26CornerBlitz Posted June 23, 2018 Posted June 23, 2018 (edited) Bills' Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano Bring Swagger to Transform Defense The Buffalo Bills are entering the second year of the Sean McDermott era. After snapping an 18-year long postseason drought in his first season as Buffalo’s head coach, the Bills are looking to take another step forward in the 2018 NFL season. Despite the teams unexpected success, general manager Brandon Beane remained aggressive throughout the offseason. He bolstered the defensive line, a unit that was a huge weakness of the 2017 squad, signing defensive tackle Star Lotulelei and edge rusher Trent Murphy during free agency before trading up to select Tremaine Edmunds with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. Just 19-years old on draft day, Edmunds was a star for Virginia Tech and will likely become the youngest in NFL history when he takes the field in Week 1. Edmunds has star potential and he’ll be playing alongside Matt Milano, who surprised everyone with an impressive rookie campaign despite being a fifth-round draft choice. Buffalo clawed their way into the postseason largely due to the stellar play by by the team’s secondary. The opportunistic unit helped the defense intercept 17 passes and force 25 turnovers in 2017. General manager Brandon Beane and Head Coach Sean McDermott clearly knew they couldn’t rely simply on big plays to keep games close in 2018. Despite an inconsistent, and sometimes stagnant offense, Buffalo’s front seven was terrible against the run. In coverage, teams took advantage of Buffalo’s linebackers, who lacked the athletic ability to be counted on in pass coverage. Here at Cover 1, we broke down the defensive line overhaul, highlighting the players they added and how the defense would benefit from players like Lotulelei and Trent Murphy. Both are quality players that probably don’t get the recognition they deserve because their roles put them in a position to facilitate plays, rather than make them. However, It’s Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano that should reap the benefits of those additions. Edited June 23, 2018 by 26CornerBlitz 2 1
PirateHookerMD Posted June 23, 2018 Posted June 23, 2018 I didn't know Milano was a rising star. Interesting. Maybe I underrate him.
wppete Posted June 23, 2018 Posted June 23, 2018 Can’t wait to see these guys play next year. Our Defense will be much better next year.
ganesh Posted June 23, 2018 Posted June 23, 2018 If we stop the run last year, then we win a lot more games. The additions to the defense from the draft and FA will be huge for this team.
swnybillsfan Posted June 23, 2018 Posted June 23, 2018 14 minutes ago, PirateHookerMD said: I didn't know Milano was a rising star. Interesting. Maybe I underrate him. seems like he showed enough promise last year. he flashed some playmaking ability, quickness, and instincts. with an influx of talent around him, maybe he will be able to build upon what he showed last year. 2
MiltonWaddams Posted June 24, 2018 Posted June 24, 2018 27 minutes ago, PirateHookerMD said: I didn't know Milano was a rising star. Interesting. Maybe I underrate him. His size really looks to be the main thing that is holding him back. He really gravitates to the ball and was overall very impressive during his time on the field last year. I question how well he will hold up, but I don't question his heart, work ethic and skill set.
PirateHookerMD Posted June 24, 2018 Posted June 24, 2018 33 minutes ago, MiltonWaddams said: His size really looks to be the main thing that is holding him back. He really gravitates to the ball and was overall very impressive during his time on the field last year. I question how well he will hold up, but I don't question his heart, work ethic and skill set. I mean, if you get an average/solid starter in the 5th round thats a huge win. "rising star" seems a bit much but we shall see!
stinky finger Posted June 24, 2018 Posted June 24, 2018 19 minutes ago, PirateHookerMD said: I mean, if you get an average/solid starter in the 5th round thats a huge win. "rising star" seems a bit much but we shall see! I don't have my glasses, but that's a fine lookin' rattler you have there. 1
Misterbluesky Posted June 24, 2018 Posted June 24, 2018 2 hours ago, MiltonWaddams said: His size really looks to be the main thing that is holding him back. 100 %. spot on. He lacks upper body strength and it showed last year. He got shoved into the middle far to often because he couldn't shed off solid blockers,mostly TE's. I can easily see many teams playing two TE sets very often against us next year...both Milano and the aged Alexander can be exposed if opposing OC's due proper film study...And factor in Milano's nagging bad hamstring.
Skins Malone Posted June 24, 2018 Posted June 24, 2018 For a 5th round pick milano looked promising. Still need to see more tho. This was a pretty weak linbacking core last imo. 1
Overdue Bill Posted June 24, 2018 Posted June 24, 2018 The defense will have to be stellar this year for Buffalo to be competitive as I don't see us throwing up a lot of points with a weak receiving corps
Mickey Posted June 24, 2018 Posted June 24, 2018 I am a big fan of talent, hard work and discipline as well as the confidence and competence that results from those traits but "swagger", not so much. What does that even mean? All the swagger in the world isn't going to help an NFL QB who can't throw the football, read a defense, etc. Is "swagger" just what we call a guy who is good? Are there guys who are terrible players yet have all the "swagger" in the world, sort of modern day Billy Joe Hobert's?
Skins Malone Posted June 24, 2018 Posted June 24, 2018 2 hours ago, Mickey said: I am a big fan of talent, hard work and discipline as well as the confidence and competence that results from those traits but "swagger", not so much. What does that even mean? All the swagger in the world isn't going to help an NFL QB who can't throw the football, read a defense, etc. Is "swagger" just what we call a guy who is good? Are there guys who are terrible players yet have all the "swagger" in the world, sort of modern day Billy Joe Hobert's? Johnny football had alot of swagger. I agree, for the most part those descriptions are meaningless...sort of like when people say so and so has the IT factor.
Drunken Pygmy Goat Posted June 24, 2018 Posted June 24, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, Mickey said: I am a big fan of talent, hard work and discipline as well as the confidence and competence that results from those traits but "swagger", not so much. What does that even mean? All the swagger in the world isn't going to help an NFL QB who can't throw the football, read a defense, etc. Is "swagger" just what we call a guy who is good? Are there guys who are terrible players yet have all the "swagger" in the world, sort of modern day Billy Joe Hobert's? Yeah, that article seemed a bit "off" to me. Was it an 18 year drought or 17? Is Edmunds 19 or 20? There really wasn't much in depth content either. Really, the article just brought up names of players that were brought in to help on the line, and praised Milano and Edmunds. There really wasn't anything that related to the title. Maybe it was just a poor choice of wording. The main point to take away from the article is how their athleticism and instincts will help this defense to be more effective (does that mean "swagger"?). The fact that Milano played safety and has a very good handle on reading routes and concepts is probably as important of a factor for him as any. And while his size may be an issue against the run, there were several instances where his instincts and film study were evident, and he shot out of a cannon off the snap and into the backfield untouched. He seemed to always be around the ball. The game at the next level didn't seem to be too fast for him. Getting pushed around by bigger men might not happen as often this year either, if the line is actually better. He'll be able to scrape more, and avoid blocks more often. With Edmunds, the Bills clearly have a better scheme fit player than they had with Brown. Great speed and size, but also younger and cheaper. And in a zone heavy scheme, his length and wingspan become even more important. Edited June 24, 2018 by Drunken Pygmy Goat
RocCityRoller Posted June 24, 2018 Posted June 24, 2018 20 hours ago, MiltonWaddams said: His size really looks to be the main thing that is holding him back. He really gravitates to the ball and was overall very impressive during his time on the field last year. I question how well he will hold up, but I don't question his heart, work ethic and skill set. Isn't he a converted Safety? His successes last year may have made Buffalo give Siran Neal a similar opportunity in the same scheme. I do recommend considering the source of the article. Very Buffalo biased (in a good way), I take this and Buffalo Rumblings etc with a grain of salt. But yes Milano was a pleasant surprise. Still believe the Bills are trying to fix the D methodially level by level. DBs year one, DL year 2, LBs year 3. Backfill losses and improve through complimentary players yrs 4+. That said the LB group has a lot to prove.
Kwai San Posted June 25, 2018 Posted June 25, 2018 On 6/23/2018 at 10:28 PM, Misterbluesky said: 100 %. spot on. He lacks upper body strength and it showed last year. He got shoved into the middle far to often because he couldn't shed off solid blockers,mostly TE's. I can easily see many teams playing two TE sets very often against us next year...both Milano and the aged Alexander can be exposed if opposing OC's due proper film study...And factor in Milano's nagging bad hamstring. I would certainly hope that it is cleared up by now?!? That and a year under his belt and some additional time in the weight room one would hope there is improvement from last year. Plus the addition of a FREAK next to him.....I for one am hoping to see a marked improvement in the run game defense for the Bills. Lorax - I hate to say could very well be the weak link at this point. How many years does he have left at the upper level? We will see......
GreggTX Posted June 25, 2018 Posted June 25, 2018 (edited) On June 23, 2018 at 6:40 PM, PirateHookerMD said: I didn't know Milano was a rising star. Interesting. Maybe I underrate him. He is still not a very good starting LB, but he made good strides last year. The question is where is his ceiling. Lotulelei is not underrated. He's just not that good. Even Shaq is better and he's likely to be traded. Murphy still has only that 1 solid season, but he has a legitimate shot to be good. The fact that Humber is still here tells me that we still have work to do with our LB corps and Lo is getting to retirement. Also, Id love to see us add another stud outside CB opposite TW. The single greatest strength of this defense is Leslie Frazier. Edited June 25, 2018 by GreggTX
BillsBytheBay Posted June 25, 2018 Posted June 25, 2018 A 5th round rookie steps in starts almost half the year and is less of a liability than Preston Brown. I think he has some potential. Star will never get up field, but I believe he'll make a big difference on run downs.
Doc Posted June 25, 2018 Posted June 25, 2018 20 hours ago, GreggTX said: He is still not a very good starting LB, but he made good strides last year. The question is where is his ceiling. Lotulelei is not underrated. He's just not that good. Even Shaq is better and he's likely to be traded. Murphy still has only that 1 solid season, but he has a legitimate shot to be good. The fact that Humber is still here tells me that we still have work to do with our LB corps and Lo is getting to retirement. Also, Id love to see us add another stud outside CB opposite TW. The single greatest strength of this defense is Leslie Frazier. They made it a point to get him. I remember all the kvetching about signing Hyde and Poyer and trading for Gaines last off-season so it's probably best to defer to their judgment. 2
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