No Excuses: Jim Leonhard Says 'It's Time We Get Good at Something' on Bills Defense

Jim Leonhard's Patience Tested by Porous Buffalo Bills Defense That Gives Up Big Points, Big Yardage and Struggles to Stop Opponents on Fourth Down

Jim Leonhard's patience is being tested by a porous Buffalo Bills defense that gives up too many points, too many yards and has trouble stopping opponents on fourth down.

And the first-year defensive coordinator is making excuses about a new unit experiencing growing pains five weeks into the season.

"It's time to be good at something, and that's what we're trying to do right now," Leonhardt said. "It's too inconsistent to pretend we're building and working and improving. Everything is being evaluated."

Leonhard had confidence in his players, but warned that the next step might involve a roster shake-up.

"This is professional football. If we don't feel like there are answers, then yes, then there's big talk," he said.

Leonhard spoke to reporters on a Zoom conference call on Tuesday, a day after Josh Allen made a defensive save in a 37-34 overtime win at the Los Angeles Rams.

The Bills (4-1) stay in Southern California before heading to Las Vegas to face the Raiders (3-2).

Thanking Allen for playing Superman, Leonhard said that relying on the opposite to carry the load is not a recipe for success.

"It has to change. It has to get better," he said. "We're going to be in a lot of big plays and our job as a defense is to shut them down to win."

And while the Rams' high-octane offense had a high degree of toughness, he said that didn't make up for the constant scoring.

__ Buffalo allowed 33 first downs against Los Angeles, tied for the most by a defense in 1991. The Bills have allowed 20 or more first downs in all five of their games, one fewer than all of last season.

__ A mix of coverage and connection issues with an experienced secondary that allowed Matthew Stafford's 383 passing yards. The Bills have allowed 250 yards or more passing four times, twice as many as last year.

__ Fourth-down stops are a problem, with Buffalo allowing opponents to convert 8 of 9 attempts after the Rams' 2-on-2.

__ The inability to get off the field has not only been reflected in Buffalo, which has managed the third-most yards per game (389) and fifth-most points (141) in the NFL so far, but it has tired the unit, which has played 350 snaps, second only to Detroit.

"You take so many snaps, it's hard to contain," Leonard said, noting the defense took 78 snaps on Monday.

"We need to get some bigger wins early in the game," he added. "I've got to be more aggressive and help us get off the floor in some situations to help these guys not get burned out in the fourth quarter."

Taking over the defense after the firing of Sean McDermott, Leonhard had more anticipation for the unit entering the season, switching to a 3-4 system and breaking out four new players.

Although injuries have played a role, the weakness has been the secondary, with the starting cornerback position opposite Christian Benford. After starting the first four games, sophomore Maxwell Hairston was replaced by rookie Davison Igbinoson on Monday.

The Bills started the season short on depth with five corners, including Dee Alford filling the nickel position.

Part of the problem, Leonard said, is that players are trying to do too much.

"There's a fine line between trying harder and trying smarter," he said. "I have that tendency. You want to do more, you want to do more. Sometimes, just relax, take a step back and simplify. Slow down."

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