LB White ready to prove himself again

[justasportsfan]

The Bills had some additional information on White that went deeper than the week they spent with him at the Senior Bowl. Bills GM Buddy Nix and coach Gailey both knew his junior college defensive coordinator Steve Davis, whose comments only confirmed what they had thought about White all along.

“We had some great reports on him,” said Nix. “We heard what this guy was made of and knew that he did have some of those natural instincts. You could see it on film, but to hear another coach say it helps you.”



http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-2/LB-White-ready-to-prove-himself-again/84c1fa8a-ffca-46da-802d-531ee460bd59

[OpIv37]

This quote bothers me:


“He’s not the biggest guy, he’s not the fastest guy, but he makes plays,” said Gailey. “He’s around the ball all the time. He’s a smart player and he’s around the football and he understands the game and seems to have a really good head on his shoulders.”

That exact description sounds like Poz.

[stuckincincy]

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-2/LB-White-ready-to-prove-himself-again/84c1fa8a-ffca-46da-802d-531ee460bd59

The Bills' spin doctors and their acolytes are always on the job...they never sleep...

[justasportsfan]

This quote bothers me:



That exact description sounds like Poz.


POz makes plays? Sounds more like Fletcher to me.

[OpIv37]

POz makes plays? Sounds more like Fletcher to me.

Ok, take out the "makes plays" part and it sounds like Poz. Poz is usually around the football, he just gets blocked off the play. His problem isn't that he doesn't know where to go- it's that he's incapable of shedding/avoiding a block to get there.

[CleveSteve]

Well, White makes plays. He gets to the ball and he can get off of blocks, and he did it in the SEC. I was watching Miss St v. Auburn and he clearly had the best instincts on the MSU defense which included Pernell McPhee and KJ Wright. You guys got a good one in the 6th with White.

Great instincts.
Can shed blocks.
Gets to the football.
Is tough.

Not the fastest guy, but an ILB in a 3-4 doesn't have to be fast... especially SILB. He can play a thumper role well enough to start. He's not going to be a star, but he can be a starter.

For a 6th, that's a terrific pick.

[casdhf]

Sounds more like Zach Thomas.

[psubills62]

I agree with CleveSteve. White should play the "thumper" position (I can't remember which is which with the ILB positions - Ted maybe?) - same one as Andra Davis and same as Danny Batten, if he stays at ILB. Poz and Sheppard are guys who will play in the other ILB spot.

[ddaryl]

Ok, take out the "makes plays" part and it sounds like Poz. Poz is usually around the football, he just gets blocked off the play. His problem isn't that he doesn't know where to go- it's that he's incapable of shedding/avoiding a block to get there.

DL is supposed to keep these big linemen off the LB's

that's part of the equation....

[BuffaloBlitz83]

I miss London Fletcher

[Prov401]

Hopefully he turns out to be a Tedy Bruschi type of player. Just playing blue collar football and making big plays.

[OpIv37]

I miss London Fletcher
Try living in the DC area. Every week, I have to hear about how he was the best player on the field for the Redskins.

[Pinkerton Security]

POz makes plays? Sounds more like Fletcher to me.

except when Fletch was here everyone said exactly what they say about Poz now...doesnt make plays, only tackles people 5 yards downfield.

Now that Fletch is gone though hes a huge playmaker? typical.

[justasportsfan]

except when Fletch was here everyone said exactly what they say about Poz now...doesnt make plays, only tackles people 5 yards downfield.

Now that Fletch is gone though hes a huge playmaker? typical.

It was kinda true. Fletch was no Sam Cowart prior to his injury.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

Sam Cowert had speed prior to his injury - he ran down RBs.

[acehole]

Puff piece....as in magic dragon.



http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-2/LB-White-ready-to-prove-himself-again/84c1fa8a-ffca-46da-802d-531ee460bd59

[BuffaloBlitz83]

You must be blind if you compared Fletcher to Poz.

[Night Train]

This quote bothers me:



That exact description sounds like Poz.

The difference is this guys write-up says he anticipates the snap, attacks the RB and is not afraid to fill the hole. Physical.

That sounds like the polar opposite of Poz.

[elltrain22]

I'd like to be optimistic, but this guy doesn't excite me one bit! It just seems like another average/good ST's that'll be around for a year or two, and then get cut. I hope I'm wrong though.

[John Doe]

Sounds more like Zach Thomas.

I was thinking the same thing.

After Jimmy Johnson handed Thomas the starting job as middle linebacker in training camp and cut Jack Del Rio, he explained his reasoning: Thomas just makes more plays.

[OpIv37]

except when Fletch was here everyone said exactly what they say about Poz now...doesnt make plays, only tackles people 5 yards downfield.

Now that Fletch is gone though hes a huge playmaker? typical.

Watch a Skins game sometime. The guy is great- far better than he ever was here. Maybe the coaches held him back, maybe he's benefiting from having a better D around him, maybe he just improved over time. But he looks great pretty much every week.

[OpIv37]

DL is supposed to keep these big linemen off the LB's

that's part of the equation....

but this is just another version of the "he'd be better if he had better players around him" argument, which is quickly replacing the "use the exception to prove the rule" argument as the official mantra of Billszone.

It's a team game. Any player is going to look better with better players around him. The point is that some guys make the players around them better, and some players need better players around them to succeed. Only Pro Bowl squads have 22 starters who are the former, but the problem is that right now the Bills have 22 guys who are the later. Literally zero difference-makers.

We can't cut every player and replace them with an All Pro, but we also can't defend every single player with the "he needs better players around him" excuse. Our FO has been doing that for the last 11 years, and look where it's gotten us. At some point, we need guys who improve the players around them instead of relying on the players around them.

[Spiderweb]

Ok, take out the "makes plays" part and it sounds like Poz. Poz is usually around the football, he just gets blocked off the play. His problem isn't that he doesn't know where to go- it's that he's incapable of shedding/avoiding a block to get there.
Shedding blocks is huge, and a failure to do so inevitably has hurt Poz more than anyone should care for, yet.....

LB's best block shedding abilities come from DT's in front to them that occupy space and demand double teams themselves. Big burly Ted Washington was a pair of DT's all by himself. Even though we only had the privilege of watching Spielman play behind him for a season and a half, it was one impressive show. No one touched Spielman. Many thought (even some of the Bills) Spielman was insane, but he was one highly focused, football smart player who seemed to know what was coming before anyone else, and it appeared at times even the opposition's offense knew less than he. His instinct, his knowledge, dedication to the game made him a great player and freinds, Spielman wasn't fast.

Poz at times did make plays based on being where he needed to be very quickly. Unfortunately, I would agree it wasn't as often as it needs to be.