BeastMode54 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 http://www.buffalonews.com/452/story/738494.html In this article it states that the Bills were heavily pursuing Pisa and that Eillison will not be handed the starting spot. Nic Harris and Bowen have decent shot at supplanting him, and I'd give Bowen the slight edge. I like Ellison as a backup but not a starter. If there's someone out there at OLB I think we should bring him in too for competition. I like Brooks, but he's old and not sure he has anything left. At least this makes me think the coaching staff agree with what we are thinking here as well, which is Ellison is not really a starter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans4e64 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 http://www.buffalonews.com/452/story/738494.html In this article it states that the Bills were heavily pursuing Pisa and that Eillison will not be handed the starting spot. Nic Harris and Bowen have decent shot at supplanting him, and I'd give Bowen the slight edge. I like Ellison as a backup but not a starter. If there's someone out there at OLB I think we should bring him in too for competition. I like Brooks, but he's old and not sure he has anything left. At least this makes me think the coaching staff agree with what we are thinking here as well, which is Ellison is not really a starter I don't see how you come to that conclusion. Because they pursued someone better at the position, that means they don't think Ellison is a starter? That makes no sense. If Ray Lewis were cut, and we wanted to sign him, does that mean they don't view Poz as a starter in this league? No. It just means Ray is better, just like Pisa was. The Bills obviously don't have a problem with Ellison starting, as evident by not drafting anybody worth a damn, and not signing anyone in free agency to upgrade the position. Had they viewed Ellison as an incapable starter, they would have done something to solidify the position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeastMode54 Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 I don't see how you come to that conclusion. Because they pursued someone better at the position, that means they don't think Ellison is a starter? That makes no sense. If Ray Lewis were cut, and we wanted to sign him, does that mean they don't view Poz as a starter in this league? No. It just means Ray is better, just like Pisa was. The Bills obviously don't have a problem with Ellison starting, as evident by not drafting anybody worth a damn, and not signing anyone in free agency to upgrade the position. Had they viewed Ellison as an incapable starter, they would have done something to solidify the position. per the article above Another competition of note is strong-side linebacker. The Bills said they're fine with starter Keith Ellison, but that's hardly a ringing endorsement after they sought his replacement in the offseason. They hotly pursued St. Louis Rams free agent Piso Tinoisamoa, who signed with the Chicago Bears. The Bills haven't ruled out the possibility of looking at other strong-side options if they become available. "Keith has the spot right now," Fewell said. "There is some competition here. But we're always looking to get better. If something happens we'll try to upgrade and get better." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsGuyInMalta Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I would hope that "try to upgrade and get better" does not mean relying on Nic Harris or Alvin Bowen to take the job. If they truly want to upgrade, go out and sign Brooks, Washington or Bailey once the draft picks are signed and you have an idea on how much money you'll have going into 2009. Say if they sign Brooks, the starting LB corps would be Brooks, Poz and Mitchell with Harris, Bowen, DiGiorgio and Thomas as backups. Gives the young guys some time to grow under a veteran. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffaloaggie Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I would hope that "try to upgrade and get better" does not mean relying on Nic Harris or Alvin Bowen to take the job. If they truly want to upgrade, go out and sign Brooks, Washington or Bailey once the draft picks are signed and you have an idea on how much money you'll have going into 2009. Say if they sign Brooks, the starting LB corps would be Brooks, Poz and Mitchell with Harris, Bowen, DiGiorgio and Thomas as backups. Gives the young guys some time to grow under a veteran. Depth never hurts. I guess the Bills will be introducing the concept of Outside LB by Committee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan89 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I think that the coaching staff views the OLB position as in need of an upgrade but they aren't going to cry if Ellison or any one else they have currently on the roster is holding down that spot. They want an upgrade but don't feel the need to overpay for one. They pursued Pisa and even during the peak time of free agency they brought in a bunch of guys for visits. Yet they weren't willing to put up big money to sign one of these guys. The way they look at it is that Ellison isn't that much worse than a guy like Cato June or Pisa (Some here may disagree but the coaching staff must not think he is that bad) so why spend big money on a guy who isn't much of an upgrade. To me I feel that they should bring in a guy like Boss Bailey have him come in camp and compete it could be an upgrade and add to the depth of the front 7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKOOBY Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Putting Keith on the field at all is a direct slap at all the season ticket holders and anyone who paid to attend that game. The man has no place to be in the NFL at all and would never even come close to the field on any contending team. The moment he leaves the Bills is the moment I know we expect more of our 7-9 record. In a nutshell, the man sucks as a player. You play with guys that suck, plan on sucking as well. Field a winning product, expect to win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans4e64 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Putting Keith on the field at all is a direct slap at all the season ticket holders and anyone who paid to attend that game. The man has no place to be in the NFL at all and would never even come close to the field on any contending team. The moment he leaves the Bills is the moment I know we expect more of our 7-9 record. In a nutshell, the man sucks as a player. You play with guys that suck, plan on sucking as well. Field a winning product, expect to win. Wow, go back to watching Barney. Keith isn't a bad player at all, he just isn't a good one. He doesn't hurt our defense in being out there, he just doesn't do much to help it. Being average is far from "sucking" and "having no place in the NFL." Seriously, get a clue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan89 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Wow, go back to watching Barney. Keith isn't a bad player at all, he just isn't a good one. He doesn't hurt our defense in being out there, he just doesn't do much to help it. Being average is far from "sucking" and "having no place in the NFL." Seriously, get a clue. True its not that Ellison is bad its just that he is a slightly below average starter. There are worse guys in the league than Ellison (True very few if any are starting but if I had a scout run down a list of starting guys in the NFL at OLB I think I would hear a few guys rated near or even slightly below Elison). Should we have spent 42 on a OLB instead of yet another DB yeah but I didn't remember who was out there at that position (Was Kluger still out there?). But yeah Ellison isn't a nightmare out there his sub par playing ability is greatly exaggerated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKOOBY Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Wow, go back to watching Barney. Keith isn't a bad player at all, he just isn't a good one. He doesn't hurt our defense in being out there, he just doesn't do much to help it. Being average is far from "sucking" and "having no place in the NFL." Seriously, get a clue. You watch football and wonder how we lose close games, he is a prime example of why. If any of this flew by you, you're clueless. BTW: That Barney crack earned you some demerits as well, you know better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans4e64 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 You watch football and wonder how we lose close games, he is a prime example of why. If any of this flew by you, you're clueless. BTW: That Barney crack earned you some demerits as well, you know better. No I don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 You watch football and wonder how we lose close games, he is a prime example of why. If any of this flew by you, you're clueless. Skooby called someone else "clueless"? Wow! (Yes, I know it was retaliation.) You might want to keep this one, for use at a later date: "Don't call me shoeless! YOU'RE shoeless!" -Towelie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Skooby called someone else "clueless"? Wow! (Yes, I know it was retaliation.) You might want to keep this one, for use at a later date: "Don't call me shoeless! YOU'RE shoeless!" -Towelie Wanna get high? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billistic Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Keith Ellison is a perfect fit for a perennial 7-9 team that beat zero teams having a winning record...perfect match. He's a bend-and-break-later kind of guy. Admit it, Lance Briggs would look out of place here. Next thing, you'll want to replace Kyle Williams with Ngata and Bryan Scott with a Bob Sanders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Keith Ellison is a perfect fit for a perennial 7-9 team that beat zero teams having a winning record...perfect match. He's a bend-and-break-later kind of guy. Admit it, Lance Briggs would look out of place here. Next thing, you'll want to replace Kyle Williams with Ngata and Bryan Scott with a Bob Sanders. Until this season, Ellison was a backup LB. (He is ideal for that.) He ended up starting due to injuries. If he goes into the season as the starter for the season, it is a big mistake, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VOR Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Why did anyone ever "think" that Ellison was penned-in as the starting SSLB this year? Did Jauron, Fewell, or anyone else ever make that claim? Or at least, that I missed? Because I never heard it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Keith Ellison is a perfect fit for a perennial 7-9 team that beat zero teams having a winning record...perfect match. He's a bend-and-break-later kind of guy. Admit it, Lance Briggs would look out of place here. Next thing, you'll want to replace Kyle Williams with Ngata and Bryan Scott with a Bob Sanders. Every defense has weak links. EVERY defense. Hell, Jim Leonhard was starting in the vaunted Baltimore secondary. Our problem is that we don't have the gamechangers to cover up for the weak links. If you've noticed, Lance Briggs, Haloti Ngata, and Bob Sanders don't all play on the same team. That's because there's a salary cap and teams (even the good defensive ones) can't afford to field a team chock 100% full of superstars. You act as if Keith Ellison being mediocre is indicative of our overall mediocrity...remember, the whole is always different than the sum of the parts. Keith Ellison is not the specific reason why we go 7-9 each year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billistic Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Crowell, Leroy Hill, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Larry Foote... Too bad the Bills glass slipper is such an odd size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VOR Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Crowell, Leroy Hill, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Larry Foote... Too bad the Bills glass slipper is such an odd size. Crowell still isn't 100% from his surgery. Hill was always planning on re-signing with the Seahawks. And Foote is done. But hey, there's still Derrick Brooks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billistic Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Every defense has weak links. EVERY defense. Hell, Jim Leonhard was starting in the vaunted Baltimore secondary. Our problem is that we don't have the gamechangers to cover up for the weak links. If you've noticed, Lance Briggs, Haloti Ngata, and Bob Sanders don't all play on the same team. That's because there's a salary cap and teams (even the good defensive ones) can't afford to field a team chock 100% full of superstars. You act as if Keith Ellison being mediocre is indicative of our overall mediocrity...remember, the whole is always different than the sum of the parts. Keith Ellison is not the specific reason why we go 7-9 each year. Really? Do you mean that all 22 Steelers didn't make the Pro-Bowl? Keith Ellison is not the specific reason why we go 7-9 each year. I didn't know that either. You old vets on this board are a really valuable resource for us newbies to the football game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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