Buffalo Bills 2000s All-Decade Team: Outside Linebacker No. 2

by MattRichWarren on May 25, 2010 3:00 PM EDT in Buffalo Bills History

Takeo Spikes and his All-Pro season easily won the vote for the top spot in our Buffalo Bills outside linebacker corps. Today we find his running mate at OLB.

Keith Newman
After being drafted in the 1999 NFL Draft Keith Newman started 42 games over three seasons in Buffalo at the start of the decade. Virtually all his stats are first or second among Bills OLBs in the decade. He had 14.5 sacks, ten passes defended, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and 129 tackles. The defense ranked third in total yards allowed in 2000.

Jeff Posey
Posey signed a three-year deal as a free agent in 2003. He started all but two games in those three years, accumulating 9.5 sacks, an interception, five passes defended, forcing five fumbles, recovering two fumbles, and making 116 tackles. In two of Posey's three seasons in Buffalo, the team ranked second in the NFL in yards allowed.

Angelo Crowell
Crowell started 41 games in his time in Buffalo. Drafted in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft, Crowell first stepped into the starting lineup in place of the injured Spikes to start 13 games in 2005. His 223 tackles are by far the most of any Bills linebacker in the decade. Add to that his seven sacks, five interceptions, 17 passes defended, four forced fumbles, one recovered fumble, and a safety.

Keith Ellison
Ellison doesn't get a lot of respect around these parts, but I appreciate him for what he is. He's a dependable, athletic safety turned linebacker that epitomizes the Bills over the last ten years - close but no cigar. Ellison has started 38 games for Buffalo since being drafted in the sixth round in 2006 from Oregon State, where he played safety. In his time in Buffalo he's racked up two sacks, two interceptions, 11 passes defended, two fumble recoveries, and 143 tackles. Many of those tackles came on special teams where Ellison has spent much of his career.

The Best of the Rest
Jay Foreman started 19 games in 2000-2001 after being drafted one round behind Newman. Eddie Robinson started 15 games in 2002, replacing Foreman. Kawika Mitchell started 20 games in 2008-2009 before a leg injury sidelined him for the rest of the decade.

Leave your voting rationale in the comments section. Next up we'll discuss middle linebacker.

Previous Installments: QB, RB 1, RB 2, WR 1, WR 2, TE, OT 1, OT 2, OG 1, OG 2, OC, P/K, DT 1, DT 2, DE 1, DE 2, OLB 1

Poll

Excluding Takeo Spikes, who was the best outside linebacker to play for the Buffalo Bills last decade?

Keith Newman

183 votes

Jeff Posey

116 votes

Angelo Crowell

802 votes

Keith Ellison

52 votes

1153 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Crowell all the way

It’s a shame he suffered some devastating injuries. He really was a very solid LB.

If I only had a brain...

by Schooled You on May 25, 2010 3:15 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

I voted Keith Newman

Crow was the man but Keith Newman was fun to watch play. He also had bigger plays than Crow if my memory is right and that counts a lot in my book.

"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"

by poz on May 25, 2010 3:35 PM EDT reply actions

For years I've hated Keith Newman..

Because I always thought he was the one who lost his jock getting faked by Chad Pennington. Then I did some research after reading this post, and I realize now that it was Eddie Robinson.

I feel bad…

by Fedorable on May 25, 2010 3:44 PM EDT reply actions

Hah

Eddie Robinson, wow I havent thought of him in years. And yea I think this vote should bemuch closer than it is. I voted for Newman (again). But I can see why Crowell is getting votes. Heck you could even make a case for Posey to be up there.

The player I would like least at #9 would be my sister’s cat, Captain Creamsicle. She does have a great work ethic and agility, but I’m really concerned that at 9 lbs., she’s too small to play safety in the NFL. She also bites way too often on play action and is easily distracted by someone waving string in the crowd. Lastly, her wonderlic score was pretty awful, answering "meow meow meow" for most of the questions- Dr. Brackish Okun

by mob16151 on May 25, 2010 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions

I think this should be closer then what it is. I think Newman was a better player then Crowell and that is why I voted that way. I can see Crowell getting votes and it isn’t crazy to say that Crowell would win, but I think that the voting is much more one sided then it should be.

No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.

by sireric on May 25, 2010 3:47 PM EDT reply actions

I agree

but I think this is a trend with sports fans and what happens most recently. If you look at the polls NFL.COM puts up asking fans to vote for one option out of ten for “best receiving corp of all time”, “best o-line of all time”, “best safety of all time”, etc. etc. almost every winner is from the last 15 years. I’m not sure if its from younger voters (lets face I’d probably be biased towards players from 1989 on in polls on Bills players) or just that naturally recent events stick out more but its something that happens.

I really liked Newman. Didnt he go to Atlanta after Buffalo?

"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"

by poz on May 25, 2010 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions