Bills’ defensive line hopes to tae kwon do a better job

By Anthony Bialy  |   Thursday, June 04, 2009  |  Comments( 122 )

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The Buffalo Bills are going to improve their defensive line with Shaolin ninja power. Of course. A tae kwon do expert named Joe Kim is consulting with the group on how to use martial arts techniques to get past blockers. It makes sense: Buffalo’s defensive philosophy eschews brute force in favor of speed and quickness, and practicing unarmed combat is a clever way for light players to dominate football’s pit. Bowing to their sensei now means they won’t be bowled over by offensive linemen later.

In addition to the training, the platoon has reportedly watched every sack in the NFL over the previous two seasons. Reflecting on the video sessions, defensive tackle Kyle Williams claimed that counter moves led to 90 percent of those sacks.

If that percentage is accurate, it should play into the hands of Buffalo’s line, as it’s built to react swiftly to lumbering offensive linemen. While other teams switch to the trendy, bulky 3-4, Buffalo is staying undersized. As has been the case for years, any force battles this line wins will be thanks to acceleration, not mass.

The Bills’ defensive line collectively looks like it misses meals. At 250 pounds, rookie Aaron Maybin isn’t even the lightest end; that title goes to a fellow Aaron in Schobel, who’s currently listed at 243. Chris Kelsay checks in at 261, while Ryan Denney officially weighs 264 pounds, spread through his 6-foot-7 frame. Other teams call similarly built players “linebackers"; this team hopes that its undernourished ends can maneuver with ease.

Meanwhile, the top four defensive tackles in Williams, Marcus Stroud, Spencer Johnson and by default John McCargo average 302 pounds. That would have been considered typical -- a few decades ago. But again, the Bills continue to wager that it’s hard to impede a swift, cannily moving defender no matter how small he is.

Angles and hand movements used in a different type of physical competition could aid that football goal. Despite obvious differences, both sports are ultimately based on knocking your poor opponent to the ground.

After all, Wikipedia claims that “tae kwon do” loosely translates to “The way of the foot and fist,” and success on the defensive line comes down to using one’s appendages wisely. Practicing such hand-to-hand warfare is an unconventional but intriguing approach to winning the line of scrimmage.

Kim has done this before, as he previously shared his take with half a dozen teams; Bills defensive line coach Bob Sanders worked with him during his time coaching the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers.

As with karate devotees, the tae kwon doing Bills need to strike first and strike hard with no mercy; of course, there must also be no pain in their dojo. Converting martial arts’ principles into football tactics is an interesting acknowledgment of the similarities between the world’s divergent athletic contests. That offbeat mentality by the Bills could mean traditional problems for opposing quarterbacks. If it works, centers, guards and tackles won’t realize their strength is being used against them until it’s too late.
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