Is this Sean McDermott defense different?
We're about to find out. This is a unit that always excels against the average quarterbacks. How about a Miami Dolphins offense that's going scorched earth?
This defense is now seven years old. Hard to believe it’s been that long since Rex Ryan was gliding up to the podium in a Clemson helmet. And eating dog biscuits. And needlessly poking the bear before playing the New England Patriots by saying he had no clue who Dion Lewis was. The circus act garnered headlines, but players honestly didn’t care that much about his antics. His wild personality. If anything, they found his pregame speeches empowering.
What drove them nuts was the scheme itself. Checks… on checks… on checks confused everyone. It was mentally draining. Both Rex and Rob Ryan failed the maximize an extremely talented unit that shined under Jim Schwartz’s see-ball, get-ball simplicity.
There was no telling what this Bills defense would resemble on a week-to-week basis.
Give Sean McDermott credit for prescribing the right antibiotic from Day 1. The Bills have ranked 26th, 2nd, 3rd, 14th, 1st and sixth in total yards. Through three games, they’re third.
A wildly inconsistent coach was replaced with a wildly consistent one.
Yet, seven years has been more than enough to reveal a cruel fact about McDermott’s defense: this unit feasts on F, C, D, even B-ranked offenses in the regular season before choking in spectacular fashion against an A-unit in the playoffs.