Corey Graham Needs To Play More Than 33 Plays

[BillsImpossible]

Corey Graham was the MVP of the Buffalo Bills after the first two weeks.

He was the biggest difference maker on the field for the Bills against the Bears, and Dolphins.

Against the Chargers, Corey Graham did not play as much.

%UC!

Stephon Gilmore had 49 plays, or 74%

Leodis McKelvin had 46 plays, or 70%

Corey Graham had 33 plays, or 50%

Makes no sense!

Shouldn't great play be rewarded with more playing time, not less?

Don't give me this, "We got 3 starting cornerbacks in rotation," bull crap, Marrone!

Why take playing time away from a player that has been making game changing plays?

[BOBM253]

Marrone is starting to sound like Chan. Everybody has a turn.

[trapezeus]

especially when you are getting beat deep and the weeks prior he broke up a few deeper plays and picked off the ball.
graham has to be in the game more than leodis.

[Night Train]

It will be interesting to see if Graham does indeed get far more playing time. He should be covering the opponents #1 WR right now.

Both McKelvin and Gilmore are currently struggling to cover their own shadow.

[OpIv37]

So wait, if it's about whose turn it is, why was Graham in so few plays compared to Gilmore and Leodis?

I'm really starting to question Marrone's competence after the way things have been going.

I know, Graham doesn't have the draft status of the other two, but he has far outplayed them and deserves to be the #1 corner til one of the other two earn it.

[k-oneputt]

Gilmore and Graham are right now the two obvious starters.
I can't fiqure out this McKelvin deal. He is a distant 3rd imo.

[stuckincincy]

Notable is the game by rookie LB Preston Brown. He was in for 66 snaps - every play on defense, and added 9 more on ST. Credited with 4 solo tackles and 7 assists. On the distaff side, it's questionable (to me) why a rookie has to get that much playing time.

[Pinkerton Security]

Notable is the game by rookie LB Preston Brown. He was in for 66 snaps - every play on defense, and added 9 more on ST. Credited with 4 solo tackles and 7 assists. On the distaff side, it's questionable (to me) why a rookie has to get that much playing time.

Understand your point but the Chargers really ran the ball a lot and Brown is a run-oriented LB. I think its fairly simple.

[stuckincincy]

Understand your point but the Chargers really ran the ball a lot and Brown is a run-oriented LB. I think its fairly simple.

I'm not clear about you saying it was fairly simple. BUF would have to have known that SD would continue to run the ball, even though they were down their 2 top backs. That SD did, with Brown averaging 2.1 yards/carry, was smart of them. There's still something to be said by keeping a defense "honest", by not completely buying into the enhanced passing rules.

I really liked how the SD OC played his cards.

I think that BUF's hand was forced. Play the rookie because he was the best bet - their LB corps and its' (lack of) overall competency has been going on for years. Alonso was a bright spot, Takeo Spikes, Poz, Fletcher, Cowens. Lawson is ok, but is more a DE-oriented tweener than LB.

How a team can go on for so many years with out even stumbling across a strong, three man LB corps, is a mystery.

[Forward_Lateral]

Notable is the game by rookie LB Preston Brown. He was in for 66 snaps - every play on defense, and added 9 more on ST. Credited with 4 solo tackles and 7 assists. On the distaff side, it's questionable (to me) why a rookie has to get that much playing time.

Who else do you propose they had out there in Brown's spot?

[stuckincincy]

Who else do you propose they had out there in Brown's spot?

That's the problem. Right now, they have roster spots with Hughes and Lawson. And both are good players. But they are near-classic "tweeners", and now they hired Brandon Spikes, who does good against interior runs but is situated like a 5th DL without knuckles on the ground. He was in for 18 defensive plays last Sunday. His reputation follows him, and is proven - liability against passes. Why do I want a MLB like him? I expect my MLB to do general, overall duty. Be a field general, call defensive sets. I was concerned about talk of Alonso moving outside before his injury. OLB's having more specific responsibilities, and losing Alonso's thinking in the fly.

It's not who I or you propose - it's up to those that manage the club.

[Night Train]

hired Brandon Spikes, who does good against interior runs but is situated like a 5th DL without knuckles on the ground. He was in for 18 defensive plays last Sunday.


He was benched for a long time, following his moronic head butt that that gave SD a first down and a quick score after on the first drive. He's normally on the field far more but is pulled on passing downs.

[stuckincincy]

He was benched for a long time, following his moronic head butt that that gave SD a first down and a quick score after on the first drive. He's normally on the field far more but is pulled on passing downs.

I don't call him a bum - he's a decent NFL player. But he's like Lawson - also a decent pro - but they have a tweener skill set biased towards LOS play. So both of them get limited snaps throughout their careers.

Add in Hughes, and you have this mish-mosh that in some situations call for defense and coverage that a more traditional LB can provide.

[Fletch]

Who else do you propose they had out there in Brown's spot?

Great question. Posters here usually leave it at that. But that's the kind of question that a good front office asks and addresses during the offseason, not after 3 weeks of the regular season.

Notice that our newest impact player Spikes hasn't made nearly the impact that most here claimed he would and isn't even on the field over half the time.

This was totally predictable since he wasn't on the field anymore than that in New England, but so many here knew so much better.

[Fletch]

That's the problem. Right now, they have roster spots with Hughes and Lawson. And both are good players. But they are near-classic "tweeners", and now they hired Brandon Spikes, who does good against interior runs but is situated like a 5th DL without knuckles on the ground. He was in for 18 defensive plays last Sunday. His reputation follows him, and is proven - liability against passes. Why do I want a MLB like him? I expect my MLB to do general, overall duty. Be a field general, call defensive sets. I was concerned about talk of Alonso moving outside before his injury. OLB's having more specific responsibilities, and losing Alonso's thinking in the fly.

It's not who I or you propose - it's up to those that manage the club.

Again, something that few here comprehend, obviously, since most argued against that very point vehemently when you, I, or any other number of people realizing that pointed it out prior to the season starting.

Once again, we don't know wtf we're talking about, we just got lucky in our guessing.

[kingJofNYC]

God bless Schwartz!

Hated the hire, still do, worst coach on the staff.

[The Jokeman]

Notable is the game by rookie LB Preston Brown. He was in for 66 snaps - every play on defense, and added 9 more on ST. Credited with 4 solo tackles and 7 assists. On the distaff side, it's questionable (to me) why a rookie has to get that much playing time.

The only other LBs we had available were Larry Dean and Ty Powell. Dean hasn't even been on this team for two weeks so don't expect him to know the defense and Powell is a former DE playing OLB which tells me he might not have the athleticism to be any good in coverage or as a run stuffer. Dean might get more snaps as he gets more familiar but until Rivers gets healthy expect to see Brown in there most snaps.