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What is Wrong With the Defense


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To start how about the defense yielding 245 yards in the ground and 466 overall in which a team did what they wanted when they wanted. How about 15 percent or $30M of our entire cap tied up in 3 DEs in Hughes, Addison and Murphy and all we have is 4 sacks from these 3 guys. We have too many hard working, over paid defensive guys courtesy of coach. We made great strides with the passing offense. This league is now a year to year league because of qb contracts. In this day and age ..... with qbs on rookie contracts you can't afford to waste their early years. This putrid defense is on coach and GM. It's only going to get more difficult when 20 percent of cap is tied up in qb in a few years. Can't afford to keep a 29 yr old run stopper on edge for almost 9m in Murphy. Could have used that money this year to get a legitimate starting lb to go next to Edmunds and Milano and not have some washed up imposter playing the role of a starting lb in Klein. it's time for a change in philosophy with the d line. Hard working over achievers arent going to cut it..... it's time for a pure edge rusher with our top pick. If Oliver is going to make it in this league it's not between the "A" gap.... he's getting destroyed/ manhandled. It's time to adapt to your talent coach..... definition of insanity is doing same thing over and over and expecting different results. Quintin Jefferson is not a DT....he's a hybrid..... you don't think teams know we have an undersized DT in Oliver and a hybrid guy that should be more outside in a 3-4 defense in Jefferson. Put this with Edmunds not getting off blocks and ultimately you have holes the size of the Grand Canyon in the middle of our defense. It also has made our safeties reactive with absolutely no proactive ability to cause havoc with pre-snap looks or deceptions. They have become paralyzed tacklers on the back end because of having to make so many tackles and not being able to be aggressive at the line of scrimmage.

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I think they're light in the pants. 

 

Oliver is not a poor-man's Aaron Donald, he is just a 280 pound DT that gets shoved around and is able to get a mop-up chase down sack once in awhile. 

 

Hughes is 30+ years old, Murphy is 30+ years old, Addison is 30+ years old. 

 

Jefferson and Phillips are just guys. 

 

 

At linebacker and corner the Bills lack of depth has been exposed. We keep waiting for Edmunds to make an impact, but he looks like a good athlete with no instincts. Tre White is not as dominant this season, Josh Norman shouldn't be on an NFL field. 

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1 hour ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

I think they're light in the pants. 

 

Oliver is not a poor-man's Aaron Donald, he is just a 280 pound DT that gets shoved around and is able to get a mop-up chase down sack once in awhile. 

 

Hughes is 30+ years old, Murphy is 30+ years old, Addison is 30+ years old. 

 

Jefferson and Phillips are just guys. 

 

 

At linebacker and corner the Bills lack of depth has been exposed. We keep waiting for Edmunds to make an impact, but he looks like a good athlete with no instincts. Tre White is not as dominant this season, Josh Norman shouldn't be on an NFL field. 

Losing Lawson, Phillips, and Lotulelei has really hurt.

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14 minutes ago, turftoe said:

Losing Lawson, Phillips, and Lotulelei has really hurt.

Don't forget about Alexander. With Milano out now, the unit as a whole is a shadow of what it was last year. 

Edited by skibum
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The TOP difference last night was truly staggering. Did it feel like the Chiefs had ripped the pages right out of Bill Belichick's SP XXV gameplan to ground the Bills' high flying attack and then play keep away the rest of the night? It was demoralizing to never be able to come off the field after 3rd down "lookout" runs for chunk yardage time after time--the weird thing is that despite his TD throws, it seemed like Mahomes was quietly flying under the radar & content to let the Chiefs do what they wanted to on the ground.  

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24 minutes ago, Southern Bills Fan said:

How many times will they have to watch the film and see Hughes crash inside and the QB run outside where he should be and gain 20 yards before they sit him?

How many times must we watch Frazier use edmunds as almost a 3rd safety 30 yards deep in the middle?....this scheme is not tailored to our players strengths at all!

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As others have noted we got smaller and less physical on the D-line compared to last year and it shows on the field.

 

Oliver is the key.  We talk about what a disaster missing on Allen would be and IMO we haven't as Allen is a franchise QB.  But we used a #7 pick on Allen and we used I believe a #9 pick for Oliver in 2019.  A top 10 pick has to produce or it's a real problem.  So far Oliver has under performed and that has got to change.

 

One other point, how much of the LB's problems are tied to a D-line that can't occupy the opponents O-line allowing them to release and blast our LB's?

 

 

 

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Im in agreement with many:  size up front and physicality. We are not a physical team at all on both sides of the ball. Thats why we pass protect better than run block. We cant push people around. 
 

A team like the Titans on the other hand is pretty damn physical. 
 

physicality is hard to put a finger on or to tangibly measure. Its one of those things you can really only see/observe in my opinion. And thats whats wrong with this defense and team in general in my opinion. 

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9 minutes ago, bobobonators said:

Im in agreement with many:  size up front and physicality. We are not a physical team at all on both sides of the ball. Thats why we pass protect better than run block. We cant push people around. 
 

A team like the Titans on the other hand is pretty damn physical. 
 

physicality is hard to put a finger on or to tangibly measure. Its one of those things you can really only see/observe in my opinion. And thats whats wrong with this defense and team in general in my opinion. 

 

It all takes a nasty attitude to do it.

 

No nastiness on this team whatsoever.

 

They get pushed around by 2nd and 3rd stringers from almost every team they play with LITTLE resistance.

 

I have always supported McBeane and the Bills, but the last two weeks have showed that this organization has learned NOTHING from their previous experiences against top teams.

 

 

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57 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

The TOP difference last night was truly staggering. Did it feel like the Chiefs had ripped the pages right out of Bill Belichick's SP XXV gameplan to ground the Bills' high flying attack and then play keep away the rest of the night? It was demoralizing to never be able to come off the field after 3rd down "lookout" runs for chunk yardage time after time--the weird thing is that despite his TD throws, it seemed like Mahomes was quietly flying under the radar & content to let the Chiefs do what they wanted to on the ground.  

Mahomes - The weather sucks, the turf is slippery and the ball is wet. Oh, it would be nice if we can establish a run game and make this a bit easier on me. 10 yard run, 8 yard run, 7 yard run, 12 yard run. Mahomes - Yeah, I am good. I will just sit back and watch my OL and RB embarrass the other team. 

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I think the reasons they are being destroyed on defense is a total failure on three fronts:

  1. The Front Office : By not addressing the Linebacking unit with quality players, it magnified the decision to not resign Phillips and Lawson even more. Combine that with "Star" opting out for the season it has made this their largest albatross.
  2. Coaching: The scheme they are running game to game is puzzling to say the least. It could be that the personnel is so horrible, they are just throwing anything up against the wall hoping something sticks. The players are getting not only beaten one on one, they are in the wrong position, the wrong everything. A perfect example was last week when Josh Norman was beaten in the back of the end zone on a fade route. They practice that play a 100 times a week to defend, yet how with the WR only 4 yards from the back of the end zone and running out of it, does Norman not look back for the ball. Not only is that a picture of failure on the player, it is a picture of failure on the coaches not drilling this play into their brains on how to defend it.
  3. Players: A total lack of commitment to play. It is seen on almost every play. Trey Edmonds not filling the hole and taking the RB head on for a tackle, or not taking on a lineman and ripping through him for a tackle.  Tre White being beaten more this year than all years he has played combined, lack of discipline, etc...I could go on, the point is clear enough. 

I think they really need to get a MLB, move Edmonds to the outside and let him rush the passer, it solves two problems.

They need an NFL CB, not a project or a has been, and they need to go get a DT that can stop the run. Everything else would fall into place. I doubt it happens at this point, but one can hope.

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I never in a million years thought the d would be this bad under SM. But lack of pass rusher has been a huge issue. Hughes is so overrated. Murphy sucks. Oliver has been a disappointment.

 

additionally, I think the defense did get a bit inflated because they played a ton of garbage qbs last year.  

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In a nutshell they are too small.  At every position they are not physically dominant.  Edmunds may be tall but he is not stout.  They are OLD at DE, too small at DT, and a middle linebacker that is either terribly injured or is hopelessly confused.  It's a recipe for disaster that is unfolding before our eyes that was masked by an easy schedule and crap QB opponents last year.    

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They focused on keeping WR under check for the long ball

They were successful at that. Tyreek Hill had 3 catches for 20 yards. He is one of the biggest threats in the entire NFL.  

 

They completely shut down the KC deep threat. 

 

It just came at too high a cost. 

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Very simple.  Our D line can't win 1 on 1.   So without bringing extra guys we can't get to QB and when we don't put 8 in box we can't stop run.  This my friends is it.  Everything else is a ripple effect. 

 

4 man rush...we can't cover long enough with no pressure.  Looks like corners and safties suck.  We bring pressure up the middle we get exposed over the middle because outside Milano we can't cover anyone...Hyde and power have been liabilities in coverage this year.  

 

8 in the box....we get picked apart because we don't play press often and we give up 5 to 8 yards all the time.  

 

But if we have even 1 guy that can disrupt and beat their man once in a while all the back end stuff gets better.  

 

Someone.  Anyone on the D line make a ***** play.  

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2 hours ago, Stenbar said:

Coaching: The scheme they are running game to game is puzzling to say the least. It could be that the personnel is so horrible, they are just throwing anything up against the wall hoping something sticks. The players are getting not only beaten one on one, they are in the wrong position, the wrong everything. A perfect example was last week when Josh Norman was beaten in the back of the end zone on a fade route. They practice that play a 100 times a week to defend, yet how with the WR only 4 yards from the back of the end zone and running out of it, does Norman not look back for the ball. Not only is that a picture of failure on the player, it is a picture of failure on the coaches not drilling this play into their brains on how to defend it.

 

There isn't a coach in the league that can turn Josh Norman and Mario Addison into top tier players. Scheme is not the problem right now. We don't have nearly enough talent to stop good offenses. Beane has had three front 7 picks in the first 2 rounds in Edmunds, Oliver, and Epenesa. None of those are looking like hits right now. I still have hope Oliver will be good after recovering from his knee injury but Edmunds has really regressed and Epenesa looks like a flat out bust.

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10 hours ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

I think they're light in the pants. 

 

Oliver is not a poor-man's Aaron Donald, he is just a 280 pound DT that gets shoved around and is able to get a mop-up chase down sack once in awhile. 

 

Hughes is 30+ years old, Murphy is 30+ years old, Addison is 30+ years old. 

 

Jefferson and Phillips are just guys. 

 

 

At linebacker and corner the Bills lack of depth has been exposed. We keep waiting for Edmunds to make an impact, but he looks like a good athlete with no instincts. Tre White is not as dominant this season, Josh Norman shouldn't be on an NFL field. 

This pretty much sums it all up. Tre just seems off. He was close to opting out and so far he's playing like it. Edmunds is just NOT NOR EVER WILL BE a middle LB.  Milano is our best D guy but he's always hurt. If we don't find a front 4 combo it will be arena football for the Bills. 

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9 hours ago, turftoe said:

Losing Lawson, Phillips, and Lotulelei has really hurt.

 

I was thinking about this last night, because that was my first reaction

 

But yet, weren't some of the problems evident in the last two games, also evident in the Houston playoff loss?

 

I'm thinking specifically of losing contain and being burnt by a mobile QB, as well as giving up big run plays and problems getting off the field on third down.

 

Maybe our coaches need to step back and ask if it's an achilles heel in their scheme.

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11 hours ago, Big Gun said:

Coaching is what's wrong with this defense. The sooner McD starts doing the defensive gameplan and starts calling the defense the better they will be, Frazier sucks, always has.

I respect your opinion but have to disagree.  It's the lack of talent at the DT's position.  The 3 new guys were never anything special during their careers.  You can't coach-up players that don't have it!

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Chris Brown said a few weeks ago that Lorenzo Alexander was in charge of calling stunts and games for the DL. This year they're using a committee approach to calling it because no one has has really taken over.

 

I've noticed the Bills DL gets caught doing their own thing a lot and losing contained. Could be a good reason why. The players just aren't on the same page. 

Edited by Buffalo_Stampede
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