LtBillsFan66
07-08-2003, 12:22 PM
Donahoe lamented: "We have to get more balanced. If you look at us on the stat sheet, we had a quarterback pass for (a team-record 4,359) yards and a running back run for (1,438) yards … yet we have to get more consistent. If we can play better defense we'll be a very productive team."
Buffalo's offense and defense weren't all that mismatched in yardage. The Bills' offense was 11th in yards gained while the defense was a respectable 15th in yardage surrendered.
However, Buffalo was 27th in points allowed and 29th against the run. But those weren't the indicting stats for critics of the Bills' 'D'. The most compelling number was 19 -- the total number of takeaways generated by Buffalo's defense. That's 13 fewer -- almost one a game -- than the average of the 12 teams that made the playoffs.
As a result, the Bills rarely had a short field courtesy of a turnover. In fact, 26 of their 43 offensive touchdowns were scored on drives of 73 yards or longer, while only five possessions started on the opponents' side of midfield.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/s/2003/0702/1575746.html
Buffalo's offense and defense weren't all that mismatched in yardage. The Bills' offense was 11th in yards gained while the defense was a respectable 15th in yardage surrendered.
However, Buffalo was 27th in points allowed and 29th against the run. But those weren't the indicting stats for critics of the Bills' 'D'. The most compelling number was 19 -- the total number of takeaways generated by Buffalo's defense. That's 13 fewer -- almost one a game -- than the average of the 12 teams that made the playoffs.
As a result, the Bills rarely had a short field courtesy of a turnover. In fact, 26 of their 43 offensive touchdowns were scored on drives of 73 yards or longer, while only five possessions started on the opponents' side of midfield.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/s/2003/0702/1575746.html