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Part 3 of the Bills’ 2012 season review will take a look at the current roster of defensive players. The one thought I have as far as the job Dave Wannstedt did as coordinator is that he did little to put the players in position to make plays. His “scheme” was supposed to be simplistic or “vanilla”, yet the players looked lost and out of position in a lot of games in 2012. There was a lot of post-game talk, after some embarrassing losses, about missed assignments, and “gap control” and “run fits”. It just looked to me like the players were put in positions that appeared to make them robotic, and not instinctive. I really believe the players on the defensive side are mostly gamers who play hard, but they really underachieved as a unit in 2012. It will be a tough job for the new coaching staff to sort out what they have on defense and try to forge a respectable unit in 2013. Here is a position-by-position analysis of the Bills’ defense:

Defensive Linemen

This was going to be a strength of the team in 2012, but it didn’t work out that way. High-priced free agent Mario Williams started out slowly, supposedly due to a wrist injury, then came on later in the year after having surgery on the wrist. The Bills’ new coordinator, Mike Pettine, comes over from the New York Jets, where a 3-4 defense was mostly featured. I can’t see the Bills using the 3-4 as their base defense, since the linebacking corps is a major weakness. That’s actually a good thing, since it means players like Mario Williams (and others) won’t have to try to play linebacker where they’re not a good fit. The expectation should be that both Williams’, Mario and tackle Kyle Williams, will thrive under the new coaches. Marcell Dareus has been decent, but his play hasn’t matched the spot where he was drafted (a #3 overall pick). New coach Doug Marrone has to get him playing at a higher level. Kyle Moore, who was the fourth starter along the D-line for most of 2012, showed some promise but is an unrestricted free agent, so it’ll be interesting to see how hard the club tries to re-sign him. Chris Kelsay’s days may be numbered with the Bills. He’s a 10 year veteran who’s never been much more than an average player. Two other defensive ends who are free agents – Spencer Johnson and Shawne Merriman – are players who wouldn’t be missed much if the team allows them to leave. Merriman, GM Buddy Nix’s pet project,  has never panned out, while Johnson has been a decent player over the years who fit nicely into the D-line rotation. However, his play slipped in 2012. Another big free agent signing, DE Mark Anderson, battled injuries all year and didn’t do anything to justify his contract, but the team invested a lot in him so he should be given every opportunity in 2013 to make the roster and contribute. Alex Carrington and Torell Troup are 2 of Nix’s draftees who’ve never really fully developed, but in 2012 Carrington made a major case that he’s ready to take on a major role with the defense. He made major contributions blocking kicks on special teams, and in his limited chances in the D-line rotation was an active player who made plays in both stopping the run and pressuring the opposing quarterback.

Linebackers

The Bills’ linebacking corps entered the 2012 season relying on some young players to take major leaps forward in their development to help solidify what was supposed to be a strong defense. Like a lot of other parts of the team, that never really worked out. Arthur Moats won a starting outside backer job coming out of training camp, but a few weeks into the season lost the job to rookie Nigel Bradham. Kelvin Sheppard was annointed the starting middle linebacker, but he was a non-factor in most games. Veteran Nick Barnett was probably the most consistent performer on this unit, but his play didn’t really match what he did in previous seasons. The backups include Chris White, mainly a special teamer who didn’t necessarily distinguish himself in that role, and Bryan Scott, who is a hybrid LB/safety. Scott is a 10 year veteran and the new coaching staff would be wise, in my opinion, to get him re-signed, since he has been a consistent playmaker on defense in his entire tenure here. An interesting late-season addition to the LB corps was Greg Lloyd, son of the former Pittsburgh Steeler great. If bloodlines mean anything, he should be given a thorough look-see in training camp in 2013.

Defensive Backs

Other than ball-hawking safety Jairus Byrd, this unit was a major disappointment in 2012. Rookie cornerback Stephon Gilmore looks like he can develop into a star, but honestly, if the old coaching staff had been retained I would’ve doubted if he’d develop at all. Let’s hope new coordinator Pettine can coax a little Darrelle Revis out of him. In rating the rest of the secondary players on the roster, there is mostly disappointment. The other safety, veteran George Wilson, was mostly invisible in 2012, other than a couple of dropped interceptions that cost the team wins. Wilson is a solid citizen and good teammate, but unfortunately has become a poster child for what ails the Bills – a player who tries hard but at the end of the day seems to do just enough to help his team lose. His backup, Da’Norris Searcy, had his moments in 2012 but still seems to need seasoning. Like a lot of young players on the roster, he would show progress, then regress. I really believe that comes down to coaching – getting the players, the young ones in particular, to play consistently. It will be interesting to see what the team does with Terrence McGee, a solid veteran cornerback who just can’t stay healthy. For most of 2012, the starting corner opposite Gilmore was Aaron Williams, another disappointing high draft pick. Williams was toasted constantly by opposing teams early in the year before getting hurt. When he returned to the lineup his play got a little better, probably out of sheer embarrassment, but he still has a lot to prove. The other players who made up the revolving door at corner opposite Gilmore – Ron Brooks, Crezdon Butler, Justin Rogers and free agent-to-be Leodis McKelvin, are a mix of youngsters with varying degrees of potential, none of whom stepped forward and made a claim on the job. McKelvin may or may not be re-signed – how much effort they put into bringing him back may be a clue as to how much the new coaching staff values special teams play.