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Going into week 1 against the Phish thought it would be interesting to do a position by position comparison between the Bills and Phins.
QB - Edwards vs Henne - Both have been inconsistent players and have a lot to prove.
--- EVEN ---
RBs - Spiller/Jackson/Lynch vs Brown/Williams/Cobbs - Lynch/Jackson is just about equal to Williams/Brown here. The X-factor in this comparison though is Spiller.
--- Advantage Buffalo ---
WRs - Evans/Johnson/Parrish vs Marhsall/Bess/Hartline - Marhsall is one of the best WRs in the NFL and is more of a threat on the field than Lee Evans. Bess and Hartline are also more accomplished at this point than Parrish and Johnson.
--- Advantage Miami ---
OT - Bell/Meredith vs Long/Carey - At this point it's not even a comparison. Miami has two established OTs who excel in all phases of the game. Buffalo might have their say in it down the road with Bell and Meredith developing but that is yet to be seen.
--- Advantage Miami ---
OG/C - Levitre/Hangartner/Wood vs Incognito/Berger/Jerry - The interior of the Bills line has been playing together for over a year now and have been the strength of the team. They all bring their own skill set to the table and are a great fit in Gailey's system. The Dolphins have a brand new interior adding Incognito who is a mauler and John Jerry through the draft. Berger is a reliable starter but nothing more. They will need time to play together and prove themselves.
--- Advantage Buffalo ---
TEs - Stupar/Martin vs Fasano/Nalbone - This is the battle of the worst positions for both teams. Martin is just about equal to Fasano in terms of career production and the other two are unknowns.
--- EVEN ---
NT - Williams/Troup vs Starks/Soliai - Both KW and Starks are adjusting to new positions at the NT spot. Starks moves over from 3-4 DE to NT and KW moves from a 4-3 DT to the nose. Both are a bit undersized for the position so it will be interesting to see who has made the smoothest transition and help shut down the run game for their teams. Soliai though provides a bit more experience behind Starks than Troup provides. But Troup brings energy and more mobility.
--- EVEN ---
DE - Stroud/Edwards vs Langford/Odrick - Tough call. Stroud and Edwards bring a ton of experience and are very strong players at the point of attack. Langford has proven to be a reliable starter at DE and Odrick is a rookie with a ton of upside. I think the experience of Dwan Edwards in the 3-4 along with Stroud who has looked like a great fit at DE gives the Bills a slight advantage over the younger Phins DEs.
--- Advantage Bills ---
ILBs - Poz/Davis vs Crowder/Dansby - This one is not very close at all. Crowder is an established 3-4 ILB and Dansby is a very good inside backer himself, although a little overrated. Still, Poz has not been comfortable in his new position having difficulty locating ball carriers and also looking out of position in pass coverage. Davis brings experience and the ability to sniff out run plays but is also a liability in coverage. IMO, the Bills ability to cover TEs and Rbs will be a problem all year long.
--- Advantage Dolphins ---
OLBs - Kelsay/Torbor/Maybin/Ellis vs Misi/Wake - I listed all 4 for the Bills because it seems they will be very situational about their OLBs while the Dolphins seem to be committed to Misi and Wake as every down players. This could either be a strength for these two teams or a glaring weakness. Both teams are using players who have not played the position before and/or players who struggle in defending the run. Wake and Maybin are pegged as the pass rushers but neither are comfortable in coverage. Misi is a rookie and will have to adjust to the NFL game while taking on a new position also. Kelsay seems to be out of place as a LB also. There are a ton of question marks at these positions and only one thing we know for sure. Cameron Wake is a proven pass rusher. The Bills have no one proven who can get after the QB.
--- Advantage Dolphins ---
CBs- McGee/Florence/McKelvin vs Davis/Allen/Smith - This is a no contest for the Bills. McGee and Florence were very consistent players for the Bills last year and both have a knack for getting their hands on the ball. McKelvin is emerging as a shut down CB with his speed and cover skills. Davis has been showing flashes of becoming that shut down guy for the Dolphins but not quite there yet. Smith has been demoted it seems but also has plenty of potential. Allen has been a disappointment so far and will have trouble flipping his hips with quick WRs.
--- Advantage Bills ---
S - Byrd/Whitner vs Bell/Clemons - Bell has been a solid player in the league although he has trouble in coverage and Clemons is getting his first crack at the starting job and is unknown though he has potential. The Bills have Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd though which gives them the edge and a rejuvenated Whitner who should find his niche in a scheme that puts more pressure on QBs and allows him to make plays.
--- Advantage Buffalo ---
KR/PR - McKelvin/Spiller vs Cobbs/Bess - This is a no brainer. Mckelvin has proven to be one of the most explosive KRs in the league and Spiller made a career out of returning kicks for TDs in college. Buffalo should win 2-3 games on the backs of their returners.
--- Advantage Buffalo ---
To sum up....
Buffalo has the advantage at: RB, DE, CB, S, KR/PR and OG/C
Miami has the advantage at: WR, ILB, OLB and OT.
Even at: QB, NT, TE
Comment or post your own comparisons....
QB - Edwards vs Henne - Both have been inconsistent players and have a lot to prove.
--- EVEN ---
RBs - Spiller/Jackson/Lynch vs Brown/Williams/Cobbs - Lynch/Jackson is just about equal to Williams/Brown here. The X-factor in this comparison though is Spiller.
--- Advantage Buffalo ---
WRs - Evans/Johnson/Parrish vs Marhsall/Bess/Hartline - Marhsall is one of the best WRs in the NFL and is more of a threat on the field than Lee Evans. Bess and Hartline are also more accomplished at this point than Parrish and Johnson.
--- Advantage Miami ---
OT - Bell/Meredith vs Long/Carey - At this point it's not even a comparison. Miami has two established OTs who excel in all phases of the game. Buffalo might have their say in it down the road with Bell and Meredith developing but that is yet to be seen.
--- Advantage Miami ---
OG/C - Levitre/Hangartner/Wood vs Incognito/Berger/Jerry - The interior of the Bills line has been playing together for over a year now and have been the strength of the team. They all bring their own skill set to the table and are a great fit in Gailey's system. The Dolphins have a brand new interior adding Incognito who is a mauler and John Jerry through the draft. Berger is a reliable starter but nothing more. They will need time to play together and prove themselves.
--- Advantage Buffalo ---
TEs - Stupar/Martin vs Fasano/Nalbone - This is the battle of the worst positions for both teams. Martin is just about equal to Fasano in terms of career production and the other two are unknowns.
--- EVEN ---
NT - Williams/Troup vs Starks/Soliai - Both KW and Starks are adjusting to new positions at the NT spot. Starks moves over from 3-4 DE to NT and KW moves from a 4-3 DT to the nose. Both are a bit undersized for the position so it will be interesting to see who has made the smoothest transition and help shut down the run game for their teams. Soliai though provides a bit more experience behind Starks than Troup provides. But Troup brings energy and more mobility.
--- EVEN ---
DE - Stroud/Edwards vs Langford/Odrick - Tough call. Stroud and Edwards bring a ton of experience and are very strong players at the point of attack. Langford has proven to be a reliable starter at DE and Odrick is a rookie with a ton of upside. I think the experience of Dwan Edwards in the 3-4 along with Stroud who has looked like a great fit at DE gives the Bills a slight advantage over the younger Phins DEs.
--- Advantage Bills ---
ILBs - Poz/Davis vs Crowder/Dansby - This one is not very close at all. Crowder is an established 3-4 ILB and Dansby is a very good inside backer himself, although a little overrated. Still, Poz has not been comfortable in his new position having difficulty locating ball carriers and also looking out of position in pass coverage. Davis brings experience and the ability to sniff out run plays but is also a liability in coverage. IMO, the Bills ability to cover TEs and Rbs will be a problem all year long.
--- Advantage Dolphins ---
OLBs - Kelsay/Torbor/Maybin/Ellis vs Misi/Wake - I listed all 4 for the Bills because it seems they will be very situational about their OLBs while the Dolphins seem to be committed to Misi and Wake as every down players. This could either be a strength for these two teams or a glaring weakness. Both teams are using players who have not played the position before and/or players who struggle in defending the run. Wake and Maybin are pegged as the pass rushers but neither are comfortable in coverage. Misi is a rookie and will have to adjust to the NFL game while taking on a new position also. Kelsay seems to be out of place as a LB also. There are a ton of question marks at these positions and only one thing we know for sure. Cameron Wake is a proven pass rusher. The Bills have no one proven who can get after the QB.
--- Advantage Dolphins ---
CBs- McGee/Florence/McKelvin vs Davis/Allen/Smith - This is a no contest for the Bills. McGee and Florence were very consistent players for the Bills last year and both have a knack for getting their hands on the ball. McKelvin is emerging as a shut down CB with his speed and cover skills. Davis has been showing flashes of becoming that shut down guy for the Dolphins but not quite there yet. Smith has been demoted it seems but also has plenty of potential. Allen has been a disappointment so far and will have trouble flipping his hips with quick WRs.
--- Advantage Bills ---
S - Byrd/Whitner vs Bell/Clemons - Bell has been a solid player in the league although he has trouble in coverage and Clemons is getting his first crack at the starting job and is unknown though he has potential. The Bills have Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd though which gives them the edge and a rejuvenated Whitner who should find his niche in a scheme that puts more pressure on QBs and allows him to make plays.
--- Advantage Buffalo ---
KR/PR - McKelvin/Spiller vs Cobbs/Bess - This is a no brainer. Mckelvin has proven to be one of the most explosive KRs in the league and Spiller made a career out of returning kicks for TDs in college. Buffalo should win 2-3 games on the backs of their returners.
--- Advantage Buffalo ---
To sum up....
Buffalo has the advantage at: RB, DE, CB, S, KR/PR and OG/C
Miami has the advantage at: WR, ILB, OLB and OT.
Even at: QB, NT, TE
Comment or post your own comparisons....
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