The "MIKE"

[Woodman]

Buffalo Bills will hold in-house competition for successor to Edmunds’ role - Buffalo Rumblings (https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2023/4/30/23705634/buffalo-bills-gm-brandon-beane-says-not-looking-to-add-another-linebacker-through-free-agency-nfl)

“You have guys on your roster who are backups — until they aren’t,” Beane said when asked about the Mike position previously filled by Edmunds, in a post-draft press conference (https://twitter.com/BuffaloBills/status/1652456138758328321?s=20). “We believe in these guys, and we are going to give them a chance.”

Beane was referencing linebackers Terrel Bernard, Tyrel Dodson, Baylon Spector, and A.J. Klein, who he says will all be given the chance to compete for the starting job during training camp.

“We aren’t ruling it out, but it will be a big transition for him,” Beane said, saying that they liked what they saw in the former All-American out of Tulane in respect to instinctiveness. “We will know when we get to camp if we are going to give Dorian a chance at that MIKE or just keep him outside.”

[Night Train]

I certainly don't wish to find a clone to the last guy.

I want football instincts this time.

[YardRat]

“You have guys on your roster who are backups — until they aren’t,”

"We've got four back-up quality LBers on the roster, but one of them is going to have to start because I failed to upgrade the position last year, and again this year".

An old guy that struggles in coverage, a relatively young guy that struggles in coverage, and two young guys that struggle with contact/shedding blocks/get washed out easily that are basically shorter versions of Edmunds.

McDermott is going to have to scheme the **** out of this defense this year to just maintain the status quo, let alone get better.

[Mace]

Been saying this was the way it was going to be for a while now. Told you so. Nyah....

[sukie]

They haven’t even played a snap and already the negativity.

read a report on or shiny new LB and it mentions not strong enough to shed blocks. And I was like “oh noes”. Then the next sentence… quick enough withninstibcts to hit the gap before blocks are set. So we shall see.

[notacon]

They haven’t even played a snap and already the negativity.

read a report on or shiny new LB and it mentions not strong enough to shed blocks. And I was like “oh noes”. Then the next sentence… quick enough withninstibcts to hit the gap before blocks are set. So we shall see.

If I had the desire and charted the percentage of negative posts from each poster, I strongly suspect that a majority of posters and a majority of their posts (some a HUGE majority) are negative (some extremely so) directed at the Bills.

Sometimes I think I mistakenly fell into a NY Jets, Miami, Pats or worse yet, Cincy or KC forum the way the Bills are **** on.

[Woodman]

I certainly don't wish to find a clone to the last guy.

I want football instincts this time.

Nailed it.

[Goobylal]

Did Williams play MLB at Tulane? I can't seem to find it anywhere that he did.

[Mace]

Did Williams play MLB at Tulane? I can't seem to find it anywhere that he did.

No...he did not.

[Cali512]

Did Williams play MLB at Tulane? I can't seem to find it anywhere that he did.



This is what confuses me. He didnt play true mike, but he was in the middle every dime formation and the majority of the time. Watch his tape, he rarely lined up outside, 90% of the time he was playing in the middle

Idk why that means he didnt play Mike because he definitely did. Seriously, watch his game tape online, hes always in the middle. I dont think their defense had a true mike, thats why he wasnt labeled as one, but ive been told numerous times that we dont run a defense with a true mike/MLB so i dont get why its any different

I think people need to watch him play, he played mike way more than edmunds did in college

[Cali512]

Idk in what world, this isnt a "mike" LB


https://youtube.com/shorts/xOGiJ1zhKkI?feature=share

[Cali512]

https://youtu.be/S9s33GoMrf4

Hes line up directly across the center every single play, he plays mike. Idk why they say he doesnt play mike. Hes in the same exact position edmunds has been in for his career

[YardRat]

Idk in what world, this isnt a "mike" LB


https://youtube.com/shorts/xOGiJ1zhKkI?feature=share

8 out of the 9 plays in that highlight reel show him lined up in the middle.

But that's 9 plays out of a possible 772 for 2022, and 2,030 for his career. It in no way represents where he mostly played necessarily, it could simply be a compilation of nice plays that he made out of a specialized formation for a specific set of circumstances.

[YardRat]

https://youtu.be/S9s33GoMrf4

Hes line up directly across the center every single play, he plays mike. Idk why they say he doesnt play mike. Hes in the same exact position edmunds has been in for his career

He did line up in the middle in a lot of the plays they showed against UCF. That reel is more of an indictment against him playing the position at all, though, he looked more lost than the last guy we had here lol.

[Cali512]

8 out of the 9 plays in that highlight reel show him lined up in the middle.

But that's 9 plays out of a possible 772 for 2022, and 2,030 for his career. It in no way represents where he mostly played necessarily, it could simply be a compilation of nice plays that he made out of a specialized formation for a specific set of circumstances.



Every video ive ever seen of him, hes in the middle. Ive watched about 5-6, he plays the middle


And yes he did look edmundsy in that video

[ParanoidAndroid]

Edmunds looked like an unstoppable beast in college, this guy looks stoppable against non-power conference competition.

He has the traits and body of a weak-side guy who is going to struggle with the bigger bodies in the middle.

[Woodman]

Let's hope he's an over achiever.

[Typ0]

McDermott is going to have to scheme the **** out of this defense this year to just maintain the status quo, let alone get better.

Hard to read Yardie -- got train-wreck written all over it.

[yordad]

This is what confuses me. He didnt play true mike, but he was in the middle every dime formation and the majority of the time. Watch his tape, he rarely lined up outside, 90% of the time he was playing in the middle

Idk why that means he didnt play Mike because he definitely did. Seriously, watch his game tape online, hes always in the middle. I dont think their defense had a true mike, thats why he wasnt labeled as one, but ive been told numerous times that we dont run a defense with a true mike/MLB so i dont get why its any different

I think people need to watch him play, he played mike way more than edmunds did in college
Noticed this myself.

[cookie G]

No...he did not.

Yeah he did...Tulane played a 4-2-5 like the Bills did.

I like him more than most. He'll run sideline to sideline, he'll cover, he's fast and he hits. He's going to fit in.

But good lord when I hear what they DON'T have on defense, I cringe every time.

They got every starter back form last year, except one.

They have 4 former All Pro players, 3 of whom were named All Pro in the past few years.

Enough former 1st round picks to basically field an entire defense, backed up by a smaller horde of 2nd round picks.

But its never enough for some.

For Civil War buffs, people who talk like this remind me of Union General George McClellan. Every time Lincoln wondered why he didn't attack, it was because he never had enough soldiers or equipment, even though he always outnumbered Lee.

Lincoln ended up firing him..

twice.

Time for McD to become Unconditional Surrender Grant.

[notacon]

McDermott is going to have to scheme the **** out of this defense this year to just maintain the status quo, let alone get better.
What baloney.

[Mr. Pink]

What baloney.

The loss of your homie Edmunds alone should have you think this defense will be much worse.

Edmunds was the "qb" of the defense and in your opinion was the best MLB in the entire league.

So how does losing such an integral part of the defense make them not worse when he's being replaced by someone in house?

You didn't like AJ Klein last year, you didn't like Dodson...and one of those guys is filling the role.

Serious question.

[daryls61]

Bills use a 4-2 so essentially we have 2 OLB's on D that need to go sideline to sideline. Bean was on the Pat MacAfee show and mentioned how Edmounds couldn't cover smaller slot receivers when schemed up against him so it seems like a tactical decision to go smaller a LB.

[sukie]

Edmunds had sooo many tackles yet 7 for a loss and that was career best. 4 passes defended (Klein has 5) and 1 sack and 1 pick… not hard to replace that production.

[Mace]

Yeah he did...Tulane played a 4-2-5 like the Bills did.

I like him more than most. He'll run sideline to sideline, he'll cover, he's fast and he hits. He's going to fit in.

But good lord when I hear what they DON'T have on defense, I cringe every time.

They got every starter back form last year, except one.

They have 4 former All Pro players, 3 of whom were named All Pro in the past few years.

Enough former 1st round picks to basically field an entire defense, backed up by a smaller horde of 2nd round picks.

But its never enough for some.

For Civil War buffs, people who talk like this remind me of Union General George McClellan. Every time Lincoln wondered why he didn't attack, it was because he never had enough soldiers or equipment, even though he always outnumbered Lee.

Lincoln ended up firing him..

twice.

Time for McD to become Unconditional Surrender Grant.

I honestly don't see that but won't pretend I watch Tulane. Nick Anderson is what I see as their mlb and Williams on the weakside even from the Tulane websites. I don't know who lined up where but I'd point out the Mike role in the Nfl calls defensjve signals and I genuinely never saw anything that says Williams did.

He's not going to start at mlb for McD.

[Woodman]

Edmunds had sooo many tackles yet 7 for a loss and that was career best. 4 passes defended (Klein has 5) and 1 sack and 1 pick… not hard to replace that production.

If we say our prayers we might be blessed enough to replace him.:D

[swiper]

If we say our prayers we might be blessed enough to replace him.:D

Dodson is better than Edmunds. The Bills will be fine.

[DraftBoy]

If I had the desire and charted the percentage of negative posts from each poster, I strongly suspect that a majority of posters and a majority of their posts (some a HUGE majority) are negative (some extremely so) directed at the Bills.

Sometimes I think I mistakenly fell into a NY Jets, Miami, Pats or worse yet, Cincy or KC forum the way the Bills are **** on.

This is clearly a Vikings board.

[Woodman]

Dodson is better than Edmunds. The Bills will be fine.

He's gonna get a real chance.