State of the Bills Roster: Safety

This is one area where the Bills are pretty strong. Although…. Whitner could easily be traded if a sutor can be found. Might be able to work some mid to late round picks as a result.

I definitely think Wilson should/will be kept around. I think he is great depth. Scott I think did really well as SS and IF Whitner is traded I don’t see a huge loss, and wouldn’t be opposed for some decent draft picks in return. But if Whitner stays, I think this could be a great safety combination.

Not much to disagree with in this thread. Byrdman at FS and Whitner/Wilson at SS. I saw that Whitner to the skins story yesterday and it got me thinking at least… Brian what do you think a team like Washington would give up for a player like Whitner? Its a confusing situation and not sure if theres much to truth to it.

I like Byrd – Wilson more than I like Byrd – Whitner. But if Whitner ends up the starter at SS I wouldnt be too upset. Safetys are pretty good on this team. From starters to reserve.

(with second-year defensive back Cary Harris, a cornerback at USC, the only player that might raise some eyebrows here).

Not if you asked this guy……but of course…me being the Pac-10 homer….

Remember when we drafted him?

People were livid over taking ANOTHER DB..

But my post in the thread where we selected him was kinda spot on.

Harris can sit on the PS for a year…..and learn….and is a good insurance policy

Looks like getting all those DB’s did actually help, instead of getting another DL-men (which is what everyone apparently wanted)

the bills are safe at safety?? hahaha i couldnt resist.

wow …
 … i like this pick better than the disaster 2nd round Jairus Byrd pick, but still … i guess i just still haven’t been able to stomach the Byrd pick. It makes me feel sick …

by fami1y_first on Apr 26, 2009 1:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Whoops…….lol

K – you should go back and read the Jairus Byrd thread….you said some doozy’s in there.

For those interested…..you can find it here: Bills draft Byrd

Don’t really need to do anything to this group. If they were to unload Whitner, we’d probably have to add someone in the later rounds or another vet unless Cary Harris is kept around as a certainty. I couldn’t imagine any team trading anything of value for Whitner, and it does the Bills no good to trade him for peanuts. He’s good enough to be kept as a rotational player, though I hope they quit trying to make him some hybrid SS/FS/CB.

Hopefully, Byrd really improves his game this off-season. He has to become a better tackler and run defender if he’s going to ever enter the elite safety conversation. We can’t expect 9 INT’s every year, so he has to be able to improve the rest of his game as well. I still think he was a step slow in recognition and coverage many times this past year, so hopefully a full off-season under his belt will help his transition even further. He has the mental makeup to be a consistent playmaker and star back there, we just have to hope he can improve on those weaknesses to become an all around player.

I wouldn’t be mad if George Wilson was our starting SS next year. Or Bryan Scott. Those are two quality players, both of which I think are better run defenders than Whitner.

Actually, I like Cary Harris alot too. Thought he had a decent training camp, and love players from USC in general. Hey, if your good enough to play at USC under Pete Carroll, your good enough for the Bills, that’s for sure.

Love the depth here. Also love the potential.

If Whitner can fulfill his potential….look out! If Byrd gets better against the run….look out!

Even love the composition here. Scott and Wilson are the “vets”….Whitner is at least solid, yet unspectaular. Byrd is a playmaker. Harris has potential. Great stuff.

I think the Bills should just move Wilson and Scott to linebacker, so they can make tackles, and then have Byrd and Whitner roaming the outfield making plays.

We could play a 3-2-2-2……

Isn’t there a football stats site (can’t remember the name; Football Outsiders, perhaps?) that had George Wilson named to their All-Pro team – and not Byrd?
I think it was mostly having to do with his success against the run – he had one of the top grades on the Bills.

I truly believe Whitner will be traded and with good reason imo. because I believe both Bryan Scott (the great run-defender) and in particular George Wilson (a solid run-stopper, a great leader and a solid playmaker) are more than capable of handling the starting duties as SS. Of course, a hypothetical trade of Donte would be a big vote of confidence in Byrdman, as he would have to become a full-time safety, which he wasn’t last year. I think it’s safe to say he has earned the right to be just that.
If we could acquire a second or third rounder from say the Redskins or Giants, it would make things much easier as far as addressing our three greatest needs (QB, LT, NT) imo.

If the reports that Whitner will be traded to the Skins, whats the chance that the trade involves Campbell?

Set a career high in interceptions (2)

Dang Donte catch the ball more son.

I’ve never visited Buffalo Rumblings before but I like what I see with your analysis. Of course, as a Broncos fan, the MHR is my hangout but I have a goal to visit all of the NFL blogs in the offseason. Good luck in the offseason but ultimately GO BRONCOS!!!

Alright, so from what I can tell, we have this going for us this year:
1. The defensive backfield is SET.
2. We have two capable running backs, a tight end with loads of potential, and Lee Evans.
3. We have three-fifths of the line, in my humble opinion, locked down if Wood returns this season, and workable with Incognito (and a late pick for depth’s sake) if he doesn’t.
4. Strictly my opinion, but I think we have the depth at ILB also.

So what do we do about all the other problems?
OT — Davis, Bulaga or Okung, whoever’s available at the pick we have will do, at LT, and pick up someone later for RT. (Reverse for Vick, Tebow, or any other lefty, of course.)
QB — Clausen or Bradford if they slip to 9, maybe. Otherwise get another long-term prospect in the third or fourth round and sign, say, Pennington to duke it out with Fitzpatrick. Oh, and does anyone think we can get any picks for Trent? It’d be worth a look.
NT — I’d say draft the best available second-rounder. And, call me crazy but I’d keep Kyle on the roster.
LE — possibly the next draft consideration, third or fourth round, to battle it out with Johnson.
WR2 — Reed, Hardy and one of the UFAs out there (I remember Chambers came up in the discussion once) battle it out in camp, though someone said it’s more likely Hardy and Reed will be battling for the slot position if they bring anyone in. (I think it was Yahoo Sports.) Oddly enough, they didn’t mention Steve Johnson… who admittedly would be the fifth receiver in a five-spread formation in most considerations, including picking up no one new.
Everything else looks good to me, and they’ll just have to draft for depth. And if they make the pickups I mentioned and lock in the rest, and stay relatively injury-free, I see no reason why they can’t back into the playoffs next year. Where they’ll get creamed by the Colts or the like, but you have to start somewhere.

Nabbed a career-high four interceptions playing next to Byrd at strong safety, and added 103 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and six defended passes. He’s a leader for the younger guys in the secondary and on special teams, and is easily one of Buffalo’s most valuable reserves anywhere on the roster.

Anyone else think that these simple words means that he DESERVES to be the opening day starter at SS. He outplayed Whitner by A LOT, and if re-signed to a long term contract might also be chasing Whitner out of town!

Now i am all for the status quo here, its the one position on the roster where we have increadibly depth AND talent. So if we keep them all, GREAT! But if we can find someone to give us a second or third (probably third) for Whitner, then I’d make that deal too. Although I think that we should keep Whitner as an insurance policy for Byrd.

was released today