Healthy Keith Ellison a Fair Option for Buffalo Bills

Ellison's capacity for proficiency was on display in his first season, a campaign that was even more notable when one considers that he had literally no time to prepare before the season as a starter. His introduction to NFL game action went along the lines of, "Takeo Spikes is hurt, get in there" against the Patriots in Week 1, and he still acquitted himself nicely, credited with 10 total tackles for the afternoon while facing the division's top team.

Starting seven games and active for 14 overall, he made 65 tackles in 2006 as he often found his way to the ball carrier, displaying his enthusiastically innate sense for the play's direction that all half-decent linebackers must possess.

But there wasn't as much of that this past year, as Ellison didn't exhibit the identical sharpness. That said, it wasn't some mysteriously cosmic sophomore slump that caused a decline in Ellison's resourcefulness: It was the ankle sprain he sustained during the preseason. Even when he did return, it appeared his range was limited compared to the way he performed during the previous season.

Not playing until Oct. 8 also could have been a factor that impacted his comfort level; that's in addition to the entirely feasible and reasonable possibility that it took him time to get acclimated to game action. It's not to make excuses for Ellison, but suffering an injury on the brink of the regular season's opening was the equivalent of returning after missing a week of school with the flu and trying to figure out what fractions are when everyone else is already working on lowest common denominators.

The truth is that this team has gotten a lot out of a sixth-round pick: 16 starts over his first two seasons is evidence that Ellison was a good value selection, not to mention conversely that former general manager Marv Levy knew that the player in question would be a bargain for the price.

Besides, there's an easy way for the Oregon State product to improve. Namely, it's conceivable that playing next to one of last year's draft prizes in Paul Posluszny would benefit Ellison's own affinity for playmaking. The two never got the chance to be on the field at the same time, as Posluszny was placed on injured reserve before the man who was scheduled to be on his right returned from his stint on the sidelines.

Opening the season healthy and playing alongside elite talent are two easy ways to maximize skill, and giving Ellison the chance to battle with both of those aspects in his favor is a better option than dismissing an energetic scrapper as a substandard performer. Aside from the reality that adding a wide receiver, tight end, and nose tackle are all priorities that need draft addressing before luxuries such as linebackers can be added, Ellison can hold his own; just because he's the third-best at his position for his team doesn't make him a horrid failure.