Turbosrrgood Posted December 27, 2011 Posted December 27, 2011 (edited) I'll start with someone NOT on the Bills Von Miller - I don't question his pass rushing ability, he is skilled at that...He was thoroughly embarrassed by the Bills last week however. He can be dangerous when penetrating the backfield both against the pass, and occasionally the run. In all other situations though, he is a complete liability. This is why he was benched early in the season. Watching him makes me think he is much better suited as a 4-3 end than a 3-4 OLB. Several of Spiller's big runs came while running straight at Miller. He can't disengage blocks, and doesn't pursue down field. My point is, people LOVE hindsight (even though he was taken BEFORE the bills picked), and say "SEE! We should have taken Von!". Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have him on my team, flaws and all. But I would take Dareus over him every time. Miller was completely outplayed last week by this guy Kelsay - I know I'll never be able to change peoples mind about him, that's fine. I have said over and over, he's not a star, but an average at best DE/OLB. Still, the guy gets WAY too much fault for the bad defense. I have also said that other than Dareus, he is the ONLY guy that can put consistent pressure on the QB. He plays with strength, but lacks closing speed and agility, so he doesn't often actually get the sack, but he at least provides pressure. He was all over the field last week, and even got robbed of a FF/sack, that was called an INT. I'd be happy to replace him with someone better, but until we HAVE someone better, give the guy a break. As of yet we have NO capable starter on the other side. He only made 2M base this year, but will make more next year and may be due a roster bonus. For those that hate him, the Bills may cut him for that reason alone... Nix/Gailey drafting - There has been a lot of crying, and of course hindsight about recent drafts. IMO, this past draft was the best since our playoff years. Too much credit was given to them for "their" first draft, when they had just been hired and Modrak was still making the calls (Troup, for instance). Dareus (star), Williams (possible star IMO), Sheppard (TBD, but he's starting at least), Searcy, Hairston (I've been impressed, especially for a 5th rounder, possible Bell replacement [bell likely needs surgery]), Rogers... Everyone knew about Dareus, but I can't understate how high I am on Williams... McKelvin - I never understood why they stopped using this guy on ST? He was mediocre at best as a CB, but always an amazing return guy...WTF, why did it take them so long to put him back there? Tebow - Sucks. Fox deserves all of the credit for that team. That is all. Edited December 27, 2011 by Turbosrrgood
It's in My Blood Posted December 27, 2011 Posted December 27, 2011 [quote McKelvin - I never understood why they stopped using this guy on ST? He was mediocre at best as a CB, but always an amazing return guy...WTF, why did it take them so long to put him back there? Remember the game losing muffed punt vs NE a few years back?! LOL. I agree with you though, hin and Rogers are solid return men.
xsoldier54 Posted December 27, 2011 Posted December 27, 2011 I'll start with someone NOT on the Bills Von Miller - I don't question his pass rushing ability, he is skilled at that...He was thoroughly embarrassed by the Bills last week however. He can be dangerous when penetrating the backfield both against the pass, and occasionally the run. In all other situations though, he is a complete liability. This is why he was benched early in the season. Watching him makes me think he is much better suited as a 4-3 end than a 3-4 OLB. Several of Spiller's big runs came while running straight at Miller. He can't disengage blocks, and doesn't pursue down field. My point is, people LOVE hindsight (even though he was taken BEFORE the bills picked), and say "SEE! We should have taken Von!". Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have him on my team, flaws and all. But I would take Dareus over him every time. Miller was completely outplayed last week by this guy Kelsay - I know I'll never be able to change peoples mind about him, that's fine. I have said over and over, he's not a star, but an average at best DE/OLB. Still, the guy gets WAY too much fault for the bad defense. I have also said that other than Dareus, he is the ONLY guy that can put consistent pressure on the QB. He plays with strength, but lacks closing speed and agility, so he doesn't often actually get the sack, but he at least provides pressure. He was all over the field last week, and even got robbed of a FF/sack, that was called an INT. I'd be happy to replace him with someone better, but until we HAVE someone better, give the guy a break. As of yet we have NO capable starter on the other side. He only made 2M base this year, but will make more next year and may be due a roster bonus. For those that hate him, the Bills may cut him for that reason alone... Nix/Gailey drafting - There has been a lot of crying, and of course hindsight about recent drafts. IMO, this past draft was the best since our playoff years. Too much credit was given to them for "their" first draft, when they had just been hired and Modrak was still making the calls (Troup, for instance). Dareus (star), Williams (possible star IMO), Sheppard (TBD, but he's starting at least), Searcy, Hairston (I've been impressed, especially for a 5th rounder, possible Bell replacement [bell likely needs surgery]), Rogers... Everyone knew about Dareus, but I can't understate how high I am on Williams... McKelvin - I never understood why they stopped using this guy on ST? He was mediocre at best as a CB, but always an amazing return guy...WTF, why did it take them so long to put him back there? Tebow - Sucks. Fox deserves all of the credit for that team. That is all. Couldn't agree more. Very solid post. I have the exact same opinion of all the players you mentioned. I think with another solid draft, this team could finally be headed in the right direction. They will have to find ways to win the close games though. There were at least four losses this year that were winnable games. In a season where you have lost 9 games, those four would have made a huge difference.
apuszczalowski Posted December 28, 2011 Posted December 28, 2011 Remember the game losing muffed punt vs NE a few years back?! LOL. I agree with you though, hin and Rogers are solid return men. One play, it was one bad play. Johnson always seems to get a pass everytime he drops a game winning TD, but McKelvin messed up on one punt return where he was trying to make a play and he has his house vandalized and the fans want to run him out of town. Guess he should have asked to be drafted later............ Couldn't agree more. Very solid post. I have the exact same opinion of all the players you mentioned. I think with another solid draft, this team could finally be headed in the right direction. They will have to find ways to win the close games though. There were at least four losses this year that were winnable games. In a season where you have lost 9 games, those four would have made a huge difference. And there were probably atleast 4 wins that were very close to being losses where they should have lost, it goes both ways
San Jose Bills Fan Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 I'll start with someone NOT on the Bills Von Miller - I don't question his pass rushing ability, he is skilled at that...He was thoroughly embarrassed by the Bills last week however. He can be dangerous when penetrating the backfield both against the pass, and occasionally the run. In all other situations though, he is a complete liability. This is why he was benched early in the season. Watching him makes me think he is much better suited as a 4-3 end than a 3-4 OLB. Several of Spiller's big runs came while running straight at Miller. He can't disengage blocks, and doesn't pursue down field. My point is, people LOVE hindsight (even though he was taken BEFORE the bills picked), and say "SEE! We should have taken Von!". Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have him on my team, flaws and all. But I would take Dareus over him every time. Miller was completely outplayed last week by this guy Kelsay - I know I'll never be able to change peoples mind about him, that's fine. I have said over and over, he's not a star, but an average at best DE/OLB. Still, the guy gets WAY too much fault for the bad defense. I have also said that other than Dareus, he is the ONLY guy that can put consistent pressure on the QB. He plays with strength, but lacks closing speed and agility, so he doesn't often actually get the sack, but he at least provides pressure. He was all over the field last week, and even got robbed of a FF/sack, that was called an INT. I'd be happy to replace him with someone better, but until we HAVE someone better, give the guy a break. As of yet we have NO capable starter on the other side. He only made 2M base this year, but will make more next year and may be due a roster bonus. For those that hate him, the Bills may cut him for that reason alone... Nix/Gailey drafting - There has been a lot of crying, and of course hindsight about recent drafts. IMO, this past draft was the best since our playoff years. Too much credit was given to them for "their" first draft, when they had just been hired and Modrak was still making the calls (Troup, for instance). Dareus (star), Williams (possible star IMO), Sheppard (TBD, but he's starting at least), Searcy, Hairston (I've been impressed, especially for a 5th rounder, possible Bell replacement [bell likely needs surgery]), Rogers... Everyone knew about Dareus, but I can't understate how high I am on Williams... McKelvin - I never understood why they stopped using this guy on ST? He was mediocre at best as a CB, but always an amazing return guy...WTF, why did it take them so long to put him back there? Tebow - Sucks. Fox deserves all of the credit for that team. That is all. Strongly agree with most of your points. Kelsay is not a good finisher. That might be his only deficiency. He seems to have a hard time "breaking down" on his tackles and finishing the play. But he gets a lot of pressures and is a good 4-3 DE. On Nix, here are my thoughts. The pessimists/realists will think I'm candy coating. The optimists/realists will probably agree with this take: Modrak was fired right after the 2011 draft. Why? Because in Nix's first year as GM in 2010, he gave Modrak latitude to do his job. Then Nix spent the 2010 season evaluating the players that Modrak had scouted and touted. Nix couldn't fairly evaluate the job Modrak did until December of 2010. By the end of the season when guys like Troup, Carrington and others were not developing/producing, Nix probably made the decision to part ways with Modrak. By then however, Nix couldn't fire Modrak until after the 2011 draft because as everyone in the industry knows, scouts and personnel guys aren't hired/fired till after the draft. The reason is because to fire your Head Scout anytime before the draft would mean to give away a large part of your draft board. So the Bills had to keep Modrak on until after the draft and fire him then, which they did. Why the Nix/Modrak timeline? Because I believe that the 2010 draft was not very good but that the 2011 draft was excellent. With Nix and Whaley working with a brand new personnel department (Pro Personnel Director Tom Gibbons and Director of College Scouting Chuck Cook and scout Darrell Moody), I'm optimistic that the Bills will continue to add solid free agents like Kraig Urbik, Chad Rinehart, Erik Pears, Scott Chandler, and Colin Brown as well as continue drafting as well as they did this past April. I know the Bills have been an inept organization for a long time but I'm gonna believe that at least from the personnel side, the team is much improved. Now the coaching? That's a different subject.
Fitzyflakes67 Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 One play, it was one bad play. Johnson always seems to get a pass everytime he drops a game winning TD, but McKelvin messed up on one punt return where he was trying to make a play and he has his house vandalized and the fans want to run him out of town. Guess he should have asked to be drafted later............ And there were probably atleast 4 wins that were very close to being losses where they should have lost, it goes both ways That's true, but really only the Raiders and Pats games were played in such last minute dramatic fashion...I suppose you could add the Philly game too, but that's on the fence. So we easily could have a few less wins, but we could have - no, SHOULD have - have beaten the Bengals Giants and Jets. Still wouldn't give us a great record, but it would be enough to be in the fight for that last wild card spot. That at least shows a little promise to me, cause despite our handful of blowout losses we actually had a chance to be in contention this year.
Hapless Bills Fan Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 (edited) <snip> Kelsay - I know I'll never be able to change peoples mind about him, that's fine. I have said over and over, he's not a star, but an average at best DE/OLB. Still, the guy gets WAY too much fault for the bad defense. I have also said that other than Dareus, he is the ONLY guy that can put consistent pressure on the QB. He plays with strength, but lacks closing speed and agility, so he doesn't often actually get the sack, but he at least provides pressure. He was all over the field last week, and even got robbed of a FF/sack, that was called an INT. I'd be happy to replace him with someone better, but until we HAVE someone better, give the guy a break. As of yet we have NO capable starter on the other side. He only made 2M base this year, but will make more next year and may be due a roster bonus. For those that hate him, the Bills may cut him for that reason alone... Nix/Gailey drafting - There has been a lot of crying, and of course hindsight about recent drafts. IMO, this past draft was the best since our playoff years. Too much credit was given to them for "their" first draft, when they had just been hired and Modrak was still making the calls (Troup, for instance). Dareus (star), Williams (possible star IMO), Sheppard (TBD, but he's starting at least), Searcy, Hairston (I've been impressed, especially for a 5th rounder, possible Bell replacement [bell likely needs surgery]), Rogers... Everyone knew about Dareus, but I can't understate how high I am on Williams... Interesting post, Turbos. Good stuff. I agree with you on several points. IMO if we let Kelsay go because he makes more $ that would be another example of what the Bills just can't continue to do, let reasonable players walk and leave more holes to fill. So what if he's getting more $, he's far from the biggest hole and he's payed ($2M) less than Spencer Johnson ($3M) and Dwan Edwards ($2.6M). What are we gonna do, release them all? Keep them as depth, even if you think you've got better starters. With Kyle Williams and Merriman in the lineup early in the season Kelsay was getting more pressure, BTW. I also agree about the draft. In 2010, Nix and Gailey had little choice but to rely on the previous regime's scouting and boards, and the drafting reeked of the previous "find the projects and hope they are hidden gems" philosophy (I also wouldn't be surprised if Spiller was a Ralph intervention to "bring some excitement" to the game because "we need runners" but that's another story). 2011 was their first chance to develop a board, and I don't think it's an accident that it seemed heavily influenced by the Senior Bowl Chan coached. What I liked is that there wasn't a single "position switch" project until the 2nd pick of the 7th round (Jasper). We drafted a DL to play DL; we drafted CB to play CB; we drafted LB to play LB. Surprise surprise they're all seeing the field and contributing rookie year. Compare and contrast to 2010 when we were still drafting small DL that we hope to develop into LB and so forth. I also don't think it was an accident that Modrak was canned after it became clear the 2010 draft class wasn't contributing much (by that time, he couldn't be fired until after the 2011 draft as it would give up the board). PS I read your posts 'cuz they're interesting, but I gag every time I view your avatar. I can only try to avert my eyes. Could you take Pilsner's avatar as your model instead? Edited December 29, 2011 by Hopeful
apuszczalowski Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 That's true, but really only the Raiders and Pats games were played in such last minute dramatic fashion...I suppose you could add the Philly game too, but that's on the fence. So we easily could have a few less wins, but we could have - no, SHOULD have - have beaten the Bengals Giants and Jets. Still wouldn't give us a great record, but it would be enough to be in the fight for that last wild card spot. That at least shows a little promise to me, cause despite our handful of blowout losses we actually had a chance to be in contention this year. I'm not really trying to disagree with you, just pointing out that for every "almost win", theres usually an "almost loss" in there too. The thing is, good teams win the close games, bad teams find ways too lose them. The Bills need to find ways to win their close games and the games they are supposed to win
Zulu Cthulhu Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 Kelsay - I know I'll never be able to change peoples mind about him, that's fine. I have said over and over, he's not a star, but an average at best DE/OLB. Still, the guy gets WAY too much fault for the bad defense. I have also said that other than Dareus, he is the ONLY guy that can put consistent pressure on the QB. He plays with strength, but lacks closing speed and agility, so he doesn't often actually get the sack, but he at least provides pressure. He was all over the field last week, and even got robbed of a FF/sack, that was called an INT. I'd be happy to replace him with someone better, but until we HAVE someone better, give the guy a break. As of yet we have NO capable starter on the other side. He only made 2M base this year, but will make more next year and may be due a roster bonus. For those that hate him, the Bills may cut him for that reason alone... I certainly don't think CK is the primary problem on the team's defense - there's still holes at every level of that unit and the DC looks lost. But CK is part of the problem. He's a average (at times) 43 DE, and a bad 34 OLB. He doesn't even approach being an acceptable hybrid DE/OLB. Kelsay's defenders always crawl from under their rocks when he throws up a decent game twice a season. That's fine; I expect it. But over the past 5 years or so I've seen quite enough of CK completely whiffing on sacks/tackles, over-pursuing and taking bad angles toward even the most immobile of QBs, getting blocked 15 yards up-field out of the play, etc... Yet we should all "give the guy a break" since we have no one better to take his place? That's a failure of the front office, and has nothing to do with and should not excuse Kelsay's low level of play. Give the guy a break? Should we do that with all the other players on this team who perform badly simply because their replacements aren't here yet? Are Fitzpatrick's bad performances absolved simply because he's Buffalo's best QB on the roster? No, we don't cut him, or McKelvin, or anyone else any slack for bad performances simply because "well, there's no one better." No, it seems to me that the reason so many want to cut CK slack is because he fits some tired, old-school, BS archetype of what a "football player" should be. You hold on to this in spite of Kelsay's diminishing returns and general sh**iness. But yeah, skewer the guy who's already light-years ahead of Kelsay because he was benched a couple of games early in his ROOKIE season; and let's all give the poor 9 year veteran a pass.
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