Defense was lights out against Colts

[Shaw66]

I've gotta say, I've been holding my breath a bit about the defense.   The prevailing view around has been it should be as good or better than last year. 

 

Having now watched the first half of the Colts game, I gotta say there was nothing to worry about.  Great gap discipline - everyone was where he needed to be, every play.  They won their share of one on ones, held their ground on most, rarely got beaten badly one on one.  Two or three guys on every tackle.   Only tight windows for the Colts QBs.   It was stifling.

 

I also have to agree with those who have commented on Edmunds.  Quick, attacking, always in the right hole.  

 

THAT was good defense.

[GreggTX]

I love great defense and am pumped to see more of Oliver & Edmunds. Still, the defenses should have the advantage early on, but it was a good showing by the starters in any case. Wade and Singletary look promising too.

Edited August 10, 2019 by GreggTX

[Billsfansinceday1]

It was excellent defense.  I rewatched the first quarter today and the pressure up the middle was consistent.  It made me think about the Patriots and how much Brady is going to enjoy that.

[Nextmanup]

Not sure why you have been holding your breath about the defense.  I think they will be fine, at least for the first half of games.

 

If Allen doesn't round the corner and consistently produce sustained drives, the D being gassed in the second half is going to be a theme all season.

 

 

[Gigs]

Not gonna lie, they have a great system in place with all the right pieces. Seems like everyone has bought into it. They have depth for the first time in ages. If the run D can be this good in the season they could have a historic defense on their hands. If Allen plays even a little better than the 2nd half of the season we should be sniffing the playoffs if not the division

 

..but let's not get too carried away

[VW82]

We gave up a lot of points in 2018 but we were third in the league in yards allowed per play. Bet we finish top 5 in points against this year. So much talent and McD's a really good defensive coach.

Edited August 10, 2019 by VW82

[Peace Frog]

Imagine if Jerry Hughes, LorAx, and Micah were playing too...

[Shaw66]

27 minutes ago, Billsfansinceday1 said:

It was excellent defense.  I rewatched the first quarter today and the pressure up the middle was consistent.  It made me think about the Patriots and how much Brady is going to enjoy that.

It made me think of the Pat's defense.  They're never out of position and always gang tackle. That's what I saw against the Colts.  One is 43 and the other 34, bit both teams get after the ball.  

[C.Biscuit97]

26 minutes ago, Peace Frog said:

Imagine if Jerry Hughes, LorAx, and Micah were playing too...

Or Andrew luck and TY Hilton.  ?

 

seriously, we have a really good D (that’s what she said).   Still think we need more of pass rush but it’s hard to take anything out of these meaningless games.  

[BuffaloBill]

48 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

...... always in the right hole.....

 

The ladies appreciate this...

[njbuff]

7 minutes ago, BuffaloBill said:

 

The ladies appreciate this...

 

Not just the ladies.

 

?

[Shaw66]

55 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Not sure why you have been holding your breath about the defense.  I think they will be fine, at least for the first half of games.

 

 

 

D wasn't good enough last season, so it had to improve.   There are a lot of things that could go wrong that would cause the defense to be worse.  Oliver doesn't take over the 3 tech right away, Lawson doesn't improve, corners don't work out, Edmunds doesn't improve, Milano doesn't get back to his best form, etc.   Just being rational about it, I thought a there were a lot of things that could help make the defense worse.  Pluse, it's hard to improve in the NFL when you're already above average.

 

But after watching, it doesn't appear that Edmunds or Oliver will be a problem.  More importantly, though, is that it seemed not to matter who was playing; the front seven were tough in their gaps and the back seven always seemed to be where they needed to be to make the play.   

 

The message to me was "we got guys who can play every position the way it's supposed to be played."

[Augie]

I’m just now watching the 4th quarter, and wondering who is going to be the next guy who seemed like an afterthought, and turned into a stud. They seem to have a knack for finding those guys! This is exciting! 

 

 

.

Edited August 10, 2019 by Augie

[GETTOTHE50]

Edmunds was a force of a nature. The kid plays downhill now. 

 

We are lucky to have him. 

[JerseyBills]

That was minus Hughes , Hyde and Lorax . D is going to be dominant

[downunderbill]

1 hour ago, Nextmanup said:

Not sure why you have been holding your breath about the defense.  I think they will be fine, at least for the first half of games.

 

If Allen doesn't round the corner and consistently produce sustained drives, the D being gassed in the second half is going to be a theme all season.

 

 

 

was that a theme last year? 

[njbuff]

Another thread where we need to pump the brakes.

 

It is preseason and there was no Luck out there.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I love the enthusiasm you guys bring, but we need a reality check here. I want the Bills to be the best team they can be, but they still have to PROVE they deserve the high praise you give them.

 

After all, they haven’t even played for real yet.

 

What are guys gonna say if Darnold lights this D up on opening day?

[Happy]

2 minutes ago, njbuff said:

Another thread where we need to pump the brakes.

 

It is preseason and there was no Luck out there.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I love the enthusiasm you guys bring, but we need a reality check here. I want the Bills to be the best team they can be, but they still have to PROVE they deserve the high praise you give them.

 

After all, they haven’t even played for real yet.

 

What are guys gonna say if Darnold lights this D up on opening day?

 

Fire Leslie Frazier.  Not that I would disagree with that.

[Bookie Man]

Oliver is going to be a game changer. 

[buffalo2218]

Best thing about it was Hughes wasn’t even playing. This benefits Allen in more ways than one, if this defense turns out to be even near elite, it’ll buy Allen some time to progress as a QB. Perhaps this was Beane and McDermott’s thinking all along