Hillenmeyer and Ellison as replacement MLB (1 Viewer)

[therokie0070]

will both see 3 downs and if they do are the top 10-20 LB in tackle heavy leagues?

 

[kurtrudder]

I'm not sure about Ellison but Hillenmeyer isn't talented enough to be a top 10-20 LB......I think he will end up being an LB3 at best. Lance Briggs should be the one getting a nice uptick with Urlacher done for the season.....especially with all the current unknowns about the Chicago Safeties.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Both project to every-down roles. Neither are likely to be more than inconsistent LB3s. Hillenmeyer won't have the range or coverage ability to beat Briggs and the safeties to the ball. Ellison found himself in a perfect storm last week. Both would be well below Guyton and Tulloch on my list of potentials based on talent and upside.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Ellison is not taking over at MLB but he will almost certainly play in the nickel packages.

Marcus Buggs practiced with the 1st team defense at MLB today.

 

[eddy13]

Ellison is not taking over at MLB but he will almost certainly play in the nickel packages.Marcus Buggs practiced with the 1st team defense at MLB today.

wait whos marcus brigs is he worth taking....now if u have to choose between chiliar in the category is he worth a flyer n hillsmeyer

 

[-baller]

I'm not tryin' to talk anybody off ellison, buggs, or whoever, but just wanted to point out that pats ran something like 77 plays and held the ball 37 min ---- that's a little on the high end of what bills d will normally be seeing.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Ellison is not taking over at MLB but he will almost certainly play in the nickel packages.Marcus Buggs practiced with the 1st team defense at MLB today.

wait whos marcus brigs is he worth taking....now if u have to choose between chiliar in the category is he worth a flyer n hillsmeyer

Marcus Buggs is the second team MLB. I know very little about him, but wouldn't expect him to play an every-down role and thus have little consistent IDP value. Hillenmeyer and Chillar are similar prospects. Hillenmeyer will get more snaps, but has less talent and a more competitive surrounding cast. Chillar will be off the field for a significant number of snaps but will still hold up due to his talent and relatively poor surrounding cast. I'd expect both to finish around the 5-6 solo tackle mark in any given week.Flyer? If I have to start him, it'd be Hillenmeyer as it's easier to hit an upside projection if you're assured of snaps. If I have time to re-evaluate, it'd be the talent and upside of Chillar if he pushes Hawk out of an every-down role.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

wait whos marcus brigs is he worth taking....

I don't think so. Most observers were kind of surprised he made the team. John DiGiorgio and Pat Thomas both were expected to be the primary backup at MLB at various points but DiGiorgio was put on IR and then waived, and Thomas was injured in the preseason and a late roster cut. So, Buggs has mainly been the #2 MLB all preseason, but he'd probably lose nickel snaps to Ellison and probably even Nic Harris if Ellison was injured.IMO, there's a good chance the Bills simply go with their nickel defense more often. Either B.Scott or D.Whitner can come up in run support when needed. This probably creates a bit more playing time for Jairus Byrd and Reggie Corner and definitely for Ellison.

 

[ninerfanatic492000]

does Urlacher's injury hurt or help Briggs? do the added opportunties outweight the extra attention he'll get from offenses? say what u may about Urlacher eroding but he still had to be accounted for in gameplans. if i were an OC i'd send extra attention Briggs way and take my chances with Hillenmeyer 1on1 with my RB in the hole(or if Hillenmeyer can find/get to the hole).

 

[Jene Bramel]

does Urlacher's injury hurt or help Briggs? do the added opportunties outweight the extra attention he'll get from offenses? say what u may about Urlacher eroding but he still had to be accounted for in gameplans. if i were an OC i'd send extra attention Briggs way and take my chances with Hillenmeyer 1on1 with my RB in the hole(or if Hillenmeyer can find/get to the hole).

It's going to be very difficult to send extra attention Briggs' way. I suppose you could see guards pulling to the weak side or balanced sets with weak side isos running at Briggs, but that'd be pretty unlikely. With the weakness at MLB and SLB, I'd think it's more likely that teams will run to the strongside at Hillenmeyer and Roach.I don't think Urlacher's injury will hurt him much. Even if he were to move to a more traditional WLB role or to the middle, I don't think he's a Tampa-2 system player in the same way that Cato June or Freddie Keiaho were. I think he's more in the Mike Peterson mold.I think Briggs will see increased pursuit opportunities and increased overall opportunity on the field. The real winner here is probably the strong safety, in addition to Briggs in backside support.

 

[BBRULE]

Kind of scary as a Bills fan. Big knock on Ellison was/is his size and whether he could hold up for 16 games, with Poz and Mitchell playing nickel. Now playing all 3 downs? Wow, this could get ugly, the coverage by the LBs was bad on MNF. What happens if the injury bug really hits the LB core?

 

[kurtrudder]

does Urlacher's injury hurt or help Briggs? do the added opportunties outweight the extra attention he'll get from offenses? say what u may about Urlacher eroding but he still had to be accounted for in gameplans. if i were an OC i'd send extra attention Briggs way and take my chances with Hillenmeyer 1on1 with my RB in the hole(or if Hillenmeyer can find/get to the hole).

It's going to be very difficult to send extra attention Briggs' way. I suppose you could see guards pulling to the weak side or balanced sets with weak side isos running at Briggs, but that'd be pretty unlikely. With the weakness at MLB and SLB, I'd think it's more likely that teams will run to the strongside at Hillenmeyer and Roach.I don't think Urlacher's injury will hurt him much. Even if he were to move to a more traditional WLB role or to the middle, I don't think he's a Tampa-2 system player in the same way that Cato June or Freddie Keiaho were. I think he's more in the Mike Peterson mold.I think Briggs will see increased pursuit opportunities and increased overall opportunity on the field. The real winner here is probably the strong safety, in addition to Briggs in backside support.

How far away is Jamar Williams? Last I heard he had a foot injury......what do you think the likelihood that a fit Williams takes over from Hillenmeyer sometime this season? Realistically, is Hillenmeyer only keeping the seat warm for Williams?

 

[ninerfanatic492000]

so was it the lack of total Off plays, type of plays/formations,bears scheme for this game or a combo of things that lead to the 2MLB and Briggs(3) combining for 9total tackles? just asking b/c i can't explain it especially briggs part with him getting 'potentially more tackle attmepts' without urlacher

 

[Jene Bramel]

so was it the lack of total Off plays, type of plays/formations,bears scheme for this game or a combo of things that lead to the 2MLB and Briggs(3) combining for 9total tackles? just asking b/c i can't explain it especially briggs part with him getting 'potentially more tackle attmepts' without urlacher

I didn't watch the game in great detail, so most of the following will be from my cursory observations from quickly reviewing the game and reading through the play-by-play.The Bears had a slightly below average 43 tackle opportunities and 37 plays that could have ended in a tackle, so there wasn't too much opportunity to go around. That's relative, of course, and doesn't necessarily tell the full story.I was impressed with how well the Chicago defensive line played. A number of GB running plays ended in tackles by a defensive lineman behind or near the line of scrimmage (12 solos to the DL overall), which further limited the opportunity for the back seven. I don't think the Chicago line is as likely as the BAL or NYG or MIN line to continue a trend like that, so I'd expect more back seven opportunity from a regression to the mean type argument.The Bears may have been using Briggs more in coverage as the game progressed with the Packers primarily a three WR team and the Bears primarily a zone coverage team. All three of his solo tackles came in the first series, with none thereafter. That's speculation, though.Given the small sample size of opportunity after Urlacher left, I think Briggs' relatively poor performance and his projection with Urlacher out are separate issues. I agree, however, that it's not a foregone conclusion. that Briggs will be able to take advantage of whatever increased opportunity may come his way with Urlacher out. Tillman, Bowman (should he earn more time), Payne and Afalava are all going to provide competition for those pursuit opportunities.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Bears looked very aggressive to me with lots of blitzing DBs. That, combined with above average play from the D-line and a below average number of offensive plays by the Packers led to disappointing totals from the linebackers.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/797924.html

Bills' Buggs inherits starting LB spot

Posluszny is out for six weeks

By Mark Gaughan

News Sports Reporter

Updated: September 16, 2009, 11:15 PM / 0 comments

He's 2½ inches shorter, 15 pounds lighter, and his feet aren't as big, either.

Nevertheless, Marcus Buggs will step into the large shoes of middle linebacker Paul Posluszny on Sunday when the Buffalo Bills play their home opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 6-foot-1 1/2, 238-pound Posluszny is out for roughly the next six weeks due to a broken arm.

The fact the 5-11, 223-pound Buggs has been in the Bills' system since the start of last season gives him a good chance to succeed, Bills coaches say.

"I do think the guy behind [Posluszny] is very capable of coming in and doing a yeoman's job," said Bills defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. "Buggs can run the defense. He takes command of the huddle. He's a smart player. He can be a presence in our defensive front. He's not Paul Posluszny, though."

Buggs was signed by the Bills as an undrafted rookie out of Vanderbilt last May. He made it onto the practice squad to start last season, then was activated to the 53-man roster in October when John DiGiorgio got hurt. Buggs appeared in four games as a special-teamer before going on the injured-reserve list with a high-ankle sprain.

This summer, he beat out seven-year veteran Pat Thomas to win the backup job behind Posluszny. DiGiorgio wasn't in the mix, because he still was recovering from a knee injury.

"I'm ready for the opportunity," Buggs said. "I'm totally confident in myself that I'll be able to handle it."

The Bills acknowledge the big-time talent of Posluszny, the 34th pick in the 2007 draft, will be missed.

"It's going to be a major loss," linebacker Kawika Mitchell said. "He's a captain of our football team. He's been playing extremely well. People are going to have to step up to take his place, make sure the communication is good, because him being the mike linebacker, everything comes through him. It'll be a lot of weight on Marcus Buggs' shoulders. But me and Keith [Ellison] and whoever else is in there will help him out. I think he'll be fine."

"When you lose your captain and the guy who's the quarterback of your defense, it's definitely a blow to your club," Fewell said.

Vanderbilt is more well known for producing doctors than football players. Buggs graduated from the school with a degree in human and organizational development. Fewell said Buggs can handle the mental challenge.

"He's more than capable of running the defense," Fewell said. "I may not be as complex as I'd like to be, just so he can play fast and not have to think as much. But he's more than capable of getting us into the checks and some of the things we'd like to do."

Buggs practiced last season at outside linebacker. He moved to the middle at the start of this spring's practices.

"There's more responsibilities getting the play called to the defense, getting the defense lined up, getting everybody set and ready to play the play, making checks throughout the play according to formations," Buggs said. "The vocal part is the biggest change, having to know all those things and being able to communicate them out in time for everybody to play the play."

"In the preseason when we evaluated him, he had some really strong football games for us, and he played better as the preseason went on," Fewell said. "I don't anticipate any lack of production as far as he's concerned."

While Buggs is Plan A in the middle, the Bills could try another option on some downs. Keith Ellison is capable of working in the middle, too. He could get some snaps, with rookie Nic Harris stepping up to Ellison's outside spot.

The Bucs figure to try to challenge the stoutness of the Bills' run defense. Tampa rushed for 173 yards Sunday in a 34-21 loss to Dallas. Cadillac Williams rushed for 97 yards on 13 carries. Derrick Ward rushed for 62 on 12 carries.

"They play aggressive," Buggs said. "The line blocks aggressive, the running backs run aggressive. We have to come out and be more aggressive on Sunday."

Personally, I don't really understand why Mitchell isn't a better option at MLB with Ellison/Harris at the OLB spots.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Personally, I don't really understand why Mitchell isn't a better option at MLB with Ellison/Harris at the OLB spots.

:IBTL:

 

[Zoomanji]

I think Briggs will see increased pursuit opportunities and increased overall opportunity on the field. The real winner here is probably the strong safety, in addition to Briggs in backside support.

Now if we could only figure out who that will be...

 

[Mr. Peterson]

Personally, I don't really understand why Mitchell isn't a better option at MLB with Ellison/Harris at the OLB spots.

Yeah, I really want to see Harris on the field. The man was all over the place in pre season and I think we found a steal with him. I think Harris will eventually take Ellisons job before the year is over.

 

[Badm]

Roach looked good filling in for Hillenmeyer. Picked him up waivers!!!

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Kawika Mitchell moving inside this week to replace Marcus Buggs with Ashlee Palmer taking over at WLB. Wish they would have done this 2 weeks ago.

Bills notebook: Buggs benched in 'Plan B'

By Mark Gaughan

News Sports Reporter

Updated: October 08, 2009, 12:38 AM / 1 comment

The Buffalo Bills shook up their defense Wednesday by placing veteran Kawika Mitchell at middle linebacker and inserting rookie Ashlee Palmer into the starting lineup.

Palmer moves up into Mitchell's weak-side starting spot. Marcus Buggs, the second-year man who started the past three games in place of injured Paul Posluszny, goes back to the bench.

Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell gave a blunt assessment of his unit in the wake of the past two games, in which the Bills gave up a combined 472 rushing yards.

"We need help in the middle, and so I felt like that was Plan B if Plan A didn't work," Fewell said. "And Plan A wasn't working, so I had to go to Plan B."

It was asking a lot of Buggs to produce. He's a 223-pounder who was undrafted out of Vanderbilt last year. He saw limited action in just four Bills games last season.

Mitchell is 253 pounds. He played middle linebacker for Kansas City from 2003 to 2006.

"It's I feel a natural position for me," Mitchell said. "I enjoy making the calls and making the checks and all that. I'm excited about it. And it's not going to be that difficult."

"I take pride in the fact I'm in there during a time when we're having some problems," Mitchell said. "I feel like the mike [middle backer] has always been the one who takes the responsibility for all that. So I'm excited to be that guy."

Asked what Mitchell brings to the middle, coach **** Jauron said: "Experience. It's a hard position to play. You've got to make all the calls. You've got to make all the adjustments. We've put a lot of pressure on Marcus. I'm certainly not putting it all on his shoulders. There's enough to go around, and as always it starts with me. But Kawika has been around the game. He's got a nice feel. He doesn't fluster. I think that might settle the thing down in there."

"We didn't react properly, and there were a lot of mistakes made on each and every play," Fewell said. "That was unacceptable."

"I don't think 470 yards is an embarrassment as much as getting your butts kicked," Fewell said. "The front [four] played pretty decent. You say, 'well how can the front play pretty decent with 250 [rushing yards]?' The front played pretty decent, but the support system behind the front did not play very well, and so we missed a couple guys. We missed Bryan Scott and Donte Whitner; that's part of the support system that doesn't allow that to happen. We've got to make some changes to get that right."

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/821089.html

 

[Badm]

Is there anyway Roach keeps the MLB job? Nice matchup on SUnday Night...