Top 15 Defense

[Justice]

I truly believe our Bills will field a top 15 defense, this year. With our last two drafts, the subtraction of a couple of weak links (Poz and Whitner) and good free agent moves will see to that.

 

Here's my breakdown:

 

D-Line

 

Dareus, Williams and Edwards are the starters. All three guys can play and play extremely well, especially Dareus and Williams. These two guys will give opposing offensive lines fits.

 

Our back-ups aren't too shabby either, with S. Johnson, Troup and Carrington giving our starters a breather. Carrington and Troup haven't proven themselves just yet, but they seem like they put in the work in the off-season that will propel them to the next level.

 

Linebackers

 

One of the more maligned groups in the NFL last year just took some major steps in the right direction with the additions of Merriman and Barnett.

 

Barnett is a major improvement over Poz, especially in coverage and can play the run as good or even better than the aforementioned Poz, mainly because of his athletis ability and sideline to sideline speed. Let's not forget to mention that Barnett is also a much better fit in the 3-4 defense than his predecessor.

 

Merriman looks like he's back and the Bills have him in the perfect position, ROLB, opposite Dareus on the left. This strategy prevents offenses from stacking both sides of the line for help in stopping these two beasts and puts the Bills at an advantage.

 

Andra Davis is a good run stopper that fits in well with current line-up. He'll be asked to do what he does best, which is stop the run while his counterpart (Barnett) will be responsible for defending the pass.

 

Kelsay is the weak link out of the group. He will be asked to maintain his ground on the edge be a run stopper. Before the end of the year, I can see Batten taking over for Kelsay further solidifying our front seven.

Secondary

 

Although there's no elite cover corner in the bunch, I think this group is good and deep as a whole with McGee, McKelvin, Florence and Williams all seing time at cornerback against various offensive fronts.

 

McGee looks like he's healthy again and I just love the move made by the Bills' management of putting Terrance in the slot. I believe he will flourish there because of his athletic ability.

 

The safety positions are in good hands with Wilson and Byrd manning their spots, respectively. Both players have a nose for the ball and a knack for making a big play and that's what you need at the safety position. Whitner was a liability in coverage and Wilson will be an upgrade there.

 

Coaching

 

George Edwards was pretty green as a coordinator last year and got much needed experience that should help him come along, this year. It also helps that he got an influx of talent to work with. On top of that, he has Dave Wannstedt to help him out, which is huge.

 

Overall, I see the Bills Defense giving teams more than they imagined and surprising a lot of people in the process. As long as our offense is capable of stringing together some long drives, I don't see any reasons why this defense shouldn't be a top 15 defense this year.

 

I can't wait!!!! KC is in trouble, week one!!!

[Zulu Cthulhu]

I like the optimism, but Merriman and McGee staying healthy are BIG ifs. They seem healthy enough now, sure. Recent history suggests they won't hold up over the entire season.

[Justice]

I like the optimism, but Merriman and McGee staying healthy are BIG ifs. They seem healthy enough now, sure. Recent history suggests they won't hold up over the entire season.

 

The Bills' medical staff found an injury in Merriman that San Diego couldn't, so hopefully now that he has that issue behind him, hopefully he can stay healthy.

 

As for McGee, we are pretty deep there so I'm not too worried.

[Zulu Cthulhu]

I hope you're right. If Aaron Williams can make an impact right away (and it looks like he might) McGee's frailty won't hurt them too much.

[Defend Greece]

Ummmmm top ten dude

[Cereal]

I truly believe our Bills will field a top 15 defense, this year. With our last two drafts, the subtraction of a couple of weak links (Poz and Whitner) and good free agent moves will see to that.

 

Here's my breakdown:

 

D-Line

 

Dareus, Williams and Edwards are the starters. All three guys can play and play extremely well, especially Dareus and Williams. These two guys will give opposing offensive lines fits.

 

Our back-ups aren't too shabby either, with S. Johnson, Troup and Carrington giving our starters a breather. Carrington and Troup haven't proven themselves just yet, but they seem like they put in the work in the off-season that will propel them to the next level.

 

Linebackers

 

One of the more maligned groups in the NFL last year just took some major steps in the right direction with the additions of Merriman and Barnett.

 

Barnett is a major improvement over Poz, especially in coverage and can play the run as good or even better than the aforementioned Poz, mainly because of his athletis ability and sideline to sideline speed. Let's not forget to mention that Barnett is also a much better fit in the 3-4 defense than his predecessor.

 

Merriman looks like he's back and the Bills have him in the perfect position, ROLB, opposite Dareus on the left. This strategy prevents offenses from stacking both sides of the line for help in stopping these two beasts and puts the Bills at an advantage.

 

Andra Davis is a good run stopper that fits in well with current line-up. He'll be asked to do what he does best, which is stop the run while his counterpart (Barnett) will be responsible for defending the pass.

 

Kelsay is the weak link out of the group. He will be asked to maintain his ground on the edge be a run stopper. Before the end of the year, I can see Batten taking over for Kelsay further solidifying our front seven.

Secondary

 

Although there's no elite cover corner in the bunch, I think this group is good and deep as a whole with McGee, McKelvin, Florence and Williams all seing time at cornerback against various offensive fronts.

 

McGee looks like he's healthy again and I just love the move made by the Bills' management of putting Terrance in the slot. I believe he will flourish there because of his athletic ability.

 

The safety positions are in good hands with Wilson and Byrd manning their spots, respectively. Both players have a nose for the ball and a knack for making a big play and that's what you need at the safety position. Whitner was a liability in coverage and Wilson will be an upgrade there.

 

Coaching

 

George Edwards was pretty green as a coordinator last year and got much needed experience that should help him come along, this year. It also helps that he got an influx of talent to work with. On top of that, he has Dave Wannstedt to help him out, which is huge.

 

Overall, I see the Bills Defense giving teams more than they imagined and surprising a lot of people in the process. As long as our offense is capable of stringing together some long drives, I don't see any reasons why this defense shouldn't be a top 15 defense this year.

 

I can't wait!!!! KC is in trouble, week one!!!

Good post. Any thoughts on depth at LB and Safety?

 

Edit: AND, I think we won't be top 15, but we'll see some fantastic improvement and a lot of promise for next season in the second half this year.

Edited August 19, 2011 by Cereal

[Justice]

Good post. Any thoughts on depth at LB and Safety?

 

Sure, we're decent at LBer. Sheppard is an unknown quantity at this point, but the Bills must have seen something they like in him since they took him so early (3rd round) in the 2011 draft. They also spent some time with him at the Senior Bowl, so I'm confident that he will be a good player.

 

Arthur Moats showed some signs at the OLB spot last year, but he has been moved outside where I'm not too sure he can flourish. Hopefully, they move him back outside.

 

I already mentioned Batten, but I'll take it a little further. He seems to be around the ball a lot and gives it his all at practice. He was recently praised by Coach Gailey for his relentlessness and he also had two sacks last week in our first preseason game against the Bears.

 

Torbor has been around. He's a journeyman that has hit his ceiling as far as potential goes. He is what he is, which isn't very good. He could be a surprise cut. I only say surprise because he is currently our first back-up according to the depth chart.

 

Antonio Coleman is a second year player whom the coaching staff likes. He's also the primary back'-up at OLBer and has great size. I like Moats better than Coleman, but the coaching staff doesn't see it that way, for now.

 

Chris White is another young guy that might have trouble making the team. He's good in coverage so if he develops, he can take over for Barnett in a few years.

 

Overall, we're very green and aren't very deep at the LBer position. Injury to our starters can prevent our defense from fulfilling their potential.

 

As for safety, we have Brian Scott, Jon Corto, and the rookie Da'Norris Searcy as reserves. Not very deep there, as well. Aaron Williams, our rookie corner, can be moved to safety in the worst case scenario, but we don't really know what we have in him there.

 

Good health will play a huge role in our defense this year.

Edited August 19, 2011 by NoJustice

[Dragonborn10]

I think the next demotion you will see is Byrd splitting time with someone else. He was just awful last year and half his rookie year interceptions were gifts. Who that someone else is I don't know? Wilson moved to FS so Searcy can play SS or Williams moved from CB to FS?

[Justice]

I think the next demotion you will see is Byrd splitting time with someone else. He was just awful last year and half his rookie year interceptions were gifts. Who that someone else is I don't know? Wilson moved to FS so Searcy can play SS or Williams moved from CB to FS?

 

I disagree. Byrd, IMO, although he had a rough start, finished the year on a high note. His run support got better and it seemed like teams avoided him with their passing game.

[Defend Greece]

I think the next demotion you will see is Byrd splitting time with someone else. He was just awful last year and half his rookie year interceptions were gifts. Who that someone else is I don't know? Wilson moved to FS so Searcy can play SS or Williams moved from CB to FS?

WTF? Dude he was far from awful, did you actually watch him play,

or go to NFL.com click on stats and see he had 1 pick?

Sack, pick 6, 3ff, fr, and solid tackling and I am sure ichiro is worthless to you because he doesn't hit

homeruns?!

 

Since the only number you seem to be after is int's, he is still averaging 5 a year

[ajzepp]

I completely agree with the OP. The only thing I disagree with is whether we'll actually be a top 15 defense STATISTICALLY. I think by mid-season, our D will be scary good. But it'll take several games for our newbs to get their sea legs and for the scheme to gel overall. I think we'll have some REALLY special moments in the meantime, and if you could only count stats from week 9 onward, then we'd definitely be a top 15 unit. But overall for the year, not so sure. That being said, I completely agree that our D will do a complete 180 from last year and become one of our strengths, not a liability. There is a LOT of talent on that side of the ball, we just need to give them time to grow up a bit. I'm really excited to see them develop

[altruisticbillsfan]

Top 15 is a good way to look at the situation, but in reality the Bills face an extremely difficult schedule and there are still very apparent issues facing the run defense that have not been corrected (based on the last game). The D Line is improved with Marcel; however, Kelsay is still on the team, allowing titanic size gaps in the defense. One other note, Moats the young and aggressive pass rusher has been pulled in to play inside line backer--perplexing and makes no sense.

[Damian]

I am looking forward to seeing one thing we haven't seen in 10+ years: getting consistent pressure on the QB! I am so sick of seeing opposing QB's have enough time to have a smoke before throwing the ball (especially Brady).

[stony]

I really think having Wanny as a coach is like having an extra player compared to the guy we had last year. It seems as if the hybrid will be in full force this season putting him even more in his comfort level too.

[Dorkington]

Merriman shouldn't be reliably counted on. The only thing that's really changed on defense is drafting Dareus.

 

I predict bottom half of the league defense UNLESS Merriman stays healthy and our current players IMPROVE. Barnett is good, sure, but so much better than Poz it'll magically make our LB corps awesome? I don' think so.

[PDaDdy]

I'm doing funnels of the Kool Aide at this point but I think a top 15 defense is very easily obtainable. As many have mentioned HEALTH is the only concern in my mind. Dareus, Merriman and Barnett added to Kyle "Pro bowl" Williams is a hell of an upgrade. If healthy that is a tremendous amount of game changing impact right there.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

My only goals on defense: (a) not get gashed for 250+ yards rushing every week; and (b) get a sack or two per game.

 

Judging from the one pre-season game, it looks like we might accomplish those!

[Dr. K]

Merriman shouldn't be reliably counted on. The only thing that's really changed on defense is drafting Dareus.

 

I predict bottom half of the league defense UNLESS Merriman stays healthy and our current players IMPROVE. Barnett is good, sure, but so much better than Poz it'll magically make our LB corps awesome? I don' think so.

 

Point taken. But shouldn't our young players improve? This is a very young defense. Shouldn't we expect more than we got last year from Carrington, Troup, Batten, Moats? That alone should help performance.

 

Then, if you add in Dareus, Barnett, and Merriman, and the fact that Mcgee is healthy, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect top half of the league--we're not talking top 5 or even top 10 here.

 

We're going to find out soon enough, and I'm very interested to see how it goes.

[stony]

Merriman shouldn't be reliably counted on. The only thing that's really changed on defense is drafting Dareus.

 

I predict bottom half of the league defense UNLESS Merriman stays healthy and our current players IMPROVE. Barnett is good, sure, but so much better than Poz it'll magically make our LB corps awesome? I don' think so.

 

You do realize that Torbor, Poz, Ayodele, and Kelsay started significant amounts of time last season.

[Dorkington]

Point taken. But shouldn't our young players improve? This is a very young defense. Shouldn't we expect more than we got last year from Carrington, Troup, Batten, Moats? That alone should help performance.

 

Then, if you add in Dareus, Barnett, and Merriman, and the fact that Mcgee is healthy, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect top half of the league--we're not talking top 5 or even top 10 here.

 

We're going to find out soon enough, and I'm very interested to see how it goes.

Trust me, I hope our young guys come in with a fire lit under their asses. I want them to improve, but we haven't really seen a whole lot yet. I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch, that's all. Right now, we're not that much better... we still got abused outside the first two series against Chicago.

 

Let's see what happens with Denver, the rest of the pre-season... hopefully I'm *wrong*, but I just didn't see much outside of the first two series of the Chicago game that made me feel particularly good.