jamon meredith in lineup?

by Wade V on Oct 16, 2009 1:16 PM EDT Comment 26 comments

I'm a lifelong Packer fan and Green Bay resident married to a gal from Buffalo. I had always liked the Bills, now I follow them almost as passionately as my hometown team. I don't get to see many games on television, therefore it's difficult for me to for an opinion as to how bad the Bills offensive line has been. But, from reading this blog and the highlights and recaps, it seems to me the Bills line has been bad. Real bad.

When the Packers released Meredith in August, I was alarmed to see the Bills had signed him. He looked pathetic, just awful, in the preseason games and quickly earned the ire of the coaching staff (he was directly responsible for six sacks, according to the Green Bay Press Gazzette). Columnists would write about his lethargy in practice, his unwillingness to speak to teammates, and an all around bad attitude. When he was drafted I read numerous accounts of first round ability and free agent head. Apparently Steve Spurrier benched him at the end of last season.

This doesn't mean much, I just wanted to pass on the info I had regarding Meredith. The GB line has perfomed terribly as well, but reports say Meredith didn't even sniff a roster spot. I'm going to continue pulling for Buffalo, and I hope Meredith pans out, but it seems they are clutching at straws.

This FanPost was written by a registered user of Buffalo Rumblings. Its views do not necessarily reflect the views of Rumblings' editorial staff, but are just as valued as our own.

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Thanks for the info

No surprise that the Bills picked him up. They always scrape the bottom of the barrel for guys. They don’t usually add malcontents, so that’s a bit of a difference for them. We’ll see how he works out because he does have some talent, and this might be his only shot to impress.

The RT position has been a revolving door this year due to injuries. Looks like Meredith will be the 4th player to see snaps there now.

~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."

by Kurupt on Oct 16, 2009 1:48 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs

Not shocking at all. Bills are the currently the second worse run franchise in pro football, so I have no faith in their judge of talent.

by Berg79 on Oct 16, 2009 2:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

no way – raiders

I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying
Trent Edwards - Backup QB until furthur notice. Care to prove me wrong Trent?

by J2 on Oct 16, 2009 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Raiders are the worst. Bills 2nd worst.

by Berg79 on Oct 16, 2009 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

St. Louis has to be worst than us.

Look at the money spent on top 5 picks….are they doing anything?

Detroit and Tampa also probably fall below us, we just need 1 more year to be sure. TB im sure, we need 1 more year to decide on Stafford for Detroit.

There's not a wide receiver who is fast enough, that J.P. Losman can't overthrow him on a fly pattern.

by The Buffalo Kid on Oct 17, 2009 3:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tampa bay has a Super Bowl victory this decade. We haven’t even made the playoffs. It’s not even close.

by Dr. Brackish Okun on Oct 17, 2009 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I read a lot about Meredith before the draft and after Buffalo signed him...

to the practice squad and while I remember reading that he was considered to have 1st-2nd round talent and that he supposedly had some attitude issues (there were no direct examples given). As far as him getting benched at the end of his senior year, he was out with an ankle injury. His pre-draft scouting reports talk about someone with all the tools, but he has a personality that lacks internal drive. Not really a bad attitude, more of a laid-back attitude.

by NorCal BillsFan on Oct 16, 2009 2:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Lacks internal drive?

Sounds like a Bills player to me!

Bills fan? In Colorado? It's more likely than you think.

by UZ on Oct 17, 2009 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Noooo, Bills players have internal drive (sometimes), what they lack is any talent whatsoever.

by NJBillsfan on Oct 17, 2009 8:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here's what happened.

Thanks for the post Wade.

The Bills picked up a draft guide that mentioned Meredith as a 2nd to 3rd round prospect potentially. Then they looked up some highlight clips of his pancakes mixed in with some YouTube queries. Unfortunately, they did not think to reference a single Packers preseason game to see if Meredith could actually play yet (apparently not even close). They just went off his draft profile and thought, “Wow, this is like getting a borderline 1st round pick for FREE, and hell, obviously we need all the bonus we can!”

Seriously though, Russ was quoted as saying they had Meredith high on their boards coming out. This tells me exactly that the Bills did not bother to inspect WHY Meredith barely snuck onto the PACKERS’ (who’s oline is almost as bad as ours) PRACTICE SQUAD and what progress he had made so far as a pro.

Ugh. This is a worse move than the Packers signing Duke Preston..

GO BLUE!!!

by Kumario! on Oct 16, 2009 3:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This is a worse move than the Packers signing Duke Preston..

Duke was cut…..Meredith will start. Not sure if that makes it better or worse :-)

Poor ball security leads to very painful outcomes

by Joe P. on Oct 16, 2009 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You really think that the Bills didn’t question why he was on the Green Bay PS? I’ve gotta think they’re building for next year from a personnel standpoint with this move. They just saw the opportunity to get somebody on the cheap with a high ceiling but a low floor. Why not? This way, they give themselves some time to evaluate him and see if they can motivate him the right way. Clearly Chambers isn’t doing much and Butler isn’t gonna be back this year (if he ever gets back to starter capability). They don’t wanna break the bank for a proven vet by giving up draft picks or losing what little trade bait they have on the roster. It doesn’t seem like the worst move with the unquestionably bad options they’ve got.

Official ledge-talker-offer of the Buffalo Bills.

by WhyBillsWhy on Oct 16, 2009 3:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Looks like he'll fit right in.

All your tshirt needs.

by twoeightnine on Oct 16, 2009 4:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

you mean once he officially gets hurt...........

then he’ll fit in.

"In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time." (Robert Collier)

by norcaliangelsfan on Oct 16, 2009 6:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He’s been unofficially hurt already?

All your tshirt needs.

by twoeightnine on Oct 16, 2009 7:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

All of this underscores the total stupidity of cutting Langston Walker, who was after all a better-than-average RT last year and can’t possibly have experienced a drop-off in talent that would make him worse than Meredith. In fact, Walker would probably have been a better RT this year than Brad Butler assuming Butler stayed healthy. But then ths team doesn’t have a clue as to what it is doing with its o-line.

by Macktruck on Oct 16, 2009 10:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

In fact, Walker would probably have been a better RT this year than Brad Butler assuming Butler stayed healthy.

If the Bills thought that he would have stayed. “Complete regression”. Those are the words used by the Bills. The team wanted Butler at RT and it was working until he got rolled up.

Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.

by MattRichWarren on Oct 17, 2009 9:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Matt, you are right that the Bills thought differently than I did. What I’m saying is that my judgment is better than theirs about handling the o-line this year. And the proof of that is in their record and the dismal performances we have had to watch the last few weeks.

That’s not really patting myself on the back. Any idiot could have done a better job than they did managing this problem. And I still wonder how Walker, Chambers, Dockery, etc. could all have had such “complete regressions” in such short periods of time. Was it the players, or is this an indication of how awful the coaching currently is in this crucial area of the offense?

by Macktruck on Oct 17, 2009 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

HAHA

What I’m saying is that my judgment is better than theirs about handling the o-line this year.

OK, HAHAHAHA

~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."

by Kurupt on Oct 17, 2009 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm also a better QB than Trent this year.

My numbers show it.

All your tshirt needs.

by twoeightnine on Oct 17, 2009 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Trent’s problems have to do with the fact that he is getting no protection and not much of a running game, which keeps him from getting into the rhythm he needs. In that sense, his situation is imposed on him. The coaching staff’s problems are self-inflicted. There’s a big difference.

by Macktruck on Oct 17, 2009 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not much of a running game?

They have the 10th best running offense in the league when you look at it from YPG and 6th when you go with YPC.

Trent’s problem is that he goes through his reads faster than Mike Williams through a buffet, is afraid to take a chance down the field, and is content with then throwing a surprisingly inaccurate short ball.

All your tshirt needs.

by twoeightnine on Oct 17, 2009 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

They ran the ball well the first two games, but not since. As for Trent all the concerns you mention stem from not being able to be sure of his protection on any given play and so being unable to get into a rhythm. The first two games he was getting protected and looked really good. I’m not saying he’s another Peyton Manning, but give him the o-line he needs and he will be a more than adequate QB for the Bills. Until that happens it’s impossible to judge him.

by Macktruck on Oct 17, 2009 8:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mack, I’m not questioning your judgment…. :-) but the coaches are with them 14 hours a day or so during training camp and you and I watched two hour practices. I am more willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on it.

Walker is the only one they used the term “complete regression” on. Dockery was just simply underperforming and had been for a while. I don’t know what’s going on with Chambers. He has looked like a matador this year but last year he was very capable.

Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.

by MattRichWarren on Oct 18, 2009 8:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m very aware that the coaches see much more of the players in practice and on tape than we do. But the management decisions that the coaches make — like trying to switch Walker to LT under conditions where he knew he would before long be replaced by Bell (the handwriting was clearly on the wall) are out there for all to see. That’s what I’m questioning. It’s the more general issue of whether you start so many rookies and near-rookies when you have the option (before Butler was injured) of having a veteran, experienced side of your o-line with Walker at RT, Butler at RG, and Hangartner at C — perhaps bringing in a veteran LT (there were a few decent ones available over the summer) as insurance in case Bell wasn’t ready to go on opening day.

What I was calling for all summer, if you remember, was moving gradually toward a younger o-line rather than throwing all the new guys out there at once. Having the good sense to realize that you must always make o-line transitions slowly and carefully does not depend on being there 14 hours a day — it depends on basic intelligence, which the offensive coaches appear to lack and most of the fans have in abundance. And as I said above, the results are there for all to see. What Kugler & Co. have produced is an entirely predictable mess. The fact that they couldn’t foresee it is proof, I believe, of their gross incompetence to do their current jobs.

by Macktruck on Oct 18, 2009 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs