2011 Buffalo Bills: Defense Continues To Allow Points

by MattRichWarren on Jan 21, 2012 11:00 AM EST in Buffalo Bills News

The Buffalo Bills defense allowed 434 points in 2011, a total that placed them 30th in the NFL. After two straight years allowing points by the barrel, defensive coordinator George Edwards lost his job. Let's dive a little further into the Bills scoring defense as we continue our year-end autopsy.

During the two years Buddy Nix has had to transition to the 3-4 defense, he has signed several free agents and waiver wire pick-ups as well as drafted six defenders in the first four rounds. Still, they gave up the second-most points in team history in 2011. The league average for points allowed was just over 22 points per game. The Bills defense allowed less than that in just three games; a shutout of the Washington Redskins in Toronto, a season-opening beat-down of the Kansas City Chiefs, and a late-season demolition of the playoff-bound Denver Broncos.

In 1984, the Bills allowed 454 points. Until Chan Gailey arrived, the only other time the Bills allowed more than 400 points in a season was in Gregg Williams' first year transitioning from the 3-4 to 4-3 defense in 2001. (It took Williams until his third season to see a great improvement in the defense and by then, he was on his way out. Mike Mularkey replaced him and inherited a great defense.)

When you look at the two-year span, the numbers are even worse. In 2010, the Bills allowed 425 points. The total allowed under Gailey, Nix, and Edwards in two seasons stands at 879. That figure is the worst over consecutive years in team history. It's also the worst in the NFL over the last two seasons. (Next on the inept list are the Denver Broncos with 861. Every other team is under 813.)

It's not the worst scoring ranking in team history, but it's close. The 1971 Buffalo Bills finished dead last in points allowed in the NFL and went 1-13. The 1984 team we discussed earlier was next-to-last while the 2001 team was 29 of 31 teams. The 2011 Bills matched that figure, coming in just two spots from the bottom at 30th in the league.

Thanks to the offense's hot start, the scoring differential didn't kill the Bills in 2011. They were 22nd in the metric with a -62 scoring differential. If the Bills want to contend for a playoff spot in 2012, they will need to get the scoring defense under control with new coordinator Dave Wannstedt.

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2011 Buffalo Bills: Defense Continues To Allow Points

In other breaking news water is wet.

But in all seriousness, man I hope the stache, can take us to at least average, in the major statistical defensive categories.

flayed ones stealth mode

"Fleshling! Do not shoot! For I am one of you fleshy things. It is I. Your Uncle Stan. Can't you tell by the long strips of fleshy substances covered in bodily fluids? Trust me! I have fleeeeeeeeesh."

by mob16151 on Jan 21, 2012 11:14 AM EST reply actions

Let’s dive a little further into the Bills scoring defense as we continue our year-end autopsy.

Great line.

One hundred less points for 2012-13 would be nice. Almost a TD/game better.

When the job is finished no one remembers how long it took, just how well it was performed.

by Buffalo for Eternity on Jan 21, 2012 11:15 AM EST reply actions

We're still allowing points??!

We havent played in 3 weeks… what the…

I hate that I love Buffalo.

by bflo on Jan 21, 2012 11:47 AM EST reply actions 7 recs

Rec'd

Now that was good. And apt.

by billskk69 on Jan 21, 2012 12:27 PM EST up reply actions

priceless. funniest thing i’ve read so far today.

Violence: If its not solving all your problems you simply aren't using enough of it.

by Dana H on Jan 21, 2012 12:42 PM EST up reply actions

But not as many

We’re improving!

"a play in which nothing happens, that yet keeps audiences glued to their seats". -Vivian Mercier - a description of Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot"

According to Beckett, Godot was a metaphor for the Buffalo Bills :-)

by fansince60 on Jan 21, 2012 1:18 PM EST up reply actions

I think that this stat is not a clear indicator of the defense. 2011 saw the second lowest INT average (2.9%, second only to 2.8% in 2008) and if you have a quarterback with a penchant for throwing INTs, it makes it more difficult on the defense. I don’t mean to suggest that our defense played at an acceptable level, just that absolute numbers, such as total points against, are highly contextual.

by karovda on Jan 21, 2012 11:51 AM EST reply actions

My wish list would include ....

2 OLBs and a CB, or a DE if we are moving to a 4-3. If the Bills had a top 10 defense last year, we would have made the playoffs.

by loupiccone on Jan 21, 2012 12:15 PM EST reply actions

Removing George Edwards was addition by subtraction. His defensive schemes were useless, and he couldn’t figure out how to generate a pass rush even through blitzing. Regardless, we need upgrades at OLB urgently. Merriman seems unlikely to stay healthy for an entire season any more, and Kelsay is a 4-3 DE, not a 3-4 OLB. We also need another CB to pair with Aaron Williams, assuming that McGee is another one who can’t make it through an entire season. Drayton Florence should be kicked to the curb as soon as possible.

by SiriusRed on Jan 21, 2012 12:54 PM EST via mobile reply actions

I just had this discussion with a buddy last night: I’d argue that Kelsay IS more suited as a 3-4 OLB. He certainly played a lot better in 2011 than he ever did at 43 DE..

Ron Paul 2012

by BuffaloBlueBlood on Jan 22, 2012 11:40 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

Didn’t he play on the line more this year than as a LB? At the very least, I think his play was better on the line than in coverage or contain.

"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 Jan 22, 2012 11:51 AM EST up reply actions

I believe the holes in the defensive personnel will be too much for this franchise to overcome in one offseason and this is absolutely unacceptable given that it’s year three of this regime. I doubt Edwards brought much to the table, but also doubt that Dick Lebeau, Wade Phillips, the late, Jim Johnson, Mike Zimmer or any of the best defensive coordinators of the last decade could have constructed a legitimate defense out of the mediocrities that OBD employed on defense the last two seasons. I see very little hope that Buffalo has enough resources to bring this pathetic unit up to speed in time for September regardless of a possible upgrade at coordinator.

"There's only one C.J. Spiller." -Buddy Nix

by Port Royal on Jan 21, 2012 1:09 PM EST reply actions

1 or 2 DB’s, 2 OLB, and better depth yep that’s a huge mountain to climb.

Harooo

by Robot Nixon on Jan 21, 2012 1:38 PM EST up reply actions

Going forward

I would ideally like a 3-4 base because I think it’s the type of defense that works best in a cold-weather city like Buffalo. It favors bigger, more physical players and that kind of defense is a December-January type defense. The 3-4 worked marvelously in the late 90s as we had two straight seasons of the No. 1 and No. 2 defense in the league and supported the Flutie-led offense in making the playoffs. The 4-3 in its current popular form, something based off the Tampa 2, tends to be based off of lighter and faster players. I just don’t trust that defense after years of seeing Gregg Williams and Dick Jauron’s schemes. It’s led to guys who couldn’t tackle well, couldn’t stop the run, and whose biggest claim to fame was that they “played hard”.

However, we currently have a defensive co-ordinator who is more familiar with the 4-3 and personnel who, at best, fit into a hybrid system. I don’t really like this hybrid, though. The argument is that it uses the best pieces of both systems, when in reality, it has given us some of the ugly spots from both. Our 3-4 sets haven’t definitely stopped the run, our 4-3 systems haven’t ended our struggles against tight ends. I think we need to finally pick and choose one system and just go with it, knowing that its weaknesses will be there, but also that we can isolate players who fit in that system and add those pieces to the team. And I’d go with the 3-4.

Go Buffalo Bills, Utah Jazz, and Arkansas Razorbacks

OUR KING DOME IS HOLLY GROUND YOU CAN ENTER BUT YOU WILL LEAVE WITH OUT A SOUL - Abayarde, Buffalo Rumblings

by Dyl on Jan 21, 2012 1:15 PM EST reply actions

I would ideally like a 3-4 base because I think it’s the type of defense that works best in a cold-weather city like Buffalo. It favors bigger, more physical players and that kind of defense is a December-January type defense.

Not to split hairs, but doesn’t having four defensive linemen favor bigger players than three?

Don’t confuse the 4-3 (think Pat Williams and Sam Adams) with the Tampa 2.

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by MattRichWarren on Jan 21, 2012 5:52 PM EST up reply actions

I think he meant that 3-4 linemen are supposed to be larger than 4-3 linemen. Overall comparison of DL weights would favor 3-4 for average player weight and 4-3 for DL total weight. I think…

by Ian MacPersonoid on Jan 21, 2012 8:11 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah, your 3-4 ends and nose are quite a bit bigger than 4-3 ends and tackles.

The linebackers also are much more present in the rush, so it evens out. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a legitimate formation. What I’ve seen is that 3-4 teams are typically even better against the run than the 4-3. Most of the dominant run defenses in the last few decades have been 3-4

Go Buffalo Bills, Utah Jazz, and Arkansas Razorbacks

OUR KING DOME IS HOLLY GROUND YOU CAN ENTER BUT YOU WILL LEAVE WITH OUT A SOUL - Abayarde, Buffalo Rumblings

by Dyl on Jan 22, 2012 9:17 PM EST up reply actions

I have to disagree. With both Williams and Dareus, I think that best move is to run a 4-3 base defense and let teams try to deal with those two monsters in the middle.

by JDSym on Jan 21, 2012 1:39 PM EST reply actions