep NC and pick up a DT in FA or on day 1 we should be at least ok at D. We would need to keep NC and add a big time FA to be really good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faderphreak Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 This sounds like a disaster to me which would make next season a rough experiment at best (this is even assuming that the Bills somehow find the rookie equivalent of LT as a player at MLB and somehow get TKO to recover fully or Crowell to recover fully and have play calling done by an OLB since I do not see a rookie taking on that task and our safties having trouble taking it on in their second full years). Which rookie did you specifically have in mind at MLB? Just playing Devils Advocate here, but Shawn Merriman was making the calls as a defensive rookie. Now if the Bills get extremely lucky they could strike that kind of gold. Of course I would like to see Adalius Thomas back there along with a decent rookie to be available, in the event that TKO or Crowell do not make full recoveries. I have not researched enough to suggest the best prospect who would fit our scheme, but I am sure someone with more time on their hads has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JStranger76 Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 I'd like to see Spikes moved to the middle, and focus on DT in free agency or the draft. We could always go after Lance Briggs if we decide to move Spikes to the middle if we think Crowell or Eliison can't cut it on the outsides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Gal Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Just playing Devils Advocate here, but Shawn Merriman was making the calls as a defensive rookie. Now if the Bills get extremely lucky they could strike that kind of gold. Of course I would like to see Adalius Thomas back there along with a decent rookie to be available, in the event that TKO or Crowell do not make full recoveries. I have not researched enough to suggest the best prospect who would fit our scheme, but I am sure someone with more time on their hads has. I hope you are right if this is what we decide or are forced into if F-B decides to go elsewhere. The thing which I find so silly is that some on this board seem to offer it up as a deadlock certainty that Fletch is gone or even feel this is a good move which will make the Bills better, but the offer up no thought whatsoever on whether on whether regardless of how bad they judge Fletch to be whether we are going to have a better team by replacing this "bad" player. Again regardless of what judgements folks make about Fletcher, there is no back-up for him on this roster, the two most likely new MLBs on the roster in terms of knowing the position so that they can do the playcalling are both recovering from injury (Crowell has the training and TKO is was our most talented LB prior to injury). It is certainly possible that a rookie can have the skillset to do the starting MLB job, but if the requirement is that in order for the Bills to fill the gap left by fletch leaving, they need to draft a Shawn Merrimen LT quality player with their mid round 1st, this does not seem like a winning strategy to say the least. Getting an FA vet seems like a more plausible approach theoretically. However, the Bills would need to target a specic vet who has shown the intellect to lead the team and do playcalling and it is to be hoped is familiar with the Jauron/Fewell system as he is gonna be required to step in and master it at almost a DC-like level to do the playcalling. Its fine with me if folks want to say as many bad things about F-B's play against the run as they want (though such tirades conveniently ignore little facts like his amazing number of credited tackles the last 6 years, the fact that he is among the team leaders in a broad range of numeric categories from defensive TDs to INTs and sacks). However, posts which make this point, are simply reduced to tirades which are easily ignored or the usual fact-free opinion we all have a right to when this rant is not joined with some fairly specific suggestions about how they are going to make this team better as all the real alternatives I see to this "bad" player are simply worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faderphreak Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Getting an FA vet seems like a more plausible approach theoretically. However, the Bills would need to target a specic vet who has shown the intellect to lead the team and do playcalling and it is to be hoped is familiar with the Jauron/Fewell system as he is gonna be required to step in and master it at almost a DC-like level to do the playcalling. Its fine with me if folks want to say as many bad things about F-B's play against the run as they want (though such tirades conveniently ignore little facts like his amazing number of credited tackles the last 6 years, the fact that he is among the team leaders in a broad range of numeric categories from defensive TDs to INTs and sacks). However, posts which make this point, are simply reduced to tirades which are easily ignored or the usual fact-free opinion we all have a right to when this rant is not joined with some fairly specific suggestions about how they are going to make this team better as all the real alternatives I see to this "bad" player are simply worse. For the record, I would rather keep F-B than start with a new linebacker to man the middle and quarterback the other backers. However if the contract he commands, due to all those categories in which he has been a team leader, makes it such that the Bills may have to tie up too much cap room in a guy on the wrong side of thirty. I am not sure they are going to shell out. I also have a sneaking suspicion he would like to go to a team that he feels has a better chance of winning a championship. If he believes he can win one here, he will take a fair contract. If not, he will likely take a little less to go to a team with a really good shot. Of course there is another option that I think would actually be out of character for London, that would be to take a bloated contract with whoever throws the most money at him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBilliever Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 I think we pick up Pozluzny early. I doubt he drops too low, but if we're high enough we'll pick him up. I have firm belief also that we keep Fletcher, he's too much of a staple to this defense to just give up on him, plus he loves the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JStranger76 Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Pulusny's overrated. I'd take him in the 2nd though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantankerous Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 What has Spikes shown this year that makes one believe he should be a starter next season? Today he was !@#$ing awful, as he was most of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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