Bills Pass Rush Observations... (1 Viewer)

[Mamba]

• Drew Brees dropped back to pass 29 times.
  Of those 29 plays, the Bills blitzed 4 times.
• Three of those blitzes came in the 1st half, with 1 blitz in the 2nd half (as we ran the ball much more).
• All of those blitzes involved 5 or 6 players.
• Three of the Bills' blitzes came on 3rd down, however, they also blitzed once on 1st down (which is the first time this year Brees has seen a blitz earlier than 3rd down).
• This is the first game in which we actually saw a defense disguise its blitz. On two plays they showed one look pre-snap, but blitzed different players once the ball was snapped.

Here are the results of those 4 plays:

1. Completed pass, converting a 3rd and 6. The Bills brought 2 extra LBs (1 between the LG/C and 1 between the RG/RT). The OL picked it up well, giving Brees enough time to distribute the ball.
2. Incomplete pass on 1st and 10. The Saints tried a screen to the right side. The Bills blitzed the CB playing the slot (same side as the screen). Pass was off, should've been complete although probably for a minimal gain.
3. Sack on 3rd and 8. Very well disguised blitz and well-timed. The Bills brought a LB up the middle and a CB from the slot. The CB was unblocked but it was a DE who sprang free for the sack. Well-executed.
4. Incomplete on 3rd and long. Another well-disguised blitz although picked up well by the O-Line. Personnel-wise, the Bills only used 2 down-linemen with 4 LBs and 5 DBs. They brought three LBs up the middle. Brees had time, but the middle of the pocket was starting to cave. Coverage was solid and he threw it away.

As mentioned above, this is the first time a defense has tried to mix up its pre-snap looks in regards to pass rush, trying to confuse the protection schemes. I would expect Rex Ryan and the Jets to do this even more next week. Next week will be the biggest test for our pass protection that we'll have faced so far this year (and possibly for the entire year with a possible exception for the Giants). Not so much for the quantity of blitzes, but for the style of blitzes. It will also be the first time we will have faced a 34 defensive scheme this year.
On another note, I haven't been keeping track of the Saints defensive blitzes, but it is remarkable how heavy our use of the blitz has been and how many combinations/packages we've been using. I know this directly correlates to the inexperience of the QBs we've faced, but it's my observation that it's worked extremely well. Especially in this last game. Edwards was clearly rattled and off-balance the entire game. In saying that, he also made some remarkable throws on 3rd down under heavy pressure. It'll be interesting to see if Sanchez can do that consistently this week, because he will definitely be put to the test.

In week 1 the Lions blitzed on 6% of Brees' 34 dropbacks.
In week 2 the Eagles blitzed on 18% of Brees' 34 dropbacks.
In week 3 the Bills blitzed on 14% of Brees' 29 dropbacks.

 

[GameBreaker]

Rex will definitely blitz more than this. Hopefully the results are lot better for Brees.

 

[obwhiteo]

man i wish there was a way we could get the games without downloading torrents.....

but good breakdown, as usual! The Jets defensive gameplan will be very similar to what the Bills did. Show one thing, bring another. It makes Brees have to take that extra half second to dissect what he is seeing. It can be effective, or devistating. Just like they did against the Pat's they will either live or die by the blitz.

 

[Lucketty]

Really good post.

 

[RockyMtnSaint]

Everybody was expecting to get blitzed getting off the bus but it turns out that the Bills DC was being honest when he said he wouldn't blitz much. In my opinion this was very smart and it gave them the best chance to limit Brees, which they actually did pretty well. Now I wonder if Rex Ryan is going to try the same thing or if he's going to go blitz crazy. I think he will strongly try to disguise it when he does blitz and he will try to confuse our blocking scheme. I also tend to believe he's not going blitz as much as we think. He will rush the down three plus one linebacker most of the time but we won't know which LB it's going to be. In this way, he will try to get good pressure with just 4 rushers, leaving 7 back to play coverage most of the time. If he uses the nickel (basically the same as our 3-3-5) then I expect we'll try to run as we did against Buffalo. We really need PT and Bush in this game to slow down the excellent Jets pass defense.

 

[BoNcHiE]

The Bills did what teams should do and it nearly payed off had they had the offensive production to go with it.

Blitzing too much will get you beat against Brees. Most of the pressure on Brees came from the front 4 and that allowed them to drop into coverage. It was effective, but cost them when we started to run.

 

[BoroSaint]

The thing about Rex Ryan is he tries to overload one side. Pat Kirwan on Sirius said that he blitzed 7 players several times versus the Patriots and Brady didn't have time to even get the ball to his hot receiver. The main thing we are going to need come Sunday is for our running game to be as good as it has been so far this year.

The main thing about blitzing is that it doesn't matter how many are sent, it's how effective the blitzers are. You can blitz 7 players all game long but if they don't take the correct angles (which happened to us on a play vs. Edwards and he hit Josh Reed for a 15-20 yard gain) then it won't matter. I think Drew and Sean will be breaking the Jets down all week to ensure that their blitzes aren't as effective as they have been this year.

 

[earl_con_queso504]

the problem isnt the blitz its the cover2

 

[james_k_p]

man i wish there was a way we could get the games without downloading torrents.....

There is a way.

A person on some other sports forum downloads my torrent, then breaks it up into zip files and uploads it via a rapidshare site. You can download the pieces with I believe 15 minute pauses between each file unless you buy a rapidshare account. Of course you'll have to wait for this person to download my torrent and all and then uploading it, so it won't be fast, but it's a way. I have the link at home. PM me if you want it and I'll send it to you.

JKP

 

[Budsdrinker]

The screen passes need to be utilized this week. In the dome Brees will be able to loft them better for Bush to run under rather than having to put more zip on them because of the wind. Also we will need to use the quick slants more besides running the ball to open up the deeper passes.

 

[SaintSeb]

The Bills sold out on the pass. That's why when Brees had time, he still couldnt find anyone. The running lanes were there all day but inexplicably we didn't take advantage 'til the second half.

 

[AdamWest]

I really think the dump offs to Reggie Bush in the flats or in the middle of the field is going to be vital against the Jets.

 

[BoroSaint]

the problem isnt the blitz its the cover2

Well don't expect Rex Ryan to take that approach. And while I understand what you're sayin, it depends on the opponent's blitz scheme. You can't just say...if the Jets blitz us and don't run a cover 2 then we'll beat them easily.

If the Jets biltz and leave their corners 5 yards off the line, then Drew can go to his hot read every time. But if they're playing us physical on the outside and our receivers can explode off of the line, then Drew will have to hold onto the ball a little longer, allowing the blitz to be more effective. If I were going against our offense, I would be playing bump-n-run on the outside all game long with a safety over the top. A really physical scheme (which the Jets run) can throw the timing of our passing offense off.

The solution for this is the emergence of our running game and the screen game. A couple effective draws, screens, and runs out of what the Jets perceive to be passing formations will have them hesitant in their pass rush.

 

[wamland]

I really think the dump offs to Reggie Bush in the flats or in the middle of the field is going to be vital against the Jets.

I hope they work on those because they have been out of synch with that the past 2 weeks.

 

[JackDiesel]

It used to be the way to beat this offense was have a good pass rush from your front 4, which the Bills had. However, this team can also run the ball, which we used to counter the pressure their front 4 was able to create.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Rex Ryan blitz less than he usually does, he's just going to try and hide where that 4th man is going to come from. If he starts to blitz more our guys will get open and Brees will find them.