Because I want to see a three headed monster. I want Scott in there against strong TEs and great rushing teams. I want Byrd in there against passing teams or in passing situations. I want Whitner in over Byrd and Scott. So essentially to me it boils down to the opponent. Against run-first teams I wants Whitner and Scott until Byrd can show me something there. Against pass-first teams or in 3rd and long I want Byrd and Whitner in there unless we’re playing the Bucs, Cowboys, Chargers, etc. who have a truly capale TE that Scott can cover.

More and more positions are becoming specialized… why can’t our safety rotation be the same?

Just to reiterate a point not mentioned directly in this article: Whitner’s No. 8 overall draft position is the Bills’ responsibility. Some of the outside observers also believe he was a stretch. Would we expect more out of Donte if he had slipped to the 4th round? We shouldn’t force greatness on a slightly-above-average player drafted out of order. It’s not the most elegant or precise analogy, but ‘you can’t polish a turd.’

(Personal note to Donte: I am not saying you are not a turd. This is in your defense.)

This all hinges on byrd though, whitner should be at SS it better suites him.

by not letting him develop at one position. I think we’d see a good bit more production-wise from him if he was the full-time FS. To me, drafting Byrd speaks to the staff’s urgency: they feel his ability to pick off passes (oh how that will changed with NFL-calibre systems and QBs) will help them win now, moreso than they’ve seen all of last year.

If you draft a kid at 8, you should damn well make him a priority of yours in development. Do any of us truly feel this has been shown to Whitner?

Why does that seem strange to only me?

I think the team would be better off starting the season with Whitner at FS and Scott at SS. While starting a rookie at the safety position has been done (2006 Bills), this is a position where experience can mean the difference between stopping a team on third down or giving up a touchdown on a play-action pass.

Byrd may earn a starting job by the middle or end of the season. But with Tom Brady and the Wildcat in the same division, give the kid a chance to learn a little from the sidelines before throwing him on the field.

Whitner has definitely gotten too much flack from this site, but there aren’t any excuses for his non-existent production in the big play department. I think there are three major factors why he hasn’t been able to make those game changing plays here, but I’m going to start by disputing Chris Brown’s claim that the defensive scheme has anything to do with it.

Jermaine Phillips had three INTs last year and has 9 over the last three seasons in addition to his 7 forced fumbles over the same time span. Kevin Payne (the starting SS for the Bears, he’s not exactly a household name) had 4 picks last season. If I had to pick a defense that from a scheme standpoint was the most similiar to Buffalo, it would be Chicago. Even rookie Craig Steltz had an INT last season for the Bears. I don’t know how Indy sets up their safeties, but the trio of Sanders, Bethea and Bullitt had 7 INTs. And maybe most importantly, if Buffalo is running a defense that doesn’t put their safeties and a number 8 overall pick in position to make plays on the ball, then what the hell are they thinking?

So, the first reason why Whitner hasn’t made plays is the obvious one. This team gets zero pressure on the QB. I don’t think Bills fans are looking for Donte to be Polamalu or anything, but Whitner picks off a couple passes per season by doing nothing more than being opportunistic on a 40 sack defense. Ed Reed doesn’t pick off 9 passes without being in the middle of nowhere and having a few floaters fall into his lap.

Reason two is why we shouldn’t get too optimistic about Whitner ever being a big time player and that is just that he isn’t much of a playmaker. Whtiner is a tweener who is small for a SS and isn’t great in man to man coverage. He’s good in run support and I think he’s reliable in zone coverage, but he just isn’t a guy thats going to make you pay for challenging him in a deep zone. He’s a good player, but he’s never going to develop into that superstar player that fans expect from top 10 picks.

Reason three is the reason to get excited. Whitner is still only 23 years old. He turns 24 in a little over a month. He was only a two year starter in college and has played through a bunch of injuries and has been asked to do a lot here. I think Whitner will develop into more of a playmaker as he enters his prime and if Buffalo can improve that pass rush. I don’t think he’s ever going to be a 4 INT per season guy, but he should start making some plays.

I remember watching the draft, hoping and praying the Bills would Ngata with the 8th pick. But no, another Bills blunder. Ngata is now a Pro Bowl Nose Tackle and would be a great fit next to Stroud, because he is pretty athletic for his size.
Whitner- Complete bust at that pick – Polamalu was taken 15th and is twice as good as Whitner. Maybe the Bills are obsessed with Ohio State defensive backs – Winfield, Clements, Youbouty, Whitner.

Does Whitner’s lack of big plays have anything to do with playing in Jauron’s/Fewell’s system? To me, it doesn’t seem like it’s a defense that really gambles or goes for big plays too often. Whitner’s proven himself to be a pretty solid tackler, so does DJ just prefer him to fill that role and be consistent with that?

Excuses on the football field are NOT AN OPTION. And in your article Chris Brown you mentioned Whitner moving around, being able to make less plays. REALLY?

Now you wouldn’t suppose they put Whitner in those positions to either make a play or atleast help out on the strong side? BS. Whitner isn’t a playmaker and he is been in the league for 3 FREAKIN years!

Dissapointing- Yes
Stressful- Yes
BUST – YES

probably a long time ago – right? Not very good for a top 10 draft pick. Not like a Bob Sanders or Ed Reed. Wait- when were they drafted? The summation here = BUST

The day Donte starts making four interceptions or more is the day Earth melts due to global warming, in other words never. It’s great that he’s a solid tackler and a great leader, but why the **** spend a top ten pick on somebody, we could have had in later rounds? Whitner has – like it or not – been a vast disappointment to this point, and anyone who says opposite is fooling themselves. The guy has mad a pathetic two interceptions in his first three seasons and 1 sack. My expectation would be at least 6 or 7 picks.

This piece is on ESPN’s website, too. You the man Brian. I’m happy you’re getting exposure and recognition. You deserve it man. (All the editors, authors, and moderators get a big pat on the back, too.)

from Chris Brown

What the outside observers fail to realize is in Buffalo’s defensive scheme Whitner has played strong safety more than any other position in the defensive backfield. As the role of that position is drawn up, opportunities to make plays on the ball are extremely limited.

Why can mediocre players like Jermaine Phillips and Kevin Payne make plays in a very similar scheme with a similarly crappy pass rush? I’ve looked at this before with those guys, even the Colts safeties too. Melvin Bullitt, who I think was their SS when Sanders was hurt, had 4 INT’s last year too. There’s no excuse for making NO plays. Nobody is asking him to lead the NFL in INT’s or force 10 fumbles, but it would be nice if he could get a few here and there…

That’s what ticks me off about this whole Whitner thing, seeing something like this from Brown or when the Whitner supporters get all bent out of shape when someone says Whitner needs to make some plays. There’s always some excuse…the scheme, him bouncing around positions, etc, but it’s never that Donte just isn’t a playmaker in any way. The ‘big play’ numbers he’s put up aren’t just bad, they are pathetic. We don’t want a ton of big plays (well we do), we just want SOME. When there’s always some retort about it being something other than the player’s fault, I tend to believe it’s the player’s fault. Even crappier players on crappier teams are able to get there hands on some balls (!) from time to time.

Personally, I think Bryan Scott is a better SS. I think he’s a better tackler and much better at handling TE’s in coverage. Whitner is the better jack of all trades safety, but I just believe Scott has proven more capable at SS. Will that continue? Who knows. Should he start over Whinter at SS? Maybe, maybe not, but I am currently more comfortable with Scott playing SS than Whitner. I’m sure I’m not alone.