Bills’ defense plays well, even if no one gets its back

By Anthony Bialy  |   Wednesday, December 10, 2008  |  Comments( 100 )

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Is there anything else the Buffalo Bills would like the defense to do? Rotate the field so the lights aren’t shining in the quarterback’s eyes? Go Christmas shopping for the children of the offense’s players, maybe? Or manage automakers back to profitability to make sure their slacker teammates’ portfolios don’t suffer? This defense has already been charged with the ridiculous task of holding opponents to two or fewer points per game, so this franchise may as well keep piling similarly impossible task requests upon the half of the roster that’s doing all the good.

Whether one sees it as a wasted effort or the bright side of a miserable loss, the defense set a good example that nobody else followed in Sunday's 16-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Everything started in the back, as the safeties toiled admirably for the half of Buffalo’s team that bothered. Bryan Scott led the brigade with 10 stops; it usually means rotten truths when a safety leads the tackle count, but on this day it reflected a good effort for the player rather than a poor one for the defense.

Scott is getting most of his tackles close to the snap’s location; seven of his Dolphin stops were plays that went for single-digit gains or less, with one of those ending at the line of scrimmage and another going for a 1-yard loss. His partner looked at ease in his real return to action after a false start against the Cleveland Browns, as Donte Whitner managed six tackles while generally demonstrating his presence well in his return from a dinged shoulder.

The partners were a huge part of the reason why Miami put up generally unassuming numbers even in victory. For one, the Dolphins only mustered 3.4 yards per rush, as the two-headed duo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams inflicted limited devastation. As for passing, Chad Pennington picked up 181 yards in going 23 for 29, meaning he had about the same game he always has: The Marshall man was efficient in an unglamorous manner, and the Bills did OK against a loud whisperer.

Buffalo’s secondary had to strike a balance between putting a ceiling on Miami’s pass offense and not letting rushers dash around as they please under that barrier; the group performed decently in a defeat that after all wasn’t its fault, especially considering it’s tough to play when tethered to the anchor that is the Bills’ offense.

The most telling statistic regarding Buffalo’s defensive presentation had to do not with yardage or even points but rather with time: The defenders' unhelpful teammates held the ball for only 22:29. In turn, that of course means Miami received an ample 37:31 of game time with which to work through no fault of its direct opposition. Limiting the Dolphins to 16 points was a feat of strength, especially considering the defenders basically worked the closing shift, went home for a nap, and then opened the next morning.

The longest drive Buffalo’s own offense ran, namely its try to open the second half, lasted exactly five minutes and ended in a punt, anyway. The Bills didn’t manage to get to double-digit plays in any series, and their 163 net total yards was a suitably pathetic reflection of the way this offense does little more than occupy space for a handful of snaps.

It wasn’t all perfect for Buffalo’s defense: For one, both safeties were slightly late in arriving to stop tight end Anthony Fasano on his 20-yard reception for both the Dolphins’ only touchdown and Pennington’s longest completion of the day. But it’s unreasonable to expect the unit to pitch a no-hitter, as limiting a foe stocked with impressive weaponry is a fair accomplishment. It’s not their fault that the Bills were only at half-strength in Toronto, as only the offense couldn’t calculate the exchange rate.
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CommentsComments: 100  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Kegman		10:15 AM
12/10/2008
Agreed. Buffalo's defense is playing well, considering the load they have to carry thanks to the ineptitude of ther offense, and...
No.2
10:45 AM
12/10/2008
Really? I think our D is average. Granted there are bright spots and there is talent there to work with. However, I see little...
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No.3
ddd		11:02 AM
12/10/2008
Mediocre. Tha't what our defense is. Mediocre. Stroud has certainly helped our run defense but it is now only average. I hate...
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