Bucky Brooks: The Blueprint Buffalo Should Replicate to Maximize Josh Allen's Abilities

[LSHMEAB]

3 minutes ago, TtownBillsFan said:

Thank you for this.  There are several of ya'll that seem really debbie downers on stuff (yes, you and Scott are two of the many).  But you are correct in noticing improvement.  And I've seen enough from both of you to know that you're fans of the team, even if glass-half-full types.  The fact that ya'll will come around is good enough, and it will happen.  Just know that there's spots on the bandwagon for ya when you want to get a full-time seat!

 

Pretty sure you meant glass half empty. And it's my nature to expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised if things go well. I'm staunchly averse to disappointment.

[TtownBillsFan]

4 minutes ago, LSHMEAB said:

Pretty sure you meant glass half empty. And it's my nature to expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised if things go well. I'm staunchly averse to disappointment.

Yep, totally meant half-empty for you, as it seems to be your MO (here and in the dungeon).  I don't know how people live that way, maybe its a defense mechanism.  Not how I work, but it must work for you   Hopefully this one works out my way, and you can be happy about it as well! *cheers*

[transplantbillsfan]

59 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

He still has his inaccuracy issues.

 

But they aren't nearly as bad as many make it out to be. 

 

This times 1000!!!

 

And really not much/any worse than the typical 1st round NFL rookie, either.

[folz]

We have seen Josh throw a nice deep ball, he can throw a nice out or sideline pass, we have even seen him put some touch on the ball, like the nice lob pass to DiMarco in the Phins game. He has missed a couple of screen or swing passes, and some deep balls,  but it seems like many of the drops come on those short and medium curl and dig routes. Sometimes Josh just throws those passes too hot and the WRs haven't always been able to handle them. If Josh takes a little off of those passes and/or he gets WRs with stronger hands or who have just caught enough of Josh's passes to get a feel for those fastballs and they start coming down with them, then you are probably talking about an extra 2-3 completions per game, which would significantly boost his completion percentage. 

 

It seems right now that a lot of media guys want to write positive stories about Josh because he has flashed some elite skills, but because so many of them were down on him before the draft, they still feel the need to couch their articles with the completion/accuracy issue. Other posters have pointed out how that could definitely improve and I think it will. I really think with more experience and better talent around him (OL and WRs), the narrative about Josh being inaccurate will slowly fade away. 

 

You can look at his stats and completion percentage, or you can trust your eyes. As Bills fans, we have watched every throw he's made and he is not wildly inaccurate with his passes, as has sometimes been portrayed. Honestly, I can only think of like 4-6 passes that were really ill advised or poor throws. And we've had guys that were worried about their stats or of throwing a pick before (Rob Johnson, Tyrod Taylor) and that gets you no where. On the last play in a half or a game, at mid field, do you want to see your QB throw it 15 yards and watch the guy get tackled 30 yards short of the goal line, or do you want him to heave it into the end zone, not caring if it gets intercepted, for a chance at points on the board? Or on 3rd and 10, do you want the guy that takes the safe 7 yard pass, or a guy that will throw beyond the sticks? The first guys completion percentage will look better in the long run, but will he win more games? Josh doesn't care about his stats, he cares about winning. And if he's winning, we won't care about his stats.

[CSBill]

10 hours ago, LSHMEAB said:

I'm pretty sure one thing everyone on this board can agree on is that KB sucks.

 

It's unfathomable just how much so. I still can't believe how bad he was for the Bills? I have this feeling he just wanted out of Buffalo and did everything he could, or couldn't, to get his wish.

[oldmanfan]

Allen has work to do.  No question.  Overall Bucky's analysis was OK except for thinking Clay has any value. But as I have pointed out a number of times now this accuracy thing and this 60% completion rate thing are fallacies. 

 

Let's take last game 18/36 for a 50% completion rate.  To get to 60% he has to complete 21 passes (actually 21.6).  So that's either 3 drops or three throwaways, none of which have anything to do with his accuracy. 

 

Like any young QB he needs to work on his reads, needs to work on recognizing where guys are open, etc.  But as far as throwing a football,  about the only thing he needs is more touch especially on the short stuff, which should not be a problem.

[Ramza86]

12 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Here is where its deceiving.  There is a bigger story around Allen than the stats show.

1. Drops, way too many drops.
2. Pass Protection, he constantly under duress.  This leads to either poor throws at times where he trusts his arm to do too much or he has to throw it away.
3. Penalties, he has had several great throws, even exceptional ones taken away by penalties.
4. Down and Long all the time.  See penalties above as well as the inability to gain yards by our RB's has us frequently in 2nd/3rd and 10 or more yards needed.  
5. WR's do not get separation.  Kid already has to learn NFL defenses, and our WR's struggle to get open on their routes compounds this.  In fact, Zay is mostly a ghost UNLESS Allen is running for his life where can slip away finally from a defender trying to hold coverage that long.  Zay isnt getting open often enough on his actual route.
6. No running game.  This kid in the 3 games since coming back has personally accounted for about 85% of all the offensive yards this team has produced.  You can see him getting winded end of games even, I mean he is already adjusting to a longer season.  But add in the extra exertion from the runs and all the big hits he takes too.  Having to do it all is just making things harder on him.

More importantly...Allen is NOT the same kid as he was before he got hurt.  There is a clear difference in his level of play since coming back where you can see a lot of growth.  He is literally a Clay dropped pass and a ST Blunder away from being 6-2 as a starter and 3-0 since coming back from injury.  Heck, he might have even won the Houston game had he not gotten hurt and allowed Pickerman to give the game away.  So when people point to his year long cummalitve stats to gauge how he is doing now, they are not correctly analyzing his growth and improvement.  

 

No one is claiming he is a finished product by any means, but when you watch the tape, especially the last 3 games, there are very few just missed or way off passes.  I mean he is literally just a few more passes per game being completed away from 60+% completion percentage.  Now factor in all those things, and you can see a ton of places those few more completions can come from that are factoring in from failures of the people around him.  

 

For example...how many more completions you think he will make when you he gets more chances of 3rd and 3 instead of the several times a game he is in 3rd and 10, 3rd and 12, 3rd and 15, 3rd and 20?  How many more will he have when he has less drops?  How many more will he have when he has better receivers who can get open early in routes?  How many more will he have when he has time in the pocket?

 

You see, if you add just 1 more completion per game more with improvement on each of those issues, he would be over a 60% passer already.  Now factor in him as individual continuing to also improve and its not hard to see how he can quickly get above 60%.  

 

 

I thought this was common knowledge....some of these posters really dont get it. 

 

 

[HOF4LOU]

14 hours ago, One Buffalo said:

 

Kelvin Benjamin... if you take away Allen's throws to KB, you will find that his numbers look much better.  The stat I saw was that Allen's percentage goes up to 59% if you take out throws  to KB and Holmes.  

KB will probably excel with Mahomes. Allen has no touch. He throws missiles. Not everyone can catch a missile. Especially off target missiles. 

[NewEraBills]

Quote

The Billsnot only lack a legitimate WR1, but the team doesn't have an established complementary playmaker outside of Charles Clay and maybe Zay Jones. 

 

And to me that's just it.  I don't read this as a compliment to Clay.  I read it more as just how bad our situation is if Clay is your playmaker.

[machine gun kelly]

13 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Here is where its deceiving.  There is a bigger story around Allen than the stats show.

1. Drops, way too many drops.
2. Pass Protection, he constantly under duress.  This leads to either poor throws at times where he trusts his arm to do too much or he has to throw it away.
3. Penalties, he has had several great throws, even exceptional ones taken away by penalties.
4. Down and Long all the time.  See penalties above as well as the inability to gain yards by our RB's has us frequently in 2nd/3rd and 10 or more yards needed.  
5. WR's do not get separation.  Kid already has to learn NFL defenses, and our WR's struggle to get open on their routes compounds this.  In fact, Zay is mostly a ghost UNLESS Allen is running for his life where can slip away finally from a defender trying to hold coverage that long.  Zay isnt getting open often enough on his actual route.
6. No running game.  This kid in the 3 games since coming back has personally accounted for about 85% of all the offensive yards this team has produced.  You can see him getting winded end of games even, I mean he is already adjusting to a longer season.  But add in the extra exertion from the runs and all the big hits he takes too.  Having to do it all is just making things harder on him.

More importantly...Allen is NOT the same kid as he was before he got hurt.  There is a clear difference in his level of play since coming back where you can see a lot of growth.  He is literally a Clay dropped pass and a ST Blunder away from being 6-2 as a starter and 3-0 since coming back from injury.  Heck, he might have even won the Houston game had he not gotten hurt and allowed Pickerman to give the game away.  So when people point to his year long cummalitve stats to gauge how he is doing now, they are not correctly analyzing his growth and improvement.  

 

No one is claiming he is a finished product by any means, but when you watch the tape, especially the last 3 games, there are very few just missed or way off passes.  I mean he is literally just a few more passes per game being completed away from 60+% completion percentage.  Now factor in all those things, and you can see a ton of places those few more completions can come from that are factoring in from failures of the people around him.  

 

For example...how many more completions you think he will make when you he gets more chances of 3rd and 3 instead of the several times a game he is in 3rd and 10, 3rd and 12, 3rd and 15, 3rd and 20?  How many more will he have when he has less drops?  How many more will he have when he has better receivers who can get open early in routes?  How many more will he have when he has time in the pocket?

 

You see, if you add just 1 more completion per game more with improvement on each of those issues, he would be over a 60% passer already.  Now factor in him as individual continuing to also improve and its not hard to see how he can quickly get above 60%.  

 

Well said.  I know Bucky meeant well, but we’ve all discussed at length we need a better line and better skill players.   Yes, he needs work, but will only improve if Beane makes those things happen in the off season.

[Dadonkadonk]

Allen shouldn't be running this much. It is not a long term recipe for success. They should not be designing any offense around his running ability. Teach this kid to be a pro QB. We want him to be a pass first QB like Rodgers and Roethlisberger not a run/pass guy like RG3, Vick, Cam, or Wilson. I will take the career path of Wilson though. 

And stop throwing interceptions 

[N.Y. Orangeman]

Another lazy route/article by Bucky..shocking.

[26CornerBlitz]

2 minutes ago, N.Y. Orangeman said:

Another lazy route/article by Bucky..shocking.

 

What's lazy about it? What does he have wrong?  Details or your post is lazy. 

[N.Y. Orangeman]

30 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

What's lazy about it? What does he have wrong?  Details or your post is lazy. 

Really, I know you see it.   This offense is an offense in transition to an RPO based system that currently features a Rookie QB with a limited offensive line, a non-existent running game and a lack of playmakers in the passing game.  Instead, he attributes what we have on offense (a run-first perimeter offense) to the rookie QB's limitations and declares he is just a Cam or Vick, without considering:

1.  Clay isn't a complimentary player.

2.   QB rushing yards: Josh Allen: 490 total yards Designed runs: 89 Scrambles: 401 (note, he does get part of this, but missed much of it).

3.  Not a single mention of his drop rate, which is 2nd highest in the league.

4.  4/6 WR on the roster right now weren't on the opening day roster, 5/6 if you include Ray-Ray who was essentially stashed if we are honest.

5.  3/5 new on OL

 

 

 If you want an example of the laziness, look no further than this:    "particularly when No. 17 short hops a lay-up designed to pad his stats ..."  Nothing backs this statement up..nothing.  Another lazy route/article by Bucky...I stand by it. :P)

 

Edited December 15, 2018 by N.Y. Orangeman

[26CornerBlitz]

4 minutes ago, N.Y. Orangeman said:

Really, I know you see it.   This offense is an offense in transition to an RPO based system that currently features a Rookie QB with a limited offensive line, a non-existent running game and a lack of playmakers in the passing game.  Instead, he attributes what we have on offense (a run-first perimeter offense) to the rookie QB's limitations and declares he is just a Cam or Vick, without considering:

1.  Clay isn't a complimentary player. 

2.   QB rushing yards: Josh Allen: 490 total yards Designed runs: 89 Scrambles: 401 (note, he does get part of this, but missed much of it).

3.  Not a single mention of his drop rate, which is 2nd highest in the league. 

4.  4/6 WR on the roster right now weren't on the opening day roster, 5/6 if you include Ray-Ray who was essentially stashed if we are honest. Brooks already mentions he needs additional receivers.

5.  3/5 new on OL

 

 

 If you want an example of the laziness, look no further than this:    "particularly when No. 17 short hops a lay-up designed to pad his stats ..."  Nothing backs this statement up..nothing.  Another lazy route/article by Bucky...I stand by it. :P) 

 

 

 1. You're right, he should say more nice things.  In all sincerity, he is at this point of his career.

 

3. and 4.  Brooks already mentions he needs additional receivers. Allen can become a competent passer with the capacity to succeed despite a low completion rate. Now, in order to enhance Allen's game, I would advise the Bills to add a speed receiver (vertical threat) and a big-body pass catcher (possession receiver) to the lineup this offseason.

 

 The misfires certainly disrupt the rhythm and flow of drives, particularly when No. 17 short hops a lay-up designed to pad his stats and put the Bills in a manageable down-and-distance situation.   You conveniently left out this bolded part, but this has happened on a number of occasions including last week against the Jets.  Hopefully less as we move forward.

[N.Y. Orangeman]

11 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

 1. You're right, he should say more nice things.  In all sincerity, he is at this point of his career.

 

3. and 4.  Brooks already mentions he needs additional receivers. Allen can become a competent passer with the capacity to succeed despite a low completion rate. Now, in order to enhance Allen's game, I would advise the Bills to add a speed receiver (vertical threat) and a big-body pass catcher (possession receiver) to the lineup this offseason.

 

 The misfires certainly disrupt the rhythm and flow of drives, particularly when No. 17 short hops a lay-up designed to pad his stats and put the Bills in a manageable down-and-distance situation.   You conveniently left out this bolded part, but this has happened on a number of occasions including last week against the Jets.  Hopefully less as we move forward.

 

I think you also left something out as well, which goes to the laziness.   Here is the whole quote on receivers:

"Allen can become a competent passer with the capacity to succeed despite a low completion rate.  Now, in order to enhance Allen's game, I would advise the Bills to add a speed receiver (vertical threat) and a big-body pass catcher (possession receiver) to the lineup this offseason."  Where to begin on this one...wow.

 

 

Also, do you really think they were designed to pad stats?  That's the real issue I have with the statement

[26CornerBlitz]

1 minute ago, N.Y. Orangeman said:

 

I think you also left something out as well, which goes to the laziness.   Here is the whole quote on receivers:

"Allen can become a competent passer with the capacity to succeed despite a low completion rate.  Now, in order to enhance Allen's game, I would advise the Bills to add a speed receiver (vertical threat) and a big-body pass catcher (possession receiver) to the lineup this offseason."  Where to begin on this one...wow.

 

Also, do you really think they were designed to pad stats?  That's the real issue I have with the statement

 

Teams do give young QBs easy one read throws to boost confidence that also pad stats and I think he's simply referring to that. 

[1st&ten]

12 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

Every single QB in the league has a few wtf throws a game... While Brees and Brady have become so precise people don’t like to think they miss bad but but they do

 

Big Ben , Stafford , Rivers, Etc all throw some “ interesting “ footballs sometimes ... and by interesting I mean bad

 

This is definitely true---I've seen some real duds thrown by the elite QB's in some games this year.

[LSHMEAB]

5 hours ago, CSBill said:

 

It's unfathomable just how much so. I still can't believe how bad he was for the Bills? I have this feeling he just wanted out of Buffalo and did everything he could, or couldn't, to get his wish.

If he weren't in a contract year, I'd buy this.

 

I think the dude just sucks. Cam stuck a high number of throws on him early in his career because he didn't have many options. 

[26CornerBlitz]