This is the second installment of my Buffalo Bills' offseason preview. In this part, we will be breaking down the defense, the special teams, and the coaching staff.
The Bills defense suffered the most last year in a season plagued with injuries. They lost two of their defensive linemen, three corners, two linebackers, and their free safety. They made it a point in the offseason to not only upgrade, but to add serious depth to the defense, especially in the secondary, which was hit the hardest.
Buffalos' defense is underrated, mostly because they do not put up great numbers. The last couple of years they have been a bend-but-don't-break defense. Allowing teams to put up good yardage against them, but it has worked in some games. This strategy forces offenses to be conservative by not allowing the big play, and has kept the Bills in some games by forcing field goals.
They are a fun group to watch though, because they fly to the ball and never take plays off. The defense is going to be much improved going in to next season, with the additions made through free agency and the draft, and just being healthy.
Defensive Line: The Bills use a rotation throughout the defensive line, in an effort to keep the players fresh. The line was fairly weak last season due to injuries. They failed to get to the quarterback or stop the run. They made some vast improvements this offseason. They traded for three-time Pro-Bowl defensive tackle Marcus Stroud, a huge addition (6'6" 310 lbs) to an undersized line. He commands double teams, and that will allow the other players to make more plays.
They also signed Spencer Johnson (6'3" 286 lbs) from the Vikings, who is exactly the type of player the Bills like because of his versatility (can play end or tackle) and work ethic. Buffalo also used its third-round pick (72nd overall) on Chris Ellis (6'4" 261 lbs), a pass-rushing end out of Virginia Tech.
Buffalo seems pretty solid up front this season, with the added depth and the addition of Stroud. That will take a lot of pressure off Aaron Schobel, a two-time Pro-Bowler, and former first-round pick (27th overall) defensive tackle John McCargo. McCargo (6'2" 307 lbs) was injured his rookie season, but showed flashes last year of why he was drafted so high. He only had 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks, but made some big plays by blowing up the run in the backfield. When a player like Stroud lines up next to him, McCargo should make a lot more plays.
Chris Kelsay will start opposite Schobel, with Ryan Denney and Ellis backing them up. Kyle Williams and Johnson will be the backups inside. With a deeper rotation and a much-improved line, expect another great year from Schobel and another trip to the Pro Bowl.
Linebacker: The linebacking unit got two major additions this offseason. They added Kawika Mitchell (6'1" 253 lbs) from the champion N.Y. Giants, and will get Paul Posluszny (6'1" 240 lbs) back from the injury that ended his very promising rookie season. This unit is also deeper now, with Keith Ellison a former starter moving into a backup role behind Mitchell, and backup John DiGiorgio having started 14 games last year in Posluszny's absence. Angelo Crowell (6'1" 246 lbs), who is one of the toughest and most underrated players on this team, is the other starting linebacker.
Buffalo needed to add more size to this unit, without sacrificing their most valuable weapon, speed. They did this with the addition of Mitchell, who is also a sure tackler, having played middle linebacker in his years at Kansas City.
Posluszny is a solid middle-linebacker who can drop into coverage, and gets through traffic on his way to the ball carrier. He only played three games last year, but had 26 tackles in those games and always seemed to be around the ball. Bills fans should be excited to get this guy back. He is a true, hard-nosed football player, who when he broke his arm was so mad that he let his teammates down, and was hoping to play the next week until the Bills placed him on IR.
The Bills added some depth here in the draft as well, picking Alvin Bowman (6'1" 222 lbs) out of Iowa State in the fifth round (147th pick overall). He is expected to contribute right away on special teams. With these additions, Crowell, the Bills' most consistent linebacker, will hopefully have a breakout year and take that step to the next level of his career.
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