All the different ways to look at the defense

[Kelly the Dog]

Jamies Winston torched our pass defense for almost four hundred yards and three touchdowns. We won so there is no need to panic. And it's the first time the defense has been ripped apart.

 

There are numerous ways to look at this. Which do you think?

 

1) One way is that this was an aberration and of course out of six games you're going to get a stinker, and we also got three turnovers which won the game for us.

 

2) Another way is this was a long time coming and we had been playing with fire the entire year, had gotten lucky and this was more the norm than the aberration from now on. We are good but not great.

 

3) Maybe it was just because they had a very good young first overall franchise QB, two great WR, two good TE, and a good RB and when they are on their game who could stop them.

 

4) Maybe a combination and the one thing we had been giving up the entire season was the soft short zone, and teams had a rather easy time throwing that kind of pass all year. But we had previously held up strong in the red zone and forced Fgs not TDs. And this game we just had a couple bad plays and missed coverages but they will be fixed and most games we will be like we were in 1-5.

 

5) We are great in pass defense with our starters but have no depth. When Gaines went out against the Bengals and again this week, our fourth guy isn't just not good enough and that's when we get into trouble.

 

Maybe there are more.

 

Personally I think it's mostly number two. We are good but not great. A good passing team easily makes short completions between the zone. We had been making a lot of timely plays and calls and we had only given up one TD pass in five games but that bubble was bound to burst. We have no depth. Poyer and Hyde have been playing out of their minds and if we lose Poyer for a game or two it will really show.

Edited October 23, 2017 by Kelly the Dog

[Buffalo716]

Hallmark of a good defense is to bend but not break...

 

We broke a few times today against a potent offense BUT

 

Our defense knows how to take the ball away... they know they have just as much right to the ball as the offense and they want it

[EmotionallyUnstable]

Schematically, I feel that a good QB and WRs, will be able to consistently move the ball between the 30s through the air. Today confirmed that for me. They won't get beat deep (too often) but are wide open in the intermediate range of their zone. They will give up many, many passing yards but will buckle down when it counts.

[bobobonators]

Couple blown assignments today. Also, we werent able to get much pressure on JW after that strip sack. The front 4 need to be able to apply more consistent pressure for this defense to operate at optimal level. We need more from Dareus in the pass rush.

[SaviorPeterman]

This defense is very Jauron like in terms of the 'bend but don't break' style but I think we are starting to see opposing teams figure out how to attack this team.

 

At the end of the day though it's all about pressure and confusing opposing QB's and for the most part this defense was very vanilla today with their looks. It was the classic l'ine up and see if the other team can beat us' and today the Bucs did exactly that scoring the most points yet against McD and Fraziers's defense, in a home game to boot.

 

If we continue to do this against the Raiders and other great QBs/offenses left on the schedule and I certainly don't like our chances in terms of shootouts and relying on Taylor and the offense to mount comebacks.

[mannc]

The Bucs have a lot of offensive weapons, they had a very good game plan, and Jameis had an excellent game. If he played like that two weeks ago, they beat NE easily.

 

Bills defense has a lot of heart but they are not a dominant unit. They can be exploited by teams with big WRs and TEs who arent afraid to throw and catch the ball over the middle. Lack of pass rush was a problem.

[Lurker]

Personally I think it's mostly number two. We are good but not great. A good passing team easily makes short completions between the zone.

LB coverage ability was a glaring problem (except for Millao's INT )

 

That said, I was really impressed with the way Winston was getting rid of the ball. The pass rush was good all day and he took a lot of hits but got the ball out fast and accurately. Much better than that Thrursday night perfomance against New England when he looked downright bad, despite throwing for 300+

[BillsFan130]

I think the Bills defence has been good/lucky so far.

 

Was not impressed today even with the 3 turnovers.

 

This is 2 games in a row where they have let 400 plus yards which has to be a bit alarming but not ready to panic yet.

 

Preston Brown looked like he had a very tough game in the middle of the field today

[SaviorPeterman]

I think the Bills defence has been good/lucky so far.

 

Was not impressed today even with the 3 turnovers.

 

This is 2 games in a row where they have let 400 plus yards which has to be a bit alarming but not ready to panic yet.

 

Preston Brown looked like he had a very tough game in the middle of the field today

 

I would not be surprised if the entire LB corps is revamped in the offseason similar to the secondary.

 

Milano has potential but it's still early and he is a late round pick but I have no problem moving on from Brown and Alexander, keeping the latter around for pass rushing ability and more of a role player.

[BringBackOrton]

Jamies Winston torched our pass defense for almost four hundred yards and three touchdowns. We won so there is no need to panic. And it's the first time the defense has been ripped apart.

 

There are numerous ways to look at this. Which do you think?

 

1) One way is that this was an aberration and of course out of six games you're going to get a stinker, and we also got three turnovers which won the game for us.

 

2) Another way is this was a long time coming and we had been playing with fire the entire year, had gotten lucky and this was more the norm than the aberration from now on. We are good but not great.

 

3) Maybe it was just because they had a very good young first overall franchise QB, two great WR, two good TE, and a good RB and when they are on their game who could stop them.

 

4) Maybe a combination and the one thing we had been giving up the entire season was the soft short zone, and teams had a rather easy time throwing that kind of pass all year. But we had previously held up strong in the red zone and forced Fgs not TDs. And this game we just had a couple bad plays and missed coverages but they will be fixed and most games we will be like we were in 1-5.

 

5) We are great in pass defense with our starters but have no depth. When Gaines went out against the Bengals and again this week, our fourth guy isn't just not good enough and that's when we get into trouble.

 

Maybe there are more.

 

Personally I think it's mostly number two. We are good but not great. A good passing team easily makes short completions between the zone. We had been making a lot of timely plays and calls and we had only given up one TD pass in five games but that bubble was bound to burst. We have no depth. Poyer and Hyde have been playing out of their minds and if we lose Poyer for a game or two it will really show.

IMO, 2 and 3.

 

We play a very disciplined, "be where you're supposed to be," brand of defense. This is a little different than the brand of defense we played in 2014.

 

In 2014, we were a supremely talented, deep bunch with a ton of star power. Our defense was so good because Jerry Hughes/ Mario Williams and the interior guys made big plays after big plays without much scheming or blitzes. We could just line up our guys and let them get after it, and they were so good that they could. This allowed our other players of varying quality, like Searcy, AW, Gilmore, Graham, Leo, Bradham and Brown to all shine. We saw time and time again, good QB's making hurried or forced passes that led to stalled drives and turnovers.

 

In 2017, I see a different roster. Our star power has diminished, we don't have the horses at EDGE and in the interior that we used to. But our LB's and DB's play very disciplined, very heady defense. Tre White, Hyde, Gaines, and Poyer aren't products of our DL, they are products of playing the right coverage, making the right reads, and being there for the PBU or INT or tackle. We aren't a sack heavy team anymore. But our coverage is so much better. And our team emphasis isn't "get to the QB in 2 seconds or it's a big play." We keep guys in front of us, making consistent tackles and always always always aim give up a 10 -12 yard play over a 40 yarder.

 

Now, all that being said, TB's offensive talent plays a part. Jameis has a ton of offensive talent and is no slouch when it comes to throwing all over defenses. He has 7 career games over 300, in 2 and a half years. 8 if you include today. And that's 4 just in this season. He's clearly an aggressive QB who pushes the ball downfield constantly. Sometimes he gets unlucky, sometimes the defense does. But that's his game.

 

So it's not too much to worry about for me. This defense isn't gonna hold Brady to 117 yards or anything crazy, but I didn't expect that out of them. I want them to be good enough to beat the teams they are supposed to beat and make the playoffs.

Edited October 23, 2017 by jmc12290

[billspro]

We have no depth in the secondary. Gaines is a very good corner. Soon as we lost him the Buc went after Wright on every play. I don't think they put up those numbers with Gaines in the game. I also think Humber is our best LB, our LB coverage will improve when he is back.

[bobobonators]

We have no depth in the secondary. Gaines is a very good corner. Soon as we lost him the Buc went after Wright on every play. I don't think they put up those numbers with Gaines in the game. I also think Humber is our best LB, our LB coverage will improve when he is back.

Something to also consider is that Tampa has a lot of weapons we wont see every week.

 

Tampa ranks #2 in total yards and #1 in passing yards. Gonna be hard for any defense to stop Evans, Jackson and 2 really good pass catching TE

[K-9]

I wish I could agree it was an aberration but I saw it as a carry over from the Bengals game when they torched us for 320 yards passing two weeks ago. I suspect OCs are seeing some things on tape that we’re susceptible to and taking advantage. Granted, not every team is gonna have the level of receiving talent we saw today, but it’s comcerning.

[Kelly the Dog]

I wish I could agree it was an aberration but I saw it as a carry over from the Bengals game when they torched us for 320 yards passing two weeks ago. I suspect OCs are seeing some things on tape that we’re susceptible to and taking advantage. Granted, not every team is gonna have the level of receiving talent we saw today, but it’s comcerning.

Yup. Before we were letting teams have easy throws and then making the stops when we needed them. We did that the first half and then in the second half we just started getting abused. It was almost inevitable.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

I think really good QBs can exploit a good zone defensive scheme. It's why Brady will pick apart the steelers D every year in the playoffs. Lots of short passes and quick release.

[LABILLBACKER]

I think the Bills defence has been good/lucky so far.

 

Was not impressed today even with the 3 turnovers.

 

This is 2 games in a row where they have let 400 plus yards which has to be a bit alarming but not ready to panic yet.

 

Preston Brown looked like he had a very tough game in the middle of the field today

[LABILLBACKER]

Preston Brown is completely incapable of covering even the slowest rb or te. The zone coverage will continue to get torched. Yes we had 3 takeaways and almost a 4th with Hyde's drop int. We will have to hold teams to fgs in order to survive this season. McD is not changing or tweeking this zone, so "bend don't break" will have to do while we improve the offense. Dareus will soon be replaced by a more motivated young player. Hopefully McD will be in search of the next Keuchly....

Edited October 23, 2017 by LABILLBACKER

[JohnC]

Yup. Before we were letting teams have easy throws and then making the stops when we needed them. We did that the first half and then in the second half we just started getting abused. It was almost inevitable.

As others have said the Tampa receiving corps is top notch. Evans, Jackson, OJ Howard and Brates are good and big, except for Jackson who caught a lot of balls with underneath routes. Winston looked really good and made a lot of quality throws even with a sore throwing shoulder.

 

The Bills are rebuilding the roster. So it is not surprising that it is thin. There is no desire to use assets to bring in significant talent other than street free agents who are high effort guys. The organization is not going to make expensive deals and mortgage future assets to get through this season.

 

As far as I'm concerned this is an over-achieving team that is a pleasure to watch. Is this a playoff team? I can't say for sure because as the season advances and injuries happen this roster is going to get thinner and have a tougher time.

 

As it stands I am more than happy at how this team and staff are functioning. It's still a rebuilding process but it is on schedule and moving in the right direction.

[HappyDays]

Their offense has multiple stars, and our defense doesnt have any. Jerry Hughes and a rookie CB are our best defensive players, and we have no one behind Gaines. I didnt expect our defense to look as good as it has, so Im guessing future games will be somewhere in the middle of how theyve looked. Next years draft is huge. We have a lot of ground to gain.

[ganesh]

Gaines is a factor. His absence was felt in the 2nd half. Wright is a poor back up. The depth is hurting us. With their two big TEs and two big WRs it was going to be tough for our inexperienced DBs to complete.