Got_Wood

I would say these guys could fit the bill for us next year: - Jim Mora Jr. - Mike Singletary (if available) - Herm Edwards - Gary Patterson (TCU Head Coach, has best defense in college football. Great coach.) - Justin Wilcox (former Boise State DC, and now Tennessee's DC. Very bright.) That's just a short list of ideas, but a good list to start looking at.

I really think Edwards is the wrong man for the job. Probably would have been a good choice for Linebackers coach, but that is about it. These schemes he's putting on the field are awful. No one seems to know their assignments, we can't stop the run even when we scheme specifically for it, and we're dead last against the pass as well. Not a good performance, and they don't appear to be getting better. Regarding our young guys, either they're holding off on using Spiller and Carrington to preserve them for next season or we're just wasting talent. The fact that Kelsay continues to run around and embarrass this franchise week in and week out and Carrington doesn't even suit up, is just plain moronic.

Since they seem to like experimenting with the defense so much, why not try something like this? In a 4-3 defensive alignment, start this group: LDE: Carrington (supposed strength is stopping the run) LDT: Stroud RDT: Troup RDE: Williams (Athletic, strong pass rusher, quicker than most players his size) WLB: Poz MLB: Davis SLB: Moats This gives you a stout, strong, and athletic defensive front 7. Plus you have Dwan Edwards, Spencer Johnson, John McCargo, and Chris Kelsay (last resort) as depth players. I would even try out Maybin at the SLB spot. We need to figure out if this guy has any value at this point.

Even with all of the faults Kansas City showed as a team yesterday, one thing is certain about the Chiefs... Tamba Hali is a force to be reckoned with. He keeps the QB's head on a swivel, and offenses need to game plan to keep this guy in check. The Bills have Kyle Williams, and he is doing a great job up the middle. But Buffalo needs an imposing athlete off the edge. We might as well not even play with our defensive ends. Kelsay runs around like a kid playing pop warner, and Moats, Torbor, and Coleman are invisible out there. This offseason hols a ton of potential for this team to upgrade that unit. And this is the way I would go about doing that: Draft (assuming Luck stays in school): 1. Marcell Dareus / Da'Quan Bowers / Adrian Clayborn (pick the best of these guys with our top pick) Free Agency: If we draft a 3-4 DE or 4-3 DT, then sign one of these guys: Ray Edwards / Mathias Kiwanuka / Lamar Woodley / Shaun Ellis If we draft a 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB, then sign one of these guys: Johnny Jolly / Cullen Jenkins / Brandon Mebane We need another LB as well. We either grab one in round 3 or 4 of the draft, or find another free agent such as Kirk Morrison, Chad Greenway, or David Harris. Hate to look this far ahead, but this is the way I see it. I can't stand to watch another down with Kelsay at DE/OLB.

I agree completely. Edwards was the worst hire the Bills made in the offseason. If you're going to have an offensive minded coach, you've got to have a Defensive Coordinator with experience that can run his own show. Not a former position coach trying to prove he can be a DC. This adds to another team need in the offseason.

I like this quote from Guest_dog14787_*:

I like Dareus a lot too. Between Dareus and Clayborn, I'd be happy either way.

That video doesn't make him look great. But I know he's a good player. There's just something about the way Clayborn plays that makes me really like his game. He's tough, he's big, he hits hard, and he's a leader on that defense. Good combination.

This guy is big, physical, and he flat out makes plays. Could be a great draft pick for this team. Check out the highlights:

I think you take the best player in college football. If Luck declares, he might be that guy. If not, it might be someone like Marcell Dareus at Alabama, Adrian Clayborn at Iowa, or Robert Quinn at UNC.

Corner's Int should have been called in our favor. The fumble in the PIT vs. Miami game should have gone to the Dolphins. The "by the book" nature of the calls cost each of these teams the game.

Thank you sir. And this is why he stays on the team, and we're patient with his development. No point in throwing away all that money for nothing.

I like it. The guy speaks the truth. I think everyone is tired of the ticky-tack nature of NFL officiating. So many technicalities are ruining games, it's absurd. Let the game be played the way it's supposed to be, and not exactly "by the book" to the last detail. If it appears to be a catch by the standards the NFL has always had, rule it a catch. If it appears to be a fumble as a fumble has ALWAYS been ruled, then let it be a fumble. There should be more judgement calls by officials. They're turning every play into a legal matter, with every detail scrutinized. That will only hurt the game.

He didn't play at all last season. And again, not very happy about taking a project player either. But it would be a huge waste to give up on a 22 year old player that you've essentially already paid for anyway. It's about being smart with a #11 pick investment. That's all.

A quick bump for the heck of it

The point here is that you shouldn't argue that the guy doesn't have any sacks. You have to be on the field to record a sack. He hasn't been on the field enough this season.

+1, right on the money.

Maybin played at 230 pounds in college. It's possible that any additional weight he's tried to gain has made him lose a step. This is why I think he may be useful as a linebacker in the 4-3. He showed great ability to attack the football at Penn State. You don't just lose those instincts when you hit the pros. Yes, the game is faster. But he had a nose for the ball then, why not now? In his last year at Penn State, this is what he did: 49 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and even breaking up 3 passes in coverage That shows his football instincts and nose for the ball. Put him at LB and see what he can do. I GUARANTEE he would be better than Ayodele or Torbor.

Thought this was entertaining going back and reading what everyone had to say about Ryan Fitzpatrick and Trent Edwards before the season started... http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/117352-the-right-thing-to-do-with-trent-edwards

Thank you. I agree with you completely.

You're not getting the point then. We spent $17 million on this kid. You don't just give away that much money and let a player walk. You treat the player like an investment. We can't treat this team as if it's some high school football club and just cut any player that doesn't perform. This franchise is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and it needs to be treated that way. You develop your top investments, and bring in quality coaches to get the job done.

He's only 22 years old. I think it would be a bad move to give up on this guy after such a short time. Now, I have no idea why the Bills chose to draft a developmental player last year when we needed an NFL ready guy like Orakpo or Oher. But this is where things stand. It should be the Bills top priority to develop Maybin as an NFL player and find a place on the field for this guy. Bring in Bruce Smith, Daryl Talley, and the Biscuit and beat some sense into the kid. Whatever it takes. The Bills need to treat big first round investments as they should be treated... a BIG investment. Don't just let your top pick waste away on the bench and give up on him.

He seems to be a bit heavier, and I watched him carefully this week at DE. He has some pretty nice pass rushing moves. He's more of a 3-4 OLB than a 4-3 DE, but we don't seem to want to play the 3-4. I wouldn't mind seeing him play OLB in the 4-3 either. Him and Maybin both seem like an upgrade over Torbor and Ayodele.

At his current size, I have no idea why the Bills coaches want him at Defensive End in a 4-3 or OLB in a 3-4. He's getting man handled by offensive tackles out there. And we don't know how to play him in a true 3-4 anyway. He is 6'4" and he most likely weighs about 235-240. That puts him in the same category (size wise) as Keith Bulluck, Derrick Johnson (Chiefs), Brian Urlacher, Karlos Dansby, etc. I'm not saying he can play like these guys, but we should at least put him in a position to succeed. If we're going to play a "heavy" 4-3 defense, I would line it up like this: Kelsay - Stroud/Johnson - Williams/Troup - Edwards/Moats Poz - Davis - Maybin It's worth looking at the defense like this. Ayodele and Torbor don't seem to show up on Sundays anyway. I think we end up being better against the run with this lineup in the game. And we can take a look at whether Maybin has the skills to play in the open field at linebacker. Because he appears to have the athleticism to play football, I just don't know if he has the intangibles.