BreezeMafia Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 My view is that when Alan Branch is on the field, either subbing for Marcel Dareus or when Marcel Dareus moves to the end, our run D performs better. Our run D has a tough time when Kyle and Darues are in the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeisterHollow Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 From what I've seen thus far, the Bills have been VERY STOUT against the run - when they've been able to make that their top priority. However, it's been often that the Bills have had to play stretched out to help the secondary. And, the offense going three and out, or getting off the field so quickly has also hurt this defense, statistically, a lot. Many people have been saying the defense is better this year, despite the ranking, because its playing well - under the circumstances, or in context. If the offense were staying on the field more, and if the defense weren't so banged up, they'd probably be a top 10 unit. And THATS WITH A TEAM THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BOTTOM OF THE LEAGUE IN TALENT AS OF LAST YEAR! Sure, a big NT type would probably be better against the run than Kyle Williams - heck, even Branch seems better against the run. But, he's certainly one of the better DT's in the league, all things considered. Better help at secondary, better offensive T.O.P., and maybe another stud ILB would help the run game MUCH more than a different DT. My view is that when Alan Branch is on the field, either subbing for Marcel Dareus or when Marcel Dareus moves to the end, our run D performs better. Our run D has a tough time when Kyle and Darues are in the middle. I think they sometimes overpursue - or go too heavy towards the QB, and the Guards can let them go to one side and open a hole on the opposite side. They just need to play better contain, or stay in their lanes, or the plays need to be better called. I think the personnel, especially with Branch, is good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Cubed Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 That ranking is murlarkey. 2 rushing TD's allowed through 6 games (T-2) 3.9 ypc through 6 games (T-12)--5 teams average 3.8 And these are very very relevant numbers considering only two teams have faced more rushing attempts (NYG, JAX 192 each) compared to our 189. So, our TD to attempt ratio, is OFF THE CHARTS, in fact it's 3 in the league. Teams have to rush it almost 100 times to score a TD against us. I used these stats the other day to argue the run defense is not as bad as most fans think. Total yards is a terrible stat to use to decide who the best run defense is. Look who is ranked second for a prime example. Denver. The reason that their YPG and Total Yards are so low is because every team gives up on the run after falling behind. It becomes a shoot out. Technically they are 4th in lowest number of rush attempts (133), but the teams ahead of them have all had byes, so I'd say they are actually first. The problem is, it's an unknown if they can stop the run. Also, look at Cleveland they've given up 8 rushing TDs (which leads the league). So apparently they can keep teams YPG low but when it comes to stopping the run against a TD, they can't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
first_and_ten Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Defenses are ranked by yardage allowed. A more accurate way, I think, to rank a defense is to divide the number of yards allowed by the number of plays the opponent had. The Bills hurry up scheme can skew the yardage since the Bills' defense could be forced to play more. Third down stop percentage is another important indicator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Front Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 This guy has stunk for some time now. It's good that people are finally starting to realize it. I highly doubt he will make the team next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I think the biggest issue is TOP. The Bills must be among the worst in time of possession. Which means the offense needs to offense needs to step up. I agree with this ^...TOP has been an issue for the D. Not enough first downs. What does it matter? Getting gashed for a big run a third of the time makes for a bad run defense just as much as giving up 4 yards every run. It's a different kind of underperformance but its still underperformance... This is a good point, as the team has allowed a very respectable 3.9 YPC; the problem is that they've allowed 8 rushes of 20 yards of more, good for 2nd-most in the NFL behind Jacksonville. If you ask me, the long runs have mostly come from poor containment in the secondary, which can happen when your top 2 defensive backs are out and you play a very aggressive scheme. This guy has stunk for some time now. It's good that people are finally starting to realize it. I highly doubt he will make the team next year. He's not the same player he was in 2010; he has hardly "stunk" though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4BillsintheBurgh Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 If you ask me, the long runs have mostly come from poor containment in the secondary, which can happen when your top 2 defensive backs are out and you play a very aggressive scheme. I point more toward our olb, either getting washed out, not reading keys or just not talented enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Hindsight Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Its either Brad Smith or Chris Kelseys fault Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Its either Brad Smith or Chris Kelseys fault Hackett's playcalling has been putrid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homey D. Clown Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Numbers are numbers, and true to form, they don't lie. Facts can be presented to make a case either way about the run defense, but my good 'ol reliable "eyeball test" tells me the team looks pretty soft against the run for vast stretches of every game they have played this year. Until teams stop ripping off large chunks of yardage againt this defense, it will continue to look weak against the run no matter what charts we view to make a point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Numbers are numbers, and true to form, they don't lie. Facts can be presented to make a case either way about the run defense, but my good 'ol reliable "eyeball test" tells me the team looks pretty soft against the run for vast stretches of every game they have played this year. Until teams stop ripping off large chunks of yardage againt this defense, it will continue to look weak against the run no matter what charts we view to make a point. I dug through the play-by-play logs of all 6 games, and what jumped out at me was two-fold: - The team is prone to big-gainers in the running game, especially on misdirection and delays, due to their aggressive nature. They have allowed 8 running plays of at least 20 yards, and another half-dozen or more of 10 yards or greater. However, their team speed helps them recover, as they have yet to allow a 40-yard running play against them. - Most of the "stretches" that you refer to come in the 2nd half of games after very short offensive drives, which, to me, is an indicator that the D is tired. I think they can cut down on this by getting more first downs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iinii Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 One stat and one stat is the truest of the true. Wins and losses. Stats can be a decent barometer at times but very misleading as pointed out by first_and_ten and W cubed. Now if we could only agree on the chicken-egg thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefenseWinzChampionshipz Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Its either Brad Smith or Chris Kelseys fault No, they're finally safe now. Now our targets are Justin Rogers and Colin Brown. Damn Colin Brown just got cut. I say now it's Justin Rogers and Hackett are the primary targets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennesseeboy Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I gotta go with a seven person blame on the run defense front...which isn't fair to the two or three really good run stoppers. In the final analysis unless you have a super-crappy d-lineman (and we don't), its a collective fault. Something to work on with this team for sure but I'm not buying Kyle Williams as "the problem". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I dug through the play-by-play logs of all 6 games, and what jumped out at me was two-fold: - The team is prone to big-gainers in the running game, especially on misdirection and delays, due to their aggressive nature. They have allowed 8 running plays of at least 20 yards, and another half-dozen or more of 10 yards or greater. However, their team speed helps them recover, as they have yet to allow a 40-yard running play against them. - Most of the "stretches" that you refer to come in the 2nd half of games after very short offensive drives, which, to me, is an indicator that the D is tired. I think they can cut down on this by getting more first downs Thanks for the research. Good stuff. It would help if we could play with leads for a change and force opposing offenses to be more one-dimensional more often. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt328 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 From my vantage point, Kyle Williams is not the problem. Not to say he never gets beat, but he's certainly not the biggest cause for lapses in the running game. On most plays, Kyle Williams is responsible for one of the "A" Gaps (between the center and the guard). Probably 99 percent of the time, he's the first guy off the ball and filling that gap. Many times he is also facing a double team. The majority of big runs against us are through one of the "B" Gaps (between the guard and tackle) - usually be handled by an ILB or SS ... or an outside run where one of our players fails to keep contain - usually a DE or OLB. I haven't noticed too many big runs right up the gut. In my opinion, our run defense is significantly better than last season - even if it doesn't show on all of the stat sheets yet. I think a lot of that improvement is due to Kiko Alonso being a massive upgrade over Kelvin Sheppard at MLB. He's quick and always around the ball. Still, I've seen Alonso caught over-pursuing and out of position quite a few times. As he gets experience, I think the big runs will come less and less often. I also think it would be smart to find an upgrade over Arthur Moats/Nigel Bradham in the offseason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanC883 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I'm not going into statistics. I've made that mistake once before. I'd rather look at a more simpler look at things. Here's the simple evaluation. If you take Kyle Williams off this team, the teams' defense gets worse. Plain and simple folks. Kyle Williams is one of the better players we have on this team but I don't need to sell you on that. The guy is a beast and ABSOLUTELY hates to lose. If every guy in the locker room thought like Kyle, we'll be pulling more wins than losses. Trust me on that. This Dareus pick is looking more and more like an unfavorable one. I thought the defensive line was going to be impenetrable once we drafted him but, not the case. I still love the guy for WHO he is but I would rather have another Kyle Williams type to replace him if that adds any sense to the whole "is Kyle the problem" thread. The Dareus pick is looking like a mistake at this point. He played around tremendous talent at Alabama, and has done nothing to really distinguish himself on the NFL level despite playing with KY and Mario. He may actually be the problem. Kyle faces constant double teams because Dareus can be handled one on one. Not hating on the guy, I have a Dareus jersey, his play just seems to vary from very good to invisible from week to week. Not what you want out of a top 10 pick. Good player, but we need someone dominant or rotating next to Kyle in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloPride Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 The Dareus pick is looking like a mistake at this point. He played around tremendous talent at Alabama, and has done nothing to really distinguish himself on the NFL level despite playing with KY and Mario. He may actually be the problem. Kyle faces constant double teams because Dareus can be handled one on one. Not hating on the guy, I have a Dareus jersey, his play just seems to vary from very good to invisible from week to week. Not what you want out of a top 10 pick. Good player, but we need someone dominant or rotating next to Kyle in my opinion. Dareus play has gotten better since Branch took over for Carrington. While his play has been marginal at times, he still leads all DT's in tackles and his 4 sacks are second only to Jason Hatchers 5. I think its too early to label him a mistake. Just needs to be more consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPS Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 It's funny. The team goes 6-10 for a decade, but when you suggest one of the incumbents might not be doing his job consistently, it's like blaspheme or something. Kyle Williams is O.K. He makes a play here and there. I can't defend the guy, or anyone on that D, when they give up 400-500 yards a game and keep losing. Also, held up against the Jets DTs, ours pale in comparison. But defend away people. He's awesome. Dareus play has gotten better since Branch took over for Carrington. While his play has been marginal at times, he still leads all DT's in tackles and his 4 sacks are second only to Jason Hatchers 5. I think its too early to label him a mistake. Just needs to be more consistent. Isn't consistency everything in being a professional football player? If you painted houses and half of them looked good, does that work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloPride Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 It's funny. The team goes 6-10 for a decade, but when you suggest one of the incumbents might not be doing his job consistently, it's like blaspheme or something. Kyle Williams is O.K. He makes a play here and there. I can't defend the guy, or anyone on that D, when they give up 400-500 yards a game and keep losing. Also, held up against the Jets DTs, ours pale in comparison. But defend away people. He's awesome. Isn't consistency everything in being a professional football player? If you painted houses and half of them looked good, does that work? Consistency is everything in being a great professional football player. Never said Dareus is great. Just not ready to label him a mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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