Doc Posted April 6, 2021 Posted April 6, 2021 (edited) 10 hours ago, ScottLaw said: Exactly my thoughts... disagree that their defensive line is a bad unit as the executive suggested but it's not good either and I think they botched a golden opportunity to improve it this offseason with all the good edge FAs and instead opting with all the ex Carolina Panthers. The guys available were buyer-beware types (Reddick and Hendrickson, who far exceeded their career sack totals in what were their contract seasons) and a bunch of guys who had a handful more sacks than Addison did. Meanwhile Epenesa was starting to come on and they signed a DE who in limited action got 5.5 sacks. And again, they're getting their one true 1-tech back. Edited April 6, 2021 by Doc
Mr. WEO Posted April 6, 2021 Posted April 6, 2021 1 hour ago, HappyDays said: He was once diagnosed with a heart condition that was possibly brought on by a viral infection. Does opting out for that reason mean he is lazy? I said he has been sitting around not playing football or working out with the team for over a year. That can lead to some reasonable question of the shape he's in and his desire to play as he has in the past, let alone arrive and be the game changer on D that many here are assuming he will be. He had an abnormal screening ECHO 8 years ago just before the combine. He was found to have a mildly decreased LVEF for which he was asymptomatic. It resolved spontaneously with a normal repeat ECHO only a few weeks later. Without another diagnosis, it was presumed to be viral. For a guy his size, it's certainly possible a transthoracic ECHO is going to be difficult. Maybe the second (normal) was transesophageal--far more accurate on an obese individual.
Green Lightning Posted April 6, 2021 Posted April 6, 2021 8 hours ago, Doc said: The guys available were buyer-beware types (Reddick and Hendrickson, who far exceeded their career sack totals in what were their contract seasons) and a bunch of guys who had a handful more sacks than Addison did. Meanwhile Epenesa was starting to come on and they signed a DE who in limited action got 5.5 sacks. And again, they're getting their one true 1-tech back. That's a similar to the narrative we heard last off season. We have a D line with nobody near elite, and it shows. Addison will be 34 this season and Jerry is another year older. I'm not expecting more from them this year then last. All in all, this is not the D line you'd want in a SB window. I don't see any combination of 4 on this roster that can regularly pressure a QB. They will need to bring heat, which good QBs take advantage of. Hopefully with Star back we will fare a bit better against the run, but I forsee a lot of white knuckle 4th quarters again this year when we can't get a needed stop. 1
Doc Posted April 7, 2021 Posted April 7, 2021 1 hour ago, Green Lightning said: That's a similar to the narrative we heard last off season. We have a D line with nobody near elite, and it shows. Addison will be 34 this season and Jerry is another year older. I'm not expecting more from them this year then last. All in all, this is not the D line you'd want in a SB window. I don't see any combination of 4 on this roster that can regularly pressure a QB. They will need to bring heat, which good QBs take advantage of. Hopefully with Star back we will fare a bit better against the run, but I forsee a lot of white knuckle 4th quarters again this year when we can't get a needed stop. Are any of those guys who were mentioned "elite"? Especially considering their price tags?
Green Lightning Posted April 7, 2021 Posted April 7, 2021 1 hour ago, Doc said: Are any of those guys who were mentioned "elite"? Especially considering their price tags? Better than what we have. And it's not just edge. To throw up our hands and say what can we do is not how to win championships. There were upgrades to be had at DT and we didn't move on them. McD says the game is won in the trenches. The SB showed that. We were too often pushed around by stout O Lines and we have virtually the same personnel this year.
Doc Posted April 7, 2021 Posted April 7, 2021 8 minutes ago, Green Lightning said: Better than what we have. And it's not just edge. To throw up our hands and say what can we do is not how to win championships. There were upgrades to be had at DT and we didn't move on them. McD says the game is won in the trenches. The SB showed that. We were too often pushed around by stout O Lines and we have virtually the same personnel this year. I liked the signing of Obada. He seems to have as much ability as any of the guys available in FA. And Epenesa started to flash towards the end of the year. Star will be back and I'm confident they'll add another 1-tech in the draft. 1 1
GunnerBill Posted April 7, 2021 Posted April 7, 2021 On 4/6/2021 at 6:15 AM, HappyDays said: Where does this viewpoint come from? I see it all over this board. Why does everyone think that Star is lazy and we shouldn't expect him to come back to the team in shape? Is it just because he opted out for the year? Players go a whole year rehabbing an ACL tear and come back in the same shape they were in before the injury. Why does sitting out for the season mean he's been lazing around? Star is specifically known for being the first one in/last one out at the gym. He was one of the very first players McDermott brought to Buffalo with him, and he overpaid to make sure he got him. That alone should tell you the kind of player Star is. Before the offseason there was all this random speculation that Star was going to retire from football and I never understood where it came from. No question getting Star back is huge for this defense. Not just for what he adds to the team, but the trickle down effects of him being on the field. Oliver can play 3-tech full time where he belongs. Phillips and Zimmer are just rotational depth now, rather than being forced into starting roles. Edmunds and Milano will have an easier time staying clean. Star is by no means an elite player but he fills a very important role in McDermott's defense. I don't think it is a presumption that Star comes back and is out of shape so much as saying equally we shouldn't presume he just comes back after a year out of football and picks up where he left off. He is big man and 31 years old. The Bills need to have some sort of insurance policy in my view and at worst someone to compete with Harrison Phillips for the backup 1 tech spot in camp. Phillips was bad for the overwhelming majority of last year and I don't think it is wise to have him as the plan if Star isn't able to be the same guy he was before. 1 2
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