Mickey Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I am expanding it to coaches, Turk is the most important guy on the team this year. He has the toughest job, turning around the worst offense in the history of the franchise with nothing new to play with but a tall WR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKC Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I'm not going to pick any one player to be the key to success, BUT I will say that I think that it will be HUGER than Fuccillo if McCargo can continue to progress as he did in the second half of last season. Between him and Stroud, there's no reason why the Bills shouldn't be one of the stingiest run defenses in the league this year...and should provide the opportunity for Whitner to actually stay back in the secondary, as opposed to cheating up for run support like he had to do much of last season. Count me in for Stroud. The only way to miss the fact that the play of our Defensive interior will be the single most important factor in our overall team success or failure is to ignore the fact that defensive interiors over the past decade have become the signle most important area on almost every succesful football team in the NFL, and an overlooked area on the league bottom-dwellers like the Bills. We're still razor-thin at DT and the hopes that Stroud will somehow shake off the four years it's been since he had a great year inside require an awful lot of optimism. McCargo hasn't even broken into the starting rotation as of yet, and whether it's because of his lack of discipline on the field or a rotational strategy, the book on him isn't a wise one to bet much on. He's got the wheels, but he hasn't shown yet he's got the head to play team football along the line. I like Kyle Williams in the second wave, but we still lack what the good Tampa-2 Ds have had- one interior guy who demands a double on passing downs. It'll be great if Stroud returns to his form of the 2003 season, but that's also not a very good bet. We're entering the 2008 campaign with the DT equivalent of having brought Keenan McCardell to add to our WR roster and the fan excitement about the pickup is nice, but that same excitement seems awfully misguided given the facts of age and the past years. We remain, unlike the best teams, thin at DT. What do the 2008 Bills look like if Stroud only starts 8 games? I'll guess an awful lot like that 2007 Buffalo defense that every opposing running back salivated to get to on the schedule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obie_wan Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Not necessarily. If Lynch gets suspended for a few games, it might encourage Turk to pass more often than Fairchild had last year. Anything is better than Fairchild's run, run, pass mixed together with the occasional run, run, run. Secondly, Fred Jackson is a good football player; and is better as a receiving threat than Lynch. Seeing more of him on the field wouldn't be a bad thing; especially if we're going to a higher percentage of passing plays. I agree that Lynch is a huge asset for the Bills, but the Bills' offense can be effective without him. Well, at least if guys like Edwards, Hardy, Turk, and Schouman come through. Jackson actually hits the hole the play was designed for. Lynch has a little trouble with the mental part of the game. Good thing he was taking some remedial courses down on Chippewa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pentium4ee Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 How bout Paul Posluszny? His skill is virtually unknown to fans and opponents and has the potential to shift last year's bend-and-try-not-to-break defense to one which actually imposes its will. Even here, with the endless Edwards/Losman dribble, all the paranoia surrounding the Lynch/Hardy incident(s), and speculation about contracts for Peters and Evans, there seems to be a continuous lack of Poz talk. Here's to the Poz staying healthy! "Poz is a guy that works extremely hard," said fellow linebacker Kawika Mitchell. "The more he gets comfortable the better he'll get. He'll be a big time player. It's just a matter of time." -BB.com Who's paranoid about crimes committed by players ? I say when they commit crimes, convict them and put em in jail. No paranioa there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orton's Arm Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 The only way to miss the fact that the play of our Defensive interior will be the single most important factor in our overall team success or failure is to ignore the fact that defensive interiors over the past decade have become the signle most important area on almost every succesful football team in the NFL, and an overlooked area on the league bottom-dwellers like the Bills. We're still razor-thin at DT and the hopes that Stroud will somehow shake off the four years it's been since he had a great year inside require an awful lot of optimism. McCargo hasn't even broken into the starting rotation as of yet, and whether it's because of his lack of discipline on the field or a rotational strategy, the book on him isn't a wise one to bet much on. He's got the wheels, but he hasn't shown yet he's got the head to play team football along the line. I like Kyle Williams in the second wave, but we still lack what the good Tampa-2 Ds have had- one interior guy who demands a double on passing downs. It'll be great if Stroud returns to his form of the 2003 season, but that's also not a very good bet. We're entering the 2008 campaign with the DT equivalent of having brought Keenan McCardell to add to our WR roster and the fan excitement about the pickup is nice, but that same excitement seems awfully misguided given the facts of age and the past years. We remain, unlike the best teams, thin at DT. What do the 2008 Bills look like if Stroud only starts 8 games? I'll guess an awful lot like that 2007 Buffalo defense that every opposing running back salivated to get to on the schedule. You're a little more pessimistic about the interior of our DL than I'm prepared to be. Spencer Johnson is, IMO, an underrated player who significantly upgrades our DT rotation. I agree that Stroud is a question mark. But just as there's a chance his play will be the same as it had been the past two years, there's also a chance he'll bounce back. McCargo got off to a slow start his rookie year, but made progress last season. Hopefully that progress will continue. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to be a good DT. Leon Lett had a long and successful career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Fong Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 It's all about the offense this year. The defense was good enough to be a wild card team last year, but the offense was just atrocious. The defense should be even better and now it's time for the offense to finally take that next step and at least put up an effort worthy of an NFL Europe team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans4e64 Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 You make an awful lot of BOLD statements that are very exaggerated. "defensive interiors over the past decade have become the single most important area on almost every successful football team in the NFL" Got any info to back that up? How about QB play? Brady, Manning, Manning... does that factor in anywhere? When the bottom feeders have David Carr, John Beck, Vinny Testeverde, Alex Smith... I could go on all day. We're still razor-thin at DT Razor thin? It is my opinion that we are strong there, and your opinion that we are weak... but RAZOR thin? Come on. We added 2 guys to the rotation that are better than any DT we had last year. Thats a pretty good improvement. McCargo hasn't even broken into the starting rotation as of yet I don't know what starting rotation you watch, but McCargo is in there. It'll be great if Stroud returns to his form of the 2003 season, but that's also not a very good bet. Why? Do you have any knowledgeable opinions? We're entering the 2008 campaign with the DT equivalent of having brought Keenan McCardell to add to our WR roster This is your most ridiculous statement within your post. I don't even know where to begin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyMannn Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Most important guy to bills success The DA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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