Bills Run Defense Continues to Struggle

08/19/2018
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The Buffalo Bills registered their first win of the season against the Browns with a 19-17 away victory, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t mistakes. When the team watches film of the game, they’ll assuredly notice some glaring issues, none more obvious than the starting defense’s issues with stopping the run.

The Browns were able to rack up 164 yards on the ground on 32 carries, which boils down to a 5.1 yards per carry average. That is far too lofty a number, and I’m sure defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier is working to address it.

The preseason is a time for the organization to evaluate players, but fans tend to forget that it is also the time for the staff to evaluate their schemes. Much like offensive play-callers, defensive coordinators are also testing their own schemes. The defensive staff may have a defensive structure in mind on paper, but when put to the test it may not hold up. When you plug in the actual players, sometimes things don’t go as planned, and the staff may have to make some adjustments.

Matched up against the Browns, it appeared that the defense wasn’t completely prepared for some of the tackle pulls and split flow runs that Browns offensive coordinator Todd Haley threw at them.

It is now up to Frazier and his staff to adjust their scheme structure or coach the players up so that the bad run defense doesn’t become a habit.

Step into the film room to break down a few of these plays:

 

 

 

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