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Posted

Currently DT Star Lotulelei will take up a team-high 5.8% of the #Bills salary cap in 2019 after signing a five-year, $50 million deal with Buffalo last offseason. Despite this, he only played in 46.9% of defensive snaps last season & he played in all 16 games

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Posted

This is why I didn’t like the signing and feel it’s outdated thinking (though I love Samoans).  He is a one dimensional player that can be schemed off. I’d rather have a couple of DTs, run stuffer and pass rusher, than one Star.  He certainly helped with the run defense but he rarely made impact plays.

 

he is good at his role.  However, his role just isn’t important anymore.  He probably won’t get on the field if we played the Chiefs.

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Posted

I'm fine with him, but it does seem his paycheck is too large for the role he is playing. Hopefully that doesn't impact us negatively in the future.

 

Anybody know the details of his contract and when the Bills have a good out?

Posted
2 minutes ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

This is why I didn’t like the signing and feel it’s outdated thinking (though I love Samoans).  He is a one dimensional player that can be schemed off. I’d rather have a couple of DTs, run stuffer and pass rusher, than one Star.  He certainly helped with the run defense but he rarely made impact plays.

 

he is good at his role.  However, his role just isn’t important anymore.  He probably won’t get on the field if we played the Chiefs.

I agree. It looks like they used the Damon Harrison contract as a guideline. 

Posted (edited)

Lorax thinks Star is worth every bit of his contract since his (Star) play helps others make plays.

 

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/2019/01/bills-lorenzo-alexander-says-star-lotulelei-earned-every-bit-of-big-contract.html

 

"But Buffalo linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, who called Lotulelei “disruptive,” said that the former Panthers tackle was well worth it and is going to be a staple on the team for years to come.

“Obviously he (doesn’t play) a sexy position, but he allows other people around him to make plays,” Alexander said. “I’ve definitely been able to have a pretty good year this year. A lot of it is contributed to what he’s been able to do as far as keeping guys off me, allowing me to run free.

“In the pass rush, people can’t step up. On first or second down I know a couple of guys that have gotten sacks throughout the year just because Star has gotten that great push. He’s earned every bit of what he’s got with that five-year deal.” "

 

Leslie Frazier's take on Star:

 

“He demands a double team which allows our linebackers to run free and make some of the tackles that people might think the nose tackle should be making,” Frazier said. “That has been a plus for us, helping our linebackers to improve. But also to help our run defense. He’s done a good job of commanding attention from their interior, their center and their guards. It’s hard to block him one-one-one and that’s what we needed and he’s given us that.”

Edited by Happy Gilmore
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Posted

That was a poor allocation of resources by Beane. No doubt about it. He was brought in to improve our run defense and the run defense did not improve. Did the Star folks read the part that states he wasn't even in the game for over half the defensive snaps? 

 

They cannot swing and miss like that this time around.

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Posted
2 minutes ago, LSHMEAB said:

That was a poor allocation of resources by Beane. No doubt about it. He was brought in to improve our run defense and the run defense did not improve. Did the Star folks read the part that states he wasn't even in the game for over half the defensive snaps? 

 

They cannot swing and miss like that this time around.

He is a dinosaur playing in the new NFL. Bring in Star? Audible to a pass, Oh Star is on the sideline? Let’s rack up some rushing yards.

 

Paying a one dimensional guy that much never made sense.

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Posted

I hope I am wrong, but the Bills also seem to scheme a lot of their defense around pass rush and defensive linemen occupying blockers to create gaps to free up stunts and blitzes.

 

Where we absolutely were hurting is getting any push from our DTs to stop runners before they got a good head of steam hitting those open gaps and rolling over/dragging guys in our secondary +5 yards a carry. Star may be doing exactly what they are asking of him, but we need some defensive interior linemen that can be disruptive and play on the other side of the LOS, or to better scheme our run defense (probably a bit of both and perhaps they expect our linebackers to be more successful with their run-blitzes).

 

Just thinking out loud folks... nothing to see here.

Posted
33 minutes ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

This is why I didn’t like the signing and feel it’s outdated thinking (though I love Samoans).  He is a one dimensional player that can be schemed off. I’d rather have a couple of DTs, run stuffer and pass rusher, than one Star.  He certainly helped with the run defense but he rarely made impact plays.

 

he is good at his role.  However, his role just isn’t important anymore.  He probably won’t get on the field if we played the Chiefs.

I don't really agree.  

 

I love what the Ravens do with Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce.  Beef up the middle makes everything else easier, IMO. 

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Posted
17 minutes ago, LSHMEAB said:

That was a poor allocation of resources by Beane. No doubt about it. He was brought in to improve our run defense and the run defense did not improve. Did the Star folks read the part that states he wasn't even in the game for over half the defensive snaps? 

 

They cannot swing and miss like that this time around.

 

Are you sure the run D didn’t improve?They had two bad games but were solid outside of that.

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Posted
9 minutes ago, LSHMEAB said:

That was a poor allocation of resources by Beane. No doubt about it. He was brought in to improve our run defense and the run defense did not improve. Did the Star folks read the part that states he wasn't even in the game for over half the defensive snaps? 

 

They cannot swing and miss like that this time around.

The Bills Run D was 29th in 2017 and 16th in 2018, giving up 10 fewer yards per game. They were also solid in most games (under 100 in half), but were so terrible in three that's all many of us remember. Even if you don't like that level of improvement, it's debatable that he was solely brought in to "improve our run defense" -- more often, I heard the justification was that we were getting murdered in the short pass game because QBs could step up into the middle and outlet a quick pass to the tight end. To that end, I'm pretty sure we allowed the fewest yards to tight ends this year. 

 

Is the scarcity of snaps concerning? Sure. However, given that this defense improved from 26th to 2nd and we have a plethora of cap space to address offensive issues (and he's not the reason we didn't have wide receivers this year), I trust their moves for now on the defensive side of the ball. 

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