Bills will look bad if Spikes succeeds in new setting

By Connor Byrne  |   Friday, June 22, 2007  |  Comments( 56 )

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As each day passes, it appears more and more likely that the Buffalo Bills will not come to an agreement with defensive tackle Darwin Walker, whose holdout has become a national story. The Bills acquired Walker and a late-round draft pick from the Philadelphia Eagles in March for linebacker Takeo Spikes and Kelly Holcomb. Buffalo had full knowledge upon acquiring Walker that the 29-year-old wanted a new deal, yet the team is still refusing to give him one.

Assuming Walker never plays a down for the Bills (he could be released or sent back to Philadelphia for another low-round choice), it could go down as one of the worst NFL trades in recent memory. Walker, an eighth-year man, isn't going to enter Buffalo on a proverbial white horse and save the team's seemingly terrible run defense, but he would provide a veteran up the middle who can rush the opposing quarterback (the ex-Tennessee Volunteer has 27½ career sacks).

Getting Holcomb's somewhat large contract off the books wasn't a bad thing for the Bills, who have three serviceable QBs as it is, but simply giving away Spikes is looking like a terrible decision. The two-time Pro Bowler missed most of 2005 with a torn Achilles, rehabbed for almost a full year after, then returned in time for the Bills' 2006 opener. Spikes was mostly a non-factor for Buffalo in 11 regular-season games, but he came on toward the end of the campaign. In total, the 6-foot-2, 242-pounder made 70 tackles. His best game was the Bills' season-ender, when he tallied a year-best 11 takedowns in a 19-7 loss to Baltimore.

With Spikes gone, the Bills' linebacking corps is expected to consist of rookie Paul Posluszny in the middle (though he's behind the little-known John DiGiorgio on the current depth chart) and Angelo Crowell and Keith Ellison on the outside. Assuming Posluszny, a much-hyped second-round pick from Penn State, pans out, he'll be deserving of a starting spot. Crowell, meanwhile, in four pro seasons, has been very good when healthy. The big question mark is Ellison, a second-year man whom Buffalo used a sixth-rounder on in the 2006 draft.

Ellison, 23, was a pleasant surprise as a rookie, making 65 tackles in 14 games, but is he really full-time starting material at this stage in his career? The 6-0, 228-pounder (much smaller than Spikes) is currently penciled in as the Bills' weakside starting LB, where Spikes played for most of his four-year tenure with the team. If he wins the No. 1 job on the right side over main combatant Coy Wire this summer, Ellison will likely be at least slightly better than he was last year. After all, the ex-Oregon State standout now has a better understanding of the Tampa 2 defensive scheme Buffalo runs. However, the odds of him reaching Spikes-like heights this early (or ever, perhaps) seem slim.

It's true Spikes asked the Bills for a trade when the offseason began, but he certainly wouldn't have given less than maximum effort in 2007 if he remained on the roster. And if he's a respectable part of Philadelphia's defense this season, Buffalo will be kicking itself for letting the nine-year veteran go for late-round picks, extra salary-cap room (as if the frugal Bills don't already have enough) and a D-tackle who will probably never see the home locker room at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

There are two ways the 30-year-old Spikes can go at this juncture of his career: He can either follow the path of Seattle's Julian Peterson, a former Pro Bowl LB who has recovered very well from a past Achilles injury, or free agent LaVar Arrington, a once-fierce 'backer whose '06 Achilles tear and recent motorcycle crash point to early retirement.

If Spikes mimics Peterson, Bills General Manager Marv Levy better prepare himself for even further second-guessing from both media and fans. Put simply, the March trade he orchestrated will go down as an embarrassment.

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CommentsComments: 56  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Krenn		02:34 AM
06/22/2007
Yikes, those are two extreme cases - Peterson or Arrington. I think it'll be more like Sam Cowart... He signed a 5-year, $31...
No.2
Nero47		06:35 AM
06/22/2007
Why is it that 6th and 7th round Draft choices are now looked upon with great disdain. I'm sure most probably even the writer...
No.3
Pici		08:06 AM
06/22/2007
I think Levy is intentionally not redoing Walker's contract so he will hold out and be sent back to Philly for a 6th rounder....
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