Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

[Don't Panic]

http://espn.go.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/10315/spikes-bills-defense-will-turn-heads?ex_cid=espnapi_public

This part in particular caught my eye:

"Over the past five seasons, no team that has finished in the NFL's top five in yards allowed per game has finished with a losing record:

2013: 13-3, 12-4, 11-5, 11-5, 12-4
2012: 8-8, 13-3, 11-4-1, 11-5, 10-6
2011: 12-4, 10-6, 12-4, 13-3, 8-8
2010: 9-7, 12-4, 11-5, 11-5, 10-6
2009: 9-7, 11-5, 9-7, 10-6, 9-7

The Bills finished 10th in yards allowed per game last season. How realistic would it be for them to jump up five spots in that ranking?"

Wow. First, I didn't realize we were that good in yards allowed last year (must include yards lost to sack). Second, this is a pretty correlated statistic. Could 5 more spots lead to the 10 wins we need to play in a playoff game? It'll be interesting to see.

[Skooby]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

Yeah 10-6 might but 8-8 just gets us close.

[OpIv37]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

http://espn.go.com/blog/buffalo-bill...espnapi_public

This part in particular caught my eye:

"Over the past five seasons, no team that has finished in the NFL's top five in yards allowed per game has finished with a losing record:

2013: 13-3, 12-4, 11-5, 11-5, 12-4
2012: 8-8, 13-3, 11-4-1, 11-5, 10-6
2011: 12-4, 10-6, 12-4, 13-3, 8-8
2010: 9-7, 12-4, 11-5, 11-5, 10-6
2009: 9-7, 11-5, 9-7, 10-6, 9-7

The Bills finished 10th in yards allowed per game last season. How realistic would it be for them to jump up five spots in that ranking?"

Wow. First, I didn't realize we were that good in yards allowed last year (must include yards lost to sack). Second, this is a pretty correlated statistic. Could 5 more spots lead to the 10 wins we need to play in a playoff game? It'll be interesting to see.

New D coordinator/yet ANOTHER new system- 3rd in 3 years. Loss of Byrd. Dareus likely to be suspended.

Adding Spikes helps but I don't see this team getting better on D.

[BidsJr]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

New D coordinator/yet ANOTHER new system- 3rd in 3 years. Loss of Byrd. Dareus likely to be suspended.

Adding Spikes helps but I don't see this team getting better on D.

Did you see them being better on D last year?

[OpIv37]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

Did you see them being better on D last year?

Yeah well, they added Kiko, they added Jerry Hughes, Mario Williams came through unlike the previous year, and they didn't lose anyone significant.

This year, we added Spikes but lost Byrd. We didn't add anyone else of note. Maybe Corey Graham, but do you honestly think he's going to have the same impact that Hughes' 10 sacks had?

Last year, we had a bigger influx of talent, no decrease in talent and improvement from our own guys. This year, the gains and losses are neutral, so the only way the D improves like last year is if we get enough player improvement to equal the additions of Kiko and Hughes. Not gonna happen.

[BertSquirtgum]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

New D coordinator/yet ANOTHER new system- 3rd in 3 years. Loss of Byrd. Dareus likely to be suspended.

Adding Spikes helps but I don't see this team getting better on D.

Of course you don't.....

[OpIv37]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

Of course you don't.....

I stated my reasons.

[Homegrown]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

Better than turning stomachs....

[elltrain22]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

New D coordinator/yet ANOTHER new system- 3rd in 3 years. Loss of Byrd. Dareus likely to be suspended.

Adding Spikes helps but I don't see this team getting better on D.

I have to disagree. I see your points, they are valid, and I may be wrong.
1. I think Schwartz is one of those guys who is a fair HC, but actually a real good DC. Pettine was a little overrated in my opinion. I think he looked good last year, b/c Wannestat was so bad the year before.
2. We still have an elite front 4 (although I must agree, if Dareus is suspended, that will suck).
3. Along with our front 4 being very good, our LB core is better, deeper, and should be significantly better versus the run. 4. The loss of Byrd is big, but IMO, I think Aaron Williams has the potential to be a very good replacement. Not only that, our secondary, as a whole, is deeper, and the overall talent base is a lot better than last year.
5. With another year to develop who's to say that Duke Williams and/or Jonathan Meeks could pan out to be decent players.

[YardRat]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

Yeah well, they added Kiko, they added Jerry Hughes, Mario Williams came through unlike the previous year, and they didn't lose anyone significant.

This year, we added Spikes but lost Byrd. We didn't add anyone else of note. Maybe Corey Graham, but do you honestly think he's going to have the same impact that Hughes' 10 sacks had?

Last year, we had a bigger influx of talent, no decrease in talent and improvement from our own guys. This year, the gains and losses are neutral, so the only way the D improves like last year is if we get enough player improvement to equal the additions of Kiko and Hughes. Not gonna happen.

You really don't know that until the games are played.

[OpIv37]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

I have to disagree. I see your points, they are valid, and I may be wrong.
1. I think Schwartz is one of those guys who is a fair HC, but actually a real good DC. Pettine was a little overrated in my opinion. I think he looked good last year, b/c Wannestat was so bad the year before.
2. We still have an elite front 4 (although I must agree, if Dareus is suspended, that will suck).
3. Along with our front 4 being very good, our LB core is better, deeper, and should be significantly better versus the run. 4. The loss of Byrd is big, but IMO, I think Aaron Williams has the potential to be a very good replacement. Not only that, our secondary, as a whole, is deeper, and the overall talent base is a lot better than last year.
5. With another year to develop who's to say that Duke Williams and/or Jonathan Meeks could pan out to be decent players.

Other people have already posted it, but Schwartz's D's have never been ranked particularly high. Pettine's overall record with D's is much better.

[OpIv37]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

You really don't know that until the games are played.

No, I don't know it, but odds are greatly against it happening.

Every year, people on this website try to sell this bill of goods about the team getting better by "player improvement" and it has yet to happen. That's not to say that no player has ever improved, but player improvement alone has never been enough to make the team as a whole better. No, it's not technically impossible. I'm just still waiting for it to happen in Buffalo..... 14 years and counting....

[YardRat]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

No, I don't know it, but odds are greatly against it happening.

Every year, people on this website try to sell this bill of goods about the team getting better by "player improvement" and it has yet to happen. That's not to say that no player has ever improved, but player improvement alone has never been enough to make the team as a whole better. No, it's not technically impossible. I'm just still waiting for it to happen in Buffalo..... 14 years and counting....

And yet, to quote you...

Last year, we had a bigger influx of talent, no decrease in talent and improvement from our own guys.

The defense got better last season, and part of that, by your own admission, was improved play from some already on the team. No?

[OpIv37]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

And yet, to quote you...



The defense got better last season, and part of that, by your own admission, was improved play from some already on the team. No?

and how much better do you think the same guys are going to get this year? They can only improve so much and most of them are already there.

Also, I noted that we added talent in Kiko and Hughes, and some of the improvemet was Mario rebounding from a bad first year in Buffalo. It wasn't player improvement alone- that was just a piece of it.

[YardRat]

Re: Spikes: Bills' defense will turn heads

and how much better do you think the same guys are going to get this year? They can only improve so much and most of them are already there.

Once again, you don't know that until the games are played. Which players hit their ceiling last year, and have no chance of getting better?