Loud and proud allowed thanks to Stroud

By Anthony Bialy  |   Tuesday, October 14, 2008  |  Comments( 114 )

Buffalo Bills
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The Bills’ defense was bad, and Marcus Stroud came along and now it’s pretty good. Of course, there are other reasons why they’ve put forth decent showings in four-fifths of their games unlike last year when they were Fiat-reliable: Paul Posluszny is healthy and positively destructive, for one, while defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is letting his guys run loose on a limited yet fruitful basis in his smart blitzing scheme. But Stroud is the one who is changing games simply with his presence, and he’s most importantly making 10 teammates’ lives easier every snap.

Stroud was the most notable addition to a team that stands at ninth in total defense after its bye. It’s a great improvement, although any progress wouldn’t have been tricky seeing as how the Bills finished second last in 2007 with only the Lions worse; that said, they’re better than a little better. They’ve likewise made strides in particular categories: The group is 18th this season in run-stopping with a rate of 114.2 yards per game, a step up from finishing 25th last year at 124.6 yards a contest. Meanwhile, they’re residing in ninth at pass defense, surrendering 184.8 throwing yards every time compared to 238.4 a game one season ago when they finished 29th.

Even with a rough pre-bye showing, everything’s either fairly or much superior, and the reason things have gone from being like “Star Trek III” to “Star Trek II” in such short time is that the exact center of the defensive universe is now stable. Stroud brutalizes when necessary and makes blockers miss the other times, serving as a true renaissance lineman.

It’s usually tough to measure a defensive tackle’s performance with statistics, as they’re the ultimate team players in a thoroughly team sport: It's their job to attract attention and free space for their teammates. But Stroud is also doing well on his own, totaling 18 tackles in five games. Anything over three per outing is a good showing for a de facto nose tackle, and Stroud is doing more than contributing indirectly.

The eighth-year pro also has two sacks, and when he’s not busy stopping passes at their source he’s ruining them at their destination: The Georgia product already has been credited for four passes defended this year. He’s Spider-Man in The Hulk’s body; that would be a super awesome movie, and in the meantime those characteristics make him an invaluable defensive asset.

Stroud doesn’t play evenhandedly: He’s too fast for his size, and he’s what every team wants and what a mobile defense like Buffalo needed. It’s not to take anything away from anyone else, but the core reason why competitors like Posluszny or Donte Whitner have been able to reach the highest level of effectiveness is that Stroud is drawing two blockers so consistently.

Last year’s stiffs in jerseys couldn’t have plugged a drain, much less the line of scrimmage’s middle, and the former Jaguar’s presence has made the first five games mostly more fun, even factoring in the previous downer. Stroud helps others while sometimes helping himself, and it’s why he’s both the defense’s best and most valuable player at the break.
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CommentsComments: 114  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
ddd		08:48 AM
10/14/2008
Stroud has been a significant upgrade for us in run support. Kyle Williams seems to be making more plays as a result. McCargo ...
No.2
Nate		09:23 AM
10/14/2008
Funny, because I've been thinking "where the hell is Stroud?" since his fantastic Opening Day game against the Seahawks. Okay, ...
No.3
Kegman		09:54 AM
10/14/2008
I think the Bills need some more mass and skill on the D-line. Stroud is a huge upgrade, but the rest of the guys are either ...
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