Buffalo likely can't improve run 'D' until draft weekend

[Don't Panic]

http://www.realfootball365.com/nfl/articles/2007/03/bills-rundefense-draft150307.html

Not much new here, but I always like Byrne's articles. He is a pretty insightful/rational reporter. Highlights:

"Right now, there isn't a true attacker left on the free-agent market. The Colts' Cato June remains available, but he's more Fletcher than, say, Lance Briggs -- the Bears' disgruntled star."

"The wild card in this situation is John McCargo, who could greatly aid the Bills if he begins developing quickly. McCargo, a bright spot on North Carolina State's defense from 2003-2005, was drafted 11 months ago by Levy as a late first-rounder. Unfortunately for McCargo and the organization, the 295-pounder missed most of the season because of injury.
If the Bills want to add another youngster next to the 23-year-old McCargo, there's always a chance they'd go with either of the best D-tackles in the first round of the draft (if available): Amobi Okoye, a 19-year-old phenom from the University of Louisville, or former Michigan Wolverine Alan Branch."

Agreed and agreed.

[OpIv37]

problem: last year we had a good draft and a lot of rookies started or played significant time, but it still wasn't enough to fix our D. Assuming we draft for D and assuming the draft picks are good ones, rookies take time to develop. So, here we are again, attempting to fix the D in the same manner that didn't fix the D last year.

I'm a little concerned by the fact that the strategy for fixing the D so far has been "Let's replace starters with their back-ups from last year and hope McCargo is healthy and isn't a bust".

[Jan Reimers]

problem: last year we had a good draft and a lot of rookies started or played significant time, but it still wasn't enough to fix our D. Assuming we draft for D and assuming the draft picks are good ones, rookies take time to develop. So, here we are again, attempting to fix the D in the same manner that didn't fix the D last year.

I'm a little concerned by the fact that the strategy for fixing the D so far has been "Let's replace starters with their back-ups from last year and hope McCargo is healthy and isn't a bust".
But our main defensive rookies from last year - Whitner, Simpson, Ellison and Williams - should be better (the conventional wisdom being that players make their biggest jump between years one and two) and we have two virtually untapped 2nd year, high pick guys in Youboty and McCargo.

We also have a group of solid veteran defensive players, e.g., Schobel, Kelsay (who has improved each year), Denney, Crowell (bordering on stardom), McGee, Triplett (who played better toward the end of the season), etc.

And I think we only have 2 major holes to plug, at LB and DT, so we've made progress. We're not nearly as far behind as we were going into last year's draft.

[Don't Panic]

And I think we only have 2 major holes to plug, at LB and DT, so we've made progress. We're not nearly as far behind as we were going into last year's draft.

Great post... and that is the point that most don't acknowledge. Calling what we've done "replace starters with their back-ups from last year and hope McCargo is healthy and isn't a bust" is a pretty down way to look at it. Normal progression should automatically make our D better, especially if we can figure out the LB dilemma before the draft. Even if we don't... I anticipate a defense that gives our offense the opportunity to win games, and that's about all you can ask for at this point.

[OpIv37]

But our main defensive rookies from last year - Whitner, Simpson, Ellison and Williams - should be better (the conventional wisdom being that players make their biggest jump between years one and two) and we have two virtually untapped 2nd year, high pick guys in Youboty and McCargo.

We also have a group of solid veteran defensive players, e.g., Schobel, Kelsay (who has improved each year), Denney, Crowell (bordering on stardom), McGee, Triplett (who played better toward the end of the season), etc.

And I think we only have 2 major holes to plug, at LB and DT, so we've made progress. We're not nearly as far behind as we were going into last year's draft.

I just think it's extremely to count on improvement from rookies and two inexperienced players as the sole answer for improving the 27th ranked rushing D. And given that rush D was a huge problem for us, having holes at DT and MLB doesn't bode well for us.

[billsburgh]

something else that really hasn't been considered yet is the fact that the o-line has supposedly been upgraded which in theory means that we will have an improved running game and balanced offense which in turn means longer, sustained drive. this will ultimately help the defense because they wont spend nearly as much time on the field as they did last year. I think this is what the coaches are hoping for.

[patmoran2006]

While I havent figured out a way yet we could get a RB in here via the draft who can play a lot of downs from day one..

Only an idiot would deny that Okoye would be a huge step towards being a better run defense.

[Earthquake Enyart]

McCargo had a first round grade, just like Youboty. Print your Pro Bowl tickets now.