Bills will run an Outside Zone blocking scheme (video)

[BuffaloHokie13]

Good points

 

A lot of people dont agree with me but I think Jon Williams is gonna thrive in the backup role this year for just that reason that he is a one cut between the tackles pinball machine runner

 

His first year fumbles do concern me....but he was not a fumbler in college so I am hoping he can get past that.

 

There is a reason why we have not aggressively gone after free agent running backs after we lost Mike G. this offseason.

From what I've heard we have not aggressively gone after any free agents this offseason

[GunnerBill]

I heard it mentioned on WGR (can't remember who they were interviewed, one of the NFL analysts) that the Bills play an easier schedule this year than in 2016 as it relates to rush defense.

 

Yes I heard it too. Think it was Evan Silva.

[Drunken Pygmy Goat]

Our rushing attack won't get better, IMO.

It will get worse. It was too good last year. The scheme fit perfectly. A change in scheme will regress it at least a little. Hopefully not a big drop.

That's my guess as well, but more from a statistical standpoint. I think they'll be about as efficient as they have been. Hopefully part of the dip in stats is partially the result of an improved passing attack, not just attributed to "regression".

[vincec]

We ran much more outside zone in 2015 and yet McCoy had a much better year in the more inside zone heavy offense that Lynn called last season.

 

I think inside zone and man blocking plays suit our lineman better. You need a more athletic line to run outside zone plays.

Our rushing attack won't get better, IMO.

It will get worse. It was too good last year. The scheme fit perfectly. A change in scheme will regress it at least a little. Hopefully not a big drop.

Agree. How can you get better than the best in the league? There's really only one way to go by changing things.

[GunnerBill]

I think inside zone and man blocking plays suit our lineman better. You need a more athletic line to run outside zone plays.

 

That could certainly be true as well, we are not the most athletic at the guard positions.

[ROONDOGG55]

Our rushing attack won't get better, IMO.

 

It will get worse. It was too good last year. The scheme fit perfectly. A change in scheme will regress it at least a little. Hopefully not a big drop.

With the added play action passes, our running game will only get stronger. Injuries aside, we should be more dominant in both categories. That doesn't mean more rushing yardage either, just more efficient running plays.

 

I think Shady was guilty of stretching plays too far to both sides in 2015. I think it is why when Lynn got hold of playcalling he started to call a much more balanced inside / outside game whereas Roman featured the outside zone much more. It was an attempt from Lynn to force Shady to look to get north and south more quickly. It worked too. If Dennison is sensible he will continue to be balanced... because I think the inside stuff gets McCoy into the discipline of looking to hit the hole that then benefits them even when they run outside zone.

Exactly! Lynn was genius for doing this, but he was also a physical N/S runner back in the day so it only made sense for him to implement that. Dennison said that he would keep a lot of the good plays/concepts from last season, so we'll see how it pans out.

[Agent 91]

I think inside zone and man blocking plays suit our lineman better. You need a more athletic line to run outside zone plays.

Agree. How can you get better than the best in the league? There's really only one way to go by changing things.

Rex Ryan wouldnt agree with your last sentiment

[vincec]

Rex Ryan wouldnt agree with your last sentiment

The Ryan hiring seems asinine in retrospect but there were a lot of people who thought that he'd put the defense over the top, taking them from top 5 to #1.

[GunnerBill]

The Ryan hiring seems asinine in retrospect but there were a lot of people who thought that he'd put the defense over the top, taking them from top 5 to #1.

Those people were wrong. I thought so at the time and so it proved.

[3rdand12]

The Ryan hiring seems asinine in retrospect but there were a lot of people who thought that he'd put the defense over the top, taking them from top 5 to #1.

I had hope.

 

Yes I heard it too. Think it was Evan Silva.

Interesting take from Silva then.

 

Everyone should know Tyrod will need to look like he did under Lynn's HC adjustments.

Timing. Just chuck it from the pre read. Puts the onus on the WR to complete the play.

aint nuthin wrong with that

[Matt_In_NH]

Great post! Our rushing attack may get better because of this. Especially our play action! A naked bootleg with TT's speed and Watkins or Zay's speed has big plays written all over it. Should be fun to watch.

With injuries aside, I think he failed to see any cutback lanes based on the unsettled right side along with the mentality to continue to stretch until something opens up. I feel like he stretched way too many runs to the sideline on the right side in 2015. Last year, I think Lynn asked him to trust the line and cut up regardless of how small the hole was. Hopefully he can carry that with him and use that knowledge with the Dennison scheme.

 

Its hard to go up from best int he league. It is quite likely the rushing attack will go back some, maybe because of the scheme, maybe because they pass a little more. All this shows is a different scheme where we can speculate....last years performance was the real thing. I am not saying they should try and run what they did last year but in terms of rushing output it will be really hard to beat what they did last year.

[BADOLBILZ]

Good points

 

A lot of people dont agree with me but I think Jon Williams is gonna thrive in the backup role this year for just that reason that he is a one cut between the tackles pinball machine runner

 

His first year fumbles do concern me....but he was not a fumbler in college so I am hoping he can get past that.

 

There is a reason why we have not aggressively gone after free agent running backs after we lost Mike G. this offseason.

 

 

There was a reason why they didn't aggressively seek an upgrade to Colin Brown after Andy Levitre was allowed to walk.......turned out the reason was AWFUL judgement........Brown then proceeded to be the very worst starting OL in the NFL until he was mercifully released.

 

There is no reason to have any trust in the judgement of unproven, middling track-record hires like McDermott and Beansy.

 

If the Bills had hired McDermott as their DC fans would have been like........."meh.......his track record is not that impressive compared to Rex or Schwartz".........but as HC? LOL he's a friggin' boy genius in the making in whom we must trust!

 

Jon Williams may pan out........I liked his 2014 tape..........but his track record says injury.......and who comes after Jon Williams?

 

JW and McCoy have both missed plenty of football with injuries the past two seasons. Gillislee was durable as a Bill. How soon we forget the summer of 2015 when every RB on the team was sidelined in August.

 

You'd think that after seeing the Bills defense go from leading the league in sacks one year to a league low and FRANCHISE ALL-TIME LOW sack total the next season that people could realize how fleeting poorly maintained strengths can become.

[John from Riverside]

 

 

There was a reason why they didn't aggressively seek an upgrade to Colin Brown after Andy Levitre was allowed to walk.......turned out the reason was AWFUL judgement........Brown then proceeded to be the very worst starting OL in the NFL until he was mercifully released.

 

There is no reason to have any trust in the judgement of unproven, middling track-record hires like McDermott and Beansy.

 

If the Bills had hired McDermott as their DC fans would have been like........."meh.......his track record is not that impressive compared to Rex or Schwartz".........but as HC? LOL he's a friggin' boy genius in the making in whom we must trust!

 

Jon Williams may pan out........I liked his 2014 tape..........but his track record says injury.......and who comes after Jon Williams?

 

JW and McCoy have both missed plenty of football with injuries the past two seasons. Gillislee was durable as a Bill. How soon we forget the summer of 2015 when every RB on the team was sidelined in August.

 

You'd think that after seeing the Bills defense go from leading the league in sacks one year to a league low and FRANCHISE ALL-TIME LOW sack total the next season that people could realize how fleeting poorly maintained strengths can become.

I know it feels like one big beating but I just cant brng myself to blame current management for what happened with the Levitre/Brown thing (I was NOT on board with letting Levitre walk at the time)

 

The injuries to running back to me was a huge fluke.....we were dipping into our like 3rd and 4th string guys. I have confidence that we would be aggressive with RBs (we might not be done)

 

We always seem to find the running backs except for that one year.

[Coach Tuesday]

 

 

There was a reason why they didn't aggressively seek an upgrade to Colin Brown after Andy Levitre was allowed to walk.......turned out the reason was AWFUL judgement........Brown then proceeded to be the very worst starting OL in the NFL until he was mercifully released.

 

There is no reason to have any trust in the judgement of unproven, middling track-record hires like McDermott and Beansy.

 

If the Bills had hired McDermott as their DC fans would have been like........."meh.......his track record is not that impressive compared to Rex or Schwartz".........but as HC? LOL he's a friggin' boy genius in the making in whom we must trust!

 

Jon Williams may pan out........I liked his 2014 tape..........but his track record says injury.......and who comes after Jon Williams?

 

JW and McCoy have both missed plenty of football with injuries the past two seasons. Gillislee was durable as a Bill. How soon we forget the summer of 2015 when every RB on the team was sidelined in August.

 

You'd think that after seeing the Bills defense go from leading the league in sacks one year to a league low and FRANCHISE ALL-TIME LOW sack total the next season that people could realize how fleeting poorly maintained strengths can become.

 

I am so sure that injuries will plague the RB and CB spots this year, because the Bills have amazingly bad luck when they take risks with their roster. I could totally see Tolbert starting games in November at RB and Poyer switched to CB for a game or two, that sort of thing.

Edited July 16, 2017 by Coach Tuesday

[Elite Poster]

 

I agree Badol. I think the discipline of Lynn calling those inside zone runs more than Roman did (they were in the playbook he just used them less) helped Shady even on those outside zone plays that were called not to keep bouncing and bouncing and bouncing until he bounced out of play..... they got him used to the one cut and attack the line idea and his production improved. A couple of his big runs last year were on outside zone plays where the defense over pursued on the edge and Shady hit it back inside and took advantage. In 2015 he was trying to force those plays outside rather than taking what the scheme and the defense was giving him.

 

I overwhelmingly disagree with this statement. He had a few big one cut runs, but most of his game was him cutting and moving laterally quite a bit. I know a lot of us here shudder at the sound of lateral movement, but that is what Shady does whether it works or not.