COMMENTARY
Bills need to accelerate in sack race
News Sports Columnist
Updated: 10/30/08 8:32 AM
Sacks are a funny thing. The fewer you get, the less meaningful they become. Give an NFL player 10 sacks and he’ll bowl over his grandmother on the way to the bargaining table. But when the sacks aren’t there, the same player will remind us how misleading the stat can be.
After the Bills collected five sacks in the opener against Seattle, left end Chris Kelsay said the defense had set a team goal of 50 sacks before the season. Why not? With Kawika Mitchell and Marcus Stroud on board, it seemed like open season on opposing quarterbacks.
Well, they have eight sacks in six games since then. They’re on pace for 30. But if you listen to the coaches, it’s no big deal. Perry Fewell said he isn’t disappointed with the pass rush. Dick Jauron said it’s OK. Of course, Jauron would stand there and tell you everything was OK if the podium was on fire.
The pass rush is not OK. It’s a problem. As Aaron Schobel likes to tell us, sacks aren’t everything. It’s often a matter of pressuring the quarterback, forcing him to make hasty decisions that lead to turnovers.
But the Bills aren’t getting enough pressure, either. They have four interceptions. That’s tied for 24th in the league. There was a lot of big talk before the season about the defense being more aggressive and creating more big plays, but it really hasn’t happened.
The $50 million man, Schobel, has missed two games with an injured toe and probably won’t play here Sunday against the Jets. Whatever you say about Schobel — and I’ve said plenty — it’s ludicrous to hear people suggesting the Bills don’t miss him. They do.
Schobel hasn’t lived up to the big contract he signed in the summer of 2007. But neither has Kelsay, the guy on the opposite side, who inked a stunning four-year, $23 million deal shortly before Schobel re-signed.
Kelsay doesn’t take nearly as much criticism as Schobel. Maybe it’s because he’s a good guy who is unfailingly polite and insightful with the media. But for $5.75 million a season, you’d expect a few more big plays. Kelsay has one sack this year, four in his last 30 games.
“Obviously, I’m not satisfied with one sack,” Kelsay said Wednesday. “You have to look at the type of player you are. I’m not an Aaron Schobel. I’m not going to get 10 or 15 sacks a year. I realize that. I think the organization realizes that, and you all realize that.
“We’ve got to do a better job of getting to the passer than we have recently and even last year,” Kelsay said. “But it comes down to offensive schemes, too.”
Sacks are harder to come by nowadays, with offenses using a lot of three-step drops and quick passing games. A defensive lineman can only do so much. The cornerbacks don’t help when they play soft in coverage. Fewell’s blitzes haven’t been that effective in recent weeks.
“Sometimes,” Fewell said, “what their strategy is determines how much pressure you can get on the quarterback.”
Pass rush is the most vital element in football. It was a relentless rush, mainly from the front four, that allowed the Giants to ruin the Patriots’ perfect season last year. Whatever it takes, the Bills need to get more. Use more exotic blitzes. Play more press coverage.
Sacks matter. Bruce Smith was one of the most self-aggrandizing divas ever to play the game. But you never heard him say sacks are overrated.
On Sunday, Brett Favre and the Jets come to town. This would be a great time for the Bills to ramp up the pressure. Favre is an old gunslinger who will take the big risk to make the big play. If the Bills get in his face, they’re bound to make some big defensive plays.
If Favre is allowed to stand all day in the pocket, he’ll be the third veteran QB in four weeks to carve up the Bills’ “D.” Time to bring the heat, fellas, and I’m not talking about the furnace.
