I agree with the pessimistic fans....
....That our D could really suck this year.
Well, on paper, at least.
Poz - as of right now, is not an upgrade from London Fletcher and its asking too much to want Poz to be one right away. Don't get me wrong I love the kid, but as of right now he needs to beat DiGi before he can replace Fletch. Not YET at least.
Ellison - out-played an injured TKO last year, but still doesn't bring the intensity and leadership brought on by the old #51. YET!!
Webster - Your on crack if you think he will make us go "Nate Who?" (Prove me wrong Jason, prove me wrong). That is Youboty's role and, Ashton is not ready. YET!!!!
I do believe in time this exact D will be good, but, for the 400th time, NOT YET.
I do think that the team of Schobs, Kelsay, Denney, and Hardgorve will wreak havoc
I think Crowell will be the Man and McGee will bounce back.
Tripplett will be a bigger pain in the asss and Williams will make more and bigger plays.
I pray McCargo and Walker line up come August too!!
But just too many questions marks for us to be hyping up that D and taking over ESPN's polls
Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.
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It takes time
Keep in mind this is only the second year of Levy's re-building phase. He's doing things the right way. We likely aren't a playoff team yet, but there's time for us to grow. We've got 16 games to get these guys seasoned. We'll make our serious run in '08.
Plus, the talent we have shouldn't make us a bad defense. Maybe not what we're used to seeing in Buffalo. But the talent is there.
by Brian Galliford on Jun 13, 2007 9:56 AM EDT reply actions
Five of the losses last year...
That said, I don't know that we'll make the playoffs this year, but we should at least be in contention right up to the end of the season.
our D
But the main worry I have is that I don't see this D as a playmaking bunch, AT ALL. McGee is probably our best playmaker in the secondary and he's coming off a zero INT season. I do expect him to step it up this year as he'll be more comfortable in the scheme. Thomas has zero career INT's, so enough said there. Webster has shown a decent ability to get picks, but I'm not sure he's the answer at starter, especially since he'll be here for a year only. Youboty is a complete unknown and from everything I've read is still a work in progress. Whitner and Simpson have given no indication of being playmakers and that's where I'm really worried, especially with Whitner. After drafting him in the top 10, he showed me very little last year. Unlike many, I think he needs to show he deserved being such a lofty pick as he didn't prove it to me last year.
Our LB's should be decent in this regard. Crowell has a nose for the ball, Ellison had a few flashes last year and seems to be a good fit for our D, Poz is an impact player though maybe not so much in the passing game and DiGiorgio has been making things happen all spring. I'm not worried about them, YET.
The DL really needs to step up their pressure this year. Schobel needs to add a touch of consistency as I still feel a good portion of his sacks come from his hustle as opposed to pure pass rush ability. Kelsay and Denney are what they are, average. It'd be nice if they showed up in the pass rush more than 2-3 games a year. And Hargrove has all the physical attributes, energy and ability to be an impact. Now it's time for him to make his move and earn a new contract from us.
I expect we'll have a poor run D again and a pass D that will slip a bit from last year. But a lot of that can be masked with turnovers and big plays. I'm just worried the guys we have don't fit that mantra all that well. A cover 2 needs speed and playmakers and the Colts proved you can get by giving up large chunks of yards. We've added some speed, but is the playmaking ability there? I'm not sure.
To be fair...
Y'all know that I'm pretty big on T-2 line dominance and penetration. That, right there, is my biggest concern.
We need one more inside piece. Walker could be that piece, but I haven't been assuming he'll ever be a Bill, and I'm still not (a sixth and a conditional 2nd-day pick for two players - TKO and Holcomb - who may have been and would have been cut, respectively, still is fine to me). Will it be an undrafted? Will it be via trade? Will it be due to a surprise late cut (the most likely and intriguing possibility to me)?
The LB corp looks increasingly intense. The secondary also is steadily looking better. I can't see knocking Whitner/Simpson for their performance last year - they prevented a LOT of long pass plays (Simpson, by himself, is due maybe 5 million of Nate's big bucks from bailing him out repeatedly last year).
The big play neccessity is absolutely accurate, K. My hope/thought is that, similar to other second-year systems installed by more veteran HCs (Carolina, the Rams, Seattle) the confidence/quick adjustment level will be much higher. The patterns become learned and instinctive, the bail-outs are second nature, the backup that the players proved each other (on this increasingly speedy unit) becomes anticipated before it occurs. Familiarity is a pretty big deal with systems as complex as those run in the NFL (even with the comparitively simple Tampa 2).
If that comfort/adjustment isn't there, then that most certainly is a concern, for the team as a whole. But I must be counted as a confident observer...
by Dock Ellis on Jun 13, 2007 2:37 PM EDT reply actions

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