I love the guy, am extremely thrilled to have him, and will love to have him for the next 5-6 years no doubt. Loved it on draft day and still like him today, a rough year. But the "Quarterback" of the defense, the MIDDLE LINEBACKER registers 1 tackle? 1!!?? Vilma is the man, that won't change with me. But I dish out my critisizm consistently when one of my favorite players do bad. Ironically, my 2 favorite players on each side of the ball were horrible today
Neither Chad nor Vilma are really going to amount to anything more than good players in the NFL. They're not the championship caliber guys that we need to have on the team.
See now that's taking it too far. Vilma is the guy you WANT. He's fast, young, athletic, studies, learns, loves to be coached, and took Kerry Rhodes under his wing in the film room and made Kerry one of the better safties in the NFL. My gripe is on today's game, not even close should anyone imply that Vilma can't be the guy who could lead your defense to a championship, don't talk crazy.
He's good, but he's never going to be great. He's in his third year, and by now he should be performing at the top of his game... he's just kind of lost in the 3/4 right now, and I don't see anywhere near his pro bowl form this year. Besides, he got into the pro bowl as an alternate anyway, he's not that good.
Agreed, he is to Rhodes what Lewis was to Reed, he is a great leader, just finding his space in the 3-4, definatley the guy I want in the middle of the Jets
He is undersiezed for a 3/4. As for Chad, his arm is shot. 2 rotator cuff surgeries; no one has ever come back from that. I remember watch Bert Jones after he had the surgery, his career was finished.
Buddy, I can deal with not having a Ray Lewis and will "settle" for a Shelton Quarles. He doesn't have to be great, just a good career and a good player, even a Marvin Jones type career minus the injuries, he was just a good football player. Nobody sees his Pro-Bowl form at all agreed. He got in as an alternate but should of got it over Al Wilson. Vilma led the league in tackles with 169, had an INT and forced 3 or 4 fumbles. Wilson had 72 tackles, 97 less than Vilma, no INTs, and 2 forced fumbles. So take that for what it's worth. And I completely understand that...But 1 tackle? The entire year he's had at least 5 tackles a game, not the playmaking play, that's cool...But 1 tackle is bad man.
Vilma played today? I bet his sucking on willis' ass right now..how many times is he gonna get abused by this guy. Vilma vilma vilma.sickening
how can u only have 1 tackle... when the dude has been talking **** all week...and you have a chance to win the division... the bills are going home...goodness
Well, what you're saying may be true, but the bottom line is that Vilma just hasn't been that great this year. I don't have a lot of faith in him, and in this league you're really only as good as your last performance, and for him, he's strung together a bunch of mediocre performances this year. If you're okay with mediocrity, then Vilma's good enough for you. Personally, I want hard nosed, smashmouth guys that chew nails. He doesn't seem to be that kind of guy, nor do I think he ever will be. He's going to be a fringe Pro Bowl guy his whole career, kind of like Shaun Ellis. Now, if we have 3 other LBs that are potential pro bowlers, then we can maybe make it to the SB, but Hobson and Barton aren't that good either.
Vilma has not been great this year, I agreed with you. But how can't you have faith in him? I'm not going to repeat myself on the reasons why, they're already in this thread. I neevr said anything about being "okay with mediocrity." All I said was i'll take a good football player and good career such as a Shelton Quarles or Marvin Jones minus the injuries, neither of those players were mediocre, weren't great, but great MLBs don't come often, good ones can be had. I don't know where you don't see that Vilma is hard nosed, he was a hardnosed player in previous years, the smashmouth type, and his role in this 3-4 is not that, it's more instincts and knowledge. So basically what you're saying is, with Vilma the Jets will never be a Superbowl team? He's holding them back? Please educate me on this.
Certainly, he's not "holding them back" from being a team that can make the playoffs in the future, possibly even this year. But, in our current configuration, with the offense that we have, I don't see him being good enough, or consistent enough to take us all the way. He's going to need a more significant supporting cast in the LB dept. That's it and that's all.
Vilma may be many things, but he's hardly the "smashmouth" type. You'd figure someone with that description wouldn't get swallowed up by blockers so easily. And while I agree that Vilma is an instinctive and knowledgeable player, he's had a rough transition into the 3-4. I don't recall any other season (including his rookie tenure) in which he's been out of position so many times and made sloppy attempts at tackles.
To your 2nd part, I completely agree. The transition has been horrible to Jon. DRob, Thomas, Hobson, and Ellis have all done well. Vilma this year isn't smashmouth, for the reasons above, and he gets blocked by guards and fullbacks easily... But I saw a player in Vilma in his rookie year play smashmouth. Manning up to Jerome Bettis, getting smacked, but also delivering his share, tenacious against Corey Dillon, talking smack after each play, pounding his chest, etc. This year he doesn't have that fire, when he does make a play it's high-5 to the teammate then back to the huddle...It's OK, but I want to see Vilma with the attitude he had in his rookie season.
I honestly don't remember seeing Vilma on the field today. It was that bad. He wasn't even in the middle of anything. I wonder if Mangini will name Vilma the Defensive MVP again to cover for this.
Jeez Vilma isnt the problem at all..its Kimo Von Suckoften, how many times did the Bills run left tackle and left guard today, the right defensive end gets blown off the line so easily, no wonder we cant stop the run and the linebackers are fighting off blocks. Number one priority in this draft or free agency is a run stuffing end to compliment Ellis and D-Rob
