Will the Defense Be Better Against the Run?

[The_Philster]

Last year was a forgettable one for Buffalo when it came to defending the run. They finished 31st in the league in yards allowed on the ground. No other team in the NFL gave up more first downs rushing (146) than the Bills. They tied for a league worst 22 rushing touchdowns allowed. In a word it was ugly.
Sure there were some key factors that contributed to the struggles like the season-ending injuries to Takeo Spikes and Ron Edwards in the first half of the season. And defensive tackle Sam Adams played uninspired football after his run-in with the coaching staff in the season's second half. more (http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=3870)

[jamze132]

I am not sure that we could do much worse than last year on run defense. Saying that, I think we will be much better this season. If Spikes is at least on the field we will improve. Maybe he won't be his old self right off the bat, but him being a leader, he will ensure mistakes aren't repeated by anyone else. Plus the speed of the new defense will have an immense effect on running down the ball carrier. They could keep us in the ball game and allow the offense more opportunities to move the ball down the field, thus controlling the clock keeping the opposing offense off the field.

[Jan Reimers]

Spikes' return will help, as should the new defensive system, the addition by subtraction of cutting the aging and slow Adams and Milloy, and a quicker Kelsay. Crowell might also be a better fit than Posey.

The key will be at DT, where Triplett should be real good, but Anderson and the 2 rookies - McCargo and Williams - will have to develop quickly.

[Mr. Cynical]

If it is better, than it will be the dog crap vs horse crap debate. IMO this line is going to get run roughshod against beefy olines, and the LBs/Ss are going to get tired quickly from all the tackling downfield. JMO.

[EDS]

Spikes' return will help, as should the new defensive system, the addition by subtraction of cutting the aging and slow Adams and Milloy, and a quicker Kelsay. Crowell might also be a better fit than Posey.

The key will be at DT, where Triplett should be real good, but Anderson and the 2 rookies - McCargo and Williams - will have to develop quickly.

I agree except I expect the defense to start-out slow and improve over the course of the season as they get comfortable with the coaches and system and the many young players being relied upon get comfortable.

[jamze132]

I agree except I expect the defense to start-out slow and improve over the course of the season as they get comfortable with the coaches and system and the many young players being relied upon get comfortable.
I don't really think it will take long for this group to gel. You can't coach speed.

[EDS]

I don't really think it will take long for this group to gel. You can't coach speed.

Well you can coach that "speed" to stay in their lanes and be in the right spots on the field, particularly if you are running a cover two defense. That said, I hope you are right.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

Completely wrong.

I have my worries about Fletcher, but stopping runs or a guard in his face is not on the list.

In Bills scheme of the past, the DTs are asked to stand in the way of a running back where the center and guards try to get them out of the way. That's why we need big, anchoring type of DTs. For those good ones, Ted Washington comes to mind, the offense has to put an extra body to try to move him, that frees up linebackers to make tackles on the running backs.

In the new scheme, the DTs are asked to shoot the gap, getting into the backfield as fast as they can and make tackles on running backs by themselves. If an offense find a DT is too quick for a center or a guard to stop and make havoc in the backfield, it will put an extra body to help seal the gap shooting DT. The net result: it again frees up linebackers to make tackles on running backs.

So it's not about scheme or Fletcher, it's all about how our DTs do in their new role: shoot the gap and make things happen. If they are successful, Fletcher will find himself have the free run pretty quickly.

[mysticsoto]

Completely wrong.

I have my worries about Fletcher, but stopping runs or a guard in his face is not on the list.

In Bills scheme of the past, the DTs are asked to stand in the way of a running back where the center and guards try to get them out of the way. That's why we need big, anchoring type of DTs. For those good ones, Ted Washington comes to mind, the offense has to put an extra body to try to move him, that frees up linebackers to make tackles on the running backs.

In the new scheme, the DTs are asked to shoot the gap, getting into the backfield as fast as they can and make tackles on running backs by themselves. If an offense find a DT is too quick for a center or a guard to stop and make havoc in the backfield, it will put an extra body to help seal the gap shooting DT. The net result: it again frees up linebackers to make tackles on running backs.

So it's not about scheme or Fletcher, it's all about how our DTs do in their new role: shoot the gap and make things happen. If they are successful, Fletcher will find himself have the free run pretty quickly.


Excellent explanation. This defense has changed from being predicated on controlling the line of scrimmage and creating a "wall"...to now using speed to infiltrate and disrupt.

The Wall worked for us 2 years ago b'cse it had personnel that could do it well. No one was getting by Sam Adams and Pat Williams side by side. However, Ron Edwards, Tim Anderson and Chris Kelsay are not geared toward creating walls and holding their space - which is why the scheme failed last year. What was puzzling was why Gray continued to implement it giving that he didn't have the correct personnel for it...is it all he knows???

I spoke highly of Kelsay last year in TC b'cse he looked really fast and penetrated frequently to the back field. However, during the season, he was asked to gain weight which slowed him down. I look forward to seeing what he can do now that he's lost weight. However, if he appears to be a dud this year also, we may be drafting a new DE next year within our 1st or 2nd round (depending on how our QB situation unfolds).

[Amare]

It don't matter as long as the offense can score, then they will have to pass!

[clumping platelets]

No where to go but up :ill:

[ronbaskin]

Do worry about what happens to the middle linebacker because, suddenly, he'll have no protection from defensive tackles tying up the offensive guards. That can severely limit the range of a middle linebacker, and Fletcher is undersized, to begin with. Having said all that I like the idea of an attacking defense better than I like a reacting defense. While I have my doubts about the Tampa-2 variation of the Cover-2, I like the fact that each player has an assignment and there is very little room for freelancing and showboating. However this defense performs, it could make for some very interesting outings.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Do worry about what happens to the middle linebacker because, suddenly, he'll have no protection from defensive tackles tying up the offensive guards. That can severely limit the range of a middle linebacker, and Fletcher is undersized, to begin with. Having said all that I like the idea of an attacking defense better than I like a reacting defense. While I have my doubts about the Tampa-2 variation of the Cover-2, I like the fact that each player has an assignment and there is very little room for freelancing and showboating. However this defense performs, it could make for some very interesting outings.

That's why it is also very important to have three very fast, quick LBs who can run to the ball in this defense and especially a playmaker, like a D.Brooks, Lance Briggs or Cato June, etc., at the weakside LB position. With Fletcher having to deal with not having the protection from his DTs that he had in the Bills' previous defense, T.Spikes' recovery from his Achilles injury takes on even greater importance. This is the kind of defense that a pre-injury Spikes would have a monster year playing in and still could if he is fully recovered from his injury by the start of the season. IMHO his recovery will be a huge key to how well the Bills are able to defend against the run this season. If Spikes is back at or very near full speed it would free up Crowell to be used on the strong side, where his speed and quickness would be an asset. With Spikes unable to actively participate and Ellison needing to get stronger and forced to miss the OTAs, the Bills have had no choice but to use Crowell at WLB and keep Posey at the top of the depth chart at SLB, but that could change during training camp if Spikes is on-target for a full recovery before opening day.

It will be interesting to see how well this defensive system works at stopping the run. Certainly the personnel seems better suited to it than was the case with last season's defensive scheme: both Kelsay and Anderson flourished in similar defenses in college and Schobel and the Bills' LB corps seem to be a good fit as well. And, that's not even counting Tripplett and the rookies who were brought in specifically because they fit the system. The question is whether this group of players can play this system and make it work as effectively against the run as the players in Tampa, Chicago and Indy have been able to over the last couple of seasons. Obviously, we won't know that for certain until we see them playing the games that count--so it is going to be a real question mark until then.

What makes me think that the Bills will be at least somewhat better against the run this season regardless is that I don't think that this group of players will quit on their coaches the way last year's team did--I don't think the coaches will allow that to happen--and that alone will produce somewhat better results. Also, it's a lot more fun to play defense when you are allowed to attack and go after the ball rather than absorb blocks and play assignment football. I know that these guys are professionals and all, but the positive effect on morale when you know that you are going have fun by going out on the field to attack and get after the offense creates a mind-set that can make players want to play harder with the result being that they play better. So, from that perspective, I think that the Bills will do better against the run this season. But, as Chris Brown says in his blog, the big question is how much better? And that, as aforementioned, I believe we are just going to have to wait to find out.

[CuseJetsFan83]

what type of scheme are the bills running this year........

jets are doing a 3-4-4....... yikes!

[LifetimeBillsFan]

what type of scheme are the bills running this year........

jets are doing a 3-4-4....... yikes!


The Bills are switching to a Tampa 2 defensive scheme. It is likely to be most similar to the defense run by the Bears. M.Levy was very impressed by the Bears' D when he was calling their games on Chicago radio. D.Jauron, of course, was the Bears HC prior to L.Smith and he hired Perry Fewell, who was the Bears' DB coach last season, to be the Bills' DC.

Obviously the Bills do not have the same kind of personnel that the Bears do--especially on the defensive line--so a lot of comparisons have been made in the local press with the Indy defense, which runs pretty much the same system.

Because the Tampa 2 system is so different from what the Bills were running last season (a variant of Gregg Williams' Titans 46 defense that he ran in Tennessee and now is running with the Redskins), it is hard to project how the players the Bills have will perform in this new system--the philosophy, especially regarding how the front seven play, is totally different, relying on quickness and speed to gain penetration and run to the ball rather than size and strength to hold the line and maintain gaps for the LBs to make plays in. And, nobody really knows right now how good the players that the Bills have will be at playing this defensive system or how good it will be at stopping the running game (which is something the Bills did not do at all last season, finishing second last in the league in run D).

[CuseJetsFan83]

The Bills are switching to a Tampa 2 defensive scheme. It is likely to be most similar to the defense run by the Bears. M.Levy was very impressed by the Bears' D when he was calling their games on Chicago radio. D.Jauron, of course, was the Bears HC prior to L.Smith and he hired Perry Fewell, who was the Bears' DB coach last season, to be the Bills' DC.

Obviously the Bills do not have the same kind of personnel that the Bears do--especially on the defensive line--so a lot of comparisons have been made in the local press with the Indy defense, which runs pretty much the same system.

Because the Tampa 2 system is so different from what the Bills were running last season (a variant of Gregg Williams' Titans 46 defense that he ran in Tennessee and now is running with the Redskins), it is hard to project how the players the Bills have will perform in this new system--the philosophy, especially regarding how the front seven play, is totally different, relying on quickness and speed to gain penetration and run to the ball rather than size and strength to hold the line and maintain gaps for the LBs to make plays in. And, nobody really knows right now how good the players that the Bills have will be at playing this defensive system or how good it will be at stopping the running game (which is something the Bills did not do at all last season, finishing second last in the league in run D).

yeah, and for the most part chicago's defenses have always been solid....... its the offense that was their trouble..... just like our teams