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Big plays were the big shortcoming of the Buffalo Bills' defense in 2008.
If the Bills had made a few more quarterback sacks or taken the ball away a little more, they easily could have been a top 12-defense in the NFL.
The Bills finished 14th in the NFL in both yards allowed and points allowed. That was a big improvement from 2007, when the Bills were 31st in yards allowed and 18th in points allowed.
However, the No. 14 ranking does not tell the whole story.
The Bills were not truly a top-half-of-the-league defense, because they tied for 28th in sacks and tied for 20th in takeaways.
"I'd say our run front is shored up to a degree," said defensive end Chris Kelsay. "Obviously one thing we need is to generate more pressure on the quarterback. I'm sure we'll take steps this offseason to get that accomplished, whether it's the draft or free agency, or with the guys we have here."
Dominant defenses make big plays. The Bills combined for 46 sacks and takeaways. That ranked tied for 29th — third from the bottom.
Nine of the 12 teams that made the playoffs ranked among the top 12 in defensive "big plays." Pittsburgh combined for 80 sacks and takeaways, Philadelphia 77 and Tennessee 75.
The Bills need more pass rush from the defensive line and more ball-hawking from the secondary.
Obviously, the loss of sack leader Aaron Schobel for the last 11 games was a huge blow. His replacement, Ryan Denney, shared the team sack lead with linebacker Kawika Mitchell. Both had four sacks. It was the Bills' lowest team-leading sack total since sacks became an official statistic in 1982. Kelsay had just two sacks.
Of the Bills' 24 sacks, 17 came on plays in which they blitzed, according to Buffalo News figures. There were just seven sacks with a straight, four-man rush.
If the Bills had made a few more quarterback sacks or taken the ball away a little more, they easily could have been a top 12-defense in the NFL.
The Bills finished 14th in the NFL in both yards allowed and points allowed. That was a big improvement from 2007, when the Bills were 31st in yards allowed and 18th in points allowed.
However, the No. 14 ranking does not tell the whole story.
The Bills were not truly a top-half-of-the-league defense, because they tied for 28th in sacks and tied for 20th in takeaways.
"I'd say our run front is shored up to a degree," said defensive end Chris Kelsay. "Obviously one thing we need is to generate more pressure on the quarterback. I'm sure we'll take steps this offseason to get that accomplished, whether it's the draft or free agency, or with the guys we have here."
Dominant defenses make big plays. The Bills combined for 46 sacks and takeaways. That ranked tied for 29th — third from the bottom.
Nine of the 12 teams that made the playoffs ranked among the top 12 in defensive "big plays." Pittsburgh combined for 80 sacks and takeaways, Philadelphia 77 and Tennessee 75.
The Bills need more pass rush from the defensive line and more ball-hawking from the secondary.
Obviously, the loss of sack leader Aaron Schobel for the last 11 games was a huge blow. His replacement, Ryan Denney, shared the team sack lead with linebacker Kawika Mitchell. Both had four sacks. It was the Bills' lowest team-leading sack total since sacks became an official statistic in 1982. Kelsay had just two sacks.
Of the Bills' 24 sacks, 17 came on plays in which they blitzed, according to Buffalo News figures. There were just seven sacks with a straight, four-man rush.
" ~ yordad
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