eball Posted May 31, 2012 Posted May 31, 2012 I think if Merriman is healthy he will be our starting RDE. If and that's a big "if" he stays healthy I envision him being the NFL comeback player of the year and quite possibly leading our team in sacks. He could have a monster year. I am pulling for a full recovery and hoping to see him dominate. Nah. I think Kelsay will play on obvious rushing downs, Anderson will play on obvious passing downs, and Merriman will be used situationally on either side as an additional pass rusher, to the extent his health allows. Now, if he shows in training camp he is truly back "to form" we can throw all of that out the window -- but you have to be a fool to count on that.
Tommy Posted May 31, 2012 Posted May 31, 2012 Nah. I think Kelsay will play on obvious rushing downs, Anderson will play on obvious passing downs, and Merriman will be used situationally on either side as an additional pass rusher, to the extent his health allows. Now, if he shows in training camp he is truly back "to form" we can throw all of that out the window -- but you have to be a fool to count on that. Agreed on all counts. Kelsay will probably be the "starter" that's out there on 1st down. But there will be a lot of rotation at the position opposite Williams.
mrags Posted May 31, 2012 Posted May 31, 2012 Nah. I think Kelsay will play on obvious rushing downs, Anderson will play on obvious passing downs, and Merriman will be used situationally on either side as an additional pass rusher, to the extent his health allows. Now, if he shows in training camp he is truly back "to form" we can throw all of that out the window -- but you have to be a fool to count on that. He did say IF Merriman is back healthy and to form he would be the starter. Which is the same thing you said. I agree with this. IF Merriman is healthy he will be starting at RDE and will probably lead the team in sacks and be comeback player of the year. However that's a HUGE IF. The most probabable scenario is that Merriman will be situational and Kelsey and Anderson will split time at RDE almost evenly.
ChanOverChin Posted May 31, 2012 Posted May 31, 2012 Merriman is not a 4-3 OLB. That position requires mostly speed and quickness and the ability to cover RBs/TEs. His best asset is not as a coverage LB. Merriman's best asset is rushing the passer. If that is all he has to worry about as a 4-3 DE then he should do pretty well. If you're a Bills fan you're praying that this guy is completely healthy and ready to hit when training camp begins. If he's fully healthy with a full training camp under his belt he could really be a huge asset for us. In fact, I think the Bills will lead the league in sacks and be a top 10 defense, if not even better, if he's back to his old self. He's really going to benefit from having Ma. Williams on the other side just like B. Paup reallly benfited with B. Smith on the other side. The best thing is he's only 27. Morrison will most likely be one starting OLB along with Barnett. Both fit the 4-3 scheme well under Wannstedt because both can rreally run and cover.
808 Posted June 1, 2012 Posted June 1, 2012 Actually my ass is so smart it can tell me what favor of icecream cone before I even sit on it. i wasnt responding to you. seriously how many times does it need to be explained that the responsibilities of a 34olb and a 43olb are different. merriman will play the DE in this scheme because thats where the pass rush comes from in a 4 man front.
sllib olaffub Posted June 1, 2012 Posted June 1, 2012 Merriman is a dynamic that would really change this defense, IMO, if he were to be healthy for most of the season, and if in that health he played like he did in his early prime. If that were the case, he'd be the starting DE opposite Mario, I'd think, because he's said to be "surprisingly good against the run, too". However, due to his history of injury, I would think that even if he were healthy, Gailey and Nix would keep him sidelined a lot, if only to limit the chances of a freak injury. After all, they paid Anderson good money to be the man opposite Mario. Still, if Merriman were to come back close to form and stay back, it would give our Defense enough guys who all would normally draw double coverage that opposing offenses wouldn't know what to do. Think about having Mario, Kyle, Dareus, Merriman, and Anderson out there - that's better than the Giants have to offer, and that isn't even lining up guys like Carrington at DT, something the Giants do to create more pressure - we don't have to resort to that!
Pirate Angel Posted June 1, 2012 Posted June 1, 2012 I will include rotational players only at the first level of subbing: LE: M. Williams/S. Johnson DT: K. Williams/Troup DT: M. Dareus/A. Carrington RE: M. Anderson/C. Kelsay LLB: S. Merrison/K. Morrison MLB: K. Shepperd/T. Carder ® RLB: N. Barnett/A. Moats CB: A. Williams/T. McGee SS: G. Wilson/D. Searcy FS: J. Byrd/B. Scott CB: S. Gilmore ®/L. McFumbles Opinions? Will you go to war with that defense? If LB corps is decimated by injuries like they have been in the past...I think we will see him stood up as a LB. Like mentioned in several post before if hes back to form..there's not much question that he will be at DE.
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