Joe B's Upon Further Review: Bills at Bears

[eball]

McKelvin obviously had a bad game. It's inarguable. And he did give up that 44 yarder (on an absolute perfect pass to Jeffrey). But that said, if you told me that McKelvin would be covering Brandon Marshall all game long, and gave up 8 receptions for 71 yards and 1 TD while also forcing a fumble we recovered and broke up a third down pass in OT (even though he dropped a sure INT) I would take it in a heartbeat.

 

Kelly I usually agree with about 98% of what you post but I don't think McCorner had a bad game. The gameplan was clearly to limit the big plays and outside of that first one to Jeffery they did that. Against a different offense that doesn't present two all-pros at WR and a gunslinger at QB I'm comfortable with his play.

 

Saint Doug himself said this morning that between McCorner, Gilmore, and Graham they have three starting corners and to put any of them on the bench is not smart.

Edited September 12, 2014 by eball

[Bill from NYC]

Because of the way the rules are applied in the league, advantaging the receivers, the DBs play the most challenging position. The DBs are more than ever dependent on the quality of the pass rush. NYC Bill and Badobilz often argue that because of the rule changes the value of the position is downgraded.

There is some truth above, but the explanation is too simplistic.

 

My take is that because of the rule changes, teams will actually play 4 or 5 wide at times. Who is the best corner in the league? Revis? OK, but he can only cover 1 receiver at a time. In the old days, Mel Blount would neutralize 50% of the opposing team's wide receivers. Times have changed. And of course, these penalties are getting insane as well.

Still, having a good secondary is a vital part of team balance. Corners will never be unimportant.

 

That said, if our pass rush can pressure and sack Tanneyhill, the Bills can win. If not, receivers will get open. Keep your eye on KW and Dareus. If they get pressure up the middle, the dolphins are in big trouble. And they can go for it because Spikes will be there to counter a draw play.

 

In summary, it's true. If I was building a defense I would concentrate heavily on, and allocate more resources toward pass rush than the secondary.

 

Do you disagree?

 

[SmokinES3]

I don't understand why McKelvin was playing so far off but it had to be by design and was big reason why he gave up as many completions as he did.

 

Gilmore usually gives a big cushion when he plays too so may be something to this.

 

Either way Graham should be starting over one of them

I know he isn't listed, but I wonder based on how he's moving, if McKelvins hip is still on the mend following surgery. His cuts and acceleration weren't like usual, at least IMHO.

[JohnC]

 

There is some truth above, but the explanation is too simplistic.

 

My take is that because of the rule changes, teams will actually play 4 or 5 wide at times. Who is the best corner in the league? Revis? OK, but he can only cover 1 receiver at a time. In the old days, Mel Blount would neutralize 50% of the opposing team's wide receivers. Times have changed. And of course, these penalties are getting insane as well.

Still, having a good secondary is a vital part of team balance. Corners will never be unimportant.

 

That said, if our pass rush can pressure and sack Tanneyhill, the Bills can win. If not, receivers will get open. Keep your eye on KW and Dareus. If they get pressure up the middle, the dolphins are in big trouble. And they can go for it because Spikes will be there to counter a draw play.

 

In summary, it's true. If I was building a defense I would concentrate heavily on, and allocate more resources toward pass rush than the secondary.

 

Do you disagree?

 

Thanks for the response.

 

There is no doubt that some positions are clearly more important/impactful than others. If I had to choose between taking an elite pass rusher or an elite corner I would take the pass rusher. But my general philosophy is that when building a roster talent trumps positions. If you had to make a choice of an elite corner or LB or a very good DE I would go with the elite talent. Many people devalue the guard position. But if an elite guard or center was on the draft board such as Steve Hutchinson I would snatch the more talented player.

 

We have strenuously (but respectfully) disagreed over the Spiller selection. I consider him an elite talent who has to be used smartly. He is not a workhorse back, and will never be. But he is a playmaker---a rare commodity. Would I take him over a high quality DE? Yes, because of his big play ability. Would I take a Spiller over an elite DE? Probably not.

[Nanker]

Well, in spite of being in recovery from an off-season surgical procedure, McKelvin and raw rookie Preston Brown were on the winning team. The Bills won - or is that in doubt too?

 

I remember listening to WFAN years ago when some dopey Jints fan called in to Mike F. and was unhappy because the Jints had won their game, but didn't "dominate" their opponent. He was uncomfortable with the fact that his team didn't blow the other team out of the water. Francesa just laughed at the idiot.

Edited September 12, 2014 by Nanker