A Few Thoughts About The Game

[Orton's Arm]

That's why I wanted to keep the 4-3 Tampa 2. It's a that can work as a perfect compliment to an offensive minded HC .., think colts. And we had the personel largely in place. The overall to 3-4 has cost 5 out of our top 6 picks over last 2 years (rds 1 thru 3) and 3 free agency aquisitions at LB. And the defense IMHO worse because it's more susceptible to big plays and lacks any kind of identity. Just think how much better our offense would have been had we used that personel focus on them

I agree that the Bills' defense has been a major disappointment thus far. (Other than its slew of turnovers earlier in the year.)

 

A few years ago, I wrote that, of the Bills' front 7, only two were building block players. (Kyle Williams and Poz.) Everyone else was either too old, not very good, or both. That assessment proved overly optimistic: Poz turned out not to be a building block player. During the first few years of the Nix regime, the Bills' defense would have required the addition of five or six starting caliber players, regardless of whatever scheme they employed. If the Bills were going to change their defensive scheme, the start of the Nix regime would be the time to do it!

 

One of the things I like about the 3-4 is its flexibility and unpredictability. The offense knows that your three defensive linemen are rushing. They also suspect that you're probably going to be rushing at least one LB. But they won't always know which LB that's going to be. The objective is to create situations in which an OL is standing around not blocking anyone, while a defensive player rushes toward the QB without anyone trying to block him. However, Bill Belichick is much better at using the 3-4 to create this kind of confusion than is George Edwards. More generally, the 3-4 is itself not a magic wand. It is a tool, and its effectiveness is dictated by the creativity and cerebral horsepower of the coaching staff, as well as the talent of the players executing it. If Wade Phillips was the Bills' defensive coordinator, our 3-4 defense would look much better than it does!

 

As for the Colts, I'd argue they have been much more dependent on Peyton Manning than on their defense. I'd also argue that the first half of this season bears this out.

 

I'll grant that the Colts' defense was better a few years ago--back when they won the Super Bowl. But they really had to work hard to acquire all that player talent. I'd argue that a Wade Phillips 3-4 defense could have produced better results with less overall talent. For that kind of defense to shine, you need four very good players: a NT, a RDE, a pass rushing OLB, and a CB. If you're very strong at those four positions, and reasonably solid at the other seven, a Wade Phillips 3-4 will deliver rock solid results!

Edited November 16, 2011 by Edwards' Arm