Buffalo Bills 2000s All-Decade Team: Middle Linebacker
by MattRichWarren on May 27, 2010 8:00 AM EDT
in Buffalo Bills History
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PrintThe Buffalo Bills middle linebacker position has been filled with talent this decade, but has also been one of the most injury-prone positions on the team. The Bills did employ a Pro Bowl linebacker on the inside during the 2000s, as well as a well-respected free agent signing and a highly touted draft pick. Let's examine the candidates.
Sam Cowart
Cowart made a Pro Bowl in 2000 despite only playing 12 games at ILB for the Bills. A severe ankle injury sidelined him for the rest of the season, and he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 1 of 2001. Cowart was never quite the same after those injuries, and that game was his last in a Bills uniform. He had 5.5 sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble and two recovered fumbles to go along with his 88 tackles in 2000.
London Fletcher
The Bills signed Fletcher as a free agent in 2002 when he left the St. Louis Rams. All he did was start every game for his five years in Buffalo and lead the team in tackles each year. Fletcher recorded 14.5 sacks, five interceptions and a touchdown return, seven fumble recoveries and a touchdown return, five forced fumbles, 28 passes defended, 495 tackles and a safety. Every number is tops for the MLBs in the decade and how he never earned a Pro Bowl nomination in Buffalo is beyond me. His 495 tackles as a Bill rank seventh on the all-time list, and are almost 100 more than the next best in the decade, Terrence McGee. He was allowed to leave following his fifth season at the age of 32, but has continued his high level of play in Washington.
Paul Posluszny
The Bills had to trade up to select Poz in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft to replace Fletcher. A broken arm kept him off the field for all but three games in his rookie year, and he missed four games in his third season after breaking the same arm. He has started 31 games for the Bills in his three seasons with the team, amassing 191 tackles, four interceptions, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one sack along with 10 passes defended. Despite playing in four fewer games in 2009, Posluszny recorded 87 tackles in each season, and would have likely passed the 100 tackle mark had he not missed those four games.
Leave your voting rationale in the comments section. The secondary begins next with the cornerbacks.
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, OLB 2
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looks like
another “squeaker vote”! :-)
Fletch!
The future ain't what it used to be - Yogi Berra
Bills should have kept Antoine Winfield….
Bills should have kept Pat Williams….
Bills should have kept Nate Clements….
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
Bills should have kept Antoine Winfield….
Bills should have kept Nate Clements….
I have to disagree with both of those. When you look at the amount that they got paid by their new teams and what they have done since leaving the Bills I think the team made the right choice in letting them go. Clements especially, he has played in only 38 games and has 7 interceptions and zero touchdowns since leaving.
As for Winfield; the guy has 21 interceptions in a 12 year career. that is less then 2 a year average. He has never been a great cover guy and when the best thing you can say about a cornerback is that he is a great tackler…….
Neither of those guys were worth the paycheck they got.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
I hear you on Clements
But I would have loved to keep Winfield. He plays like a warrior and added some much needed toughness to our secondary.
I’ll scratch Clements off the list but he was awesome for us!
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
Winfield was pricey though
And the Bills had McGee ready to step up. It wasn’t worth the money to keep a guy that was only above average here. Remember how often he got beat deep as a Bill too???
~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 27, 2010 1:00 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
great point
about deep coverage and your right about McGee being ready to step in. I dont remember anymore who left first. Was it Winfield or Clements?
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
Winfield was gone first
I don’t remember if it was a year, two or even three years by the time Clements signed with SF. He was franchised too.
~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 27, 2010 1:07 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
CB's
Winfield played 5 years and left after the 2003 season.
Clements played 6 years and left after the 2006 season.
I think Winfield is being overrated a bit because of his tackling prowess. He was only an average cover CB for us, and really struggled to get any INT’s for us…..
~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 27, 2010 1:29 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
thanks
good info. Its weird how long ago 2003 seems. Time goes by slow when you stink.
I think Winfield is so highly valued because of what having a tackling presence like that at the corner position does to an opposing offense. If you have a corner who can tackle like a linebacker it totally changes the game.
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
Keeping Clements would have been a borderline disaster because of the monster contract required. He might not even start this season for SF because of his poor play the last few years.
by Jeff Winters on May 27, 2010 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions
yea
maybe I’m just remembering when Clements had what I think was 4 picks on one game right? It was against the Dolphins if Im not mistaken. That was so sweet!
I wonder if his declining play was precisely because of the monster contract? Maybe he got lazy?
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
Or maybe he just got older??
Not every player can withstand Father Time like Winfield, Pat Williams and Fletcher seemingly have. Even as a guy who’s in his late 20’s, his play could be significantly impacted by wear and tear. He was a pretty physical CB here, so it may have taken its toll on Nate’s body sooner than expected…..
~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 27, 2010 1:05 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
he was physical so its possible
coaching could have something to do with it too.
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
They are considering moving him to safety.
You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on May 27, 2010 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
For three(I think) of Fletch’s years he had Pat Williams and Sam Adams gobbling up blockers. I liked Fletcher, but I just don’t think he was the greatest playmaker. It always seemed like his tackles were downfield or he would come in and clean up someone else’s. He had a hell of a motor and was steady for sure, I would just liked to have seen what Poz could do with the same caliber DTs up front.
On a related note, I would also like to see Poz reverse that devastating osteoporosis, that has left his bones as fragile as my 83 year old grandma’s.
Still playing pretty solid for the Redskins, and Hayensworth wasn't always with him there.
" A wise man once told me, never argue with a fool, becuase from a far, you can't tell who is who" - Jay-Z
by SouthBuffaloNDgrad on May 27, 2010 9:53 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree that he is an overall solid, productive, player. I just think that any average to above average MLB would have had similar statistics in BLO during that period.
You could argue that London Fletcher’s tackles meant that Pat Williams and Sam Adams weren’t making those plays. It was often said that Fletcher was a guy who got tackles because he was forced to make a play where and when the line couldn’t. I loved him as a player.
Buffalo Rumblings Premiere League 2009 Champion
Song recommendation of the week: Pearl Jam - Faithful
Tom: "Is that bacon wrapped around your turkey leg?"
Ron: "They call it the Swanson."
by TheAfghanTwilight on May 28, 2010 7:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Might be able to see that this year with the 3-4 if our d-line can get a push. Poz will be there to clean up the mess
by brucesmithistheman on May 27, 2010 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions
London Fletcher-Baker
He certainly was a tackling machine that had the knack for the big play—-int, fumble or a sack. The fans were fickled back then, I still remember the comments of “Yea he makes a lot of tackles but they are down field.” Hogwash—he was a good football player then and he is a good football player now. You don’t last in the NFL for 12 season’s without being good. It was great to see London fianlly get recognized for his outstanding play by being selected to the Pro Bowl last year…
"Naked and starving as they are, we cannot enough admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery."
General George Washington, February 16, 1778, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
A Pro Bowl selection a few years too late, he should've been in 4-5 by this point in his career, I was so happy to hear when he got put on the roster.
" A wise man once told me, never argue with a fool, becuase from a far, you can't tell who is who" - Jay-Z
by SouthBuffaloNDgrad on May 27, 2010 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions
I can’t believe there’s more votes for Cowart than Posluzny. We’re talking about 2000-2009 here folks!
I voted for London Fletcher because is there really any reason to vote for anyone else as the #1 MLB?
I can’t believe there’s more votes for Cowart than Posluzny. We’re talking about 2000-2009 here folks!
Cowart went to a Pro Bowl. He’s the only MLB for the Bills to do that in a long time.
You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on May 27, 2010 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions
since when did the Pro Bowl mean anything in relation to talent?
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
Since when did talent have anything to do with an All-Decade team? Is Mike Williams going to make the team?
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"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on May 27, 2010 10:34 AM EDT up reply actions
huh?
Mike Williams did not have talent. I think that much was made clear already.
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
If he didn’t have talent, he wouldn’t have been drafted No. 4 overall, my friend.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on May 27, 2010 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions
If he didn’t have talent, he wouldn’t have been drafted No. 4 overall, my friend.
I would change that to: If he did have talent he wouldn’t have been drafted No. 4 overall by the Buffalo Bills.
That doesn’t make sense.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on May 27, 2010 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Referring to the ineptitute that the front office has displayed on numerous occasions throughout the last 15+ years. An attempt at humor, and apparently a poor one.
D’oh. I get it now. :)
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on May 27, 2010 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Wouldn’t that be more indicative of a wholly unfortunate mistaken assessment of said talents by league scouts?
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
by poz on May 27, 2010 11:03 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
No. Because they weren’t wrong – Williams was immensely physically gifted. He just didn’t give a damn about football. They didn’t wrongly assess his football talents, they wrongly assessed his commitment to the game.
Williams was just an example, as well. J.P. Losman and Brian Brohm were probably the closest things to prototypical NFL quarterbacks to suit up for the Bills this decade, but nobody’s going to name them the All-Decade quarterback.
My point was that talent doesn’t mean nearly as much as production to an exercise like this, ergo, Cowart’s Pro Bowl should absolutely count in this discussion.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on May 27, 2010 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions
oh I disagree
talent has more to do with this discussion than any other factor. A player has to be immensely talented to make an All-Decade team, I just dont see how it can be any other way. Production is directly tied to talent. If your talented but dont work hard you can be productive, but if you work hard and dont have talent production will not be an end result in the NFL.
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
Talent
Talent with no heart is like drinking a cold beer on a hot day with Zero taste——-BLAH!!!!
"Naked and starving as they are, we cannot enough admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery."
General George Washington, February 16, 1778, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
thats all well and good
but people like Randy Moss still exist and put up numbers in the NFL.
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
When I mention no heart I think of players like Mike (lard ass) Williams or JaMarcus Russell. Moss has his quirks but could not be as productive or a playmaker for this long with no heart.
"Naked and starving as they are, we cannot enough admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery."
General George Washington, February 16, 1778, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
he might have the eye of the tiger but do you remember when he quit on Raiders for a full season? Just lounging on the bench and not running his routes? I lost a lot of respect for Moss and his heart that year.
But I see what your saying, your talking lazy. I think Jamarcus Russell has become the poster boy for NFL laziness.
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
Could you imagine playing for the Raiders? There’s so much wrong with that franchise.
Buffalo Rumblings Premiere League 2009 Champion
Song recommendation of the week: Pearl Jam - Faithful
Tom: "Is that bacon wrapped around your turkey leg?"
Ron: "They call it the Swanson."
by TheAfghanTwilight on May 28, 2010 7:15 AM EDT up reply actions
Production is directly tied to talent.
Of course it is. But why would you choose a more talented player over a more productive player for an All Decade team? That’d be like voting for Lee Evans over Eric Moulds, or for Willis McGahee over Travis Henry.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on May 27, 2010 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions
well
in theory we are voting for this all-decade team under the assumption of who would compromise the best possible team the Buffalo Bills could field based on players which donned the uniform during the decade. So this would also lead the voters to assume that in theory, we want the best team which would actually play.
Lee Evans could thus be the better choice for the all decade team if we believe he wasnt as productive as he could have been because of the talent around him, right? Production isn’t the most important factor for who belongs on an all-decade team in my opinion, because production isn’t always related to who would be the best player to field.
I hope that wasn’t too convoluted.
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
It wasn’t.
But you voted for Paul Posluszny, who is arguably the LEAST talented and LEAST productive player on this list. So I’m just really, superbly confused as to where you’re coming from on this.
Buffalo Rumblings. On Twitter.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on May 27, 2010 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Didn’t you vote Lee Evans over Eric Moulds?
You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on May 27, 2010 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions
HAHAHHAAHAH
coming from the guy who champions pro bowler Marshawn Lynch. I find that amusing
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
again....huh?
I have never, ever championed Marshawn Lynch based on his pro bowl appearance and I believe you know that.
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
and before you dig up a quote out of context
I may have referenced it, but have never used it to make my case for him. My defense of Marshawn is based on the talent I’ve seen on the field and the production when given a full starting gig.
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
Yeah, I don’t know if you specifically have said it was a reason to keep him but I would say that about 85% of all arguments to keep him go something like this:
“Why would you deal a 23 year old RB with a pro bowl under his belt?”
The fact that you have been one of the main “Let’s keep Marshawn” guys and that you say that is why I laugh.
No weekend spent pantsless is a wasted weekend.
I almost voted for Cowart out of respect. Pre-injury Sam Cowart was one of my favorite Bills ever, period.
In the end I voted for Poz (what a shocker, right?)
I think in this unique circumstance, time has given everyone rosier memory of Fletch than maybe is deserved. Its sort of like when you remember your hottest ex-girlfriend. A few years later all you remember is that “she was so friggin hot!” and forget that you broke up with her because she was really annoying. I loved Fletch, but he used to make a ton of those “5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage” tackles that would drive all the fans mad during games. Actually, people criticize Poz for the very same thing now.
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
by poz on May 27, 2010 9:46 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Rec’d for the analogy.
You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on May 27, 2010 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions
hahahah, glad you like it!
"I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly"
Sam gets my vote.
I voted for Cowart. Without that Achilles’ injury, I think he would have been the biggest impact guy (probably not a “slam dunk”, but the most gifted). Maybe I’m wrong on this, but it seemed liked Fletcher only tackled after the ball carrier had made it a couple of yards beyond the line of scrimmage, whereas Cowart attacked the ball carrier more quickly.
And with the 9th pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills select...C.J.Spiller?
I went Fletcher,
but the second place voting inrtigues me, as of now; Poz has 33 votes, and Cowart 34 votes. That’ll be fun to watch, because I personally love both players, Poz currently, and always thought of Sam Cowart being one of the parts of our perrenial top-5 D’s of the days we could stop the run. Anyway, I love these voting, and didn’t participate the first few, but have voted in the last couple ones and love seeing the result.
" A wise man once told me, never argue with a fool, becuase from a far, you can't tell who is who" - Jay-Z
by SouthBuffaloNDgrad on May 27, 2010 9:52 AM EDT reply actions
Fletcher, to me, because of his strong and stable play for the Bills during the five years he was here. A tremendous leader, who led not just on the field but off the field as well and one of the only Bills-players I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and talking to; a terrific person altogether.
Poz will eventually get there imo., but Fletcher gets the nod because of his consistency, which is the one thing I need to see more of from Poz.
"The one commonality in both places (Oakland and Buffalo) is an aging owner who keeps interfering too much. Ralph Wilson continually butts his nose in the football operation and tells the team who to draft"
by BillsfanfromDenmark on May 27, 2010 10:20 AM EDT reply actions
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