The root source of D problems is the D Line

[finn]

Just looking at the highlights of the first series by Rams. First play was beautifully blocked by LA. Stafford tossed it over the head of a charging Miller to Nacua, with their WRs taking out Taron and Benford and a lineman on Bernard. Next play, double team on Rousseau and Oliver, Miller is turned inside and Stafford steps outside, has Oliver bearing down but throws to an open Nacua behind Bernard and in front of Rapp and Hamlin, who are both way back.  At the 30 second mark of the highlights, Taron was in the hole to stuff the run by Williams, but Nacua followed him and blocked him illegally in the back to take him out. Third and one, Epenesa perfectly placed to stuff the run but goes off the wrong direction, chasing phantoms. Looks even more foolish on the touchdown run, where he once again was perfectly placed to stuff the run and this time whiffed on the tackle. 

 

Taron would have stopped that drive but for the illegal block in the back. Otherwise, it looks like the Epenesa was the only glaring screw up. He looked awful on those last two plays. 

 

Edit: Wow, I urge anyone interested in the DE play in this game to watch Epenesa. He is a real liability, whiffing, charging in the wrong direction, being blocked easily, and just generally looking gormless. I can't see how a defensive end could play worse. 

Edited December 11 by finn

[GunnerBill]

10 hours ago, finn said:

Just looking at the highlights of the first series by Rams. First play was beautifully blocked by LA. Stafford tossed it over the head of a charging Miller to Nacua, with their WRs taking out Taron and Benford and a lineman on Bernard. Next play, double team on Rousseau and Oliver, Miller is turned inside and Stafford steps outside, has Oliver bearing down but throws to an open Nacua behind Bernard and in front of Rapp and Hamlin, who are both way back.  At the 30 second mark of the highlights, Taron was in the hole to stuff the run by Williams, but Nacua followed him and blocked him illegally in the back to take him out. Third and one, Epenesa perfectly placed to stuff the run but goes off the wrong direction, chasing phantoms. Looks even more foolish on the touchdown run, where he once again was perfectly placed to stuff the run and this time whiffed on the tackle. 

 

Taron would have stopped that drive but for the illegal block in the back. Otherwise, it looks like the Epenesa was the only glaring screw up. He looked awful on those last two plays. 

 

Edit: Wow, I urge anyone interested in the DE play in this game to watch Epenesa. He is a real liability, whiffing, charging in the wrong direction, being blocked easily, and just generally looking gormless. I can't see how a defensive end could play worse. 

 

Yea AJE had the one nice tackle for loss 4th quarter. Otherwise he was atrocious Sunday.

17 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

That's a little harsh, yeah? Even great players have bad games. The scheme really hangs Taron out to dry a lot of times too, he is just so good we don't usually notice.

 

Yea Taron had his worst game of the year. He got got by one of the best big slots in the league and his kryptonite has always been big slots who still have excellent movement skills. Nacua is a tough matchup for him in that sense. And he got beat. That is fine. He is still an elite nickel corner. The other guys get paid too and some days they will just be better than you. That happens to every player in the NFL.

[GunnerBill]

13 hours ago, Eastport bills said:

The root source of our defensive performance was our coaching. Ed Oliver and Dequan Jones, Milano got manhandled in the run game and they never got near Stafford sending four and never added more rushers. Our vaunted zone defense was out of position and very handsy. These players were ready to play and Sean should be embarrassed.

 

It is not true that they never added more rushers. We blitzed plenty. Just unsuccessfully.

[2003Contenders]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

It is not true that they never added more rushers. We blitzed plenty. Just unsuccessfully.

That is exactly right -- and a big part of the problem (especially in the 2nd half) against the Rams. In addition to being pinpoint with his passing on Sunday, Stafford also did a masterful job of using he snap count to his advantage to identify when the Bills were blitzing and setting up the protections on the spot. That, of course, allowed him to consistently find the hot read.

 

Against the Lions, I hope McD does a better job of disguising the blitz, faking it at times -- and giving the players a "bail" when the QB obviously reads it.

[CircleTheWagons99]

every year its the samething, only constant is that this is McD's defense......His DLine rotation is killing the team not helping.....its been what, 8 years and this is still being discussed.  

[GunnerBill]

35 minutes ago, 2003Contenders said:

That is exactly right -- and a big part of the problem (especially in the 2nd half) against the Rams. In addition to being pinpoint with his passing on Sunday, Stafford also did a masterful job of using he snap count to his advantage to identify when the Bills were blitzing and setting up the protections on the spot. That, of course, allowed him to consistently find the hot read.

 

Against the Lions, I hope McD does a better job of disguising the blitz, faking it at times -- and giving the players a "bail" when the QB obviously reads it.

 

100% right. The number of times he faked the Bills with the snap count to identify the blitzer then re-set and throw right into the window vacated was way above the average for an NFL game. 

25 minutes ago, CircleTheWagons99 said:

every year its the samething, only constant is that this is McD's defense......His DLine rotation is killing the team not helping.....its been what, 8 years and this is still being discussed.  

 

The rotation isn't the problem. The talent is. 

[finn]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

The rotation isn't the problem. The talent is. 

Exactly. Oliver is like a different player this year. Jones is just average, and Epenesa this season is one of the worst players I've ever seen play the position. Watch him closely and you'll see what I mean. At least Oliver and Jones are double-teamed; Epenesa seems to play with his head down and looks up only to see the play going past him. Miller and Rousseau are playing well, as far as I can tell. Jefferson is just a body. I hope Carter and Solomon can add some juice. I don't see how they could do worse than Oliver and Epenesa. 

[Carmel Corn]

5 hours ago, finn said:

Exactly. Oliver is like a different player this year. Jones is just average, and Epenesa this season is one of the worst players I've ever seen play the position. Watch him closely and you'll see what I mean. At least Oliver and Jones are double-teamed; Epenesa seems to play with his head down and looks up only to see the play going past him. Miller and Rousseau are playing well, as far as I can tell. Jefferson is just a body. I hope Carter and Solomon can add some juice. I don't see how they could do worse than Oliver and Epenesa. 

I’ve never seen a DE worse than Epenesa at setting the edge.  That is a fundamental responsibility and he’s horrible at it.

[LabattBlue]

1 minute ago, Carmel Corn said:

I’ve never seen a DE worse than Epenesa at setting the edge.  That is a fundamental responsibility and he’s horrible at it.

Current team…Von.  Not even pretending to play the run on most downs he is in there. 

[finn]

9 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Yea AJE had the one nice tackle for loss 4th quarter. Otherwise he was atrocious Sunday.

 

Yea Taron had his worst game of the year. He got got by one of the best big slots in the league and his kryptonite has always been big slots who still have excellent movement skills. Nacua is a tough matchup for him in that sense. And he got beat. That is fine. He is still an elite nickel corner. The other guys get paid too and some days they will just be better than you. That happens to every player in the NFL.

Maybe. But check out the play at the 30 second mark of the highlights. Taron goes into the hole beautifully to stuff the run, but Number 88 on the Rams (Whittington) follows behind him and shoves him in the back, a blatant penalty, knocking him out of the play. Not saying this happened all the time, but add it to the list of times the Rams got away with a blatant transgression to make a big play. In a close game like this, they mattered.

[GunnerBill]

13 minutes ago, finn said:

Maybe. But check out the play at the 30 second mark of the highlights. Taron goes into the hole beautifully to stuff the run, but Number 88 on the Rams (Whittington) follows behind him and shoves him in the back, a blatant penalty, knocking him out of the play. Not saying this happened all the time, but add it to the list of times the Rams got away with a blatant transgression to make a big play. In a close game like this, they mattered.

 

I'm talking specifically about his match up with Nacua.

[finn]

15 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I'm talking specifically about his match up with Nacua.

Sorry about that. I thought it was Nacua who blocked him in the back and realized only when I looked closely that it was the other WR. By then, I forgot what I was responding to. 

[3rdand12]

23 hours ago, finn said:

Just looking at the highlights of the first series by Rams. First play was beautifully blocked by LA. Stafford tossed it over the head of a charging Miller to Nacua, with their WRs taking out Taron and Benford and a lineman on Bernard. Next play, double team on Rousseau and Oliver, Miller is turned inside and Stafford steps outside, has Oliver bearing down but throws to an open Nacua behind Bernard and in front of Rapp and Hamlin, who are both way back.  At the 30 second mark of the highlights, Taron was in the hole to stuff the run by Williams, but Nacua followed him and blocked him illegally in the back to take him out. Third and one, Epenesa perfectly placed to stuff the run but goes off the wrong direction, chasing phantoms. Looks even more foolish on the touchdown run, where he once again was perfectly placed to stuff the run and this time whiffed on the tackle. 

 

Taron would have stopped that drive but for the illegal block in the back. Otherwise, it looks like the Epenesa was the only glaring screw up. He looked awful on those last two plays. 

 

Edit: Wow, I urge anyone interested in the DE play in this game to watch Epenesa. He is a real liability, whiffing, charging in the wrong direction, being blocked easily, and just generally looking gormless. I can't see how a defensive end could play worse. 

I used to watch AJ play

 till i couldn't any more

McBeanes needed to move on years ago

full stop

[Simon]

4 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

Current team…Von.  Not even pretending to play the run on most downs he is in there. 

 

This is nonsense.

He's made a bunch of plays vs the run over the last several weeks.

[EmotionallyUnstable]

It’s amazing how this unit has just spun its wheels for most of the duration of McDermotts tenure. 

[Boatdrinks]

Probably true. The Bills don’t like to blitz very often, so consistent pressure must be generated by the front 4. This group doesn’t get that done consistently and certainly not in the playoffs. 

[LabattBlue]

36 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

This is nonsense.

He's made a bunch of plays vs the run over the last several weeks.

A bunch over several weeks?  What is that? One per game?   For every one, there is his running upfield making the OT job easy a BUNCH of times every game. . 

[klos63]

13 hours ago, CircleTheWagons99 said:

every year its the samething, only constant is that this is McD's defense......His DLine rotation is killing the team not helping.....its been what, 8 years and this is still being discussed.  

Babisch is the DC and play caller.

[Bermuda Triangle]

14 hours ago, CircleTheWagons99 said:

every year its the samething, only constant is that this is McD's defense......His DLine rotation is killing the team not helping.....its been what, 8 years and this is still being discussed.  

Maybe the players on the DL that Beane has drafted and signed just aren't very good.

[Buffalo ill]

Is it odd to think the defense would be better with elite D line play and below average secondary?

 

It seems the focus has been on the secondary.  They could all be all pro caliber dbs, but if the qb is never in any danger, people will get open.  Either that or your elite little guys are trying to tackle Derek Henry.