Buffalo’s defense pulled out all the stops in their season opening win over Seattle. Bills defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said his scheme would be more complex in 2008 and put more on his players to execute. And execute they did. With end-tackle games, a defensive line with four ends all standing at the line of scrimmage at times and a host of inside blitz calls Buffalo’s defense was a blur of activity and production.
“It was awesome,”
said Chris Kelsay. “Perry did a tremendous job. We were getting to them with four. We were getting to them with multiples, our standup game. That frustrates offenses and you could tell. Hasselbeck was frustrated and their offensive line was frustrated.”
There’s no question that Buffalo’s defense has given their upcoming opponents plenty to think about.
“That gives a team a lot to prepare for,”
said Marcus Stroud. “You never know what you’re going to get. As long as we’re able to play solid in all those schemes which we were in week one we can keep doing it. The main thing is to be consistent.”
Bills head coach Dick Jauron believes Buffalo’s more varied defensive scheme is now possible because of the presence of more veterans in the front seven like Stroud, Spencer Johnson and Kawika Mitchell.
“There is a progression to any group and any scheme,”
said Jauron. “Perry (Fewell) and the whole defensive staff have done a real nice job with that progression. When you get quality veterans, it’s easier because they’ve done it. They know what you’re talking about. They know the feel of it.”
“If it’s getting up and showing the quarterback that you may be coming or may not be coming, they know how that feels and how it looks and how it has to look to the quarterback to give him a sense that you really might be on your way.”
Even more encouraging is the fact that what Buffalo’s defense put on the field last Sunday is just the beginning. There are apparently many more defensive wrinkles to come from Fewell’s unit.
“We have a lot of different things in there so the teams don’t know what we’re coming with,”
said Donte Whitner. “We have more plays that we didn’t put on the field (in week one). We used a small package of things (Sunday), but we have more things to come. Our playbook is very big now and we have some more things to show this week.”
