One thing I notice when watching the film on the Dolphins offense is not so much what they are doing on offense, but how defenses have played them so far. They are playing scared. They get so caught up watching what motions and eye candy they are using, it is just freezing the fronts and LBs and in turn, they are getting blown off the ball by the time they figure out what is going on. They are reacting instead of dictating and that is giving Tua all day to throw if he needs it, but also allowing him to just lock onto his first read without having to move on. It is also giving their backs giant holes to run through because the defensing fronts are backing off because they are trying too hard to figure out how to stop the Dolphins offense instead of attacking themselves to just try and shut it down.
However, at least to this point in the season, it's been exactly the opposite with the Bills defense. We have been using both simulated and creeper pressures super well, along with changing up coverages at the snap in order to confuse the opposing offenses. When doing this, we're still only sending 4 most of the time while dropping 7 in coverage. But the difference is, we are getting to our spots at the snap, not waiting for the offensive players to get to theirs first and then reacting.
Tua hasn't been touched in the first 3 weeks because the defensive lines and LBs are too busy waiting around trying to figure things out. That's why when you watch the tape on their offense, everyone is laying on the ground or running backwards trying to play catch-up. I am pretty sure you won't see us doing that Sunday. I fully expect that McDermott will see that that key to slowing their offense down is to disrupt their timing. And how do you do that? By doing exactly what we have done to this point in the season. Let our pass rushers loose and play on the opponent's side of the LOS. You get in the backfield and all of a sudden there are more bodies for their backs to have to run around and get through. And with our length and range with our edge guys, and the push we have been getting up the middle as well might force Tua off his spot for a change and maybe even force him to go to his second and third reads because the timing is off. Tua has had it way too easy in these first 3 weeks. He's hitting his first read 80% of the time. That just should happen in the NFL. So, let's see what happens when he finally has trash at his feet and has to look around once in a while.
What I see happening Sunday is the Dolphins hitting a couple bigger plays on us because maybe we don't get home in time, or we miss a tackle or something like that. Make no mistake about it.....they will make some plays. But, what I also see is that Tua won't just be sitting relaxed in the pocket without having to move easily hitting his first read every play like he's been doing for the first couple weeks. Tua will have to move. He will have to get to a 2nd or 3rd read on plays. They still may score in the 20s, but it won't look nearly the same as what it has in the first few weeks. Dolphins fans keep bringing up the fact that even though they lost to us multiple times last year, the games were close. But this is not the same defense the Bills have been running with Frazier. They aren't going to see a 2 high defense every play with wide open spots in the zones with no pass rush because they knew exactly what our defense was going to do every snap. They can go back and look at every game from last season. I hope they do. But they would be wasting their time. This defense and the scheme we are using is totally different so far and I expect that if McDermott goes down in this game, he goes down swinging. I don't see us blitzing much at all. It will be up to whatever 4 are rushing to get there quick. If we do, and we play on their side of the LOS, I like our chances. If we score 27 or more, and don't turn the ball over, I think we win.
