I was hardly surprised when Rex Ryan boldly predicted the would field the NFL's No. 1 defense, but I did wonder how the defensive wizard would reshape the unit to help make it the premier defense in football. The boisterous defensive-play designer is in charge of the most talented unit he's ever coached, with playmakers at every level capable of executing the exotic schemes he prefers. With Ryan sprinkling in some swagger and fearle sne s, the ' defense could truly be special in 2015. First, of course, they have to get past and the .Given some time to look at the of the ' impre sive , I've come up with three reasons to think the defense will make serious noise under Ryan's direction -- along with specific tactics I expect Buffalo to turn to against its AFC East rivals this Sunday:1) The new scheme features more creative pre sures and exotic coverage.There's no disputing Ryan's Michael Johnson Jersey reputation as one of the finest defensive minds in football. He is a brilliant tactician with a knack for creating disruption at the point of attack with a variety of unorthodox blitzes and simulated pre sures from 3-4, 4-3, "46", 6-1 and "Okie" sub-package fronts. Unlike those coaches who are wedded to a particular front or scheme, Ryan is versatile and willing to incorporate different looks to exploit a potential mismatch along the line, or create an overload po sibility from the strong or weak side. With coordinator Dennis Thurman adept at building coverages to complement the dynamic fronts, the can befuddle veteran quarterbacks with their unconventional pre sure packages.In Week 1, the to sed a variety of eccentric looks and exotic pre sures at to disrupt his timing and rhythm from the pocket. From simple blitzes from a base 4-3 alignment to double-A-gap pre sures and overload blitzes from sub-package fronts, the attacked the three-time er from every angle throughout the game. The ' "psycho" look, which features seven defenders within 5 yards of the ball in a "stand up" position, leads to frenetic pre sure. With Luck and center (a third-year pro) unable to consistently identify the Mike linebacker while setting the pa s protection, Ryan's clever scheming resulted in a few clean shots on the quarterback. Given the impact of sacks and hits on a quarterback's internal clock, it is no coincidence Luck was off his game.In the play depicted below, taken from that win over the , the are in a double-A-gap blitz alignment, with safety creeping to the line of scrimmage. At the snap, Williams follows linebacker through the A gap to maximize the inside rush. With the overwhelmed on the interior, Luck is forced eat the ball and take a costly sack on second down. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):In the play depicted below, from the first quarter Sunday, the are aligned in a "46" front, with double edge pre sure called. Linemen and are positioned side by side to attack the C and B gaps, respectively. Because there are seven defenders near the line of scrimmage, no player will be available to help stop either Hughes or Williams, virtually a suring that one of them will get to the quarterback against one-on-one protection. Williams works past his blocker to put a big hit on Luck as he pa ses the ball. Though this results in an incomplete pa s rather than a sack, the hit lets Luck know the will be bringing the heat at all times. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):Against the this Sunday, the will continue to use a number of exotic looks to disrupt 's timing in the pocket. Although New England will likely counter by playing "dink and dunk" football from spread formations, the heavy a sault could force Brady to take a lot of hits and eventually disrupt his game.2) Ryan will unleash the NFL's most talented Trayvon Henderson Jersey D-line to wreak havoc on QBs.When Ryan landed the job in Buffalo, offensive coordinators around the NFL surely cringed at the thought of the defensive mastermind directing a line stacked with er-caliber playmakers at every position. The quartet spearheaded a pa s rush that led the NFL in sacks (54) last season with minimal blitzing from ex-defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Under Ryan's protg Mike Pettine in 2013, the defensive line accounted for 71.9 percent (41) of the team's sacks (57), thriving in a blitz-heavy approach that created plenty of one-on-one opportunities at the line.With Ryan employing a similar scheme with extra rushers attacking the pocket from various angles, opponents are forced to leave a dynamic rusher singled up on the edges or along the interior. This gives the a decided advantage when bringing pre sure or bluffing, because it creates confusion, hesitancy and disruptive opportunities.In the play depicted below, from the fourth quarter on Sunday, the use an exotic pre sure to create a sack opportunity for . The defense is standing around in a "psycho" look prior to the snap before executing an overload blitz on the defensive right. With the offense unable to identify the potential rushers prior to the snap, the overload pre sure springs Williams free when the running back fails to pick up the correct rusher. Although the er didn't register the sack on the play, he forced Luck to flee the pocket, with eventually bringing Luck down from the back side. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):The combination of blitzes and simulated Mike Gesicki Jersey pre sures only netted two sacks Sunday, but the tactics completely disrupted the timing of the pa sing game. Luck was clearly affected by the threat of the blitz, leading to hurried and errant throws from the pocket. Additionally, the cumulative effect of the early hits within the pocket led the young quarterback to "see ghosts" (a quarterback who is seeing ghosts will sense pre sure coming from multiple angles even when the defense is only bringing a standard four-man pa s rush) whenever the bluffed pre sure at the line. Buffalo was able to create the illusion of pre sure without removing a defender from coverage. As a result, Luck repeatedly fired "hot" throws into heavy traffic instead of delivering balls into the voids created by blitzes.The would be wise to incorporate similar tactics against the , to take advantage of the youth and inexperience of New England's interior blockers. The are leaning on three rookies on the line (guards and and center ), which is a scary thought heading into their matchup with the ' vaunted front. -- returning from -- and could destroy the timing of the pa sing game with their first-step quickne s and sudden penetration up the gut. Given Brady's lack of mobility, it makes sense to pre sure him down the middle, putting the pre sure directly in the veteran's face.On the edges, and could create a headache for the with their speed, quickne s and burst. While Hughes is most likely to use his speed to turn the corner, it is the deadly combination of strength and power that makes Williams the one to watch in this matchup. He is not only capable of running around or through , but he could move around to various locations to take advantage of a "fish" along the line. If Ryan spots one of the ' offensive linemen struggling early, expect the wizard to direct his Amarius Mims Jersey top pa s rusher through an accompanying gap to exploit the weakne s.3) The ultra-athletic secondary can suffocate any offensive attack.The ' secondary is rarely mentioned in the same breath as some of the elite units in football, but I feel it's time to heap some praise on Ryan's troops after watching the group grow throughout the preseason. and are on the verge of becoming -caliber playmakers on the perimeter. Each player displays the athleticism, instincts and awarene s to deliver impact plays in bunches, and Ryan's scheme provides plenty of opportunities to make plays on the ball.The have stockpiled the secondary with a group of athletic role players who have the core traits needed to succeed as sub-package players in the secondary. and Ron Darby, in particular, are natural nickel corners with the short-area quickne s and movement skills to shadow shifty receivers in space. In addition, Robey is a dynamic rusher off the edges with a keen sense of timing on second-level blitzes. Given their collective abilities as hybrid secondary defenders, the are able to employ a variety of man, zone and blitz schemes with multiple defenders exchanging roles to create chaos all over the field.Gilmore and Williams were central figures in a game plan that limited Luck and Co. to only 304 total yards Sunday, including only 243 pa sing yards. Most importantly, the forced three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble) that showcased their collective speed, quickne s and ball-hawking skills in the back end. The were able to lock down the ' receivers in one-on-one coverage behind blitzes and simulated pre sures up front. Interestingly, Buffalo boldly matched Darby up with WR1 and instructed Gilmore to follow around the field. Placing a rookie corner on an established veteran is certainly risky, but the routinely floated a corner in his direction to protect him over the top. Gilmore showed lock-down cover skills against an aging Johnson. He challenged him at the line on occasion, but also showed the ability to drive hard on short and intermediate throws from "off" coverage. This allows Ryan to aggre sively employ a wide range of cover schemes, including Cover-0 (all-out blitz), Cover-3 (three-deep zone) and Cover-6 (zone-dogs), to give the quarterback a Josh Newton Jersey different look.In the play depicted below, taken from the second quarter Sunday, Gilmore provides the perfect example of his exemplary cover skills. The are aligned in an "under" front, with Williams positioned close to the box. Williams will execute a safety blitz through the B gap from his alignment. Gilmore uses a bail technique to stay over the top of Hilton on his go-route. Luck is forced to release the ball early due to the pre sure, and Gilmore is in the perfect position to break up the pa s. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):Gilmore's solid play on the island gives Ryan a lot of options when it comes to defending the ' pa sing game. He could cover the ' WR1 () all over the field or allow Darby to follow the shifty pa s catcher and concentrate on locking down the back side. Although Gilmore , the size disparity simply doesn't make the matchup a good one for the ., however, could be an intriguing option in coverage on Gronkowski. He brings corner skills to the position and is athletic enough to shadow the touchdown machine with a little a sistance from the ' hard-hitting linebackers at the line of scrimmage. If Ryan elects to put his one of his emerging superstars in the role, buzz could quickly grow about the team's talented tandem in the secondary.Follow Bucky Brooks on Twitter .