Big Turk Posted December 26, 2013 Author Share Posted December 26, 2013 Yep, JR in Pittsburgh, you bring up a very valid point. I have to agree with you the teams they played in the 2nd half were bottom dwellers that a high school team could beat. That does put a damper on their perceived improvement. Just because a team has a poor record doesn't mean they can't move the football. Miami controls their own destiny for the playoffs still with a win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 First 8 opponents are 69-51 through 15 games (.575) Last 7: 45-60 (.428) Thanks. I think this certainly is an important variable, as is fewer injuries. I honestly do think there has been improvement, but the variables make it hard to know for sure the primary causes. I will say that a good performance against New England this week will go a long way, in my mind, to showing serious improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Thanks. I think this certainly is an important variable, as is fewer injuries. I honestly do think there has been improvement, but the variables make it hard to know for sure the primary causes. I will say that a good performance against New England this week will go a long way, in my mind, to showing serious improvement. Agreed. But the defenses performance against a Miami team with a winning record and their performance against an Atlanta one with losing record shoots holes in the correlation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Security Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Some to do with opponents, some to do with weather, typically harder for offense in bad weather (even though there are some monster high scoring games in bad weather this year). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibuya Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 the D looked like crap in losses to KC, Pitt, Atlanta and TB so these meaningless showings late in the year just irritate me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bufcomments Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 The Bills D is becoming what we though it could be this season, especially in the last half of the season, which is not all that surprising considering it took a while for the payers to really learn and adjust to the new scheme and know where they were supposed to be all the time. 1st Half of the season D numbers: 381.1 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 500+ yard game allowed, 2 400+ yard game allowed, 4 300+ yard games allowed) 117.8 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 263.3 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(4 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed) Opposing QB's: 338/177, 52.3 Completion %, 2279 yards, 6.74 Y/A, 20 TDs, 12 INTs, 78.7 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 50/129(38.7%) Opponents First Downs: 21.4 2nd Half of the season D numbers(thru 7 games): 271.8 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 400+ yard game allowed, 2 300+ yard game allowed(Pittsburgh had exactly 300 yards) 122 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 149.9 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(0 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed, 2 under 100 yard passers allowed--amazing) Opposing QB's: 229/119 51.9 Completion %, 1264 Yards, 5.52 Y/A, 7 TDs, 10 INTs, 60.3 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 37/103(35.9%) Opponents First Downs: 16.1 Nothing short of staggering difference...110 yards less over the 2nd half of the season versus the first half of the season, with the majority of the difference coming against the pass. Much has to do with the return of Gilmore and Byrd, but still that is a huge difference. It appears this team is intentionally sacrificing some rushing yards to prevent passing yards, which is smart considering most big strike plays are pass plays. They also have slightly improved 3rd down percentage while vastly improving opponent 1st down's per game by allowing over 5 fewer... Opposing QB rating is just ridiculous in the 2nd half of the season...teams are completing barely over half their passes, for an embarrassing 5.5 Y/A with a 60 QB rating...that has got to be 1 in the NFL over that time span, those are like best pass D in the NFL type numbers...also seem to be cutting down the big pass plays, with teams averaging over 1.2 yards per attempt fewer from the first half to second half... This defense is going to be just scary next year to play against after having a full off season and training camp to get even better and more comfortable...this has the makings of a top 3 defense next year and potentially #1...unlimited potential on this side of the ball... nice post. It was to be expected they improve as the season went on. Byrd missed some time in the beginning, Gilmores injury, the secondary not a full strength at the start. McKelvin has improved, so has A. Williams who made a big leap this year. They found the perfect slot role for Robey, who has been a very pleasant surprise. Then add 10 sacks with Hughes, which you have to admit was unexpected. They need 1 run stuffing LB to go with Kiko. They gonna be nice if everybody stays aboard on D next year. Petine is an excellent coach. Look at the improved play from Kyle, Mario and Dareus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Per today's D&C: "The Bills have held six of their last seven opponents under 200 net yards passing and now rank fifth in the NFL in pass defense, and third in yards per pass attempt." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelee Phoenix Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Not to be a naysayer, but what were the record of our opponents in the 1st half of season vs 2nd half of season? That probably explains, in (large?) part, why we are so improved. It also helps that the secondary was healthy then, and not being forced to play Justin Rogers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 (edited) The Bills D is becoming what we though it could be this season, especially in the last half of the season, which is not all that surprising considering it took a while for the payers to really learn and adjust to the new scheme and know where they were supposed to be all the time. 1st Half of the season D numbers: 381.1 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 500+ yard game allowed, 2 400+ yard game allowed, 4 300+ yard games allowed) 117.8 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 263.3 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(4 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed) Opposing QB's: 338/177, 52.3 Completion %, 2279 yards, 6.74 Y/A, 20 TDs, 12 INTs, 78.7 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 50/129(38.7%) Opponents First Downs: 21.4 2nd Half of the season D numbers(thru 7 games): 271.8 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 400+ yard game allowed, 2 300+ yard game allowed(Pittsburgh had exactly 300 yards) 122 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 149.9 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(0 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed, 2 under 100 yard passers allowed--amazing) Opposing QB's: 229/119 51.9 Completion %, 1264 Yards, 5.52 Y/A, 7 TDs, 10 INTs, 60.3 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 37/103(35.9%) Opponents First Downs: 16.1 Nothing short of staggering difference...110 yards less over the 2nd half of the season versus the first half of the season, with the majority of the difference coming against the pass. Much has to do with the return of Gilmore and Byrd, but still that is a huge difference. It appears this team is intentionally sacrificing some rushing yards to prevent passing yards, which is smart considering most big strike plays are pass plays. They also have slightly improved 3rd down percentage while vastly improving opponent 1st down's per game by allowing over 5 fewer... Opposing QB rating is just ridiculous in the 2nd half of the season...teams are completing barely over half their passes, for an embarrassing 5.5 Y/A with a 60 QB rating...that has got to be 1 in the NFL over that time span, those are like best pass D in the NFL type numbers...also seem to be cutting down the big pass plays, with teams averaging over 1.2 yards per attempt fewer from the first half to second half... This defense is going to be just scary next year to play against after having a full off season and training camp to get even better and more comfortable...this has the makings of a top 3 defense next year and potentially #1...unlimited potential on this side of the ball... Optimism has no place here. We should be tanking games for draft position. Edited December 26, 2013 by H2o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelee Phoenix Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Some to do with opponents, some to do with weather, typically harder for offense in bad weather (even though there are some monster high scoring games in bad weather this year). Not just this year, every year in the long run. Wind (and very heavy precip at the time) are the only elements that lower scoring. Snow actually raises scoring. But, I won't complain, I've made some nice money knowing that on people overreacting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted December 26, 2013 Author Share Posted December 26, 2013 (edited) the D looked like crap in losses to KC, Pitt, Atlanta and TB so these meaningless showings late in the year just irritate me What KC game were you watching? They got 3 FGs the entire game from their offense and they were barely moving the ball at all. I was at the game and everyone was screaming to just run it again on 3rd and goal at the 1 and kick the FG if he didn't get in to give us a 10 point lead cause there was no way KC was scoring 10 more points the way we were playing... the D looked like crap in losses to KC, Pitt, Atlanta and TB so these meaningless showings late in the year just irritate me Pittsburgh got a total of 300 yards of offense on a day our offense literally could not do anything but go 3 and out every series, Tampa Bay had two big plays accounting for 118 yards of offense and barely 100 the rest of the game including 7 yards in the second half. Their QB was 9 of 25 for 90 yards...Guess people see what they want to see... Edited December 26, 2013 by matter2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumbalaya Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 This is just another stat for losers to look at. Can we stop the good teams when it counts? Can we make a big play on offense with the game on the line against a good team? Do we show up on the road? Those answers for this season and the last decade remain "No". Is team better losers than the previous losers? Possibly, but it matters not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Security Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 This is just another stat for losers to look at. Can we stop the good teams when it counts? Can we make a big play on offense with the game on the line against a good team? Do we show up on the road? Those answers for this season and the last decade remain "No". Is team better losers than the previous losers? Possibly, but it matters not. Bills are pretty bad much of the time needing stops, and also bad on 3rd and 10. I will say I was impressed when they needed stops in the 2nd half and late against the Bengals, even though they were bad earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorkington Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 We only have stats to look at. Our record, once again, is in the dumps. Give us this, at least Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldTimer1960 Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Forgive me for not reading the entire thread, but is it shocking that the Defense improved after playing the first several games under a new coaching staff AND having been missing almost all of their starting secondary for the first 5-6 games? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDH Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Per today's D&C: "The Bills have held six of their last seven opponents under 200 net yards passing and now rank fifth in the NFL in pass defense, and third in yards per pass attempt." It'll be interesting to see what they do on the road vs. Brady. This should give us a really good idea of where they're at heading into next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAWNDO Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 It seems every season the Bills start slow, and fans always think next year is our year.... One of these years we will be right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 The Bills D is becoming what we though it could be this season, especially in the last half of the season, which is not all that surprising considering it took a while for the payers to really learn and adjust to the new scheme and know where they were supposed to be all the time. 1st Half of the season D numbers: 381.1 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 500+ yard game allowed, 2 400+ yard game allowed, 4 300+ yard games allowed) 117.8 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 263.3 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(4 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed) Opposing QB's: 338/177, 52.3 Completion %, 2279 yards, 6.74 Y/A, 20 TDs, 12 INTs, 78.7 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 50/129(38.7%) Opponents First Downs: 21.4 2nd Half of the season D numbers(thru 7 games): 271.8 Yards Per Game Total allowed(1 400+ yard game allowed, 2 300+ yard game allowed(Pittsburgh had exactly 300 yards) 122 Yards Per Game Rushing allowed 149.9 Yards Per Game Passing allowed(0 300+ yard passers allowed, 1 200+ yard passer allowed, 2 under 100 yard passers allowed--amazing) Opposing QB's: 229/119 51.9 Completion %, 1264 Yards, 5.52 Y/A, 7 TDs, 10 INTs, 60.3 QB Rating 3rd Down Stats: 37/103(35.9%) Opponents First Downs: 16.1 Nothing short of staggering difference...110 yards less over the 2nd half of the season versus the first half of the season, with the majority of the difference coming against the pass. Much has to do with the return of Gilmore and Byrd, but still that is a huge difference. It appears this team is intentionally sacrificing some rushing yards to prevent passing yards, which is smart considering most big strike plays are pass plays. They also have slightly improved 3rd down percentage while vastly improving opponent 1st down's per game by allowing over 5 fewer... Opposing QB rating is just ridiculous in the 2nd half of the season...teams are completing barely over half their passes, for an embarrassing 5.5 Y/A with a 60 QB rating...that has got to be 1 in the NFL over that time span, those are like best pass D in the NFL type numbers...also seem to be cutting down the big pass plays, with teams averaging over 1.2 yards per attempt fewer from the first half to second half... This defense is going to be just scary next year to play against after having a full off season and training camp to get even better and more comfortable...this has the makings of a top 3 defense next year and potentially #1...unlimited potential on this side of the ball... Great info. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Per today's D&C: "The Bills have held six of their last seven opponents under 200 net yards passing and now rank fifth in the NFL in pass defense, and third in yards per pass attempt." The opposing QBs in that group include Alex Smith, Geno Smith/SIms, Glennin, Chad Henne, Tannehill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malazan Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Defenses historically improve as the season goes on so keep that in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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