Loosey Goosey
by ForeignArrow on Nov 24, 2008 4:04 PM EST
Email
PrintThe Bills D gave up some serious points/yards/big plays in KC. However, for the first time this season I saw the defense playing loose and taking A LOT of chances. The result? 5 turnovers. The game plan was aggressive and the Bills seemed to have a "do or die" attitude the whole game (see Trent Edwards' 2 TD runs). Can the Bills defense continue to be aggressive without giving up big plays? Well, of course. If Buffalo fine tunes its run fits to eliminate the big runs they've given up the past couple weeks and George Wilson gets some cleats with spikes in them AND we stop relying on Kawika Mitchell to cover runningbacks.... we should be fine.
There is a common denominator with the Bills defense making big plays: and it's the blitzing. When we get pressure on the QB our CBs are good enough to capitalize on the mistakes. This has been the case since the very beginning of the season when we saw Perry Fewell open up against the Seahawks with exotic blitzes, only to mysteriously abandon his pressure packages later.
And how much was Bryan Scott missed when George Wilson was being abused by Tony Gonzales? Fewer big plays should be given up when Scott , Whitner, and Schobel return to the line up.
And I'm officially never sticking up for Chris Kelsay ever again. The man is an Alzheimer's patient when it comes to containment. Teams specifically game plan misdirections at Kelsay because they know he abandons his responsibilities EVERY time. You'd think he would muster up a little pride and fix the problem but it just makes me realize how much Schobel is missed. Even when they run naked boots and counters at Denney he recognizes and at least disrupts the play, Schobel is even better. I even saw our rookie, Chris Ellis, do a better job in containment than Kelsay. Captain or not, Kelsay needs to be called out in front of everybody in the film room. If he keeps this crap up, and Ellis comes along a little bit... he may be a "surprise" cut in the off-season or training camp... because he is eating $6 million in cap space.
Finally, Trent Edwards. He started the game out with the same indecisiveness and lack of confidence that has taken him over recently... but I think as the game wore on and he started making some plays... by game's end he was almost (like 90-95%) old Trent. He'll be facing another 3-4 defense next week and he has yet to prove he can dismantle one. Turk Schonert needs to commit to the run and make sure he has some plays in order that can find holes in those cover 3's and cloud zones they've been throwing at Trent. And for the Love of God can we please stop having our backs check down in the flats?! Check down in the middle of the field and put pressure on the LB zones to open up the middle of the field a little bit. Not to mention you're guaranteed to actually gain 4-5 yards.
Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.
17 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Great post. I agree with a ton of it. Here are some thoughts of mine on the subject:
Here is one thing I just flat out disagree with:
Can the Bills defense continue to be aggressive without giving up big plays? Well, of course.
I think the answer is absolutely not. In my opinion the big pass plays came from a combination of two things. The first one is just a lack of talent/experience in the back 7, specifically the safeties. The second thing is that Buffalo ran a ton of cover 1. I think if they continue to call risky zone coverages than they will get burned once or twice a game. That is just the reality of the NFL.
So I don’t think the team was playing as “loosey goosey” as they were playing cover 1 and getting beat over the top and on those 20 yard sideline plays that the cover 1 just can’t defend all that well.
I think the turnovers were partially due to the increased blitzes and more aggressive zone coverage schemes, but I think the cheifs deserve more grief than the Bills increased aggresiveness deserves credit. McKelvin jumping that slant route was pure talent and he would have made that play regardless of whether the call was cover 1, 2 or 3. His other interception was just a terrible read and throw by Thigpen, on what I thought was a cover 3 play call. It’s really tough to tell what the defense called on TV though, so I might be wrong. And can you really give blitzing credit for fumbles, especially when one was caused by special teams, one was after an allowed completion and one was caused by Tyler Thigpen’s butter fingers and the ground? I think if the Bills would have played more conservative cover 2 and cover 3 defenses, the team would have still gotten some turnovers and would have given up a few less big plays. I know a lot of people won’t agree with this opinion. I feel like the only person in the world who thinks conservative cover schemes are the most effective in the current NFL.
Let me add that I don’t have a problem with the Bills blitzing. I like when the team blitzes about 25-30% of the time, which is acutally a fairly aggressive percentage. That said, the Bills increased blitzes over the past few weeks have been part of the reason they are giving up long runs. Sometimes blitzing will stop a run play in the backfield, but if a team calls a run away from the blitz, or if the RB just gets through the line of scrimmage, there is suddenly a ton of open space with a couple of linebackers already in the rear view mirror.
I think Chris Kelsay is a near lock to be back on this team next year. His salary cap figure is irrelevant since the Bills won’t spen anywhere near the salary cap. What does matter is his 2009 salary which will be 3 mil. So unless the Bills think Denney is a better player than Kelsay (some might, but I don’t think the Bills do), I have a hard time seeing Kelsay getting cut.
I think Chris Kelsay is a near lock to be back on this team next year. His salary cap figure is irrelevant since the Bills won’t spen anywhere near the salary cap. What does matter is his 2009 salary which will be 3 mil. So unless the Bills think Denney is a better player than Kelsay (some might, but I don’t think the Bills do), I have a hard time seeing Kelsay getting cut.
I think Denney is a lock to be gone, (I say good riddance) but unless the Bills can get their hands on two really good DEs, Kelsay is back. The Bills aren’t going to cut Kelsay and replace him with a 4th or 5th rounder. The only way I see both Kelsay and Denney gone would be if the Bills signed a big name FA and drafted one in the top 2 rounds.
The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.
Yeah, I know Kelsay will be a popular pick to get cut, but I don’t see it either. I think Denney would make for a pretty solid 4th DE if his salary was half of what it is. unless the Bills would rather keep him at 2.5 mil than they would Kelsay at 3 mil, Denney is gone and Kelsay is back next year. Your right, it’s that simple.
Ideally the Bills draft a DE in the first two rounds who is ready to take about 50-60% of the snaps and split time with Kelsay. Ellis grows and improves into the differance maker as a situational pass rusher we all thought he would be this year and Schobel gets healthy and plays like he did a few years ago. That doesn’t give us great DEs, but at least we have a situation that can be effective.
Conservative coverages
are not a bad philosophy, but they have to be expanded against good QBs. We simply don’t have the pass rush to stop a good offense with that defensive scheme.
As far as Kelsay goes, I believe we could get the same production from an early round pick (that’s a hit or miss thing, obviously) or a cheaper free agent vet. It’s just infuriating watching him lose containment the way he does and offer no pass rush moves. I mean seriously, you learn containment as a freshman in high school. You just have to watch the ball before you crash down, play action is not magic. For all of his short-comings, you can’t teach leadership and toughness… which Kelsay definitely has.
I rarely call out Bills players, so they really have to be pissing me off for me to dissent. Kelsay has been killing me all season.
"I don't agree with a damn thing you say, but I would die for your right to say it."
by ForeignArrow on Nov 25, 2008 1:36 AM EST up reply actions
I’m not saying the D needs to be more conservative (well I am, but that is debatable to no end). I am just saying that if we blitz as often as we did on Sunday and call as much cover 1 as we did on Sunday, this team doesn’t have the talent to prevent big plays, even when they get healthy.
Your probably right that we could find a cheaper vet to replace Kelsay’s production and you are probably right that cutting him is a smart move, I just don’t think that is what Buffalo is going to do. Kelsay carries too much of a leadership role and his salary isn’t too bad at 3 mil.
you can’t blame blitzes for some of the big plays by KC. The LJ run was due to a pathetic effort by the front 7 especially the absolutely clueless Chris Kelsay. Plus the DB’s were lost. The Bradley TD was due to Wilson falling down, there was no blitz. The Charles TD was them isolating him on Mitchell, no blitzing. A couple of deep balls in the 2nd Q went to Bowe and Gonzo with no blitzes.
Blitzing also almost led to an Ellison INT early, should have resulted in a safety if Mitchell had attempted to tackle Thigpen. The McKelvin INT TD was a quick throw to avoid the blitz. Ryan Denney was actually credited with a sack because of the pressure from a Mitchell blitz. We blitzed on the play that Thigpen ran, fell down and fumbled. On two straight plays we blitzed almost getting a Corner INT and then getting a incomplete pass on 4th down as Thigpen was flushed.
The blitzing was quite effective against the Chiefs. It was our standard D that stunk it up yet again.
~K
I wasn’t tying to blame the blitzes for the big plays, but it is just a fact that blitzes can lead to big plays. I put in my original post that I like when the Bills blitz and hope they continue to blitz 25-30% of the time. I think only one of the turnovers was caused by blitzing (McKelvin jumping the slant), but it certainly didn’t hurt them on Sunday. A better QB might make some mistakes against the blitz, but will probably make the Bills pay once or twice too.
I tried to make my first post in this thread about this, but my bigger problem was the cover 1. The Charles TD pass came in cover 1 and so did the Bradley TD. Sure George Wilson fell down, but was he going to get there anyways? Do you trust him to break up that pass even if he does get there? I think both of those big plays are prevented with a cover 2 or cover 3 playcall.
fair enough. Thought you were blaming blitzes for big plays even though had maybe one big play while we blitzed. I don’t think we blitzed all that much either, but they were pretty effective for once.
Agree on the coverage. Wilson is TERRIBLE in coverage and routinely looks awkward trying to get to the deep ball….
~K
Good post
The best Kelsay has ever looked is in a commercial for Cellino and Barnes. When our DE position is as weak as it is, I guess playing conservative coverages is simply covvering your butt. But I still do not like it. McGee, when he played tight against Cleveland, looked at his best.
If we draft lower than #20, we will get a stud DE. An immediate impact player.
The loosiest, goosiest player we have is definitely Marshawn. I sure would like to see the NFL network or some other media mike Marshawn for a game. The things he says and does! That would be a show in itself.
everything goes better with bacon
I think he meant if we pick between 1-20. Me and my friends had the longest, drunkest and dumbest conversation I have been a part of in a long time at our fantasy draft when we spent a good half hour near the end of the draft as to whether the draft order was going up or down as teams 1-10 picked and then it snaked back and teams picked 10-1. It’s a confusing subject, I know.
Haaaa!!! Nothing better than a drunken discussion about the draft
unless of course it is about the BCS!!! IMO, the draft ranks teams in the order they pick, therefore the lower you pick gives you a bigger number. Makes sense to me, and I am not even drunk……or am I ??
I hope your not drunk, it’s one in the afternoon! On one hand the draft order is going up because the numbers are getting bigger. On the other you can call the beginning of the draft the top of the draft, so after you snake back around you are going back up to the top of the draft order. We argued like drunk fools for at least a half hour. It was a great night! We also had a Tony Gonzalez, Anthony Gonzalez debacle. you can’t beat drinking and drafting.
Sorry on that. Not too clear.
If we pick in the top 20, we get a stud DE. With 1/3rd of the season left, I’m guessing we pick in the 15 – 20 range. Also guessing the Bills go DE first. But…..Alex Mack would be hard to pass on. If we pass on Mack, I hope we get Caldwell in the 2nd. If we keep playing some variant of the Tampa D, a LB is not a top priority in the draft. The free agent centers available do not impress me, but who knows who will come available. I would much rather see OBD get Mack or Caldwell than settle for an ok free agent. Both are powerful centers who would hugely benefit our run game.
Ah yes, the draft. Speculation just doesn’t get any beter. Now, somebody please mike Marshawn!
everything goes better with bacon
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
