Sean McDermott was pounding the drum on the line of scrimmage Wednesday in the wake of the Buffalo Bills鈥 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Bills were beaten at the point of attack on defense in giving up 44 points to the Rams. On the other side of the ball, the Bills鈥 offensive line dominated the Rams in pass protection, but didn鈥檛 do well enough in the run game.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott attempts to call a timeout against the Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
Thus, the theme of the head coach鈥檚 message on Wednesday as the Bills prepared to face the mighty Detroit Lions, who lead the league in scoring at 32 points per game.
鈥淚 think we鈥檝e got to get back to good fundamental football,鈥 McDermott said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 really where it starts, and playing with a certain attitude.鈥
鈥淚t is a mentality, it is an attitude,鈥 McDermott said. 鈥淎nd if you want to play good defense, that鈥檚 where it starts. If you want to be able to run the ball on offense, and we鈥檝e been able to do that, been able to stop the run, and it鈥檚 got to be more consistent. And so there鈥檚 not a whole lot of shortcuts or ways around it. It鈥檚 got to be a mentality for us, first and foremost, that we carry through the rest of the season.鈥
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It鈥檚 the head coach鈥檚 job to set the vision and tone for the team, and then get everyone to buy into the message. McDermott does a good job of it.
We can buy the idea that the Bills better bring the intensity to the trenches on Sunday. We can buy into the that idea the Rams, playing for their playoff lives, brought a little more fire to start the game last week. And the Lions have one of the top three offensive lines in the NFL, maybe No. 1.
More attitude. More urgency. By all means.
Now, let鈥檚 add one more element McDermott didn鈥檛 mention.
More people.
That means McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich need to put their heads together and come up with a plan to commit more resources 鈥 a seventh or eighth man, if necessary 鈥 to stopping the run this week.
The Lions rank No. 1 in the NFL in time of possession. Their lead back, Jahmyr Gibbs, is sixth in the league in rushing with 1,016 yards, on pace for 1,330. Their No. 2 back, David Montgomery, has 771 yards and is on pace for 1,008.
The Lions have an offense that can keep Josh Allen nailed to the bench with a baseball cap on his head.
The Bills love to stop the run with a light box, meaning six men in the tackle-to-tackle area near the line of scrimmage. The Bills鈥 defense has played with a light box at the seventh highest rate in the league, at 51.6%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
A light defensive box is a great thing if you can make it work. If the defensive line dominates, the offense is trying to consistently throw against seven men dropping in coverage. It鈥檚 a great way to play.
A bunch of good defenses like to play the run with a light box. The Philadelphia Eagles are the No. 1-ranked defense in the NFL, have one of the most respected defensive coordinators in football (Vic Fangio) and are the league鈥檚 the No. 1 light box team (69.4%). The Chargers and Steelers, like the Bills, like to use light boxes.
But the Eagles have a budding superstar defensive tackle in Jalen Carter, a monster in the middle and the former No. 9 overall pick.
However you slice it, the Bills have not been dominant in stopping the run this season.
Against an elite offense such as Detroit, McDermott and Babich need to flex a little more away from their preferred mode of operation. If that means a big pass play allowed, so be it. Allen can get it back for you. It鈥檚 no surprise Detroit鈥檚 offense has faced a light defensive box the second lowest rate of any team in the league at 31.7%.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e big. They鈥檙e talented. They鈥檙e aggressive,鈥 defensive end A.J. Epenesa said of the Lions鈥 offensive linemen. 鈥淚f we do what we鈥檙e supposed to, we play our technique and hands, we have a talented enough D-line to play anybody. We鈥檝e played a lot of talented teams this year. We鈥檝e played teams that are considered the best all year long. We鈥檝e fought hard. We鈥檝e come up short in a couple games. We鈥檝e won big games. They鈥檙e, obviously, a talented team, but I don鈥檛 really think about it much more than that. Try to keep it simple.鈥
Obviously, McDermott would rather scratch his own eyes out than talk about strategy. So, if he is forced to talk about improving some aspect of the team, he would much rather discuss attitude than the buttons Babich might push to slow down the opponent.
McDermott also knows the Bills鈥 defense needs some help from James Cook and the other running backs in controlling the ball, because his defense easily could get worn down by the Lions.
鈥淭rust the routine and trust the process is certainly one approach,鈥 McDermott said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly what I subscribe to. But within that is you better bring your heart, you better bring your guts. You better put it on the line. You better give max effort. ... So that鈥檚 never been a two separate thought process. So, the process is the process. It鈥檚 the approach and the preparation, and the mindset has always been the mindset that this is football. You鈥檝e got to bring it every day, every week. And our players know that.鈥
Great, just as long as the coaches know they need to give their front four a little more help this week, too.
