Bills sign Kirk Morrison

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 24, 2011, 7:19 PM EDT

Kirk Morrison has finally found a home, in Buffalo.

Morrison, a free agent linebacker, confirmed on Twitter that he has signed with the Bills.

It’s surprising how long it took for Morrison to sign. We noted two weeks ago that Morrison was the only one of our  Top 80 free agents in the NFL who hadn’t yet signed a contract, and we never would have guessed it would have been August 24 before Morrison finally came to terms with an NFL team.

The 29-year-old Morrison has never missed a game in his NFL career and has started every game except Week 1 of his rookie year. He played for the Raiders from 2005 to 2009 and for the Jaguars in 2010.

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44 responses to “Bills sign Kirk Morrison”

  2. Now that the Bills have Barnett, Merriman, and Morrison, they’ve successfully completed their quest to reunite the league’s best linebackers from 2006-07. Hoping it works out for them in 2011. Go Bills.

  7. I can’t believe this guy was unsigned for so long. He’s a beast and last year was the first year he didn’t get at least 100 tackles.

    Anyone know if he was injured or something and that’s what caused him to be out there for so long?

  8. hey JHART615… i promise you that you’ve never seen Poz play for you to make such a ridiculous statement. i can pretty much guarantee that Poz wont see the other end of that foolish contract the Jags offered him. he is awful skill-wise and made of glass physically.

    I would say that 99%of Bills fans were ecstatic the day the Bills opted to not match that offer… he isnt worth $2MM a year. FACT.

  9. @jhart615:

    yea, enjoy Paul Pos. He’ll have at least 100 tackles this year but don’t expect any sacks or INT’s and all the tackles will come 10 to 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

  10. jhart615 says: Aug 24, 2011 7:32 PM

    i like how the jaguars and bills essentially swapped linebackers…too bad my jags got the better one!

    Wait what??????????

    I live in Buffalo, I am not a Bills fan, but if you are talking about Paul “I couldn’t tackle myself” Pozlouzny, man you are a joke.

    Terrible……….. Poz will have a broken arm by end of Week 1.

  12. Hey everybody jhart615 owns the Jags let’s hit him up for free tickets.Poz is overrated and has been since his penn state days and this is coming from a Penn state and bills fan but what do I know I don’t own either of those teams

  13. @jhart615 LOL POZ IS BETTER?!?!
    The guy is a perennial health insurance claim, not a pro bowler. Tell me how good he is on the sideline cheering on your defensive line, now that’s something you should be talkin about them boys look good…

  14. The Eagles are good at some things and horrible at others.

    They should have signed this guy.

  17. Honestly…. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that after this signing, the Bills’ Line Backing corp is improved to the point that Poz would NOT start on this defense. FACT.

  18. I think you guys are forgetting about Nick Barnett, who’s going to be the every down MLB. Morrison and Andra Davis should be a nice stop gap while Kelvin Sheppard developes.

  19. The reason he remained unsigned for so long is that he is a terrible run defender. His stats are misleading because he often makes tackles 5 yards past the line of scrimmage. I think the Raiders/Jaguars would have kept him if he was a playmaker which he is not.

  20. acruiser75 says:Aug 24, 2011 8:07 PM

    The reason he remained unsigned for so long is that he is a terrible run defender. His stats are misleading because he often makes tackles 5 yards past the line of scrimmage. I think the Raiders/Jaguars would have kept him if he was a playmaker which he is not.
    ———————————————————
    Well thats 10 yards closer to the line of scrimage & not a first down….
    Better than we had with POZ, & I actually liked the guy….
    Bought one of his Authentic Jerseys just last year…
    Anyone in Jax need a “Slightly” used Poz White Throwback Jersey (CHEAP!!!)

  21. Nice pick up!! Not that it matters, but i always thought Kirk was a white dude like poz…guess i was thinking of kirk gibson.
    Either way, i’m glad he’s black and a Bill!!
    lets go buffalo!

  22. As a Raider fan – the Bills fans should be happy with this signing. Kirk is a reliable, smart, durable linebacker who is very good at making call at the line of scrimmage.

    Unfortunately as one reader mentioned – he is subpar at stuffing the run. He struggles to shed blockers and is often swallowed up by opposing linemen, which is the reason the Raiders drafted McClain.

    The Bills surprised me with this pick because it made a lot of sense. The Jaguars not resigning this kid are taking a huge risk in putting all their eggs in the Pozlusny basket. I think Kirk is a far better linebacker due to his durability.

    If Paul makes it to week 3 I’ll be surprised.

  24. way to go jills. build the defense but keep a your high school offensive line. and i wouldnt even consider merriman to be a factor considering he will play about a game and a half

  25. As a Raiders fan, Kirk was a liability against the run, had a very hard time getting off blocks and made way too many tackles chasing from behind. The guy makes a lot of tackles, but he is too often abused by defenses who take advantage of his weaknesses. He lasted this long on the FA wire for a reason… coaches watch film.

  26. As a Raiders fan, Kirk was a liability against the run, had a very hard time getting off blocks and made way too many tackles chasing from behind. The guy makes a lot of tackles, but he is too often abused by offenses who take advantage of his weaknesses. He lasted this long on the FA wire for a reason… coaches watch film.

  27. Watching Poz trying to cover TE’s was laughable. The Bills definitely got the better of the two LB’s. The Bills are going to be a really good team this year. It’s not to much to expect to finish .500 in the division.

  28. Lol at the Raider fans now talking crap since he signed with someone else. He’s still better then any LB’s that the Raiders got. (McClain got abused by the niners 2nd/3rd stringers last week! dont even start with that crap)

  29. Ok bills fans. Here is the real break down from someone who has painfully watched every raiders snap since ’03. Kirk is an outstanding tackler. If he gets a hand on you, you go down. His major problem is he’s so athletic and quick that he abandons his gap responsibility to chase. I’ve always felt he’d be best suited as a WLB in a 4-3. Have not watched him as 3-4 ILB. It may be good because he’s not the only LB in the middle so Barnett can cover the errors. You will see him knife though and stop a back for -3. You’ll see him do it once or twice per game, but because he’s so often out of position he’s very succeptible to the crack-back by guards and centers. Good player, great guy off the field. Just don’t expect Ray Lewis.

  30. Morrison better than Poz?

    I’ll take Poz any day over an 80 tackle MLB without a sack, forced fumble or int the entire last season.

    Why dont you check the Jags run defense last year and explain where Mr. Morrison was as every RB and their Aunt were crushing 20+ yard runs.

    Obviously a lot of teams saw the tape and made the same conclusion. Except the Bills.

  31. @hendeeze, though we do miss “captain Kirk”, Rolando McClain he is not. McClain is never out of position and he’s an equally good tackler. McClain isn’t as fast as Kirk. That’s it. Kirk better in coverage. Rolando better vs. run. Goethel went down with knee injury for season. I wanted Kirk back. But only as WLB, definitely not MLB. I will never trash a team for signing a good player and even better guy. Buddy Nix needs to worry about his O-Line much much more. Please don’t loop me in with ex-Raider hating Raider fans. I love Kirk, but he factually is NOT McClain. Also, WLB should not be confused as a demotion. Rolando can’t play WLB athletically, but Kirk can’t play MLB responsibly. Again, it will be interesting to watch him in the 3-4.

  32. Oh and he did not get abused by 2nd and 3rd stringers. He played 2 series and 49ers got all their yards on stretch and perimeter plays, nice try though.

  33. This will be a league minimum contrat with Denny’s gift certs as incentives. The Bills are now $33 M under the cap.

  34. The only reason he’s not a Raider is because we didn’t offer him a deal. He’d kill to be Raider again. In case you didn’t know, he’s from Oakland and is dad and him are huge Raider fans. His pop has season tix for 30 years or so. I liked him and his story but never liked him as a player. He’s a 3rd round pick that plays like 4th rounder, hendeez it’s preseason. If you think Morrison is a better lb than McClain, you must live in Buffalo, th O-for team when it comes to Superbowl wins. That’s where he belongs, with a 3rd rate organization.

  35. hendeeze:

    That’s just not true.

    All Raider fans love Kirk Morrison because he’s an extremely likable guy, a real team player and a sharp dude.

    But honestly, saying he can’t get off blocks is an understatement.

    If the Bills plan on using him in the middle, it has to be on clear passing downs.

    Good luck to Morrison and the Bills.

  38. I wish Kirk the best, he was a solid LB with my Raiders but going to the Bills is like going to the deadskins…the end of a career…

  39. j hart…i like how the jaguars and bills essentially swapped linebackers…too bad my jags got the better one!

    Lol-hilarious. Slow and brittle are not good qualities for an NFL linebacker. $7 million…..just wait for that arm to shatter again.

  40. At the end of the day, Del Rio went with the better run defender. It’s a slim edge for Poz. However, I go with Kirk in a heartbeat because of his coverage ability. You will not find a better coverage LB in football. Overall I take Kirk in a second. On top of that 7 mil per for a guy who can’t cover an eligible tackle is a sham. And I’m a Penn State guy.

  41. wnyraider says: And I’m a Penn State guy.

    Doubt it. You are a Raiders guy.

    A better coverage LB in football? WTF? Really? Check his stats last year. He had plenty of opportunity to run the field with the Jags crappy D.

    But he didnt. He folded and put up numbers that would make a JV coach cry.

    All those teams must have been blinded by the best coverage LB in football; too nervous to approach him with a contract.

  42. im really not sure what the obsession with troll fans from other teams determined to comment on every bills story.
    WE KNOW the bills record last year
    WE KNOW ralph wilson is old
    WE KNOW buffalo is close to canada

    add something or go find your next bandwagon to jump on. im sure now that the lions are getting a little better its time to reveal your unwavered committment to them after all these years.

  43. @ bllancodiablo, yes best coverage LB in football. Look up career picks among all LBs since ’04. And yes I am a Penn State guy, ask my electronic engineering masters you dolt. I didn’t stutter when I said “you wont find a better” it doesn’t mean he’s THE best it means there could be 3 or 4 that are all as good. Also, as you so kindly pointed out, jags crappy d. Rashean Mathis was the only other player anywhere on that d that could even hold an NFL Jock strap. He had a worse supporting cast than he ever had in Oakland. Weather you like it or not, or even are educated to a 5th grade level or not, you should know that football is what is called a team sport. You do the math, at least try, 11 players only 2 of which are worthy of dressing for an NFL game, how bad will that defense be?? They will collectively look almost as inept as blancodiablo trying speak/type.

  44. Furthermore, raidermark is dead right. Morrison would kill to be a raider again. That’s why he waited so long. He was one of the top 3 LBs in free agency this year. The problem is he couldn’t pick and choose where he went because the teams he would have chosen were already set at MIKE. You shouldn’t have dropped out of school at age 10.

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