Bills would prefer traditional 3-4 defense
by Brian Galliford on Feb 25, 2010 12:30 PM EST
in Buffalo Bills News
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PrintWhen the Buffalo Bills and head coach Chan Gailey announced the hiring of George Edwards as the team's new defensive coordinator, two facts were highlighted immediately. First and foremost, the team would be playing the 3-4 defense, and secondly, that Gailey and Edwards would tailor their defensive system to fit the personnel they end up with after this off-season is completed.
Switching from a Tampa 2 defense favored by previous head coach Dick Jauron and coordinator Perry Fewell, many fans and experts wondered aloud if the Bills would have the personnel to run the traditional two-gap system that the majority of NFL teams employ these days. Smaller, lighter 3-4 systems exist and are run exceptionally well, with the 3-4 Over scheme run by Dallas the most prominent example. Coming from a scheme that called for lighter, quicker players, many - including yours truly - speculated that the 3-4 Over could be an option for the team.
Speaking at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine this morning in Indianapolis, Gailey re-iterated that Edwards would fit his system to the players the Bills end up with. He also, however, told reporters what type of nose tackle he'd like to have in Buffalo. Pulling from the report filed by Joe Buscaglia at WGR 550:
When asked what he'd like his nose tackle to be Gailey said "Huge, big, fast, nasty... all those terms."
That sure sounds like a massive, two-gap hole plugger to us. Edwards comes to Buffalo via Miami, where they run a traditional two-gap system, and simply from that one sentence, it looks like that's Plan A in Buffalo as well.
That doesn't spell the end for defensive tackle Kyle Williams, however. Entering his fifth year out of LSU, many wondered whether Williams was a snug fit anywhere in a 3-4 defense. As ESPN's Tim Graham notes, Gailey spoke glowingly of Williams this afternoon, and sounded as if No. 95 was a significant part of the team's plans going forward. Williams could see time at end or at nose tackle (on passing downs) in the traditional two-gap system.
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Sure like the sound of that. Kyle would be a valuable asset to our defensive rotation, but his role would likely diminish a bit, because he’ll only be on the field likely on passing downs. I fully expect us to pursue Mount Cody in the bottom first round, in other words trade up with some team and then grab him.
"The one commonality in both places (Oakland and Buffalo) is an aging owner who keeps interfering too much. Ralph Wilson continually butts his nose in the football operation and tells the team who to draft"
by BillsfanfromDenmark on Feb 25, 2010 12:33 PM EST reply actions
Perhaps he is just gosh glowing about Williams so he can raise his trade value. Until the draft ends I will still not be 100% on him staying…
And I would love to see the Bills have a mountain of a man dominating the middle of the line on D
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Dan Williams
This just makes me believe that Williams will be our first pick. Those words sum him up perfectly. I don’t see any other NT’s that completely fit that description.
Is Williams really huge enough to take 2 gaps like Mt. Cody though?
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by UZ on Feb 26, 2010 4:50 AM EST up reply actions
I'm starting to feel like this year's draft will be heavy on the D.
I see us drafting both a NT and a DE/OLB early in this year’s draft. Person ally I`d draft an NT and a LT as early as possibl;e and then go to the best available player between a 3-4 DE and a 3-4 OLB in the third round.
As for Kyle Williams, I’m seeing him become a Jack-Of-All-Trades for our deffensive line. I see him playing most of his time at DE, and then switching to NT on passing downs. To me this also means that Williams will absolutly not be traded this year either.
The more I see, the les I know.
by CanadianBillsFan on Feb 25, 2010 1:17 PM EST reply actions
I see him playing most of his time at DE, and then switching to NT on passing downs.
That makes a lot of sense, particularly because most of the traditional NTs can’t rush the passer a lick and come off the field on third down.
Just because Williams isn’t a perfect fit doesn’t mean he can’t be an effective player on this team.
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OH and...
2 articles in one day, I have something to do with in class again!!!
The more I see, the les I know.
by CanadianBillsFan on Feb 25, 2010 1:19 PM EST reply actions
I love the fact that Chan likes
K Williams, he’s one of my 5 favorite Bill on the current roster. I think he could add exceptional depth and rotation to our new DL. Maybe not his bet fit scheme wise but he has a motor that will work in any type of D. Gailey could be talking Williams up to get a higher trade value out of him, that is my sinister side coming out. Gaileys quote about what kinda DT was a generic one but it moslty describes the top DT’s in Suh and McCoy, we aint getting those guys.
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by SouthBuffaloNDgrad on Feb 25, 2010 1:32 PM EST reply actions
To me....
“adapt” and or “adjust” are the two most wonderful words out of a Bills HC I’ve heard in the many years I’ve followed this team…
Utilizing a players strength, adjust what you do to best use his talents, is like a breath of fresh air!!!
Hey, it’s that time of the year when my optimism jumps out from hiding…. Gotten pretty bad when it’s the offseason that gets my red, white, and blue blood going again…
Yeah, finally
That’d be nice if it does come true. The previous regime was too busy trying to squeeze square pegs into round holes.
A good example of how this scenario might play out is Kawika Mitchell. Assuming he is healthy come the start of the season, expect to see him play both ILB and RLB. I bet he starts alongside Poz inside, assuming no higher profile addition like McClain or Spikes, and will shift outside in passing situations at times. He’s an above average blitzer/rusher, so to utilize his strengths, this hybrid role for him makes a lot of sense.
Same thing with Kyle Williams. He’ll probably see some time at DE in run situations, and unless a pass rushing NT is acquired somewhere, he’ll probably kick inside in passing situations at times.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
Give me a hand, draft people/ SEC people
I don’t pretend to follow the draft enough to have an opinion on the 7 rounds of players who will be selected. I don’t grade drafts in April and think 99.999% of the mocks before it and the grades after are a total joke: my guess is that unless you work for an NFL team and your paying job is to scout players, you don’t have enough time to watch enough games to have a VALID opinion on more than a few players or so. If anything, some people follow a conference closely, so these folks may actually have a valid opinion on certain players from that particular conferencve.
So here’s my question: Why is Dan Williams considered to be such a unanimously better NT prospect than Terrence Cody? I like the SEC (I’m a Notre Dame supporter, but I often DVR the SEC on CBS game and usually watch the ESPN SEC Saturday night game over the Big 10 crap that ABC usually airs) and I’ve always salivated at Terrence Cody as an NFL prospect. I remember Dan Williams, but I never in a million years would have thought he’d be considered a top 10 pick and Cody would be considered a 2nd rounder…what am I missing? Again, I think draft hype is usually nonsense, but regardless of what the draftniks say, if Buffalo took Cody 9th overall, I’d be pretty excited for August.
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by Port Royal on Feb 25, 2010 1:37 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Cody has weight issues, and is seen only as 1st/2nd down defender. I agree that I think Cody will have more of an effect on plays when in the game, but Williams seems like a player that can play MORE plays then Cody – as a result, have a greater effect on the overall game.
It really depends on how the Bills want to use their players, I personally see the Bills getting an OT in the first round, which leads me to belive Williams will be gone by the 2nd, but Cody might (key word) still be around – and that would be a great scenerio for the Bills IMHO
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To add to that, Williams is seen as higher-upside and scheme versatile, meaning that unlike Cody, he has the ability to man the nose in a 4-3 alignment.
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by Brian Galliford on Feb 25, 2010 1:46 PM EST up reply actions
The question then becomes, if we (can) take Williams in the first round, what are our chances of landing a quality OT in the later rounds? To me, that’s as big a priority, but if the quality of the OTs drop after the first round substantially, maybe the Bulaga/Campbell/Davis selection in the first makes more sense?
I think
both lines, with the NT exception, are pretty deep this year, possibly bringing starter caliber as late as the third…JMO…
Well yes, both lines are deep, but there are serious drops, the first 4 OT can play LT, the next say 3 are better suites for RT, and then after that there really isn’t any day 1 starters… some are predicting that at least 6 OT are going to go in the first round. Meaning if the Bills wait until the 2nd they won’t be grabbing a starting OT for either right or left. I am also more comfortable with the Bills getting a FA to start RT then getting a FA for LT – meaning I would rather have the Bills go rd 1 OT then anywhere else.
I was born in Buffalo, and NO, it's not a suburb of New York City
First, Williams....
He did only really turn it on this year, but the hype is more potential, built on the idea he took well to the pro type coaching he got from Kiffin… I don’t rate him as high as most, simply because as I think it was Poz that said, their value tends to be over rated because of the needs at NT….
Cody would easily be the top NT on boards, if not for his weight… Can he keep it under control enough to be an every down player??? Health nut that I am, I’d be scared FOR him… His weight isn’t all muscle unfortunately if you’ve seen the vid on him at the senior bowl… Scary enough that I would let kids watch it….:-(….
How about this from the news conference? (www.twitter.com/SalMaiorana)
Chan Gailey also said DEs Chris Kelsay, Chris Ellis, Aaron Maybin and Aaron Schobel (if he doesn’t retire) will all switch to OLB positions
Personally I think it means the end for Kelsay in Buffalo.
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But could mean a revival...
of sorts for Ellis… Most on here, and other boards were high on him when we picked him. DJ knew how to ruin a QBs career as we’ve all agreed, but Ellis is one of those young ’uns I hope to see turn his career around under this new staff…
Completely agree cross fingers I see Chix making the move from 4-3 to 3-4, not so much as a move for now, but possibly a move to help the younger players, since the older players that were strong fits in the 4-3 (Kelsay, Stroud, Schobel) may be retired or just gone by the time the Bills become (hopefully) playoff relevent again… Also though MRW is still slamming his head on the wall about the switch, it makes sense to do it now and no longer draft players for a 4-3 then draft for a year to a 4-3 and then switch to a 3-4…
I was born in Buffalo, and NO, it's not a suburb of New York City
I think Edwards is gonna surprise us...
and actually throw an awful lot of 4/3 out there this year… As I’ve said before, the 3/4 is really only a glorified old time college 5/2 set that the 2 outside guys could use a 2 or 3 pt stance… Out of that, imagine the opposition if during their snap count, suddenly Schobel or Maybin were to drop down, and Mitchell, or Poz shift outside… Or visa versa for that matter… Multiple shifts I think will be the way to best utilize the players we already have while still in transition….
Its all about using what you have...
well and putting them in a position to succeed.
by NorCal BillsFan on Feb 25, 2010 7:46 PM EST up reply actions
Also though MRW is still slamming his head on the wall about the switch, it makes sense to do it now and no longer draft players for a 4-3 then draft for a year to a 4-3 and then switch to a 3-4…
Never done the slamming the head against the wall… just know that the Bills front 7 has about two guys suited for the 3-4 and a bunch more guys suited for the 4-3. With all the holes on offense it would have been quicker to field a winner with the 4-3. I like both defenses. Both can be effective.
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by MattRichWarren on Feb 25, 2010 8:34 PM EST up reply actions
And two years from now
The majority of the 4-3 front 7 players would no longer be with the Bills anyhow….Schobel, Kelsay, Denney, Stroud, Mitchell, the Ellison OLB spot. Poz and Kyle Williams are the only ones who’d likely still be around, with Maybin. I still don’t know why you are so against this move, continuing to believe the players who were in our 4-3 defense last year were going to be a part of the rebuild and long-term plans….
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
I’m pro-4-3 as well, because I think that there were at least a couple more players on the squad that could have been a part of an all-right 4-3 Defense while we draft around them.
I call it... The Avaslug!
I am the 1st and probably only official member of the David "Dr." Jones fanclub.
Syracuse Basketball 2010: Making Hoya's cry.
by UZ on Feb 26, 2010 4:54 AM EST up reply actions
Poz and Williams were my main reasons because neither of them are suited to the 3-4. So you’re taking the two guys who are worth a crap that might be around in two years and playing directly to their weaknesses. Not only that but depth guys like Palmer, Harris, Ellison, etc. who definitely could have still been on this team two years from now have no place anymore. It’s fine for you to have a different outlook on it. You and I usually disagree.
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by MattRichWarren on Feb 26, 2010 4:42 PM EST up reply actions
I wonder if Detroit would be interesting in Williams
As part of a package trade for the #2 overall or for a second rounder. Considering the depth in this draft on D, it would make a lot of sense – for Buffalo, maybe not for Detroit I am not all-to-familiar with their defensive scheme.
It looks more and more like D to me
I think this sounds to me like they will focus on D more this offseason which is what I expected or hoped for anyway. On O we have three key postions we need LT,QB, and WR, two of which can be adressed in free agency which only leaves one really for the draft in LT. So it would make sense to me to focus on D I still like the Idea of trading down but I wouldn’t mind at all if they traded up for 2 or 3 and snag McCoy for NT even Suh if the Rams are dumb enough to pass on him for a QB. I just don,t want to lose more than one pick to do it. God knows we need them.
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