Positions/Issues Unaddressed during the 2009 Off-season

by Matty Coco on Apr 29, 2009 5:35 PM EDT

Well the 2009 NFL Draft is over with the Exception of undrafted rookie free agents. Where the Bills make out with these pick-ups will be unknown until final roster cuts, so why speculate any further. We can now move on about the players we have and stop sobbing over issues like “I can’t believe we passed on Everette Brown at 42”…”why would they pass on Orakpo”…blah, blah, blah. 31 other teams did as well. I was not a fan of pick 42 myself because of the value, not the player. I believe in taking as close to sure bets in the first two rounds as possible, but Byrd is something OBD has been after for years. From here I am going to address some positions and issues unaddressed in the off-season (THUS FAR) and why.

The first issue to be addressed is DE. We grabbed the most explosive past rusher in this year’s draft class. Aaron Maybin has had to work hard his entire life and will continue to do so for the Bills. In case you haven’t noticed we haven’t taken a big name player from Texas since Mike Williams, which answers the question about orakpo in my opinion. Now for all Purposes people Chris Kelsey will be starting at LE for the Bills in 2009. I have posted before on my disgust for his performance last year, so it is known I am not a fan of this. There are only two scenarios where he gets cut from the bills. I refuse to mention trade because that just makes me laugh. Until OBD adds a Veteran capable of playing at the same level or better of Kelsey he will be our starter. Or Chris Ellis has an incredible summer and we confidently let him go during the preseason outings. Before that the Bills just do not have enough depth without him.

The first position to be addressed is DT. I am extremely happy OBD did not reach to get a DT in the draft and stuck to Interior Lineman. We secured our DT rotation last off-season. With that said I believe we have acquired a new DT anyhow. Many of you are not riding the John Mcargo bandwagon and for good reason. When the Bills moved up to draft him they knew he was very young. Mcargo left college early to support his family. After three years of maturity and a new defensive line coach to inspire him, I expect immediate impact this season. Mcargo has steadily gotten bigger and stronger in three years and provides a better pass rush than Kyle Williams. I love Williams for run support, but its time to see #99 and #97 crushing the middle of the pocket. We also signed proven veterans that play his position since he was drafted in Larry Triplett and the trade for Stroud. With Spencer Johnson’s average performances last season expect Mcargo to be seen and felt this season.

The second issue yet to be addressed is actually the Special Teams Unit. Roscoe Parrish is still the Buffalo Bill’s Punt Returner. I was happy to see he was not given away for some 5th round draft pick. There weren’t any players the Bills were in love with after Nelson to move Parrish in a panic. Besides, trading the Best Punt Returner in the NFL for a rookie fill player is like taking one beautiful woman to dinner instead of two, because dinner will cost you more money. This just makes sense to me. Although it is possible Parrish could be moved during the upcoming summer, but I highly doubt it. If the Bills are to downsize a WR it will be Justin Jenkins. Mad about the last two picks in the draft?! Well you shouldn’t be. Greer is in black and gold now, along with his excellent ST play when needed. Youboty hasn’t lasted more than 6-8 weeks or so in any season since he was drafted. Florence replaced Greer, but it not noted for his ST skills. Jenkins has been the Bills best gunner since Sam Aiken and Andre Davis left town. If he is cut he will need a replacement. I am not saying it will be one of the last two picks, but the guy who replaces Jenkins could be replaced by one of them if you know what I mean!

Another position unaddressed in the off-season was LB. Before the sudden release of T.O from Dallas, a slew of veteran starting LBs visited OBD. Names like Mike Peterson, Cato June, Freddy Kieaho, and others toured the facilities with the Bills highly interested. Once T.O was available and then signed those names faded out of the doors at OBD because of cap space (big thanks to Peters and his agent for that!). I realize we signed Pat Thomas at a good price and drafted a project LB in Harris, but these two aren’t immediate Fills like T.O is. The Bills have all of their LBs under contract for a few years to come. I have seen some speculation on Leroy Hill, but that won’t happen. There just is not enough money unless Kelsey goes and I explained why that won’t happen just yet. Digiorgio is back healthy this season and provides immediate depth at Middle and Sam linebacker positions. Ellison was been a decent LB for us and will continue to do so. Our defense was ranked 14th last year, and as long as Poz and Ellison get smarter on the field that number will improve without adding a Veteran LB. Stop doubting it and start to BILLieve!

The final position/ issue are obviously Safety. Buffalo did draft Jarius Byrd to be TRIED out at safety. This does not mean we drafted our next safety. No reason to get excited yet. Although if the staff can convert George Wilson I do have expectations for Byrd by the middle of this season! And now a quick comment about Whitner (our only guaranteed starter at safety). He was the Bills #9 draft choice. He has amassed an amazing 2…yes 2 interceptions in three seasons for the Bills. While he is a secondary smasher and great in run support its time to get a big play return from him. I believe if he gets a shot at FS his numbers have to double interception wise this season. For you fans that follow the Bills occasionally you may not know much about Bryan Scott. I feel he was terrific last season. Fantastic in run support and our best 1 on 1 man coverage safety. If he hits the film room to improve his over the top coverage skills this summer we could have a very nice combo of safeties without signing anyone! Why is Ko Simpson still a Bill?!? I don’t even consider him on the team at this point in my mind…..

Those are my thoughts on a few areas still concerned by Bills fans and why you shouldn’t worry so much. You don’t have to agree, but simply consider the options logically for 2009. And to round this up: can anyone remember the last time the Bills received a good rating after a draft by the football universe?!?! I

Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.

Tweet Comment 16 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

No comments??

Is it too long? haha

by Matty Coco on Apr 29, 2009 10:57 PM EDT reply actions

first of all we already have a vet on the team w/ the same capabilities of kelsay, and his name is Ryan Denney (not to mention he gets piad much less) also...

i agree from i’ve heard it sounds like mcargo is finally starting to get it, and has been putting in time so he can productive in this league.. i happened to think he showed flashes two years ago and then all of a sudden i started hearing bad things about him and he received very little if any playing time. But i think (hope) he has come around and can really be a threat, maybe because he realizes he won’t get another contract if he doesn’t put it together.

I’m not at all worried about our special teams, not even a little bit.

as far as LB goes i still think we should have just resigned crowell we could have gotten him for cheap and signed to 1-2 year deal, which would have involved very little risk as i see it. I do like harris from OK and think he is a great football player, and i hope he can come in and make an impact sooner rather than later. I’m stuck here because i want him to come in and be upgrade at our starting sam, but my head tells me that’s not realistic, hopefully he can suprise and just come out and ball. I think we stick w/ the guys on the roster and that’s ok w/ me, i wouldnt’ mind see hill but doubt it will happen.

I must admit i didn’t see a glaring weakness at safet like some others and apparently like the bills did. I thought scott did a great job playing safety last year he did very well against gates, and some other guys in the passing game, and always seemed to be making plays in the run game as well. I thought for sure we would go into this year w/ whitner at FS and scott at SS and i would have been very happy w/ that. but as the bills have stated apparently they want to add playmakers to the defense and expect byrd to be a ball hawk, so i’m ok w/ that.. if he can come in and start day one and improve this defense then i have no problem w/ the pick (which i think he will the kids just got “it”).

by Shovel51 on Apr 30, 2009 8:34 AM EDT reply actions

Agreed

on many points Shovel. Denney is the store brand version of Kelsay. He costs much less and you get the same thing with a different label. Except Denney actually hustles…
From the start I thought the Bills should have re-signed Crowell. He’s an upgrade from Ellison, would not have cost us much and would be playing for a new contract. They should have given him a one year deal. He would have been compelled to show he could play the way he did before his injury so he could hit the free-agent market looking for big $. Then he leaves and we don’t have to deal with another cry-baby looking to restructure his contract.
Bryan Scott is a very very capable SS for any team in the NFL, especially ours. Since we tend to play our SS in the box a lot, his tackling skils are a great asset and he showed time and again that he can hang in coverage with all-pro TEs.
Coco: I agree that Ellison is a decent SLB for us and to my opinion was not the reason we lost any games last year. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised in his play on the strong side from day one switching over.
The problem with Roscoe is that he makes too much money to just return punts, and he has just not been a viable option in the passing game for us (whether it be his fault or the OC’s). When you have guys on your team that contribute elsewhere, it makes him dispensible for that money, even if he is the best PR in the league.

by willgarr15 on Apr 30, 2009 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions

first of all we already have a vet on the team w/ the same capabilities of kelsay, and his name is Ryan Denney (not to mention he gets piad much less) also...

I realize we have Denney….but Denney is strong on the right side and my point was we don’t have enough depth without Kelsey. One injury to Schobel or Denney himself and we are into the third string……so either they add another DE with Denney or keep Kelsey as I stated above….Chris Ellis could be the guy pending a good summer………….

Crowell would have been a bad move for the team…..because they Put him on the IR with a three week injury last year which lead to bad blood….you can’t resign a player that doesn’t want to be there anymore…I wanted him as well, but whos to say they didnt make an offer to him? He did meet with the front office 2 days before signing with Tampa so it wasn’t as cheap as the Bills wanted I guess!

Agree with your thoughts at Safety, pretty much my thoughts above…..thanks for the comments!

by Matty Coco on Apr 30, 2009 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions

One injury to Schobel or Denney himself and we are into the third string

Some (me) would argue we’re already playing a third string caliber player in Kelsay…

~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 May 1, 2009 12:11 AM EDT up reply actions

Safeties

So, if Byrd gets on the field will it be in place of Scott or Whitner? Scott is definitely a strong safety (I know the Bills claim they are interchangeable positions in the system, but that is bs when it comes to plugging in a guy based on his strengths). I thought Scott played better than any of the safeties against the run and when covering tight ends last year… He better not be put on the bench!

by IthacaBillsFan on Apr 30, 2009 1:45 PM EDT reply actions

that's exactly why i didn't expect us to db in the 2nd.. i thought for sure it would be whit at FS and scott at SS because i thought he did a great job last year

by Shovel51 on Apr 30, 2009 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree

Scott was great last year everywhere but Deep in coverage…..you can make great plays in the run game, but its all lost if they cant stop the 20 yard passes over the middle and in the Cover-2 deep gaps…….like I said above a little more film and two definitive starting corners now that Greer is gone should help Scott get paid after the season!

by Matty Coco on Apr 30, 2009 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Those deep passes are exactly what the Cover 2 is supposed to prevent

Even though the SS is frequently in the box, the cover 2 is designed for both safeties to have coverage skills to prevent deep pass completions. Bryan Scott is a traditional type SS, and he may have had his “Jim Leonhard on the Ravens” season. If our front 4 performs the way it’s supposed to, our SS should be able to drop back into the deep zone more often the way the cover 2 is designed. We’ve had the SS up in the box so much because our defensive line doesn’t get enough pressure on its own.

Cover 2 in a nutshell -

4 DE / DT – rush every down – Passing Downs – attempt to drop the QB / tip the pass, Rushing downs – attempt to drop RB in backfield / string them out along the line

3 LBs – Passing Downs – Cover short zone / slants / TE’s Rushing Downs – Plug the gaps

CBs – Zone coverage of receivers in the intermediate left and right zones

Safeties – Cover “2 deep” Both safeties are in deep zone coverage.

If everyone does their job, we produce opponent QB ratings well south of 75. Our DBs get many more interceptions. Think TB in the Super Bowl.

by syrbillsfan on Apr 30, 2009 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions

I am going to argue with you a bit here....

I stated above the middle of the field and the gaps between the corners and safeties in the deep slants and posts…..Scott does did not move well in space…..you are absolutlely correct how the cover-2 works….but the middle of the field behind our linebackers is open along with those gaps….these two areas are where Scott struggled last season….man coverage is his strong point….he just needs to polish up on his zone skills to be a ligitmate stater

Once the safety is in the box the coverage becomes Cover-3 not cover two…..the corners drop deep with one safety over the top…..if wee had a pash rush we could finally enjoy some cover 4 as well……. Cover-2 is designed to pressure the quaterback into mistakes like you said…but if he has time it does not stop the long pass….just creates one on ones ….everywhere

by Matty Coco on Apr 30, 2009 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions

I think at this point Scott is what he is, and really doesn’t have the physical tools for the zone responsibilities we require. He was a great cover one on one with the TE’s, but that’s one less defender covering the zone. I know it’s not all on him – we need better coverage from our ‘backers as well, but if / when Byrd is ready, our best possible lineup is FS Byrd / SS Whitner. The guy that drives me the most nuts in our defense if Mitchell. He can be so good one week, and absolutely terrible the next! I just don’t understand that. LEt’s hope for pressure from the front 4 and see where our defense is at then, right!

by syrbillsfan on May 1, 2009 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions

Good Point

I couldn’t understand the emphasis all the sports writers were putting on Buffalo getting a better defense. At 14th the defense was palatable. It was watching the games last year against the Jets, 49ers, and Dolphins where our offense gave up games or couldn’t even put up one touchdown that seemed to really be our achilles heal.

Talking about John McCargo I wish someone could explain his fall from the coaching staff’s good graces, I know he missed 11 games in 2006 but his second full season he put numbers comparable to Haloti Ngata’s first full season.

McCargo 2007 29 Total Tackles 2.5 Sacks 4 Passes Defended and 1 Forced Fumble
Ngata 2006 31 Tackles 1 Sack 2Passes Defended and 1 INT

As for safety having Scott and Whitner get an entire offseason to practice together will benefit both of them. I don’t feel Scott is a long term solution but he’ll should do fine this year with a full offseason to get the system under his belt. I’ll be very happy if Byrd can be the ball hawking free safety the Bills lack. The defense definately needs more turnovers and your just not going to get that from Donte, he’ll do what he’s supposed to hit hard and come up in run support.

The issue with becoming placated with the players we have reminds of the 2004 season Buffalo did not address it’s offensive line and even though Drew Bledsoe was a statue if the line could have kept that statue upright the Bills would of made the playoffs. So I’ll give the guys we have now the benefit of the doubt but the Bills need to know when change is needed like cutting Dockery (now if we could only do that with Kelsay and Parrish we’d be set.)

by MichiganBillsFan84 on Apr 30, 2009 2:52 PM EDT reply actions

The reason we didn't sign a LB wasn't cap space.

They just didn’t like thsoe guys enough. It’s not like Keiaho broke the bank re-signing in Indy. Nor Cato June or anyone else.

Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.

by MattRichWarren on May 1, 2009 10:39 AM EDT reply actions

I was referring to money being tied up in the thought of signing Peters which I noted above I think…..once they finally made a decision on him those LB’s were signed…. you really think they didn’t like June? I know they were interested in Peterson…..

by Matty Coco on May 1, 2009 3:56 PM EDT reply actions

If they wanted June or Peterson, they would have been able to sign them.

Jason Peters cap hit this year is no different to the Eagles than it would be to the Bills. Something like 3M dollars. If they wanted one of those guys, they would be a Bill. The salary cap could easily have been worked around.

Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.

by MattRichWarren on May 4, 2009 9:58 AM EDT up reply actions

It's not like these guys are making 8M a year.

They are making a few mil. We could have fit that under the cap just by releasing someone who is ineffective (Kelsay or Roscoe) or restructuring a contract.

Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.

by MattRichWarren on May 4, 2009 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions