The Buffalo Bills have wasted no time this offseason, resigning players like receiver Stevie Johnson and tight end Scott Chandler in recent days while they still have exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents. After solidifying some of their offense, the team helped shore up their front seven on defense today, resigning veteran linebacker Kirk Morrison to what is reportedly a two-year contract, as reported by Jay Glazer.
Morrison was signed to a one-year deal by Buffalo last offseason, but he didn’t get a chance to contribute as much as he would have wanted. In 14 games, Morrison totaled just seven tackles and one sack, but they saw enough to want to lock up the vet before the free agency period begins.
“I think they saw the leadership skills that I possess,” Morrison said, commenting on what he thinks Buffalo sees in him. “I showed guys what it takes to win in this league. I’ve played with soon to be Hall of Famers: Warren Sapp, Charles Woodson, Randy Moss, and Kerry Collins. I’ve seen the way they work and that’s the way I implement it as far as how I work out in the offseason, how I work out during the season and how I condition [myself]. It trickles down to the young guys.”
The Bills made the move from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense this offseason after promoting Dave Wannstedt to defensive coordinator. Morrison is more comfortable playing in a 4-3, as that was the system he was in at San Diego State as well as the first five seasons of his NFL career on the Oakland Raiders.
When the Bills began negotiating with him, Morrison had no doubt that he wanted to stay in Buffalo. Last season was the first time in his career that he wasn’t a starter, and he wants to show the fans and the organization that he’s still the impact player he has been his whole career.
“I’ll have a full season to show what I can do,” he said. “A lot of people around the facility and the city of Buffalo didn’t know me because they didn’t have a chance to see me. They just saw what I did before. I’m excited to go out there and show what I can do. I look at it as a new beginning for me.”
Morrison is expected to be the starting strong side outside linebacker in the Bills’ new system, and will have a lot more opportunities than he did in the 2010-2011 season to showcase his abilities. This past season, we got a taste of what the Buffalo is capable of when everything “clicks.”
For example, check out the defensive statistics in the box score of last year’s matchup with the Redskins. Morrison picked up one of ten Bills’ sacks in that game, the first and last time he’d sack a quarterback during the season. In this new defense that’s headed by his former linebackers coach, expect to see a lot more of those and a much larger field presence from veteran OLB Kirk Morrison.
