View Full Version : Spikes, Hawthorne = 2 Down Run Stuffers
Night Train
08-07-2016, 03:11 PM
Since these types are out of fashion in the current NFL, Bills are lucky to get these guys...more than just camp bodies.
LB Zack Brown is strictly a good coverage LB who isn't in on run downs. So for the time being, this isn't as bad as it looks.
Putting lipstick on a pig is bringing in 2 no-names with zero experience or pedigree and trying to put a positive spin on it.. yet these 2 can play right away. Bills seem to be heavy on OLB's.
Get well Lawson and Ragland. The season is not over.
swiper
08-07-2016, 03:26 PM
Spikes didn't play last year, did he? He'll take a bit of time to get ready. So it's good to see him signed early. I was also in the camp that didn't want him to go the first time.
feldspar
08-07-2016, 04:06 PM
Spikes didn't play last year, did he? He'll take a bit of time to get ready. So it's good to see him signed early. I was also in the camp that didn't want him to go the first time.
No, Spikes didn't play last year.
But Richie Incognito didn't play in 2014; in fact, he didn't play for half of 2013 either. Incognito missed a year and a half, and all he did was play well enough to make the Pro Bowl coming off that. Just sayin'. I'm sure the Bills wouldn't have signed Spikes if he was out of shape IMO, so I'd be surprised if he weren't ready to go week one.
Signing him was a great move no matter what is revealed about Ragland. Gotta figure that he's out to prove himself more than ever after the trouble he got into this year. He's playing for his future, just like Incognito was. Also, Spikes is already familiar with tons of guys in this team, which will help him with his transition tremendously. Spikes is good at what he does too...I like the way he played here.
I don't know too much about this Hawthorne character, but I'm all for bringing in experienced veteran depth at that position to compete for a roster spot. You'd think that he'd be able to pick up the Bills defense a lot quicker since he played under Rob Ryan for a while.
Doesn't really make any sense to me. Ryan only uses 2 real lb's in his defense and they have 3 down roles.
stuckincincy
08-07-2016, 07:37 PM
Doesn't really make any sense to me. Ryan only uses 2 real lb's in his defense and they have 3 down roles.
It also begs the question: Why spend ammo to move up in the draft to grab Ragland - touted as a "run-thumper", and not-all-that in pass defense, when they could have dropped a dime and obtained Spikes?
IlluminatusUIUC
08-07-2016, 08:02 PM
Hawthorne is an OLB right? He played a lot there under Ryan iirc. He's likely insurance behind Lawson.
It also begs the question: Why spend ammo to move up in the draft to grab Ragland - touted as a "run-thumper", and not-all-that in pass defense, when they could have dropped a dime and obtained Spikes?
There was draft speculation Ragland could be a 3 down lb, Ryan said he expected him to be. Ryan wants (wanted ?) 3 down lb's.
"Coach has harped on me and Preston being in on all three downs," Ragland said. "That's what he wants us to do. He wants us to be the guys to make the plays."
http://www.scout.com/nfl/bills/story/1679856-ryan-wants-ragland-brown-to-be-3-down-lbs
Hawthorne is an OLB right? He played a lot there under Ryan iirc. He's likely insurance behind Lawson.
No, he's a lesser Spikes, run stuffer. Rob Ryan guy.
http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/5029/david-hawthorne
stuckincincy
08-07-2016, 09:13 PM
No, he's a lesser Spikes, run stuffer. Rob Ryan guy.
http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/5029/david-hawthorne
Lovely.
In this pass -friendly atmosphere, even the dumbest of OC's must rub their foreparts together when a team trots out these so-called run-stopping LBs and then they call down to the QBs headset for a quick pass over the area they no longer can cover...a pop to the flat, a hitch 'n go, etc. Maybe even a home-run fly pattern shot.
If it's 3rd and short in an important situation, ok. Otherwise, I wouldn't play my (defensive) hand.
Lovely.
In this pass -friendly atmosphere, even the dumbest of OC's must rub their foreparts together when a team trots out these so-called run-stopping LBs and then they call down to the QBs headset for a quick pass over the area they no longer can cover...a pop to the flat, a hitch 'n go, etc. Maybe even a home-run fly pattern shot.
If it's 3rd and short in an important situation, ok. Otherwise, I wouldn't play my (defensive) hand.
We have Dareus, Kyle Williams and Adolphus for pass coverage.
Seriously I wouldn't get too upset about it yet. I don't get signing two down guys, but I think with Blanton, Anderson and Striker they might be okay with safety (or hybrid) substitutions. I don't think Ryan is any good at adapting or being flexible, but this is his grand chance to prove he's a defensive wizard after all. The simple fact that I don't think he can is usually good enough to make me come out looking stupid, so there's probably some hope here.
justasportsfan
08-08-2016, 06:55 AM
Spikes didn't play last year, did he? He'll take a bit of time to get ready.
he was involved in a hit and run so that might count towards being ready.
feldspar
08-08-2016, 03:58 PM
he was involved in a hit and run so that might count towards being ready.
What does that even mean?
What does that even mean?
He's been hitting and running despite not playing, you madman.
feldspar
08-08-2016, 05:33 PM
He's been hitting and running despite not playing, you madman.
It takes a madman to know a madman, Mace. At least a madman once told me that...
What threw me off was that the joke wasn't particularly funny, a problem you and I never encounter ourselves. We only spin gold, especially me.
swiper
08-09-2016, 10:10 AM
What does that even mean?
If it was a hit and tackle, then I would have understood the joke.
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