Bills’ Schobel must pass rush well, stop rushers from passing by
The Buffalo Bills' Aaron Schobel is a great run defender and OK pursuing the quarterback. That doesn’t read right, and for the bulk of his career it’s been precisely the reverse, but the fact is that the Bills’ premier defensive end was better versus the rush than the pass last season. Excelling simultaneously at both is an obvious goal, and, while he’s been hampered lately by his responsibilities in the Bills’ system, new defensive neighbors will help him reach the objective.
Schobel totaled 57 tackles in 2007, which supports the alternative theory that he’s a useful rush defense weapon. Getting over 3.5 stops per game is a sound rate for an end lineman, especially because it provides evidence that he did more than just pursue quarterbacks.
He also managed to gunk up passing attempts in another way: Schobel defended five passes, a stellar amount for an end in a defense that doesn’t exactly revolve around the zone blitz. The relatively high total is an indication that, even if he wasn’t able to consistently wrap and drop the quarterback, he still found a way to disrupt the opponent’s aerial game.
The Buffalo Bills' Aaron Schobel is a great run defender and OK pursuing the quarterback. That doesn’t read right, and for the bulk of his career it’s been precisely the reverse, but the fact is that the Bills’ premier defensive end was better versus the rush than the pass last season. Excelling simultaneously at both is an obvious goal, and, while he’s been hampered lately by his responsibilities in the Bills’ system, new defensive neighbors will help him reach the objective.
Schobel totaled 57 tackles in 2007, which supports the alternative theory that he’s a useful rush defense weapon. Getting over 3.5 stops per game is a sound rate for an end lineman, especially because it provides evidence that he did more than just pursue quarterbacks.
He also managed to gunk up passing attempts in another way: Schobel defended five passes, a stellar amount for an end in a defense that doesn’t exactly revolve around the zone blitz. The relatively high total is an indication that, even if he wasn’t able to consistently wrap and drop the quarterback, he still found a way to disrupt the opponent’s aerial game.
Comment