Again the Defense....

[Billsfan1972]

needs to be held accountable.

 

This was to be the Bills strength. Thus far average (or below) at best. The Offense has been actually much better then expected, but when a stop is needed, a big play required or the line to come through, it has not been there.

 

Add to that penalties, redzone defense (one int vs. NYG and the stop yesterday) and third down conversions and you just shake your head.

 

I did post eslewhere but yesterday again is a perfect example. This is Blake Bortles and he drove 84 yards to win the game.

 

They had a 75 yard TD drive and converted key third downs in the red zone. Even the short drive contained two consecutive plays where the bills stuffed the receiver and rb behind the line and both times they gained positive yardage (the second resulting in a 28 yard TD run). The 79 yard 10 minute dirve, Bills fans are supposed to applaud because they were stopped on the 1 yard line? This came after the Bills had seized momentum (scoring 10 points prior to half) and then killed by that drive.

 

As for the line, here are their stats wrt sacks & qb hits through 7 weeks.

 

So far this season.....

 

Indy 2 Sacks 6 Hits

NE 2 5

Mia 2 10

NYG 1 1

Tenn 2 7

Cin 0 1

Jax 2 3

11 27

 

And when you need a play, they haven't delivered.

Edited October 26, 2015 by Billsfan1972

[K-9]

I think this is fair criticism.

 

One of the concerns I have is how this defense starts the second half of games and yesterday was a good example. We allowed one of the dregs of the league to control the ball for 10 minutes to start the half. Look at last week against Cinci, too.

 

Like penalties, I think this is a direct reflection on coaching. Perhaps Rex should fire his friends and get some people who can light a fire under these guys instead.

 

GO BILS!!!

[John from Riverside]

Guys just need to make plays

 

I know I saw once.....and I think it was actually twice Marcel gets into the backfield and is close enough to get a hand on Bortles.......and does get him

 

When you are being paid 110 million dollars you HAVE to MAKE A PLAY

 

Then in the Sunday night game you see a DT who dives a offensive center INTO the qb.....gets like 3 fingers on the QB......and gets him on the ground

 

The guys we are paying big money to are NOT MAKING PLAYS

 

- If you dont get their on the pass rush......get your HANDS UP AND BAT a fricken ball.....you might cause turnover

- Finish plays when you beat your man

- Dont allow yourself to be seal blocked out of plays that result in big runs

[FireChan]

The most bothersome thing to me is the defense's belief that they are elite. Gilmore's comments post-game exemplified this yet again. We have more talent than anybody etc. etc. They aren't.

 

Elite defenses make huge plays to seal games. They step up when it's do or die. This defense is pretending that the ending of the Titans game is how they play every week. It isn't. I don't know why their heads are all up their asses, but I can't imagine the player's coach doesn't have something to with it.

[Billsfan1972]

Beating the Titans is not something that should be at the top of your resume.

[Sojourner]

The most bothersome thing to me is the defense's belief that they are elite. Gilmore's comments post-game exemplified this yet again. We have more talent than anybody etc. etc. They aren't.

 

Elite defenses make huge plays to seal games. They step up when it's do or die. This defense is pretending that the ending of the Titans game is how they play every week. It isn't. I don't know why their heads are all up their asses, but I can't imagine the player's coach doesn't have something to with it.

They did step up... I mean granted they slipped up at the end and it was the lackluster Jags but they stuffed them in crucial short yardage positions and allowed our team to get back into a position to win. You are right though, there seems to be a lot of pretending we are something we're not... Consistently reliable and "elite".

[FireChan]

They did step up... I mean granted they slipped up at the end and it was the lackluster Jags but they stuffed them in crucial short yardage positions and allowed our team to get back into a position to win. You are right though, there seems to be a lot of pretending we are something we're not... Consistently reliable and "elite".

If you want to be elite, you take the bad call and stop them again. We did it against the Titans. That was an elite defensive stop. Wrench in the works but after they did their assignments, made a great play on the ball, ball game.

 

If the defense was elite, we win that Jags game. No doubt in my mind. They aren't but they think they are. Worst case scenario.

Edited October 26, 2015 by FireChan

[1st Ammendment NoMas]

They blew it again and EJ was a helper.

[Sojourner]

Very true. They aren't elite but the talent is there to be on the cusp of such. Strange how we hire a "defensive mastermind" and regress on several aspects. Sadly, the most important being consistency.

[26CornerBlitz]

What's going on with the Bills defense? (1:11)

NFL Media's Brian Billick assesses on what's happening with the Buffalo Bills defense, who entered the 2015 season as a projected top 5 defense, but have struggled in their dominance.

 

[reddogblitz]

I just saw the end of the Cardinals/Ravens game. Ravens get ball down by 8. Arizona, as I've seen them do several times before, blitzes heavily on almost every play and guess what, game ends when Joe throws a pick.

 

Why didn't we do this to second year QB Blake Bortles, running the 30th best offense in the league?

 

Our D playing soft against chumps is mind boggling to me.

Edited October 27, 2015 by reddogblitz

[Nihilarian]

Guys just need to make plays

 

I know I saw once.....and I think it was actually twice Marcel gets into the backfield and is close enough to get a hand on Bortles.......and does get him

 

When you are being paid 110 million dollars you HAVE to MAKE A PLAY

 

Then in the Sunday night game you see a DT who dives a offensive center INTO the qb.....gets like 3 fingers on the QB......and gets him on the ground

 

The guys we are paying big money to are NOT MAKING PLAYS

 

- If you dont get their on the pass rush......get your HANDS UP AND BAT a fricken ball.....you might cause turnover

- Finish plays when you beat your man

- Dont allow yourself to be seal blocked out of plays that result in big runs

If Dave Wannstedt showed the world anything in Buffalo as the defensive coordinator its that just rushing with the front four doesn't get it done, and never will despite how much money they are being paid. While ole Dave showed what not to do. Both Jim Schwartz, and Mike Pettine showed how and what to do running a 3-4 or 4-3.

 

A lot of the time using single coverage in the secondary while rushing with more then are defending is usually what worked best in Pettine's overload blitz. Fans were even complaining that Schwartz didn't blitz enough, and that sometimes Pettine blitzed to much. The reality is that both those men put a lot of pressure on opposing QB's which is something that has been greatly lacking this year.

 

The Bills are currently ranked #16 in the turnover differential at 0, and have gotten to #11 in total defense while still #22 in passing defense. The Bills are currently 24th in sacks, and 29th in sack percentage. That sack %, and sacks are a far cry from being #1 last year, and #2 the year before.

 

Perhaps Ryan needs to simplify his complex defense, and just get after the QB like Pettine, Schwartz were able to do.

I just saw the end of the Cardinals/Ravens game. Ravens get ball down by 8. Arizona, as I've seen them do several times before, blitzes heavily on almost every play and guess what, game ends when Joed throws a pick.

 

Why didn't we do this to second year QB Blake Bortles, running the 30th best offense in the league?

 

Our D playing soft against chumps is mind boggling to me.

That was an amazing game at the end where Flacco throws an INT into the end zone to end the game. I want a defense like Arizona has with all that Blitzing they do, and to Flacco's credit he managed to make so many plays while under great duress. That is until the end

[Billsfan1972]

Flacco is not Bortles..... Jax got on the Bills side of the field and scored everytime (outside 4 runs from the 3). This was supposed to be at worst a top 5 defense, with an elite line with all the worries about the offense. At home the Bills D has been very suspect.

 

Add to that missed coverages and bad tackling at inopportune times has too cost Buffalo.

[GunnerBill]

If Dave Wannstedt showed the world anything in Buffalo as the defensive coordinator its that just rushing with the front four doesn't get it done, and never will despite how much money they are being paid. While ole Dave showed what not to do. Both Jim Schwartz, and Mike Pettine showed how and what to do running a 3-4 or 4-3.

 

Schwartz did just send 4 pretty often. We had one of the lowest blitz percentages in the league last season - we have a front four so good that they can get it done, but they have to be put in position to make plays - that is what Pet did by sending guys from everywhere and confusing offensive lines and it is what Schwartz did with the discipline in assignment across his defense.... Rex is not doing it.

 

FireChan is onto something as well - the defense still seems to think it is the defense that was regularly getting on he field and making decisive plays to win us games last season but it isn't. I think the players are frustrated because they feel like they are better than the scheme is allowing them to be. Let me tell you this for nothing - Brown and Bradham do not understand what their coverage assignments are in this scheme and they were dominant players last year.

 

Rex needs to leave his ego at the door and get our players in position to make plays.

[Jobot]

I'm all for bashing on the defense with their failure to come even close to preseason expectations... but this last game was not on the defense.

 

1. The final drive was significantly aided by an incorrect PI call. If the correct call was made, this thread doesn't exist and the Bills hold on 4th and 15.

2. The 3 drives prior to the last Jax drive resulted in two 3 and outs and a pick-6 (would have held as the game winner if not for the PI call IMO)

3. Bortles made a great play avoiding pressure and throwing the TD to Hurns. Gotta give him some credit.

 

I wish we could call our D elite, but they aren't right now. However they played solid against Jax. It would be nice to not even have to worry about bad officiating to swing the balance of the game.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

The most bothersome thing to me is the defense's belief that they are elite. Gilmore's comments post-game exemplified this yet again. We have more talent than anybody etc. etc. They aren't.

 

Elite defenses make huge plays to seal games. They step up when it's do or die. This defense is pretending that the ending of the Titans game is how they play every week. It isn't. I don't know why their heads are all up their asses, but I can't imagine the player's coach doesn't have something to with it.

 

They do have great talent. They just aren't proving it on Sunday

I'm all for bashing on the defense with their failure to come even close to preseason expectations... but this last game was not on the defense.

 

1. The final drive was significantly aided by an incorrect PI call. If the correct call was made, this thread doesn't exist and the Bills hold on 4th and 15.

2. The 3 drives prior to the last Jax drive resulted in two 3 and outs and a pick-6 (would have held as the game winner if not for the PI call IMO)

3. Bortles made a great play avoiding pressure and throwing the TD to Hurns. Gotta give him some credit.

 

I wish we could call our D elite, but they aren't right now. However they played solid against Jax. It would be nice to not even have to worry about bad officiating to swing the balance of the game.

 

You know, bad calls happen. A great, even a good, D finds a way around it.

 

Did EJ play very badly this game, especially in the 1st half? Yes, yes he did. Did he get the team into position to win? Yes, at one point in the 4th they were leading. It wasn't just the awful PI call, they allowed several 3rd and longs that drive. If you want to win, and your team has a small lead in the 4th Q, you gotta get those stops.

[stony]

If Dave Wannstedt showed the world anything in Buffalo as the defensive coordinator its that just rushing with the front four doesn't get it done, and never will despite how much money they are being paid. While ole Dave showed what not to do. Both Jim Schwartz, and Mike Pettine showed how and what to do running a 3-4 or 4-3.

 

A lot of the time using single coverage in the secondary while rushing with more then are defending is usually what worked best in Pettine's overload blitz. Fans were even complaining that Schwartz didn't blitz enough, and that sometimes Pettine blitzed to much. The reality is that both those men put a lot of pressure on opposing QB's which is something that has been greatly lacking this year.

 

The Bills are currently ranked #16 in the turnover differential at 0, and have gotten to #11 in total defense while still #22 in passing defense. The Bills are currently 24th in sacks, and 29th in sack percentage. That sack %, and sacks are a far cry from being #1 last year, and #2 the year before.

 

Perhaps Ryan needs to simplify his complex defense, and just get after the QB like Pettine, Schwartz were able to do.

That was an amazing game at the end where Flacco throws an INT into the end zone to end the game. I want a defense like Arizona has with all that Blitzing they do, and to Flacco's credit he managed to make so many plays while under great duress. That is until the end

The whole Mike Pettine hero worshiping thing has gotten a bit out of hand. Go look at our rush defense that year. We were coming off a few years of watching some truly putrid defenses, and enter Mike Pettine. His teams blitzed a lot and were "sexy" to watch as they sacked the QB. But don't fool yourself, they were by no means a very good D like some make them out to be.

[GunnerBill]

The whole Mike Pettine hero worshiping thing has gotten a bit out of hand. Go look at our rush defense that year. We were coming off a few years of watching some truly putrid defenses, and enter Mike Pettine. His teams blitzed a lot and were "sexy" to watch as they sacked the QB. But don't fool yourself, they were by no means a very good D like some make them out to be.

 

I agree. But they were a darn sight better than the tripe Rex is serving up. And you want bad teams running all over us? Enter the Jacksonville Jag and TJ Yeldon. We have given up rushing touchdowns of 20 yards plus the last two weeks. This looks like all the bad bits of the Pettine defense without any of the good bits.

 

 

As for Hopeful's post - I might be wrong but I don't think FireChan was saying that the defense has potentially elite talent.... but they are not an elite defense. You cannot argue they are based on production. I think that is scheme first and foremost because they were one of the league's elite defences last year.

[stony]

 

I agree. But they were a darn sight better than the tripe Rex is serving up. And you want bad teams running all over us? Enter the Jacksonville Jag and TJ Yeldon. We have given up rushing touchdowns of 20 yards plus the last two weeks. This looks like all the bad bits of the Pettine defense without any of the good bits.

 

 

As for Hopeful's post - I might be wrong but I don't think FireChan was saying that the defense has potentially elite talent.... but they are not an elite defense. You cannot argue they are based on production. I think that is scheme first and foremost because they were one of the league's elite defences last year.

Gunner, I'm not comparing the two. Just reminding some that similar problems existed in a similar scheme. As yes, you are correct, without the QB pressure. I know I'm in the wrong place for accuracy, but dammit, a bit of Google before we post fond memories of two seasons ago when the Pats racked up 267 yds rushing on us. Them were the days!!!

[Billsfan1972]

I'm all for bashing on the defense with their failure to come even close to preseason expectations... but this last game was not on the defense.

 

1. The final drive was significantly aided by an incorrect PI call. If the correct call was made, this thread doesn't exist and the Bills hold on 4th and 15.

2. The 3 drives prior to the last Jax drive resulted in two 3 and outs and a pick-6 (would have held as the game winner if not for the PI call IMO)

3. Bortles made a great play avoiding pressure and throwing the TD to Hurns. Gotta give him some credit.

 

I wish we could call our D elite, but they aren't right now. However they played solid against Jax. It would be nice to not even have to worry about bad officiating to swing the balance of the game.

Again this was Jacksonville. They also had a 73 yd TD drive, a 36 yd drive that had two out of the three plays stopped in the back field & that 79 yard 10 min drive. All teams have 3 & outs during a game, don't go on about how wonderful Buffalo is becuase they had some too... Two of the TD's were on third downs and the final was a 31 yard out play when the whole point was don't let them score a td!!!!!