Whatdo you need to see to believe the D will be better

[PNW_Bills_Fan]

As I have watched this D during the preseason I have seen a different D. I think the D will be better. If we can be good early, the second half should start to resemble what we thought we were going to have with getting Shaq back and Marcell. What do you need to see?

[White Linen]

I already think they're better.

[KD in CA]

I'll need to see lots of each opponent's punter.

[hondo in seattle]

As I have watched this D during the preseason I have seen a different D. I think the D will be better. If we can be good early, the second half should start to resemble what we thought we were going to have with getting Shaq back and Marcell. What do you need to see?

 

I'm already confident in the back end of the D. We have really good corners.

 

To be confident overall, nothing that happens in the preseason will convince me that the D is better. Way too many third stringers and vanilla schemes out on the field this time of year.

 

I need to watch the first game. What's the communication like? Are we getting pressure? The answers to those two questions will tell me a lot.

[Dopey]

Better communication and it looks like that is the case this year. Plus, even though injuries are a problem, Rex got the round pegs he needs to fit the round holes in the draft. And Rob Ryan is fully pregnant(or looks it) and looks like he will deliver.

[Bookie Man]

Pressure and sacks.

[HuSeYiN_NYC]

I just want them to be consistent. The defense every year has the potential to be to be top 5 with the players we've had but they lose energy or focus or maybe both and don't play at 100% for 4 quarters.

 

It really is a chess game. Rex just needs to communicate with the players that if you feel tired, raise your hand and we'll get a sub in with fresh legs for a down or two. If they can master the rotation, i think we'll be alright.

 

I mean statistically we can't get worse than last year so yes i definitely expect improvement. This is the 1st year in a long time where I'm actually excited about the offense.

[machine gun kelly]

I like all the positives we've seen so far in communication, etc. but what about penalties? A disciplined team would go a long way for me to know we have made significant improvement.

 

Nothing will sell me until we get through September and can see if we can hold up against the Jets, Cardinals, and even a Brady less Patriots. We'll know in October if we have a solid defense.

[Nihilarian]

Pressure and sacks.

This!

 

Last in the NFL in QB pressures and defensive hurries in 2015 left the Bills secondary out to dry like two week old wash in so many games. The single most important progress would be to up the sacks and QB pressures will help an already really good secondary so much.

 

The first four games will tell so much about what's in store for the rest of the season.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Keep the third down conversions longer by stopping the run... This will go a long way to making us look better

[Chandler#81]

Not trying to be a smartass (much..), but simply put; Wins. We left a few wins on the field last year -and every damn year, for that matter- that doomed the season. Whatever it takes to make critical stops, create critical turnovers or win the field position that finally produces wins from the jaws of defeat, will make me believe.

[NorthBuffaloKid]

I need to see less confusion before the snap.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

I'll need to see lots of each opponent's punter.

 

LOL This!

 

1) way fewer penalties, and no stupid "personal foul" penalties

2) everyone in position and ready to rock even when teams are hurrying to the line or running a fast paced offense - no confusion before the snap

3) ability to hold a lead late in the game which requires

4) ability to consistently get stops when we need them

[snamsnoops]

3 n outs

[ALLEN1QB]

Winning 35-0 against Redskins

[BuffaloWings]

This!

 

Last in the NFL in QB pressures and defensive hurries in 2015 left the Bills secondary out to dry like two week old wash in so many games. The single most important progress would be to up the sacks and QB pressures will help an already really good secondary so much.

 

The first four games will tell so much about what's in store for the rest of the season.

 

Double this.

 

While sacks are great, pressure is more important. It causes incompletions, confusion, turnovers, and the other team's punter to get a lot of work. Schwartz's D was doing this a lot. I miss that.

[BarleyNY]

I need to see less confusion before the snap.

Yes, this is #1. I like to break the season up into quarters to look at direction. Let's see how they do in the first four games and go from there.

[Hazed and Amuzed]

I just need to see them be better.

[4merper4mer]

In week 1 last year we were prepared and it looked like the defense knew what they were doing. After that it was a show of utter confusion and ineptitude. I attribute this to the coaches taking too much for granted, resting on their supposed laurels and then starting to point fingers at players.

 

That can't happen again. If the defense plays well in week 1, I think the week 2 performance will go a long way toward telling me if something has possibly changed. It is a quick turnaround to a Thursday night so it could be tough, It is also the Jets, which were 2 of the 5 games Rex seemed to give a crap about last year. Week 3 is a mini bye, week 4 is against the Pats and a backup QB. If we haven't imploded on defense by then I will be intrigued.

 

Week 5 will be telling IMO. I'm not even sure who we'll be playing but it will sort of be our first game in a "normal" routine.

 

Unfortunately I'm not optimistic at this point. Rex has two main problems. One is a lack of organization and discipline. I know he is trying here and I admire him for it. I believe he will give 100% to try to be organized this year and moving forward. It is a tough task for someone to change but I want to believe he can do it. We'll see if they can get plays in on time, have the players actually understand the play and not start blaming "stupid" or "lazy" or "malcontent" players.

 

The second problem is the bigger one. His defensive design, and that of the brother he brought in, has been beaten like a government mule by the rest of the NFL for years now. They are doubling down, all in, fully pregnant for this defense which again shows some admirable qualities for loyalty. But after years of failure I have a hard time imagining a full fledged turnaround.

[Manther]

Stops on third down and pressuring the QB would build my confidence!

[Lofton80]

I want to see the middle hold up in the run game without Dareus. Can #94 perform when the lights come on? Can the defense disrupt the passer ?

I am curious to see tonight if by chance they have figured out that Cousins likes to run bootleg plays. After last years beat down, hopefully, they can defense those plays.

[Dorkington]

16 games of regular season football with top 5 performances in multiple metrics.

[Mr. WEO]

As I have watched this D during the preseason I have seen a different D. I think the D will be better. If we can be good early, the second half should start to resemble what we thought we were going to have with getting Shaq back and Marcell. What do you need to see?

 

What were your thoughts on the D at this point last year?

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

 

What were your thoughts on the D at this point last year?

Look, I was a homer for the defense last year. And I was sure that they would fix it by week 1, and I thought they would be fine after they shut down Luck.

 

So the things I'm watching out for: able to stop those third and medium conversions. Too many times last year we would be in decent yardage on third down, only to get shredded over the middle.

[Wayne Arnold]

An AFC East division championship

[chaccof]

An AFC East division championship

This would be nice. I really don't care if they're better or not, so long as the team makes the playoffs....if they go 7-9 because the offense sucked and the D was top five, who cares? If they go 7-9 and the offense is terrific but the defence can't stop anyone, who cares? Just win baby....

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Winning 35-0 against Redskins

 

Preseason. Still won't do it for me.

[John from Riverside]

I need to see sacks....not from players sacking on the blitz but because the secondary is in such sink that it ends up being a coverage sack. If they do that the sack numbers will go up by default.

 

I also need to see penalties go down that allow opposing offense to gain momentum on us.

[C.Biscuit97]

I need to see sacks....not from players sacking on the blitz but because the secondary is in such sink that it ends up being a coverage sack. If they do that the sack numbers will go up by default.

 

I also need to see penalties go down that allow opposing offense to gain momentum on us.

Coverage sacks are rare. If you give a qb too much time, even the best secondaries will get exposed. One of my major criticisms of Rex was why he blitzed so much when he had the best d line in the NFL last year.

 

And I like looking at the season in 4 4 game blocks. We should have a good idea what kind of defense we have after game 4.

[PromoTheRobot]

Coverage sacks are rare. If you give a qb too much time, even the best secondaries will get exposed. One of my major criticisms of Rex was why he blitzed so much when he had the best d line in the NFL last year.

 

And I like looking at the season in 4 4 game blocks. We should have a good idea what kind of defense we have after game 4.

Maybe after 8 games. I want to see if the D is still effective after opposing offenses have film of us.

[FireChan]

Good games.

[Kemp2Warlick]

I need to see Dareus,Shaq and Ragland play...unfortunately that's not going to happen.

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

The defense will be exotic so I'm not going to believe based on preseason. Nice to see better communication, hopefully that trend continues upward and we can clean up the penalties and generate pass rush. I do think the run D will be good.

[SWATeam]

I've already seen it.

 

The system is installed, D will be much improved.

 

Gonna be a long year for Cuz.Rex.Sux,

[Nanker]

I'll need to see lots of each opponent's punter.

Yep. 3 and outs. Few sustained drives against our D.

[SWATeam]

 

What were your thoughts on the D at this point last year?

Last year was a shocker for me but I think Rex gets too much of the blame.

 

Most statistics had us as a middle of the pack defense (not the worst in the league as you would think). Obviously well below expectations, and the previous year. Rex was not the only variable. Major injuries (Kyle & Aaron we're two big ones) without proven depth behind them at the time, an aging malcontent in decline- :"traffic cone," and a complex new system in year one of the install. I think we should have brought in a couple veterans last year to help install (David Harris), our young defensive core just didn't seem to get it (Preston Brown). Looks to me they get in now and we've brought in some great Dline depth and secondary talent.

 

I'm chalking up last year to the learning curve.

Edited August 26, 2016 by SWATeam

[PNW_Bills_Fan]

Seattle and Denver anvereged about 2 less penalties than we did last year. I am not sure the penalties is the best measure of if the D is better than last year. I agree I want to see if the Personal Fouls are down, but that is on the players not on coaches.

 

Honestly I don't remember how I felt about the D last year during preseason. I am sure I thought they were going to be good especially after week one. I do agree that there were some key injuries that didn't help. The one that was the worst was to Kyle. Kyle is a leader that would have kept guys on the field accountable. I really think Kyle could have helped keep Mario motivated.

 

I do think that the second year in the system should help a ton.

[ALF]

Ed Reed is making a very big difference. I think it was Duke Williams who said Ed Reed is like having a cheat sheet for a video game.

 

That is a big compliment.

[Beef Jerky]

Wins... Pressures and Sacks mean nothing if on 3rd down they convert. So wins with low opponent points scored.

Ed Reed is making a very big difference. I think it was Duke Williams who said Ed Reed is like having a cheat sheet for a video game.

 

That is a big compliment.

 

Up, Down, Left, Right A,B,B,A,B,B,A while holding the start button. Edited August 26, 2016 by Beef Jerky

[Malazan]

A baby