BillsWin
05-03-2009, 12:11 AM
http://www.askthecommish.com/_images/Action/1.jpg
Is Trent Edwards the key to the season?
My take on where the Bills are headed this season... :bike:
This Bills' season is important to the franchise, it determines several things. Whether we move forward with the staff we have, and build on the talent and schemes that have been brought in and installed or whether we wipe the slate clean and rebuild yet again.
The real question is, "Do the Bills have enough talent in place to make the playoffs NOW?"
Well, shake that magic 8-ball, what does it say? Probably that the answer is clowdy, there are so many undetermined variables that make the whole future of the 2009-2010 Buffalo Bills very questionable. Even though it is very, very early on in the off season, I thought I might be able to shed some light and opinions on where I think this team is going to be headed for the current 2009 season. Whether or not you agree, or disagree, I would really like some feed-back and discussion. So please, read and then join in.
Where I see the special teams headed:
http://prod.static.bills.clubs.nfl.com/assets/images/imported/BUF/photos/playerscoaches/April_Bobby(2).jpg
The Bills have always had some of the most elite special teams units since April came on board. I don't think there is much question that the Bills will once again be somewhere at the top of the league in this category. There are some major contributors still on the roster. Roscoe Parrish, despite the whole "for sale" deal that went on with him, is still a top punt returner in the NFL. He has explosive game-breaking abilities that every Bills fan can recognize. A welcomed new-comer in the regards of kick off duties is sophomore player, Leodis McKelvin. Leodis started to come on halfway through the Bills season last year and was just inches away from shedding off what would have been the last line of defense in his way of several touchdowns. I can almost guarantee he will be more explosive this season, and that is something to be extremely excited about. The coverage units will continue to be solid. Maybe more so with some of our rookies from last season, i.e Corner and Bowen, may see more time in that regard as well as some of the DBs we picked up this season will be able to hold their own. I don't think the special teams suffer at all. Dont forget, Byrd can return as well.
Impact Player: Leodis McKelvin
Where is the defense headed?:
The Bills defense ranked in the top half of the league last season in pass defense. No thanks to you Chris Kelsay, or any of the other defensive ends. Our pass rush was horrible. No, non-exsistant. We all hope that a Schobel-Kelsay-Maybin rotation will do something much more. Just think, if the Bills were in the top half with no pass rush, think of how many more interceptions and big time pass breakups our DBs can get if the opposing QB doesnt have all the time in the world. But, there are still several questions, what is our DT rotation? Will Maybin really contribute? Who is our saftey lineup? Is Schobel back to form? etc. etc. The fact is, that our defense will rely on the health of the starters. I have all the confidence in the world in Byrd becoming our new FS. I love the kid. Not so much as a CB, but I think he is the ball hawk
FS that will complete our DB corp and send it to its real potential. If he goes down, we rely on Simpson, who is anything but consistent. Our DT rotation is nothing if Stroud goes down. Heck, if Williams goes down we have Johnson and McCargo. Not fun. If Schobel goes down, we need to pray that Maybin is ready for the big show. As for our LB corp, I think that they look pretty good as long as Ellison doesnt start. Yes, I really dont like him all too much. Great backup, but not a full-time starter. Who do I think gets the nod? I am high on Nic Harris, safety gone LB from OU. I live and work in Oklahoma, I covered the OU Sooners last season for the espn affiliate sports talk radio station I work for and I got to see him play. Whether it was at safety, or it was his fill-ins at LB, he was a player. He can hit, he can run, he has all the necessary skills to be a cover LB on the strong side in our scheme. I think if he picks it up, and I know he will, he will be the guy we are looking for to man that strong side. I actually jumped out of my seat when I saw the draft pick and I am extremely intrigued and excited to watch his progress this off season. So where does that all add to? I think that we will have a strong run-D. One that can hold its own and shut down weak to middle of the road offensive attacks. Now that we have some talent, it isn't just bend then break, it may turn out to be bend, then hit you in the mouth for trying to break it. Of course, it really depends on Fewell. We need some blitz schemes this season. Get after Brady!!! Where are they headed? In the right direction. But they have got some work cut out for them.
Impact Player: Aaron Maybin http://www.packerchatters.com/userfiles/image/2009Draft_aaron_maybin.jpg
We got weapons! But whats that mean?:
All I can really say is, wow. This is an offense that is just jacked. What does that mean? squat. diddly. nada. just kidding, it means alot. We now have, in my honest opinion, the best god damn wide reciever corp in the NFL. T.O, a first ballet hall of famer is going to be as productive as last year at least, and 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns is good enough. With Lee Evans on the other side, opposing defenses wont be able to man-up on both at the same time. Not to mention Josh Reed in his natural climate. Don't get me started on last year's rookies. Hardy and Johnson will come along just fine to add to the arsenal we have beside them. Johnson may come along quicker, but really, who cares, Evans, Owens, Reed, Johnson and Hardy are more than 90% of the defenses out there know how to handle. How about, Parrish? Well, he wont really play much on offense. sad day right? not really. It isnt a problem to have too many weapons. If it is, it is a good problem to have. Our tight ends are adequate. Their production relies on Nelson. The guy is a top flite recieving tight end and in my honest opinion was the third best in the draft, but it was a very close finish. Nelson will be some what of a key part in determining the direction of the offense. One of the most important things you need in the no huddle (Im getting to that.) is a tight end that can line up on the outside and be that 3rd or 4th wide reciever. A dynamic threat at TE is something Edwards needs to make everything work out on offense. Nelson and Fine will do just fine. Our running backs are the icing on the cake that is the list of fire power we own. Lynch is a beast. Jackson is a hidden gem. Rhodes is still a threat and was one of the best moves this off season. Together we have three capable starting runningbacks. Who else has that? The offensive line is a question mark, but you guys are making too much of it really. Last season, Walker and Chambers did relatively well manning the LT spot. Bell is supposedly impressing coaches and was extremely athletic last offseason. He is just raw. Butler is moving to his natural spot and he is athletic enough to do so. Hangnarter is relatively a genius apparently and that is what we need to be our center (Ill get to that in a moment.) Our two starting guards will be rookies. Great, no problem. They are both good rookies, high picks, high talents, high intelligent and high charater guys. If I were HC I would trust them to anchor the middle. The reason we need a center who is as smart as Hang-man is that to run an o-line in the no huddle it is very important to have a center who can make line changes and calls on the fly. They need to pick up shifts and blitzes, call for double teams and sometimes change schemes and zone blocks on the fly. If Hangnarter is smart enough to do so, and strong enough to hold a block he'll do quite nicely. Which brings me to Trent. I am a Trent fan, but also a realist. He has shown only flashes that he is the future of the franchise. Well, flashes arent enough. This is his final year to show OBD that he is their man and show them they shouldnt be looking at Bradford or McCoy this coming draft. He has weapons that any and every NFL QB would beg their coaches for. He has so many places to throw the ball that if he can't do it, he doesn't belong on the field. period. I hope he does well. I love the kid. Smart, accurate and he does have talent, but no excuses. Also, can he please stay healthy for once? Where is this offense headed? Well, I am very excited. The weapons are one thing, but the whole switching to no-huddle made my heart leap in my chest. The tools are there and we have no reason to be worried about the offense. They should be the strong point of the team! please Turk, don't suck. Same to you Trent.
Impact Player: Shawn Nelson and Trent Edwards http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/87427/shawn_nelson.jpg
Bottom Line: Where are the Bills come playoff time?
This schedule is very hard. The Bills still have question marks. Injuries do occur, and can be detremental to the downfall of the entire season. Where do I see the Bills? Well, there offense is good enough to go places. Big places. It all falls on the OC and on Trent. Both have weapons, both have the entire offseason to gell together and both should succeed. The defense was stout last season, Byrd is a ball hawk, there is competition at OLB that there wasnt last season, Maybin is a pass rush stud and there is no reason they cant be one of the best in the league. Yeah, I said it. Will the Bills make the playoffs? They certainly can. If Trent had Owens, a healthy Reed and Nelson last year, the Bills may have won a few more games. If they had this team last year, I think they could have went 11-5 or 12-4. That was an easy schedule. This year will be tough, and it all depends on who steps it up. If Trent is the guy, injuries are minimal and the coaching staff shows some signs of life, this team WILL make the playoffs. But, it is a long offseason and a long road ahead.
http://www.rotoworld.com/images/photos/NFL/BUF/NFL_jauron_250.jpg
Best Outcome: 11-5, Worst Outcome: 5-11
Thank you. Let me know what you think.
Is Trent Edwards the key to the season?
My take on where the Bills are headed this season... :bike:
This Bills' season is important to the franchise, it determines several things. Whether we move forward with the staff we have, and build on the talent and schemes that have been brought in and installed or whether we wipe the slate clean and rebuild yet again.
The real question is, "Do the Bills have enough talent in place to make the playoffs NOW?"
Well, shake that magic 8-ball, what does it say? Probably that the answer is clowdy, there are so many undetermined variables that make the whole future of the 2009-2010 Buffalo Bills very questionable. Even though it is very, very early on in the off season, I thought I might be able to shed some light and opinions on where I think this team is going to be headed for the current 2009 season. Whether or not you agree, or disagree, I would really like some feed-back and discussion. So please, read and then join in.
Where I see the special teams headed:
http://prod.static.bills.clubs.nfl.com/assets/images/imported/BUF/photos/playerscoaches/April_Bobby(2).jpg
The Bills have always had some of the most elite special teams units since April came on board. I don't think there is much question that the Bills will once again be somewhere at the top of the league in this category. There are some major contributors still on the roster. Roscoe Parrish, despite the whole "for sale" deal that went on with him, is still a top punt returner in the NFL. He has explosive game-breaking abilities that every Bills fan can recognize. A welcomed new-comer in the regards of kick off duties is sophomore player, Leodis McKelvin. Leodis started to come on halfway through the Bills season last year and was just inches away from shedding off what would have been the last line of defense in his way of several touchdowns. I can almost guarantee he will be more explosive this season, and that is something to be extremely excited about. The coverage units will continue to be solid. Maybe more so with some of our rookies from last season, i.e Corner and Bowen, may see more time in that regard as well as some of the DBs we picked up this season will be able to hold their own. I don't think the special teams suffer at all. Dont forget, Byrd can return as well.
Impact Player: Leodis McKelvin
Where is the defense headed?:
The Bills defense ranked in the top half of the league last season in pass defense. No thanks to you Chris Kelsay, or any of the other defensive ends. Our pass rush was horrible. No, non-exsistant. We all hope that a Schobel-Kelsay-Maybin rotation will do something much more. Just think, if the Bills were in the top half with no pass rush, think of how many more interceptions and big time pass breakups our DBs can get if the opposing QB doesnt have all the time in the world. But, there are still several questions, what is our DT rotation? Will Maybin really contribute? Who is our saftey lineup? Is Schobel back to form? etc. etc. The fact is, that our defense will rely on the health of the starters. I have all the confidence in the world in Byrd becoming our new FS. I love the kid. Not so much as a CB, but I think he is the ball hawk
FS that will complete our DB corp and send it to its real potential. If he goes down, we rely on Simpson, who is anything but consistent. Our DT rotation is nothing if Stroud goes down. Heck, if Williams goes down we have Johnson and McCargo. Not fun. If Schobel goes down, we need to pray that Maybin is ready for the big show. As for our LB corp, I think that they look pretty good as long as Ellison doesnt start. Yes, I really dont like him all too much. Great backup, but not a full-time starter. Who do I think gets the nod? I am high on Nic Harris, safety gone LB from OU. I live and work in Oklahoma, I covered the OU Sooners last season for the espn affiliate sports talk radio station I work for and I got to see him play. Whether it was at safety, or it was his fill-ins at LB, he was a player. He can hit, he can run, he has all the necessary skills to be a cover LB on the strong side in our scheme. I think if he picks it up, and I know he will, he will be the guy we are looking for to man that strong side. I actually jumped out of my seat when I saw the draft pick and I am extremely intrigued and excited to watch his progress this off season. So where does that all add to? I think that we will have a strong run-D. One that can hold its own and shut down weak to middle of the road offensive attacks. Now that we have some talent, it isn't just bend then break, it may turn out to be bend, then hit you in the mouth for trying to break it. Of course, it really depends on Fewell. We need some blitz schemes this season. Get after Brady!!! Where are they headed? In the right direction. But they have got some work cut out for them.
Impact Player: Aaron Maybin http://www.packerchatters.com/userfiles/image/2009Draft_aaron_maybin.jpg
We got weapons! But whats that mean?:
All I can really say is, wow. This is an offense that is just jacked. What does that mean? squat. diddly. nada. just kidding, it means alot. We now have, in my honest opinion, the best god damn wide reciever corp in the NFL. T.O, a first ballet hall of famer is going to be as productive as last year at least, and 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns is good enough. With Lee Evans on the other side, opposing defenses wont be able to man-up on both at the same time. Not to mention Josh Reed in his natural climate. Don't get me started on last year's rookies. Hardy and Johnson will come along just fine to add to the arsenal we have beside them. Johnson may come along quicker, but really, who cares, Evans, Owens, Reed, Johnson and Hardy are more than 90% of the defenses out there know how to handle. How about, Parrish? Well, he wont really play much on offense. sad day right? not really. It isnt a problem to have too many weapons. If it is, it is a good problem to have. Our tight ends are adequate. Their production relies on Nelson. The guy is a top flite recieving tight end and in my honest opinion was the third best in the draft, but it was a very close finish. Nelson will be some what of a key part in determining the direction of the offense. One of the most important things you need in the no huddle (Im getting to that.) is a tight end that can line up on the outside and be that 3rd or 4th wide reciever. A dynamic threat at TE is something Edwards needs to make everything work out on offense. Nelson and Fine will do just fine. Our running backs are the icing on the cake that is the list of fire power we own. Lynch is a beast. Jackson is a hidden gem. Rhodes is still a threat and was one of the best moves this off season. Together we have three capable starting runningbacks. Who else has that? The offensive line is a question mark, but you guys are making too much of it really. Last season, Walker and Chambers did relatively well manning the LT spot. Bell is supposedly impressing coaches and was extremely athletic last offseason. He is just raw. Butler is moving to his natural spot and he is athletic enough to do so. Hangnarter is relatively a genius apparently and that is what we need to be our center (Ill get to that in a moment.) Our two starting guards will be rookies. Great, no problem. They are both good rookies, high picks, high talents, high intelligent and high charater guys. If I were HC I would trust them to anchor the middle. The reason we need a center who is as smart as Hang-man is that to run an o-line in the no huddle it is very important to have a center who can make line changes and calls on the fly. They need to pick up shifts and blitzes, call for double teams and sometimes change schemes and zone blocks on the fly. If Hangnarter is smart enough to do so, and strong enough to hold a block he'll do quite nicely. Which brings me to Trent. I am a Trent fan, but also a realist. He has shown only flashes that he is the future of the franchise. Well, flashes arent enough. This is his final year to show OBD that he is their man and show them they shouldnt be looking at Bradford or McCoy this coming draft. He has weapons that any and every NFL QB would beg their coaches for. He has so many places to throw the ball that if he can't do it, he doesn't belong on the field. period. I hope he does well. I love the kid. Smart, accurate and he does have talent, but no excuses. Also, can he please stay healthy for once? Where is this offense headed? Well, I am very excited. The weapons are one thing, but the whole switching to no-huddle made my heart leap in my chest. The tools are there and we have no reason to be worried about the offense. They should be the strong point of the team! please Turk, don't suck. Same to you Trent.
Impact Player: Shawn Nelson and Trent Edwards http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/87427/shawn_nelson.jpg
Bottom Line: Where are the Bills come playoff time?
This schedule is very hard. The Bills still have question marks. Injuries do occur, and can be detremental to the downfall of the entire season. Where do I see the Bills? Well, there offense is good enough to go places. Big places. It all falls on the OC and on Trent. Both have weapons, both have the entire offseason to gell together and both should succeed. The defense was stout last season, Byrd is a ball hawk, there is competition at OLB that there wasnt last season, Maybin is a pass rush stud and there is no reason they cant be one of the best in the league. Yeah, I said it. Will the Bills make the playoffs? They certainly can. If Trent had Owens, a healthy Reed and Nelson last year, the Bills may have won a few more games. If they had this team last year, I think they could have went 11-5 or 12-4. That was an easy schedule. This year will be tough, and it all depends on who steps it up. If Trent is the guy, injuries are minimal and the coaching staff shows some signs of life, this team WILL make the playoffs. But, it is a long offseason and a long road ahead.
http://www.rotoworld.com/images/photos/NFL/BUF/NFL_jauron_250.jpg
Best Outcome: 11-5, Worst Outcome: 5-11
Thank you. Let me know what you think.