YoloinOhio Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 http://buffalonews.com/2017/05/20/keep-simple-good-rallying-cry-bills-2017-defense/ Its 2017, and history is history. We are looking forward to the 2017 Buffalo Bills team and we havent really dwelled on anything thats happened in the past, new defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. Our focus has really been on the group of guys that are here right now, and thats been our approach. Weve set what we think are going to be our standards for this team on defense and weve talked to them about how we want to achieve our goals on defense. We really havent reflected back on any part of the past, whether its 1964, 2002 or 2015. That hasnt been a part of our conversation. Its all about the 2017 Bills. No more complicated pre-snap adjustments. No more late substitutions. A full 11 players on the field at all times. It sounds simple, but sometimes thats all it takes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadbeef Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Unfortunately that reminds me of what Jauron said when he fired the OC and promoted Alex Van Pelt to OC. simple isn't good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarleyNY Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Unfortunately that reminds me of what Jauron said when he fired the OC and promoted Alex Van Pelt to OC. simple isn't good. Maybe the phrase should be "no longer overcomplicated". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted May 21, 2017 Author Share Posted May 21, 2017 Unfortunately that reminds me of what Jauron said when he fired the OC and promoted Alex Van Pelt to OC. simple isn't good.i don't see a connection between what they are talking about here in terms of defensive philosophy, and the time AVP was made OC. Also McD didn't say it. Skurski did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Unfortunately that reminds me of what Jauron said when he fired the OC and promoted Alex Van Pelt to OC. simple isn't good. I think that might be better phrased as "simple isn't necessarily good". I don't think there's any doubt that an effective, simple defense where everyone knows their job and executes to the whistle, can be more effective than a more complex defense where players are still trying to figure out their role when the ball is snapped and it goes downhill from there. When the Houston D went from 29th in 2010 to 4th in 2011 with the arrival of Wade Phillips, several players mentioned "he simplified a lot" as a key reason for the turnaround. I suspect one could say a similar thing about the 2014 (del Rio) to 2015 (Phillips) Denver turnaround The point being, simple isn't necessarily better (also Wannstache), but when it's a quality, effective scheme, it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott7975 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Unfortunately that reminds me of what Jauron said when he fired the OC and promoted Alex Van Pelt to OC. simple isn't good. It reminds me of two other things. Wannstedt's simple defense that was simply terrible and Schwartz simple defense that was simply great. Which one are we going to get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 It reminds me of two other things. Wannstedt's simple defense that was simply terrible and Schwartz simple defense that was simply great. Which one are we going to get? I think a lot will go to health/talent on the field. Not to totally excuse wanny but he had an injured mario, injured kw, if I recall an out of shape dareus and that other dude that flopped as a free agent at DE. When the whole house is built on the foundation of pressure from the front four and you are getting none, you look historically bad. That year saw similar from spagnolo in New Orleans who took Brady down with the same scheme but access to the NASCAR package of guys with the giants prior. Simple can be great if you have the talent to out play the opponent. But simple and lacking skill is the combo for historically bad outcomes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlbillsfan1975 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Defense to me is about each defender knowing their role during a called set. Defenders by nature like to think less but attack and react more. Moving defenders all over the place is very complicated to learn and takes away from the ability to attack and react to some degree. The less a defenders worries about his pre snap positioning the easier it should be to get off the ball. I don't think the quote means the Bills will be running base defenses. I do think it means the D will be a bit more streamlined. Less pre snap movement is ok. It is about mixing it up at the right time . That's what makes a D good for me. When to blitz and when to stay back. Knowing the opposition and having the right D ready for the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Unfortunately that reminds me of what Jauron said when he fired the OC and promoted Alex Van Pelt to OC. simple isn't good. On defense it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Word was Rex's system was very complex. Throw in his idiot brother Rob adding to the confusion and you probably do have a bunch of lost players. The 4-3 is a natural fit for most of the players on this defense. It will allow people to what comes naturally and what they do best. In turn the transition is simple for most of them. This defense best serves all of the pieces we have on the front four and most of the front 7. Kyle, Dareus, Hughes, Lawson, Washington, Alexander with his hand in the dirt on passing downs, Preston Brown, most of these guys fit better in the 4-3. I expect at least a top 10 unit this year, if not top 5 again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Fan Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 I think anything can be an improvement over last years defense. That was a mess. Simple & boring can definitely be effective though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted May 21, 2017 Author Share Posted May 21, 2017 (edited) I think anything can be an improvement over last years defense. That was a mess. Simple & boring can definitely be effective thoughit is definitely better than the alternative. I do think that simple can be effective as long as you have the talent. I always thought Rex tried to scheme like he had no talent, except for the secondary where he acted like he had HOF players and hung them out to dry in coverage repeatedly. I think this year's bills D has some talent but isn't elite. It could be. But a lot of young and/or unproven guys in starting jobs. That said, I think their DL could be nasty and have a pretty nice rotation. That will help the rest of the D. Edited May 21, 2017 by YoloinOhio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Murica Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Defense was so complicated last season we couldn't even get 11 men on the field... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarleyNY Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Defense was so complicated last season we couldn't even get 11 men on the field... Yeah. There's a point where further complicating something is detrimental to efficiency. Complaints from players throughout the two seasons Rex was here about not being able to react effectively due to the complications of the defensive scheme were telling. It also didn't help that the scheme sucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jr1 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 wrapping up tackles can make a world of difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott7975 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 I think a lot will go to health/talent on the field. Not to totally excuse wanny but he had an injured mario, injured kw, if I recall an out of shape dareus and that other dude that flopped as a free agent at DE. When the whole house is built on the foundation of pressure from the front four and you are getting none, you look historically bad. That year saw similar from spagnolo in New Orleans who took Brady down with the same scheme but access to the NASCAR package of guys with the giants prior. Simple can be great if you have the talent to out play the opponent. But simple and lacking skill is the combo for historically bad outcomes. All good points. With all the money this team has invested in the defense they better have said talent though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcoam Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 If 'simple' means better tackling, stopping the run, a better pass rush, and a better pass defense, great, but I am not as convinced a simplification, and scheme change gets you a top 5 or top 10 D Yes, we have a talented front 4, on paper, with a new first round draft picks there, and a new 2nd round draft pick at MLB, who is supposed to be great vs the run, but the back 7 on paper looks nothing like we had in 2014, let alone, top anything, its the weakest part of our time, I'd say even weaker than our wide outs, albeit with three young corners with heaps of potential If you believe coaching and or scheme makes the difference there, fair enough, but I am not as convinced that a rookie HC will be as instantly as successful as either of the 3 starting rookie players now on the D, I think the D is in transition, with 4 of the 11 starters from last year having being replaced, and with more to come, as it should be post Rex's lack of success jc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 I think a lot will go to health/talent on the field. Not to totally excuse wanny but he had an injured mario, injured kw, if I recall an out of shape dareus and that other dude that flopped as a free agent at DE. When the whole house is built on the foundation of pressure from the front four and you are getting none, you look historically bad. That year saw similar from spagnolo in New Orleans who took Brady down with the same scheme but access to the NASCAR package of guys with the giants prior. Simple can be great if you have the talent to out play the opponent. But simple and lacking skill is the combo for historically bad outcomes. Rex didn't understand that if you can just beat them (as Schwartz demonstrated was possible), you don't NEED to trick them!!! Instead, Rex tricked US! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 (edited) Unfortunately that reminds me of what Jauron said when he fired the OC and promoted Alex Van Pelt to OC. simple isn't good. Obviously, there's an appropriate balance between simple and complicated. Too simple and you're predictable. Too complicated and your players are thinking more than attacking - and making mistakes in their assignments. Rex was probably on the too-complicated end of the spectrum. He wanted to beat opponents with his coaching brilliance more than his roster. To further screw things up, the players weren't always getting a unified message from their coaches. Complication + poor communication = confusion. Edited May 21, 2017 by hondo in seattle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Yeah when I think "Simplified" I think Schwartz like not "just line up the DL and let them win every battle simple The Panther's defenses have been good....and recently good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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