So it should be clear we won’t get there rushing 4

[nuklz2594]

I miss the days of our 3-4 defenses

[Gigs]

6 hours ago, dayman said:

Obviously, we didn’t disrupt Wilson doing it vanilla. But even with various stunts, it’s not going to get home. Will we blitz this year?

Hate to be the 10th guy to tell you this:

 

They dont show ***** in pre-season. Its just practice to see if the lower guys and rookies can hack it at game speed, how comfortable they feel and to loosen up the vets and get them game speed ready. 

 

You'd be stupid to show your hand before the flop, wouldn't you say?

[finn]

6 hours ago, Brianmoorman4jesus said:

2017 our defense was good. Teams got that offseason to study it and our defense has been useless since. This coach relies on turnovers and our own offense to bail

us out. If we aren’t turning people over, we aren’t stopping them. If our offense isn’t scoring TDs constantly, we aren’t winning. As long as this guy is here, it will never change. That’s why we haven’t won a Super Bowl. I don’t care if McDermott stays on as HC. But if he has any influence over the defense or offensive philosophy, we aren’t going to win the Super Bowl. Hes a good culture guy, a good leader and someone who holds people accountable…his game day decisions, personnel moves and X’s and O’s are terrible. 

Speaking as a fan, not as any kind of expert, I agree. McDermott has fielded high-EPA defenses, but allowing third and long completions appears to be a feature, not a bug, of his philosophy, a baked-in outcome of a philosophy that assumes, usually correctly, that the other team's offense will make a mistake at some point. So you keep the action in front of you, rushing four (ineffectually) and hoping for a dropped pass, penalty, or turnover. Playing not to lose. (Yes, yes, he's aggressive on offense.) To be fair, that approach can and does work in the regular season, at least if you have the best quarterback in NFL history on offense. But even Allen can't make up for the wheels falling off on defense year after year after year after year. I see no sign of change, either. Maybe Bosa will deliver what Miller did in those short eight weeks, but that won't be enough when the face KC in January.

 

In short, it's Groundhog Day, again. Come January, we'll watch McDermott once again turning into a little boy in KC, clapping on his defense to another collapse. The only hope we have for our team is if Allen and the offense can in fact score more than the 33 points McDermott's defense surrenders to KC like clockwork every year. If The Bills succeed in the playoffs this year, it will be in spite of their head coach, not because of him. 

[dorquemada]

5 hours ago, davefan66 said:

How is it obvious?

 

We played a vanilla defense with no schemes.  Not a great measuring stick for an entire season.

 

What schemes?   What about McD’s tenure makes you think he has schemes to get to the QB with the front 4?  It hasn’t happened yet, unless you’re implying that he has some double top secret ones that he’s saving for a big game?  

[Avisan]

1 minute ago, dorquemada said:

 

What schemes?   What about McD’s tenure makes you think he has schemes to get to the QB with the front 4?  It hasn’t happened yet, unless you’re implying that he has some double top secret ones that he’s saving for a big game?  

Bills DL had pretty good winrates last season, our secondary was too porous for the DL to get home, though.

[dorquemada]

16 minutes ago, finn said:

Speaking as a fan, not as any kind of expert, I agree. McDermott has fielded high-EPA defenses, but allowing third and long completions appears to be a feature, not a bug, of his philosophy, a baked-in outcome of a philosophy that assumes, usually correctly, that the other team's offense will make a mistake at some point. So you keep the action in front of you, rushing four (ineffectually) and hoping for a dropped pass, penalty, or turnover. Playing not to lose. (Yes, yes, he's aggressive on offense.) To be fair, that approach can and does work in the regular season, at least if you have the best quarterback in NFL history on offense. But even Allen can't make up for the wheels falling off on defense year after year after year after year. I see no sign of change, either. Maybe Bosa will deliver what Miller did in those short eight weeks, but that won't be enough when the face KC in January.

 

In short, it's Groundhog Day, again. Come January, we'll watch McDermott once again turning into a little boy in KC, clapping on his defense to another collapse. The only hope we have for our team is if Allen and the offense can in fact score more than the 33 points McDermott's defense surrenders to KC like clockwork every year. If The Bills succeed in the playoffs this year, it will be in spite of their head coach, not because of him. 

 

This is exactly right.  Great defensive philosophy to get 10-13 wins every season then fold against apex competition in the playoffs.   How may times do we need to see it happen and continue to deny reality?  In any case, given that the regime granted McD’s wish and went DL DL DL DL DL DL DL in the draft, this HAS to be make or break.

[GunnerBill]

7 hours ago, dayman said:

Obviously, we didn’t disrupt Wilson doing it vanilla. But even with various stunts, it’s not going to get home. Will we blitz this year?

 

I hope not.

3 minutes ago, Avisan said:

Bills DL had pretty good winrates last season, our secondary was too porous for the DL to get home, though.

 

Yep. That was the same last year. Not saying the pass rush was great but the secondary was the bigger issue.

[Sierra Foothills]

 

2 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

I get what you guys are saying, I'm a known McD doubter, McDoubter especially when it comes to playoff time.

 

But the Giants played their starting QB and are trying different things with bringing Dart along yesterday. We started Trubisky, then moved to White, and our situation is very different.

 

I'd also argue that coaching/playcalling IS the difference in the postseason, and that's been the problem.

 

But whatevs, preseason game 1 down.

 

Fixed it for ya!

 

5 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

Bosa is our only hope to pressure with 4 against any team with a good OL. CB blitzes have been the only blitzes that have been successful under McD. Bringing LBs or safeties has rarely worked. 

 

"Plus" meaning above average, I predict that Bosa, Rousseau, Oliver, Sanders, and Walker are plus pass rushers. It might be that Solomon and Hoecht are too. I think there's too much here to not be a good pass rush team in 2025 and I think you'll see a lot more inside pressure from the Bills this year, and that's the best kind.

 

5 hours ago, SCBills said:

That’s not clear to me at all. 
 

I think we are going to be much more exotic with 5 man pressures and simulation pressure based on the coaches they brought in and comments from players, but I came out of that game thinking any Front 4 combination of Bosa, Rousseau, Hoecht, Oliver, Sanders and Walker is going to be tough for opponents to deal with on passing downs. 

 

I agree.

 

Here are the Bills sack totals in the McDermott era:

 

2024:    39

2023:    54

2022:    40

2021:     42

2020:    38

2019:     44

2018:     36

2017:     27

 

The Bills have averaged exactly 40 sacks/season during his tenure.

 

I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict 50 sacks this season.

 

Edited August 10 by Sierra Foothills

[Goin Breakdown]

Josh didnt play yesterday. So it seems hes not going to this year. 

[Sierra Foothills]

3 minutes ago, Goin Breakdown said:

Josh didnt play yesterday. So it seems hes not going to this year. 

 

*****!

 

I just bought 2 PSLs yesterday!!!

 

[Goin Breakdown]

1 minute ago, Sierra Foothills said:

 

*****!

 

I just bought 2 PSLs yesterday!!!

 

[BarleyNY]

36 minutes ago, Sierra Foothills said:

"Plus" meaning above average, I predict that Bosa, Rousseau, Oliver, Sanders, and Walker are plus pass rushers. It might be that Solomon and Hoecht are too. I think there's too much here to not be a good pass rush team in 2025 and I think you'll see a lot more inside pressure from the Bills this year, and that's the best kind.

 

I don’t think any of the other DL have the potential that Bosa has. He can change a game. If I had to pick the player with the second most game changing potential, it would be Oliver. He was an absolute beast in the Ravens playoff game. 

 

As for the rest of the group, I haven’t seen “game changer” from any of the rest of them, but you never know. I think Bosa lining up next to Oliver is a big help. He can help Rousseau and the others as well. I think the DL has a lot of potential as long as Bosa stays healthy. Without him, I’d be worried though. 

Edited August 10 by BarleyNY

[Brand J]

6 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

 

I don’t think any of the other DL have the potent that Bosa has. He can change a game. If I had to pick the player with the second most game changing potential, it would be Oliver. He was an absolute beast in the Ravens playoff game. 

 

As for the rest of the group, I haven’t seen “game changer” from any of the rest of them, but you never know. I think Bosa lining up next to Oliver is a big help. He can help Rousseau and the others as well. I think the DL has a lot of potential as long as Bosa stays healthy. Without him, I’d be worried though. 

Rousseau had that one game against the Cardinals last year where he showed out, but that’s the first and only time I remember him dominating. Oliver has had about 3 of those games. The Jets, Cowboys, and Lions. Maybe I’m missing one or two others.

[BarleyNY]

5 minutes ago, Brand J said:

Rousseau had that one game against the Cardinals last year where he showed out, but that’s the first and only time I remember him dominating. Oliver has had about 3 of those games. The Jets, Cowboys, and Lions. Maybe I’m missing one or two others.

I’ll say this about Oliver, when we drafted him I really thought we’d see a more dominant player more often. He balled out when he had a healthy Von Miller next to him. He seems to really need an elite DE next to him to be that consistent, dominant player. Otherwise it’s just flashes or a game here or there. 

[BananaB]

2 hours ago, Gigs said:

Hate to be the 10th guy to tell you this:

 

They dont show ***** in pre-season. Its just practice to see if the lower guys and rookies can hack it at game speed, how comfortable they feel and to loosen up the vets and get them game speed ready. 

 

You'd be stupid to show your hand before the flop, wouldn't you say?

Other teams ain’t showing ***** either so to have a guy be able to win a  one on one would be nice 

Edited August 10 by BananaB

[Einstein]

3 hours ago, BillsFan130 said:

Agreed. He had a good game as well 

 

Yeah he ate Torrence lunch.

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

8 hours ago, HOUSE said:

I am worried about field goals, this Davis kid looks shaky 

But his pelvis is in good shape!

[folz]

5 hours ago, fergie's ire said:

Based on their coaching hires, I would guess that not only will they run more stunts but they will also blitz a BIT more....enough to make teams concerned they are coming.  Then they'll line 5 or 6 at the line of scrimmage to make teams concerned they will blitz and change up which four rush...which makes rushing four much more effective.

 

1 hour ago, dorquemada said:

 

What schemes?   What about McD’s tenure makes you think he has schemes to get to the QB with the front 4?  It hasn’t happened yet, unless you’re implying that he has some double top secret ones that he’s saving for a big game?  

 

Growth mindset. And McDermott and Beane are putting their money where their mouth is.

 

This off-season, the Bills hired Ryan Nielsen as a senior defensive assistant and Jason Rebrovich as assistant DL coach.

 

-Ryan Nielsen was the DC for Jacksonville last year, he was the DC and DL coach for Atlanta prior to that, and in his stint in New Orleans, he was DL coach, co-DC, and assistant Head Coach. In college, he played as a defensive tackle for USC. He has coached for 13 years in college and 8 years in the NFL.

 

-Jason Rebrovich started his pro-coaching career in Buffalo, eventually becoming both a DL coach and an outside LB coach for the Bills, he then went to Jax and became their DL coach, and then in Green Bay, he was outside LBs coach, DL coach, and pass rush specialist. He's coached 12 years in college and 12 years in the league. 

 

During the preseason game, they talked a little bit about bringing Nielsen in and said that he was brought in specifically to help the D-line and pass rush and that he would probably help Sean install more 5-man fronts and other variations. And obviously, Rebrovich (as DL coach, outside LB coach, and Pass rush specialist) was brought in to help the scheme and to help the young pass rushers develop.

 

The Bills brought in 6 FAs on the DL/outside LB: Joey Bosa, Michael Hoecht, Larry Ogunjobi, Shaq Thompson, Casey Rodgers, and Marcus Harris. 

The Bills drafted 3 new guys for the DL: Sanders, Jackson, Walker.

 

And Dwayne Carter and Javon Solomon were drafted in 2024, so just going into year 2.

 

 

So, nine new players, two second-year players, and two new (additional) coaches (to help Bobby/Marcus West with the defensive line/pass rush).

 

The Bills definitely did not stay pat. They made a concerted effort to help the D-line/pass rush. We just have to give it some time to all come together. Don't judge anything off of the first preseason game with no scheming. If the D-line isn't better this year (which I'm almost positive that it will be), it will not be from a lack of trying/trying to do some things differently. Heck, just Bosa's presence alone (if he can stay healthy) should help to free up the other guys to eat (could help to elevate guys like Rousseau, Oliver, Epenesa, etc). Just give it all a little bit of time. Hopefully all of the changes will eventually start paying off.

[MJS]

7 hours ago, T.E. said:

I've never seen a team in my life go through more defensive lineman without finding a consistent pass rusher. Hopefully Bosa can fill that role and stay healthy all year, which is a big ask.

There are plenty of teams in the NFL who have had a poor pass rush for a long time and cycled through a lot of players. Or do you just mean Bills teams?

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

8 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

Bosa is our only hope to pressure with 4 against any team with a good OL. CB blitzes have been the only blitzes that have been successful under McD. Bringing LBs or safeties has rarely worked. 

I really hope McDermott gives TJ Sanders a chance, he seems the most likely to make a big impact as a rookie.