Better defense should mean better Whitner for Bills

By Connor Byrne  |   Thursday, June 05, 2008  |  Comments( 71 )

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Since Buffalo Bills strong safety Donte Whitner debuted in the NFL back in 2006, reviews have been mixed. The 22-year-old (23 in July) has asserted himself as one of the Bills' defensive leaders, and he's taken on the unenviable task of working largely in run support for a 'D' that has been porous during his two-year career, but fans of the team would still like to see Whitner make more high-impact plays that show up on the stat sheet. His 194 career tackles in 30 regular-season games are nice, in other words, but Bills loyalists are also hoping the 5-foot-11, 208-pounder can create more turnovers in Year 3 of his pro career. During his first two seasons, Whitner -- the eighth overall pick in the '06 draft -- has racked up only two interceptions and one forced fumble.

However, with the offseason additions of three-time All-Pro tackle Marcus Stroud, versatile reserve lineman Spencer Johnson and Super Bowl-winning linebacker Kawika Mitchell, formerly of the Chiefs and Giants, Whitner's run-stopping responsibilities should be curbed to a certain extent this year. Having the likes of Stroud and Mitchell (and perhaps Johnson) will go a long way in helping Buffalo's defense rocket from its 25th-place ranking against the rush last season to the top half of the NFL in 2008. In addition, there's the return of prodigious starting middle linebacker Paul Posluszny (who played in only two full games as a rookie because of a broken forearm) and starting free safety Ko Simpson (who missed all of last season with a broken ankle).

As fans certainly know, the Bills' defense was a tattered, injury-ravaged group last year, and few regulars were adversely affected more than Whitner. He had to take on added responsibility, which naturally hurt his chances to assert himself as a true game-changing defender. The bottom line is that new offseason acquisitions plus the return of important, influential starters from injury should greatly help the Bills achieve their defensive goals this year.

In turn, Whitner should be able to do the same in his third season and begin to silence those who are skeptical of his play in the process. Ideally, when a team drafts a defensive back with such a high pick -- especially when current standouts like linebacker Ernie Sims (Detroit) and quarterback Jay Cutler (Denver) immediately follow him -- the organization and its fans would like to see impact that rival's the league's best. They'd like to see an Ed Reed-type player, for instance. That means plenty of forced turnovers; in fairness to Whitner, though, Reed, who has 34 interceptions and four defensive touchdowns in six seasons, has been playing behind a mostly world-class defense throughout his career.

While the Bills' defense in '08 probably isn't going to remind anyone of Baltimore's elite stop units from earlier this decade, the fact is that it ought to be far better than it has been in Whitner's tenure thus far. As a result, the former Ohio State star might finally stand out as a Bill.

Whitner, judging by what he told ESPN earlier this week, is confident in the defense's ability.

"We will be in the playoffs," he said.

If Buffalo does end up in the postseason for the first time since 1999, it means Whitner probably had a lot to do with it.

*E-mail: cbyrne@realfootball365.com
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CommentsComments: 71  |  Sign Up  View all comments
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No.1
LGB		08:58 AM
06/05/2008
The success of the Bill's defense this year appears to be dependent on how healthy everyone is after coming off so many...
No.2
freddyjj		08:59 AM
06/05/2008
Connor Agree here that he is due for an up year. The new DBs - McKelvin, Corner and James are better athletes than K Thomas, J...
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No.3
ddd		10:18 AM
06/05/2008
At this point in his career Whitner is a decent to good player, not great player. He is however a great leader and takes the...
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