I don't get the Hackett Hate

[KollegeStudnet]

Offensive coordinators utilize the weapons they have into their game plans. Sadly, his game plans so far have been somewhat lackluster.

[1billsfan]

Is he just the latest whipping boy for chronic complainers? Surely people aren't complaining based on preseason?

 

Last year he had the greenest group of QBs in the nfl to work with, and all of them started games. He rightly focused on running the ball to set up play action. The bills finished 19th in ypg, which is damn good considering the first year of the system AND going through the QB carousel.

 

Enlighten me please.

 

I recently watched a Hackett interview on the Bills website and he irritated me with his discussion of Manuel. He actually stated that he's been instructing Manuel to check it down and "just take what the defense gives you" because we never want any mistakes or turnovers. This is the worst possible advice for any young NFL QB because you make your franchise QB bones in this league by challenging defenses. Hackett would have LOVED Trent Edwards. I think Hackett is either too cautious or just plain ignorant, either way, if that's how he truly feels then he doesn't know what he's doing.

 

Bill Parcells once told Simms that if you aren't throwing any interceptions then you aren't trying hard enough to become a great NFL quarterback. You have to allow you QB the latitude that it's not the end of the world to throw interceptions. EJ Manuel will never progress into a franchise QB until he's given the breathing room to throw deep. Jim Kelly threw a bunch of interceptions trying to shoe horn the ball in, but that's part of what made him great. Defenses feared him because he was more successful than not when challenging the defense. The Bills have the WR talent to challenge defenses deep. What I heard from that interview is more dump offs to Spiller and Jackson and seam patterns to Chandler. So IMO there's a serious concern right now with Hackett and I'll just have to wait to see if that interview was him just BSing.

[TPS]

promise not to judge him until after this season.

 

my biggest issue (and a few others here) was over-using the hurry up and putting an inordinate amount of pressure on our defense to win us games.

 

qb injuries were brutal, and he called some good games for sure, especially considering the ineffectiveness of our Oline in most games.

 

this will be his defining year. he cant be happy about the LG situation continuing to be a problem into his second season, but no team is perfect at all positions.

this I agree with. I suspect all will be forgotten and forgiven in about 8 more weeks. Then again, maybe I will eat crow...

 

 

 

I recently watched a Hackett interview on the Bills website and he irritated me with his discussion of Manuel. He actually stated that he's been instructing Manuel to check it down and "just take what the defense gives you" because we never want any mistakes or turnovers. This is the worst possible advice for any young NFL QB because you make your franchise QB bones in this league by challenging defenses. Hackett would have LOVED Trent Edwards. I think Hackett is either too cautious or just plain ignorant, either way, if that's how he truly feels then he doesn't know what he's doing.

 

Bill Parcells once told Simms that if you aren't throwing any interceptions then you aren't trying hard enough to become a great NFL quarterback. You have to allow you QB the latitude that it's not the end of the world to throw interceptions. EJ Manuel will never progress into a franchise QB until he's given the breathing room to throw deep. Jim Kelly threw a bunch of interceptions trying to shoe horn the ball in, but that's part of what made him great. Defenses feared him because he was more successful than not when challenging the defense. The Bills have the WR talent to challenge defenses deep. What I heard from that interview is more dump offs to Spiller and Jackson and seam patterns to Chandler. So IMO there's a serious concern right now with Hackett and I'll just have to wait to see if that interview was him just BSing.

i also remember a point last year where he had EJ look at film of Brady, manning, and other elite QBs so he could see how they would throw a ball down field before a WR came open, showing him he has to trust what he sees and his receivers. Why was it Lewis and tuel were slinging and completing long passes last year, but not EJ?

After posting this I noticed the thread "is it coaching or the QB". Good question...

[nucci]

you dont have to "get" it you just have to "agree"! Just repeat what the doomsday preachers on this site say and all will be well. Oh, also just do this with your real feelings and opinions and when they start to win you can say oh I knew they were going to have a good season all along.Just roll with it man!

 

Oh, you mean when Gailey wouldnt use him much because he got winded?

No, I mean how Gailey used him as a receiver and got him the ball in open field where he excelled.

[yall]

Let's recap 2013:

 

2 both starting RB's injured

3 Inexperienced QB's, two of whom are rookies

2 rookie receivers and an injured vet

 

With all of that. somehow through the first 7 games we were tied with the Broncos as the only team scoring 20 points or more in every contest.

 

Forgive me if I'm not ready to lynch the OC just yet.

[1B4IDie]

My major gripe is his Hurry Up and Punt Offense.

 

If we had Aaron Rodgers at QB Hackett would look like a genius.

 

However the hurry up clearly hasn't clicked yet we still run it.

 

At this point in time there should be an adjustment to a ball control clock killing offense that will keep our defense rested.

 

There are atleast 2 games that may have been wins last season if we didn't Hurry and punt so much.

[Green Lightning]

I don't hate any coach, but I don't have much faith in Hackett. His hurry up and punt offense is frustrating to watch. To me he seems Hell bent on running his system without regard instead of playing to the strengh of the players he has. Hence the lack of impact from CJ and the inability to pick up a yard when needed. We'll see and judge in a few months from now. I hope he proves me wrong.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Green Lightning

[simpleman]

All in all, he's a 2nd year OC. I'm willing to give him this year to prove his worth.

 

You give drafted rookies a time period to learn how to adjust to the play in the NFL after playing in college where the overall talent level and coaching is of a much lower level.

 

You don't bring in rookie coaches and put them in top positions like HC, OC and DC. You start them in lower positions in the NFL and let them perfect their craft.

 

You draft experienced top level coaches who have already proved their competence in the NFL. You don't have on the job training at critical positions. Either you perform at a top professional level with the big boys, or you hit the road and get more NFL experience and work your way up until you are actually ready for the job.

Edited August 28, 2014 by simpleman

[CountDorkula]

I wouldn't call it hate as much as I would call it a concern that he in under utilizing some of his assets.

[NoSaint]

Let's recap 2013:

 

2 both starting RB's injured

3 Inexperienced QB's, two of whom are rookies

2 rookie receivers and an injured vet

 

With all of that. somehow through the first 7 games we were tied with the Broncos as the only team scoring 20 points or more in every contest.

 

Forgive me if I'm not ready to lynch the OC just yet.

 

and yet we were 29th red zone TD conversion rate, 29th in 3rd down conversions, 29th in yards per play, and of course 22nd in ppg despite being 3rd in plays per game (behind NE and Den).

 

perhaps an indication that he was terribly inefficient at everything but snapping the ball fast and in turn having more possessions (and forcing our defense into tougher spots too).

 

while those points you make are valid, did you think his game plans were creatively playing to our rosters strength and maximizing the odds of the team winning?

Edited August 28, 2014 by NoSaint

[yall]

and yet we were bottom 5 in red zone TD conversion rate, 29th in 3rd down conversions, 29th in yards per play and of course 3rd in plays per game (behind NE and Den).

 

perhaps an indication that he was terribly inefficient at everything but snapping the ball fast and in turn having more possessions (and forcing our defense into tougher spots too).

 

See my post above: Even with an amazing OC, would you expect much better with all of those factors? Because I wouldn't, and no reasonable person should either.

 

I'm willing to see what he can do with a healthy, more experienced roster.

 

And regarding the hurry up, it's my understanding that's being done at the behest of the HC, not by the OC on a whim.

[NoSaint]

 

 

See my post above: Even with an amazing OC, would you expect much better with all of those factors? Because I wouldn't, and no reasonable person should either.

 

I'm willing to see what he can do with a healthy, more experienced roster.

 

And regarding the hurry up, it's my understanding that's being done at the behest of the HC, not by the OC on a whim.

 

i edited while you were replying with: "while those points you make are valid, did you think his game plans were creatively playing to our rosters strength and maximizing the odds of the team winning?"

 

 

if you can point to some examples of how he helped the depleted roster overachieve schematically, your argument would work much better.

Edited August 28, 2014 by NoSaint

[All_Pro_Bills]

The hurry up made no sense. First you do it right, then you do it faster. Doing it wrong faster leads to more punts and a tired defense in the 4th quarter.

 

Play calling - 3rd and 1 is not a passing down the majority of the time. Didn't see much variation in game plan from opponent to opponent regardless of who they were playing against with the exception that Tuel and Lewis threw more downfield than EJ. If its not a play calling difference but rather a QB difference we have a major problem with our starter's confidence.

 

That said, I'm expecting to see some 'designed' plays specifically for Watkins and Spiller this year. I don't want to see the same offensive plays with Spiller or Jackson in the game. Tailor the calls to the situation and the personnel. I want to see calls that get Watkins into space. I'd like to see more use of EJ's mobility, rolling out and throwing on the move, because it seems he's more accurate and comfortable moving out of the pocket and throwing on the run.

Edited August 28, 2014 by All_Pro_Bills

[Gugny]

You give drafted rookies a time period to learn how to adjust to the play in the NFL after playing in college where the overall talent level and coaching is of a much lower level.

 

You don't bring in rookie coaches and put them in top positions like HC, OC and DC. You start them in lower positions in the NFL and let them perfect their craft.

 

You draft experienced top level coaches who have already proved their competence in the NFL. You don't have on the job training at critical positions. Either you perform at a top professional level with the big boys, or you hit the road and get more NFL experience and work your way up until you are actually ready for the job.

I respectfully disagree. What you described was yesterday's NFL hiring practices. There's a reason guys like Gibbs and Parcells fell flat on their faces when they tried to employ their antiquated coaching styles in today's NFL. Same with Shanahan. I'd be very surprised to see Cowher magically turn any team around, too.

 

I stick by my assessment of Hackett. He did a heck of a job with the cards he was dealt. The Bills didn't lose many games last year due to not scoring enough points; that's for damn sure.

[Charles Romes]

A lot of the hate emerges from what Pettine was able to accomplish by comparison.

 

Pettine was able to recognize the strength of his players and play to those strengths. several under his leadership - mcKelvin, a Williams, Dareus, turned their careers around.

 

Hacket is not able to identify or play to the strengths of his players. Consequently, capable players run the risk of being run out of the league under Hacket.

[Homey D. Clown]

I know me neither. The offense is such a dynamic powerhouse and were using all of our weapons to their full potential. We're unpredictable and our option schemes are real head scratchers for opposing defenses. The man has been flawless thus far. He's only in his 30s but he already has the mind of a young Lombardi.

 

Yeah, nevermind that pesky PissPoor QB play, that had no impact on the offensive production in any way, it HAD to be all Hackett's fault.

[Maybe Someday]

Let's recap 2013:

 

2 both starting RB's injured

3 Inexperienced QB's, two of whom are rookies

2 rookie receivers and an injured vet

 

With all of that. somehow through the first 7 games we were tied with the Broncos as the only team scoring 20 points or more in every contest.

 

Forgive me if I'm not ready to lynch the OC just yet.

Don't whisper, you bring up some good points.

My major gripe is his Hurry Up and Punt Offense.

 

If we had Aaron Rodgers at QB Hackett would look like a genius.

 

However the hurry up clearly hasn't clicked yet we still run it.

 

At this point in time there should be an adjustment to a ball control clock killing offense that will keep our defense rested.

 

There are atleast 2 games that may have been wins last season if we didn't Hurry and punt so much.

Calling our offense hurry up is misleading because we weren’t running a 2 minute drill all the time; we simply didn’t get into a conventional huddle after most plays. I believe that we often snapped the ball with less than 15 seconds left on the play clock but I wasn’t able to find any stats to back that up, just my recollection. Instead we’d do what I’ve heard announcers call bubble huddles which is getting up to the line and calling plays there. Doing that prevents the defense from making substitutions. If we do that and can put a longer drive together, the defense will be tired. The problem we often ran into was lack of execution but I don’t think that really had anything to do with not doing a conventional huddle.

 

I don’t think we really know what Hackett can do yet. I think he was severely handcuffed by what the players could execute. Injuries leading to the constant rotation of mostly inexperienced players prevented the team from getting any kind of rhythm as the season went on. It limited the teams/players progression and didn’t allow him to get as creative as he may have normally been able to.

 

The one thing that stands out in my mind that I really didn’t like about his play calling was how often we ran the shotgun runs up the gut on 3^rd and 1. I can see it once in awhile in that situation or even on 3^rd and 3 but we did it way too often when we only needed a yard. If we’re going to be a run heavy team, put the beef in there and plow forward for that yard. With EJ’s injury concerns, I’d also like to basically scrap the read option.

[quinnearlysghost88]

Yeah, nevermind that pesky PissPoor QB play, that had no impact on the offensive production in any way, it HAD to be all Hackett's fault.

 

Again, as has been discussed in this thread already, play to your players strengths. If you notice that your QB is playing "piss poor," maybe don't make him throw almost 30 times a game: http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/gamelog/_/id/15803/ej-manuel

[uncle flap]

A lot of the hate emerges from what Pettine was able to accomplish by comparison.

 

Pettine was able to recognize the strength of his players and play to those strengths. several under his leadership - mcKelvin, a Williams, Dareus, turned their careers around.

 

Hacket is not able to identify or play to the strengths of his players. Consequently, capable players run the risk of being run out of the league under Hacket.

Again, as has been discussed in this thread already, play to your players strengths. If you notice that your QB is playing "piss poor," maybe don't make him throw almost 30 times a game: http://espn.go.com/n...15803/ej-manuel

 

so... what are the players' strengths?

[yall]

i edited while you were replying with: "while those points you make are valid, did you think his game plans were creatively playing to our rosters strength and maximizing the odds of the team winning?"

 

 

if you can point to some examples of how he helped the depleted roster overachieve schematically, your argument would work much better.

 

I think you're missing my point;

 

I'm not arguing that he is a good OC. I'm saying there is insufficient evidence to say he is bad, and plenty of evidence to show that poor performance last year was likely related to having a bunch of rookies and injured players.