Foundation Crumbling

[Bob Malooga]

Kiko is a great player but as a weakside LB his loss will not be dramatic. I believe they will have some type of Brown/Rivers combo and the drop off will be marginal. They also have 3 months to design a game plan to cover for a weakness, Schwartz will do that. Defense will still be better than last year and the offense is high octane if EJ plays well. It still goes back to the Quarterback.

Why are people wanting Preston Brown to be an OLB? He is 6-1, 261 lbs, and has been a MLB his entire life...he is not an OLB.

 

Nigel Bradham, Ty Powell or Manny Lawson will man the vacant spot opposite Keith Rivers.

 

Read these and please explain why you think Preston Brown should be the OLB, and not Nigel Bradham?

 

Preston Brown combine report - http://www.nfl.com/c...rown?id=2543814

 

Nigel Bradham combine report - http://www.nfl.com/c...dham?id=2532800

 

Conclusion?

Nigel Bradham is much more suited to be an OLB who can cover space, and Preston Brown is much more suited to be a MLB who plays in the box.

Edited July 8, 2014 by Bob Malooga

[3rdand12]

Why are people wanting Preston Brown to be an OLB? He is 6-1, 261 lbs, and has been a MLB his entire life...he is not an OLB.

 

Nigel Bradham, Ty Powell or Manny Lawson will man the vacant spot opposite Keith Rivers.

 

Read these and please explain why you think Preston Brown should be the OLB, and not Nigel Bradham?

 

Preston Brown combine report - http://www.nfl.com/c...rown?id=2543814

Analysis: 4.86 forty-yard dash, 23 bench reps, 33 inch vert, 116 inch broad jump, 6.98 three cone drill, 4.26 twenty yard shuttle.

 

Strengths - Outstanding size. Physical tackler. Steps downhilll and attacks the run with the proper shoulder. Good eyes and instincts. Delivers some pop on contact and strikes with force. Experienced three-year starter. Good football intelligence -- makes the calls and lines up a defense.

 

Weaknesses - Shows some tightness in his movement. Struggles to carry backs and match up with athletic tight ends in man coverage. Limited depth in coverage drops -- is best in small areas. Average coverage instincts. Requires some motivation.

 

 

Nigel Bradham combine report - http://www.nfl.com/c...dham?id=2532800

Analysis: 4.64 forty-yard dash*, 24 bench reps, 37 inch vert*, 121 inch broad jump, 7.18 three cone drill, 4.37 twenty-yard shuttle.

 

Strengths - Bradham is a very physical and reliable tackler working from his outside linebacker position. He can jolt an offensive lineman and get outside to make plays and tackle running backs. He is quick to react to the outside run, chasing it down from the inside-out. He is a reliable jump-and-dive tackler who excels when pursuing the ball in the open field. He is also an effective blitzer and just as able to defend the run between the tackles. He is good to sink his hips and fit on running backs.

 

Weaknesses - Bradham can be slow to recognize plays and get either into his pass drop or come up to make the play. He is athletic enough to recover from this hesitation at the collegiate level but will struggle if he can't become a more instinctual player in the NFL.

 

* = top performer of position, in that drill at the combine. (Bradham = 2, Brown = 0)

 

Conclusion?

Nigel Bradham is much more suited to be an OLB who can cover space, and Preston Brown is much more suited to be a MLB who plays in the box.

Good post Bob .

But there is always more than one side of the story .

I too was surprised at the suggestion of him over Bradham or the more experienced Rivers and let Preston Brown move to other side of the game. He seems to be a hitter smart reads well and fast in short areas .

As i said and do believe , the linebacker alignment should be interesting under Schwartz . For us fans to monitor anyways. This also will be telling for his coaching ability . I also expect us to be pleasantly surprised . By game 3 i think we will find out what we need to know about the D .

[FireChan]

i see what he is saying but IMO Byrd and Pettine were never part of the long term strategy. They have replacements lined up who they think will be as good or better. Dareus most likely will not see a suspension at least this season as long as he keeps his nose clean. So that is why Kiko looks like the main piece of the strategy who will be missing. And I do think he will be missed. But it could be worse considering we have considerable LB depth, he isn't our only playmaker on D, and LB is one of the easiest positions to adapt to as a rookie and succeed (re: Preston brown)

 

Schwartz didn't lose his HC job until last season. It's a little crazy to think he was a part of the "plan." Not that I don't think he won't be effective or even better than Pettine. But this FO rolled with their punches and made decisive moves to keep things together.

 

AW got a contract before Byrd left. They locked him up to keep the secondary as intact as possible. And they hired Schwartz right after Pettine left. So they were ready to do what they had to.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

Gee, a one man team.

[Martifal]

Going into the 88 season I fully expected the Bills to make the playoffs, the Bennett trade was huge and you could see everything was coming together. Going into the 2014 season you can see a much improved roster the best we've had here in years. Offensively were much improved at running back, wide receiver and offensive line. Defensively Yeah losing Kiko sucks, but we are still much improved at linebacker which was the weak link in 2013 run defense should be far better this year. We have one of the best defensive lines in the league, and even with the loss of Byrd our secondary is going to be very capable. Special teams is a question mark IMO we should have replaced Crossman, but we have upgraded ST thru free agency and the draft hopefully we see improvement there. A lot is riding on EJ if he steps up his game and stays healthy this team could get into the post season this year. Looking forward to 2015 getting Kiko back will be like getting the first round pick we don't have. I hardly see a crumbling foundation IMO I see the exact opposite. I would be willing to bet if Bill Belichik had the opportunity to trade rosters and keep his QB he would do it in a NY minute. There is reason to be optimistic folks the state of the Buffalo Bills is good, the best it has been in a long time!!!!!

[PromoTheRobot]

Going into the 88 season I fully expected the Bills to make the playoffs, the Bennett trade was huge and you could see everything was coming together. Going into the 2014 season you can see a much improved roster the best we've had here in years. Offensively were much improved at running back, wide receiver and offensive line. Defensively Yeah losing Kiko sucks, but we are still much improved at linebacker which was the weak link in 2013 run defense should be far better this year. We have one of the best defensive lines in the league, and even with the loss of Byrd our secondary is going to be very capable. Special teams is a question mark IMO we should have replaced Crossman, but we have upgraded ST thru free agency and the draft hopefully we see improvement there. A lot is riding on EJ if he steps up his game and stays healthy this team could get into the post season this year. Looking forward to 2015 getting Kiko back will be like getting the first round pick we don't have. I hardly see a crumbling foundation IMO I see the exact opposite. I would be willing to bet if Bill Belichik had the opportunity to trade rosters and keep his QB he would do it in a NY minute. There is reason to be optimistic folks the state of the Buffalo Bills is good, the best it has been in a long time!!!!!

 

You know I seriously doubt many thought '88 was going to be a playoff year. Kelly's '86-'87 record was 10-18, he threw 28 INT's, 59.6 comp %. No one thought he was going to lead the Bills to a SB.

 

Are you telling me people were that optimistic then?That's not my recollection. There was just as much negativity then as now, except it was talk radio, not the internet. Coming off 6 years of no playoffs including back-to-back 2-14 seasons, nobody thought the Bills would amount to anything, just like now.

Edited July 7, 2014 by PromoTheRobot

[K-9]

... Weaknesses - Bradham can be slow to recognize plays and get either into his pass drop or come up to make the play. He is athletic enough to recover from this hesitation at the collegiate level but will struggle if he can't become a more instinctual player in the NFL.

 

* = top performer of position, in that drill at the combine. (Bradham = 2, Brown = 0)

 

Conclusion?

Nigel Bradham is much more suited to be an OLB who can cover space, and Preston Brown is much more suited to be a MLB who plays in the box.

 

Regarding the combine performances, Brown's 3-cone and 20 yard shuttle, which are true athletic indicators, are more impressive. Bradham, is more explosive given his better 40, vertical, and long jump. But that's not what concerns me so much as those weaknesses of Bradham. I'll be damned if that isn't EXACTLY what I've observed from him during his two seasons in the league. And when he's not hesitating, he over-committing in pursuit and easily takes himself out of plays.

 

I hope the light goes on in his 3rd season, but I am not comfortable predicting that.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[Martifal]

I had spent the last 7 years out of the Buffalo area 4 years in Alaska going into the 88 season wasn't exposed to the negativity, I judged them on their roster and based on the fact they seemed to be turning it around in 87.

[uncle flap]

 

I hope the light goes on in his 3rd season, but I am not comfortable predicting that.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Bradham was able to beat out Moats for a regular role by the end of last year. He was a different player in December than he was in September.

 

I don't know what his ceiling might be, but perhaps the light turned on at some point last year... except it's one of those fluorescent bulbs that needs a little time to warm all the way up

[chris heff]

I'm kind of sad that this thread didn't spiral out of control, like the 0-16 thread did.

[Bob Malooga]

Good post Bob .

Thanks.

 

I do expect the light to go on, if it hasn't already. He is the prototypical OLB and has a chance to earn himself a starting role, not only this year, but the other OLB spot is still up for grabs for the future, as Keith Rivers is not a long-term solution.

 

He honestly reminds me of one of my all-time favorite college players, Vontaze Burfict...but a tad bit bigger, and much faster.

 

(Man, I would LOVE to have a LB corps of Bradham - Spikes/Burfict - Alonso...that would be incredible.)

 

Anyways...I think he steps out this year in a big way, I honestly do...and I think we start to see it in training camp.

 

But, the coaching staff NEEDS to give him a fair shot...Preston Brown should NOT be an OLB ahead of Nigel Bradham, in ANY scenario. If they give him a chance and a decent amount of starter's reps in camp, I have no doubt that this kid will take the opportunity and run with it. He also reminds me of a former Schwartz OLB, in Deandre Levy...a little bigger, very athletic, good speed, decent in coverage, takes on blockers, etc.

 

It all comes down to how he performs in camp and how the coaching staff uses him...but no doubt, it's his time to shine or bust.

[Rubes]

That's incorrect. I made the largest bet of my life prior to the '88 season that we would make the playoffs. $500 was a lot of money back then and paid for wonderful Oilers & Bengals game parties.

 

We only missed the playoffs in '87 by a 14-7 season finale loss at home to the Pats* -even with 2 Scab game losses. The Bills were primed by then with Kelly, Reed, a great OL & DL and Co-ROY's in Conlan & Bennett.

 

Close. The Bills were knocked out of playoff contention by the loss to the Pats, but the season finale was in Philly. The Bills were 7-7 and had one last shot at a winning record, but lost to the Eagles. In that game, Bennett went crazy with a ton of tackles and sacks, like he was a one-man wrecking machine. Even though they lost, it gave a lot of hope for the following season.

 

You know I seriously doubt many thought '88 was going to be a playoff year. Kelly's '86-'87 record was 10-18, he threw 28 INT's, 59.6 comp %. No one thought he was going to lead the Bills to a SB.

 

Are you telling me people were that optimistic then?That's not my recollection. There was just as much negativity then as now, except it was talk radio, not the internet. Coming off 6 years of no playoffs including back-to-back 2-14 seasons, nobody thought the Bills would amount to anything, just like now.

 

I have to disagree with that. People did think the Bills had a chance at the playoffs. Nobody saw a 12-4 season coming with an early wrap-up of the division, but the playoffs were definitely part of the discussion. People had a sense that the Bills were building a very talented team, and barely missed out on a winning record the season before. I can dig up some old newspaper clippings if needed.

[YoloinOhio]

Schwartz didn't lose his HC job until last season. It's a little crazy to think he was a part of the "plan." Not that I don't think he won't be effective or even better than Pettine. But this FO rolled with their punches and made decisive moves to keep things together.

 

AW got a contract before Byrd left. They locked him up to keep the secondary as intact as possible. And they hired Schwartz right after Pettine left. So they were ready to do what they had to.

I don't think Schwartz was part of the Bills long-term plan. But I don't think Pettine was either. I think they knew this was a stepping stone job for him and that he would be gone sooner or later.

 

That said, I don't think they were as broken up as we were when he did leave especially given that Schwartz was fired before that happened and it seemed they had him on speed dial. Just a hunch, no source.

[quinnearlysghost88]

i dont feel like i'm ready for the season until i've weathered at least 35 doomsday threads.

[nuklz2594]

people, people, people, keep calm and have a beer. we are still rebuilding. even with everyone completely healthy making the playoffs was going to be a stretch. the entire season will determined by ej. like it or not. now keep calm and have a beer!

[3rdand12]

Bradham was able to beat out Moats for a regular role by the end of last year. He was a different player in December than he was in September.

 

I don't know what his ceiling might be, but perhaps the light turned on at some point last year... except it's one of those fluorescent bulbs that needs a little time to warm all the way up

I thought once they gave him reps later last season he made good use of them . So i agree with you mostly.

I think his weakness is mental more than physical. Its been mentioned and smartly so , that Nigel has had multiple Def coordinators during his time here. he has also had different schemes and differnt linebacking coaches so i give him a small pass.

Some other smart aleck said it make or bust this year . i can see that too.

Here

 

Bradham was able to beat out Moats for a regular role by the end of last year. He was a different player in December than he was in September.

 

I don't know what his ceiling might be, but perhaps the light turned on at some point last year... except it's one of those fluorescent bulbs that needs a little time to warm all the way up

 

I don't think Schwartz was part of the Bills long-term plan. But I don't think Pettine was either. I think they knew this was a stepping stone job for him and that he would be gone sooner or later.

 

That said, I don't think they were as broken up as we were when he did leave especially given that Schwartz was fired before that happened and it seemed they had him on speed dial. Just a hunch, no source.

i thought to myself , that the J S move had been in the works pre Pettine leaving and even pre Schwartz getting dismissed . Pettine was known to be on his way up. I considered that as obvious. Hence his move from under Ryan's shadow.

But the way the Bills picked up Jim had the feel that Doug and Doug had already been working on this. and did have him on speed dial LOL!

See Danny Crosman IS useful after all : )

 

people, people, people, keep calm and have a beer. we are still rebuilding. even with everyone completely healthy making the playoffs was going to be a stretch. the entire season will determined by ej. like it or not. now keep calm and have a beer!

OKAY !

This is a season that might start shaky too with the change over on Defensive coaches . But I am thinking by game 3 or so we should see them settle in and be able to make a reasonable opinion of the seasons W-L column.

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

they weren't sold on EJ last season and nothing has changed that opinion,

 

they site losing SJ13 (which might hurt) but not his antics that get a flag and or a benching in an important game

 

they site losing J Byrd

 

they site some off the field problems,

 

and of course newly added - the loss of The Kiko Monster.

Edited July 9, 2014 by BillsFan-4-Ever