John from Riverside Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 No. And neither was Jim kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith, and Andre Reed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Good news. Sounds like a LB that will raise a forearm from time to time and deliver a good whack. That's a plus. Absolutely. I think we've all seen enough of Bills LB's who look like they'd be more comfortable on the pep squad; dancing their way right out of the play and not even engaging a blocker. I think the front office finally recognized it was a huge factor as far as our inability to hold down opposing rungames. Mitchell is a guy who plays with no fear and will stick his face in the fan without thinking twice. He's OK in coverage and can rush the passer some when asked but his strength is his willingness to really bring it at the point of attack and if he doesn't make the play himself at least blow up the lane and force the back to one of his mates. If your looking for a comparison I'd call him a more fluid Sam Rogers. It's going to be real sweet to finally have a 'backer on that side that will absolutely destroy any slot receiver or most any TE that tries to take him on. It'll take away some go-to options that opposing co-ordinators could always rely on in addition to freeing up the DE's from some of the anchor responsibilities they really had to focus on last year. If we can go Crowell/PaulPosluzny/Mitchell all year we've immediately vaulted from having the very worst LB corps in the NFL to having a very respectable and solid group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeF Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Here's why I think Mitchell fits well. Stroud, when healthy, is a talent you need to gameplan around and more importantly it almost always takes two blockers to neutralize him. Poz, I believe, will be a multi-dimensional linebacker with Stroud in front of him--tough against the run, (great ability to shed lead backs and make the stick on the ball carrier) devastating on the delayed blitz, more than adequate in coverage. Crowell overcommitted at times the last two years but he can shed and make plays in the run and with a D line in front of him that requires 3 to block 2 -- The last two years he has had to pre-snap guess where the ball was going and flow to that spot (Hence the overcommit we saw on Brandon Jacobs long Touchdown run in the last game and on I think a long Maroney run against the Pats)--if he didn't a guard or tackle would be coming directly at him..this year will be more of initial read and flow -- I think he will have his best year yet as a Bill. He is also top shelf in coverage. We needed a backer on the weak side that could take on a TE, pulling guard or tackle or combination in the run and could cover the flat..Kawika did this well last year...remember in KC he was MLB for most of the time...a totally different position..he has done better at WLB...Ellison/Wire/Bryan Scott (yes he played some WLB last year) got consumed in the run last year..that ain't happening this year if Kawika stays healthy.. I think we move up at least 15 spots in our run defense ranking if everyone stays reasonably healthy.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Da Big Man Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Boy oh boy!!! I can't wait to see Kawika this season in a Bills uniform. Hopefully he will lay the smack down on anyone that comes his way. Very exciting!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Eh. Pedestrian LB stats after 4 seasons who at age 28 and season #5 made a flash in a couple of games behind a decent DL. Who heard of the guy before last season's playoffs? Playing out of his natural position in KC didn't help pad his ff stats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 Mitchell was the second best decision we made in the off-season besides the Stroud trade. The acquisition of these 2 players will single-handedly move our defense into the top 15 barring injury. We needed a WLB who can play the run and we nedded a DT who could stop the run at it's initial point. We got both. Stroud will tie up 2 blockers for the most part. Anyone running to the weak side will have Mitchell right there in their face. He's a strong "run stopper" of a LB. His stats don't tell the whole story as to what he brings to our team. Stroud is the biggest cog to this machine, but Mitchell will force plays back to the inside. He will force them to all of the other guys up front who will be waiting to pounce. You cannot just push the guy out of the way with a FB or TE like you could our lightweight experiments. The other LB's will be able to slash and make plays along with a single blocked Schoebel. Cross your fingers and pray for Stroud to remain healthy as he did in his Pro-Bowl seasons in JAX. If he does, it's a top 15 defense for sure. If we have a guy step up as a SOLID #2 CB that can stick with a WR down the sidelines and play his defensive assignments without mental breakdowns, we will be a top 10 defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCinBuffalo Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 He had a great pass breakup today, and it almost resulted in a pick. He also busted through the line on a screen to Lynch that would have resulted in an 8 yard loss. The entire defense shined at the beginning of camp. Lynch would have been stopped for no gain, or maybe a little, 4/5 times. Lynch did move the pile though, but I think that has more to do with the defense letting up just before they hit him. All in all, Mitchell was looking good today against the run and the pass. There is little doubt for me after watching 3 practices that this guy was at least a good pickup. I am excited to see what he does in pre-season and against Seattle, and I hope he turns into a great pickup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davefan66 Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 So was Leif Larson. Did you know Leif Larson was picked 5 spots before Tom Brady in the 2000 draft? cool, huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dog14787 Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 Absolutely.I think we've all seen enough of Bills LB's who look like they'd be more comfortable on the pep squad; dancing their way right out of the play and not even engaging a blocker. I think the front office finally recognized it was a huge factor as far as our inability to hold down opposing rungames. Mitchell is a guy who plays with no fear and will stick his face in the fan without thinking twice. He's OK in coverage and can rush the passer some when asked but his strength is his willingness to really bring it at the point of attack and if he doesn't make the play himself at least blow up the lane and force the back to one of his mates. If your looking for a comparison I'd call him a more fluid Sam Rogers. It's going to be real sweet to finally have a 'backer on that side that will absolutely destroy any slot receiver or most any TE that tries to take him on. It'll take away some go-to options that opposing co-ordinators could always rely on in addition to freeing up the DE's from some of the anchor responsibilities they really had to focus on last year. If we can go Crowell/PaulPosluzny/Mitchell all year we've immediately vaulted from having the very worst LB corps in the NFL to having a very respectable and solid group. If all goes well, I could see the Buffalo Bills going from the worst defense in the NFL to a top ten this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsWatch Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 No. And neither was Jim kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith, and Andre Reed. Does that my Don Bebee jersey is good even though he won his ring in Green Bay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDD Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Did you know Leif Larson was picked 5 spots before Tom Brady in the 2000 draft? cool, huh? Uncool, rather sickening I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazed and Amuzed Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Kawika Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 simon makes a good point. kawika along w poz and crow gives us 3 guys who can get to the ball, drop back, anticipate, run fast, shed a block, and bring the wood or pick off a pass and bring it back. together they can be a top 5 or 10 squad of 4-3 backers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ripken4ever Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 simon makes a good point. kawika along w poz and crow gives us 3 guys who can get to the ball, drop back, anticipate, run fast, shed a block, and bring the wood or pick off a pass and bring it back. together they can be a top 5 or 10 squad of 4-3 backers. Here's a couple photos I took on the first day of Pads http://www.flickr.com/photos/23498827@N04/2716998439/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/23498827@N04/2717812116/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cåblelady Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Here's a couple photos I took on the first day of Pads Sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogger Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 He's from the Orlando, Florida area, I meet him at a friend's wedding several years ago, at the time he was just starting off with the Cheifs. He seemed very nice, and was huge then, he was the only one not in a suit, I think he had a hard time finding one to fit those pipes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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