Why I think the D will be dominant

[JerseyBills]

55BThe two most ireson is Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier. I remember after hiring McDermott I saw a video of him interacting with Panthers and Eagles defensive players during practice and warm ups prior to the game. I instantly got excited and remember thinking that this guy is the real deal.

 

I didn't know much about him at that time but that video instantly sold me . I was extremely impressed at his approach to coaching , that he had a natural ability to coach at the highest level. He was born for this  His scheme, coaching and ability to identify the right players for his scheme is phenomenal imo , as well as identifying the correct staff to teach this and i feel we hit a home run with McD as HC and Frazier as DC.

 

The numbers weren't good last year but stats don't tell the full story in many situations. McD had to completely rebuild this defense! Only 3 starters from the Ryan defense will likely remain - Kyle,Hughes and Lorax. That's 8 new starters on defense from when he was hired,  2 seasons, pretty incredible ! 

 

Secondary

S - The Best safety duo no longer resides in Seattle .. Hyde and Poyer proved they are studs and fit this scheme like a glove. I don't even think it's an argument that there is a better S duo in the league than the one in Buffalo. And the scary part? They should only get BETTER!! That was year 1 , on a totally revamped secondary , and one of the worse pass rushes in the NFL. They can be much better when you factor in all this.

 

CB - This context is important - Buffalo lost their Top CB in FA and traded Darby who was expected to takeover as the #1 CB last year and didn't re sign our #3 CB in Robey. Going into TC almost everyone thought CB and secondary in general would be a huge weakness , possibly worse in the league.

 

Now along with the best S duo we have a #1 that looks like he's going to be a TOP 5 CB for the next decade. To do what he did as a rookie is just so rare for a CB. Lattimore played just as well but Tre was the #1 on a secondary that had ZERO returning starters! Lattimore also had a significantly better pass rush. Both will be Elite but I think Tre will have a better career. I think Tre is the next Revis...

 

We could have re signed but didn't even offer our #2 and 3 CB, replacing Gaines with a very very good CB in Davis. Been a #1 his whole career, if he can return to form , we likely have the best secondary in the NFL. The nickel is up for grabs but like Gaines,  we didn't even try to retain Johnson, so McD feels we can upgrade both. 

 

FRONT 7 

Edmunds , Murphy , Star , Phillips and my sleeper Julian Stanford are all new additions that should have a big impact on the front 7. 

 

Our only significant loss on the front 7 was Preston Brown, who we didn't even make an offer to . Reliable but average at best and consistently got picked on in coverage.  We're replacing him with a rookie who should at least be an upgrade over Brown and has the potential to be a legit generational talent at MLB. Milano next to him in the nickel is one helluva combination. Lorax is penciled in as the other starter but don't be surprised if Stanford balls out and starts at some point .

 

Depth could be a concern but Lorax-Edmunds-Milano is a  big upgrade over last years week 1 starters in Lorax-Brown- Humber. Humber , Stanford coming off the bench.

 

Finally the DL , which had zero significant losses and added 3 likely contributors in Star , Murphy and Dirty Harry. Hughes numbers were not very good but if you watch him play , he's as good as he was when he signed his contract. He just didn't have much help at all but with Star and Murphy I expect his numbers to skyrocket . We also have very good depth at DL , have two legit rota

 

Murphy-Kyle-Star-Hughes is significantly better than overweight Lawson-Adolphus-Kyle-Hughes. We now have Lawson,Lorax , Yarborough as depth at DE and Adolphus and Phillips as DT depth. McD can get very creative with the front 7 now . Edmunds, Milano,Lorax and Stanford can all rush the passer too, McD can add a bunch of new wrinkles to his defense now.

 

 

 

 

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[Jay_Fixit]

So, uh, what would you say you do here?

Edited July 25, 2018 by Jay_Fixit

[BmarvB]

You have a valid argument there.I sure hope you're right.

[eball]

I think a lot of us believe the Bills could field a top ten D this season if the newcomers perform as advertised and there are no significant injuries.  I look at last season and while the run D and pass rush were not very good, the stats were just slaughtered by that 3-game losing streak in weeks 8-10.  Both before and after that they were much better.

[26CornerBlitz]

Dominant? They could be very good, but dominant sounds like wishful thinking based on the overall talent level with LB still a question mark. 

[BillsPride12]

There's a huge difference between very good and Dominant... and I do think our defense is trending that way but I would say still 2-3 years away from being Dominant

[Dablitzkrieg]

I wouldn't put your expectations too high.  Expect a gassed defense based on crappy offensive play.  Believe me, I hope I'm wrong.

[WMDman]

i say top 10

[Matt_In_NH]

They might have the ability to be dominant but I predict they wont because the offense wont be able to stay on the field consistently. 

[1st Ammendment NoMas]

14 minutes ago, Dablitzkrieg said:

I wouldn't put your expectations too high.  Expect a gassed defense based on crappy offensive play.  Believe me, I hope I'm wrong.

 

This is the only fear. I think they could be really good, but special teams will have to aid in field position. If the O suffers, turns the ball over or can't at least string together a bunch of first downs, then it's going to take its toll on the D.  I really hope Allen is a franchise QB.

[Mr. WEO]

37 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

Dominant? They could be very good, but dominant sounds like wishful thinking based on the overall talent level with LB still a question mark. 

 

 

Maybe he meant the will be "dominate".

[Luxy312]

The defense can only be very good if the offense improves dramatically from where they were last year.  There were a lot of games last year where we watched the defense simply wear down as the game progressed, as we watched the offense go three and out multiple times in a row.  I would be really interested in the statistics that show the historical relationship between the best defense and the offense on that same team.  I haven't done it, but would surmise that we won't see "dominant" defenses with offenses that are near last in the NFL in performance.

[metzelaars_lives]

They SHOULD be a top 15 defense.  They COULD be a top ten defense.  They are set up nicely in that they can use all of their money and draft picks to bolster the offense next offseason.  It's all about 2019.

[Fadingpain]

35 minutes ago, Dablitzkrieg said:

I wouldn't put your expectations too high.  Expect a gassed defense based on crappy offensive play.  Believe me, I hope I'm wrong.

This.  We are likely to see two different Bills defenses this year.

The first half D that is great, and the tired second half D that gives up points.

 

 

[White Linen]

We at times were a dominant defense last year. 

 

We had 10 games where we allowed under 200 yards passing and did not allow a 300 yard passer all year.   Of those 10 games we lost 4 of them and had to win one in overtime.  We had 6 games where we allowed under 100 yds rushing.  Of those 6 games we lost 5.

 

This is the reason Tyrod had to go and we had to take the chance that the offense can help the defense.  

 

 

[billspro]

27 minutes ago, metzelaars_lives said:

They SHOULD be a top 15 defense.  They COULD be a top ten defense.  They are set up nicely in that they can use all of their money and draft picks to bolster the offense next offseason.  It's all about 2019.

 

I would say they should be a top 10 and could be a top 5. 

 

If if you look at a team like the Steelers, I don’t think any of their starters would start on our team. That is a sign of a good D.

[Jauronimo]

1 hour ago, Dablitzkrieg said:

I wouldn't put your expectations too high.  Expect a gassed defense based on crappy offensive play.  Believe me, I hope I'm wrong.

Better get out the heat maps and see how ill timed 3 and outs and crush a defense.  Go to the top of the building and turn on the BigCat signal!

[CardinalScotts]

the lack of offense and the defense playing 40 minutes will be the problem at the end of games...really unfair

[The Red King]

That's the interesting part.  Despite facing all those terrible stats people mentioned above, we made the playoffs!

 

So, even if our defense is the same as last year, and personally I think they'll actually be better, so long as our offense plays as good as or better then last year (lot of question marks, but not a high bar to cross) then this team could well ride its defense into the playoffs again.  The offensive weapons get added this upcoming off-season.

[3rdand12]

slow down the run and ya got something

22 minutes ago, The Red King said:

That's the interesting part.  Despite facing all those terrible stats people mentioned above, we made the playoffs!

 

So, even if our defense is the same as last year, and personally I think they'll actually be better, so long as our offense plays as good as or better then last year (lot of question marks, but not a high bar to cross) then this team could well ride its defense into the playoffs again.  The offensive weapons get added this upcoming off-season.

that is no place to hang a hat.

 dumb luck got us there.

 Now i was as super delighted the curse was broken as anyone !
But still a ton of work to be done to steady the ship

[John from Riverside]

So I just wanna point out

 

The jags had a dominant D and a QB they had to hide the majority of the year.....

 

They did ok

 

We really dont know how certain players are going to work out....

 

What if Brandon Reilly was a stash player that the bills were high on who comes out and becomes the new 7-11?

 

What if OG Teller (who is a talented player) comes out and just bumps one of these Guards right to the side line

 

Running back stable looks good

 

Here is a what if for you.....what if AJ McCarron actually comes out and shows something (he was stashed behind a entrenched number 1) allowing us to let Josh Allen hold a clip board for a while and work on his fundamentals.

[The Red King]

8 minutes ago, 3rdand12 said:

slow down the run and ya got something

that is no place to hang a hat.

 dumb luck got us there.

 Now i was as super delighted the curse was broken as anyone !
But still a ton of work to be done to steady the ship

 

And here I thought hard work, tough defensive play and making just enough plays got us to nine wins.  Silly me, the playoff fairy decended from above and waved her wand, turning a 2-14 team into a playoff team.  Always vexes me how people handwave away the Bills hard work and effort last season, attributing everything to pure luck.  Buffalo put themselves in a position to take advantage.  That wasn't luck.  That was Baltimore making a mistake that showed they were not a playoff team.  The same kind of boneheaded plays the Bills have made in past seasons.

 

That D was good enough for nine wins, and this D looks to be better, so I stand by my prior statement.

[3rdand12]

5 minutes ago, The Red King said:

 

And here I thought hard work, tough defensive play and making just enough plays got us to nine wins.  Silly me, the playoff fairy decended from above and waved her wand, turning a 2-14 team into a playoff team.  Always vexes me how people handwave away the Bills hard work and effort last season, attributing everything to pure luck.  Buffalo put themselves in a position to take advantage.  That wasn't luck.  That was Baltimore making a mistake that showed they were not a playoff team.  The same kind of boneheaded plays the Bills have made in past seasons.

 

That D was good enough for nine wins, and this D looks to be better, so I stand by my prior statement.

It was some some very darned good defensive play. Some days we had offense so confused and the Boys were licking chops to go to the ball instead of defending the RAC. Draned good  fun Red !

 and i do Hope for more of it this year. 

 and you should stand by it.

 

Go Bills

22 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

So I just wanna point out

 

The jags had a dominant D and a QB they had to hide the majority of the year.....

 

They did ok

 

We really dont know how certain players are going to work out....

 

What if Brandon Reilly was a stash player that the bills were high on who comes out and becomes the new 7-11?

 

What if OG Teller (who is a talented player) comes out and just bumps one of these Guards right to the side line

 

Running back stable looks good

 

Here is a what if for you.....what if AJ McCarron actually comes out and shows something (he was stashed behind a entrenched number 1) allowing us to let Josh Allen hold a clip board for a while and work on his fundamentals.

all the above are quite possible.
i have a secret

 I think AJM was the guy all along and gave Bills a chance to do the right thing drafting a project. Peterman can back him up a couple games if injury occurs. sme type of QB really.

 But i am surely a homer Fan. But i do not mind it one iota

 

[GreggTX]

I hope you're right, but I fear that you are greatly overestimating the talent on our defense.

[TigerJ]

I expect the defense to be excellent this year, but a few questions will need to be answered for it to happen.  They include, but are not limited to:  Can Trent Murphy come back fromo injury and be as effective as before his injury, without the benefit of PEDs?  Will Vontae Davis be able to effectively make the switch from being a primarily man cover CB to primarily a zone cover CB?  Being only a 20 year old, can Tremaine Edmunds be relied upon to make defensive calls in addition to handlling his own responsibilities without a lot of rookie errors?  Can Jerry Hughes get to the QB more with stronger play on the interior?  Can the Bills get stronger play on the interior with Meatball being another year older? 

[White Linen]

14 minutes ago, GreggTX said:

I hope you're right, but I fear that you are greatly overestimating the talent on our defense.

 

Except it's been proven that scheme can give birth to excellent players.

[Lfod]

I agree with op. I think the D will be dominant. The last game the Defense held the Jaguars to 10 points. That is job well done and on to the next game right?

 

I'm fully on board with McDermott in the sense of Defense. I have no doubt we will see some special things as far as defense and next season. I hope it doesn't all go to waste again. 

[Your Brown Eye]

So why is Julian Stanford your sleeper?

[IgotBILLStopay]

I agree the Defense is going to be a strength this year - but for dominance, we need a good pass rush - with Star not being a great pass rusher, it is going to be on Hughes, Lawson and Murphy - which has potential on paper - but is not going to give any OL nightmares ex-ante.

[Richard Noggin]

7 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

 

Maybe he meant the will be "dominate".

I see this particular misuse of the verb as an adjective. All the time. 

[BruceVilanch]

9 hours ago, Jay_Fixit said:

So, uh, what would you say you do here?

I already told you, I deal with the customers so the engineers don't have to, I have PEOPLE SKILLS!

[Drunken Pygmy Goat]

13 hours ago, The Red King said:

 

And here I thought hard work, tough defensive play and making just enough plays got us to nine wins.  Silly me, the playoff fairy decended from above and waved her wand, turning a 2-14 team into a playoff team.  Always vexes me how people handwave away the Bills hard work and effort last season, attributing everything to pure luck.  Buffalo put themselves in a position to take advantage.  That wasn't luck.  That was Baltimore making a mistake that showed they were not a playoff team.  The same kind of boneheaded plays the Bills have made in past seasons.

 

That D was good enough for nine wins, and this D looks to be better, so I stand by my prior statement.

 

This has been beaten to death...

 

Sure, the Bills did enough to make the playoffs...just enough. But they got lucky as well. The Ravens/Bengals game is the obvious one, but also at the end of the Cotls game. The refs blew a call, that gave the Bills life. If they get that call right, the Bills are 8-8 at best and miss the playoffs. 

 

When people point to the luck factor, it's not as if they're completely dismissing the idea that the Bills did their part. But you can say the same about the "the Bills did their part" crowd. You cannot completely dismiss the fact that the Bills got really lucky. But that's the NFL for you. 

Edited July 26, 2018 by Drunken Pygmy Goat

[nucci]

15 hours ago, Jay_Fixit said:

So, uh, what would you say you do here?

I take care of the goddamn customers!!

[Maynard]

I think the D will be very good, but the point was already made that it largely depends on our O.  What have you seen from Stanford that makes you think he will ball out? 

[hemma]

Julian Stanford #'s from his Pro day.  Never heard of the guy, but he must be quite an athlete.  Let's hope he puts it all together.   Dates: 03/20/12 Height: 6012 Weight: 228 40 Yrd Dash: 4.51 20 Yrd Dash: 2.62 10 Yrd Dash: 1.44

225 Lb. Bench Reps: 27 Vertical Jump: 42 1/2 Broad Jump: 10'08" 20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.02 3-Cone Drill: 6.59

[TigerJ]

I think Stanford came from a small school.  Often, when that happens, it takes the player more time to develop.  Because they enter the league deeper on the depth chart, they often have to wait a while for the opportunity to show what they can do.  Sometimes you have a gem and you don't know it.  Sometimes you just have an athletic kid who's never going to amount to anything.  Hopefully, Buffalo will find they have the former.

[Tatonka68]

17 hours ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

Dominant? They could be very good, but dominant sounds like wishful thinking based on the overall talent level with LB still a question mark. 

Edmunds is a question mark?????? Please.

[Drunken Pygmy Goat]

8 minutes ago, Tatonka68 said:

Edmunds is a question mark?????? Please.

 

He is a question mark, particularly as a rookie. The thread relates to this year. His skills and size are obvious, but he's very young and raw, and will be tasked with "quarterbacking" the defense. That's no easy task. 

 

What adding him (and the other new additions in defense) should do is allow McD to more adequately run his defense, and be more varied in his play calls, especially blitzes. But to say that he is not a question mark, without ever playing a down in the NFL, is wishful thinking. There's likely going to be some growing pains along the way, and he'll probably be doing a lot more thinking, rather than reacting early on in his career. 

Edited July 26, 2018 by Drunken Pygmy Goat

[The Red King]

2 hours ago, Drunken Pygmy Goat said:

 

This has been beaten to death...

 

Sure, the Bills did enough to make the playoffs...just enough. But they got lucky as well. The Ravens/Bengals game is the obvious one, but also at the end of the Cotls game. The refs blew a call, that gave the Bills life. If they get that call right, the Bills are 8-8 at best and miss the playoffs. 

 

When people point to the luck factor, it's not as if they're completely dismissing the idea that the Bills did their part. But you can say the same about the "the Bills did their part" crowd. You cannot completely dismiss the fact that the Bills got really lucky. But that's the NFL for you. 

 

Actually, I have no issue with that.  But when people point to the luck factor, most do so in a way that does throw out the effort, saying it was just luck, or that the Bills were lucky to get there.  Every team needs a few lucky breaks here and there.  Would NE have made the Super Bowl if they didn't have home field?  Home field provided by a win against Pittsburgh that was no less lucky then the Bengals win.  Yet people aren't talking about how NE was lucky to get home field.

 

I get it.  It's Buffalo.  There is high resistance to giving this team credit.  Given its play during the drought it's easy to assume the worst about this team and given the length of the drought it's easier to attribute making the playoffs to luck rather then actual ability.  But that isn't fair to last season's squad.  They did overachieve, yes.  And I'll admit, they got some breaks.  But there is a difference between saying the Bills got a bit of luck, and saying the Bills only made the playoffs due to luck.

[Tatonka68]

27 minutes ago, Drunken Pygmy Goat said:

 

He is a question mark, particularly as a rookie. The thread relates to this year. His skills and size are obvious, but he's very young and raw, and will be tasked with "quarterbacking" the defense. That's no easy task. 

 

What adding him (and the other new additions in defense) should do is allow McD to more adequately run his defense, and be more varied in his play calls, especially blitzes. But to say that he is not a question mark, without ever playing a down in the NFL, is wishful thinking. There's likely going to be some growing pains along the way, and he'll probably be doing a lot more thinking, rather than reacting early on in his career. 

Edmunds + ?????  > Preston Brown.