5 Wide Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 2 sacks in 3 games, I think it's a good move.
Captain Hindsight Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 Finding ways to get good players on the field
nrod424 Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 Maybe the Sheppard is catching on pretty quickly. That would give the team a little insurance that could give Moats time to practice two positions.
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 Sounds like the ILB experiment has failed. I guess I understand why they wanted Moats to play ILB, in light of the numbers at OLB. But why mess with a good thing? It two years, we could have two bookend stud OLB's just entering their primes in Moats and Batten.
John from Riverside Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 I for one hope he gets 3 sacks this weekend and the ILB experiment gets put to bed forever...... One of the things that would really move this defense up is a pass rush......we have the run stop....now we need to get after these QB's
mrags Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 Maybe the Sheppard is catching on pretty quickly. That would give the team a little insurance that could give Moats time to practice two positions. I think this is about right. The team is probably more comfortable now that Shephard has shown he is a pretty decent player and officially off his injury. I'd also say they might be a little puzzled with thv fact that Merriman hasn't had a single sack yet. I'm in the boat that I believe they played mostly to stop the run and then drop Merriman back a little more to not give up screens against NE. They seem to have done what they wanted on defense so far. There is still hope that Merriman isn't completely shot but moving Mats back to OLB after what he did last year after a few games is defenately a good move IMO.
papazoid Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBh9SvWj2wk
jr1 Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 Moats showed flashes of brilliance as a pass rusher. Let him do what he was born to do
HARCO186 Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 To me it show's that the coaching staff realizes that they have a need for an outside pass rusher. If Moats is it then so be it. To say Merriman is old and not cutting it to me is wrong. He may not be getting the xtra drive needed to get sacks, but knows his position and plays sound. I think the coaches believe to put Moats in as a pass rusher on a third down situation is a good thing. We will see what happens. I can see Moats stepping in and rushing the passer in a heart beat. I hope this is not the case but we will see.
Cash Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 Great news! Never thought the move back to ILB made any sense, but it's great to see that the coaching staff is willing to admit mistakes and do what's best for the team. Love it!
K-9 Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 Seems to me that Merriman is still hurt. His game is creating leverage with his hands but he still seems to be favoring his right shoulder a bit. I can understand Merriman and the Bills not publicizing his injury but he looks different than he did in his brief pre-season appearances. As for Moats, if he has improved his technique against the run and can show he can drop into coverages, then he might be ok at OLB. Or, if the coaches feel he should just come in on obvious passing downs, then he can just worry about getting up field and getting after the QB. Too many people got enamored with his ability to rush the passer that they were too quick to overlook his obvious struggles with the rest of the position responsibilities. He was a liability in run and pass defense far more than he was an asset as a pass rusher. GO BILLS!!!
The Big Cat Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 Maybe the Sheppard is catching on pretty quickly. That would give the team a little insurance that could give Moats time to practice two positions. To me it show's that the coaching staff realizes that they have a need for an outside pass rusher. If Moats is it then so be it. To say Merriman is old and not cutting it to me is wrong. He may not be getting the xtra drive needed to get sacks, but knows his position and plays sound. I think the coaches believe to put Moats in as a pass rusher on a third down situation is a good thing. We will see what happens. I can see Moats stepping in and rushing the passer in a heart beat. I hope this is not the case but we will see. These. Moats is the roaming backer. Not necessarily a doer-of-all, master-of-none, but capable of providing depth/insurance where the team needs it. To me this indicates that Kelvin is closer and closer to taking that next step and Merriman is close and closer to being an injury liability.
Dorkington Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 I still much prefer Merriman as the every down OLB, and if they need Moats for certain pass plays, so be it. Merriman, imo, has been pretty valuable this season, even without flashy sacks.
Clip Smith Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 Great news! Never thought the move back to ILB made any sense, but it's great to see that the coaching staff is willing to admit mistakes and do what's best for the team. Love it! I think Wanny wanted to work with him inside and take advantage of his blitzing abilities if he could hold his own in coverage and recognition. He isn't built like a typical outside guy in that guys can get leverage on him easy with their reach mismatch. Then again....Jason Taylor is built so that an average Buffalo housewife should be able to knock him off his feet, but he had a pretty good career.
TPS Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 Cool. Since they released Coleman, I believe that left Batten as the only back up to Merriman. That will be an interesting battle: Batten vs Moats. Moats was th D2 player of the year, and Batten runner up.
Max997 Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 I didnt see anything wrong with trying him at ILB for depth purposes but I did like what I saw from him as an OLB last year rushing the passer This is probably the best move for him though and also prob means Sheppard is progressing as well Id like to see Merriman play as a traditional OLB then a down lineman though
Webster Guy Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 I still much prefer Merriman as the every down OLB, and if they need Moats for certain pass plays, so be it. Merriman, imo, has been pretty valuable this season, even without flashy sacks. You and a lot of people keep saying this. Where has he been valuable? Has he made ONE significant play in three games? Sacks are overrated but I'm still amazed at how many people defend Merriman. Maybe I'm missing something. All I see is a big name and a non-factor in regular season games. I've been posting all year that Moats will be the best pass rusher we have on this team if they let him play the game. He can be a 10 sack guy and set the edge better than Merriman. It reminds of when we first got Freddy Jackson and he was a practice squad guy but everytime he hit the field he did something. It was like "what are the coaches NOT seeing from this guy that they're keeping him benched" Not saying Moats is there yet, but we need to give him a chance. I think Wanny wanted him inside but the film on Merriman is showing that he's a full step slower than he used to be and Moats is our best option as his backup.
webtoe Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 (edited) You and a lot of people keep saying this. Where has he been valuable? Has he made ONE significant play in three games? Sacks are overrated but I'm still amazed at how many people defend Merriman. Maybe I'm missing something. All I see is a big name and a non-factor in regular season games. I've been posting all year that Moats will be the best pass rusher we have on this team if they let him play the game. He can be a 10 sack guy and set the edge better than Merriman. It reminds of when we first got Freddy Jackson and he was a practice squad guy but everytime he hit the field he did something. It was like "what are the coaches NOT seeing from this guy that they're keeping him benched" Not saying Moats is there yet, but we need to give him a chance. I think Wanny wanted him inside but the film on Merriman is showing that he's a full step slower than he used to be and Moats is our best option as his backup. Have you seen the highlights of the Raiders V. Jets? If so, you saw McFadden being able to bust big runs because the Raiders were able to clean out the OLB. That did not happen against the Bills, precisely because Merriman was able to hold the edge. I believe that is what the design of the defense required, and he performed it perfectly. The edge rush is lacking, but he has not played in two years, and is probably still working himself back into full-speed game shape. The were some brief glimpses in the Pats* game and I expect to see more as the season goes on. Edited September 30, 2011 by webtoe
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