What All The "Hitting Him In Stride" Reports Are Telling Us

[yungmack]

One of the keys to an effective passing offense with a team like the Bills, with relatively inexperienced linemen (and TEs), and maybe a shortage of talent, is to get the passes off quickly. Really, really quickly. You can't afford to stand around and wait for the play to develop, or the receiver to get open before unloading.

 

But you can defeat a pass rush by throwing the ball to a spot where you know the receiver is going to be from the second the ball is snapped. This works on a three-step drop as well (in fact, in might work even better). It doesn't matter how good or fast the pass rush is if the ball is already gone.

 

In order for this to succeed, the QB and the receivers have to be intelligent enough to rapidly identify the defense, have complete confidence in each other to react correctly to the D, and be precise in the throws and route-running. Go back and look at Montana/Rice and this is often what they were doing (it's pretty much fundamental to the West Coast offense). Do this properly and the edge a good defense has against a mediocre offensive line is largely neutralized.

 

Based on the reports coming out of camp so far, it seems to me that Gailey is stressing this approach. Now, I'm not talking about The Bomb, where the line has to hold while the QB waits and waits for the receiver to turn the defender around. I'm talking about a much quicker, shorter pass, with the receiver hitting top speed right off the line. And I think that's a big reason why Spiller was drafted, why Roscoe is so high on the depth chart, and why Stevie Johnson will likely beat out Hardy (who, by all reports, does not run his routes properly...can't have that with this approach).

 

I don't expect to see much of this in the exhibition season but I've come to believe that this will be a fundamental part of the Bills approach in the regular season.

[yall]

July 03?

 

If you are gonna post halfway decent stuff, do us a favor and post a little more often will ya?

[Max Fischer]

July 03?

 

If you are gonna post halfway decent stuff, do us a favor and post a little more often will ya?

 

Unfortunately, the more you post the dumber you get. Pretty soon you'll start threads like, "What food gives you gas?"

[bobblehead]

Unfortunately, the more you post the dumber you get. Pretty soon you'll start threads like, "What food gives you gas?"

 

 

So true. The best posters have surprisingly low post counts.

[joejoebills]

Unfortunately, the more you post the dumber you get. Pretty soon you'll start threads like, "What food gives you gas?"

Or why teams with lots of black in their uniforms are more inclined to win on the road.

[ACor58]

Unfortunately, the more you post the dumber you get. Pretty soon you'll start threads like, "What food gives you gas?"

 

That must be where Schopp and the Bulldog get their materials from.

[DaGimp]

best thread ever

[BillsPhan]

...In order for this to succeed, the QB and the receivers have to be intelligent enough to rapidly identify the defense, have complete confidence in each other to react correctly to the D, and be precise in the throws and route-running. Go back and look at Montana/Rice and this is often what they were doing (it's pretty much fundamental to the West Coast offense). Do this properly and the edge a good defense has against a mediocre offensive line is largely neutralized....

 

So that's all that has to happen in order for "this" to succeed? Edwards and Evans only need to start playing like Montana and Rice, huh?

 

So what's your formula for the defense to succeed? Perhaps Stroud and Kelsay need to start playing like Bruce Smith and Darryl Talley? Why stop there? In order for George Edwards' defense to succeed, Stroud and Kelsay have to start performing like LT and and Bruce Smith would have played if they were on the same team.....that's all.

 

You guys are really laying it on thick this preseason. Gailey is great, Edwards looks great, the schemes are great.

 

When reality bites on opening day against Miami, I will be extremely happy if the genius Gailey and his genius quick passing game and power running game actually combine to keep the Bills in the game, and perhaps help them score 14 to 17 points....total? That would be an improvement over most of last season, anyway!

 

Oh, and if the Bills play a great game here and there like they did on opening Sunday Night last season, I hope that Gailey's increased demands of toughness and discipline, help them to hold onto their 4th quarter leads this season, allowing them to win closer to 8 or even 9 wins for the first time in 6 years!!

[reddogblitz]

When reality bites on opening day against Miami, I will be extremely happy if the genius Gailey and his genius quick passing game and power running game actually combine to keep the Bills in the game, and perhaps help them score 14 to 17 points....total? That would be an improvement over most of last season, anyway!

Really. How? We scored 31 points against the Fish at home last year. We scored 24 in the 1st game last year against NE and 33 in the home opener. And, we averaged 19.4 points per game last year. I see 14 to 17 against the Fish as moving backwards. I expect us to average at least 23 ppg this year.

[SuperKillerRobots]

So that's all that has to happen in order for "this" to succeed? Edwards and Evans only need to start playing like Montana and Rice, huh?

 

So what's your formula for the defense to succeed? Perhaps Stroud and Kelsay need to start playing like Bruce Smith and Darryl Talley? Why stop there? In order for George Edwards' defense to succeed, Stroud and Kelsay have to start performing like LT and and Bruce Smith would have played if they were on the same team.....that's all.

 

You guys are really laying it on thick this preseason. Gailey is great, Edwards looks great, the schemes are great.

 

When reality bites on opening day against Miami, I will be extremely happy if the genius Gailey and his genius quick passing game and power running game actually combine to keep the Bills in the game, and perhaps help them score 14 to 17 points....total? That would be an improvement over most of last season, anyway!

 

Oh, and if the Bills play a great game here and there like they did on opening Sunday Night last season, I hope that Gailey's increased demands of toughness and discipline, help them to hold onto their 4th quarter leads this season, allowing them to win closer to 8 or even 9 wins for the first time in 6 years!!

 

Come on man, it's not like there was some Bills-lovefest going on until you broke it up with this post. The OP made a good point about how the offense this year, to compensate for the poor pass protection, should employ more quick passes than in years past, which if you know anything about football and the way the Bills have played the last decade, seems like a good idea and something a lot of people have been calling for in the past.

 

No need to change the subject. Some people want to talk about what the 80 players under contract for the Buffalo Bills need to do to be successful, other people want to talk about why they won't be successful. This thread is closer tot eh former than the latter. Why do you need to hijack it to beat a dead horse? I don't think the team is going to do great this year, but it won't stop me from thinking about and talking about what the current team needs to do to become successful. Maybe you need some more objectivity, because your post added nothing to this thread.

[Wagon Circler]

Come on man, it's not like there was some Bills-lovefest going on until you broke it up with this post. The OP made a good point about how the offense this year, to compensate for the poor pass protection, should employ more quick passes than in years past, which if you know anything about football and the way the Bills have played the last decade, seems like a good idea and something a lot of people have been calling for in the past.

 

No need to change the subject. Some people want to talk about what the 80 players under contract for the Buffalo Bills need to do to be successful, other people want to talk about why they won't be successful. This thread is closer tot eh former than the latter. Why do you need to hijack it to beat a dead horse? I don't think the team is going to do great this year, but it won't stop me from thinking about and talking about what the current team needs to do to become successful. Maybe you need some more objectivity, because your post added nothing to this thread.

+1

[sllib olaffub]

So many people get bashed here for posting anything - it's like there are people waiting for someone to say anything at all, just so they can say how stupid they are and how terrible the Bills will be this year. Come on.

 

I agree with the original notion - that the Bills should use quick strike passing to neutralize their poor O-line. The team that comes to mind the most - New Orleans. Watching them play I always thought, man, why can't our QB and WR's do that? It seemed like we were always throwing to a WR who was, more or less, waiting to catch it, rather than going and getting the ball.

I know Gailey will have his own style of play, but I think when you look at our roster, he's looking to emulate the Saints offense in ways, with the type of recievers we have, and now Spiller, and our line isn't that great and theirs isn't the best, either. Green Bay comes to mind, too.

 

As for Gailey not showing much in the pre-season, I'm thinking the same. I suspect he won't be showing much of what we're going to look like, formation wise, until the home opener. And I'm liking this approach. I like the mentality of taking people by surprise - it kind of implies doing things different from week to week, and being able to attack other teams weaknesses, or make them figure you out. That is a big part of why I hold out hope for our team this year, because I suspect Gailey will have us competitive merely by playing to our strengths and keeping opponents on their toes.

[Orton's Arm]

So many people get bashed here for posting anything - it's like there are people waiting for someone to say anything at all, just so they can say how stupid they are and how terrible the Bills will be this year. Come on.

 

I agree with the original notion - that the Bills should use quick strike passing to neutralize their poor O-line. The team that comes to mind the most - New Orleans. Watching them play I always thought, man, why can't our QB and WR's do that? It seemed like we were always throwing to a WR who was, more or less, waiting to catch it, rather than going and getting the ball.

I know Gailey will have his own style of play, but I think when you look at our roster, he's looking to emulate the Saints offense in ways, with the type of recievers we have, and now Spiller, and our line isn't that great and theirs isn't the best, either. Green Bay comes to mind, too.

 

As for Gailey not showing much in the pre-season, I'm thinking the same. I suspect he won't be showing much of what we're going to look like, formation wise, until the home opener. And I'm liking this approach. I like the mentality of taking people by surprise - it kind of implies doing things different from week to week, and being able to attack other teams weaknesses, or make them figure you out. That is a big part of why I hold out hope for our team this year, because I suspect Gailey will have us competitive merely by playing to our strengths and keeping opponents on their toes.

Good point. The OP clearly indicated that the Bills offense will attempt to model itself as a West Coast-style offense where the receivers run good, crisp routes, the QB hits them in stride, and the ball is thrown very quickly after the snap. He never said that Edwards would do as good a job of that as Montana would have done.

 

It's difficult to hit a moving target like a WR in perfect stride, and it remains to be seen how good a job Edwards will be able to do with that. But I suspect it's something they'll spend a lot of time on in practice, if that's the style of offense they're aiming for.

[polish lover]

Good point. The OP clearly indicated that the Bills offense will attempt to model itself as a West Coast-style offense where the receivers run good, crisp routes, the QB hits them in stride, and the ball is thrown very quickly after the snap. He never said that Edwards would do as good a job of that as Montana would have done.

 

It's difficult to hit a moving target like a WR in perfect stride, and it remains to be seen how good a job Edwards will be able to do with that. But I suspect it's something they'll spend a lot of time on in practice, if that's the style of offense they're aiming for.

 

edwards is not the lock for starting QB yet, keep that in mind. What I like about Gailey is that he is building his offensive approach to fit the players that are on the roster now, not making do with guys that don't fit his scheme like Jauron. The Bills have a bunch of great running backs and a few receivers that are great after the catch (parrish and steve) knowing their line is still in development, this is a good strategy.

[Peace Frog]

Unfortunately, the more you post the dumber you get. Pretty soon you'll start threads like, "What food gives you gas?"

I get the worst gas from chicken sushi.

[yungmack]

I know the tape we see from camp is edited for highlights, but it does seem to me that the QBs are getting rid of the ball much, much quicker than in years past. And yet no practice goes by without the QBs hitting several long gainers. What I take from this is that Gailey is strongly emphasizing throwing to spots. And that implies a big change of mindset. In the past, the QBs, TE in particular, were waiting, waiting, waiting for the receivers to come open. The thought process seemed to be, "Is he going to get open so I can throw the damned ball?" It's early yet but now the thought process seems to be, "He will get open so let me unload to where he's going to be."

 

This means the QB and the receivers have to be precise. Not to mention that they have to have complete confidence in each other. IF that's what's happening (and I believe it is), this represents a huge, huge change in approach and attitude. It's the difference between the timid, low risk, "play not to lose" style, and an aggressive, high risk-high reward style. It also means a mediocre O line doesn't have to hold its protection nearly as long as in the past.

 

Correct recognition of the D and accuracy in throws are critical to this method and that's where it could get iffy. With Wood and Bell not ready to go yet and Easley and Hardy out, the Skin's game won't tell us much. What I will be watching is how sharp the routes are run and how accurate the throws are.

[reddogblitz]

And yet no practice goes by without the QBs hitting several long gainers. What I take from this is that Gailey is strongly emphasizing throwing to spots. And that implies a big change of mindset.

I've seen hightlights of Trent completing long bombs in training camp the last 2 years. I've even seen him complete some long ones in the first few games of the following season. Then Captain Checkdown shows up.

 

I still think long passes and mid range passes were always in the game plan and encouraged, but Trent just wouldn't/couldn't to it.

 

But I hope you're right.

[Mickey]

One of the keys to an effective passing offense with a team like the Bills, with relatively inexperienced linemen (and TEs), and maybe a shortage of talent, is to get the passes off quickly. Really, really quickly. You can't afford to stand around and wait for the play to develop, or the receiver to get open before unloading.

 

But you can defeat a pass rush by throwing the ball to a spot where you know the receiver is going to be from the second the ball is snapped. This works on a three-step drop as well (in fact, in might work even better). It doesn't matter how good or fast the pass rush is if the ball is already gone.

 

In order for this to succeed, the QB and the receivers have to be intelligent enough to rapidly identify the defense, have complete confidence in each other to react correctly to the D, and be precise in the throws and route-running. Go back and look at Montana/Rice and this is often what they were doing (it's pretty much fundamental to the West Coast offense). Do this properly and the edge a good defense has against a mediocre offensive line is largely neutralized.

 

Based on the reports coming out of camp so far, it seems to me that Gailey is stressing this approach. Now, I'm not talking about The Bomb, where the line has to hold while the QB waits and waits for the receiver to turn the defender around. I'm talking about a much quicker, shorter pass, with the receiver hitting top speed right off the line. And I think that's a big reason why Spiller was drafted, why Roscoe is so high on the depth chart, and why Stevie Johnson will likely beat out Hardy (who, by all reports, does not run his routes properly...can't have that with this approach).

 

I don't expect to see much of this in the exhibition season but I've come to believe that this will be a fundamental part of the Bills approach in the regular season.

 

 

I don't think this is all that different than what Jauron ran. They did plenty of short, quick passes because the line couldn't block. I don't think there has been an offense in the league over the last 10 years that doesn't have that trick in their playbook. It doesn't work if you can't get the ball downfield enough to back the secondary off. The closer you are to the los, the less space you have. If the defense is packed in, you have no space. And throwing a short, quick pass means even if you complete it, if its 3rd and 8, your are still punting.

 

I think Gailey is going to run a spread, or one of its umpteen variations. Its a good offense for suspect lineman and questionable QB's. CJ is an ideal back for the spread. Gailey has had success with it in the past in trying to revive an offense that can't get out of its own way.

 

But as always, running the most brilliant offensive system ever conceived won't get it done if the players can't execute it. Their is no offense that doesn't require good blocking to succeed. We can make it a bit easier on them in certain situations but you have to be able to block.

[Orton's Arm]

edwards is not the lock for starting QB yet, keep that in mind. What I like about Gailey is that he is building his offensive approach to fit the players that are on the roster now, not making do with guys that don't fit his scheme like Jauron. The Bills have a bunch of great running backs and a few receivers that are great after the catch (parrish and steve) knowing their line is still in development, this is a good strategy.

Point taken. WIth Brohm third on the depth chart, I think the odds of his overtaking Edwards as the starter are relatively slim at this point. (That said, I'm still a little intrigued by the idea of seeing what Brohm can do.) I don't really see Gailey going into the season with Fitzpatrick as his starter. So I see the odds being heavily in favor of Edwards getting the starting nod, but you're right: that's not yet set in stone.

[yungmack]

I don't think this is all that different than what Jauron ran. They did plenty of short, quick passes because the line couldn't block. I don't think there has been an offense in the league over the last 10 years that doesn't have that trick in their playbook. It doesn't work if you can't get the ball downfield enough to back the secondary off. The closer you are to the los, the less space you have. If the defense is packed in, you have no space. And throwing a short, quick pass means even if you complete it, if its 3rd and 8, your are still punting.

 

My admittedly vague memory is that, yes, the Bills under Jauron threw loads of short passes. But the difference as I see it between his approach and Gailey's is that the short passing game was the result of checking down (not all the time but quite often). The short pass then The Last Option, more of a desperation pass than anything else. It also meant the line (a not very good or cohesive line) was being asked to protect longer than it was capable of doing.

 

To me, the difference in Gailey's approach is that the short pass is the intended pass from the start, not a matter of checking down and looking for someone, anyone who's open. One of the big advantages in that approach is that the line doesn't have to protect the QB very long at all.

 

I don't expect much at all out of the Bills tonight. It's too early, with too many key injuries. But by the third preseason game we should have a clear idea of what Gailey intends to do with this squad. I suspect a lot of his offense will be designed to mask the shortcomings of the O line and, to a certain extent, of his QBs.