Broken Pass Protections - Why? What's the Fix?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Bills vs Packers.  We have just run for 5 yds on 1st down.  This is the 7th play of the drive.

Keep the chains moving, we could score before the half and go in somewhere between 13-8 and 13-3.  Let's Go Buffalo!

 

2nd and 5 from GB47.  1:49 left in the half quarter

Empty backfield, clearly a pass play.  I count 6 yellow hats, and 6 Buffalo hats.  Should work, right?  Is this some obscure "Josh Allen can't pick up a blitz" play?  No. 

In the video, you can see both LB shifting their feet and otherwise saying "get ready, we're coming".

 

Just after the snap.  We see Mills and Ducasse twiddling their thumbs and two LB heading for Josh Allen like hungry hyenas at a daycare picnic.

 

WTF, Man?  This isn't our OL getting overmatched -though that happens sometimes.

This is just freakin' incompetence at a jaw-dropping, head-banging level.

 

And of course it ends as we know it will from the above, with Allen getting hit just after he throws, likely rushing his throw.

To his credit, Allen doesn't roll out but recognizes he likely can't outrun two of them and stands in.

We see that Miller has handed his guy off to Mills, but too late to do any good.  Dawkins has executed an unsuccessful cut.

 

Free bonus: want to guess what guy is running downfield to try to receive this deep throw?  Foster, right?  He outruns guys and gains separation.

 

No Ma'am.  That's our RB, Taiwan Jones.  Who is maybe 4 yds in from the sideline route Allen is throwing?

 

This is an example of the play calling and execution that has me saying

"No, Daboll does NOT get a 'pass' for this year. 

Just no.  Fix it, or Get Out."

 

[dpberr]

It's more evidence to heap on  a mountain of evidence that Juan Castillo needs to be fired.  He's the guy in charge of making sure "his" guys know what they are doing.

 

It's clear they don't.  

 

These gameday errors are made because of shotty game day prep and a lack of focus and discipline.  Considering the OL issues go back to training camp, that suggests it's a systemic disconnect between OC, unit coach and personnel.  I don't think the guys on the OL are stupid  or not good at football, but it's clear they aren't where they should be and to me, that falls on the teachers.  

[Paulus]

 

Better ask that guy for a pay cut and screw us all over, 'cause we so smat...

[NewEra]

4 of our OLmen are bums.  Castillo is a bum. All should be looking for jobs next season.  One season too late.  

[Drunken Pygmy Goat]

That play stuck out to me on Sunday. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I believe this play falls on the QB and C. It's up to them to see the pre-snap defensive allignment and adjust the protection. It's something that's been an issue with Allen ever since preseason week 1. Guys have been getting in untouched, and defenses know this. It was a good job by the Packers of exploiting an obvious weakness in Allen's game, which isn't exactly surprising to see since he's a rookie. But hopefully it's something that improves with time and film study. It did seem better with Bodine at C against Minnesota; not sure why it seemed like a 180 last week.

[DRA3196]

After our game against the Ravens, I passed our o-line problems off as a lack of continuity and figured they would be more productive as the season went on, since the line did not get much work together over the summer and into the pre-season. this type of execution is not acceptable at any level. No wonder we can't move the ball on offense and are the laughing stock if the league. PATHETIC

[John from Riverside]

I am gonna champion Josh Allen every chance I get.....but I am sure that some of this does fall on the QB not recognizing protections.

 

This will come with time for a rookie QB.

 

but its not all on him.....the truth is our OL is flat getting whooped......you have to be able to run the ball to

[CardinalScotts]

48 minutes ago, Paulus said:

 

Better ask that guy for a pay cut and screw us all over, 'cause we so smat...

for a year maybe hes 35

 

[Nihilarian]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

Bills vs Packers.  We have just run for 5 yds on 1st down.  This is the 7th play of the drive.

Keep the chains moving, we could score before the half and go in somewhere between 13-8 and 13-3.  Let's Go Buffalo!

 

2nd and 5 from GB47.  1:49 left in the half. 

Empty backfield, clearly a pass play.  I count 6 yellow hats, and 6 Buffalo hats.  Should work, right?  Is this some obscure "Josh Allen can't pick up a blitz" play?  No. 

In the video, you can see both LB shifting their feet and otherwise saying "get ready, we're coming".

 

Just after the snap.  We see Mills and Ducasse twiddling their thumbs and two LB heading for Josh Allen like hungry hyenas at a daycare picnic.

 

WTF, Man?  This isn't our OL getting overmatched -though that happens sometimes.

This is just freakin' incompetence at a jaw-dropping, head-banging level.

 

And of course it ends as we know it will from the above, with Allen getting hit just after he throws, likely rushing his throw.

To his credit, Allen doesn't roll out but recognizes he likely can't outrun two of them and stands in.

We see that Miller has handed his guy off to Mills, but too late to do any good.  Dawkins has executed an unsuccessful cut.

 

Free bonus: want to guess what guy is running downfield to try to receive this deep throw?  Foster, right?  He outruns guys and gains separation.

 

No Ma'am.  That's our RB, Taiwan Jones.  Who is maybe 4 yds in from the sideline route Allen is throwing?

 

This is an example of the play calling and execution that has me saying

"No, Daboll does NOT get a 'pass' for this year. 

Just no.  Fix it, or Get Out."

 

2

Good stuff and Amen!

 

This is why many of us wanted line coach/run game coordinator Juan Castillo fired along with Dennison. He did less with more last year and this year the O line coaching is basically non-existent. Castillo must have comprising pics of McD...

 

Free rushers coming unblocked when a TE, RB, WR was there to make the block and it's like it doesn't even cross their mind. This is a rookie QB who doesn't yet know what he is looking at with defensive formations or who is coming or dropping, Every player on offense should be making a concerted effort to pick up a block if needed.

 

Things are much worse than just free rushers coming unblocked though. This is about the line players blocking the wrong man, whiffing on blocks, not picking up stunts, not helping that rookie QB with protections. 

 

This entire offense is a joke with no run game and it really gets me mad as hell that the rookie QB the team spent so much time and effort to acquire probably won't survive the season. 

 

 

[Freddie's Dead]

51 minutes ago, Paulus said:

 

Better ask that guy for a pay cut and screw us all over, 'cause we so smat...

 

For Christ's sake, JUST STOP!  Richie's contract negotiations did not make him go !@#$ nuts.  All he had to do was say, "No" to the pay cut.

[ColoradoBills]

21 minutes ago, DRA3196 said:

After our game against the Ravens, I passed our o-line problems off as a lack of continuity and figured they would be more productive as the season went on, since the line did not get much work together over the summer and into the pre-season. this type of execution is not acceptable at any level. No wonder we can't move the ball on offense and are the laughing stock if the league. PATHETIC

 

I hoped for that but I posted a bunch of times that the opposite would likely happen.

As DCs see how bad the OL is they would have a field day stunting, delaying and bull rushing them.

I truly wish I was wrong.

 

19 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

I am gonna champion Josh Allen every chance I get.....but I am sure that some of this does fall on the QB not recognizing protections.

 

This will come with time for a rookie QB.

 

but its not all on him.....the truth is our OL is flat getting whooped......you have to be able to run the ball to

 

Some of that is true, QBs are responsible for edge blitzing safeties and a few other details.

QBs are not correcting and calling basic blocking.  No QB is telling Bodine, hey dude if the MLB blitzes on a delay he is your man.

I know I'm being sarcastic but that is the only way to truly state how bad the OL does not even know basics.

They do not work as a unit at all.  If they did there would not be nearly as many "jail breaks" to the QB.

[DRA3196]

At some point during a game you HAVE to win your one-0n-one. Blitzing and stunts are communication issues, letting the guy in front of you go through you and chase the QB all over the field is you being physically dominated and not doing your job. It is inexcusable to me that in a 6v6 two defenders get free to chase Allen in the backfield.

[Buddo]

10 minutes ago, DRA3196 said:

At some point during a game you HAVE to win your one-0n-one. Blitzing and stunts are communication issues, letting the guy in front of you go through you and chase the QB all over the field is you being physically dominated and not doing your job. It is inexcusable to me that in a 6v6 two defenders get free to chase Allen in the backfield.

 

The last part I especially agree with. But the alignment seems wrong from the get go. I could see one guy getting free, but to me it should be the 2nd LBer, and not the first, which would give the QB that split second more time to step into the throw properly, and just maybe give the WR a better chance. While I'm no expert it appears as though the line spacing is too loose also, maybe not by a lot, but this is the NFL, and small margins are a difference maker.

[BuffaloBillyG]

1 hour ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

For Christ's sake, JUST STOP!  Richie's contract negotiations did not make him go !@#$ nuts.  All he had to do was say, "No" to the pay cut.

Looking back I have to wonder if the Bills saw signs of Cogs having issues and wanted to reduce his cap number in case he didn't hold up.

[Patrick Duffy]

The fix? The fix is obviously better linemen needed. Which won't happen til the offseason. And maybe the Oline coach may have a little to do with it. ?

[RochesterRob]

10 minutes ago, No Place To Hyde said:

Looking back I have to wonder if the Bills saw signs of Cogs having issues and wanted to reduce his cap number in case he didn't hold up.

  The Bills probably have a private investigator to keep tabs on guys like Richie.  The Bills reportedly had one for Bruce Smith and it has been said that using a PI is a fairly common but seldom spoke of practice in the league.  The PI probably gave a heads up to the team that Richie was ready to jump the rails mentally.

[ctk232]

2 hours ago, Drunken Pygmy Goat said:

That play stuck out to me on Sunday. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I believe this play falls on the QB and C. It's up to them to see the pre-snap defensive allignment and adjust the protection. It's something that's been an issue with Allen ever since preseason week 1. Guys have been getting in untouched, and defenses know this. It was a good job by the Packers of exploiting an obvious weakness in Allen's game, which isn't exactly surprising to see since he's a rookie. But hopefully it's something that improves with time and film study. It did seem better with Bodine at C against Minnesota; not sure why it seemed like a 180 last week.

I think Minnesota had to dial back the pressures after going down 17-0 in the first quarter. They still managed pressure regardless, but it doesn't hurt when most of our offensive drives started within 30 yards of their end zone.

 

Technically, this wasn't even a blitz - 6v6 pre-snap and GB #93 peels off in coverage on the TE, leaving 5v5 pressure. That's what makes me so upset.

 

And while you may be right about missing protection assignments here, it's hard to call without knowing the set. It's a delayed rush from both LBs (which I'm not sure both were even supposed to rush here through the same gap, but let's assume it was planned). Unless there were safeties up on the line off-screen in the above images, I have NO IDEA why Miller moves to block the DE when the DT is lined up to the right (QB's left) of Bodine. Mills should seal the edge rush and Miller can stay interior. Ducasse is left holding his jock because of the offset pressure and has nothing to do. Both backers overload and shoot the A gap and Miller is too far out of position and late to the play to do anything. If Miller was in position here, it may have given Allen time to set and follow through on his throw.

 

I can't see this being a QB issue, if it's on any player here it's the C for maybe not making these adjustments pre-snap, but boy wtf were Miller and Ducasse doing? This to me screams Castillo/Daboll issues, more so the former. The actual players don't help much either.

Edited October 5, 2018 by ctk232

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, Drunken Pygmy Goat said:

That play stuck out to me on Sunday. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I believe this play falls on the QB and C. It's up to them to see the pre-snap defensive allignment and adjust the protection. It's something that's been an issue with Allen ever since preseason week 1. Guys have been getting in untouched, and defenses know this. It was a good job by the Packers of exploiting an obvious weakness in Allen's game, which isn't exactly surprising to see since he's a rookie. But hopefully it's something that improves with time and film study. It did seem better with Bodine at C against Minnesota; not sure why it seemed like a 180 last week.

 

You might find some interest in this interview of Eric Wood by Erik Turner up on Youtube.  About 19:35 into it, he starts talking about the differences between working with a vet QB vs a young QB and how the center takes a larger role with the young guy.  It's pretty clear also from the play they talk through, that setting those protections at the line is a huge challenge in a noisy visiting stadium.  

 

Anyway, if it's being left to Allen as a rookie to be setting the protections, that's just WRONG.  It's too much on his plate.  Wood did it for EJ and Taylor.  Bodine or Groy should be doing it for Allen.  That's not to say that Allen doesn't have a role in recognizing in an overload who the unblocked guy is going to be and what that means for his reads, or in this case recognize that if the LB rush that leaves space for crossing routes over the middle.  But this is a "hat on hat" situation, and it really shouldn't be Allen's job to define who's got the MLB if he comes.  Know what the MLB rushing means to coverage, yes.  Define who picks him up, no.

 

 

[DRA3196]

36 minutes ago, Buddo said:

 

The last part I especially agree with. But the alignment seems wrong from the get go. I could see one guy getting free, but to me it should be the 2nd LBer, and not the first, which would give the QB that split second more time to step into the throw properly, and just maybe give the WR a better chance. While I'm no expert it appears as though the line spacing is too loose also, maybe not by a lot, but this is the NFL, and small margins are a difference maker.

 

 you bring up a good point about line spacing or "spreads". If they tightened them up they would not only be able to communicate better, create better blocking angles, give the defense less room to maneuver, it would also make the field appear wider and give our RB's and WR's more room to operate. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, DRA3196 said:

At some point during a game you HAVE to win your one-0n-one. Blitzing and stunts are communication issues, letting the guy in front of you go through you and chase the QB all over the field is you being physically dominated and not doing your job. It is inexcusable to me that in a 6v6 two defenders get free to chase Allen in the backfield.

 

In this situation the OL weren't physically dominated.  It was hat-on-hat and clearly a case of confusion about who to block.  They had two OLmen blocking air while two LB shot the gap.