Fix the DEFENSE before you Tweak the OFFENSE!

[blazaiblah]

yeah our defense has been broken since 2005- but as i heard on the edge this mornign this team hasnt put together a good roster in 12 effing yrs. other orgs have gone through multiple rebuilds in that time too and have made the -playoffs.
heres the real problem ralph and his cronies have no idea how to build a good team. the guys that did are long gone. look what the defense is after bringing in 2 des highly touted and not fixing the lbs that have been mediocre at best for several years. these guys are complete idiots imo. our secondary is average at best too. i also believe wannestadts scheme blows.
hey when we did have a great defense mid 2000s the offense stank to high heavens.

[Cuboirs]

but it all starts with a qb... Get it through your head.

Just b.c you think every qb every year is jp losman means nothing.

san fran/chic/houston could all put up an argument

[just1hugheser]

You addressed those that want to draft a QB, when it seems like you're addressing those that want to run our QB out of town this season. That's what I'm confused about.

Nice, exactly what I was considering before responding to the thread. At first I thought well is this guy behind Fitz, as in does he not want the Bills to draft a QB and or even if they do would the op still want Fitz to be the 'incumbent' starter or what? Its basically what I was going to post, asking if the OP wants to draft a QB and if they do how would it work out with Fitz.

The Bills defense is atrocious, thinking we were gonna get by with these linebackers was a joke especially with no depth, the defensive line underachieving, a lack of an aggressive scheme and a young secondary. I'll be the first to admit I saw bit of potential in Shep and liked where he could get to as decent depth but always wanted a playmaker in the middle(Pat Willis) and especially because we have nothing coming off the edge.

But Thurman makes a good point when he says the defense is young and they are under a new system and coaches(wasn't that part of the excuse for the offense for the first two years?) They are improving albeit slowly but still improving and not getting a lot of help from Chan's play calling or the offense's turnovers, and in turn the defense creates no turnovers, spends too much time on the field and gets exposed.

Ultimately its a team game but a good QB can make up for a lot of things, not turning it over, picking up 3rd downs tiring out one defense and resting another, make mediocre wr's look like all-pro's, they instill a confidence on both sides of the ball that we can always score and if we can get them the ball back with enough time and within one score that we are always in the game.

Conversely a strong run game and a dominant defense can mask a QB's shortcomings as long as the gameplan is there to run and utilize play action. I thought that's what we would see to protect Fitz but also the defense, you run the ball and control the clock and keep the Brady's of the league on the bench. Run an aggressive defense with blitzes and stunts utilizing the youth and athleticism you do have play press man with safeties or safety over the top, put Leodis at number 2 and A Williams at safety next to Byrd, etc etc.

We do need more talent on defense and we do need a better QB to consistently be a playoff/super bowl contender, the type of defense we need to be perennial contenders is too far away talent wise and coaching wise, people will always dream of winning the lottery and so it is with the 'franchise QB'.

Either way to me the problem is the scouting, the GM and in turn the coaches who have not used this roster correctly by any means nor is Chan a good gameday coach.

So to blame either the defense or offense by themselves in a team game where the teams aren't picked by random and coaching means a lot is off the target for me. Granted these things are generally quicker and more easily changed than are scouting departments, GM's and coaches, and owners for that matter.

[S-K-E-L-A-T-O-R]

if your QB is their and you think he is it for the next 10yrs, QB without even blinking!!!

At this point I'd be happy with getting a QB worth keeping more than 3 years! If we could get a 10 year QB there's no way you can pass on drafting that player.

I wish we could've gotten Luck. Despite the recent success of other rookies (Bradford, Newton, RG3, etc...) I think Luck is the ONLY rookie who will guaranteed to be a perennial winner and eventual Champion.

The Colts didn't draft a QB this year, they drafted a dynasty.

No pun intended but I don't think the Bills will be that "Lucky" in next year's draft.

Edit: In no way am I suggesting that Luck would be leading the Bills to better than a 3-6 record right now, because I stand by my opinion, that the losses fall squarely on the defense.

[GMBNix]

san fran/chic/houston could all put up an argument

What argument? Alex smith and Shuab are game managers that don't turn the ball over when needed. Cutler while not bad has the #1 defense in the league you think Fitz needs the number 1 defense in the league? How did they do when they lost Cutler last year? Yea defense can only take you so far, you need a QB who can take you the other part. We don't have a QB like that when you need him he turns the ball over. You just made a worse case for Fitz by posting that.

[Stephenback]

Defense wins Championships but QBs build dynasties..... Go QB in the 1st, 3rd, and 6th rounds to be sure we get a franchise guy.

Yes, you know, you have to win championships to have Dynasties,

Wake up, going QB, 1, 3, 6, not gona happen EVER.

LOL

[steckmeister03]

So I've been mulling this over on my own for the past couple weeks. Here's my theory on it:

Before making a choice on what to focus on in the draft obviously the Bills must determine what exactly is the root cause of their problems on both sides of the ball and here's what I believe they'll find in a nutshell, let's start with the defense.

Scheme: The thing I think is the problem with the bills scheme currently isn't actually the scheme itself, it's the two-fold combination of not having the right talent at linebacker and not having enough experience in the system. One gap schemes are not easy to play. Players like schemes like this because they let a defense go on the offensive, so to speak. You attack your gap every play, get up field, cause hell, revel in your prowess. The issue with many one gap scheme however is it's only as strong as your weakest player, particularly in the front seven. If one player is out of position by even the slightest angle(look at Nick Barnett doing something as simple as taking on the wrong shoulder of a fullback and allowing chris johnson to run sixty yards for a score), and the play can be blown up by a talented running back. So what happens is you'll get a string of good plays, three yard run, stuffed at the line, three yard run etc, and then you'll get a big gainer or two. It's not the nature of the scheme but it's the nature of the defense when their players don't know exactly how to play their scheme in every situation. It just seems like the type of scheme that takes time to really perfect seeing as it's so simple at it's core. There isn't any trickery to hide a bad player.

Now, I don't claim to be a football genius by any stretch of the imagination, I never played football after all. I did however play quite a few years of rugby and as a result I've come to understand the importance of gaps and angles better than most football fans. That's what I see as this defense's problem so far this year. Whenever they get burned on the ground it's because someone was just barely out of their gap or taking the wrong angle through that gap. That can be fixed, but it takes time to learn and make it second nature. I think it will come.

The second problem with this defense as I see it is the linebackers. Now, I like Barnett, he does a lot of good things and he's a reliable player much more often than not. I also like Shep, given time I think he'll be solid overall, not a game breaker but he knows how to tackle and he has the size and leadership to be a MLB. Nigel Bradham is far too young to judge at this point but he obviously has the physical talent and he has some nastiness to him that I like and that this team needs.

Unfortunately, this scheme needs better than average linebackers. Particularly in the middle. The Middle linebacker needs to be a sideline to sideline player, and he needs to be nasty. It just what it is with this scheme.

Now let's look at offense.

Obviously a better quarterback would be wonderful. Essential with a hell of a defense? Maybe not, but you have to admit everything gets easier with a top ten signal caller. Particularly one who can stretch the field. That's the problem here, Fitz would be perfectly fine if he could hit deep passes. With an offense built around two of the most versatile running backs in the league you need a guy who can hit a streak pass once or twice a game. Fitz just can't do it, at least not with the consistency you want.

The offense could also use one more receiver. Jones has stepped up well the past two weeks, I give him credit, and maybe he's the receiver we've been looking for after all. Of course, Nelson coming back will help as well. But it would still be nice to have a taller wide out with above average speed on the roster.

So what's the verdict?

Obviously T'eo would be a great addition to the defense in the first round if he's available. He looks to be a top ten pick right now though, perhaps top five, he's that good. Therein lies the problem, however. The bills likely won't have a top ten pick. 12 to 20 seems to be much more likely. Is there another middle linebacker worthy of a mid first round pick? I don't see one as it stands currently but who knows.

What there is, however, is plenty of mid first round QBs. Now, none of them are Andrew Luck, obviously. But Chan Gailey has proven he doesn't need one to make an offense hum. He needs a guy who understands his system, which is why Fitz has stuck around for so long. He's a guy, despite his faults, knows how to operate Chan's offense and that's obviously not an easy thing to do.

With that said, perhaps one of these QBs will match what Gailey needs. A guy who can make a pre-snap read, throw to areas instead of receivers, and have the added bonus of being more physically gifted than Fitzpatrick. If one matches that criteria, a QB in the first round needs to happen.

In the second round I feel like there will be ample opportunity to pick either another receiver or that key linebacker we need. and in the third? Corner or whichever of the two previously mentioned positions we didn't address in the second round.

At the end of the day, This team needs a few things. A more versatile QB schematically, a more aggressive and physically gifted middle linebacker, and time to really get used to a difficult scheme to run successfully play in and play out.

[S-K-E-L-A-T-O-R]

^^ I read the whole post. I really like your analysis.

but the draft is so far away I can't even begin to speculate on it.

Right now this is what I'm mad/disappointed about starting with what is pissing me off the most going in order.

1. I expected the playoffs this year. Mathmatically, we're not eliminated yet, but this team isn't good enough.
2. Wannsteadt is still the coach.
3. We're still running the same scheme (i.e. - no blitzing)
4. We're stuck with Mario Williams for 5 more years.
5. Dareus hasn't been benched yet. His lack of effort is embarassing to watch.
6. Spiller isn't touching the ball enough. He has been unstoppable.
7. Fitzpatrick can't close and finish close games with a win. He's made too many mistakes this season.

[Bill Brasky]

On a sidenote, I still can't believe Skelator didn't get banned for that **** Wannstedt thread. That was epic!

[DarylLamonica]

You can't be serious saying they "made enough stops", when they let up 30+ points on the board.

Fitz played well enough last game that a good team would've won by more than 20 points. Unfortunately, it came down to the last pass, and yes Fitz screwed it up. I can't defend him for that pass. It was disappointing, But no way in hell am I blaming him for the loss, cause he kept us in the game up the end.

Also, I don't want us to just be "in the hunt" cause the offense can bail out the defense every time.

I want this team to become dominant, but it will never happen with the 32nd ranked defense even if we had the number 1 ranked offense.

No I am afraid there are people that are serious about that.

[54 spielman]

On a sidenote, I still can't believe Skelator didn't get banned for that **** Wannstedt thread. That was epic!

I'm sure his dad (who's a marine) had a field day with lil' Skelly over that.