Sean McDermott is heading into his third season as the Bills’ head coach. He came from Carolina, where he was the defensive coordinator from 2011 to 2016, and helped build one of the best defensive units in the league. During his time with the Panthers, McDermott also got to coach Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, two outstanding linebackers who were fast, explosive, and loved to hit people. The two of them played in a combined six Pro Bowls under McDermott.
Matt Milano plays with no fear, but he’ll make Bills opponents fear him this season
The Bills’ Thomas Davis-like linebacker has the hustle and nose for the ball that will make the rest of the NFL take notice.
Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Milano is supposed to be the Bills’ version of Davis, an off-the-ball linebacker who blows up running plays, blitzes well, and can cover his ass off. Milano isn’t at Davis’ level yet, but he isn’t far off, judging from last year’s film. He may not be the athlete that Davis is, but Milano is developing into a beast when it comes to making plays.
He isn’t the biggest guy, but Milano can hold his own between the tackles.
I love the way Milano is often patient while he is deciphering the blocking scheme, then goes 0-to-100 in a heartbeat as soon as he has diagnosed the play. I saw it time and again on his tape last year. Even when Milano was hesitant at the outset of a play, he would still react quickly enough to fill the right gap and either penetrate the backfield or meet the runner in the hole. When Milano wasn’t able to get to the ball carrier, his penetration often forced the play to one of his teammates.
Some folks look at Milano’s stature, at 6’0 and 223 pounds, and call him “undersized,” but all I know is that he gets the guy with the ball on the ground a lot more often than not. If he has to shoot for the legs, that’s what he will do. If he has to dive, that’s what he will do. Whatever it takes to get them down, that’s pretty much what’s going to happen.
Don’t misunderstand me, however: Milano will also definitely lay the wood on occasion. He doesn’t play with any fear, and I like that a lot about his game. He throws his body around to make plays, and that’s what I call a winning effort.
In coverage is where Milano’s athleticism really jumps out.
He looks fast enough to run step for step with just about any running back or tight end in the league on downfield throws. He also has the ability to break on short routes quickly, efficiently, and under control, allowing him to make a play on the ball or take down prospective receivers in explosive fashion.
When he can’t get to a receiver right away, Milano makes good tackles in the open field, limiting yards after the catch.
The more Milano has played, the more comfortable he has looked with his zone drops, too, and I expect him to take another step forward this year. In particular, I believe he can get better at flipping his hips on deeper routes. He appeared to improve on that aspect last year during the season, and the more he continues to grow, the more chances he will have to make plays on the ball. He has the potential to make opposing quarterbacks scared to ever throw up the seam.
If he stays healthy, Milano may well end up being one of the best pass-defending linebackers in the league by the end of this season.
Did I mention that Milano has excellent timing as a blitzer, as well?
Because he damn sure does.
His pass-rush production should jump after he had one sack last year. I believe he will get more opportunities to blitz this season, and that he will continue to improve his pass-rush techniques. He has all the physical tools to be dominant when single blocked by a running back on passing downs.
For the record, Davis’ best sack total for a season thus far is 5.5. I wouldn’t put that benchmark past Milano’s reach this season.
Milano busts his ass like nobody’s business. No matter where the ball ends up, you can expect Milano to appear in the frame before the play is over. That is why, if he can stay healthy, I expect his tackle numbers to shoot up this season. Last year he was credited with 78 tackles in 13 games, and I can see him going for more than 100 tackles this year.
As well as he has played in his first two seasons, I believe Milano is really going to take things to another level in his third year. He was on his way to playing like one of the top linebackers in the league before an ankle injury ended last season abruptly. Milano will almost certainly put up the kind of stats normally associated with Pro Bowlers and other awards lists.
And if the Bills start winning just a tad more, I expect fans around the league will take a lot more notice of his play.
Confidence level: High
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