Posted on October 21, 2009 by Paul Seebald
 How proficient is Buffalo’s defense? Will we ever know? How good could it have been without all the injuries? This unit, run by much maligned Perry Fewell, can’t seem to make up its mind. Stop the run or stop the pass? Watching them week to week is almost as fun as watching a kid decide on an ice cream flavor.
Over the first two weeks, the opposing team had 674 passing yards (337 per game) and 130 running yards (65 per game). The next four games were the complete reverse: 429 passing yards (107 per game) and 961 rushing yards (240 per game) allowed.
Bills fans have been hoping for years that the “bend but don’t break” scheme would consistently be able to stop opposing offenses. Unfortunately, it usually bends before ultimately breaking.
This year has been one of the most frustrating. Despite not being able to stop more than half an offense at a time, the defense has been strong enough to win most of the games. The Bills were the first to truly challenge a powerful New Orleans passing attack, but a special teams gaffe and a putrid offense contributed to them wearing down against the run. Saints running back Pierre Thomas ended up running for 126 yards… all in the second half.
A home game against Cleveland was a battle of the punters until Roscoe Parrish decided to WD-40 his gloves after unsuccessfully trying to scoop a bouncing kick. They held Derek Anderson to only two completions on 17 passing attempts, but still lost, 6-3
The efforts of Fewell’s unit were finally rewarded against the Jets, even though six interceptions turned into a measly Bills’ sixteen points, but were enough to win in overtime. Mark Sanchez was miserable, but Thomas Jones carved up the run defense to the tune of a career best 210 rushing yards.
So what exactly is the problem with the run game? And why is the passing defense all of a sudden superior?
The answer to the former is in large part a combination of injuries and young starters filling in. The feeble run defense performances seemto coincide with injuries to Paul Posluszny, Leodis McKelvin, Donte Whitner and Kawika Mitchell. Keith Ellison is second in the NFL with 61 tackles but has still been a liability against the run.
Marcus Buggs filled in admirably for Posluszny against Tampa Bay, but proved to be a weakness by the time the Saints came marching in. It forced the Bills to switch the unit around, moving Mitchell to the middle and inserting undrafted rookie Ashlee Palmer in the starting lineup. Things went from bad to worse when Mitchell and Buggs were both carted off against Cleveland and lost for the seeason.
The linebacker unit at the end of the Cleveland game was Palmer, Ellison, and Jon Corto; typically you see a trio like that in the waning moments of a preseason game. Not in Buffalo.
The Saints shredded Buffalo’s defense with stretch plays to the outside. The Jets slashed the Bills with cutbacks and misdirection plays, as outlined by Brian Galliford in his weekly film review. The Browns simply pounded the ball up the middle with the big back, Jamal Lewis. Pick your poison. By hook or crook opponents are far too easily pounding the football.
Since the defensive line is the same as the first two weeks, it’s reasonable to assume that the back seven, specifically the linebackers, are the main reason for the poor numbers against the run. Their lack of size and habit of over pursuing has been exposed early and often this year.
At the same time, the injuries to Whitner and Scott may actually have helped the pass coverage. Rookie Jairus Byrd has eight passes defended with three interceptions, good for third in the league, Despite missing a significant portion of training camp and all of the spring minicamps, Byrd is already establishing himself as the secondary’s biggest playmaker.
In a weird way, I feel strange for saying it, but the passing defense seems to have improved significantly after McKelvin left with a season-ending leg injury. Drayton Florence has shut down receivers in his absence. That’s not an indictment on McKelvin. Florence has simply been a shut down corner for the Bills, and has done so very much under the radar.
The Bills have 10 interceptions through six games, exactly the same as they had all of last season. The largest contributions have come from the safeties. After not recording a single pick in 2008 they collectively have 7 of the 10 this season, and every safety on the roster has at least one.
The defense has improved with the pass rush, with 14 sacks so far this year after having only 24 all of last year.
But one of the biggest problems with Fewell’s Tampa 2 defense is that it requires either a dominant defensive line or a potent offense to work. The Bills clearly have neither. The line has been good, but far from dominant. Stroud and Williams both have 30 tackles, but far too few are at or behind the line of scrimmage.
The offense is not even good, much less potent, dominant or any adjective that describes a unit that would make playing defense easier.
The defense is supposed to be able to prevent big plays and stop opponents after Buffalo’s offense has attained a large lead. The offense has never been strong enough to consistently get a large lead. It’s maddening to see Dick Jauron try and reconcile an offense that plays conservatively and a defense that is supposed to work with the lead.
It’s obvious that a unit ranking dead last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (181.8) needs to get its act together quickly. Carolina, last year’s third-best rushing attack, is heating up and welcoming Buffalo into town on Sunday. Games don’t get any easier after that, with backs such as Steve Slaton, Chris Johnson, and Maurice Jones-Drew eager to have big games.
Of course, the Bills must face again the two teams that already obliterated them in the run game: Miami and the New York Jets.
If the bipolar Buffalo defense can remain strong against the pass and stop the run better, the Bills may be able to get a winning streak going. They’ve already managed to keep several games close.
But unless your Ralph Wilson, close isn’t good enough.
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