Play-calling, tackling and the offense

[damajuki]

I honestly have NO IDEA what Chud is doing with this offense. We had no rhythm or identity the whole game and seemed almost unprepared for the pressure.

 

Quinn's performance wasn't pretty but he hung in there in the face of incessant pressure and did just enough. No TO's was huge, though we got help there obviously.

 

But we MUST score at least one TD with THREE INT's in that first quarter. Quinn wasn't great but neither was the play-calling. It seemed WAY too conservative and like we were settling for the FGs.

 

Harrison was the difference-maker and without his TD we have no chance. Can we please officially split the carries now?

 

The tackling was TERRIBLE. We need an impact LB in the worst way. I'd trade anything to move up to get Rey Maualuga.

 

I'm happy only because we won but I'm not at ALL happy with our performance.

[PaulMcdonaldshoes]

Chud is getting funnel cake on the playbook during the game which is obscuring the playbook and sending plays into BQ's helment.

[YtownBrownsBacker]

I honestly have NO IDEA what Chud is doing with this offense. We had no rhythm or identity the whole game and seemed almost unprepared for the pressure.

 

Quinn's performance wasn't pretty but he hung in there in the face of incessant pressure and did just enough. No TO's was huge, though we got help there obviously.

 

But we MUST score at least one TD with THREE INT's in that first quarter. Quinn wasn't great but neither was the play-calling. It seemed WAY too conservative and like we were settling for the FGs.

 

Harrison was the difference-maker and without his TD we have no chance. Can we please officially split the carries now?

 

The tackling was TERRIBLE. We need an impact LB in the worst way. I'd trade anything to move up to get Rey Maualuga.

 

I'm happy only because we won but I'm not at ALL happy with our performance.

 

 

and how about the special teams coverage units?

[JewDago]

offensive play-calling? terrible. the running game could have been more effective, though, if we had a real running back instead of a shaun alexander clone.

 

tackling? the worst i've ever seen. all we're doing is tackling above the waist, a sure way to let RBs break free for big gains.

 

harrison? more, please. he and lewis could be an effective team, but we definitely need more harrison. lewis just isn't getting it done.

 

kickoff coverage? awful. good thing we have cribbs, the best kickoff and punt coverage guy in the league.

 

i've never been more disappointed after a win, but that's only because i didn't see the bengals game earlier this year.

[Legacy Fan]

tackling? the worst i've ever seen. all we're doing is tackling above the waist, a sure way to let RBs break free for big gains.

Lynch's 20 yd TD scramble/run? Ugh. I've seen more organization in a 5-year olds' soccer game. That was embarrassing.

 

Why do our guys wait for the ball carrier to come to them in the open field? Horrible fundamentals. Run at the guy & close the angle, instead of waiting on your heels to get juked out of your jockstrap. That crap has got to be on the coaches - although, I can't imagine these guys getting drafted in the NFL with such poor fundamentals.

[Kosarfan]

Honestly believe this team has potential, but coaching is the absolute pitts . For years this team, when they were successful, was two strong RB's. ABSOLUTELY Lewis and Harrison could be that again. Split the carries and here's an idea - use the outside ! TOO MUCH Lewis up the middle for 2 and 3 yards, constanly putting us in a 3rd and 7, 3rd and 8, etc. He's a tough runner, but no one can take that much beating over and over again. He is losing his punch and ability to break free. The coaches are abusing his abilities .

 

Although it was a disaster, the one reverse we ran with Stallworth was loss, but at least it showed some imagination and an attempt at something different. I guess afterward the crew went back to sleep or eating.

 

Romeo must go and a staff that will use the tools available must be brought in.

[ohioborn]

I agree the offense did not look sharp. But the defense is what really worries me. WHY do we not blitz at all. We gave Edwards 4 and 5 seconds in the pocket. Every team blitz except us.

[osusev]

Chud is odd, sometimes he is brilliant mostly he is extremely predictable. It seems his overall gameplanning is lacking. run off tackle lewis, run off tackle lewis, pass on a long third. I dont mind Lewis running but something to the outside, a bubble screen to braylon, counter run, delayed handoff draw... anything a little different more consistently to keep the defenses honest.

 

Ocon the tackling was atrocious. We need a hitter at middle linebacker plain and simple. or any linebacking spot.

[pl4tinum]

I agree the offense did not look sharp. But the defense is what really worries me. WHY do we not blitz at all. We gave Edwards 4 and 5 seconds in the pocket. Every team blitz except us.

 

We WERE blitzing.

 

 

That's how f--king pathetic our linebackers are.

[pl4tinum]

Carthon is odd, sometimes he is brilliant mostly he is extremely predictable. It seems his overall gameplanning is lacking. run off tackle lewis, run off tackle lewis, pass on a long third. I dont mind Lewis running but something to the outside, a bubble screen to braylon, counter run, delayed handoff draw... anything a little different more consistently to keep the defenses honest.

 

Fixed, for accuracy

[Guest AdaM]

We WERE blitzing.

 

 

That's how f--king pathetic our linebackers are.

 

 

We could split their carries... but Harrison is already hurt. Did something to his hammy on that perfect 21 yard pass play.

[WPB Dawg Fan]

In the first half...we did NOT blitz. It was even commented on that we were dropping into coverages. I made a point of watching our OLB's (Wimbley in particular) and they were dropping back on almost every play. It worked. I didn't like it, but it worked to the tune of 3 INT's.

 

In the second half it seamed we upped the blitzes...but the tackling was so piss poor we got burned on them. We should have had several sacks and tackles for losses that ended up being gains or BIG GAINS! Pathetic.

 

On the tackling...did anyone else notice all our guys are 'breaking down' for the tackle instead of being instinctive and laying some wood? THAT is on the coaching. They must be drilling the 'ideal' tackling instead of letting the players play.

 

The play calling...PATHETIC!!! With all the heat the Bills were bringing, we should have been running that MAX PROTECT set with a TE in the backfield along with Harrison to give us a double screen option...but NOOOOO! We did go down field more often...but considering the blitzes coming at them...it should have been Denver part Deux!!!

 

Lewis' choppy steps are great for snow...but they suck anytime else. He should be hitting the hole with his shoulders lowered and a full head of steam. I don't like what I am seeing from him right now.

 

Our ST's TOTALLY BLEW CHUNKS on the return game. The Bills average starting point seemed like it was the 50 yard line!!!

 

Quinn: He did about as good as you can with what we were calling. It was not a good game. However, he had no time and we were going downfield...so all in all a ZERO turnover game is effective enough. Buffalo averages giving up 202 yards per game vs the pass...and Quinn got 185.

 

As for the ALMOST INT's he had...one was with his arm hit...so he gets a pass on that....but he did come close on a couple. That will happen more and more as we get more aggressive. Still, a TON of pressure and he has ZERO turnovers and only 1 sack given up. He held up pretty well. Not to mention he did get the FG drive that won the game. Second time in 2 weeks he brought the Browns back in a late 4th quarter drive.

[damajuki]

Great post, JADBF. Thanks for posting that here!

 

Thoughts on your thoughts:

 

I agree that the gameplan and the playcalling were suspect. It seems to me we just have NO idea what we want to do offensively. Are we a run to set up the pass team? Or a pass to set up the run team? Part of the confusion is due to DA's failure and the QB change midstream but shouldn't we have a PLAN in place after 10 days of practice?

 

It seems to me that we want to establish the run but Lewis just can't get it done fulltime any more. It's time to just admit that fact and move on already. I think Harrsion is the answer but even if he isnt', then give Wright the carries but SOMEONE needs to provide a little pop, a la Fred Jackson for the Bills last night when Lynch was struggling.

 

I didn't get why we were trying to feed BE either. I agree that you need to stretch the field and take your shots but only on a few of those attempts did BE seem open and he dropped one of those (the jumpball in the 1st quarter that would have put us on the 5) as he was falling.

 

My wish for the O is simple: pound Lewis early, mix in Harrison, controlled, short passing game to the TEs until you loosen up the deep ball and then take your shots.

 

It seemed to me that the plan last night was pound Lewis for 2 yards then throw wherever. No evident rhyme or reason.

 

I got nothing to say on the D that hasn't been said. The bend-but-don't-break theory ONLY works if you are a sure-tackling team. It worked early on but like so many times with this coaching staff, there seemed to be no adjustments in the second half.

 

And with the way we tackle, we may as well blitz like crazy and hope for the best because the YAC are killing us as it is.

 

Overall, a team win that could have and probably should have been a team loss.

[WPB Dawg Fan]

What just boggles the mind....is that despite TERRIBLE kick coverage....and the Bills starting seemingly every drive at the 40 or better...the D still only gave up 20 points!!!

 

Buffalo drives started at:

44, 49, 41, 38, 39, 42, 42, Cle 38, 44, 16, 20, 1

 

That is 9 out of 12 drives starting at the 38 or better!!!

 

The longest drive was 59 yards....and I agree...we looked like CRAP! How does that happen? To stop 7 drives starting at the 38 or better...and still look bad???

[Greythan]

WPD,

 

Love your analysis and optimism. However, there's just no denying that we're going to struggle mightily until we learn to defend the run. Its a systemic problem that exposes the team in situations where even an average rush defense would not.

 

It would have been a blow-out last night if we played any reasonable level of run defense. Edwards was ripe for even more turnovers had we forced him into more 2nd/3rd and longs.

 

However, it is very notable that our complete kick/punt coverage breakdown really compromised the defense in the field position department.

 

In the end, everyone did what was necessary to win on Monday night, on the road, against a 5-4 team struggling for its playoff life. A good win.

[WPB Dawg Fan]

WPD,

 

Love your analysis and optimism. However, there's just no denying that we're going to struggle mightily until we learn to defend the run. Its a systemic problem that exposes the team in situations where even an average rush defense would not.

 

It would have been a blow-out last night if we played any reasonable level of run defense. Edwards was ripe for even more turnovers had we forced him into more 2nd/3rd and longs.

 

However, it is very notable that our complete kick/punt coverage breakdown really compromised the defense in the field position department.

 

In the end, everyone did what was necessary to win on Monday night, on the road, against a 5-4 team struggling for its playoff life. A good win.

 

Grey, thanks...but that was NOT optimism!!! It is SCARY to me. How the hell do you get the job done and still look like you are getting pummeled? Is it just dumb luck that we stopped the Bills? Or was it really the game plan? Why does it look like our D is afraid to HIT anybody?

 

I am concerned that what SHOULD have looked dominant looked like a complete breakdown!!!

[Koa]

I honestly have NO IDEA what Chud is doing with this offense. We had no rhythm or identity the whole game and seemed almost unprepared for the pressure.

 

Quinn's performance wasn't pretty but he hung in there in the face of incessant pressure and did just enough. No TO's was huge, though we got help there obviously.

 

But we MUST score at least one TD with THREE INT's in that first quarter. Quinn wasn't great but neither was the play-calling. It seemed WAY too conservative and like we were settling for the FGs.

 

Harrison was the difference-maker and without his TD we have no chance. Can we please officially split the carries now?

 

The tackling was TERRIBLE. We need an impact LB in the worst way. I'd trade anything to move up to get Rey Maualuga.

 

I'm happy only because we won but I'm not at ALL happy with our performance.

 

I agree with the tackling. Worst I've seen out of a professional football team.

 

I remember Shaun Smith stating on Browns Red Zone they "never" tackle in practice on the basis of avoiding injury. His (and Romeos) theory is that by the time you're in the NFL you should know how to tackle. Well, its time to get physical. Because of the lack of practice I saw numerous arm-tackles, bad angles, and flat out whiffs.

 

I also agree with using Harrison more. I've actually been saying this since last year. If I made the decisions he's starting and I'd throw in Jamal as a complement back. Jamal would be better suited coming in with fresh legs anyway. On the season Harrison = 10.6 ypc average while Lewis = 3.6 ypc average.

[Greythan]

I don't know. I really don't.

 

I think our LB's and DB's played one hell of a game in coverage. That's clear. Whatever scheme Tucker/RAC cooked up to confuse Edwards worked like a charm. Three picks in the first quarter? That flat out shut their passing game down for the majority of the game. Lee Evans -> No catches.

 

The problem was we forced them to go to the run.

 

That had Mel and Romeo looking at each other with the "Well, the coverage scheme worked. What do we do now that they're running the ball?".

 

Ouch.

[damajuki]

John, great point on the D. They look TERRIBLE most of the time but the results are decent.

 

How is that happening?

 

Well, it seems to me that we are coaching/game planning scared. We are unquestionably a bend-don't-break D.

 

And I'm actually okay with that, if the rationale is that we don't have the talent/speed to attack the QB/line of scrimmage successfully and/or consistently.

 

But what if we are actually holding the D back with that philosophy? What if the poor tackling is a RESULT of the scheme and not the CAUSE of it?

 

I get that feeling sometime, like guys are so used to being told/coached to drop back and play safe that when they are supposed to attack the ball, it feels uncomfortable for them and they are tentative which leads to the Keystone Cops scenes like Lynch's catch and run for the TD.

 

I would really rather we just went balls out and let the chips fall where they may.

[JewDago]

i feel much better after sleeping on this win, though there is still a lot this team can improve.

 

the defense isn't as bad as i thought last night. stopping 9 drives that started with great field position is no easy task. i still vehemently dislike our defensive philosophy, but i'll admit that it somewhat worked. it's just infuriating to watch.

 

we still need to blitz more, learn how to tackle and stop the run. i think if we do the first two, we'll see the third happen.

 

our kick coverage units were abysmal. i've never seen an offense start on their forty and into our territory more in one game than i did last night. then, the one time we should kick it deep (after the fg in the fourth), we squib it and it gets returned to the 45. horrible call. our special teams coach, captains and regulars all better get reamed for this performance. it was unacceptable.

 

jamal lewis is not a feature back anymore. in fact, i think the feature back is done in the NFL. there are too few guys who can carry that load, stay healthy and be effective. plus, with a bruiser like jamal, it just makes sense to have a change-of-pace back who gets five fewer carries per game than the bruiser. this system seems to be working very well in new york right now. we should copy it.

 

we were trying to establish the run on first and second down. we were trying to put quinn in third and short situations where he could not have too much pressure on him, but lewis just couldn't get it done. part of the problem is that he's too slow to make it outside at this stage in his career. i was astounded the one time he actually turned the corner. harrison could run those tosses, though, like JADBF said.

 

i'll get crucified for saying this, but braylon didn't have the worst game ever last night. he still caught 8 balls, went over 100 yards and got involved blocking people. did he make spectacular catches? no. but he made solid ones, got us first downs and helped us win. without his receptions, presence on the field to open it underneath and blocking, we don't win this game.

 

and i'll let other people discuss QBs.

[Greythan]

The drop that was most depressing was the one at crunch time.

 

He has to catch that ball that went through his hands, unimpedded by the defender, and doinked off his facemask. We needed that catch. Its called clutch.

 

His drop of DA's epic long throw against the Ravens was similar. Crunch time. Clutch time.

 

If he fixes those and continues to drop a few in the first half of games, I'll live with it.

[Gips]

Ive said it before and i will say it again.. chud sucks he is to wishy washy from bold to chicken shite in the same drive he shows no poise or gameplan stability and for those that hope he becomes HC at the end of the year we better hope not unless you want 4 more years of losing..

[JewDago]

it seems like braylon is repairing his once-shattered confidence. he's starting to make the easy catches. once he doesn't have to concentrate on those as much, once everyday catching becomes routine, his mind will be free to work on the harder ones. he'll get into a rhythm and be what we all expected him to be at the beginning of the season.

 

inaccuracy and inconsistency were a major reason braylon was struggling so much. it helps pass catchers tremendously to make a couple early, short catches before building to longer throws. if you build a rhythm and momentum, it becomes much easier for that to snowball into greater success.

 

and chud's not that bad. he's a decent OC who devises solid schemes. he'll come along as a playcaller once he's more seasoned. dude can't turn into tom moore overnight, you know.

[WPB Dawg Fan]

it seems like braylon is repairing his once-shattered confidence. he's starting to make the easy catches. once he doesn't have to concentrate on those as much, once everyday catching becomes routine, his mind will be free to work on the harder ones. he'll get into a rhythm and be what we all expected him to be at the beginning of the season.

 

inaccuracy and inconsistency were a major reason braylon was struggling so much. it helps pass catchers tremendously to make a couple early, short catches before building to longer throws. if you build a rhythm and momentum, it becomes much easier for that to snowball into greater success.

 

and chud's not that bad. he's a decent OC who devises solid schemes. he'll come along as a playcaller once he's more seasoned. dude can't turn into tom moore overnight, you know.

 

 

I have been saying this since we finally made the switch....BE was suffering from DA syndrome!!! He was gator-arming passes and looking over his shoulder for the big hit...so he was dropping them. As he gets more comfortable with a QB that won't lay him out for a big shot every pass...his dropsies will go away.

 

As for Chud...he has to learn how to utilize BQ's strengths and weakness. After almost 2 yrs of watching DA blow it on the short stuff and screens...he is going to have to rethink his game plans to re-incorporate them and NOT OUT-THINK himself. He now has a QB that will be able to execute consistently and he ALSO has to learn to trust him.

 

Week 1 was K2. Week 2 was BE.

 

I believe we will see the new offenses coming out party this coming week...as we incorporate ALL the pieces. I just hope Harrison's hammy isn't too bad...because we could use that perimeter speed!!!

[Guest Masters]

OK here's another topic for discussion (I hate creating new threads!)

 

So it turns out the "benching of BMac" for Daniels was for one whole play. Did Daniels ever see the field again?

 

So was this a good move by crennel to motivate BMac?

 

To me it seems more like re-aranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

 

A move by Crennel and Tucker trying to make it LOOK like they are doing something to change the defense, then imediately going back to the same ole thing.

 

And again, I wasn't in favor of benching BMac, but this one play thing to me smacks of a PR move.

 

BMac's ass needs to sit more after what I saw last night. Aside from before the game them breaking down DEN TE's TD late last week, and clearly showed BMac pulling up and giving up on the play. I saw BMac give up on 3 different plays. Including Lynch's TD run. BMac may not have caught him, but he flat out QUIT on the play. Take a lesson from Cribbs or hell even Willie, you play all out on every play. You never give up on a play, EVER!

[Guest Masters]

I did see that on the DEN TE TD run too, but he's not the only one on the defense taht quits like that. Riff and I talked about that in another thread.

 

But I still just don't like this "sit him for one play" move...

 

Oh sit him for one play was just dumb. Oh, your not gonna start. Of course maybe that was RAC punishing him for his give up play in DEN and just didn't want to say that to the press/explain the not starting.

 

Other guys are doing it, but man, when you show up on my screen 3 different times in one game, giving up on plays, for a team whose D is a huge weak link, I want your ass benched. If I was Rogers, I'd break BMac in half for that crap. That dude is running after plays and he's 400lbs and getting hit all day.

[JewDago]

@ WPB: BE did get laid out on a pass from quinn, though. i mean, dude got absolutely torched. but he held onto the ball.

 

re: b-mac giving up on plays: our coach can't motivate our team. what do you guys expect?

[damajuki]

Yeah, we haven't given Rogers enough love at all.

 

How about that first pick? Triple-teamed, stood up and he gets his hand on that pass that leads to the pick?

 

How about his swim-move on the center in the 1st quarter where he bear-hugged Lynch in the backfield?

 

How about chasing plays down from behind, even when they're far beyond him?

 

Rogers has earned my respect BIG TIME. If guys on D don't get fired up watching him, there's something wrong with them.

 

On the flip side, Corey Williams is driving me nuts. If he is actually hurt (and it sure looks like it) then I give him huge props for trying to play through it. But I'm not sure he's doing anything remotely useful out there. Every time I key on him, he's playing patty-cake with an OL. Drives me nuts.

[JewDago]

@ damajuki: agreed. we're not praising rogers enough. dude's an absolute monster.

 

and williams is hurt. he's doing his best to play through it, but it's hard to play football with one arm.