Bills vs. Jets Key Matchup: Marcell Dareus vs. Nick Mangold

by Brian Galliford on Nov 4, 2011 11:35 AM EDT in Buffalo Bills Opinion

In last week's 23-0 win over the Washington Redskins, rookie defensive tackle Marcell Dareus (2.5 sacks) had the type of break-out performance that the Buffalo Bills have been waiting for since making him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Dareus moved over to nose tackle for the first time in his pro career for the game, which meant that he spent most of his time facing a battered Redskins interior line that featured second-year center Erik Cook, who was clearly outmatched against a far superior talent like Dareus.

Buffalo needs continued efforts like that from Dareus as long as Kyle Williams is out of the lineup. Dareus will have a hard time replicating his success this week against two-time All Pro center Nick Mangold.

Mangold missed Weeks 2 and 3 this season with a high ankle sprain, and the New York Jets' offense suffered without him. They struggled to run the football in a road loss to Oakland, then were positively dominated at the point of attack by Haloti Ngata and Baltimore.

In the three games since Mangold's return to the lineup, however, the Jets' offense has begun trending upward - particularly running the football, which they did very effectively (and up to usual Jet standards) in a Week 7 win over San Diego. Now, with the Jets coming off of a bye week, Mangold should be healthier than he has been in quite some time.

That spells trouble for Dareus. It's not as if Dareus isn't capable of playing well against, arguably, the game's best center - because he is. Expecting him to play well enough to key an entire defense in a critical division game against arguably the league's best center, however, is a slightly different animal. Dareus has played extremely well with Williams out of the lineup, but Week 9 will present him with the biggest challenge of his young professional career by a considerable margin. Here's hoping he's up to the task.

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So then Dareus is definitely starting at NT or is Troup playing in a limited role again? Whoever is in the middle will have a tough go, but it either player can continue to take up two blocks, it can hopefully provide Barnett or Shepp to make plays on the inside, blitzing or stuffing the run.

by DynamicHero22 on Nov 4, 2011 11:44 AM EDT reply actions

One thing you guys may not have known from two weeks ago,

Is that Mangold commited 3 penalties in ones game, as many as he had his entire rookie season. I’m not convinced his ankle is 100%, but lets hope it is because he’s going to need it to be.

by Timmaht on Nov 4, 2011 11:48 AM EDT reply actions

you mean let’s hope it’s not.

"the man who created a legend; the legend who resurrected a franchise."

by chaucer on Nov 4, 2011 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

He's a jets fan so he wants it 100% lol

And the home of the .... JETS!!!
Now lets get a G-D snack!!!
"You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, f**k it, I don't care what you think."-Roy McDonald

by Noble_Lance on Nov 4, 2011 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

I always wonder about players coming back from injury. For his sake, he’s had an extra week to rest it because of the bye.

Give a monkey a typewriter and infinite time, and he’ll eventually release Maybin. -- stetzwebs
No one circles the waiver wire like the Buffalo Bills!

by thefourwinds on Nov 4, 2011 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions

He has big game experience in college and showed up big time, I predict he holds his own, not in a 2.5 sack or interception for TD, but draws double teams.

by garcia76 on Nov 4, 2011 11:54 AM EDT reply actions

Irony

You do realize he’s going to score a TD now, right? :)

by jj24 on Nov 4, 2011 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions

shhhhh

now ya jinxed it!

NOBODY circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.

by heff17 on Nov 4, 2011 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Let me get my tackhammer.

(stupid, stupid, stupid!)

by jj24 on Nov 4, 2011 7:14 PM EDT up reply actions

im surprised our defense played so well without k. williams and merriman.

"the man who created a legend; the legend who resurrected a franchise."

by chaucer on Nov 4, 2011 12:08 PM EDT reply actions

I’m surprised too. But sometimes getting the right combination is more than the sum of the parts. I also think neither player was all that healthy before they sat so it may be they weren’t playing much better than the next guy in the line-up.

I have low expectations. But high hopes.

by greysquirrel on Nov 4, 2011 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Well I also think

that even though Kyle Williams is so good, he’s naturally playing out of position. He’s more of a penetrating type DT, and not a clogger like Dareus is. So many times I’ve seen Kyle penetrate and blow up a gap and out of position to make the play on a cutback run, etc…Dareus force you to have to double team him, becasue of his size, quickness, and overall strength.

Please don’t get me wrong, Kyle is great but he’s isn’t a true NT that 3-4 requires…

Now as Mr. Galiford is quick to point out, the Bills don’t run a true 3-4. They run more of a hybrid 3-4. Yes indeed, this is true. You can have both of them playing on the filed at the same time, but Dareus has shown that he should be the tackle playing on the strong side where he can hold up against the run and draw double teams, and allow Kyle to be more effective on the weakside so that he can penetrate.

by doctork44 on Nov 4, 2011 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions

let’ do it!

"the man who created a legend; the legend who resurrected a franchise."

by chaucer on Nov 4, 2011 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions

mount dareus

"the man who created a legend; the legend who resurrected a franchise."

by chaucer on Nov 4, 2011 12:10 PM EDT reply actions

TWSS

This team is making me skeptical of my skepticism- putting the crow in the oven to slow roast.

by fansince60 on Nov 4, 2011 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions

ZING

by billsnterps on Nov 4, 2011 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Dareus +

I’ll take Dareus in this matchup. He’s a load + he’s been practicing against superior players.

by zipper on Nov 4, 2011 12:31 PM EDT reply actions

you dont mean superior to mangold do you?

by boomsauce on Nov 4, 2011 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Bold claims…Mangold is a proven Pro-Bowl caliber center. It’s going to be an awesome test for Dareus.

"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.

by stetzwebs on Nov 4, 2011 10:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Mangold has thrown around far superior players than Dareus. Suh, Ratliff, Wilfork, Ngata, etc. I honestly can’t remember the last time I saw Mangold get beat. He had some penalties last week but he is truly the best in the business. IIRC, he was the only center selected in the NFL Top 100 last year. That’s not to say it’s impossible Dareus will do well; I think he’s a beast and you guys got a steal in him. I think he will be able to eventually beat Mangold, in a few years, but in his second start at the position as a rookie, no, Dareus will not beat Mangold.

Founder of www.myspace.com

by bobdolethesnapplelady on Nov 4, 2011 12:36 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Ratliff gave him a tough time this year – and Solai has in the past (not this year, though).

Mangold, along with Revis – are the Jets truly elite players, so no argument that Dareus will have his hands full. But they’re big hands.

by zipper on Nov 4, 2011 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions

I think faster receivers give him issues.

but in reality look at the guy behind Ratliff, Rob Ryan, the Ryans are psychos when it comes to defense.

And the home of the .... JETS!!!
Now lets get a G-D snack!!!
"You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, f**k it, I don't care what you think."-Roy McDonald

by Noble_Lance on Nov 4, 2011 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Mangold has thrown around far superior players than Dareus. Suh, Ratliff, Wilfork, Ngata, etc.

But Eric Wood has had very successful games against Suh and Wilfork over the last two years. Does that mean Wood is nearly as good as Mangold?

Give a monkey a typewriter and infinite time, and he’ll eventually release Maybin. -- stetzwebs
No one circles the waiver wire like the Buffalo Bills!

by thefourwinds on Nov 4, 2011 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions

He will

He will beat Mangold like a cheap rug this week unless they give him help, period!

by Coach Bob on Nov 4, 2011 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Kyle plaing DE

I think Dareus is better NT than DE. The Bills should consider playing a 4-3 when Williams is healthy. If not, Williams might be forced to make the move to DE and could find himself as trade bait after the season.

by webadinc on Nov 4, 2011 12:51 PM EDT reply actions

I really doubt they trade a player like Kyle Williams unless they get an offer that is far too good to refuse.

by billsnterps on Nov 4, 2011 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Williams getting healthy

Kyle is a very good player and would hate to see him in another uniform. With that said, if Dareus is better than him at NT(that’s a big IF) and Kyle isn’t willing to make the move to DE than what do you do? Either change your defense to a 4-3 or trade Williams and his big contract.

by webadinc on Nov 5, 2011 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Guys, pump the breaks. For real.

The Bills aren’t going to trade Kyle Williams. They just gave him a fat contract extension. He’s their best football player when he’s healthy. He is going absolutely nowhere.

The talk of defensive scheme isn’t particularly relevant anymore, either. Their base set is a 3-4, but they use it so infrequently it hardly matters. They need to find 11 good football players and build a defense with those guys. That’s what they’ll do. Their unit has a lot of versatility right now; that will be preserved.

Editor-in-Chief, BUFFALO RUMBLINGS®
@BrianGalliford

by Brian Galliford on Nov 4, 2011 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs

Brakes*. Sorry, had to.

by billsnterps on Nov 4, 2011 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

not often i see brian make a misteak ;)

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I'll knock the bieber out of brady - arthur moats @dabody52
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by Gpluehri on Nov 4, 2011 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions

Ha, derp. I do that a lot. :(

Editor-in-Chief, BUFFALO RUMBLINGS®
@BrianGalliford

by Brian Galliford on Nov 4, 2011 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions

He’s their best football player when he’s healthy.

It’s entirely possible with a foot injury that he may never regain his explosiveness. In that case, I could see another team taking a chance on him if the Bills offered him up on the trading block.

Give a monkey a typewriter and infinite time, and he’ll eventually release Maybin. -- stetzwebs
No one circles the waiver wire like the Buffalo Bills!

by thefourwinds on Nov 4, 2011 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Whatever

Whatever makes the team better. Can’t have all defensive tackles!

by Coach Bob on Nov 4, 2011 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, most teams could use two good ones – and that’s what we’ve got.

Editor-in-Chief, BUFFALO RUMBLINGS®
@BrianGalliford

by Brian Galliford on Nov 4, 2011 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed

Is one player worth changing your defensive from a 3-4 to a 4-3?

by webadinc on Nov 5, 2011 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Solid point despite the typo

I think it works well if we just figure out how to keep Kyle on the field at the same time as Dareus, that’s all. I do like the idea of a Kyle-Marcel-Dwan front, though. With Kelsay and Moats on the outside, Kelsay putting his hand down as needed.

"Why so serious?... so raise your glass if you are wrong/in all the right ways..." -- P!nk

by Orlando John on Nov 4, 2011 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Also, does anyone really think Kyle Williams would make a stink about wherever the Bills might ask him to play? I have no doubt that if asked, he would try to become the best DE he can be. There are plenty of opportunities for front guys to play in different positions in this defense, which means plenty of opportunities for the best two of them (Dareus and Williams), regardless of how.

by paxon on Nov 5, 2011 10:44 PM EDT up reply actions

IMO, last week was an eye-opener for everyone, especially the coaches, when they saw how much of a difference Dareus made at NT and how that impacted the rest of the defensive front 7. As Brian stated in previous articles, Nix built the defense this year from the interior. Once Boss Hogg (Nix) addresses exterior (OLB’s, DB’s), then we’ll have a dominating defense again like we did in the late 90’s.

by steve b. on Nov 4, 2011 2:36 PM EDT reply actions

If

If Mangold is not given help, Dareus will steal and then eat his lunch. I’m not 100% certain after one week but it certainly appears that Dareus will eat up any interior lineman one on one, due to his quickness and strength. I’m betting the Jets double him all game.

by Coach Bob on Nov 4, 2011 3:25 PM EDT reply actions