SB Nation User Blog: poz

Cornerbacks

poz — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:42:58 -0000

I would like to follow up on Brian's post about McKelvin stealing the spotlight after I noticed that there was a lot of discussion on McGee and his future with the team. To me it seems that the Buffalo Bills have more than a few options in regards to the direction they want to take the corner back position.

1. ) Let Greer Walk- In what could be the simplest answer to what our corner situation will be next year, the Bills can simply elect to let Jabari Greer test the free agent market and move forward with McGee and McKelvin, the McLovin Duo as the starters. Of course this would leave the team with one starter who is approaching 30 and another who is still just a kid. Considering that Reggie Corner may never develop into a starting caliber corner and Ashton Youboty is too unreliable in terms of injuries and performance, the Bills would likely have to use a draft choice this year or next on an heir to McGee's spot.

2.) Move McGee to the Slot- Of course, Buffalo could keep Greer and slide McGee inside as our third corner to let him play physical while leaving Greer and McKelvin on the outside. For this to work I think it is clear that the front office would somehow have to placate McGee's probably hurt ego by explaining that they are simply trying to utilize his strengths to make him a better player and that his role with the team hasn't diminished. I don't know if he'd buy it, but I would love the team to have three great corners. The Eagles were able to make Lito Sheppard accept such a role so you never know.

3.) Let McKevlin Learn Another Year- The shelf life of great returners in this league is short so the Bills could elect to keep McKelvin as our main returner while giving him another year at the nickel to develop into a smarter player. It may be hard to justify leaving such explosiveness out of the starting lineup however.

4.) Move McGee to Free Safety - This to me is the best answer. A team can never have enough secondary talent on the field and with three starting capable corners moving McGee to FS could allow us to field McGee, Greer, McKelvin and Whitner all at the same time. That is an excellent secondary right there if you ask me. If we come out in a nickel we could even slide McGee back into the slot and put Scott in at safety. I think this could be an excellent way to maximize the level of talent the Bills put on the field.

5.) Trade McGee - As a follow to the fact that a team can never have enough talented corners is that McGee could probably bring us in a quite a haul in a trade. Whether it is draft picks, a player for player trade, or some combination. There would be more than a few teams interested in picking up a great corner back which means the competition and level of compensation for the Bills could be very high.

Poll

Which situation at cornerback would you most want to see for next year?

Edwards Calling out Schonert and Jauron?

poz — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:59:26 -0000

I just got home from work to watch a press conference with Trent Edwards. Considering our recent discussion on how much blame should be placed on the coaching staff I couldn't help but down this quote from the conference. Oh boy...

When a reporter asked Trent if he is not trusting what he's seeing down the field and if that is the reason for his interceptions and turnovers recently Edwards responded as such:

"The hardest thing that is happening to me, this happened earlier in the season, its happened in the past couple of games, is that I'm preparing for defenses that we're not really getting on Sundays or Monday Nights. They didn't really bring the defense that we thought the Browns played against the Broncos, and that's what we're practicing out here on the practice field all week and then we're facing an entirely different defense. That's something I need to grow from and learn from."

Wow. If the team is pracitcing against looks they are not getting then something is seriously wrong. Trent has to make adjustments to whats happening on the field, as he acknowledged at the end of that statement, the coaches need to provide better insight if he's getting the wrong looks during practice. Thoughts??

ENOUGH!

poz — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:58:37 -0000

Ok, we lost three in a row to divisional opponents and things have looked terrible, from offensive play calling to a lack of defensive adjustments. I agree with all of this but seriously, it's getting ridiculous in regards to the doom and gloom. If we lose Monday I promise I'll jump on the "we are terrible in every way" bandwagon. But let's wait until the result Monday before we lose our minds and panic.

I was just as critical as anybody after the Pats game but the panic is turning into pandemonium. Listen to yourselves, look at the posts for the last week, and you'd think we were 3-6. S**t happens, but this complete abandonment of hope is completely disgusting.

I've heard enough of the "we're Bills fans, we knew this was coming you're not a Bills fan unless you accept disaster" attitude. We are 5-4 and we have a young and promising team with a favorable schedule; why give up now?? Because the going has gotten tough? Bull!

As we saw tonight in the Jets-Pats game, any team can win in this division, all of our losses came because of self-inflicted losses. That is better than losing because we lacked the capability to win.

I guess I'm sick of the abandon-ship-it's-all-over rhetoric. Let's see who wins on Monday; I think we will, if we don't I'll shut up. But condemning this team, which is in the playoff hunt, is quite reactionary. This team has proven it has the ability to go on win streaks. I fully expect Marshawn to have his breakout game Monday. But please, don't give up yet fellas!!

Thoughts

poz — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:42:50 -0000

Two straight divisional losses, one to the Jets at home, was so devastating I simply couldn't visit this site for a few days. The mere site of anything Bills made me feel sick again. After taking the necessary time to heal, here are some thoughts about the Bills right now.

1.) Our offensive line should be downright ashamed of itself for its pitiful effort against Kris Jenkins last Sunday. But even more, it should be ashamed of itself for the pathetic effort it has made to block for our running backs. This team has potential, big time potential, and I still maintain we are one of the better teams in the AFC. I certainly believe we can and should deservedly win our division because we can be the best team in it this year. But we are not going to succeed if we can not block for the running game. We are a solid team in every other category, despite the sinking pessimism many Bills fans are expressing. Our defense is rock solid. Not dazzling and it could certainly use a pass rush, but it is nonetheless a solid unit, enough to get a team into the playoffs. I love our passing game, even with the mistakes Trent Edwards has been making recently. We're not going to succeed passing the ball, and we will force turnovers, if we can't run the ball. Teams have no respect for our running game. I think we had less than 20 yards on the ground in the third quarter. For shame. Our defense will get worn down and eventually burned if we can not give them a long breather by grinding it out on the ground every once in a while. This was an area that I didn't expect was going to be this bad at this point in the year. Something needs to change.

2.) Losing Aaron Schobel hurts a lot. Ryan Denney isn't good. Plain and simple. Many fans hate Kelsay, but I actually think he's a tough guy who makes plays. Denney just looks like a body out there. It even seems like he may have lost a step, which is saying a lot because he didn't really have one in 2003 anyway. Let's sign KGB, N.D. Kalu, somebody, or just start Ellis. Because Denney looks like he's playing way out of his league. That said, while losing Schobel hurts big in that department, Fewell deserves credit for getting a pass rush on Favre anyways. We were pressuring him all game.

3.) Things are not so bad in the end. Before the season started many of us looked at the schedule and knew we would consider the 4 game stretch from San Diego to New England a success if we emerged from it 2-2. Of course at the time we figured the two losses were going to be San Diego and New England, in reality those will have to be the two victories. If we win this Sunday, we accomplished our mission, emerging from a real tough stretch a bit worse for wear but still in divisional contention. I'm going to be at the game in New England and will be screaming like a mad man, we must not lose 3 divisional games in a row. This Sunday is the most important game of the season.

4.) The injury bug is back. Schobel's foot is worse, Whitner is week to week which is never good, Josh Reed may be done, the line is falling apart, and McGee hasn't been the same player since the injury. (DeAngelo Hall is about to be cut by the way, I wouldn't want him but it is a thought. I actually think Jabari Greer is playing even better than last year).

5.) Keep our heads up fans. Sure the division is shaping up to be tougher than we imagined but after this Sunday our schedule gets notably easier. We win this and we get back on a winning streak just in time to get our confidence up for those do or die divisional games at the tail end of the season.

Using the Ravens as a Blueprint Against the Wildcat

poz — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:05:46 -0000

With the hated Miami Dolphins up next on our schedule you know that Dick Jauron and Perry Fewell are gameplanning right now on how to shut down the Phins "Wildcat" formation.

The fact is that Miami has won the games it has because of the "Wildcat", their defense is nothing to fear and with that formation not withstanding, their offense is rather predictable (as Chad Pennington offenses tend to be). Nonetheless, the "Wildcat" alone has propelled the Dolphins to victory this season as the play leaves so many options for the offense and can confuse the defense as the ball can end up in the hands of Ricky Williams, Ronnie Brown, Chad Pennington, or anyone else.

After watching the highlights from the Ravens - Dolphins game it was clear that the key to Baltimore's win was that its defense absolutely shut down the "Wildcat" formation and never let it beat them.

Any thoughts on how our defense can do the same? I think this is the biggest question going into this Sunday. If we get burned by the formation we will lose, if we have it figured out, the Dolphins will not be able to stand toe to toe with us in any area of the game.

It seemed to me, and I could be wrong as I saw mimimal highlights, that the Ravens put down the "Wildcat" by blitzing linebackers and safeties up the middle and relying on their big defensive line to spring them through by eating up blocks, thereby letting them disrupt the progression of any "Wildcat" plays. Thoughts? I'd love to hear what everyone thinks the Bills defense can do to shut down the Dolphins confusing formation.

Test # 2 for Edwards: Winning a Shootout

poz — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:08:28 -0000

Trent Edwards has already passed one of the most important tests for a young starting QB in the NFL and he's done it three times already; engineering a comeback when down in the fourth quarter of a game.

However, this upcoming Sunday will present a new challenge for our young starter and one that he has yet to face this season. Trent Edwards will be faced with a potential scenario of having to beat Kurt Warner and the Cardinals receivers in an aerial shootout; an important proving ground for Trent, the team, and the fans.

Although Anquan Boldin may potentially miss the game after his helmet to helmet hit, it is starting to appear like he's going to be fine for Sunday. And with Terrence McGee potentially being absent from the line-up, this Sunday it may be all the more crucial for Trent Edwards to show that when he needs to, he can fire away with the best of them. This is a skill he will likely need to call on again later in the season when the Bills face the Denver Broncos and Jay Cutler.

Three keys to this game?

1.) Trent Edwards' connection to Lee Evans

2.) If McGee can't go: Greer, Youboty, and McKelvin vs Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Breaston. Tall test for a young group.

3.) Schobel, Kelsay, Stroud, and Williams must generate pass rush for the defense.

Trent Edwards has already passed proving ground #1: Winning in the 4th quarter. Now he just may have to prove he can win a shootout on Sunday.

must focus against the Raiders, crucial three weeks ahead

poz — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:46:23 -0000

The Buffalo Bills are off to a hot start, smashing one perennial division champ and launching a beautiful 4th quarter to get past one of the best teams going into this season. We should all be excited as we have plenty to be excited about; a resurgent defensive line, a QB in Trent Edwards who is developing into a bigger playmaker and smarter decision maker than could have been hoped for, linebackers that attack, a receiving corp that is making plays (including Freddie), and an offensive coordinator who is quickly establishing himself as the real deal in terms of play calling.

However, the next three weeks have the potential to be the most important ones of the year, precisely because we are playing lower tier squads going into a bye week before taking on the San Diego Chargers. Our Buffalo Bills have already proven that they will elevate their game when playing tough opponents, now they must prove that they will not bring it down when playing teams with lesser talent. Great teams maintain their level of play regardless of the opponent and the Bills now have to prove that they can do that.

The Raiders Darren McFadden is sure to get the ball and often against us after his welcome to the NFL moment last week, rushing for 160+ yards. Now is not the time to let up, trap games are real my friends and we are about to head into three crucial games which we must win. Trent Edwards has to be smart with his throws against the Raiders corners, I know Cutler torched them but they are still very very good players.

We made it out with wins against teams that maybe should have given us a loss or maybe two if we did not play well. That fact makes these coming games that much more important to win. Playoff teams capitalize on tough wins by staying focused against more modest competition. Let's go DJ, keep them focused.

Week 1 Power Rankings

poz — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:06:18 -0000

The Bills have obviously made an impact on the big sports media sources as they are higher on the power rankings after one week than they've been in the last 6 years.

First the Bills were rated no. 8 on NFL.Com (link)

Second, on ESPN, which hates the Bills, they managed to get up to no. 13. (link)

Third, the Sporting News posted Buffalo up at No. 12 (link)

Fourth, CBS had the Bills as the lowest of all of them at No. 15 (link)

ESPN even went so far as to call our victory the most complete performance of the week

Poll

Which ranking makes the most sense to you for the Bills after the Seahawks game?

No. 8

16 votes

No. 12

49 votes

No. 13

16 votes

No. 15

7 votes

88 votes | Poll has closed

Marcus Stroud: Difference Maker

poz — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:46:07 -0000

Since the first game is officially over I'd like to share what, of all the exciting moments of the Seattle game, stuck out the most to me. Marcus Stroud. In my opinion, the man has taken our defense from gutsy to stifling almost single handedly.

Marcus Stroud finished his first game as a Buffalo Bill with 6 tackles, a shared sack, and two swatted balls. That is enough to know that trading for him in the off-season was a wise move. But still, it does not tell the whole story. To me, what made our defense so great yesterday was that on nearly every single play, the interior of the Seahwaks O-Line collapsed under the assault of Marcus Stroud. Play after play you could see the line moving back and inwards as Stroud made it to the backfield an incredible number of times. When he didn't make it through, somebody else did, and even when the Hawks were able to run for a few yards, Stroud had penetrated inside and made a difference on the play; even if he wasn't near the ball.

This amazing ability our DT possesses led to plays for everybody else and it was great to watch the Hawks toss the ball to the outside, only to have the ball carrier wrapped up by Schobel or Mitchell as they had clear paths to the ball because Stroud was wreaking havoc inside, causing O-Lineman to scramble to get their runner free to the outside and out of that monster's reach.

Schobel is a Pro Bowler and Stroud brought that out in him as he finished the day with 4 tackles and a sack. Mitchell finished with another 4 tackles and a sack, Kyle Williams tallied a remarkable 1.5 sacks and 3 tackles and clearly benefited from playing next to Stroud. In all, our defense looked amazing, especially our front 7, and Stroud was the key to it all. I was yelling after every play to anyone who would listen to just watch Stroud and the effect he was having on the Seahawks interior line. That won't show up on his already maginificient stat line but man was it breathtaking to watch.

Youboty wins Nickelback Job

poz — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:28:32 -0000

Amazingly, considering the view of Ashton Youboty at the end of last year, the kid has been able to fight his way back into a Nickel role in the Bills secondary. Considering that with James cut and Corner and McKelvin clearly not yet ready to get anything more than dime duties, I think its fair to have an intriguing discussion on the future of this always promising but not always performing corner.

Following the NFL draft and up until now, it has been a view of many on this blog that by years end Jabari Greer would have his starting position wrestled away from him by Leodis McKelvin. With Youboty impressing both coaches and fans, dare we ask if perhaps he will be the one, if anybody, to steal Greer's job? Youboty is still very young, very athletic, and should have a leg up on McKelvin and Corner in terms of understanding the defense. If a light has clicked on for the kid, could we finally see the talent we were hoping for when he was drafted? Of course, McKelvin was drafted 11th overall for a reason and that has to count for something, as coaches and the front office will want to reap the benefits of such a lofty investment.

Finally, Jabari Greer can not be discounted from finishing the year as the starter as well. While many were impressed by his hustle and never say die playing style, many more fans were equally eager to see him leave the starting lineup.

In my opinion, the battle at cornerback is far from over. Round 1 has been decided and Youboty has emerged as the surprise victor but I think we will continue to see a struggle at the position until the end of the year. Who do you all think will be starting the last game of the year?

Poll

Who will be Buffalo's starting cornerback opposite Terrence McGee at the end of this season?

Jabari Greer

25 votes

Leodis McKelvin

21 votes

Ashton Youboty

18 votes

Reggie Corner

1 votes

65 votes | Poll has closed