our D escapes blame again?

[HenryRules]

Why is our D not getting any blame on this board.

Yes, they played great for 3 quarters ... but there's 4 quarters in the game.

We had a 14-3 lead in the 4th quarter and we gave up 2 TD's ... neither one having a really short field.

Our D repeatedly seems to play just well enough to lose and can never be counted on in the last 5 minutes to come up with what we need.

I'm not saying our O is blameless because they weren't great either ( dropping 3rd down passes that are right in your hands and other let downs are inexcusable), but we still had an 11 point lead in the 4th quarter, yet we squandered that lead in 2 possessions (neither of which were a really short field).

I can't remember which D guys were calling out the offense, but why haven't I heard any of them stand up and say they lost us this one?

[The Spaz]

Yeah and our O and Coaches have sucked for the year!:)

[The_Philster]

They had Antoine playing in "Prevent" mode all day long and then put the entire squad in "Prevent" when that wasn't bad enough :mad:

[IHateTheDullphins]

Why haven't any D guys say they lost this? Because they didn't lose this one. Sam Adams didn't miss that field goal. Takeo Spikes didn't drop those passes that hit him in the hands. Lawyer Milloy didn't miss that key block that lead to Deadsoe's INT.

This Defense has been our bright spot, and if you think that just because our Offense score two (Whoopity Dooo) Touchdowns, it's the Defense's fault we lost, you need a catscan.

Well enough to lose?!? :duh: rediculous.:cynic:

[Brian Griese Rulz]

I don't like this D. It's a ok bend but don't break Defense but its nothing special. I want to see Turnovers and Sacks. The D is currently the 31 ranked D in creating T.O. and is in the bottom of the league in sacking QBs.

[HenryRules]

Originally posted by IHateTheDullphins
Why haven't any D guys say they lost this? Because they didn't lose this one. Sam Adams didn't miss that field goal. Takeo Spikes didn't drop those passes that hit him in the hands. Lawyer Milloy didn't miss that key block that lead to Deadsoe's INT.

This Defense has been our bright spot, and if you think that just because our Offense score two (Whoopity Dooo) Touchdowns, it's the Defense's fault we lost, you need a catscan.

Well enough to lose?!? :duh: rediculous.:cynic:

Well enough to lose is exactly right ... we haven't won a single game in the last 2 years where we scored less than 20 points on offense. I call that the D playing well enough to lose.

[Dozerdog]

The Defense can't pitch a shutout every game.



They held a Colt team that was rolling up 30-35 points a game in check for 50+ minutes. There is only so much you can do.

[Indy Bills Fan]

The Defense held Manning and company to 17 points! That is pretty good considering he is already over 3100 yds passing and Edge is back to his old self. Even the Colt fans here at work aren't giving me any crap cuz we played them so tough. We haven't forced many TO's but we ARE playing really good D IMO.

[Scott]

Maybe they are a good defense, but when they really need a stop, sack or a turnover they never get it.
I would like to see defensive crunch-time stats (4th qtr and/or protecting a lead).

[mybills]

When the D is doing all of the work for the first 3 qts, you can EXPECT them to tire out by the 4th.
:shakeno:

[justasportsfan]

What? This D has put the O in a position to score so many times. The O in turn gives it right back to the opponents who will eventually score.

Drew was happy prior to the season saying that we finally have a D that can pin an O deep in their territory and put us in a situation to score and not always have to play catch up. The D has done that time and again. How many times did our O start at mid field and yet wasn't able to score especially against the Cowboys?


NA this D should not get an once of blame . This D is the only positive side on this team.

Danny Smith should go next year too. Special teams have never been special under him. They either sucked or was average at best.

[TedMock]

We are definitely lacking a DE big time. Having said that, you can't expect them to pitch shutout's every week. They're also on the field much more than the offense each week, eventually they tire out. We also kept one of the best offenses in football to 17 points. That's pretty impressive. They gave two TD's up in the 4th but they also had a couple of key stops in the 4th. They're putting the offense in positions to win but the O's not getting it done. If it weren't for Moorman we'd be on our side of the field all game. Schobel's a decent pass rushing DE but he's not your stud DE. If there's no threat coming from the other side it's easy to take him out. We definitely need a DE that can cause some havoc. I think Sam and Pat have played well for the most part but they're not getting younger. It couldn't hurt to start hunting for some young DT depth as well. Also, Bledsoe will be here next season but I doubt we execise the extension. Do we go after a QB in the 1st round?

[helmetguy]

You have to question why JG/Gw would put the D in prevent mode with an 11 point lead and still almost a full quarter of game left. Sure, Indy wnt into a hurry up offense that COULD result in a quick score, but it looks like the coaching staff played it too close to the vest. I had noticed Winfield playing off the receivers most of the game, but in the 4th qtr, he backed further off the line; giving the receiver more room to work underneath. Rather than covering, he was reacting to the play. The defense was definitely in zone coverages-three deep, two-deep, four under, etc.-but the defenders' zones covered a pretty large area, leaving plenty of seams to exploit. Since Posey missed most of the fourth quarter, the Bills were pretty much in a nickle alignment the entire time. Wen they went to "dime" in "obvious passing situations," that is where the biggest chunks of ground were lost to Indy's offense. Give Manning any kind of room (or James, for that matter) and they're going to make you pay. That they did!

Getting back to Winfield, it looks as though he's better suited to tackling after the catch than covering to prevent the catch. Now THAT makes me question his future value to the team.

[Dozerdog]

Originally posted by Scott
Maybe they are a good defense, but when they really need a stop, sack or a turnover they never get it.
I would like to see defensive crunch-time stats (4th qtr and/or protecting a lead).

Don't forget to factor in Bills offensive Time of possession- Even the Bears 85 defense or the Steel curtain will wilt after being on the field all day every sunday

[HenryRules]

Originally posted by TedMock
They gave two TD's up in the 4th but they also had a couple of key stops in the 4th.

We must have been watching two different games ... the one that I watched on Sunday, the colts had two possessions in the 4th quarter, one starting around their 40 and the other around their 20 ... both ended in TD's.

When did they stop them in the 4th quarter ... i only remember a couple of stuffs on the 1-yard line but the Colts still got the TD.

[HenryRules]

Originally posted by Dozerdog
The Defense can't pitch a shutout every game.



They held a Colt team that was rolling up 30-35 points a game in check for 50+ minutes. There is only so much you can do.

They never pitch a shutout when we need one ... the only shutout I can think of was when our offense put up 35 points.

Our D has never stepped up big enough when our offense has sucked, not once!!

Yes, they play well, but as I said before, they play just well enough to lose.

Think of it this way ... do you think that we'll ever win a game where we don't score 20 points?
If your answer is yes, then please help me understand what has happened the last two years.
If your answer is no, then please explain to me how our defense is not responsible in some manner for our losses.

[HenryRules]

Originally posted by mybills
When the D is doing all of the work for the first 3 qts, you can EXPECT them to tire out by the 4th.
:shakeno:

You have to be kidding me ... until the 4th quarter, the time of possession was even ... then Indy ran off two long drives and they win TOP.

Did you watch the game or just read the newspapers account?

[John Doe]

One of the reasons that the defense is so good statistically is because of the offense. Opponents can play a very conservative low-risk offensive style against us knowing that we can’t score more than a few points per game (take away Moorman’s fluke run, and the game may not have been that close). That is one of the reasons that we get so few turnovers and allow so few yards per game. No team has to get into a shoot-out to beat the Bills. Walsh’s axiom that “the key to winning in the NFL is a 4th quarter pass rush” was shown to be true last game. When crunch time comes, a good offense will move the ball against us.

Is the defense to blame for the loss? They are over-rated, but the Bills lost as a team. 14 points won’t get it done against the Colts.

[HenryRules]

Originally posted by John Doe
One of the reasons that the defense is so good statistically is because of the offense. Opponents can play a very conservative low-risk offensive style against us knowing that we can’t score more than a few points per game (take away Moorman’s fluke run, and the game may not have been that close). That is one of the reasons that we get so few turnovers and allow so few yards per game. No team has to get into a shoot-out to beat the Bills. Walsh’s axiom that “the key to winning in the NFL is a 4th quarter pass rush” was shown to be true last game. When crunch time comes, a good offense will move the ball against us.

Is the defense to blame for the loss? They are over-rated, but the Bills lost as a team. 14 points won’t get it done against the Colts.

I pretty much agree entirely with your post.

I'm just dissappointed that our D has called out our offense to score (in previous weeks), yet none of the D seem to be owning up to the fact that they were dominated in the 4th quarter when the game was up to them.

[John Doe]

none of the D seem to be owning up to the fact that they were dominated in the 4th quarter when the game was up to them.

You definately have a point. If the D was as good as their "yards per game" stats, that was the time to come through. They pretty much been given a free ride from the press and the message boards (except for Ryan Denney of course) for most of the year, and giving up 17 points against the Colts does not look too bad on paper, despite what was basically a collapse in the 4th quarter.

Having said that, a nice long touchdown drive by the Bills' offense in the late stages of the game to ice the win would have certainly helped. So would a quick 40-yarder for a field goal to tie. Maybe that is why the D was not too eager to shoulder the blame.

[BAM]

agreed our D has collapsed in the late stages of a couple games.. but in those same games, the offense had a chance to make a last drive to tie or win the game.

i dont even get my hopes up when we get the ball back with a few minutes and a chance to win anymore. we always fumble or throw and INT or go 3 and out. pathetic. and sad to watch.

[HenryRules]

Originally posted by BradAlanMiller
agreed our D has collapsed in the late stages of a couple games.. but in those same games, the offense had a chance to make a last drive to tie or win the game.

i dont even get my hopes up when we get the ball back with a few minutes and a chance to win anymore. we always fumble or throw and INT or go 3 and out. pathetic. and sad to watch.

Agreed ... my post was not meant to remove any blame from the offense, it was meant to show that our defense is not world-class like they make themselves out to be.

[BAM]

:up: yep. definately not world class.

but i do have to say. if we had any kind of offense we'd be a lot better than 4-7 (man it's hard to say/type that). more like 7-4 :cry:

at the least

[stuckincincy]

The bill's DL, be it coaching or talent, is IMHO one of the poorest in the league. The bench is non-existent.

I feel that the bench in most all positions is poor to marginal. Idiot playcalling magnifies this, of course. Sadly, if the bills had suffered injuries on the order of NE or PHI, I think they would be 2 - 9 now.

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