Up My Flagpole for January 29, 2003

[LouGrant]

<img src="http://www.billszone.com/images/artwander/eb.JPG " border="2" align="left"><BR>Bills' Offseason Needs - This crystal ball says the Bills need LB more than DL. Right now, the Bills have London Fletcher and nobody. Eddie Robinson, Dominique Stevenson, Brandon Spoon and bunch of fodder are signed, but they don't equate to one quality starter. Believe it or not, this team can field a DL right now, but if it had to go into the trenches today they would have to play a 5-1-5 or a 4-1-6. I don't think that is what they had in mind when they spoke of the 46 defense....MORE... (http://www.billszone.com/YourSite/global/templates/view.php?action=YourSite_content&month=1&state=news&nid=3936)

[McD]

Mmmm....I agree that we need a better LB corp, but is it needed more than DT? I guess it would depend on what style of D we employed. I pray that we get a LB (or two) AND a solid DT this offseason.

McD

[don137]

Both are pressing needs but I feel a DT is needed more. One of the biggest problems LB's faced this year was that OL were able to block them at will. A good DT will contain the line of scrimmage which frees up the linebackers to make a play. If we don't put a DT number one priority then the opponents OL will just run over whomever we have at linebacker just like they did this year.

[Ebenezer]

Folks, I don't disagree but right now this is the starting front 7:

LDE 90 Denney Ryan
LDT 93 Williams Pat
RDT 98 Edwards Ron
RDE 94 Schobel Aaron
SLB 55 Robinson Eddie
MLB 59 Fletcher London
WLB 50 Stevenson Dominique

I only see 1 NFL quality LB there. You would need the second coming of the Steel Curtain to improve that LB corps...and you aren't going to get that through FA alone.

[Tatonka]

peter gabriel makes some of the best music around. shame most dont know anything of his past Sledgehammer.

take eb's advice, check out his last two cds. or even his double live cd set.

[don137]

I agree that our linebackers are not that good but if we don't get a good DT the linebackers will not be freed up to pursue the runner much like Fletcher was this year. Let's put it this way, Ted Washington was a huge reason Cowart and Urlacher became stud LB. Withiut a stud DT a very good linebacker can look very average. Both LB and DT needs to be upgraded deparately but it starts with having a good line and then goes from there.

[Ebenezer]

A front line of Sapp, Rice, B. Smith et al. will not help a LB corps made up of the three we have right now.

[don137]

The same can be said at LB though. If we had great LB's like Spikes, Colvin, Lewis, etc. Teams will still be able to run on us because our line was awful at containing the line of scrimmage thus OL were able to block the Bills LB. Both needs to be addressed desparately.

[The_Philster]

Nice article as always, Eb :up:

Only two arrests in Tampa compared to however many in Oakland? And we still haven't heard from ublink either.