MRW Posted January 11, 2010 Posted January 11, 2010 While all those things are true there has to be very good players at those positions available when the Bills draft. You don't just draft for need, you draft the best player possible at a position of need. The surest way to miss on players in the draft is to say "we need a QB here" and draft a QB at that spot no matter what. The Bills are in desperate need of LBs and if Rolando is on the board when the Bills pick and there's nobody higher on the Bills' board at the other spots you grab him. Spot on. Identifying needs is all well and good (but even then I'd strongly disagree with anyone who says LB is not a need) but you can't let needs dictate drafting at the expense of getting a good player. Your pick at #9 should be a guy that you believe will be a playmaker, not just a checkbox on a form that says "QB". And if the thinking is that the defense wasn't the biggest problem, that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. Imagine how different a Bills team that could actually get off the field on third downs would look. If there's a chance to build a dominant unit, take it.
Haven Moses Posted January 11, 2010 Posted January 11, 2010 We have Ellison and Corto. Who else do you need? PTR Don't forget that we also got Stamer back. And next year we'll have a one legged Buggs too.
Fewell733 Posted January 11, 2010 Posted January 11, 2010 Ray Lewis did not run 4.4 either. I believe one of the problems the Bills have is that they have been using the combine olympics as opposed to game film to evaluate talent. That's how we ended up with Maybin who posted great stats for his position. The HOF is full of LB's that didn't run a sub 4.4 40 Willis is very athletic but is he better than Lewis, or Urlacher, who ran slower times?? maybe, maybe not. I like McClain in this slot. I hope we have a shot at him. With this reasoning would it be fair to say until Jerry Rice runs a 4.3 forty its not fair to compare him to Don Beebe. sorry but if you want to say McClain is a Willis-like linebacker then you cannot just ignore the fact that Willis is fastest middle linebacker in the NFL. You don't have to be a great linebacker to have great speed, but Willis is a great linebacker and much of that greatness is due to his speed. McClain is fast enough to be a great NFL linebacker, but if he runs a 4.7 it's not too likely he's getting picked in the top-10. Also you're wrong about Maybin and measurables. Orakpo had a vastly superior 40 time (4.63 to 4.78) and bench reps (31 to 22) at the combine. Maybin ran comparable at his pro day. The safer pick by far based on measurables was Orakpo. It was his work ethic and faith that he will still grow into his body that led to the Maybin pick.
BillsCelticsAngelsBama Posted January 11, 2010 Posted January 11, 2010 Who cares? LB is one of the last things we need to address right on .. why take... possibly the best player available
VADC Bills Posted January 12, 2010 Posted January 12, 2010 sorry but if you want to say McClain is a Willis-like linebacker then you cannot just ignore the fact that Willis is fastest middle linebacker in the NFL. You don't have to be a great linebacker to have great speed, but Willis is a great linebacker and much of that greatness is due to his speed. McClain is fast enough to be a great NFL linebacker, but if he runs a 4.7 it's not too likely he's getting picked in the top-10. Also you're wrong about Maybin and measurables. Orakpo had a vastly superior 40 time (4.63 to 4.78) and bench reps (31 to 22) at the combine. Maybin ran comparable at his pro day. The safer pick by far based on measurables was Orakpo. It was his work ethic and faith that he will still grow into his body that led to the Maybin pick. I have seen reports that clock McClain at 4.65 and that is a very solid time for a LB. 40 speed does not make a LB great all by itself. The point I'm making is McLain can be a great LB irregardless of how fast Willis can run. There are other intangibles that make McLain a solid prospect. Since LB's recently tend to last beyond the #10 mark I'm hoping that he last to the #9 spot. Maybin was drafted for his quickness more so than his 40 speed the Bills felt he was the quickest speed rusher out their. Maybin clocked faster times at his pro day...but don't get me wrong I wanted Orakpo. Your greatest players at any position usually aren't the fastest.
jangalang Posted January 12, 2010 Author Posted January 12, 2010 I watched every game that Demeco Ryans and Rolando McClain played in college. Rolando is smarter than Demeco (when it comes to football), a better leader than Demeco, a better athlete than Demeco, and has better measurables than Demeco. If you didn't know, Demeco is a 2 time pro bowler, made the all-pro team, and was the ROY.
FluffHead Posted January 12, 2010 Posted January 12, 2010 This is a two part video on McClain breaking down tackling, coverage, shedding blocks, blitzing, etc. part 1 Part 2
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