Stroud of old resurfaces
Tackle bolsters Bills’ defense
Marcus Stroud sliced between two blockers and dropped a New England Patriots running back for a 3-yard loss Sunday. Early in the fourth quarter, Stroud broke through the middle and sacked quarterback Matt Cassel, causing a fumble.
Those big plays are the reason the Buffalo Bills gave up two draft picks for the big defensive tackle.
After two injury- plagued seasons in Jacksonville, Stroud has been rejuvenated in Buffalo, playing at a level that helped him earn three Pro Bowl invitations with the Jaguars.
“I think I am playing pretty well despite the little three-game losing streak we’re on right now, but that’s just a matter of everybody getting together and uniting to win a game,” Stroud said. “I’m healthy and feeling good, and I think those things are reflected in my play this year. Hopefully I can keep driving forward.”
Stroud, an eight-year veteran, has been the engine that makes the Bills’ run defense go. Buffalo is allowing 103.9 rushing yards per game (15th in the NFL), but has held six of nine opponents below 100 yards. The Bills also are yielding only 3.7 yards per carry, which is tied for eighth in the league.
The Bills’ defense has ranked no higher than 25th in rushing yards (124.6) the last two years and was tied for 26th in average yards per carry allowed (4.4) last season.
“He’s been a difference-maker,” defensive tackle Kyle Williams said. “He has been everything we thought he would be.”
Displaying exceptional quickness for a big man, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Stroud is third on the Bills with 47 tackles and shares the team lead with four stops for losses.
His presence has been felt in the pass game as well with a team-high 2.5 sacks. He also has four pass deflections, which ties him for fifth among NFL defensive linemen with, among others, teammates Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney.
“Marcus has been doing an outstanding job,” defensive line coach Bill Kollar said. “You don’t see many big guys who move as well as he does. He’s very active inside and has made a lot of big plays for us.”
The big plays came early and often in the season opener as Stroud almost single-handedly dismantled the Seattle Seahawks’ offense, registering nine tackles, four pressures, two sacks, two passes deflections and one quarterback knockdown during a 34-10 rout.
He tipped two more passes in his return to Jacksonville, including one that led to an interception by cornerback Terrence McGee in the end zone that killed a potential scoring drive by the Jaguars in the final seconds of the first half.
Stroud had a seven-tackle game against Oakland and recovered a fumble that set up a Lee Evans touchdown reception in the second quarter against San Diego.
Those are plays everyone can see, but Stroud also makes contributions that may not be as noticeable to fans.
Stroud is so quick and powerful, he’s often double teammed. By occupying more than one blocker, he makes it possible for other defensive linemen to win one-on-one matchups and gives linebackers a clearer path to the ball carrier.
“A lot of times you don’t get credit for a tackle or get your name in the paper or get a lot of attention, but man, what he has been able to do on the field has really been helping out our defense,” said middle linebacker Paul Posluszny. “You look at certain running plays on film and there are two guys hanging on him and that allows the linebackers to move to the ball freely. He’s definitely held up his end of the deal and has been a real asset for us.”
Even though some of the things Stroud does don’t get recognized, he takes pride in doing the dirty work inside.
“Well, it’s just part of the job,” he said. “I play in the trenches. I’m a physical guy, so I like to go down there and see who the best man is. It’s a down and dirty job, so anytime I go out there I just get prepared to try and do whatever I can. If I’m not making a play, I try to make sure it’s open for somebody else to make one.”
Stroud’s contributions go beyond what he does on Sundays. He’s an established leader in the locker room, a sage veteran who offers advice to younger players yet is always open to different ideas from his teammates.
“He’s a high-quality guy, so he impacts us off the field, in the locker room, in the leadership role, a guy we can depend on,” coach Dick Jauron said. “Almost every game, he’ll have a handful of dominant plays. He makes the opponent account for him all of the time, because he’s hard to handle. He plays, he cares about it. We’re really glad we have him.”
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