YoloinOhio Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 It's an interesting question though. Despite the injury risk it might make sense to give Darby some more reps. Then again, if they do that, they're essentially telegraphing to Indy that he needs work. I don't know. My gut says he won't play, and Rex/Thurman are working on their plan to "protect" him against the Colts. yep, my guess is they are full speed ahead on Colts prep with him in practice. The 4th PS game is such a joke. I get that there are guys vying for spots but the teams know who they are keeping by now. The cuts come the day after the game. Just give the teams 2 weeks between the preseason and reg season and scrap the last PS game.
eball Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 yep, my guess is they are full speed ahead on Colts prep with him in practice. The 4th PS game is such a joke. I get that there are guys vying for spots but the teams know who they are keeping by now. The cuts come the day after the game. Just give the teams 2 weeks between the preseason and reg season and scrap the last PS game. Or let them keep the rosters at 90 until after the 4th game.
John Cocktosten Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 He's supposed to be starting his 4th year at FSU this year. Rex's style of D is probably the hardest for CBs to adjust to. He needs at last two years before there is concern.
Blokestradamus Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 No more concerned now than when we picked him. Same issues with him as I had at FSU. I'm not going to trash the kid for being who I knew he was. The way I figure it, his best chance to learn is with Donnie Henderson. If he can learn, he will. Let's just hope McKelvin Jr doesn't take 4-5 years to get it.
ALF Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 (edited) It takes time for CBs and QBs to develop. Darby has good potential for Henderson to work with. It will be difficult with more taller WRs to cover 1 on 1 . Nice to have a Richard Sherman tall CB , 5th rd The Bills really need to expand the scouting dept. Edited September 2, 2015 by ALF
YoloinOhio Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 Lot of hype with naming Tmobile the starter and FJ's release. My concern is still the cornerback position. Anybody else worried? Rex was wrong about Dee Milliner. Could he be wrong about Darby too? i am not sure Rex was "wrong" about Milliner because we don't know if it was his decision to draft him. Reportedly he didn't have much say in the draft picks. There have also been at least two players that he said he pounded the table for and the Jets did not draft (Alshon and Martavis Bryant) and was fully against and they did (Stephen Hill). Related, Sal said on radio this morning that to his knowledge, Darby was "largely" a Whaley pick, not a Rex pick. Is that to say Rex didn't approve or he wasn't Rex's choice? I would certainly not assume that at all. But Whaley makes the decision on the pick, not Rex.
BuffaloFan68 Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 I think Darby will be fine. Sure he'll struggle against the taller WRs but he will also get his share of picks.
Luxy312 Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 It's an interesting question though. Despite the injury risk it might make sense to give Darby some more reps. Then again, if they do that, they're essentially telegraphing to Indy that he needs work. I don't know. My gut says he won't play, and Rex/Thurman are working on their plan to "protect" him against the Colts. I could be wrong here, but believe you will see significant safety help on Darby's side during the game, while they ask Gilmore to cover T.Y. man to man.
tennesseeboy Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 Darby is probably working night and day on preparing for the Colts game and playing on Thursday would not be of any particular benefit. I agree with everyone on the learning curve issue and we are going to have to give the guy space. I suspect there is defensive game planning going on to give him some help against Indianapolis. We've been through this with every rookie cornerback since Winfield and clements so let's root for him and watch him grow into the job.
mikef272002 Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 There is much to be excited about and much to be concerned about. My concerns are Carpenter missing field goals/extra points, penalties, Darby and the health of McCoy, Watkins, Harvin, Woods, Gilmore and our up and coming young RB Williams even though he's a limited touch back. I'm also concerned about all the pass interference calls regardless of leaving the corner backs on an island there is no need for that and we had a bunch last year so things didn't improve there, they've got to get their heads around. Funny how a bunch of people hated McKelvin and wanted him gone, but now wish he were back. McKelvin is a very good corner, gets limited penalties and is always in a good position, he just needs to make better plays on the ball which he improved on last year. Him and Marcel being out this opening game is really going to hurt us. The things I'm excited about is our new offense. The offensive line seems to be much improved giving the QB's time and opening lanes in the running game. Tyrod seems to create plays when needed and sit in the pocket when needed. We should be putting up 3 touchdowns a game at a Min. I could see us putting up 24- 30 points against Indy but who knows if that will be enough.
KingRex Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 There are several lessons from Darby's struggles in his first three outings 1. Darby has some definite failings in his play that the coaches will have to cover for and that Darby will need to work on to become a solid vet. These problems are not surprising for a rookie nor fatal if he has good teammates and coaches. Darby cannot be left on an island against a good receiver and a good QB. The coaches will need to have Gilmore and it is to be hoped a recovered McKelvin take on the opponents top 2 WRs. If McKelvin is injured, the Bills will need to use double-teams or if both are hurt move safety Graham back to CB from safety. Darby cannot be counted upon to cover a top WR on an island on his own, but I have no problem having him covering the slot or the opponents #3. 2. This is true because Darby has some positives about his game as seen by his 2 INTS. He can have good ball awareness as shown by some good coverage by him in preseason practice. However, when thrown to the wolves in preseason games. Darby can be covered for as he learns to become a vet, but it is clear that though he was our first choice he is not a 1st round talent. A solid starter quality eventually but not an immediate shut down starter.
All_Pro_Bills Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 Darby's PI penalties are a concern. He needs to learn what he can and when he can get away with playing on the edge of the rules. The positive side of the penalties, if there is one, is that he's stuck like glue most of the time to the receivers so this to me demonstrates pretty good coverage skills. He's not getting faked out of his shorts so he has a good comprehension of route running and coverage technique. He's got great closing speed. The downside is his height when matched up with taller receivers. If he can adjust his game to turn his head and play the ball he can be a solid corner. He might be in for a rough go week one because you know he's going to get picked and I expect they'll roll some coverage help his way.
mikef272002 Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 There are several lessons from Darby's struggles in his first three outings 1. Darby has some definite failings in his play that the coaches will have to cover for and that Darby will need to work on to become a solid vet. These problems are not surprising for a rookie nor fatal if he has good teammates and coaches. Darby cannot be left on an island against a good receiver and a good QB. The coaches will need to have Gilmore and it is to be hoped a recovered McKelvin take on the opponents top 2 WRs. If McKelvin is injured, the Bills will need to use double-teams or if both are hurt move safety Graham back to CB from safety. Darby cannot be counted upon to cover a top WR on an island on his own, but I have no problem having him covering the slot or the opponents #3. 2. This is true because Darby has some positives about his game as seen by his 2 INTS. He can have good ball awareness as shown by some good coverage by him in preseason practice. However, when thrown to the wolves in preseason games. Darby can be covered for as he learns to become a vet, but it is clear that though he was our first choice he is not a 1st round talent. A solid starter quality eventually but not an immediate shut down starter. I wouldn't be surprised if Rex pulls something out of the hat for this game to catch Indy off guard regarding Darby. He may just infant move Darby to the slot and Graham to corner for the high powered pass game of Indy. Darby is the weak link in this game against Hilton and Luck, and even giving him help over top isn't going to help Darby on the shorter passes and out routes. Not to mention the over the top help opens up 1/4 of the field on the back end if the safety has to assist Darby. It's obvious Luck is going to test Darby early and often and the coaches for Indy will be looking to see how that effects the rest of the field if we're helping Darby over the top. For every adjustment we make Indy can make one too, this is why I'm thinking Rex will have something in store for Indy as a "surprise" that will at least catch them off guard for the first quarter. Then hopefully make good half time adjustments.
ricojes Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 (edited) Funny how a bunch of people hated McKelvin and wanted him gone, but now wish he were back. McKelvin is a very good corner, gets limited penalties and is always in a good position, he just needs to make better plays on the ball which he improved on last year. Him and Marcel being out this opening game is really going to hurt us. it's not funny at all, he was pretty bad his first couple years. But that goes along with the whole "give him time" argument. Leo's problem early on was that he would always try for the interception, which he whiffed on the majority of the time. It was so frustrating watching him leap with both hands up and having the ball sail through his fingers! The past couple seasons he has learned to just knock the ball down or deflect it and he's become a very good CB... Edited September 2, 2015 by ricojes
Talley56 Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 No different then McKelvin. It took him a few years to learn to play pro CB He will make mistakes he will get better While I agree I definitely think playing CB for Buffalo back in McKelvin's early years was considerably harder considering we didn't have nearly the pass rush we have today and the safety help was Whitner.
mikef272002 Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 it's not funny at all, he was pretty bad his first couple years. But that goes along with the whole "give him time" argument. Leo's problem early on was that he would always try for the interception, which he whiffed on the majority of the time. It was so frustrating watching him leap with both hands up and having the ball sail through his fingers! The past couple seasons he has learned to just knock the ball down or deflect it and he's become a very good CB... I thought it was funny, but maybe I just knew he was better than people gave him credit for.
Formerly Allan in MD Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 Definitely concerned. He's looking like McKelvin did, early on - can't locate the ball, loses his man. McKelvin got better but that doesn't mean Darby will become a solid starter. The primary concern is that other teams will be throwing his way consistently until he improves. The detrimental effect of that could be significant if he remains a starter. Interesting to see who Whaley goes after on cut day
KGun12TD Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 Rex is NOT going to put him out there like he did in preseason games...please! He's going to be fine.
ricojes Posted September 2, 2015 Posted September 2, 2015 (edited) Rex is NOT going to put him out there like he did in preseason games...please! He's going to be fine. Rex did say he was testing his defense. To me that almost sounds like he would initially put them in a difficult situation with the hopes that they would communicate and correct it. The growing pains of a Rex led defense I guess. Hopefully that learning technique has helped, we shall see, some very good opposing QB's under center to start the season...Definitely concerned... Edited September 2, 2015 by ricojes
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