D&C'S MAIORANA: Clock Is Ticking On Dennison

[quinnearlysghost88]

I'm dreading this opening drive sequence on Sunday: shotgun draw to McCoy (2 yards), swing pass to McCoy 3 yards, obvious passing situation blitz, throw away, punt. 

[zow2]

10 minutes ago, Utah John said:

There are four reasons the rushing attack has fallen apart.  First, lack of credible receivers lets defenses put another player or two in the box.  Second, Taylor was not running as much as he used to, and his yards made a big difference in the rushing rankings.  (Who's fault is it that Taylor isn't running?  His, or the coaches?  I don't know.)  Third, the O line is not as good.  I fear that both Wood and Incognito are falling off the age cliff, before our eyes.  Glenn is still hurt a lot, and the right side is still a disaster.  A lot of the problem could be traced to Castillo, the O line coach, or could be due to age an injuries.  Either way, the O line is not as good as it was.  Fourth, coaching.  Dennison simply didn't want to carry forward what was working before.  In his defense, he could have noticed the first three reasons I mentioned and realized it wasn't going to be good enough to keep doing the same thing.

 

One other reason -- Tolbert is just not as good as Gillislee. 

 

Well the O-line, aging or not, has to man up this week.  You would think they'd want to show some pride out there.  The Jets and Saints D-Lines made them look pathetic. 

[quinnearlysghost88]

Here's our opening drive, opening play. Illustrious.

1st and 10 at BUF 25

(15:00 - 1st) T.Taylor pass incomplete deep right to Z.Jones. Thrown away, receiver along sideline at BUF 25.

1st and 10 at BUF 25

(8:49 - 1st) L.McCoy left tackle to BUF 25 for no gain (S.Lotulelei; K.Short).

1st and 10 at BUF 42

(12:52 - 1st) L.McCoy left tackle to BUF 42 for no gain (S.Barrett).

1st and 10 at BUF 9

(11:26 - 1st) T.Taylor pass short left to C.Clay ran ob at BUF 17 for 8 yards (R.Alford).

1st and 10 at BUF 10

(13:04 - 1st) (Shotgun) T.Taylor pass incomplete short right to C.Clay.

1st and 10 at BUF 25

(9:44 - 1st) T.Taylor pass incomplete short left to Z.Jones (R.McClain). Receiver and coverage along sideline at BUF 32.

1st and 10 at BUF 16

(13:09 - 1st) T.Taylor sacked at BUF 4 for -12 yards (J.Jenkins).

1st and 10 at BUF 25

(14:53 - 1st) L.McCoy left tackle to BUF 25 for no gain (M.Te'o). Screen backward pass, caught at BUF 18.

[Big Gun]

1 hour ago, section122 said:

 

Imagine you had the #1 rushing offense 2 years running and now have the 17th.  Imagine you had the #7 scoring offense last year and now have the 20th.  All while having the same players.  Dennison is trying to force players into his system.  Much like Rex did.  The players had to meet with the coaches during the bye to force them to go back to things that worked last year and the Bills had their 2 best offensive games.  Dennison has done nothing in this league except play second fiddle.  It should be obvious to all of us after the Rex debacle that coaching matters.  Seeing a regression on 1 side of the ball when the players are the same points to the scheme or the coach.  Both of those are on Dennison.

 

I hope Peterman comes in and kills it.  I hope the Bills take a qb high and solve the qb position long term.  I don't feel great about Dennison being the one to mold a young qb and develop him though.  I hope his seat is very hot because he has mishandled this offense back to the offseason when he said he didn't care what they did last year.

I'll bet anything the Bills offense has a steady uptick now that there is a real QB running the show.

[Gordio]

47 minutes ago, Utah John said:

There are four reasons the rushing attack has fallen apart.  First, lack of credible receivers lets defenses put another player or two in the box.  Second, Taylor was not running as much as he used to, and his yards made a big difference in the rushing rankings.  (Who's fault is it that Taylor isn't running?  His, or the coaches?  I don't know.)  Third, the O line is not as good.  I fear that both Wood and Incognito are falling off the age cliff, before our eyes.  Glenn is still hurt a lot, and the right side is still a disaster.  A lot of the problem could be traced to Castillo, the O line coach, or could be due to age an injuries.  Either way, the O line is not as good as it was.  Fourth, coaching.  Dennison simply didn't want to carry forward what was working before.  In his defense, he could have noticed the first three reasons I mentioned and realized it wasn't going to be good enough to keep doing the same thing.

 

One other reason -- Tolbert is just not as good as Gillislee. 

 

 

This is an excellent point & I haven't heard too many people bring it up.  Woods & Ritchie both look like they are shot this year.  I don't remember that being the case last year. 

42 minutes ago, quinnearlysghost88 said:

I'm dreading this opening drive sequence on Sunday: shotgun draw to McCoy (2 yards), swing pass to McCoy 3 yards, obvious passing situation blitz, throw away, punt. 

 

 

Haha, I think you nailed it. 

[CardinalScotts]

his offense has proven itself in the nfl.....the total disrespect of our passing game is choking it out, virtually all the problems are related to this. Have to be able to make throws, Tyrod wouldnt do it.

[SoTier]

2 hours ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

I think Dennison is safe for this year, he is going to get a pass from the generally very loyal McDermott and Dennison can point to having Tyrod Taylor and a rookie as QBs.

 

Agreed.  He's probably safe next season, too, since the Bills will draft a QB in the first round in 2018 and likely rush him to play ASAP, which means that most offensive problems will get blamed on the rookie not on Dennison.

[BillsFan130]

2 hours ago, TheFunPolice said:

It is totally possible that Tyrod is a limited passer AND Dennison is a stubborn and mediocre OC

 

 

That sounds about right

13 minutes ago, CardinalScotts said:

his offense has proven itself in the nfl.....the total disrespect of our passing game is choking it out, virtually all the problems are related to this. Have to be able to make throws, Tyrod wouldnt do it.

It was never really his offence though. He was always more of a sidekick to Shanahan and Kubiak

[Lurker]

2 hours ago, section122 said:

 

 I'm a TT supporter and think he got a raw deal.  He is absolutely limited.  However we saw the last 2 years he can lead a successful offense.  Again forcing TT to stay in the pocket is not setting your players up for success.  It is said all the time that the most successful coaches mold their scheme around their talent.  

This is where I'm at as well.   

 

Dennison was a 'second choice' hire.    Given McD's agreesiveness on player personnel, I can see him reconfiguring his staff next yer, especially if they draft a QB high...

[CuddyDark]

Kubiak saying he wants to be an OC.

[Helpmenow]

What do you want from a former linebacker calling plays

Edited November 16, 2017 by Helpmenow

[section122]

3 hours ago, BuffaloBill said:

 

 

Last year is last year.  Why do you guys hold it out as some sort of evidence that Tyrod remains the elusive answer to the Bills woes?  The fact of the matter is that he is not going to win consistently in the NFL.  He has not as a starter and has enough opportunity to show the experiment has failed.

 

Except he HAS proven to be a middle of the pack starter.  Even with the horrific outing last Sunday he was still outperforming several "name" qbs.  Where is the evidence that Dennison can be succesful calling plays on his own without Shanahan/Kubiak?  The offense last year was competent.  This year it isn't.  I'm frustrated that the Bills can't be good on both sides of the ball at the same time for some reason.  2014 great d, subpar o.  2015/16 above average o, subpar d.  2017 subpar o and the d is slipping back to rex numbers.

 

2 hours ago, KW95 said:

 

You talking about the QB position?  Now we want our QB to be out of the pocket because he sucks in the Pocket?

 

Barf!

 

I want all of our players to be in a position to be successful.  That means I would have liked to have seen Tyrod rolling out, I wouldn't like to see Tolbert running anything east/west, etc...  The goal of the offense and defense for that matter should be to be productive.  Not be productive/unproductive as long as it is done my (Dennison's) way.

3 hours ago, matter2003 said:

 

If Peterman kills it why would they take a QB in the first round?

 

7 games is too small of a sample size for me.  I would hate for them to neglect the position hoping Peterman is the answer although it would be very billsy.  Even supporting Tyrod I was and am on board with competition at the spot.  If Peterman plays well and is a franchise guy he should be able to beat out whomever is drafted.  If he can't beat out the draftee then we have a better player in the draftee.  

[Cash]

Very good article by Sal.  Rico still has the opportunity to prove himself somewhat, but I've generally not liked what I've seen so far.  Every week, @yardsperpass tweets gifs of plays from that week's game.  Typically he includes at least 1-2 outside zone runs (the staple of Rico's run game) that fail miserably because the weak side of the O-line can't block it effectively.  We stink at those, and we have all season and preseason.  And it's always for the same reason - the weakside misses their cut blocks and fails to get their defenders on the ground.  And yet, we keep going back to them over and over.  Cover1.net recently had an article showing how much more predictable the offense has gotten this year compared to the last 2 (we almost always pass out of the shotgun and run under center), which also went into how vanilla the pass game has been.  Maybe the lack of NFL-level complexity in our pass plays is a Tyrod Taylor problem, or maybe it's a Dennison problem.  But the predictability is 100% on Rico, and it's troubling.

 

That quote regarding the Tolbert low-speed option is particularly damning.  It suggests that Rico basically has no idea what's going on.  He seems like the type who will keep making the same terrible decisions over and over and be forever stunned that they don't work out.  Confidence is great, but at some point it needs to correspond to reality.

[Kmart128]

I think Dennison is average. He is a mid tier OC. Wouldn't rank him in top 10 but wouldn't rank him in bottom 10 either. My big issue with him is to many play actions when the defense isn't biting. And the swing passes to Tolbert. We really need to add a backup RB in this off-season... Tolbert would be fine as a 3rd RB but for what Dennison wants to do he doesn't fit as a #2 RB.

 

We will see what Peterman could do in this offense. He is a better fit. And I'd love to use Cadet in those swing passes... Cadet is a bad runner but is a great receiver out of the backfield from his times with the Saints.

Edited November 16, 2017 by Kmart128

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

4 hours ago, CardinalScotts said:

his offense has proven itself in the nfl.....the total disrespect of our passing game is choking it out, virtually all the problems are related to this. Have to be able to make throws, Tyrod wouldnt do it.

 

..hell, even Ditka mumbled one Sunday that" you can have the greatest SYSTEM in the universe, but if you don't have the PERSONNEL to run it, you'll fail"......how is Dennison's "system" so vaunted that he refuses to adjust it to fit TT's mobility strengths?.......pretty sure he did for two games and the results were favorable.....then he inexplicably  goes back to attempting to force fit the "round peg in the square hole" with asinine 3 step drops forcing TT to stay in the pocket........almost as if to prove a point going forward.....if Taylor is not part of your 2018 plan and IS here for 2017, don't you adjust your system to exploit his mobility, looking for W's versus steadfast in your system so as not to bruise your sacred ego?.....sure I wanted TT to succeed and now look forward to watching the Peterman kid, but somethin' ain't quite passing the smell test.....Dennison is starting to remind me of the all knowing Steve Fairchild (COUGH).....

[Wayne Arnold]

6 hours ago, section122 said:

absolutely.  I'm a TT supporter and think he got a raw deal.  He is absolutely limited.  However we saw the last 2 years he can lead a successful offense.  Again forcing TT to stay in the pocket is not setting your players up for success.  It is said all the time that the most successful coaches mold their scheme around their talent.  Somehow Dennison is getting a pass on this due to people wanting to see Peterman.  It's frustrating.

 

Dennison didn't force TT to stay in the pocket. Opposing defenses did.

 

At the end of the day, this is football. And a quarterback has to have the ability to anticipate and throw receivers open. Taylor is incompetent in that regard. How many offensive systems are out there that is able to hide that glaring flaw that would work in the NFL? Roman's system was great, but would it have continued to work as well as it did in 2015 and 2016 (peaking at #9)? Not likely at all.

[Boatdrinks]

7 hours ago, TheFunPolice said:

It is totally possible that Tyrod is a limited passer AND Dennison is a stubborn and mediocre OC

 

 

Bingo, we have a winner! 

[3rdand12]

4 hours ago, Helpmenow said:

What do you want from a former linebacker calling plays

some better advice for our linebackers to start

3 hours ago, section122 said:

 

Except he HAS proven to be a middle of the pack starter.  Even with the horrific outing last Sunday he was still outperforming several "name" qbs.  Where is the evidence that Dennison can be succesful calling plays on his own without Shanahan/Kubiak?  The offense last year was competent.  This year it isn't.  I'm frustrated that the Bills can't be good on both sides of the ball at the same time for some reason.  2014 great d, subpar o.  2015/16 above average o, subpar d.  2017 subpar o and the d is slipping back to rex numbers.

 

 

I want all of our players to be in a position to be successful.  That means I would have liked to have seen Tyrod rolling out, I wouldn't like to see Tolbert running anything east/west, etc...  The goal of the offense and defense for that matter should be to be productive.  Not be productive/unproductive as long as it is done my (Dennison's) way.

 

7 games is too small of a sample size for me.  I would hate for them to neglect the position hoping Peterman is the answer although it would be very billsy.  Even supporting Tyrod I was and am on board with competition at the spot.  If Peterman plays well and is a franchise guy he should be able to beat out whomever is drafted.  If he can't beat out the draftee then we have a better player in the draftee.  

Bills already set up for a QB draft.

lest we lose sight of that.
They MUST follow through. Depending on a 5th rounder is a wish upon a star and silly.
Bills better be looking early in the first for a QB

[3rdand12]

2 hours ago, Cash said:

Very good article by Sal.  Rico still has the opportunity to prove himself somewhat, but I've generally not liked what I've seen so far.  Every week, @yardsperpass tweets gifs of plays from that week's game.  Typically he includes at least 1-2 outside zone runs (the staple of Rico's run game) that fail miserably because the weak side of the O-line can't block it effectively.  We stink at those, and we have all season and preseason.  And it's always for the same reason - the weakside misses their cut blocks and fails to get their defenders on the ground.  And yet, we keep going back to them over and over.  Cover1.net recently had an article showing how much more predictable the offense has gotten this year compared to the last 2 (we almost always pass out of the shotgun and run under center), which also went into how vanilla the pass game has been.  Maybe the lack of NFL-level complexity in our pass plays is a Tyrod Taylor problem, or maybe it's a Dennison problem.  But the predictability is 100% on Rico, and it's troubling.

 

That quote regarding the Tolbert low-speed option is particularly damning.  It suggests that Rico basically has no idea what's going on.  He seems like the type who will keep making the same terrible decisions over and over and be forever stunned that they don't work out.  Confidence is great, but at some point it needs to correspond to reality.

I think part of the equation is that this season is Test, just a test of the emergency broadcast system in your area.
 Still moving pieces around and seeing who can adapt.
But running spiller till he pukes over the LG for two yards again and again  gets old when it never gets executed properly

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

 

If Peterman kills it why would they take a QB in the first round?

 

Urm, because many a young QB has looked promising in his first season and not been able to build on that once there's film out on him or for whatever reason?

 

The Bills (and other horrid teams) under-invest in QB.  San Diego had Brees and drafted Rivers.  Green Bay had Favre and drafted Rodgers. 

8 hours ago, section122 said:

 

Imagine you had the #1 rushing offense 2 years running and now have the 17th.  Imagine you had the #7 scoring offense last year and now have the 20th.  All while having the same players.  Dennison is trying to force players into his system.  Much like Rex did.  The players had to meet with the coaches during the bye to force them to go back to things that worked last year and the Bills had their 2 best offensive games.  Dennison has done nothing in this league except play second fiddle.  It should be obvious to all of us after the Rex debacle that coaching matters.  Seeing a regression on 1 side of the ball when the players are the same points to the scheme or the coach.  Both of those are on Dennison.

 

I hope Peterman comes in and kills it.  I hope the Bills take a qb high and solve the qb position long term.  I don't feel great about Dennison being the one to mold a young qb and develop him though.  I hope his seat is very hot because he has mishandled this offense back to the offseason when he said he didn't care what they did last year.

 

There are significant differences in the players - Watkins, Wood, Goodman, Gillislee, even Kujo played a role last year - but of course, this regime takes responsibility for that since they are the ones who made the decison to trade them, release them, or let them walk.

But yes, many of the key players are the same, and I agree Dennison is trying to force players into his system.  If he was determined to run a timing offense, he could have insisted to sign a vet QB who could run it and let TT walk.