shelby
11-01-2008, 07:00 AM
ORCHARD PARK — Marcus Stroud shot a look of incredulity at a reporter the other day who dared to ask Buffalo's hulking defensive tackle if he was disappointed by the way the Bills' pass rush has performed of late.
"I'm not disappointed with what we have done up front," said Stroud, who is tied with fellow newcomer Kawika Mitchell for the team lead in sacks with only two. "We're 5-2. If that's something to be disappointed about, I don't know where."
You certainly can't argue with Stroud's logic. In the end, the only numbers that matter are the five wins and the two losses, which right now is good enough to put the Bills in a first-place tie in the AFC East with New England.
However, you also can't fault anyone for asking questions about Buffalo's inconsistent pass rush, especially when you take into account that in their two defeats to Arizona and Miami, the Bills have given up 564 combined passing yards, and in 72 dropbacks by Kurt Warner of the Cardinals and Chad Pennington of the Dolphins, the Bills had all of one sack.
Buffalo has 13 sacks, tied for 22nd in the league and 13 behind the NFL-leading New York Giants. In terms of sacks per pass attempt, the Bills are 17th.
Of their sacks, only seven have come from defensive linemen (Stroud 2, Aaron Schobel, Ryan Denney, Chris Kelsay, Kyle Williams and Spencer Johnson 1 each).
The leading NFL sackers among linemen — Mario Williams of Houston and John Abraham of Atlanta — each have seven by themselves.
After registering five takedowns of immobile Matt Hasselbeck of Seattle in the season opener, the Bills have only eight in the last six games.
Stroud might think the Bills are doing fine, but the numbers suggest otherwise.
And here's why: The lack of a strong rush has affected everything the Bills do on defense.
more... (http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20081101/SPORTS03/811010322/1021)
"I'm not disappointed with what we have done up front," said Stroud, who is tied with fellow newcomer Kawika Mitchell for the team lead in sacks with only two. "We're 5-2. If that's something to be disappointed about, I don't know where."
You certainly can't argue with Stroud's logic. In the end, the only numbers that matter are the five wins and the two losses, which right now is good enough to put the Bills in a first-place tie in the AFC East with New England.
However, you also can't fault anyone for asking questions about Buffalo's inconsistent pass rush, especially when you take into account that in their two defeats to Arizona and Miami, the Bills have given up 564 combined passing yards, and in 72 dropbacks by Kurt Warner of the Cardinals and Chad Pennington of the Dolphins, the Bills had all of one sack.
Buffalo has 13 sacks, tied for 22nd in the league and 13 behind the NFL-leading New York Giants. In terms of sacks per pass attempt, the Bills are 17th.
Of their sacks, only seven have come from defensive linemen (Stroud 2, Aaron Schobel, Ryan Denney, Chris Kelsay, Kyle Williams and Spencer Johnson 1 each).
The leading NFL sackers among linemen — Mario Williams of Houston and John Abraham of Atlanta — each have seven by themselves.
After registering five takedowns of immobile Matt Hasselbeck of Seattle in the season opener, the Bills have only eight in the last six games.
Stroud might think the Bills are doing fine, but the numbers suggest otherwise.
And here's why: The lack of a strong rush has affected everything the Bills do on defense.
more... (http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20081101/SPORTS03/811010322/1021)