Rasul Douglas starting to feel comfortable in Bills defense

[Woodman]

ORCHARD PARK — When Rasul Douglas arrived in Buffalo, he wasn’t worried about the playbook. He was more worried about taking someone’s seat in meetings.

The Bills don’t have schoolmarm rules about assigned seats, but eight games into a season, there are tendencies about where to sit in meetings and some players just have odd habits. But the football part? That was just going to come around.

During his first two games with the Bills after being acquired in a trade from the Green Bay Packers at the trade deadline, Douglas was targeted nine times, allowing six completions for 62 yards. While his play wasn’t flashy, Douglas already had better numbers than he did with the Packers this season, giving up 27 completions on 41 targets for 292 yards and four touchdowns.


Rasul Douglas starting to feel comfortable in Bills defense three games after trade | Sports | niagara-gazette.com

[Woodman]

Re: Rasul Douglas starting to feel comfortable in Bills defense

All of that was a setup for Sunday’s 32-6 win against the Jets, when he made more catches than the receivers he was covering. Douglas didn’t allow a reception on five targets, made two interceptions and recovered a fumble, exceeding his takeaways for the entire season in one game.

“I got (Bills defensive backs coach John Butler) and we go through everything we’re going to run,” Douglas said. “Then I got Micah (Hyde) and (Jordan) Poyer and those (expletives) are going to make sure I don’t mess them up. So they make sure they’re communicating with me all the time what we’re in or what we’re doing.”

[sukie]

Re: Rasul Douglas starting to feel comfortable in Bills defense

Stupid trade. Hot garbage. Beane sux. Fool’s gold!!!

[Woodman]

Re: Rasul Douglas starting to feel comfortable in Bills defense

Bills’ midseason defensive additions CB Douglas and DT Joseph have made an immediate impact

Bills' midseason defensive additions CB Douglas and DT Joseph have made an immediate impact | AP News

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills’ defense is banged up. What else is new?

A few things, actually.

The significant contributions made by cornerback Rasul Douglas and defensive tackle Linval Joseph a mere three weeks following their arrival haven’t gone unnoticed.

“It’s pretty remarkable to be honest,” safety Micah Hyde said, referring to Douglas, who had two interceptions and recovered a fumble in a 32-6 win over the Jets on Sunday. “Midseason, coming in and learning the playbook and being able to go out there and not just know what he’s doing, but to play fast is pretty impressive.”

[Woodman]

Re: Rasul Douglas starting to feel comfortable in Bills defense

And then there’s the 35-year-old Joseph, who has combined to play 79 snaps to stabilize the middle of Buffalo’s defensive front.

“It’s huge. It’s huge,” Hyde said. “For them to come in and step in and give us a little boost, a little energy is cool.”

It’s a boost the Bills (6-5) certainly needed after adding the veterans over a two-day span to reinforce a defense missing three starters.

Rasul, a seventh-year player, was acquired from Green Bay on Oct. 31 to shore up a secondary that lost Tre’Davious White (torn Achilles tendon) in Week 4.

Joseph, now in his 14th NFL season, signed a day later to bulk up a line missing DaQuan Jones, who tore his pectoral muscle in Week 5. Buffalo lost linebacker Matt Milano to a season-ending right leg injury in the same game.

Rasul and Joseph were rushed into action, helping the defense remain competitive.

Buffalo still ranks 10th in the NFL in yards allowed, down from sixth through four games. And the defense has dropped just two spots since to rank fourth in points allowed. The Bills will face the NFL-leading Philadelphia Eagles (9-1) on Sunday.

“The leadership they add to our room in addition to them on the field as players, I would say overall ... everybody has upped their game, and that’s what we need moving forward,” coach Sean McDermott said of a defense that could be further depleted this weekend.