Bills Linebackers

[lmcshadow]

We all know our defense was lacking a bit from injuries last year.. thats a know brainer, But what about our returning linebackers? Crowell, Puslusny, and Mitchel. They have never played together. do you think this blend will work successfully for the Bills. We know these guys are studs so can they get the job done is what i want to know

[YardRat]

Re: Bills Linebackers

The talent is there, they just need to become cohesive as a unit and I see no reason to believe that they can't.

The biggest ? IMO is POZ's ability to be a field general.

[acehole]

Re: Bills Linebackers

We all know our defense was lacking a bit from injuries last year.. thats a know brainer, But what about our returning linebackers? Crowell, Puslusny, and Mitchel. They have never played together. do you think this blend will work successfully for the Bills. We know these guys are studs so can they get the job done is what i want to know

LB are not like the secondary....they dont need time to gel.

I still like Mitchel in the middle....

That is a sick on paper core.

[TigerJ]

Re: Bills Linebackers

Well, Poz spent all of last year's training camp working with Crowell, and will have that chance again this summer. In the few games before he was injured he seemed to have worked in to what the linebackers were supposed to do just fine. So for me the main question will be how Mitchell will fit in. I'm not too concerned. He is a veteran and last year joining the Giants he seemed to fit in just fine with the Giants despite having to move outside. He played middle linebacker with KC in 06.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Re: Bills Linebackers

I'm not so much worried about the LBs ability to work with each other, but I do think that it could take a little time for the front seven (eight with Whitner) to reach its full potential as a unit.

It's not just that Mitchell is new and Poz is coming back from an injury and still a little inexperienced, it is also that the LBs and DEs have to adjust to the addition of Stroud and S.Johnson to the DT rotation.

We all anticipate that Stroud and Johnson will make the DT rotation much stronger and better than it was--and they should. But, it's going take a little time for the LBs and especially the DEs to learn what those new DTs like to do and can do, which is going to impact what the DEs, in particular, are going to be able to do (ie if Stroud is getting doubled, Schobel may not get doubled and may be able to do different things than he could last year; Whitner or one of the LBs may find that he has to take a certain angle--maybe a different one--to get to his "fit" because of what Stroud or Johnson can do that is different from last year's DTs; etc.).

That may be something that they will be able to get down for the most part in TC and the preseason, but the regular season is a different animal and it may take a couple of games for everyone to get comfortable with where the players around them are going to be and what they are going to be trying to do in certain situations, etc. I don't think that this will take that long, but it is possible that the front seven won't be quite as good initially as they will get to be once this happens.

[jamze132]

Re: Bills Linebackers

I don't think it's as important for Lbs to "gel", as it is for guys on the line. LBs don't usually lineup within inches of each other and get their feet tangled.

[Bert102176]

Re: Bills Linebackers

our D as a whole I feel has the potential to be a top 5 D

[justasportsfan]

Re: Bills Linebackers

We all know our defense was lacking a bit from injuries last year.. thats a know brainer, But what about our returning linebackers? Crowell, Puslusny, and Mitchel. They have never played together. do you think this blend will work successfully for the Bills. We know these guys are studs so can they get the job done is what i want to know

it starts up front in the DL. If they play well, our lbers will be sick.

[EDS]

Re: Bills Linebackers

We all know our defense was lacking a bit from injuries last year.. thats a know brainer, But what about our returning linebackers? Crowell, Puslusny, and Mitchel. They have never played together. do you think this blend will work successfully for the Bills. We know these guys are studs so can they get the job done is what i want to know

Actually, that is a "no-brainer."

I actually am not sure that we "know" these guys are studs. I would rate Crowell as the best of the bunch until Poz proves otherwise. Mitchell is solid, but not spectacular. I don't think any of them are as talented as pre-injury TKO.