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When the Buffalo Bills announced that they were going to the 3-4 defense, I wasn't exactly enamored with the idea. Most experts believed that the Bills didn't have the personnel to make such a drastic change, especially at nose tackle. Frankly, I totally agreed with the experts because Kyle Williams doesn't seem to have the size to play as a legit nose tackle or "the fat guy" in the middle of the defense.

The nose tackle is the most important and most physically demanding position in a 3-4 defense. Now, before you all write me something saying that "Jeff Wright was a small nose tackle in the Buffalo Bills 3-4 defense of the 90's," I would suggest that you just save it. Sure, Wright was small, but he didn't have to battle double teams constantly because he had arguably the best defensive lineman to ever play this game lining up right next to him. Sorry, but Marcus Stroud and Dwan Edwards aren't Bruce Smith.

I'm also not a fan of having four or five players on the front seven learn a new position; especially if those players are in their 30's. Plus, in order to have a legit 3-man front, you would want size to be their biggest attribute because they are going to be facing more double teams than in a four man front. The Bills aren't really that big up front, especially at nose tackle.

Now, the Bills coaching staff did come out and say that they were going to have different looks, mainly a 4-3 look at times. However, I still think the Bills just don't have the players yet to run an effective 3-4 scheme and frankly, even if they were still in a 4-3 defense, I wouldn't have that much confidence in the defensive line. Don't get me wrong, I think the trio of Dwan Edwards, Kyle Williams and Marcus Stroud are decent role players, but they are not game changers.

The Players
Marcus Stroud- Defensive end (Starter) Last Year: 2.0 sacks and 56 tackles

You have to give it up to Marcus Stroud for not falling into the trap that Albert Haynesworth had fallen into. Yes, he's one of the higher paid players on the team, but when asked to make the switch from a defensive tackle to a defensive end, Stroud didn't complain and even shed weight to make the transition. Even though Stroud is taking the right steps forward in trying to fit in, the question is whether he can actually be an effective defensive end.

The pros going for Stroud is that his game is all about power and pushing offensive lineman off the ball. Those are two things that you need from your defensive ends to make a three down line work. You also want your defensive ends to control the run gaps, and since Stroud has made his money being able to stop the run, he shouldn't have that big of a problem continuing that trend.

However, two things going against Stroud is that he's getting older and may not be quick enough to make the transition to defensive end. I would think that you would want your defensive ends to be able to get off the ball with quickness (Think Bruce Smith), and I just don't see Stroud having that first step to get around the guard or tackle on passing situations. Plus, Stroud is coming off a not so-Stroud like year. He just didn't seem to have the burst that he had in his previous seasons, not to mention the Bills front seven was a disaster against the run.

Overall, I think this is going to be a very pivotal year for Stroud. He's 32-years old and is only a year removed from signing a 2-year, 16.5 million dollar contract extension. That contract was signed under a different regime and Stroud was playing in a 4-3 scheme. If Stroud struggles at defensive end this year, I think there's a strong possibility that he's not going to see the end of that contract.

Kyle Williams- Nose tackle (Starter) Last Year: 4 sacks and 66 tackles

I like Kyle Williams. He was one of the few bright spots for the Bills front seven last year. He's a blue-collar type of player that plays hard on every down and is actually one of the few draft picks that made sense for Marv Levy. The Bills were smart in giving Williams a 3-year contract extension in 2008, which averaged less than $5-million per year.

With all that being said, I still think the Bills should have traded Williams in the offseason. Like I wrote earlier, most experts feel that Williams is too small to play a legit nose tackle. I just felt that if the Bills were going to overhaul their defensive scheme, they should have done the same with their personnel.

Well, the Bills didn't see it my way and decided that keeping Williams was the way to go. The biggest problem for Williams is that even at 300 plus pounds, his game isn't built around his power, which is something you want out of your nose tackle. His technique is mostly geared around speed and for him to handle the constant double teams, he's going to need more power than speed. Williams succeeding is key for the Bills to make the transition to a 3-4 work.

Dwan Edwards- Defensive end (Starter) Last year: 1 sack and 47 tackles

Edwards was the big free agent pick-up for the Bills this offseason and is coming from a loaded defense in Baltimore where he was counted on to be nothing more than a role player. Now, with the money the Bills have given Edwards, he needs to be more than just another guy.

Edwards is considered to be a high-motored player, who plays well against the run. Again, the Bills seem to have a surplus of lineman that can play well against the run which is good of course. However, he's not the type of player that is going to get 10 sacks a year and bring consistent pressure on the quarterback.

Spencer Johnson- Defensive end (Back-up) Last year: 2 sacks and 43 tackles

With the change to a 3-4 defense, Spencer Johnson now moves from defensive tackle to defensive end. Johnson is entering his third year with the Bills and has mostly played on passing downs. Look for that trend to stay the same. Johnson is a high-motored guy, who never seems to give up on a play. Of course, his problem is that he's a bit undersized and speed isn't exactly his forte. 
Alex Carrington- Defensive end (Back-up) Senior year: 9 sacks and 36 tackles

This isn't meant to be a knock against Carrington, but anyone who is expecting a rookie from the 3rd round to pay big dividends for the Bills this season, must be reading too many Mel Kiper books. Seriously, there are only a handful of rookies that make a legit impact during their first year and defensive lineman from the 3rd round are rarely on that list.

As for Carrington himself, a lot of draft experts felt that he was the steal of the Bills draft. Carrington's biggest strength is his pass rushing ability, which is something the Bills desperately lack. Look for him to be another situational player that gets playing time on passing downs. The biggest question mark surrounding Carrington is that he played at a small college and he didn't play against the greatest competition so you don't really know how he will stack up against elite players.

Torrell Troup- Nose tackle (Back-up) Senior year: 2 sacks and 32 tackles

Troup will probably get more playing time than Carrington because of his draft status and because he's more of a fit at nose tackle than Kyle Williams. The 2nd round pick out of Central Florida has impressive size and strength. Actually, Troup weighs almost the same amount as Williams but by all account is much stronger and more powerful.

Troup can hold his ground against multiple blockers and is a very physical player who has an excellent bull rush. From that description, he's the type of player you want to play at nose tackle. The one thing going against Troup is that he's coming from another small school and putting on weight has been an issue for him in years past. Troup isn't going to wow you with his play making abilities, but he is a space eater that the Bills desperately need.

John McCargo- Who the hell knows, Last year: 0 sacks and 11 tackles

Do I really need to talk about McCargo? Here's the same guy that the Bills traded up to get in the first round and he can hardly get on the field. The same guy that was traded once before, but failed his physical and was returned to the Bills. Hell, I don't even know what position he would play in a 3-4 defense. He's too small to play nose tackle and he doesn't seem to have the physical presence to play at end.

Frankly, I don't even know why this guy is still on the team. Honestly, you could probably make the case that McCargo is the biggest first round bust in the last 25 years for the Bills. Yes, even bigger than Mike Williams and JP Losman. Think about it, since 1985, the Bills have drafted 25 players in the first round and 23 of them have started an NFL game for the team. Guess which two players haven't? Aaron Maybin (Who is only going into his second season) and John McCargo. Yes, McCargo still hasn't started an NFL game. This is the same guy that couldn't even start in front of Larry Triplett for god sakes.

I think it would behove the Bills to just bench this guy and let the younger players (Carrington and Troup) get as much playing time as possible. Plus, he's a free agent at the end of the year and I doubt the Bills would resign him.

What to like about the defensive line

1) The Bills have a nice mix of youth and experience.
2) The starters all play well against the run.
3) They can definitely pull off a nice six or seven man rotation; keeping their lineman fresh and giving the defense different looks.
4) The Bills should be better against the run.

What to NOT like about the defensive line

1) Marcus Stroud has the most sacks by anyone on the defensive line for a season (6.5 sacks in 2002). Not a good number.
2) Besides Carrington, none of the players are known to be pass rushers.
3) All three starters are playing in a 3-4 defense for the first time in their careers.
4) The defensive line lacks an impact player.
Overall:

I think the Bills line would work much better if they had that one guy that offenses had to game plan around. I'm talking someone like Joey Porter in his prime. They have a nice group of role players but they just don't seem like the type of players that are going to put the fear of god into offensive coordinators. They just need another all-pro to make this front seven work. I'll say this though, I do feel that the defensive line is much more talented than the linebacking core. 
Another thing that I am worried about is that the defense is switching over to 3-4 scheme. That transformation takes time. I remember when Gregg Williams came to Buffalo and he decided to overhaul the Bills 3-4 for the "46" defense and it took the Bills two seasons to reap in the benefits of it. BTW, the defense that Williams had from 2001-2002 was deplorable against the run and the pass. The defense that Williams had inherited was ranked 4th in the NFL in 2000 and it bottomed out to 29th in points allowed the following year.

I think the defensive line will be much better at stopping the run than in years past, mainly, because it is the 3-4's speciality. However, I think the line will struggle at getting consistent pressure on the quarterback. They will be lucky to have one defensive lineman get more than seven sacks this year.

Bottom line: I'm not looking for the defense to set records, but I'd like to see progress from the younger players. I'd like to see Carrington and Troup show signs that they can play at an NFL level considering that they are the future of the Bills defensive line. Of course, they are rookies and that may be too much to ask for.

Read More of Joe at http://joefromnyc.blogspot.com/