Grading the Bills’ Defense Through 9 Games This Season
By Dennis Moody
Marcell Dareus Defensive Grade Through Nine Games:
C +. . Defensive Tackle. Buffalo Bills. MARCELL DAREUS
Marcell Dareus deserves a “C+” for his play on the field so far this year. In our system, that means he has been playing just above average with a “C” being completely average.
It’s tough to grade out a player who has only played in one game this season but in that game, he had a sack and four tackles. Those stats came against the New England Patriots, the hardest opponent the Bills will play this season.
In that game, there was a play that never ended up in the stat book which shows you how much he can hustle. The Patriots had completed a pass to James White which was called back for pass interference. It was Dareus who hustled downfield to tackle White on that play. To be able to have a guy who is 331 pounds come back and make a play downfield shows you his athleticism.
When Dareus is in the lineup the center of the Bills defense is different. He is their anchor and no doubt one of the most talented players in the league. The problem for Dareus this season is having him available in the lineup. After being suspended for the first four games this season, he tweaked his hamstring while pushing himself too hard to make it back. He played one game against New England before injuring his groin which kept him out of the Monday Night Football game in Seattle.
With the Bye week upon us, Dareus should have ample time to get healthy and his limited wear and tear this season is an advantage to him over other players who have been grinding it out in the trenches all year. Once Dareus does return to the lineup you can expect him to become the dominating force in the middle that he’s been for his entire career.
On the next slide, we’ll grade the captain of the defense who has played for the Bills for all eleven of his NFL seasons. We are talking about Kyle Williams of course.