Analyzing the Snap Counts in Bills vs. Browns (Defense)

The Browns' defense continues to be on the field more than the offense. After the defensive line, the playing time distribution at linebacker and in the secondary was drastically different against the Bills due to the offensive personnel they have in the game. Find out more after the jump. [Week 3 offensive snap counts for Cleveland can be found here]

Defensive Tackle
Ahtyba Rubin	Billy Winn	John Hughes	Ishmaa'ily Kitchen
83% 60/72 plays	72% 52/72 plays	28% 20/72 plays	17% 12/72 plays

Ahtyba Rubin: 2 tackles, 1 assist (3 combined). 1 pass defended.
Billy Winn: 0 tackles. 2 passes defended.
John Hughes: No stats registered.
Ishmaa'ily Kitchen: No stats registered.

Thoughts: With Billy Winn returning after suffering a concussion in last week's game, the playing time distribution at defensive tackle is about what you could have expected. Hughes and Kitchen saw some action, but neither of them recorded any stats. Winn had one stretch in the game where he batted down Ryan Fitzpatrick's passes on consecutive plays, but that was pretty much it.

Defensive End
Jabaal Sheard	Juqua Parker	Frostee Rucker	Emmanuel Stephens
88% 63/72 plays	51% 37/72 plays	49% 35/72 plays	12% 9/72 plays

Jabaal Sheard: 2 tackles, 1 assist (3 combined). 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hit.
Frostee Rucker: 2 tackles, 2 assists (4 combined).
Juqua Parker: 1 tackle (1 combined). 1 fumble recovery.
Emmanuel Stephens: No stats registered.

Thoughts: The reps on the defensive line seem pretty consistent. When healthy, Juqua Parker and Frostee Rucker have been splitting reps, but this is the first game that Parker saw a little bit more action than Rucker. That may have to do with the fact that the Bills lined up with so many four receiver sets, and because C.J. Spiller was pretty much out of the game after the first quarter. Jabaal Sheard still isn't generating anything close to elite-level pressure, but he had a couple of nice plays against Buffalo.

Linebacker
D'Qwell Jackson	Craig Robertson	Kaluka Maiava	Scott Fujita
100% 72/72 plays	86% 62/72 plays	14% 10/72 plays	14% 10/72 plays

Craig Robertson: 7 tackles, 1 assists (8 combined).
D'Qwell Jackson: 4 tackles, 2 assists (6 combined).
Scott Fujita: No stats registered.
Kaluka Maiava: No stats registered.

Thoughts: This is where Buffalo's offensive philosophy made a big difference in terms of reps. The Browns rarely ran plays in which three linebackers were on the field (in fact, maybe it never even happened). With the Browns in the nickel package most of the game, Craig Robertson, in essence, played the amount of reps you would expect a starter to get. He led the team in tackles, but the linebackers didn't stand out very much. D'Qwell Jackson's late-hit penalty was also a big killer.

Cornerback
Dimitri Patterson	Buster Skrine	Sheldon Brown	Trevin Wade
100% 72/72 plays	94% 68/72 plays	90% 65/72 plays	1% 1/72 plays

Sheldon Brown: 6 tackles (6 combined). 1 pass defended.
Buster Skrine: 3 tackles (3 combined). 1 pass defended.
Dimitri Patterson: 0 tackles, 2 assists (2 combined).
Trevin Wade: No stats registered.

Thoughts: Again, because of how many receivers the Bills constantly lined up, it's tough to tell whether Buster Skrine is going to be a starter over Sheldon Brown. Based on the gamebook, Brown and Dimitri Patterson started at cornerback. I'm not sure if Trevin Wade actually played or not. He is listed as having one play, but at the top of the gamebook, it also lists him under the "did not play" category.

Safety
T.J. Ward	Usama Young	Tashaun Gipson
100% 72/72 plays	67% 48/72 plays	33% 24/72 plays

T.J. Ward: 6 tackles, 1 assist (7 combined).
Usama Young: 6 tackles (6 combined).
Tashaun Gipson: 3 tackles, 1 assist (4 combined).

Thoughts: With Eric Hagg inactive due to performance issues, Usama Young made his first start of the season. When Hagg started the first two games, he basically saw every rep at safety, just like T.J. Ward. The Browns opted to split the time 67-33 between Young and Tashaun Gipson. Gipson has received far more playing time on defense than I ever imagined he would. Not that I've evaluated his play or anything, but I would've been more excited to see David Sims in there. Oh well.

History of Snap Counts on Defense:

-Week 1: Philadelphia vs. Cleveland
-Week 2: Cleveland vs. Cincinnati