WEBVTT - Bills By The Numbers: Jim Leonhard Leads A Defensive Turnaround For Buffalo 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:02.440 Glad it can be with us here on Bills by 0:00:02.480 --> 0:00:04.480 the Numbers, where we let the stats tell you where 0:00:04.519 --> 0:00:07.080 the Bills are and coming up in our final edition, 0:00:07.160 --> 0:00:10.280 before training camp, Buffalo's defense and where it is headed 0:00:10.800 --> 0:00:14.760 under Jim Leonard. How different will it look? Will the 0:00:14.840 --> 0:00:18.040 pass rush be its identity? And will there be a 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:22.360 greater reliance on youth and athleticism. Steve will be given 0:00:22.400 --> 0:00:25.400 his last training camp quiz and we'll. 0:00:25.160 --> 0:00:28.160 Have our one burning question. 0:00:28.600 --> 0:00:44.479 It's time to report to camp. Welcome into Bills by 0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:46.479 the Numbers. He is Bill's Wall of Famer Steve Tasker 0:00:46.520 --> 0:00:49.400 on Bill's play by playman Chris Brown. And after focusing 0:00:49.520 --> 0:00:52.080 on the offensive outlook in our previous episode, we now 0:00:52.080 --> 0:00:55.360 take an overview of a defense that is undergoing its 0:00:55.480 --> 0:00:58.560 most significant change in a decade. 0:00:58.680 --> 0:00:59.440 That side of the. 0:00:59.360 --> 0:01:01.880 Ball has a new coordinator in Jim Leonard, and a 0:01:01.960 --> 0:01:04.080 new scheme comes along with him as the team moves 0:01:04.080 --> 0:01:06.160 to a three to four base front. There are also 0:01:06.200 --> 0:01:09.000 a lot of new faces, which tends to happen when 0:01:09.040 --> 0:01:11.959 there's a head coaching change. But where do you see 0:01:12.000 --> 0:01:15.560 this defense headed Steve under defensive coordinator Jim Leonard. 0:01:16.000 --> 0:01:21.039 It has it's needed a facelift at least, and I 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:23.679 think I echo a little bit where Bills fans are 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:26.399 at this point. I don't care what it looks like. 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:31.280 We needed to play better. It has not been good enough. 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:33.560 You've got a super Bowl caliber quarterback, You've got a 0:01:33.560 --> 0:01:36.960 super Bowl caliber offense, and you have had for more 0:01:37.000 --> 0:01:39.440 than a handful of years. And it's not for lack 0:01:39.480 --> 0:01:43.480 of trying. Brandon Bean and the scouting staff have made trades. 0:01:43.840 --> 0:01:48.200 They've brought in big name guys, they have drafted heavy defensively, 0:01:48.640 --> 0:01:50.760 They've tried to get as many playmakers as they can. 0:01:50.800 --> 0:01:52.360 When they get side of the ball, it has never 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:56.720 come together. And so the defense is gonna look different. 0:01:56.760 --> 0:01:59.280 It needs to look different, and that may be in 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:01.360 and of itself, will be enough to shake something loose 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:04.640 that they can get some production consistently on that side 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:08.040 of the ball. But for most Bills fans three four 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:11.800 four three do not care. Get the ball back to 0:02:11.919 --> 0:02:14.760 Josh more often and get that other team off the 0:02:14.800 --> 0:02:17.000 field when you should be able to get him off 0:02:17.040 --> 0:02:20.480 the field. Yeah, as far as so, I agree with 0:02:20.520 --> 0:02:21.000 all of that. 0:02:21.200 --> 0:02:25.440 I'm going to focus more maybe on the tenor the demeanor, 0:02:26.000 --> 0:02:28.840 the style in which this defense is going to play 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:31.840 under Jim Leonard, because based on all the indications we've 0:02:31.880 --> 0:02:35.440 gotten from Jim Lennard through the course of this offseason 0:02:35.480 --> 0:02:40.040 in press conferences, he wants a defense that plays with 0:02:40.120 --> 0:02:44.480 an edge that borders on physical intimidation, and he wants 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:48.600 to dictate play to an opposing offense. I want to 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:51.840 see that in action when we get to the regular season, 0:02:52.600 --> 0:02:57.360 taking into account that getting it all humming and working 0:02:57.400 --> 0:03:00.640 like a well oiled machine could take the first third 0:03:00.680 --> 0:03:04.440 of the season. Taking into account new scheme, new players, 0:03:05.440 --> 0:03:08.440 and young players that have less experience in this scheme 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:13.320 than maybe some others, I believe that Jim Lennard is 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:16.440 gonna be able to round this group into form where 0:03:16.960 --> 0:03:20.400 it's a defense that plays in a way that's gonna 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:24.120 have offensive players looking over their shoulder, particularly receivers crossing 0:03:24.160 --> 0:03:29.119 the middle. So I welcome that because I think there 0:03:29.200 --> 0:03:31.720 wasn't enough of an edge on the defensive side of 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:34.520 the ball. Not to say that the defense over the 0:03:34.560 --> 0:03:38.720 years hasn't been able to play physically and you know, 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:42.240 bring the wood on occasion, but I think there is 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:47.120 there is a thought that Jim Leonard wants his defense, 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:50.040 putting in the heads of opposing offensive players that makes 0:03:50.080 --> 0:03:53.240 them cringe a little bit, maybe makes them turtle a 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:56.000 little bit. I want to see that in action. 0:03:56.680 --> 0:04:02.480 That would be nice, no question about it, though. This 0:04:03.320 --> 0:04:06.360 shakeup on the defensive side has needed. They have tried everything, 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:09.360 and you can go down the list from the list 0:04:09.400 --> 0:04:11.160 of players that are played on that side of the ball, 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:14.480 the moves the general managers made on that side of 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:17.680 the ball, the philosophies that have changed and evolved even 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:19.839 under McDermott on that side of the ball. 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:24.880 To your point, we do know Buffalo's defensive front needs 0:04:24.920 --> 0:04:28.240 to improve considerably from what it was last year. Yes, 0:04:28.279 --> 0:04:30.359 they were without two of their better pass rushers for 0:04:30.400 --> 0:04:32.520 most of the season and Michael Hoyt and At Oliver, 0:04:32.920 --> 0:04:37.120 but finishing twenty second in the league in total quarterback 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:39.960 pressures with one hundred and twenty seven over eighteen games 0:04:40.200 --> 0:04:43.320 and twenty first in total sacks with thirty six is 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:46.720 not a playoff caliber defense from a pass rush perspective. 0:04:46.880 --> 0:04:49.120 Couple that with the ranking of twenty eighth in run 0:04:49.200 --> 0:04:51.360 defense over one hundred and thirty six yards a game 0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:55.600 and thirtieth in yards allowed per rush attempt. At a 0:04:55.640 --> 0:04:59.960 fat five point one, and you understand why schematic ch 0:05:00.080 --> 0:05:02.479 changes were made. How different do you expect this defense 0:05:02.520 --> 0:05:05.440 to look to its previous iteration and where do you 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:07.480 think the changes will be most notable? 0:05:07.520 --> 0:05:09.159 I think it's gonna I think it's going to be 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:13.000 a vastly different defensive roster from top to bottom. There'll 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:15.159 be some guys that Christian Benfort will be in there, 0:05:16.520 --> 0:05:19.080 Terrell Bernard will be in there taking reps at all. 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:22.640 Hopefully at Oliver can stay on the field. Greg Russou 0:05:22.800 --> 0:05:26.159 and that's about where it ends. I mean, Cole Bishop 0:05:26.200 --> 0:05:28.800 is fairly new still, he's going to be one of 0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:31.000 the guys who you're going to be looking back. Okay, 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:35.560 I recognize him. Gardner Johnson's going to be brand new, 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:41.360 Michael Hoyt is still brand new, TJ Parker, TJ Sanders, 0:05:41.480 --> 0:05:44.400 Dwayne Carter. We don't know Cheb Bradley Chubb know nothing 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:46.640 about these guys. I think the roster is going to 0:05:46.640 --> 0:05:50.640 be vastly different, let alone Davison, Igbinosen who may be 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:54.000 cornerback too, Max Harriston. We barely got to know last year. 0:05:55.080 --> 0:05:58.440 The roster is going to be completely different. That coupled 0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:03.599 with a brand new defensive philosop and a new defensive coordinator. Yeah, 0:06:03.800 --> 0:06:06.240 I think it's going to be almost like you're watching 0:06:06.279 --> 0:06:08.440 somebody else's defense play for the Buffalo Bills. 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:11.960 There's a very good chance looking at last year starting 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:14.720 eleven on defense to this year starting eleven on defense, 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:17.240 you might have five or six different new players. Yeah 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:20.400 in the starting eleven, right, which is that's a stark 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:23.320 contrast from last year. But I think where this defense 0:06:23.400 --> 0:06:27.680 is going to be most noticeably different is in the 0:06:27.839 --> 0:06:32.719 volume of packages that Leonard deploys with a multitude of 0:06:32.760 --> 0:06:36.720 different players. People kind of in the first year of 0:06:36.720 --> 0:06:39.840 a defense say, well, hold on a second, you can't 0:06:39.880 --> 0:06:43.799 be that voluminous with your play call package and personnel 0:06:43.880 --> 0:06:46.920 packages in year one of a defense. But I think 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:53.400 Leonard has so many different players at his disposal that 0:06:53.480 --> 0:06:55.680 he's going to want to get on the field in 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:59.159 some capacity. Like Jalen Kilgore, for example, it is a 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:02.080 six to two, two hundred and ten pounds safety slash 0:07:02.160 --> 0:07:05.520 nickel corner who runs a four to four if he's 0:07:05.520 --> 0:07:07.880 got it between the ears, and it sounds like he does. 0:07:07.960 --> 0:07:10.760 Having talked to him on a couple of occasions they're 0:07:10.760 --> 0:07:13.240 gonna want to get him on the field even though CJ. Gardner, 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:17.320 Johnson and Cole Bishop might be your starting eleven starting safeties. 0:07:18.040 --> 0:07:20.400 So to that end, I think he's gonna have extra 0:07:20.440 --> 0:07:24.440 players at his disposal to use in a varied number 0:07:24.440 --> 0:07:28.200 of packages to make this defense more difficult to figure out. 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:29.080 So I think there's. 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:31.400 Gonna be people running on, running off based on down 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:34.200 and distance, where you are on the field, time and score. 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:36.600 I think that's where it's gonna be most notable. We're 0:07:36.600 --> 0:07:40.480 gonna say a number of different personnel packages because I 0:07:40.520 --> 0:07:43.240 think they're gonna want to get upwards of fifteen to 0:07:43.360 --> 0:07:46.360 sixteen eighteen different defensive players on the field through the 0:07:46.360 --> 0:07:46.880 course of a game. 0:07:46.960 --> 0:07:49.360 Right if you've got twenty four guys listed as defensive 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:51.920 players on your fifty three man or forty seven man 0:07:52.080 --> 0:07:56.240 roster of game day roster game day roster, ninety percent 0:07:56.320 --> 0:07:58.200 of those guys going to state see snaps not Those 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:01.640 last couple may be special teams eyes, but it seems 0:08:01.760 --> 0:08:05.760 like the entire what twenty two guys that they've got 0:08:05.800 --> 0:08:08.560 listed for defenders, they're all gonna get on the field. 0:08:08.560 --> 0:08:09.960 It feels now you may be right. 0:08:10.360 --> 0:08:13.400 Leonard has talked a lot about dictating play to the opponent, 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:16.640 particularly when down in distance favors his unit. How likely 0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:22.840 is that that Buffalo's pass rush becomes the identity of 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:26.679 this revamp well defensive unit, because they've been searching. They 0:08:26.720 --> 0:08:30.480 were searching for that the entire McDermott regime. I mean, 0:08:30.520 --> 0:08:35.319 you could argue that the pass rush has not been 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:39.400 the identity of this defense since Jim Schwartz was running 0:08:39.400 --> 0:08:41.679 it and they led the league in sacks with fifty seven. 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:44.880 That's correct, right, I mean you're talking upwards of a 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:45.440 dozen years. 0:08:45.480 --> 0:08:48.440 That's what every defense wants for its defense. They want 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:51.880 their pass rush to dominate the whole game, like we've 0:08:51.880 --> 0:08:54.080 seen a couple, you know, on occasion teams be able 0:08:54.080 --> 0:08:56.400 to do in a Super Bowl against Peyton Manning, the 0:08:56.440 --> 0:09:01.520 Legion of Boom last year, the Seattle Seahawks against the Patriots. 0:09:02.720 --> 0:09:05.160 That's the kind of defensive front you want to see. 0:09:06.040 --> 0:09:10.480 The Rams with Aaron Broncos the Broncos. So that's what 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:13.000 you want to see in Everybody wants it, but it's 0:09:13.000 --> 0:09:16.320 hard to get without elite defenders. The Bills have yet 0:09:16.320 --> 0:09:18.840 to have anybody emerge as an elite defender in the 0:09:18.880 --> 0:09:23.360 defensive front or pass rush of this group. We saw 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:27.000 moments of it last year with Michael Hoyton at Oliver thought, okay, 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:30.360 we've got something. Have an elite edge guy and a 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:34.480 defensive tackle who could really move some people, and we 0:09:34.679 --> 0:09:39.800 lasted a half a game. So that's the biggest question mark. 0:09:40.280 --> 0:09:43.000 This defense, when it was at its best under McDermott, 0:09:43.040 --> 0:09:46.640 was a turnover generator. That was their identity when they 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:49.400 got to their first playoff game or their playoff run 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:52.840 with Josh Allen in his second year in twenty nineteen, 0:09:53.440 --> 0:09:55.680 here's the problem that I see it, and I'm going 0:09:55.720 --> 0:09:59.520 to get back to this as a ton. The big 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:02.840 question for this defense is, yeah, it's all nice to 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:05.120 go out and dictate play, go out and blitz them 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:07.760 and go after them and really attack them. The problem 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:10.839 is the Bills consistently play a first play schedule. First 0:10:10.840 --> 0:10:14.840 play schedule. Quarterbacks aren't bothered by blitzes. They got a plan, 0:10:14.960 --> 0:10:17.559 they can beat it. In twenty seventeen, when the Bills 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:19.960 were blitz happy and Sean mcdermal was, wow, this is great. 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:22.280 They were playing a fourth they were playing a tenth 0:10:22.360 --> 0:10:25.040 place schedule. They were the worst team in football. They 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.720 couldn't get in the playoffs, they stunk, and they played 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:30.080 the bottom of the NFL. Yeah, you get away with 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:32.360 it because those quarterbacks are struggling as bad as your 0:10:32.480 --> 0:10:34.960 quarterbacks that you were running through every three or four 0:10:35.000 --> 0:10:37.800 years during the drought. You were playing the fourth place schedule. 0:10:37.920 --> 0:10:40.680 Bills don't play fourth play schedules this year. This year 0:10:40.760 --> 0:10:43.320 they get a second place schedule. Guess what, So to 0:10:43.360 --> 0:10:46.079 the Chiefs, you got the Chiefs. So to the RAM, 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:50.480 I mean, come on, you can dictate play like that 0:10:50.559 --> 0:10:55.200 defensive least, particularly without elite defenders against a fourth place schedule. 0:10:55.679 --> 0:10:58.000 You look at the Bill schedule this year. You think 0:10:58.040 --> 0:11:00.319 you're going to fool Matt Stafford out of in La 0:11:00.360 --> 0:11:04.079 at his home stadium. No, you gotta beat some guys 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:06.480 one on one. Yeah, that's the big question mark for 0:11:06.480 --> 0:11:07.760 the Bills defense, right, And. 0:11:07.679 --> 0:11:09.480 I will that we haven't seen that, And I will 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:12.560 dovetail off of that because I still harbor the concern 0:11:13.679 --> 0:11:18.720 that while you have accumulated more pass rushers than maybe 0:11:18.760 --> 0:11:23.680 you have in recent years, both young and inexperienced and proven, 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:28.960 most notably TJ. Parker and Bradley Chubb in free agency. 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:35.760 In this system, you still don't have a pass rusher 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:41.480 whose game is predicated on speed. You don't have a 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:46.360 quintessential speed rusher off the edge on this roster. Javon 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:50.960 Solomon's a nice player, power rusher, Greg Russo power rusher, 0:11:51.000 --> 0:11:56.840 Bradley Chubb power rusher, TJ. Parker largely a power rusher. 0:11:57.520 --> 0:12:00.800 There is no speed element out there, and so I 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:03.920 think Jim Leonard is going to have to find other 0:12:04.040 --> 0:12:08.600 pieces within his defense to create that speed and hurry 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:11.920 up quarterbacks to the degree that he wants. So maybe 0:12:11.920 --> 0:12:16.080 it's a blitzing Dorian Williams, maybe it's a blitzing calebb Alarms, 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:19.120 or maybe it's a blitzing safety or corner. But I 0:12:19.160 --> 0:12:22.280 think that's where the speed of the pass rush is 0:12:22.280 --> 0:12:25.280 gonna have to be manufactured from, because I don't see 0:12:25.320 --> 0:12:29.240 it in the primary skill sets of the primary pass rush. 0:12:29.280 --> 0:12:31.520 They have tried it a ton of ways. Leonard Floyd 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:35.120 was in here, Von Miller was in here, and they 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:38.280 had different players up front. Jordan Phillips is a power rusher. 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:41.920 Tremade Edmonds was here, Poyer and not all these names 0:12:41.960 --> 0:12:45.360 have been churned through the Bill's defense, and while Poyer 0:12:45.360 --> 0:12:49.680 and Hyde were elite safeties together, they weren't pass rushers. 0:12:50.800 --> 0:12:53.120 And you know, you had a guy in here for 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:55.839 one year who has been the only guy in the 0:12:55.920 --> 0:12:58.640 last six or seven have double digit sacks, and that 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:01.600 was Leonard Floyd, right and a half twenty twenty half. 0:13:01.640 --> 0:13:04.480 He barely got there. It it's been a rough go. 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:08.400 So let me ask you this, knowing that because Floyd 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:11.920 was the only double jude to sack season in the 0:13:12.000 --> 0:13:15.520 mcdermot'd era for nine years, do you believe there will 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:19.440 be a top sack specialist on this roster who far 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:23.080 and away leads the team in that category, or do 0:13:23.120 --> 0:13:26.520 you expect more of the same group effort apro. 0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:28.120 I think it's got to be more the same group 0:13:28.720 --> 0:13:30.760 unless t. J. Parker comes in and it's like, wow, 0:13:30.840 --> 0:13:33.720 this is Chubb has a career. Chub has a Chubb 0:13:33.760 --> 0:13:35.600 has some gas in the tank, and he finds himself 0:13:35.600 --> 0:13:37.679 in a culture that's like, wow, I can thrive in this. 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:40.640 Or Michael Hoyt comes in and and gets out of 0:13:40.640 --> 0:13:42.440 the blocks a little bit faster than we thought he 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:45.040 would and he has a strong second two thirds of 0:13:45.040 --> 0:13:50.120 the season. That kind of thing. Maybe, but that's all 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:53.040 that's a coin flip. Yeah, I don't. I don't. I 0:13:53.080 --> 0:13:54.840 think it's going to be more of the same and 0:13:54.880 --> 0:14:00.400 hopefully a little better with a more aggressive philosophy and 0:14:00.440 --> 0:14:06.480 maybe better timed calls. I don't know, but I have Yeah, 0:14:06.800 --> 0:14:10.600 there's the only thing on this roster that says, well, 0:14:10.600 --> 0:14:12.720 maybe they got a chance is Ed Oliver and Michael 0:14:12.720 --> 0:14:15.360 Hoyt being able to recreate what they had for a 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:17.840 short time last year and never got a chance to 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:21.320 see it. And TJ. Parker is what he thinks, what 0:14:21.440 --> 0:14:25.280 the Bills think he is, and Bradley Chubb has some guests. 0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:27.800 But all of that, you start to mentioning all those names, Well, 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:30.000 that's a lot of four names. That's four names already. 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:32.880 So it's gonna be a group effort. Yeah. I think 0:14:32.920 --> 0:14:35.760 it's going to be a group effort as well. 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:37.840 And then I think if you take it a step further, 0:14:38.000 --> 0:14:40.720 you say, well, how much are they going to be 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:44.160 able to climb that team sack leaderboard in the league. 0:14:44.160 --> 0:14:46.360 They were twenty first last year with thirty six, as 0:14:46.360 --> 0:14:49.800 we mentioned, can they get ten more? Can they get 0:14:49.840 --> 0:14:52.200 twelve more? I think some of it's gonna have to 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:56.200 do with getting teams in vulnerable positions, which means your 0:14:56.240 --> 0:14:59.760 run defense better be better on early downs to create those 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:04.240 pans rush opportunities. And then if you look at the schedule, 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:07.680 here are some mobile courts. They're facing a lot of 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:12.280 mobile quarterbacks this year, Justin Herbert Drake, May, Lamar Jackson, 0:15:12.440 --> 0:15:16.440 c J. Stroud, Caleb Williams, Kyler Murray, Like, these are 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:19.680 guys that flush out of the pocket and they're hard. 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:20.240 To run down. 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:23.000 Yeah, especially if you're over two hundred and fifty pounds 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:24.040 chasing one of those guys. 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:25.480 Right, So I think it is. 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:28.520 Going to be more of a group effort going forward. Okay, 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:33.560 knowing the previous regime was reluctant to put young players 0:15:33.680 --> 0:15:37.680 on the field in significant roles, how much do you 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:42.920 anticipate the approach changing where young and athletic players are 0:15:43.000 --> 0:15:46.400 put on the field sooner rather than later, and in 0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:48.200 some cases immediately. 0:15:48.480 --> 0:15:50.360 We talk about this a lot on the Daily Show, 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:53.600 and it's my thought that I think it will change 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:55.680 in a very noticeable way. I think we're going to 0:15:55.680 --> 0:15:57.600 see a lot of young players on the field. I 0:15:57.600 --> 0:15:59.680 think we're I think it has to be that way 0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:02.360 on the day defensive side, they've got no choice. They 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:06.320 got Davis nig Binosen and Max harriston those but those 0:16:06.320 --> 0:16:12.560 are both young players. You've got TJ. Parker, TJ. Sanders, 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:16.440 TJ Sanders, Dackson, Dwayne Carter landon Jackson. All those guys 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:19.680 are gonna be up there and they're gonna have to contribute. 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:23.000 You're just not gonna get around it. Anither Way, Cole 0:16:23.040 --> 0:16:25.640 Bishop is still a young player. Yeah, third of year 0:16:25.680 --> 0:16:28.480 player Gardner Johnson, maybe he's a veteran. He may be 0:16:28.560 --> 0:16:31.200 in there and maybe he earns his spot. But Jalen Kilgore, 0:16:31.800 --> 0:16:36.240 uh is a great answer to that. And also from 0:16:36.520 --> 0:16:42.320 from last year, Jordan Hancock, great athlete. I'm so, I'm 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:44.800 There's just no question the defense is going to be 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:48.640 vastly different. It's gonna for those who are junkies about football, 0:16:48.680 --> 0:16:51.600 you're gonna notice it looks different upfront. But you're also 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:54.640 if you're just a casual fan, you're gonna have to 0:16:54.720 --> 0:16:57.640 learn names and what those guys look like and what 0:16:57.760 --> 0:16:59.960 numbers they are. It's gonna be a vastly new roster. 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:03.280 Yes, and I would, And since we're focusing this episode 0:17:03.320 --> 0:17:05.280 on the defensive side of the ball. I would agree 0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:11.600 with you, yes, because, for those that don't remember, last year, 0:17:12.720 --> 0:17:20.399 this defense collectively was agonizingly slow, lacking speed on the 0:17:20.440 --> 0:17:25.840 field to the point where they could not play man 0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:28.800 to man coverage on the back end with any kind 0:17:28.840 --> 0:17:29.720 of regularity. 0:17:29.880 --> 0:17:30.640 Across the board. 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:33.080 Maybe you play man on one side with Benford and 0:17:33.119 --> 0:17:35.639 you zone off the other half of the field, But 0:17:36.200 --> 0:17:39.040 with Harston out of the lineup for most of the season, 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:42.480 it was very hard for this team to play man 0:17:42.520 --> 0:17:44.879 to man coverage because Taron Johnson had lost a step 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:49.679 and Tredavie is white. Though he had a nice, a 0:17:49.720 --> 0:17:52.840 good season, a renaissance season of sorts from where he 0:17:52.880 --> 0:17:57.440 had been the previous year and a half, the effectiveness 0:17:57.440 --> 0:18:00.840 of their man to man coverage was severely compro And 0:18:00.920 --> 0:18:04.080 so now when they got to the offseason, I think 0:18:04.080 --> 0:18:06.720 they made the ultimate determination whether they had changed the 0:18:06.760 --> 0:18:09.159 coaching staff or not. They had to turn the page. 0:18:09.640 --> 0:18:13.080 Matt Milano wrong side of thirty day, Kwon Jones wrong 0:18:13.119 --> 0:18:15.719 side of thirty, you know, And so they had to 0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:19.560 turn the roster over. And now the result is you 0:18:19.720 --> 0:18:22.840 have to rely on that youth to play significant roles 0:18:22.880 --> 0:18:25.560 here going forward, and I think we anticipate that to 0:18:25.560 --> 0:18:29.600 be the case, but I think there's also a willingness 0:18:29.680 --> 0:18:32.520 and a want to to hand it over to the 0:18:32.600 --> 0:18:38.840 younger players, believing that even if they don't recognize things 0:18:38.880 --> 0:18:41.240 maybe as quickly as a veteran might on the field, 0:18:41.600 --> 0:18:46.320 they're athleticism and God given speed may get them in 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:49.520 positions to still make plays. And then as they learn 0:18:49.600 --> 0:18:53.080 through the course of the season that speed and athleticism 0:18:53.480 --> 0:18:56.000 will end up giving this defense. 0:18:55.680 --> 0:18:57.840 Far more rewards in the form. 0:18:57.680 --> 0:19:03.439 Of takeaways, forced fumble sacks, you know, batted passes, things 0:19:03.440 --> 0:19:07.720 of that, pass breakups. I think they see that the 0:19:07.760 --> 0:19:11.240 dividends will pay off, hopefully by the second half of 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:13.920 the season, if not sooner, and then to take it 0:19:13.960 --> 0:19:17.280 a step further, even on offense, I can see this 0:19:17.440 --> 0:19:22.480 team leaning towards youth, provided it shows itself and reveals 0:19:22.520 --> 0:19:27.800 some encouraging potential. But they're not waiting on the Curtis 0:19:27.840 --> 0:19:29.879 Samuels of the world. I know he's not on this roster. 0:19:30.000 --> 0:19:32.320 I'm just using him as an example. They waited for 0:19:32.400 --> 0:19:35.400 two years for this guy to show up in some 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:38.919 capacity on a regular basis. It never happened. They're not 0:19:39.000 --> 0:19:42.120 waiting on vets anymore so Joshua Palmer in year two. 0:19:42.520 --> 0:19:44.880 If he's on this fifty three man roster and he's 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:46.880 not showing it in week one, two, three, or four, 0:19:46.960 --> 0:19:49.800 they will not waste a second on turning to Skyler 0:19:49.840 --> 0:19:51.440 Bell and say, hey, let's see what you got. 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:53.760 Yeah, And I think, don't you think? I think that's 0:19:53.800 --> 0:19:56.240 the attitude going into training camp. I think Skyler Bell's 0:19:56.240 --> 0:20:02.760 in the mix because of his speed there. And this 0:20:03.080 --> 0:20:05.840 is also a staff most of the staff on offensively 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:10.439 think about this. This train was really the train that 0:20:10.480 --> 0:20:14.480 they were on was really hamstrung by injuries and guys 0:20:14.560 --> 0:20:18.719 in and out of the lineup. Offensively, I think if 0:20:19.359 --> 0:20:20.879 you're the head coach now and you went through that 0:20:20.920 --> 0:20:23.640 as an offensive coordinator last year, I think the train 0:20:23.720 --> 0:20:27.399 leaves the station. The guys who are available and available 0:20:27.440 --> 0:20:29.040 consistently are the guys that are going to get on 0:20:29.080 --> 0:20:31.360 the field. We're not having you rotate in and out. 0:20:31.480 --> 0:20:34.080 Either you're available and you're ready to play, or you're 0:20:34.080 --> 0:20:36.960 getting left behind because our offense. The offense can't evolve 0:20:37.080 --> 0:20:40.359 during the season if you don't have guys involved in 0:20:40.400 --> 0:20:41.000 it every week. 0:20:41.040 --> 0:20:43.119 Now, it's musical chair as at receiver last year. So 0:20:43.320 --> 0:20:45.240 musical chairs, that's right. So when a guy's out here, 0:20:45.320 --> 0:20:47.239 let me just explain. If a guy gets is in 0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:49.600 there and he's humming along during training camp and they 0:20:49.600 --> 0:20:51.399 got everything under their belt and then he plays a 0:20:51.480 --> 0:20:54.240 couple of weeks. By the time that couple of weeks 0:20:54.320 --> 0:20:56.959 is over, defenses are starting to get a handle on 0:20:57.000 --> 0:20:59.360 who you are and what you're going to do. Now 0:20:59.400 --> 0:21:03.639 he's not there, that you start from scratch offense, you 0:21:03.680 --> 0:21:07.000 can't advance it offensively now because when the guys he 0:21:07.200 --> 0:21:09.119 comes back at now he comes back, Now, you're right 0:21:09.119 --> 0:21:11.159 where you were two weeks ago, and every defense has 0:21:11.200 --> 0:21:15.439 seen it. And that's and they got a plan for that. 0:21:15.800 --> 0:21:20.680 So the offense is is a living kind of vibrant thing, 0:21:21.240 --> 0:21:23.560 and it keeps moving and changing and on the fly. 0:21:23.680 --> 0:21:26.080 Even during games, they'll add a wrinkle or they'll say, hey, 0:21:26.160 --> 0:21:28.960 run it this way. It's that kind of stuff that's 0:21:28.960 --> 0:21:31.800 going on because of the advancement of the defenses. So 0:21:31.840 --> 0:21:33.159 when you get a guy that's in the in and 0:21:33.200 --> 0:21:36.320 out of the lineup, you become stagnant in a heartbeat, 0:21:37.440 --> 0:21:42.399 and because of that, you become predictable. And that's you know, 0:21:42.480 --> 0:21:44.320 that's suicide. 0:21:43.800 --> 0:21:45.920 And now it's harder for you to execute. Yeah. 0:21:46.200 --> 0:21:49.080 We pivot now to the numbers game, where Steve will 0:21:49.080 --> 0:21:55.040 be quizzed on Bill's training camp history, Part two. Question 0:21:55.640 --> 0:21:59.000 number one, Joe Brady will hold his first training camp 0:21:59.040 --> 0:22:01.280 as head coach of the Bill this summer. How many 0:22:01.320 --> 0:22:06.160 different head coaches have overseen a Bill's training camp at 0:22:06.200 --> 0:22:09.960