Bills Offense: This Is Why We've Been Figured Out

[Got_Wood]

The word is out on how to beat this team, and defenses are shutting down Ryan Fitzpatrick:

 

Blitz happy teams (Jets, Cowboys, Bengals, Giants) can force Fitzpatrick to make quick decisions on short routes, and will give us ZERO time for longer passes to develop. If you fluster our QB he makes poor decisions, and is erratic with his accuracy. This forces interceptions and inaccurate passes that force 3 and outs.

 

So, how do you combat this?

 

You run the ball until they respect the run. POUND the ball in their face. And I'm not talking about simple run up the gut plays. Rex Ryan said it himself, we only run a handful of different running plays. That's unacceptable. We have two very talented running backs. We need to mix up our running playbook. Get CJ Spiller in the game and get more creative. Run change of direction plays, run reverses, whatever it takes.

 

The Bills average 32 passes from Fitzpatrick a game. Freddy Jackson only averages 18 runs a game. And he's the only back touching the ball for us. In games where Fred Jackson runs the ball 20 or more times, the Bills have won their most decisive victories. Freddy averaged 4.6 yards per carry against the Jets, and 8.8 against the Cowboys. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what we need to do against them next time.

 

In order for this offense to succeed, we can't continue to come out with the same philosophy every week. We need to adapt. If they want to blitz us, we have to be able to run the ball. If teams start respecting the run and give Fitzpatrick time, we can get the ball in the air. It's not that difficult to understand.

 

Take a look at what the Pats did to the Jets last night. They ran the ball 28 times, and used 4 different running backs. They didn't gain a ton of yards, but they forced the defense to defend both. You have to be creative, and you have to run the ball to beat these blitz happy teams.

Edited November 14, 2011 by Got_Wood

[Coach Tuesday]

No, I think it's that teams know the following:

 

1) Our WRs are below-average, esp. at getting off of jams

 

2) Our line can't hold up for too long

 

3) The passing game is quick-read and aims to get the ball out fast

 

Solution? Jam our WRs at the line and force Fitz to hold the ball and our line to sustain its blocks.

[Got_Wood]

No, I think it's that teams know the following:

 

1) Our WRs are below-average, esp. at getting off of jams

 

2) Our line can't hold up for too long

 

3) The passing game is quick-read and aims to get the ball out fast

 

Solution? Jam our WRs at the line and force Fitz to hold the ball and our line to sustain its blocks.

 

1.) This is true, and it's something we need to improve in the offseason. High draft pick or free agency signing.

 

2.) Not true. Our line has done very well, BUT teams are stacking the box. There are more defenders rushing the passer than we have lineman to block. You combat this with a stronger running package.

 

3.) This is part of the problem. If this is our entire offensive philosophy, all the opposing defense needs to do is blitz Fitzpatrick and defend the short pass. WAY too easy to figure out. I explained this in my original post. We'll keep getting beat badly if we keep this mentality.

[cantankerous]

We only have one talented running back. The other is garbage. There must be several reasons why he never even gets involved.

 

This team is soft and often gets intimidated early in the game. I saw players with their heads down and tails tucked. It looked like they gave up.

 

I was hoping to see at least one player show some emotion on the sidelines...I wanted to see someone throw their helmet on the ground...scream and yell...something!

 

Is it just me or would anyone else like to see at least a big hit every now and then? Getting physically dominated seems to be the Bills M.O. as of late.

[Got_Wood]

We only have one talented running back. The other is garbage. There must be several reasons why he never even gets involved.

 

This team is soft and often gets intimidated early in the game. I saw players with their heads down and tails tucked. It looked like they gave up.

 

I was hoping to see at least one player show some emotion on the sidelines...I wanted to see someone throw their helmet on the ground...scream and yell...something!

 

Is it just me or would anyone else like to see at least a big hit every now and then? Getting physically dominated seems to be the Bills M.O. as of late.

 

I call BS that we only have one talented running back. Chan supposedly didn't trust Jamal Charles in KC. He leaves and all of a sudden Charles becomes one of the best backs in the NFL. Use CJ Spiller, or get rid of him in the offseason. The guy is talented, and he's shown us that when he gets the ball as a RUNNING BACK.

[cantankerous]

I call BS that we only have one talented running back. Chan supposedly didn't trust Jamal Charles in KC. He leaves and all of a sudden Charles becomes one of the best backs in the NFL. Use CJ Spiller, or get rid of him in the offseason. The guy is talented, and he's shown us that when he gets the ball as a RUNNING BACK.

 

When? He never makes any plays with the little opportunities he's been given.

[D521646]

The word is out on how to beat this team, and defenses are shutting down Ryan Fitzpatrick:

 

Blitz happy teams (Jets, Cowboys, Bengals, Giants) can force Fitzpatrick to make quick decisions on short routes, and will give us ZERO time for longer passes to develop. If you fluster our QB he makes poor decisions, and is erratic with his accuracy. This forces interceptions and inaccurate passes that force 3 and outs.

 

So, how do you combat this?

 

You run the ball until they respect the run. POUND the ball in their face. And I'm not talking about simple run up the gut plays. Rex Ryan said it himself, we only run a handful of different running plays. That's unacceptable. We have two very talented running backs. We need to mix up our running playbook. Get CJ Spiller in the game and get more creative. Run change of direction plays, run reverses, whatever it takes.

 

The Bills average 32 passes from Fitzpatrick a game. Freddy Jackson only averages 18 runs a game. And he's the only back touching the ball for us. In games where Fred Jackson runs the ball 20 or more times, the Bills have won their most decisive victories. Freddy averaged 4.6 yards per carry against the Jets, and 8.8 against the Cowboys. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what we need to do against them next time.

 

In order for this offense to succeed, we can't continue to come out with the same philosophy every week. We need to adapt. If they want to blitz us, we have to be able to run the ball. If teams start respecting the run and give Fitzpatrick time, we can get the ball in the air. It's not that difficult to understand.

 

Take a look at what the Pats did to the Jets last night. They ran the ball 28 times, and used 4 different running backs. They didn't gain a ton of yards, but they forced the defense to defend both. You have to be creative, and you have to run the ball to beat these blitz happy teams.

 

 

THIS ^^^ Is spot on!

 

I mean, hell if we're going three and out anyway, why not three runs until teams get the message. This is the ONLY reason Sanchez still has a job in NY. It's also why he can look good sometimes in the passing game. The pass can open up the run, but if the pass has been taken away from you, you run to open up the pass. No team can take both away at the same time. We need to run it 25 to 30 times a game, and use all three backs, Fred, CJ, and Smith.. (Yes I call smith a back cause he sure as hell ain't no QB)

 

 

Tim-

[Got_Wood]

When? He never makes any plays with the little opportunities he's been given.

 

He averages 6.3 yards per carry, and only has 18 carries on the season. He has breakaway speed, and is one of the only legitimate athletic threat this team has on offense outside of Freddy and Stevie J. He needs to be more involved.

[EasternOHBillsFan]

You run the ball until they respect the run. POUND the ball in their face. And I'm not talking about simple run up the gut plays. Rex Ryan said it himself, we only run a handful of different running plays. That's unacceptable. We have two very talented running backs. We need to mix up our running playbook. Get CJ Spiller in the game and get more creative. Run change of direction plays, run reverses, whatever it takes.

 

The Bills average 32 passes from Fitzpatrick a game. Freddy Jackson only averages 18 runs a game. And he's the only back touching the ball for us. In games where Fred Jackson runs the ball 20 or more times, the Bills have won their most decisive victories. Freddy averaged 4.6 yards per carry against the Jets, and 8.8 against the Cowboys. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what we need to do against them next time.

 

In order for this offense to succeed, we can't continue to come out with the same philosophy every week. We need to adapt. If they want to blitz us, we have to be able to run the ball. If teams start respecting the run and give Fitzpatrick time, we can get the ball in the air. It's not that difficult to understand.

 

Take a look at what the Pats did to the Jets last night. They ran the ball 28 times, and used 4 different running backs. They didn't gain a ton of yards, but they forced the defense to defend both. You have to be creative, and you have to run the ball to beat these blitz happy teams.

 

If our defense doesn't stop the opposition, how in the heck do we keep up with the pace?

 

We will end up running the ball 25+ times and lose by 10+ instead of losing by 21+ against good defenses. They will stack the LOS and force us to go deep, something we have been unable to do.

 

Face it, our defense has to be upgraded and our offense has to have better talent at the WR position. We didn't need Casserly to tell us this, because in order to be a playoff team and win a championship you have to beat the good teams more than just one time.

[CBD]

I think it's that our WRs and QBs aren't suited to go downfield, defenses know this.

[PDaDdy]

No, I think it's that teams know the following:

 

1) Our WRs are below-average, esp. at getting off of jams

 

2) Our line can't hold up for too long

 

3) The passing game is quick-read and aims to get the ball out fast

 

Solution? Jam our WRs at the line and force Fitz to hold the ball and our line to sustain its blocks.

 

Add to that some blitzing to speed up the Fitz's clock and there you have it.

[Got_Wood]

If our defense doesn't stop the opposition, how in the heck do we keep up with the pace?

 

We will end up running the ball 25+ times and lose by 10+ instead of losing by 21+ against good defenses. They will stack the LOS and force us to go deep, something we have been unable to do.

 

Face it, our defense has to be upgraded and our offense has to have better talent at the WR position. We didn't need Casserly to tell us this, because in order to be a playoff team and win a championship you have to beat the good teams more than just one time.

 

The defense is bad right now. But I don't think the personnel is as bad as George Edwards makes it look. We have far too many guys playing out of position. The defensive ends are too big and slow, and our defensive backs are playing 7 yards off of receivers. We're playing stupid football and we're soft. That's a bad combination.

[Mike in Syracuse]

This is a really nice idea but it seems to ignore reality.

 

It's wonderful to say we should run the ball 40 times a game but what happens when we go 3 and out on our first three possessions and our sieve of a defense gives up 21 points on the first three series?

 

This isn't a fantasy world where we can just do whatever we want because we think it's the solution. I agree that this team probably should be running the ball a bit more but you can't ignore two very visible deficiencies.

 

1. We struggle to run because opposing defenses have absolutely zero respect for our ability to go deep. If you watched the Dallas game you notice that on almost every play their entire secondary is within 10 yards of the LoS.

2. Our defense is giving up yards in MASSIVE chunks. In the beginning of the season we were at least somewhat effective against the run. The last two weeks we've been horrific on both sides of the ball.

 

If you're going to advocate that we run the ball 40 times a game you better figure out how we're going to get first downs and maintain long scoring drives because our defense can't stop anyone.

[HeHateMe]

Bad coaching, lack of talent, so on and so forth.

 

I have 2 questions though.

 

Why haven't they run a freaking reverse yet with spiller or smith or anyone. Jackson draws so much attention and it will be open. It has been open on the fakes but they never actually run it.

 

Also why don't we ever bump or jam the other team's WRs? We let them get a clean release every single time. That is bad coaching.

[Ray]

Mike is 100% correct. Other defenses know they can play 11 players within the line of scrimmage. So if we give Freddy three and out you end up Fred and Spiller and having them both in the game and backfield at the same time does present mismatches with the other teams' LBs. You can fake screens one way and go to Spiller or vice versa.

[BuffalOhio]

Where have the "Stacked Receivers" looks gone? I haven't noticed it at all in the last few games. It always helps get someone open.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

The word is out on how to beat this team, and defenses are shutting down Ryan Fitzpatrick:

 

Blitz happy teams (Jets, Cowboys, Bengals, Giants) can force Fitzpatrick to make quick decisions on short routes, and will give us ZERO time for longer passes to develop. If you fluster our QB he makes poor decisions, and is erratic with his accuracy. This forces interceptions and inaccurate passes that force 3 and outs.

 

So, how do you combat this?

 

You run the ball until they respect the run. POUND the ball in their face. And I'm not talking about simple run up the gut plays. Rex Ryan said it himself, we only run a handful of different running plays. That's unacceptable. We have two very talented running backs. We need to mix up our running playbook. Get CJ Spiller in the game and get more creative. Run change of direction plays, run reverses, whatever it takes.

 

The Bills average 32 passes from Fitzpatrick a game. Freddy Jackson only averages 18 runs a game. And he's the only back touching the ball for us. In games where Fred Jackson runs the ball 20 or more times, the Bills have won their most decisive victories. Freddy averaged 4.6 yards per carry against the Jets, and 8.8 against the Cowboys. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what we need to do against them next time.

 

In order for this offense to succeed, we can't continue to come out with the same philosophy every week. We need to adapt. If they want to blitz us, we have to be able to run the ball. If teams start respecting the run and give Fitzpatrick time, we can get the ball in the air. It's not that difficult to understand.

 

Take a look at what the Pats did to the Jets last night. They ran the ball 28 times, and used 4 different running backs. They didn't gain a ton of yards, but they forced the defense to defend both. You have to be creative, and you have to run the ball to beat these blitz happy teams.

USE THE FULLBACK!!!

 

A team that consistently uses one to lead block will be a better running team, period.

[Mike in Syracuse]

Where have the "Stacked Receivers" looks gone? I haven't noticed it at all in the last few games. It always helps get someone open.

 

Look at how Dallas played our WR's yesterday. They're still stacking but the DB's are just playing off. Since no one is running anything more than a 10 yard pattern the don't worry about being beat deep.

 

For Christ sakes, yesterday on a 3rd and 3 Donald Jones ran a freaking 2 yard pattern!

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Also why don't we ever bump or jam the other team's WRs? We let them get a clean release every single time. That is bad coaching.

[Billsguy]

No, I think it's that teams know the following:

 

1) Our WRs are below-average, esp. at getting off of jams

 

2) Our line can't hold up for too long

 

3) The passing game is quick-read and aims to get the ball out fast

 

Solution? Jam our WRs at the line and force Fitz to hold the ball and our line to sustain its blocks.

 

To quote Nick Mendola, "Bills first four drives: Punt, missed FG, TD, punt.

Cowboys first four drives: TD, TD, TD, TD."

 

Where's the defense? Where's the pass rush?

 

On offense, Fred Jackson has been almost unstoppable and he gets only 13 carries. This is bad coaching. The Bills have a bad defensive coordinator and mediocre head coach.