tallahasseetuck Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 We should have reason to think that this team can play 500 ball. Here's why... 1. Wideout - Our depth at WR is better than it has been in 10 years. We have speed on the edge (Evans, Parrish, Price) size and awareness in the slot (Reed, A. Davis). These guys are going to be running in an offense that emphasizes downfield attack. We may see plently of three-and-outs early in the year, but eventually these guys are going to get open. JP can throw a decent deep ball, and was generally is more accurate in his delivery beyond 15 yards. Each veteran receiver has had a successful season. You'll see a lot of deep outs and deep crossing patterns, with check offs to the tight ends and the backs. Last year the check offs were to the slot receivers. I also see Nance making this team, and Aiken getting cut. Of course, a downfield attack needs good protection... 2. O-Line - From left to right: Gandy: Despite what some people say on this board, Gandy was a steal. He is solid, unspectacular, and holds his blocks longer than any other member of the line. Reyes will help his consistency in runblocking, as Fairchild will badd more counters to the Bills run repertoire. Last year we couldn't run to the left, and certainly couldn't run a counter, because the Center and LG would always lose 2 feet of ground at the snap. Reyes: Highly functional guard. Rarely makes mistakes, and doesn't give ground. The Panthers run game favored the quick hit, but could also run misdirections. Fowler: Like Gandy, he wont go to the pro bowl, but our days of seeing the center pushed into the backfield 2 out of every 3 plays are over. Villarial: He'll have a couple of stinkers this year, but he is solid, anchored, and mean. Also, playing for Jauron again has him taking on more of a leadership role. We may see his best season this year. Peters: The Bills haven't developed a Pro-Bowl caliber tackle in 12 years. Jason Peters will end that streak this year. This group must stay healthy - our depth is poor. The only player that can step in on any consistent basis is Duke Preston. Aaron Gibson, Geisinger, and McFarland wont make the team. Brad Butler is Gandy-like, but is not an NFL caliber player yet. He was the weak link of the Virginia line. and finally... 3. DBs - I think we have the best cornerback depth in our division, and maybe the conference. Clements will have a monster year, and both he and McGee will make the pro bowl. Ashton Youbouty will be the dime back, and Jabari Greer will be the Nickel back. Eric King will not make the team. Troy Vincent will start the season at FS, but Ko Simpson will have the job by the last 4 games. The surprise will be at SS, where Whitner will share time with Coy Wire. We are another two drafts away from contending in the playoffs, but an 8-8 or 9-7 season is not only not impossible, but highly probable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5 Wide Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 We should have reason to think that this team can play 500 ball. Here's why... 1. Wideout - Our depth at WR is better than it has been in 10 years. We have speed on the edge (Evans, Parrish, Price) size and awareness in the slot (Reed, A. Davis). These guys are going to be running in an offense that emphasizes downfield attack. We may see plently of three-and-outs early in the year, but eventually these guys are going to get open. JP can throw a decent deep ball, and was generally is more accurate in his delivery beyond 15 yards. Each veteran receiver has had a successful season. You'll see a lot of deep outs and deep crossing patterns, with check offs to the tight ends and the backs. Last year the check offs were to the slot receivers. I also see Nance making this team, and Aiken getting cut. Of course, a downfield attack needs good protection... 2. O-Line - From left to right: Gandy: Despite what some people say on this board, Gandy was a steal. He is solid, unspectacular, and holds his blocks longer than any other member of the line. Reyes will help his consistency in runblocking, as Fairchild will badd more counters to the Bills run repertoire. Last year we couldn't run to the left, and certainly couldn't run a counter, because the Center and LG would always lose 2 feet of ground at the snap. Reyes: Highly functional guard. Rarely makes mistakes, and doesn't give ground. The Panthers run game favored the quick hit, but could also run misdirections. Fowler: Like Gandy, he wont go to the pro bowl, but our days of seeing the center pushed into the backfield 2 out of every 3 plays are over. Villarial: He'll have a couple of stinkers this year, but he is solid, anchored, and mean. Also, playing for Jauron again has him taking on more of a leadership role. We may see his best season this year. Peters: The Bills haven't developed a Pro-Bowl caliber tackle in 12 years. Jason Peters will end that streak this year. This group must stay healthy - our depth is poor. The only player that can step in on any consistent basis is Duke Preston. Aaron Gibson, Geisinger, and McFarland wont make the team. Brad Butler is Gandy-like, but is not an NFL caliber player yet. He was the weak link of the Virginia line. and finally... 3. DBs - I think we have the best cornerback depth in our division, and maybe the conference. Clements will have a monster year, and both he and McGee will make the pro bowl. Ashton Youbouty will be the dime back, and Jabari Greer will be the Nickel back. Eric King will not make the team. Troy Vincent will start the season at FS, but Ko Simpson will have the job by the last 4 games. The surprise will be at SS, where Whitner will share time with Coy Wire. We are another two drafts away from contending in the playoffs, but an 8-8 or 9-7 season is not only not impossible, but highly probable. 731924[/snapback] I wouldn't bet on Peters making the pro-bowl this year. He is still a bit green. I think Vincent will hold his position for the year as Simpson only played two years of college ball and doesn't have the instincts for the NFL game yet. If Whitner doesn't start I'd put my house on Bowen being in there before Wire as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 The DB's are going to have a long learning curve, so I think they will get toasted a lot early this season. I agree, I think they will be terrific eventually, but I hope fans remember that you can't just waltz in and play at the NFL level. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike F Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Interesting, but I have a question for you. If 8-8, or even 9-7 is "possible" or even "probable" as you stated, then wouldn't we already be in a position to challenge for a playoff slot? Look at the parity in the AFC...............9-7 would be on the edge of wild card contention, and may even be the last wild card team (if tie breakers go our way). Even if we fall short at 9-7, why would it take two more drafts to make up the extra game (10-6) that would get us in? Personally, I think we are more of a 7-9 squad, that will use 2006 as a building block for a playoff run in 2007. Mike We should have reason to think that this team can play 500 ball. Here's why... 1. Wideout - Our depth at WR is better than it has been in 10 years. We have speed on the edge (Evans, Parrish, Price) size and awareness in the slot (Reed, A. Davis). These guys are going to be running in an offense that emphasizes downfield attack. We may see plently of three-and-outs early in the year, but eventually these guys are going to get open. JP can throw a decent deep ball, and was generally is more accurate in his delivery beyond 15 yards. Each veteran receiver has had a successful season. You'll see a lot of deep outs and deep crossing patterns, with check offs to the tight ends and the backs. Last year the check offs were to the slot receivers. I also see Nance making this team, and Aiken getting cut. Of course, a downfield attack needs good protection... 2. O-Line - From left to right: Gandy: Despite what some people say on this board, Gandy was a steal. He is solid, unspectacular, and holds his blocks longer than any other member of the line. Reyes will help his consistency in runblocking, as Fairchild will badd more counters to the Bills run repertoire. Last year we couldn't run to the left, and certainly couldn't run a counter, because the Center and LG would always lose 2 feet of ground at the snap. Reyes: Highly functional guard. Rarely makes mistakes, and doesn't give ground. The Panthers run game favored the quick hit, but could also run misdirections. Fowler: Like Gandy, he wont go to the pro bowl, but our days of seeing the center pushed into the backfield 2 out of every 3 plays are over. Villarial: He'll have a couple of stinkers this year, but he is solid, anchored, and mean. Also, playing for Jauron again has him taking on more of a leadership role. We may see his best season this year. Peters: The Bills haven't developed a Pro-Bowl caliber tackle in 12 years. Jason Peters will end that streak this year. This group must stay healthy - our depth is poor. The only player that can step in on any consistent basis is Duke Preston. Aaron Gibson, Geisinger, and McFarland wont make the team. Brad Butler is Gandy-like, but is not an NFL caliber player yet. He was the weak link of the Virginia line. and finally... 3. DBs - I think we have the best cornerback depth in our division, and maybe the conference. Clements will have a monster year, and both he and McGee will make the pro bowl. Ashton Youbouty will be the dime back, and Jabari Greer will be the Nickel back. Eric King will not make the team. Troy Vincent will start the season at FS, but Ko Simpson will have the job by the last 4 games. The surprise will be at SS, where Whitner will share time with Coy Wire. We are another two drafts away from contending in the playoffs, but an 8-8 or 9-7 season is not only not impossible, but highly probable. 731924[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. Rich Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 We should have reason to think that this team can play 500 ball. Here's why... 1. Wideout - Our depth at WR is better than it has been in 10 years. We have speed on the edge (Evans, Parrish, Price) size and awareness in the slot (Reed, A. Davis). These guys are going to be running in an offense that emphasizes downfield attack. We may see plently of three-and-outs early in the year, but eventually these guys are going to get open. JP can throw a decent deep ball, and was generally is more accurate in his delivery beyond 15 yards. Each veteran receiver has had a successful season. You'll see a lot of deep outs and deep crossing patterns, with check offs to the tight ends and the backs. Last year the check offs were to the slot receivers. I also see Nance making this team, and Aiken getting cut. 731924[/snapback] This group does have some talent mixed w/ some experience, but also has question marks in Evans (can he handle being the #1), Parrish (durable enough?), and Davis (coming off a couple disappointing seasons-can he turn it around?), so nothing is certain here. Also, until we see the team in action, it's difficult to know what kind of plays we will run, isn't it? There's some good and some not so good in this group going into the year. Let's just hope we find out that "it's all good". Of course, a downfield attack needs good protection... 2. O-Line - From left to right: Gandy: Despite what some people say on this board, Gandy was a steal. He is solid, unspectacular, and holds his blocks longer than any other member of the line. Reyes will help his consistency in runblocking, as Fairchild will badd more counters to the Bills run repertoire. Last year we couldn't run to the left, and certainly couldn't run a counter, because the Center and LG would always lose 2 feet of ground at the snap. Reyes: Highly functional guard. Rarely makes mistakes, and doesn't give ground. The Panthers run game favored the quick hit, but could also run misdirections. Fowler: Like Gandy, he wont go to the pro bowl, but our days of seeing the center pushed into the backfield 2 out of every 3 plays are over. Villarial: He'll have a couple of stinkers this year, but he is solid, anchored, and mean. Also, playing for Jauron again has him taking on more of a leadership role. We may see his best season this year. Peters: The Bills haven't developed a Pro-Bowl caliber tackle in 12 years. Jason Peters will end that streak this year. This group must stay healthy - our depth is poor. The only player that can step in on any consistent basis is Duke Preston. Aaron Gibson, Geisinger, and McFarland wont make the team. Brad Butler is Gandy-like, but is not an NFL caliber player yet. He was the weak link of the Virginia line. 731924[/snapback] Gandy is decent @ best. While he is strong, his lateral movement stinks, as is evident when he gets caught outside on an inside stunt (happens too often, unfortunately). You could maybe (and I do mean maybe....see KTFABD's thread on LTs vs RTs for reference) hide that lack of mobility on the right side, but it sticks out like a sore thumb on the left side. I have been on the record as saying I like the Reyes and Fowler signings. Both are upgrades, in my opinion, Fowler in particular. I think he did a very good job of replacing All-Pro center Matt Birk when the Vikes lost him to injury. I do have to wonder about Fowler holding up against bull rushers over the long haul, as strength isn't what he's noted for, but he's a very quick lineman who excels on pulls and traps, so maybe those traits can compensate in some way. Reyes is a pretty sound pass blocker, so hopefully that means we won't see a lot of sacks coming from interior linemen who just plow through the middle. It's hard for me to think Villarrial, on the wrong side of 30 and showing wear and tear from over a decade of battling in the trenches, will actually improve. He's also been more of a liability in pass protection, never his strong suit but something he was @ least functional in for some time. To his credit, he's got good technique and does a nice job picking up stunts/blitzes. His veteran presence, more than anything, will be an added plus. Peters in the Pro Bowl? While I don't think it's a ridiculous notion, he's still got a long way to go to reach that plateau. First of all, the line as a unit must play better for him to even be considered. Secondly, there's a lot of very solid guys in his predicament (Vernon Carey in Miami, Shane Olivea in San Diego for starters); meaning, they're young, show promise, and could develop into Pro Bowl material. The one thing I like about him is how he gets out in front on running plays and will consistently get to the 2nd level in time. However, I've seen him struggle w/ the bull rush and he still is very raw in his technique. These things can be corrected w/ some help from Mouse McNally, so his upside is tremendous. and finally... 3. DBs - I think we have the best cornerback depth in our division, and maybe the conference. Clements will have a monster year, and both he and McGee will make the pro bowl. Ashton Youbouty will be the dime back, and Jabari Greer will be the Nickel back. Eric King will not make the team. Troy Vincent will start the season at FS, but Ko Simpson will have the job by the last 4 games. The surprise will be at SS, where Whitner will share time with Coy Wire. We are another two drafts away from contending in the playoffs, but an 8-8 or 9-7 season is not only not impossible, but highly probable. 731924[/snapback] I like McGee, and I believe he's vastly underrated as a corner. His game gets better and better. His technique and instincts have improved w/ the more playing time he gets. He does still have trouble w/ bigger, physical WRs, but since he's not the biggest guy out there, that's to be expected. Still, if he does get knocked off a bit, he can recover well. I also like his run support, as he will actually tackle guys instead of trying to drag them down or knock them out of bounds. We already know he's a dynamic return man for us, so that goes w/out saying. Clements? He's a great talent, but he needs to play more disciplined @ times. It's hard for a guy whose nature is to go for the big play to grasp that, and, in reality, they may not even want him to do so, fearing he'll lose the edge that makes him what he is. I say that it would be great if he'd just pick Troy Vincent's brain to find out all the tricks of the trade that made Troy such an outstanding corner for so many years. If he were a willing pupil in that way, Nate could become one of the best corners to ever play that game. He's that gifted athletically. The problem is, he knows how gifted he is and relies on it far too often when he could just refine his game and become so much better. Remember, it was that kind of work ethic and attention to detail that made Jerry Rice the best WR to ever play the game, as he wasn't the greatest athlete (people dissed his slow 4.5 40 time and thought he'd never become a deep threat.....yeah, right!) around. Vincent, like Villarrial, is best used for veteran leadership/experience. Both are fading, but still functional. He can still mix it up w/ the bigger guys and can help in run support when needed, but is a liability against smaller, qucker receivers, which are once again becoming the rage due to the success of guys like Santana Moss and Steve Smith. If those guys put a double move on Troy, they're gone. I hope Simpson can compete for playing time this year, as he was once considered a mid first round prospect. Maybe he can help bring the big plays back to our defense. I remember watching Whitner and Youboty in college, and both played well, particularly in big games. Even though they came up short against eventual national champ Texas, both guys played well in that game. Youboty does have that Clements-like tendency to go for the big play, but if he can minimize the damage done from that, he can become a good nickel back for us. Whitner will have a ton of expectations on him, and I do think he can handle it. The guy is tough, technically sound, and is a willing student of the game (get w/ this guy, Nate...please!!!) who studies game film, always looking to improve. I sure hope that's what we get on Sundays. BTW, hurry up and sign, Donte. We need you. I don't really like to predict records, but I do think that if the defensive additions pan out and we get some improvement from the QB and OL play, we could be a middle of the road team (as opposed to roadkill). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 I like the thinking, but I see Greer as the nickel and King as the dime, with Youboty basically redshirting, unless he amazes. In any case, the CB'ing should be really good. Agree on the O-line although I'll take a really good season from Peters, not necessarily a Pro Bowl one. And the Bills are stacked at WR. Expect one of their cuts to end up on the Patriots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 That is one damn good post, R. Rich, and what makes this board so great sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt in KC Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 I think I'm a sbig a Jason Peters fan as anyone on TSW. But, I think there's no way he'll earn a pro bowl spot. There is an outside chance that he'll deserve one, but the selections, especially in the trenches, are largely based on reputation, and that will take a while for him to earn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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