Kelly the Dog Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 The Bills have Barnett, Davis, Morrison, and Sheppard as ILB. With a pretty promising rookie in Chris White, who moves better than I thought he would, and is a prototype ILB. Moats is not getting on the field as an ILB, and probably the only way he stays on the team is to be a versatile player who can play inside and out, as well as ST. This is all speculation, of course. IMO, they haven't asked the OLBs to rush strong to the passer in the first three games, but rather to contain. Quotes from Kyle Williams and others have backed that up. I expect a lot more of a concerted rush this week. I doubt the move was made because we were worried about the pass rush from the OLB but who knows.
Thoner7 Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 (edited) I dont know if you are referring to me eball but I was/am one of the bigger Moats at OLB guys around. No suprise they are moving him back. Our pass rush has been missing and he was our best rusher last year. He made a nice STs play last week. Good to have him back! 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. he has been dominating v the run. The biggest reason our run D has improved if you ask me. FWIW he was tackled on one play that would have been a sack, and should have been a hold, v NE. Edited September 30, 2011 by Thoner7
taglientep Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 WHOOO HOOOO!!!!! Pressure form both sides him and Merriman!
Buffalo Barbarian Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 ...per Chris Brown Thank God, I hope he stays out there.
Estelle Getty Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/rapid-reports/team/BUF
Billshank Redemption Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 good to see that **** finally
Brand J Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/rapid-reports/team/BUF That's where he should be. When the Bills moved him inside, they didn't foresee the influx of talent coming in to play ILB (Sheppard, Barnett, Morrison, White). He now gets to play his natural position and the staff wants to see if he can aid in the pass rush dept. Batten, Kelsay, Merriman, and Carrington have hardly gotten ANY QB pressures, so it's time to see if Moats can add in that dept. Hey, he beat all pro LT Jake Long for a sack and strip fumble on Henne last year, so that's good enough for me! Good luck Moats!
Juice_32 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 i agree, i dont think it was as much a case of chan and co thinking moats was exclusively going to be an ilb as it was them wanting to see if he could play there in a reserve role.. they seem to like guys who can play multiple positions. if he can back up at ilb and be used as a situational pass rusher, then hes even more valuable. i have no problem at all with the experiment inside.
ColdBlueNorth 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. I am not quite ready to throw in the towel yet either. At least not based on the way I think they wanted the defense to play the first few games, I will be interested to see if they turn the dogs loose on Cincy's young inexperienced QB regardless of Benson in the backfield -especially if our offense can get an early lead on them. If that happens there will be a lot of pressure on the Cincy offense to keep up with our offense. I do think that Moats has a future with the team, but I am not ready to say that Merriman is completely washed up yet. The Bills will also be able to rotate Troup in as well and I think that will help keep the D-Line pocket push going and spell Dareus and keep him fresh. With pressure up the middle, I expect sacks as the QB tries to step outside the pocket.
HurlyBurly51 Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 Sounds like the ILB experiment has failed. Not sure where you could come up with that interpretation from the BB.com article. Clearly states he is being tried at OLB to see if they can get some pass rush, but he will probably remain a "roamer" LB both inside and out. Versatility is a good thing in the NFL.
Kelly the Dog Posted September 30, 2011 Posted September 30, 2011 Not sure where you could come up with that interpretation from the BB.com article. Clearly states he is being tried at OLB to see if they can get some pass rush, but he will probably remain a "roamer" LB both inside and out. Versatility is a good thing in the NFL. That's the way I see it. I don't see how he ever gets on the field behind Barnett, Davis, Morrison and Sheppard. If he can learn and play both inside and out he has a much better chance of staying and playing.
San Jose Bills Fan Posted October 1, 2011 Posted October 1, 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. Right on, K-9. In spite of the team and media not making this an issue, I thought it was pretty much established on this forum that Merriman injured his shoulder in the first series against the Chiefs (came off the field with what looked like "a stinger"), and by the testimony of several posters here, re-injured the shoulder in a display of pregame enthusiasm (doing the lights out punching of the air). In addition to those obvious moments, he's been wearing that big honking black shoulder harness on his right side. It's clear to me and several others that Merriman is playing with a bum shoulder. I mean for God's sake… it's obvious both from these incidents and from the contrast in his play from the preseason where he was unstoppable even by our opponents' first stringers. The Bills have Barnett, Davis, Morrison, and Sheppard as ILB. With a pretty promising rookie in Chris White, who moves better than I thought he would, and is a prototype ILB. Moats is not getting on the field as an ILB, and probably the only way he stays on the team is to be a versatile player who can play inside and out, as well as ST. Like some others (Juice_32), I viewed the reps he was taking at ILB as just making him a more valuable asset to the team. Both he and Batten can play inside or outside. Virtually every one of our D-linemen can play inside or outside. Three of our D-linemen (Kelsay, Carrington, Johnson) can even play linebacker. I'm really enjoying the evolution of this team on both sides of the ball. BTW, why'd you change your display name, Kelly? Does this mean you're no longer gonna be Fair and Balanced? Getting back to Merriman, (and again picking up on something said upthread) he's such an upgrade as a point-holding, edge-setting run defender. Of course as a physical, experienced, 270 pound linebacker, you'd expect that to be the case… and it is. He helps make the Bills run D much better than last year.
bowery4 Posted October 1, 2011 Posted October 1, 2011 It is kind of funny to see all the complaining about Merriman's pass rush, if you read SDs fan forums when Lights Out was Lights Out, they loved his abilities at getting at the QB but really had some complaints about his play on run downs or against run teams. IMO he is greatly improved in that area. I also think the shoulder must be bothering him at least a bit. I would also point out that we haven't been playing the same scheme (by a long shot really) that SD used to (they were strictly the original 3-4 type D). It takes time to adjust your game to the differences and you might not put up the kind of flashy stats that you did previously in another scheme, i.e. Jaruis Byrd. It doesn't mean that you are not doing a good job. I also expect Merriman will improve as the year goes on as long as he is healthy. I also like the fact that we have some young guys moving into back up roles that don't seem to be that much of a drop off. Our LBs are a bit old (not really very old but it is like the rb position age wise in some ways) and we will probably lose at least A. Davis in FA this year (or let him leave). I happen to think that is kind of a shame as he is a great gap player (IMO) and is really comfortable next to Barrnet and they seem to have really good chemistry. I love that they have Moats back at OLB (as it seems he is more comfortable and as far as I can see better there) but I like that they gave him some training at the inside. I think it is great we have that kind of option after years of just having terrible players at both inside and outside. Our D seems to have some depth for the first time in years in the front 7. Now it is just a matter of having some in the CB position lol, irony of ironies after all the years of DJ.
BillsFan-4-Ever Posted October 1, 2011 Posted October 1, 2011 GO DUKES James Madison product - my daughter is in her second year there. who are the naysayers? who are his fans. Its his second year. too early to be called a bust or success.
Dan Posted October 1, 2011 Posted October 1, 2011 I'd like to see Merriman play as a traditional OLB then a down lineman though I agree. I think that's what most people are missing. Merriman has played the first 3 games more as a DE with a hand on the ground going one on one with the LT. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm not sure. that's his strong suit, but it does help us set the edge to contain the run game.
Bob in STL Posted October 1, 2011 Posted October 1, 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. Agree. Merriman has played fantastic against the run and he is getting pressure on pass plays. Just a matter of time and his sacks will come.
Saint Doug Posted October 1, 2011 Posted October 1, 2011 I think it's a bit naive to believe Merriman will get back to being "Lights Out". While he may be a solid player, let's remind ourselves that he has never shown his previous greatness since being busted for steroids (forget preseason, it's just preseason). Remember, steroids are a performance enhancing drug. They make players better than they actually are. And that "player" people saw in SD may never come back, regardless of injuries.
Cotton Fitzsimmons Posted October 1, 2011 Posted October 1, 2011 ...per Chris Brown YE OLE is a big fan of Moats. I'm very encouraged by him moving back to OLB. We desperately need to find some pass rush from somewhere. The young man showed promise last year, it just makes sense to see if he could build on it.
Dorkington Posted October 1, 2011 Posted October 1, 2011 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. I see him standing up the blocker(s) and not letting giant holes be made when other teams rush against us. I see him collapsing the pocket on passing downs. IMO, both are valuable. If you think he's worthless, then so be it... it's just an opinion. I'm assuming our coaches are liking what he's doing, otherwise he'd be sitting on the bench.
3rdand12 Posted October 1, 2011 Posted October 1, 2011 SJBF and Bowery have covered my thoughts on most every tangent here. we have cross trained alot of players. A method of coaching i am just getting used to and consider it smart as heck. I like the Moats and am looking forward to seeing more of him beyond special teams. Since Merriman is obvoiusly injured (and still taking care of his side of the field!) we need to get the youngsters to start bringing some heat. Ye Ole i fear going against your hallowed position on matters, but i do not believe we do not need to Find a pass rush, so much as to actually start calling them. We have been playing fundamental football on both sides of the ball. I have a feeling we might start practicing some blitzes if we can get up a couple points this sunday. Its the usual recipe against a traditional offensive style i am guessing which the bengals have been using. so far. but i would be glad to see us put a little pressure on young andy. Which Moats should do. from the outside where is supposed to be. go bills
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