How to FIX the RUN DEFENSE

[toddgurley]

Anyone who has watched the Buffalo Bills knows that our Run D (or lack of) may just be the worst in modern day football history. With that being said, its obvious the unit needs some major changes (scheme, personnel, etc). I personally feel the cover 2 is a joke of a defense. I hate the bend but dont break philosphy, and the use of "undersized players with high motors." I want a defense that attacks, has size, and speed (who would'nt).

Also with the location of our team being in Buffalo, NY it is ESSENTIAL that we be able to atleast somewhat stop the run. (Obviously our cold weather and wind makes it difficult to throw so visiting teams will run) As we seen in late season games the past couple of years. (i.e 2007 bad weather games vs CLE week 15 and NYG week 16)

 

Here our some current Bills defensive stats (As of Dec 6 from nfl.com):

 

Rush Yards allowed per game: 172 per game (32nd in nfl)

Total Yards allowed per game: 360 per game (23rd in nfl)

Pts allowed per game: 21 pts per game (17th in nfl)

 

As you can clearly see from that stats above, the lack of a run D is killing us. How do we fix that? There are many ways (like changing scheme) but as far as personnal wise-DRAFT TERRANCE MT. CODY

 

MT CODY BIO

6'5 365 LBS

 

Career Stats

2009 25 tackles 5.0 for loss (-10)

2008 24 tackles 4.5 for loss (-14)

 

• Finalist for the Lombardi Award

• Semifinalist for the Bednarik Award

• Midseason All-American by both Sporting News and CBSsportsline.com

• Selected as the AT&T All-America Player of the Week vs. Tennessee with two blocked field goals

• Anchored a defensive line that is allowing just 68.2 rushing yards per game to rank second in the nation

• No individual has rushed for 100 yards since Cody arrived at Alabama

 

Cody was a 2 years starter at Alabama. Where he played vs some of the top talent in college football. While at Alabama he played in a 3-4 defense scheme there. So this was give the Bills the versaitily of choosing either a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme to run for that year. Worst case scenerio Cody could learn and eventually replace DT Marcus Stroud, who is aging. Best case scenerio, he steps in, along side Stroud and we run a 3 man rotation of Stroud, Williams, and Cody. And this would give us some depth, as you see how much luck we seem to have with staying heathly.

[JOHNNYFAIRPLAY]

Anyone who has watched the Buffalo Bills knows that our Run D (or lack of) may just be the worst in modern day football history. With that being said, its obvious the unit needs some major changes (scheme, personnel, etc). I personally feel the cover 2 is a joke of a defense. I hate the bend but dont break philosphy, and the use of "undersized players with high motors." I want a defense that attacks, has size, and speed (who would'nt).

Also with the location of our team being in Buffalo, NY it is ESSENTIAL that we be able to atleast somewhat stop the run. (Obviously our cold weather and wind makes it difficult to throw so visiting teams will run) As we seen in late season games the past couple of years. (i.e 2007 bad weather games vs CLE week 15 and NYG week 16)

 

Here our some current Bills defensive stats (As of Dec 6 from nfl.com):

 

Rush Yards allowed per game: 172 per game (32nd in nfl)

Total Yards allowed per game: 360 per game (23rd in nfl)

Pts allowed per game: 21 pts per game (17th in nfl)

 

As you can clearly see from that stats above, the lack of a run D is killing us. How do we fix that? There are many ways (like changing scheme) but as far as personnal wise-DRAFT TERRANCE MT. CODY

 

MT CODY BIO

6'5 365 LBS

 

Career Stats

2009 25 tackles 5.0 for loss (-10)

2008 24 tackles 4.5 for loss (-14)

 

• Finalist for the Lombardi Award

• Semifinalist for the Bednarik Award

• Midseason All-American by both Sporting News and CBSsportsline.com

• Selected as the AT&T All-America Player of the Week vs. Tennessee with two blocked field goals

• Anchored a defensive line that is allowing just 68.2 rushing yards per game to rank second in the nation

• No individual has rushed for 100 yards since Cody arrived at Alabama

 

Cody was a 2 years starter at Alabama. He played in a 3-4 defense scheme there. So this was give the Bills the versaitily of choosing either a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme to run for that year. Worst case scenerio Cody could learn and eventually replace DT Marcus Stroud, who is aging. Best case scenerio, he steps in eventually along side Stroud and we run a 3 man rotation of Stroud, Williams, and Cody.

 

Where could he fall in the draft?

[bills_red]

Cody is a 2 down player. We will have a top 8 pick. You really want to pick a 2 down guy in the top 8? If he is there in R2 hell yea but not in the top 8.

[bills_red]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft10/ins...tory?id=4618676

 

TFS Lab Result: Cody's size, strength and ability to draw a double-team are impressive, but his subpar metric performance and the overriding concerns about his endurance give him a qualified TFS overhyped grade. If a team takes him in the second round with the idea that he is a two-down space-eater who can plug run gaps, he's a good fit. If a team takes him in the first round with the idea that he will be an every-down nose tackle, that would be a mistake.

 

 

I will post the whole thing if you want.

[apuszczalowski]

yet again, the defence is not that big of a concern as people make it out to be. The critical spot on this team that needs a major overhaul is the offence.

 

Teams may run on the bills alot, but the defence still does the most important thing its there to do, keep the team out of the endzone. The offence is so bad that it can't win games when the defence keeps them in the game. I'm not saying that the Bills defence couldn't be improved, but without a better offence, the Bills will just lose even lower scoring games. Indy uses this defence, and they have not had a dominant defence, but they win cause the offence can put the ball in the endzone rather easily.

[toddgurley]

Cody is a 2 down player. We will have a top 8 pick. You really want to pick a 2 down guy in the top 8? If he is there in R2 hell yea but not in the top 8.

 

 

 

Hey, i never said take him in the 1st rd. He is not slated to be drafted in the 1st. Espn's scouts inc has atleast 4 dt ahead of him (McCoy, Suh, A.Jones, Odrick) Link:http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft

 

So if we could draft need or best available with our first, then maybe go Cody in 2nd or something. Thats what I am saying. I agree, you dont take him in top ten-

[bills_red]

Hey, i never said take him in the 1st rd. He is not slated to be drafted in the 1st. Espn's scouts inc has atleast 4 dt ahead of him (McCoy, Suh, A.Jones, Odrick) Link:http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft

 

So if we could draft need or best available with our first, then maybe go Cody in 2nd or something. Thats what I am saying. I agree, you dont take him in top ten-

 

K, we on the same page then

[BuffaloRebound]

Cody was a 2 years starter at Alabama. Where he played vs some of the top talent in college football. While at Alabama he played in a 3-4 defense scheme there. So this was give the Bills the versaitily of choosing either a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme to run for that year. Worst case scenerio Cody could learn and eventually replace DT Marcus Stroud, who is aging. Best case scenerio, he steps in, along side Stroud and we run a 3 man rotation of Stroud, Williams, and Cody. And this would give us some depth, as you see how much luck we seem to have with staying heathly.

 

I like the idea of a huge run stuffer in the middle and Cody looked good yesterday, but the worst case scenario is that he eats himself out the NFL like Mike Williams. You have to worry about a guy who is that fat already. Hand him $10-15m guaranteed, and that's a lot of trips to Burger King. I like his teammate McClain a lot. That guy on Florida who can run the 100m in 10 flat couldn't beat him to the sideline. And the guy weighs 255 pounds.

[toddgurley]

yet again, the defence is not that big of a concern as people make it out to be. The critical spot on this team that needs a major overhaul is the offence.

 

Teams may run on the bills alot, but the defence still does the most important thing its there to do, keep the team out of the endzone. The offence is so bad that it can't win games when the defence keeps them in the game. I'm not saying that the Bills defence couldn't be improved, but without a better offence, the Bills will just lose even lower scoring games. Indy uses this defence, and they have not had a dominant defence, but they win cause the offence can put the ball in the endzone rather easily.

 

 

Dude, I agree offense needs alot. But if we cant stop the run, we cant beat anyone. We are 32nd vs run, giving up 172 yards a game.

[toddgurley]

I like the idea of a huge run stuffer in the middle and Cody looked good yesterday, but the worst case scenario is that he eats himself out the NFL like Mike Williams. You have to worry about a guy who is that fat already. Hand him $10-15m guaranteed, and that's a lot of trips to Burger King. I like his teammate McClain a lot. That guy on Florida who can run the 100m in 10 flat couldn't beat him to the sideline. And the guy weighs 255 pounds.

 

 

 

would he get that much if he was a 2nd rd pick? b/c i am not saying take him with the 1st rd pick-

 

but ya, weight issue could be a concern.

[JOHNNYFAIRPLAY]

Dude, I agree offense needs alot. But if we cant stop the run, we cant beat anyone. We are 32nd vs run, giving up 172 yards a game.

 

We need to give away 50% ownership of the franchise to get picks #1, #2, and #3 and take the following:

 

Pick #1 - Colt McCoy

Pick #2 - Tim Tebow

Pick #3 - Tony Pike

 

Yeah you read that correctly.

[Ray]

Having a big DL is great but doesn't change the fact that they are on the field an extra 6-7 minutes a game b/c the offense is horrible and leads to too many 3 and outs.

Having an offense that can sustain drives would help the run defense immensely. In games where we were shredded the most they held their own until the 4th quarter for the most part and then faded in the 4th quarter.

Don't get me wrong, I agree that is a HUGE priority and would not be upset with a great DT taken number one but no defense with great run numbers will succeed as long as the team has no QB.

Indy had the worst run defense in the league the year they won the SB, they just happen to have a great QB.

[John from Riverside]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft10/ins...tory?id=4618676

 

 

 

 

I will post the whole thing if you want.

 

They probably said the same thing about Ngata

[bills_red]

Lol, no. Nagata acutally played in the game & could rush the passer, Cody plays like a 3rd of the game and can't rush the passer at all. here is the whole thing.

 

 

 

The NFL scouting combine has a wide variety of drills to gauge a player's proficiency in many physical areas -- the bench press measures strength, the vertical jump and broad jump grade short-area burst capabilities and the 20- and 60-yard shuttle drills rank a player's ability to start and stop quickly.

 

As valuable as these training methods are, after looking at game tapes of Alabama Crimson Tide nose tackle Terrence Cody, it is clear there is one physical attribute the combine doesn't measure that it badly needs to.

 

That attribute is endurance. Look at Cody's relative lack of playing time in a key, four-game SEC stretch that the Crimson Tide recently went through (at Kentucky, at Mississippi, vs. South Carolina, vs. Tennessee).

 

Alabama faced 116 rushing plays in those games and Cody was on the field for only 68 of them, or 58.6 percent. Nick Saban's defense also faced 165 pass plays and Cody was in the game on but 54 of those plays, or 32.7 percent. Add the two together and Cody was in the Alabama defensive lineup on only 122 of 281 plays -- or only 43.4 percent of the time. To look at it another way, he was on the field for approximately 30 out of 70 plays per game.

 

That sounds like a low number, but a key element in the Draft Lab series is that any collegiate totals have to be compared to NFL totals to see how they contrast. The expectation is that a draft prospect should be able to post totals against the lower level of competition in college that are appreciably better than a pro player's totals against NFL talent.

 

In Cody's case, a perfect comparison would be how his playing time matches up against that of NFL nose tackles. I don't have those numbers available, but I do have a reasonable facsimile in a 2007 study I did on playing time for three top 4-3 defensive tackles the previous season: Albert Haynesworth, Cory Redding and Kevin Williams. Here are the results of that study:

 

Three Of The Best

2007 endurance metrics for some of the best nose tackles in the National Football League:

 

Player Plays in games Plays not in games Total plays % of time on field

Albert Haynesworth 532 370 902 59.0

Cory Redding 858 227 1,085 79.1

Kevin Williams 866 214 1,080 80.2

 

At the time of the study, Redding and Williams were both noted for their ability as every-down players, but Haynesworth had the same knock on him about his inability to stay on the field that he has today. If Cody's collegiate playing time doesn't even match Haynesworth's it cannot be seen as a good sign, but there is a caveat: Alabama has a deep defensive line rotation. It is possible that Cody could play more, but without a way of measuring endurance, NFL teams will have a tough time determining if that is the case.

 

That isn't the only caveat, however. Cody reportedly weighed more than 400 pounds as a juco player, and the first thing the Crimson Tide coaching staff told him when he transferred to Alabama was that he would have to lose a good deal of weight in order to get on the field. He certainly accomplished that, with his reported weight now at 354 pounds, but it very well could be that the Bama coaching staff still lacks faith in his ability to stay on the field for longer periods of time.

 

The Haynesworth comparison is also not entirely apt because Cody's performance metrics in these four games come nowhere close to matching Haynesworth's totals. Cody did draw a higher rate of double-teams (63.6 percent to Haynesworth's 2007 double-team mark of 51.3 percent) but he notched only five Point of Attack (POA) blocking wins in 22 POA runs, or a win rate of 22.7 percent. In the three full seasons of run metrics I have completed on Haynesworth over the years, his POA win rates were 43.4 percent (2005), 32.3 percent (2007) and 23.8 percent (2008). Haynesworth's metrics are a high bar to reach, but if Cody cannot exceed those totals against college blockers, it stands to reason that he might struggle to equal those numbers at the pro level.

 

Cody also was basically nonexistent as a pass-rusher. He relied heavily on the bull rush and sometimes got into a very bad habit of doing a one-armed bull rush. That move didn't work for him in these games and it absolutely won't cut it at the next level.

 

His pass-rushing metrics also reflect a lack of success. He made three splash plays in these four games and one of them was a borderline call that I decided in his favor (splash plays being defined as when a defensive player does something that impacts a passing play -- sacks, passes knocked down and offensive holding penalties being three examples). Good NFL nose tackles tend to generate six to eight splash plays a year and Cody is barely on track to reach that total.

 

The last item of note is that Cody's draft prospects seemed to get a bit of a shot in the arm when he blocked two critical field goals in Alabama's win over Tennessee. As impressive as those were on their face, in both cases Cody was part of a double-team. He didn't defeat either blocker on his own, so the blocks should be seen as more of a collective effort than a singular effort. That he took his helmet off after the second field goal while the play was still live (something that should have cost the Crimson Tide a penalty) also indicates that he may have a bit of the bad part of Leon Lett in him.

 

TFS Lab Result: Cody's size, strength and ability to draw a double-team are impressive, but his subpar metric performance and the overriding concerns about his endurance give him a qualified TFS overhyped grade. If a team takes him in the second round with the idea that he is a two-down space-eater who can plug run gaps, he's a good fit. If a team takes him in the first round with the idea that he will be an every-down nose tackle, that would be a mistake.

[apuszczalowski]

Dude, I agree offense needs alot. But if we cant stop the run, we cant beat anyone. We are 32nd vs run, giving up 172 yards a game.

Really? How many games over the last 2 years have the Bills been in til the last 5-10 minutes of the 4th quarter? How many times has the Bills defence kept the other team to under 20 points? How many times has the Bills offence failed to score or go 3 and out when they get the ball?

 

The Bills can win games and still give up 172 yards a game. Teams know they can just keep pounding the ball and wear down the clock and defence cause the offence isn't likely to threaten to score again.

[Dan]

Really? How many games over the last 2 years have the Bills been in til the last 5-10 minutes of the 4th quarter? How many times has the Bills defence kept the other team to under 20 points? How many times has the Bills offence failed to score or go 3 and out when they get the ball?

 

The Bills can win games and still give up 172 yards a game. Teams know they can just keep pounding the ball and wear down the clock and defence cause the offence isn't likely to threaten to score again.

Agreed. IMO, our needs and priorities are clear - OT, QB, LB, DT, in that order. However, what position gets drafted first and second, I think, depends upon what they do in free agency.

[CookieG]

Better yet, take his teammate:

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/stor...&id=4619628

 

Senior cornerback Javier Arenas described what it's like as a tackler when McClain arrives to finish off the guy with the ball.

 

"You black out for a second," Arenas said, "and try to figure out what truck hit you. You see him walking away. OK, it's him."

 

..."He's got that gift of being able to analytically process information and react to it as fast as any guy I've ever been around," Steele said. "There are a lot of ways to teach players -- in the classroom, on the board, with video, practice reps. Some guys have to do it full speed. You can pass Rolando in the hall and say, 'In this formation, in this defense we need to do this,' and it's done.

 

"I've never coached but two like that," Steele said. "One of them was Sam Mills, who played 12 years in the NFL and was All-Pro several times. And Rolando."

 

6'4" 258lbs. 4.6 40. Any questions about his speed were answered when he ran Johnny Demps to the sideline.

 

Big

Strong

Fast

Smart

Hits like a truck.

[Chilly]

Fix the run D by drafting Suh.

[toddgurley]

yet again, the defence is not that big of a concern as people make it out to be. The critical spot on this team that needs a major overhaul is the offence.

 

Teams may run on the bills alot, but the defence still does the most important thing its there to do, keep the team out of the endzone. The offence is so bad that it can't win games when the defence keeps them in the game. I'm not saying that the Bills defence couldn't be improved, but without a better offence, the Bills will just lose even lower scoring games. Indy uses this defence, and they have not had a dominant defence, but they win cause the offence can put the ball in the endzone rather easily.

 

 

I hear you too, and you make a good point about our lack of offense but Indy has has players like D.Freeney, R. Mathis, and Bob Sanders on its defense. Which makes it a little easier when you have talent like that-

[Bill from NYC]

I am a lifelong Alabama fan and am familiar with Cody. He is a sink or swim type of player. He could be a Leon Lett or a defensive Mike Williams.

In other words he is extremely high risk, just as much so as Maybin.

 

jmo fwiw