Jerry Jabber Posted January 15, 2010 Author Posted January 15, 2010 I hear you, but I actually think it's less of a personnel problem on the DL as much as it is a combination of (1) a philosophy that doesn't match the personnel and (2) substandard personnel at LB. I'll admit that I'm an amatuer when it comes to diagnosing assignments on any given play, but when I watch other teams--even other Tampa-2 teams--they don't play the run the same way as Buffalo. You never see Minnesota and Chicago run schemes where their DTs are constantly trying to shoot gaps upfield instead of tying up blockers and holding their ground. Granted, there are specific plays where the DTs are trying to penetrate a specific gap on the OL, but Buffalo's DTs seem to be doing it on every play. Often times, the opposition just runs a delay or a counter, which allows the interior of the OL to just let the DT take himself out of the play, and the RB adjusts his cut accordingly. It's specifically noticable against teams like the Jets and Panthers, that base their entire offense on running the football. Now I suspect that some of the Bills' run defense deficiency comes from a lack of playmaking LBs (Poz is above average, but highly inconsistent, in my opinion). Perhaps an injection of youth at the position would help. I've also noticed that this team is pretty deficient in tackling ability. When you watch teams like Baltimore, NYJ, Minnesota, these teams tackle very well. Buffalo does not. Just my 1 cent. I definyely agree as well. I like Poz and he has shown flashes that he can be a very good LB in the league, but we definitely need upgrades to the LB position. The only thing we can be happy about is our secondary. If we can upgrade at DE and LB, we could have a great defense. If I'm not mistaken, I think the Bills led either the league or at least the AFC in interceptions, if we could have a good consistent pass rush, those numbers will go up big time.
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