YattaOkasan Posted August 21 Posted August 21 8 minutes ago, SCBills said: When is the last time this Defense looked good against a Good QB/Good Offense not led by Lamar Jackson? Honest Question. Maybe for a half against Goff & the Lions? A few regular season games against Mahomes, but then he does whatever he wants against us in the Playoffs. Stafford torched us last year. In the Playoffs, we’ve beaten dregs like Skylar Thompson, rookie Bo Nix, Mac Jones. Josh Allen had to be Player of WC Weekend to stave off Old Man Rivers a few years back. Dallas in 2023 is a very first good example. You also named a KC games. those also happened (i dont disagree the playoff point). This thread turned into the defense has never been good. Thats silly. 7 minutes ago, Buffalo4Life01 said: I don't think he is pushing any narrative here. Beane certainly has assembled a solid defense most years that generates a lot of turnovers and plays well for the most part during the regular season. They do tend to get shredded by high end qb's with regularity. Yes, most teams do not fair well against Mahomes and Burrow and the like, but those teams seem to get the better of Buffalo's defense year in and year out, regardless of the scheme. The defense as a hole also seems to get obliterated each year in the playoffs. That can't be attributed to injuries alone. The scheme of bend but don't break will never be good enough to get this team to the Super Bowl. It's just as simple as saying 'the defense does NOT pass the eye test in the playoffs'. You can talk about all the regular season stats you want, they are meaningless when it really counts. I agree with that simple statement. And your final statement. Thats not what was said. The simple statement that WAS said is "but Beane (so far) hasn't been able to build a good defense either with the draft and FA." Thats categorically false. Yall like to say this place isnt hospitable people who have anything negative to say. This thread has become super hostile to someone who corrected a very overly negative comment. Quote
SCBills Posted August 21 Posted August 21 2 minutes ago, YattaOkasan said: Dallas in 2023 is a very first good example. You also named a KC games. those also happened (i dont disagree the playoff point). This thread turned into the defense has never been good. Thats silly. I agree with that simple statement. And your final statement. Thats not what was said. The simple statement that WAS said is "but Beane (so far) hasn't been able to build a good defense either with the draft and FA." Thats categorically false. Yall like to say this place isnt hospitable people who have anything negative to say. This thread has become super hostile to someone who corrected a very overly negative comment. Agreed. It’s absolutely fair to point out, last year aside, we’ve had really good regular season defenses. The Playoffs, specifically against Mahomes (and a Burrow game) have been where this defense turns into an absolute joke. Not even just a joke… one of the worst Playoff Defenses of the modern era against Mahomes. So we either need to change the coaching, change the roster and/or change the scheme. We brought in a couple new coaches but McDermott/Babich are still at the forefront. So we shall see there. We brought in a ton of young players, but who knows if that pays dividends yet. If Bosa stays healthy, I do think that’s the single biggest move we made this offseason. So there’s the scheme. It has to change. It just doesn’t work when it matters. Maybe our FO thinks it will if we stay healthy, but we haven’t and keep running it back with the same Back 7 guys who are injury prone, so… 2 1 Quote
finn Posted August 21 Posted August 21 Well, you can't argue Beane did nothing in the offense to address a defense that has choked in the playoffs year after year. I'm excited about Sanders and Walker especially, and some of the other picks, like Hancock and Strong, I think will be very valuable as soon as next year. I dread the prospect of Hamlin starting, but Bosa is a big upgrade over Miller, and Milano looks like he might have a career year. But even if this defense is a LOT better, we still may be watching McDermott facing Andy Reid in January. And that problem is not going to be fixed by personnel changes of any sort, I don't think. Reid sees through McDermott like a grown man watching a little kid playing in the backyard. Thought experiment: If McDermott were given Philadelphia's or Baltimore's defense (or even his pick of both teams) with a full year to work with it, would he win--or even get to--the Super Bowl if he had to face KC and Reid? I don't think so, either. Allen may end up being recognized as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, but every time his name is mentioned, people will shake their heads and say, "Why oh why didn't they ever get rid of McDermott?" Quote
folz Posted August 22 Posted August 22 Apologies in advance for a very long post. On 8/18/2025 at 9:32 AM, boco357 said: I put in game day thread that Babich is set up to be the fall guy this year if they falter again. This idea that McDermott scapegoats guys or sets them up as fall guys needs to be retired. He's only ever trying to make the team better (and obviously he's not going to fire himself). But to think that he sets guys up so when the team fails he can project blame on to them and throw them to the wolves is such the opposite of who Sean is as a man. After almost 9 years coaching this team, Bills fans should know that about his character. On 8/18/2025 at 9:58 AM, finn said: Agree. And the only real difference this year is that Bosa replaced Von Miller. To avoid KC scoring 34 points AGAIN in January, the Bills defense needed a radical overhaul, not a tweak. Man, I would love to see an aggressive philosophy. Yes, they'll get burned, but they'll also sack the QB. On 8/18/2025 at 8:25 PM, vincec said: This is what I’ve been saying all camp. It’s the same defense. Same coaching staff. Same scheme. Same starters except for Trey White (who will be lucky not to be a downgrade) and Bosa. No obvious prospects of meaningful help from the other new acquisitions (see last night). What has happened to signal any improvement for this upcoming year? I posted this in another thread recently, but think it should be repeated as so many posters continually say that basically we didn't make any changes on defense except for adding Bosa: 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 Giants 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 pass-rush 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. They also added a first round cornerback (Hairston), a 5th round CB (Hancock), and a 6th round CB (Strong), and brought back Tre and Dane (however you feel about them). I'd say that is a lot more change than just adding Bosa. Kind of seems like you guys aren't really paying attention. On 8/18/2025 at 11:15 AM, Yobogoya! said: I think it's fair to say that philosophically, Belichick and Spagnulo run a system that's the polar opposite of this one. And combined they are responsible for 6 of the last 11 super bowl wins (I know the success of those teams kind of speaks for itself). Bend/don't break hasn't historically been the key to unlocking successful championship runs. The talk at the end of last season was we might finally see something of a renaissance regarding the way McDermott viewed his personnel and defensive concepts. But I just don't think that guy has it in him to stray too far from his comfort zone. Spagnolo and McDermott are both proteges of Jim Johnson (see below). And as far as McD not having it in him to change, see above, regarding the two new coaching hires. On 8/18/2025 at 2:34 PM, Shortchaz said: My biggest issue with the base defense is I don’t feel like it’s the type of defense that has success at the highest level/in the playoffs. Making things more complicated is that it is often successful in other situations. The Bills need to be doing the things that the best defenses do, especially in the playoffs, throughout the regular season. Play more man, play more 4-3, stunt more, be more aggressive in general and roll the dice. Force the offense to do something rather than read and react. On 8/18/2025 at 3:25 PM, Brianmoorman4jesus said: There needs to be an overhaul of the entire defensive coaching scheme. It’s THE only problem we have. It’s what’s cost us a Super Bowl. Maybe even more than one. Our problem is THE guy coaching the defense. It’s been since 2018. 2017 was good. I’ll give him that year. The scheme was figured out. I am no big Xs and Os guy, so those who are more knowledgeable, please correct me if I am wrong, or where I might be wrong. But the idea that the scheme is the problem and won't work in the playoffs made me think about the fact that Sean and Steve Spagnuolo were both proteges of Jim Johnson. Now, it has been many years since they worked with Jim, so I'm sure they picked up other nuances elsewhere along the way, or developed their own wrinkles. But I wondered, if at the core, it is a similar system. I couldn't find anything definitive comparing the two teams/systems or specifically stating that they both run the old Johnson system (or a variance of it), but here are a few things I found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Spagnuolo "Spagnuolo learned under Philadelphia defensive coach Jim Johnson, and shares the same aggressive, blitz-heavy approach as his mentor. Spagnuolo uses a 4–3 base defense with a heavy emphasis on multiple blitz packages, including corner and safety blitzes." https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2023/2/8/23591081/chiefs-eagles-super-bowl-lvii-quarterbacks-changed-steve-spagnuolos-career “Steve’s very creative [and] smart,” observed Andy Reid. “A real tribute to Springfield College. He’s been in the league, and he had a good tutor in Jim Johnson when he was young. So he’s been able to build off of that scheme [and] be very innovative with it.” So, it does appear that his core is still the Jim Johnson system (like Sean). https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5224800/2024/01/26/steve-spagnuolo-chiefs-defense-nfl-playoffs/ "Spagnuolo’s best blend of producing an effective pass rush, exceptional coverage and timely blitzes occurs when he employs dime personnel — six defensive backs, one linebacker and four linemen, a personnel grouping he used most in the league." "'Spags is a wizard, man,' defensive end Mike Danna said. 'He’s got tons of blitzes, and he knows how to get after a quarterback.' The Chiefs blitzed on third down at the fifth-highest rate in the league (39.3 percent)." I couldn't find a 3rd down blitz percentage for Buffalo last year (if anyone else can find it, would be interesting to see...but my gut tells me ean blitzes less). "Kansas City had just 17 takeaways in the regular season, tied for the fifth-fewest in the league. But Chiefs defenders are just as happy getting a third- or fourth-down stop as they are generating turnovers because of one reason: They have Mahomes, the league’s best quarterback. 'The ability to get stops and prevent first downs is more predictive than the ability to get takeaways,' Schatz said. 'Takeaways are hugely important, but they’re not as predictive. If what you want is consistent defense, being able to get stops is more important.' They also talked about him disguising coverages and blitzing CBs/safeties. Ok, so the Bills run a lot of dime package as well. McD also blitzes corners and safeties and disguises his coverage (when he's got the players to do so). The Chiefs played 35% man coverage and 65% zone coverage in 2024, while the Bills played 25% man coverage and 75% zone coverage. So, they appear to be running a very similar system with the main differences being a 10% difference in man/zone coverage, a higher focus on getting off the field on 3rd down rather than getting turnovers, and Spags is a "wizard" with blitzes. (I'm not saying McD is as good as Spags, just trying to assess if they are running a similar system.) As far as turnovers, some say the Bills can't repeat the turnover ratio from last year, well, that is more on Josh than the defense as the defense has been 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, and 3rd in takeaways over the last 5 years. So, Sean's defense is very good at creating turnovers. But is the Chiefs philosophy on that better? And Spags may be a wizard at blitz packages, but it also helps to have a player like Chris Jones (which McD has not had). Hopefully Bosa can at least help in that category this year (what could have been if Von didn't get injured...he was playing really well his first year with the Bills). Plus, as I said, Sean brought in those two new coaches to help with the blitz packages/pass rush. He is at least trying to improve where we have been lacking (we'll see if it all works, coaching, new players, etc.). But, at the core, it appears they run a similar system. So, I don't think the Bills defensive system is incapable of winning in the playoffs or against good teams or needs to be scrapped, we just need to improve in certain areas (mainly rushing the QB). As far as third downs go, the Bills were terrible last year (30th place) and mediocre in 2023 (18th place). But how much of that was just adapting without Hyde and Poyer (and add in the weak pass rush). But, in 5 of the prior 6 years (2017-2022), they finished 11th or higher in third down percentage (with four top 10 finishes and a first place finish in 2021). So the system is capable of getting stops, we just haven't done it well the last two years (again, is that more personnel?). Obviously fixing the pass rush and adding a 1st round corner were the #1 priorities this year. Unfortunately safety may have to wait until next year (if Cole doesn't come on). But I don't think you can underestimate how much aging/moving on from Poyer and Hyde affected things the last two years defensively. The safeties at least won't be worse than last year, because even if we have to start Damar, he and Rapp will have more experience in the scheme and with each other (not ideal, but not a total disaster). Let's hope the pass rush works. But, yeah, having said all of that, I do not think the scheme (overall) is the problem. It seems more personnel to me. Not that we don't have good personnel, but we have not had that elite pass rusher and/or (for the last two years) the type of young, healthy safeties that allow you to take more risks. We can talk philosophy a bit in regards to Sean (amount and type of blitzes, emphasis on turnovers, etc.), but overall, over the last 8 years, I think Sean and the system have proven very competent and capable of winning. Yes, we have had let downs in the playoffs and areas we need to improve, but we have consistently been a good defensive team under McDermott. Of course, I'd take a little more aggressiveness...and hopefully we'll see that this year with the DL improvements. 1 Quote
SCBills Posted August 22 Posted August 22 (edited) This is what we call “misleading with statistics” -Fails to mention Bills play weaker teams in the Wild Card every year -Fails to mention 31 & 40 points were given up by the Chiefs … in Super Bowls -Fails to mention Chiefs held Bengals to 20 and Ravens to 10 in AFC Championship Games I could go on.. Edited August 22 by SCBills Quote
oldmanfan Posted August 22 Author Posted August 22 12 hours ago, folz said: Apologies in advance for a very long post. This idea that McDermott scapegoats guys or sets them up as fall guys needs to be retired. He's only ever trying to make the team better (and obviously he's not going to fire himself). But to think that he sets guys up so when the team fails he can project blame on to them and throw them to the wolves is such the opposite of who Sean is as a man. After almost 9 years coaching this team, Bills fans should know that about his character. I posted this in another thread recently, but think it should be repeated as so many posters continually say that basically we didn't make any changes on defense except for adding Bosa: 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 Giants 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 pass-rush 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. They also added a first round cornerback (Hairston), a 5th round CB (Hancock), and a 6th round CB (Strong), and brought back Tre and Dane (however you feel about them). I'd say that is a lot more change than just adding Bosa. Kind of seems like you guys aren't really paying attention. Spagnolo and McDermott are both proteges of Jim Johnson (see below). And as far as McD not having it in him to change, see above, regarding the two new coaching hires. I am no big Xs and Os guy, so those who are more knowledgeable, please correct me if I am wrong, or where I might be wrong. But the idea that the scheme is the problem and won't work in the playoffs made me think about the fact that Sean and Steve Spagnuolo were both proteges of Jim Johnson. Now, it has been many years since they worked with Jim, so I'm sure they picked up other nuances elsewhere along the way, or developed their own wrinkles. But I wondered, if at the core, it is a similar system. I couldn't find anything definitive comparing the two teams/systems or specifically stating that they both run the old Johnson system (or a variance of it), but here are a few things I found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Spagnuolo "Spagnuolo learned under Philadelphia defensive coach Jim Johnson, and shares the same aggressive, blitz-heavy approach as his mentor. Spagnuolo uses a 4–3 base defense with a heavy emphasis on multiple blitz packages, including corner and safety blitzes." https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2023/2/8/23591081/chiefs-eagles-super-bowl-lvii-quarterbacks-changed-steve-spagnuolos-career “Steve’s very creative [and] smart,” observed Andy Reid. “A real tribute to Springfield College. He’s been in the league, and he had a good tutor in Jim Johnson when he was young. So he’s been able to build off of that scheme [and] be very innovative with it.” So, it does appear that his core is still the Jim Johnson system (like Sean). https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5224800/2024/01/26/steve-spagnuolo-chiefs-defense-nfl-playoffs/ "Spagnuolo’s best blend of producing an effective pass rush, exceptional coverage and timely blitzes occurs when he employs dime personnel — six defensive backs, one linebacker and four linemen, a personnel grouping he used most in the league." "'Spags is a wizard, man,' defensive end Mike Danna said. 'He’s got tons of blitzes, and he knows how to get after a quarterback.' The Chiefs blitzed on third down at the fifth-highest rate in the league (39.3 percent)." I couldn't find a 3rd down blitz percentage for Buffalo last year (if anyone else can find it, would be interesting to see...but my gut tells me ean blitzes less). "Kansas City had just 17 takeaways in the regular season, tied for the fifth-fewest in the league. But Chiefs defenders are just as happy getting a third- or fourth-down stop as they are generating turnovers because of one reason: They have Mahomes, the league’s best quarterback. 'The ability to get stops and prevent first downs is more predictive than the ability to get takeaways,' Schatz said. 'Takeaways are hugely important, but they’re not as predictive. If what you want is consistent defense, being able to get stops is more important.' They also talked about him disguising coverages and blitzing CBs/safeties. Ok, so the Bills run a lot of dime package as well. McD also blitzes corners and safeties and disguises his coverage (when he's got the players to do so). The Chiefs played 35% man coverage and 65% zone coverage in 2024, while the Bills played 25% man coverage and 75% zone coverage. So, they appear to be running a very similar system with the main differences being a 10% difference in man/zone coverage, a higher focus on getting off the field on 3rd down rather than getting turnovers, and Spags is a "wizard" with blitzes. (I'm not saying McD is as good as Spags, just trying to assess if they are running a similar system.) As far as turnovers, some say the Bills can't repeat the turnover ratio from last year, well, that is more on Josh than the defense as the defense has been 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, and 3rd in takeaways over the last 5 years. So, Sean's defense is very good at creating turnovers. But is the Chiefs philosophy on that better? And Spags may be a wizard at blitz packages, but it also helps to have a player like Chris Jones (which McD has not had). Hopefully Bosa can at least help in that category this year (what could have been if Von didn't get injured...he was playing really well his first year with the Bills). Plus, as I said, Sean brought in those two new coaches to help with the blitz packages/pass rush. He is at least trying to improve where we have been lacking (we'll see if it all works, coaching, new players, etc.). But, at the core, it appears they run a similar system. So, I don't think the Bills defensive system is incapable of winning in the playoffs or against good teams or needs to be scrapped, we just need to improve in certain areas (mainly rushing the QB). As far as third downs go, the Bills were terrible last year (30th place) and mediocre in 2023 (18th place). But how much of that was just adapting without Hyde and Poyer (and add in the weak pass rush). But, in 5 of the prior 6 years (2017-2022), they finished 11th or higher in third down percentage (with four top 10 finishes and a first place finish in 2021). So the system is capable of getting stops, we just haven't done it well the last two years (again, is that more personnel?). Obviously fixing the pass rush and adding a 1st round corner were the #1 priorities this year. Unfortunately safety may have to wait until next year (if Cole doesn't come on). But I don't think you can underestimate how much aging/moving on from Poyer and Hyde affected things the last two years defensively. The safeties at least won't be worse than last year, because even if we have to start Damar, he and Rapp will have more experience in the scheme and with each other (not ideal, but not a total disaster). Let's hope the pass rush works. But, yeah, having said all of that, I do not think the scheme (overall) is the problem. It seems more personnel to me. Not that we don't have good personnel, but we have not had that elite pass rusher and/or (for the last two years) the type of young, healthy safeties that allow you to take more risks. We can talk philosophy a bit in regards to Sean (amount and type of blitzes, emphasis on turnovers, etc.), but overall, over the last 8 years, I think Sean and the system have proven very competent and capable of winning. Yes, we have had let downs in the playoffs and areas we need to improve, but we have consistently been a good defensive team under McDermott. Of course, I'd take a little more aggressiveness...and hopefully we'll see that this year with the DL improvements. Really good stuff here. My thought in starting this thread is that it seemed to me we were vulnerable to the quicker passing game, with QBs getting the ball out quick, and I wondered if that might have to do with a philosophy of more zone schemes. Am I wrong? Quote
mjt328 Posted August 22 Posted August 22 7 minutes ago, SCBills said: This is what we call “misleading with statistics” -Fails to mention Bills play weaker teams in the Wild Card every year -Fails to mention 31 & 40 points were given up by the Chiefs … in Super Bowls -Fails to mention Chiefs held Bengals to 20 and Ravens to 10 in AFC Championship Games I could go on.. Agreed. It makes the Bills defensive stats even worse when you consider they have the benefit of playing a weaker Wild Card opponent every season (Colts, Patriots, Dolphins, Steelers, Broncos), while the Chiefs usually get the bye and go straight to a top contender. No doubt, the Chiefs have definitely had some rough playoff games on defense. But they have also had some good ones against top offenses. McDermott's units have showed up twice against Lamar Jackson, but have done less than nothing in the playoffs against Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow. Maybe fans wouldn't be so critical if they actually did SOMETHING positive in any of those games. Nothing crazy. Maybe some pressure on the QB once in a while. Maybe a forced punt here and there. Or how about a turnover? Quote
folz Posted August 22 Posted August 22 4 hours ago, SCBills said: This is what we call “misleading with statistics” -Fails to mention Bills play weaker teams in the Wild Card every year -Fails to mention 31 & 40 points were given up by the Chiefs … in Super Bowls -Fails to mention Chiefs held Bengals to 20 and Ravens to 10 in AFC Championship Games I could go on.. To your first point: If you add up the records of all of the Bills' and Chiefs' playoff opponents over the last 6 years, it looks like this: Chiefs' playoff opponents: 216-99 (in 19 games) Bills' playoff opponents: 147-69 (13 games) That means: Chiefs' playoff opponents combined average record is 11.37 wins and 5.21 losses with a 68.57% win percentage. Bills' playoff opponents combined average record is 11.31 wins and 5.31 losses with a 68.06% win percentage. So, I'm not sure that you can use strength of opponent as an argument really. And I'm not sure what your other two points are arguing: -What do KC's Super Bowl blowouts have to do with it. Are you saying because so many points were scored in one game that all of those points shouldn't count? Or that because it is the SB, it means they are superior opponents. Yes, Philly was 14-3 last year, but Tampa was only 11-5 in 2020. In the same years, 2024 and 2020, the Bills lost to KC with records of 14-2 and 15-2. -He also didn't mention that the Bills held the Ravens to 3 points (2020) and Denver to 7 points (2024). Please do go on... Quote
folz Posted August 22 Posted August 22 (edited) 6 hours ago, oldmanfan said: Really good stuff here. My thought in starting this thread is that it seemed to me we were vulnerable to the quicker passing game, with QBs getting the ball out quick, and I wondered if that might have to do with a philosophy of more zone schemes. Am I wrong? It's probably tough to determine how much is scheme, how much is play calling, how much is personnel, how much is player execution, etc. But, I'd say the aging/loss of Hyde and Poyer and the fact that our two best coverage LBs (our starters: Milano and Bernard) have missed 32 games over the last two years is probably as big of a reason over the last two seasons. Not the only reason, but by no means insignificant. Was just trying to note that the core scheme can win Super Bowls (Spagnuolo) if employed properly. And again, considering the last three times we faced KC in the playoffs, at the end of regulation they were only up by 6 points (across 3 games), tells me that even if we didn't play great defense in those games, we have still been so close to the promised land. If the coin flip goes the other way in 2020, if Bass makes the field goal in 2023, if the refs give Josh the first down or Kincaid catches that ball. People may not love our defense, but it can get us to where we need to go. We just need to improve the pass rush and hopefully have no liabilities in the secondary (we'll see how that goes this season---it is a little bit of a concern still). But, you raised a legitimate question. Only 5 teams (Vikings, Chargers, Colts, Bucs, and Falcons) ran less man coverage than the Bills last year. But again, how much of that is personnel? I'm sure McD took fewer risks with Douglas and Hamlin being in the secondary (as opposed to Hyde, Poyer, and a healthy Tre or whatever) and not having a great pass rush...while Spags could take more risks (both with man coverage and blitzing) with an All-Pro corner like McDuffie (who often followed the best opposing receiver last season), and a pass rusher like Chris Jones, etc. The other question would be, can our CBs be successful playing more man? Is that in their skillset? Are they good enough for it? Or would we have guys getting burned without the zone scheme to protect (other guys in position to make the tackle if the completion is made/the CB gets burned). There is also this: https://www.paraballnotes.com/blog/man-vs-zone-defense-which-one-is-most-efficient-against-passing-plays "Undoubtedly, zone defense has outperformed man defense when facing passing plays. Teams have allowed 10.4% fewer EPA per play and 22.8% less WPA per play while using zone coverage compared to man coverage. It’s evident that NFL teams have noticed this performance gap: the proportion of man defense usage against passing plays has declined from a peak of 37.2% in 2019 to a low of 28.5% in 2023." Man coverage dipped even a bit further in 2024, with a league average of 27.6%. But, yes, the Bills were still on the low end of that average last year. So, who knows for sure Oldmanfan...I'm just throwing information out there that I found on the net and then what I see with the team. But I am by no means a football savant or anything. Edited August 22 by folz Quote
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