Injury rankings

[Kevin]

I didn't realize it was this bad. AGAIN!

 

"You'd be hard-pressed to find a team with its best three players on injured reserve like the Bills, and it's no coincidence their losing streak began when they lost Williams, then Wood and then Jackson. In addition to Parrish, Jones and Easley being on I.R., WRs Stevie Johnson and David Nelson have been banged up at times. OLT Demetrius Bell was very impressive early on before suffering an injury that has taken longer than expected to heal. CB Aaron Williams has suffered two injuries, curbing a promising rookie campaign. The loss of SS George Wilson in recent weeks also has hurt the secondary. He was playing at a Pro Bowl level."

Edited December 14, 2011 by Kevin

[ajzepp]

This is what I keep coming back to, as well. It's the only explanation that makes sense to me. We have a team with starters who play well as a team, and in some cases overachieve. When said starters fall due to injury, our lack of depth is severely exposed and our team chemistry/confidence suffers. That's the story of the 2011 in my mind, and I'm sticking to it.

 

When we get healthy again and add depth, along with one or two more legit, play making starters, that's when we get to the play in January.

[Geno Smith's Arm]

I believe it's the injuries too. They have to develop depth. People point to other teams that have lost players but still win, but that just seems to underscore that the problem is depth. They have some serious holes too, but a top-shelf outside linebacker would make a big difference. I hope an elite OLB falls to them in the 1st, and then it's all best player available.

[ajzepp]

I believe it's the injuries too. They have to develop depth. People point to other teams that have lost players but still win, but that just seems to underscore that the problem is depth. They have some serious holes too, but a top-shelf outside linebacker would make a big difference. I hope an elite OLB falls to them in the 1st, and then it's all best player available.

 

yep, I actually like our Dline, and I like the potential of the secondary. We need a stud OLB who can open up the pass rush and do what Merriman was supposed to do. If we find that guy, and then stay healthy, we're an above average team contending for the division. The secondary will look much improved when we can put the QB on his back consistently.

[maddenboy]

Note: Not a single linebacker is injured (except Merriman, who has been injured every day for 3 years).

 

And yet, the defense continues to suck.

 

Please, lets fix the linebackers. And draft enough of them to have depth, in case 1 or 2 goes down. A 3-4 defense needs maybe 7-8 linebackers. We currently have about 2.

[ajzepp]

Note: Not a single linebacker is injured (except Merriman, who has been injured every day for 3 years).

 

And yet, the defense continues to suck.

 

Please, lets fix the linebackers. And draft enough of them to have depth, in case 1 or 2 goes down. A 3-4 defense needs maybe 7-8 linebackers. We currently have about 2.

 

yep, the LB corp has been a huge disappointment this season. We fix that group, and get a legit D coordinator in here, we'll be solid.

[Nanker]

I didn't realize it was this bad. AGAIN!

 

 

Really? Haven't been reading the casualty reports on a regular basis? The first string is decent to very good. The backups in most positions are weak. Good thing Fitz hasn't gone down, because we wouldn't score at all from that point onward.

 

I agree completely with the other posters that OLB is our worst single position and the LB corps needs a vast improvement. Barnett is solid. Most of what are playing around him are marshmallows.

[BobChalmers]

When we get healthy again and add depth, along with one or two more legit, play making starters, that's when we get to the play in January.

 

And it's worth noting, the Ravens press, for example - has been pointing directly to their lack of injuiries this year as the main reason they think they have a real shot at the Super Bowl.

 

Fitz still needs to play more consistently (which may or may not ever happen), and we could sure use a faster starting WR, AND 1 or 2 actual OLB's are a necessity - but it isn't much more than that and health keeping the Bills out of a real playoff run.

[8-8 Forever?]

I didn't realize it was this bad. AGAIN!

 

"You'd be hard-pressed to find a team with its best three players on injured reserve like the Bills, and it's no coincidence their losing streak began when they lost Williams, then Wood and then Jackson. In addition to Parrish, Jones and Easley being on I.R., WRs Stevie Johnson and David Nelson have been banged up at times. OLT Demetrius Bell was very impressive early on before suffering an injury that has taken longer than expected to heal. CB Aaron Williams has suffered two injuries, curbing a promising rookie campaign. The loss of SS George Wilson in recent weeks also has hurt the secondary. He was playing at a Pro Bowl level."

 

Injuries are what lose a season and turnovers are what lose you individual games. Minimize both turnovers and injuries and you will be competitive all year, don't care what team you are. The Bills are always injured. Not sure why.

 

I believe it's the injuries too. They have to develop depth. People point to other teams that have lost players but still win, but that just seems to underscore that the problem is depth. They have some serious holes too, but a top-shelf outside linebacker would make a big difference. I hope an elite OLB falls to them in the 1st, and then it's all best player available.

Merriman, if healthy , is that guy. He was a force on half a leg this year.

[tombstone56]

This is what I keep coming back to, as well. It's the only explanation that makes sense to me. We have a team with starters who play well as a team, and in some cases overachieve. When said starters fall due to injury, our lack of depth is severely exposed and our team chemistry/confidence suffers. That's the story of the 2011 in my mind, and I'm sticking to it.

 

When we get healthy again and add depth, along with one or two more legit, play making starters, that's when we get to the play in January.

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!! A INTELLIGENT thought on TBD!!!

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

Anyone that says the Bills run defense has not improved has to take a better look.

 

2011

130.7 rushing yards per game - ranked 25

 

And in this seasons unusual air attack the Bills have 233 passing yards per game - ranked 15

 

Green Bay is ranked 31 with 289 and NE is 32 with 309 against the pass.

 

 

2010

169.6 rushing yards per game ranked 32

[todd]

It comes down to the following, and injuries expose all of the below:

 

1. Rebuilding. Yep, we're in year 2 of rebuilding. As much as people don't want to admit it, this is true. When you are rebuilding, you lack depth because you are basically starting from near zero. The Bills had precious little to build on, and when those building blocks went down, we got screwed. Drafting Spiller at what was a position of strength didn't help much, but I think Nix realizes his mistake.

 

2. Bad drafts for 10 years. Also contributes to #1, but there's no way Buffalo can recover quickly from years of poor drafting. You can't trade away #1 picks (for bledsoe) and whiff on multiple #1 picks (Williams, McCargo, Losman, etc.) and recover in two years. It doesn't happen. Sorry to break it to everyone, but it doesn't happen.

 

3. Getting rid of good players. This is partially due to the revolving door at Head Coach, but look at the good players that the Bills get rid of or lose because they are constantly starting at year 1 of rebuilding. Greer, Fletcher, Schoebel, Leonhard, Trent Edwards (just kidding!), etc. A lack of consistency in the FO and at HC leads to this issue. And now people want to get rid of gailey and nix before the fruit is even ripe. Idiots don't realize that inconsistency is part of the problem.

 

So when we have so few good players, and they all get injured, you see an absolute joke on the field. No coach can deal with that, although I think Edwards could do better and he needs to GTFO.

 

 

I didn't realize it was this bad. AGAIN!

 

"You'd be hard-pressed to find a team with its best three players on injured reserve like the Bills, and it's no coincidence their losing streak began when they lost Williams, then Wood and then Jackson. In addition to Parrish, Jones and Easley being on I.R., WRs Stevie Johnson and David Nelson have been banged up at times. OLT Demetrius Bell was very impressive early on before suffering an injury that has taken longer than expected to heal. CB Aaron Williams has suffered two injuries, curbing a promising rookie campaign. The loss of SS George Wilson in recent weeks also has hurt the secondary. He was playing at a Pro Bowl level."

 

So going from 32 to 25 is a substantial improvement.

 

Quiz: what does new england and GB have that most teams in the NFL don't? A HOF QB, silly, and consistency in the FO.

 

Anyone that says the Bills run defense has not improved has to take a better look.

 

2011

130.7 rushing yards per game - ranked 25

 

And in this seasons unusual air attack the Bills have 233 passing yards per game - ranked 15

 

Green Bay is ranked 31 with 289 and NE is 32 with 309 against the pass.

 

 

2010

169.6 rushing yards per game ranked 32

[CBD]

Note: Not a single linebacker is injured (except Merriman, who has been injured every day for 3 years).

 

And yet, the defense continues to suck.

 

Please, lets fix the linebackers. And draft enough of them to have depth, in case 1 or 2 goes down. A 3-4 defense needs maybe 7-8 linebackers. We currently have about 2.

Kelsay's missed 5 games due to injury. I know some comment about how bad he is is coming, but he was sorely missed in those games as there was a large dropoff between him and the Batten/Moats who replaced him.

[MDH]

Note: Not a single linebacker is injured (except Merriman, who has been injured every day for 3 years).

 

And yet, the defense continues to suck.

 

Please, lets fix the linebackers. And draft enough of them to have depth, in case 1 or 2 goes down. A 3-4 defense needs maybe 7-8 linebackers. We currently have about 2.

 

So, not a single LB is out except 25% of them and you failed to mention that another 25% of them (Kelsey) has missed significant playing time as well. Pre-injury Kelsey was actually playing pretty well. Add to it our Pro Bowl DT and pretty much the entire secondary. The D wasn't good WITH all the starters but it's no wonder they're one of the worst units in the league considering all the injuries.

 

People don't want to hear it because they consider it as excuse but to expect a team that drafted 3rd overall last year to have the depth at so many positions to continue to compete for a playoff spot is expecting the near impossible. I get as agitated as anybody watching this mess unfold game after game and season after season but I also realize that this year there have been a plethora of injuries which derailed this team.

 

All that being said I agree with your statement that the LBs need fixing - they do.

[vincec]

I buy the injury excuse for offense somewhat, although I think that lack of confidence and regression by the QB are also major factors. The defense was bad before the injuries however. Forget about statistics. Anyone who watches the games can see that they stink.

[C.Biscuit97]

Que someone to say that the PAckers won the Super Bowl with all their injuries. We aren't as good as the Super Bowl Champs I guess. However what people forget is the Packers had to win their last 2 games to finish 10-6 and sneak in the playoffs in the first place. We hate the excuses but there's very little doubt that they killed the Bills season. We just aren't deep enough to substain after those injuries.

 

I buy the injury excuse for offense somewhat, although I think that lack of confidence and regression by the QB are also major factors. The defense was bad before the injuries however. Forget about statistics. Anyone who watches the games can see that they stink.

 

Having a pro bowl DT and probably your best pass rusher would have helped the defense alot too. Williams wasn't healthy all year. With Darues looking dominant at times, it jsut makes you wonder how the defense would have looked with them both 100%.

 

some new defensive coordinator is going to inherit a pretty decent situation IMO.

[Beerball]

Good (deep) teams overcome injuries. Run of the mill teams do not.

 

This team needs to:

Develop a pass rush w/out blitzing. Last year Capers blitzed about 35% of the time, this year he's gone to 50% because his front can't generate a pass rush. The Packers' defense this year is not as good as it was last year. People keep talking about the need for a blitzing LB, but the front needs to generate their own sacks. The Bills are typically in a 4 man front, I believe, on passing downs. I don't care whether you call the 4th guy a LB or DE, they must get to the QB without having to rush more than 4.

 

Beyond that (LB/D-line)...we need help at CB, WR & O-line. Put them in whatever order is to your liking.

[Dorkington]

Injuries hurt, sure. But a good team would have solid depth and coaching to make up for them (see Packers last year). The excuses need to stop.

[Just in Atlanta]

I was wondering how we ranked. It makes sense. At the start of the season, we had average individuals, with a few exceptional ones like Wood, Jackson, Merriman and Williams, playing exceptionally well as a unit.

 

When your best players, and several average ones, are put on IR, you're left with backups to...no-names.

 

Our D was getting it done before the injuries but we were clearly not dominating. Losing Williams and Merriman was huge.

 

Our O was clicking despite lack of a deep threat and pass protection. Losing Wood and Jackson killed us here.

 

It's logical to think we can recreate similar success with the same healthy guys back. It's also clear this offseason needs to be balanced, with our first priority at OLB.

[BringBackFlutie]

Injuries hurt, sure. But a good team would have solid depth and coaching to make up for them (see Packers last year). The excuses need to stop.

 

I think that's the point though. I think this team IS good if they can gain some depth and perhaps a DC. I think that's a lot better off than just being a bad team even when healthy.