Bills' dreadful run defense could lead to offseason makeover

[SaviorPeterman]

We can no longer ignore the metrics that say this was a much better defense with Marcel Dareus in the lineup. And no matter how Beane and McD spin it, there was no real reason to unload Dareus when they did and simply could have waited until the offseason. And in hindsight this very well may be the move that kept this team out of playoffs:

 

Quote

Bills defense since Week 8:

Rushing yards/game: 154.9 (32nd)

Yards/rush: 4.69 (30th)

Yards after contact/rush: 2.14 (32nd)

First downs/rush: 27.9% (31st)

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/30614/bills-dreadful-run-defense-could-lead-to-offseason-makeover

 

Quote

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Middle linebacker Preston Brown was blunt earlier this month after the Patriots trampled the Buffalo Bills for 191 rushing yards in a New England win at New Era Field.

 

"We know we have to get better or we’re not going to play," he said Dec. 6. "That’s how it is. We’ve got to go out there and find a way to be better in this league or you’re not going to be out there much longer."....

 

[26CornerBlitz]

Who would have guessed? 

 

I predict the Bills will target a "Star".

[TPS]

3 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

Who would have guessed? 

Some articles write themselves...

[theAteam]

How the hell are we 8-6 with that defense and that offense?

[SaviorPeterman]

This still doesn't change my overall opinion of Dareus. He's obviously a very good player on the field when he wants to be but in no way was worth the ridiculous money Whaley gave him. But at the end of the day we essentially traded a much stouter defensive unit and better shot at the playoffs for a 5th round pick that could amount to nothing.

 

And I still think Dareus opened things up for the pass rush as well which has markedly declined as the season went on and also exposed KW as being finished and mostly a liability this season especially against the Run.

Edited December 26, 2017 by SaviorPeterman

[buffalobloodfloridahome]

It is amazing that what was considered a rotational DT would have that much effect on a run defense. It has and it definitely cost us a game or two. The jets ran through us like butter. The Patriots without Burkhead torched us. It could very well be the reason we don't play in the playoffs this year.

[CommonCents]

You guys keep acting like Dareus is having some big impact in Jacksonville. 1 combined tackle this week, 2 last week. 

 

They had a mic'd up session on the other day with Calais, Dareus didn't even make an appearance until the end and looked as disinterested as he did in Buffalo. 

 

Don't let facts get in the way of a good cry. The entire Bills front 7 needs a serious make over, 99 wasn't going to save them.

 

After watching the video I almost felt bad for Dareus, he looks sad inside. He has had a tough life outside of cashing big checks, I hope he gets his mind straight and lives long enough to enjoy that money.

[SaviorPeterman]

2 minutes ago, theAteam said:

How the hell are we 8-6 with that defense and that offense?

 

I'd love to tell you it was the coaching but it was merely the result of a very poor AFC conference and the Bills facing many disappointing teams at home that many experts had pegged as legit SB caliber teams before the season started (i.e. Raiders, Dolphins, Bucs, Broncos)

Edited December 26, 2017 by SaviorPeterman

[billsherd]

So are we guaranteed a 5th round pick now?

[BillsFan1]

McD and Beane unloaded salary by trading Watkins and Dareus.  Here is what most will not accept.   The Bills are rebuilding.  Everybody is all hyped and excited the Bills are still being talked about as a potential playoff team.   Great if they make it because it would break the drought, but if they make the playoffs they will get drilled by whoever they end up playing.  

 

Let me list the Bills needs:
QB
WR
DT
DE
OLB
ILB

CB

 

That list tells me this a rebuild situation. 

 

The fact that we won 8 or 9 games with a depleted roster was a nice achievement, but it hurt the overall strategy by lowering their draft position.

[BringBackFergy]

You guys can re-build, bring in star free agents and draft the best players for the next three years....you still have to beat the refs.

[nucci]

22 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

Who would have guessed? 

 

I predict the Bills will target a "Star".

Where's Dunkirk Don with this info? No one here would have guessed we need to improve the run defense

[MiltonWaddams]

2 minutes ago, BillsFan1 said:

McD and Beane unloaded salary by trading Watkins and Dareus.  Here is what most will not accept.   The Bills are rebuilding.  Everybody is all hyped and excited the Bills are still being talked about as a potential playoff team.   Great if they make it because it would break the drought, but if they make the playoffs they will get drilled by whoever they end up playing.  

 

Let me list the Bills needs:
QB
WR
DT
DE
OLB
ILB

CB

 

That list tells me this a rebuild situation. 

 

The fact that we won 8 or 9 games with a depleted roster was a nice achievement, but it hurt the overall strategy by lowering their draft position.

CB? Definitely correctly placed at the bottom of this list. Is that under the assumption that Gaines walks or based on his injuries?

[26CornerBlitz]

Just now, nucci said:

Where's Dunkirk Don with this info? No one here would have guessed we need to improve the run defense

 

No doubt that he'll claim to have it first.

[BillsFan1]

I just listed the needs.  I didn't prioritize them.  Point is Bills overachieved based on what was left on roster after trades. I would be fine taking CB off the list.  Still lots of holes to fill.  Bills need a couple of good solid drafts and to restock the cupboards

[ganesh]

25 minutes ago, SaviorPeterman said:

This still doesn't change my overall opinion of Dareus. He's obviously a very good player on the field when he wants to be but in no way was worth the ridiculous money Whaley gave him. But at the end of the day we essentially traded a much stouter defensive unit and better shot at the playoffs for a 5th round pick that could amount to nothing.

 

And I still think Dareus opened things up for the pass rush as well which has markedly declined as the season went on and also exposed KW as being finished and mostly a liability this season especially against the Run.

The pick meant nothing. It was simply a salary dump to get him off the books fast.  Dareus was not motivated to play in yet another style of defense. I sense his level of commitment was not there. It is insane to assume the coach would want to stop a good player from getting on the field unless and until he does not wish to be a member of a team and do what is necessary.   Dareus has been known to miss practice, miss classes etc.  McDermott doesn't provide a different timetable for his super-stars. 

15 minutes ago, BillsFan1 said:

McD and Beane unloaded salary by trading Watkins and Dareus.  Here is what most will not accept.   The Bills are rebuilding.  Everybody is all hyped and excited the Bills are still being talked about as a potential playoff team.   Great if they make it because it would break the drought, but if they make the playoffs they will get drilled by whoever they end up playing.  

 

Let me list the Bills needs:
QB
WR
DT
DE
OLB
ILB

CB

 

That list tells me this a rebuild situation. 

 

The fact that we won 8 or 9 games with a depleted roster was a nice achievement, but it hurt the overall strategy by lowering their draft position.

I would put the LBs above all of them except the QB.  If Benjamin returns and Zeke can fix his problems in next years training camp and move to the slot and Thompson does turn into a gem then WR is not a priority in the draft other than gaining depth. If Lawson comes back from his injury, the pass rush is not that bad.  The LBs besides Milano are really horrible and a huge liability. 

[BobChalmers]

16 minutes ago, BillsFan1 said:

McD and Beane unloaded salary by trading Watkins and Dareus.  Here is what most will not accept.   The Bills are rebuilding.  Everybody is all hyped and excited the Bills are still being talked about as a potential playoff team.   Great if they make it because it would break the drought, but if they make the playoffs they will get drilled by whoever they end up playing.  

 

Let me list the Bills needs:
QB
WR
DT
DE
OLB
ILB

CB

 

That list tells me this a rebuild situation. 

 

The fact that we won 8 or 9 games with a depleted roster was a nice achievement, but it hurt the overall strategy by lowering their draft position.

 

They need an upgrade at RG one hell of a lot more than they need DE or CB.  I don't think they need a WR at all.  They need a QB who throws accurately to WRs.

[BillsFan1]

No question Dareus did not want to play for McD.  Did not even have enough respect for him to call him Coach.  Two interviews I saw Dareus called him McDermott.  He was as good as gone at that point.

[blacklabel]

While Dareus hasn't done anything flashy since his monster 2014 season, he was still one of the most naturally gifted players on defense. It's unfortunate that he's had to deal with so much outside noise in his life which has clearly affected his approach towards football, but at a certain point, there's only so much mentoring teammates can do, only so much extra coaching the coaches can do and only so many conversations to be had before you gotta cut ties and give the guy a fresh start somewhere else. It's a bummer he wound up in Jacksonville too because it's pretty evident that he isn't a fan of Marrone. 

 

Remember, they locked him up with the big contract after he came off his best seasons in '13 and '14. Had they not extended him at that point the fan base would have lost their marbles, screaming, "They let another top player just walk for nothin!" The way some fans see things put this team in no-win positions time and again. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

 

But, regarding this years defense, I do think they may have done a little better if they'd hung onto him. I'm certain his playing time was low because McD wasn't seeing consistent effort from play to play. That aside, even if he wasn't racking up huge numbers, he's the type of player who opens things up for players around him. OLs usually have to put two guys on him, that frees up an LB or a DE somewhere which helps the pass rush and it also makes it difficult to run up the middle. I dunno, maybe he wasn't happy playing that role. Maybe he wanted the big plays and the big numbers and didn't want to put the team first and be a guy that helps the team by allowing other guys to make plays. I'm sure his passion for the game was also questioned by McD as it's clear he and Beane intend on fielding a team full of players who prioritize winning, a team first and a "do your job" mentality. Did Dareus fit that description? Maybe to a point. He certainly had a lot of love for his teammates but I think it's been pretty easy to see that he's not the easiest player to coach. He's probably a tough egg to crack in terms of trust. He's obviously not going to respond well to an "in your face" aggressive coaching style. I actually thought McDermott would be able to get through to him but I think at the end of the day, Dareus just wasn't buying into enough of what they wanted to do here. Maybe he didn't like the idea of a rotating DL and figured he should be in there for the majority of the game. Something definitely went down though because at the start of training camp, John Murphy had Kyle Williams on his show and Williams had high praise for Dareus at that point. He said Dareus was in great physical shape, the best shape he'd seen him show up for a camp, and he also said Dareus came in extremely focused and ready to go. Then the guy can't make the bus for a pre-season game in Baltimore and it goes downhill from there. It's a bummer, seems like the guy just can't get out of his own way.

[BillsFan1]

Just now, BobChalmers said:

 

They need an upgrade at RG one hell of a lot more than they need DE or CB.  I don't think they need a WR at all.  They need a QB who throws accurately to WRs.

No pass rush.  RG is alright.  No game breakers at WR position.  Yes, they do need a QB that can throw guys open.

The second coming of Albert Haynesworth.

[BobChalmers]

6 minutes ago, BillsFan1 said:

No pass rush.  RG is alright.  No game breakers at WR position.  Yes, they do need a QB that can throw guys open.

The second coming of Albert Haynesworth.

 

Is your real name Vlad Ducasse or Juan Castillo??  

[BillsFan1]

Adequate compared to other holes in the team.  Blocked for a 1000+ yard rusher. 

[CSBill]

The run defense has to improve--that needs to be a high priority in the offseason, whether it be by draft or FA acquisitions.

[CEN-CAL17]

I still think McD and Beane are gonna grab their QBs. Meaning on both sides of the ball.

 

QB to lead the offense and ILB to run the defense. I’d look for 2 if the first 3 picks to be a QB and ILB.

 

Throw in OL and DT Maybe OLB to complete our first 5 picks.

 

QB, ILB, OL, DT, CB/OLB (no particular order)

Edited December 26, 2017 by 1ZAYDAY1

[26CornerBlitz]

13 minutes ago, BillsFan1 said:

No question Dareus did not want to play for McD.  Did not even have enough respect for him to call him Coach.  Two interviews I saw Dareus called him McDermott.  He was as good as gone at that point.

 

He referred to every coach that way in interviews as far as I remember.  Nothing to be drawn from an interview regarding that.   

[BillsFan1]

Really???  If I was in charge I would draw something from that.  Go call your boss by his last name - see what he says.  C'mon guys. 

McDermott said something.  He told Dareus to pack his bags and get out.

If Dareus was a team guy who bought into what McDermott was selling, he would still be on the roster - regardless of salary.  Same for Watkins.  Watkins has said he was selfish while he was in Buffalo.  Dareus too.  The biggest reason they are both gone is because McDLT went to Beane and said get these two headaches off the roster.

[yungmack]

McBeane already made over the D...last off season, during the season and, who knows?, maybe even further this week. If you watch other teams, you could put together a pretty solid D just from former Whaley picks and FAs starting all around the league. Makes me sick.

[Hawaii50]

1 hour ago, SaviorPeterman said:

We can no longer ignore the metrics that say this was a much better defense with Marcel Dareus in the lineup. And no matter how Beane and McD spin it, there was no real reason to unload Dareus when they did and simply could have waited until the offseason. And in hindsight this very well may be the move that kept this team out of playoffs:

 

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/30614/bills-dreadful-run-defense-could-lead-to-offseason-makeover

 

 

 

Dareus has 1 sack (while he played for us)  and 19 tackles on the year.  While stat line isn't everything and he does help on the run.  Paying someone around $1 million per tackle during a season is insane.  

 

Better to have rid ourselves of him earlier and at least got something for him.

 

 

[WMDman]

And the sky’s blue 

[CommonCents]

5 minutes ago, yungmack said:

McBeane already made over the D...last off season, during the season and, who knows?, maybe even further this week. If you watch other teams, you could put together a pretty solid D just from former Whaley picks and FAs starting all around the league. Makes me sick.

Whaley's picks?

 

Adolphus, Shaq

 

Panties Brown, Kiko, Ragland, R. Johnson

 

Has all the makings of a bad front 7. Whaley makes me sick too.

[hemma]

24 guys on D right now and I expect ~ 50% turnover.

[yungmack]

6 minutes ago, Commonsense said:

Whaley's picks?

 

Adolphus, Shaq

 

Panties Brown, Kiko, Ragland, R. Johnson

 

Has all the makings of a bad front 7. Whaley makes me sick too.

Funny thing about "common sense" is it ain't all that common.

[Heitz]

1 hour ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

Who would have guessed? 

 

I predict the Bills will target a "Star".

 

In other Buffalo news, snow is cold...

 

31 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

He referred to every coach that way in interviews as far as I remember.  Nothing to be drawn from an interview regarding that.   

 

Except for the fact that he's a disrespectful prick.  Have a little professionalism, Marcell.

 

It will be fun to see the kick off of next season - will Marrone be stoked when Dareus shows up out of shape and unmotivated?   

 

[hondo in seattle]

47 minutes ago, blacklabel said:

While Dareus hasn't done anything flashy since his monster 2014 season, he was still one of the most naturally gifted players on defense. It's unfortunate that he's had to deal with so much outside noise in his life which has clearly affected his approach towards football, but at a certain point, there's only so much mentoring teammates can do, only so much extra coaching the coaches can do and only so many conversations to be had before you gotta cut ties and give the guy a fresh start somewhere else. It's a bummer he wound up in Jacksonville too because it's pretty evident that he isn't a fan of Marrone. 

 

Remember, they locked him up with the big contract after he came off his best seasons in '13 and '14. Had they not extended him at that point the fan base would have lost their marbles, screaming, "They let another top player just walk for nothin!" The way some fans see things put this team in no-win positions time and again. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

 

But, regarding this years defense, I do think they may have done a little better if they'd hung onto him. I'm certain his playing time was low because McD wasn't seeing consistent effort from play to play. That aside, even if he wasn't racking up huge numbers, he's the type of player who opens things up for players around him. OLs usually have to put two guys on him, that frees up an LB or a DE somewhere which helps the pass rush and it also makes it difficult to run up the middle. I dunno, maybe he wasn't happy playing that role. Maybe he wanted the big plays and the big numbers and didn't want to put the team first and be a guy that helps the team by allowing other guys to make plays. I'm sure his passion for the game was also questioned by McD as it's clear he and Beane intend on fielding a team full of players who prioritize winning, a team first and a "do your job" mentality. Did Dareus fit that description? Maybe to a point. He certainly had a lot of love for his teammates but I think it's been pretty easy to see that he's not the easiest player to coach. He's probably a tough egg to crack in terms of trust. He's obviously not going to respond well to an "in your face" aggressive coaching style. I actually thought McDermott would be able to get through to him but I think at the end of the day, Dareus just wasn't buying into enough of what they wanted to do here. Maybe he didn't like the idea of a rotating DL and figured he should be in there for the majority of the game. Something definitely went down though because at the start of training camp, John Murphy had Kyle Williams on his show and Williams had high praise for Dareus at that point. He said Dareus was in great physical shape, the best shape he'd seen him show up for a camp, and he also said Dareus came in extremely focused and ready to go. Then the guy can't make the bus for a pre-season game in Baltimore and it goes downhill from there. It's a bummer, seems like the guy just can't get out of his own way.

 

Agreed.

 

MD's  flaws are obvious.  But - considering how atrocious we've been - it's hard to imagine that  our run D wouldn't have been better with Marcel.

[thunderingsquid]

1 hour ago, SaviorPeterman said:

We can no longer ignore the metrics that say this was a much better defense with Marcel Dareus in the lineup. And no matter how Beane and McD spin it, there was no real reason to unload Dareus when they did and simply could have waited until the offseason. And in hindsight this very well may be the move that kept this team out of playoffs:

 

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/30614/bills-dreadful-run-defense-could-lead-to-offseason-makeover

 

 

 

A competent offense would wipe those concerns away.  Time of possession, rested defense that's not on the field all the time, not playing from behind, etc. 

Dareus was quite a dominant force against the 5 win 9ers on Sunday. 

 

99 Marcell Dareus

1/0 tackle'assist,

0.0 sacks,

[SlamnSam]

1 hour ago, SaviorPeterman said:

This still doesn't change my overall opinion of Dareus. He's obviously a very good player on the field when he wants to be but in no way was worth the ridiculous money Whaley gave him. But at the end of the day we essentially traded a much stouter defensive unit and better shot at the playoffs for a 5th round pick that could amount to nothing.

 

And I still think Dareus opened things up for the pass rush as well which has markedly declined as the season went on and also exposed KW as being finished and mostly a liability this season especially against the Run.

 Wow! The reason we are out is because of the qb, not because of losing the fat child on defense.

[Julio Hopkins]

1 hour ago, BillsFan1 said:

Adequate compared to other holes in the team.  Blocked for a 1000+ yard rusher. 

 

That doesn't necessarily excuse how bad Ducasse and Mills are in pass protection.  

[BillsFan1]

Not necessarily, but what difference does pass protection make if Tyrod wont throw the ball down the field?

[Julio Hopkins]

12 minutes ago, BillsFan1 said:

Not necessarily, but what difference does pass protection make if Tyrod wont throw the ball down the field?

 

It will when they put in a perfect west coast QB for their west coast offense.  Go back and watch the Chargers game, Peterman didn't stand a chance because of how poor the right side of the line is.  Accept it or not, but Tyrod's ability to evade incoming pressure has taken pressure off the offensive line.

 

Is anybody comfortable putting a rookie like Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, or please god no Josh Allen behind this line?

Edited December 26, 2017 by Julio Hopkins

[Livinginthepast]

I didn't feel that bad that Dareus got traded. I thought that his suspensions, the sloppy attitude and his meagre pass rush sealed his fate. However his run stuffing ability or even the fact that his humungous size made RBs run around him and be tackled by others I completely missed. His value was there and nowhere else. Too bad the monster contract made Beane nervous. Had he been signed to something reasonable he might still be there. In any case the run defense has been absolutely abysmal since. You would think though that Beane and McDermott would have  been aware of this strength of Dareus and at the very least had a plan B for the run stopping.