Most important thing about Whitner situatiion is:

[Pyrite Gal]

that it really serves as a reminder how important back-ups are in this game and how thin the Bills are even at positions where the starter is set and at least an adequate or very good player.

 

Whitner not having signed simply leaves us with the starters at SS being either Bowen or (shudder) Coy Wire. His delay in being signed (shame on both Whitner and Marv for not getting this done one can assign blame for this wherever one wants since we do not really know enough details to say for sure but whomever is to blame both have failed in achieving their goal so far) pretty much gurantees that one of these two will be first on the depth chart at SS for awhile and maybe through the first game or so.

 

However, a deal will almost certainly get done soon or sooner (both sides have too much riding on getting this done to not get 'er done soon or sooner) but the key for analytical Bill fan is that this really points out that a lot of things will have to all work out for this team to be competitive this year.

 

One need only look back to the recent success of the NE teams and note that last year's SB winner had to play without their helmetless fool QB for several games (due to a none motosickle related ouchee) that in the modern NFL there are simply times where the key to success is going to be whether a team has good back-ups at critical positions or players step up as several NE players did when their secondary got rocked with injuries.

 

IMHO, its too bad for me as a fan that Whitner is not long signed, but rather dwell on this money foolishness, what interests me is what this football team is gonna do at SS. Even if Whitner were signed any NFL player (as Clelveland has learned a number of times recently) no matter how highly regarded he is can fall victim to injury that costs him and the team a whole lot.

 

I have seen Wire play and I really doubt he can do the job with pass coverage as his major duty which it will be in the SS. At least in the zone blitz his respomsibility was often to play more like an LB than an SS which at least played to the stronger (not saying much considering his coverage skils) part of his game. It will be interesting to see how he performs in the Cover 2 as part of his pass coverages issues before was tending to read run when it was a pass. Perhaps the Cover 2 will suit him better because he will be forced to read and play pass first. I doubt he can do it however (but I have been wrong a couple of times before and really hope I am wrong about this).

 

Bowen comes with some good words being said about him, but from all I have seen of his stats and occaisionally noticing him in games is that his forte is ST and not position play. I am interested in whether we have the back-ups here or if the back-up can step up and play adequately (as Criwell did last year- he would not be mistaken for being a good as TKO last year, but he played well and deserves a start at Sam this year if he continues his performance).

 

IMHO-

 

WR- I like our depth here and am confident that the back-ups down the line can step up to perform as well as the guy in front of them. The question actually is whether this team has 3 guys only capable of playing at a #3 level and no #2 rather than having enough back-ups who can play at the same level as the starter at least for a short period of time.

 

OL- Back-up quality here is a real issue. I am confident that this year's potential starters as individual players are better than last year's actual OL starters (which again is not saying much given MW and Bennie being unproductive players and Teague always trying hard but sometimes being overmatched at C). However, it's tough at bacl-up with only Preston being a likely quality player among the back-up OL players. We need at least two of them to step up. Gibson and the rookie Butler might but these are big MIGHTS.

 

RB- This is probably the biggest drop-off on the team as WM is a potential Pro Bowl quality RB (if he plays like the 1st half of last year rather than the second), Thomas was good once, but I do not see him or the youngsters as being good for much more than giving WM a blow.

 

FB- I was not satisfied with Sheltin;s play last year and Ricard has great accomplishments but I hope the Ravens let him go because they were going away from using a smashmouth FB and that his injuries will not haunt him. Overall, I see the FB as an occaisional use for us anyway so I am not worried.

 

QB- Unlike many, I see who wins the QB battle and how well he plays as long as he is at least adequate (which is actually a question in terms of the quality of these 4 over a full season) as a fourth ranking factor in whether we get Ws or Ls, This team needs to: A. Have Fairchild effectively utilize some fast WRs to run somethin like tjhe St. L offense. B. The OL needs to block effectively to allow WM to run and to protect the passer, C. WM needs to be a little (but not awesoely) productive as a checkdown receiver playing the Marshall Faulk role in this O.

 

If any of these things do not work it probably does not matter if JP or Holcomb play as well as they can play we lose. If these factors do work, then our QB will need to make good reads, but we can get Ws throwing 8 yard passes with a lot of run after the catch.

 

I think Holcomb will be adequate and JP will be if he is not already so I.m not worried about QB as other factors will make a bigger diff IMHO.

 

CB- I like our depth here as I hope Youbouty will prove to be a good #3 CB and even threaten for #2 by the end of the season. Greer and Hill are fine as nickles and all signs even point to Greer playing extremely well so far.

 

Safties- FS is in great shape with our leading producer of turnovers last year coming bsck and even though he is long in the tooth, there is some throught that Simpson will threaten his PT by the end of the year, SS however, even when Whitner signs will be an issue.

 

LB- A lot depends on how well TKO comes back. Given achilles tears costing some players their career, it may also be the case that once the surgeons got in there they found that his injury though quite different from WM's clearly warranted surgery but will allow for a more rapid comeback than many reasonably expect. I agree with those who say that it is not unreasonable to doubt that any player will recover much the first year after a torn achilles. However, what I do doubt is any assumption about TKO's medical condition other than it forced him onto IR last year. We'll see soon enough when the team straps em on against real opponents in real games.

 

If TKO is back, a former starter Posey whio was a pivotal player in a productive D in 03 and 94 (does anyone disagree and feel he did not log a lot of PT or that those two Ds while not the best ever were producive) is one of your back-ups and Haggan, Stamer and Watson are good back-ups as well.

 

DL- Big questions here because it is not clear how our undersized and newbie DTs will be utilized in the Cover 2. Conceivably with the defensive denius Jauron and Fewell who ran an effective Tampa 2 version of the cover 2 can do this, but it remains to be proven. Schobel should be fine at RDE but Denney/Kelsay may be a competition between two sorta OK players for the KDC slot and backing up looks pretty thnin.

 

So while I hope no one gets their panties all in a wad over the Whitner holdout (I think we can call it that as Marv is treatening his chance to start and certainly we can call it that after a week goes by). The fact that he is unsigned really emphasizes important accomplishments which must be produced by and from the back-ups.