YoloinOhio Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Maybe keeping him and using in a different role is the way to go with Lesean... https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2019/1/30/18201603/lesean-mccoy-asked-to-make-something-out-of-nothing-in-passing-game-buffalo-bills-running-back LeSean McCoy asked to make something out of nothing in passing game The pattern of usage for LeSean McCoy gives us some fun stat oddities and shows how valuable the veteran can be The NFL tracks some advanced stats, including yards after catch or “YAC” in their game statistics and information system. In that database for 2018 they recorded 135 NFL players in the “Receiving Leaders” category. While volume stats like catches (34) and yards (238) don’t show McCoy as an elite talent, he’s the tenth-highest qualifying player in the league when it comes to YAC. At 8.47 YAC, McCoy is about two yards shy of top YAC man Austin Ekeler, but well ahead of the pack. Despite low volumes, this suggest McCoy was effective in the passing game once the ball was in his hands. Alone, this statistic would hardly be article worthy, so let’s discuss a more common stat and see where McCoy falls. LeSean McCoy’s average yards per reception in 2018 was 7.00 yards. Go look at the YAC number again. That’s right. LeSean McCoy’s YAC average was higher than his yards per reception. Worded differently he averaged more yards after the catch than he averaged yards per catch. This is the result of McCoy’s average depth of target being 1.47 yards behind the line of scrimmage or -1.47 yards. Put another way: Shady was given nothing to start with in the passing game. In fact, he was given less than nothing and expected to make up the difference and then some. Now I know what you might be thinking—“It’s common for a running back to get the ball behind the line of scrimmage”—and you’re absolutely right. But is it so common that the average depth of target is behind the line of scrimmage? Of the 135 qualifying receivers, only 15 of them had an average depth of target in the negative range. One of the bigger questions surrounding McCoy isn’t comparing his peers to him, but to his former self. McCoy’s 8.47 YAC is his highest average since 2015 when he hit 8.94. He’s also rarely been asked to start from so far behind the line of scrimmage as he was in 2018. You have to go all the way back to 2012 where his average depth of target was -1.82 yards. When it comes to the short passing game, McCoy’s numbers compare favorably to his younger self. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanfan Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I would transition Shady to a third down back role. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boca BIlls Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I would get rid of Shady and use new RBs that dont dance in the hole. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptnCoke11 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 (edited) 17 minutes ago, oldmanfan said: I would transition Shady to a third down back role. I would just release him and not blow 9 million on the cap for an old third down back. Another thing with him i can see happening.. The way his career is heading with dwindling production I can see him starting to cause problems in the locker room. He already got benched for the start of a game for somethingbhe did. Edited January 30, 2019 by CaptnCoke11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 27 minutes ago, oldmanfan said: I would transition Shady to a third down back role. three hits and he is done for the day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommonCents Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Just now, CaptnCoke11 said: I would just release him and not blow 9 million on the cap for an old third down back. Exactly. Year after year late round picks and UDFAs come into this league and contribute. There is zero reason to keep an older back when you don’t have his replacement on deck. They should have drafted Chubb last year and got out in front of it, as I said a million times. Instead they signed another veteran in Ivory and went with the AARP approach with the backfield. Draft a guy in in the mid rounds, use a late rounder as a flyer and get rid of the old guys. They offer nothing but name recognition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 People are hating on Shady way too much for his 2018 season. I fully agree that he danced too much at times and needed to hit the hole with purpose more often. HOWEVER...our offensive line was absolutely AWFUL at run blocking. Like really, REALLY bad at it. I lost count of the times that Shady was hit within 1 second of being handed the football. Those that say he's "washed up" or want to ship him out for peanuts are crazy, in my opinion. He didn't suddenly forget how to play football overnight. Get this man some legitimate offensive linemen and he'll do what he's always done. I'm all for drafting a young guy to be Shady's heir apparent, but the speed with which so many Bills fans have given up on him -- after a year in which the team had a historically dreadful offensive line -- is baffling to me. 10 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Would we re-purpose his salary too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 36 minutes ago, oldmanfan said: I would transition Shady to a third down back role. I don't know if third down back is the right characterizatuon, but a different role in the offense might make sense. Making McCoy more of a primary target in the offense, using more west coast principles, probably stresses the defense significantly. This ties in with the notion that Allen needs to go with the shorter option more often, to boost his completion percentage (also a west coast idea). 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida Bills Fanatic Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 6 minutes ago, Logic said: People are hating on Shady way too much for his 2018 season. I fully agree that he danced too much at times and needed to hit the hole with purpose more often. HOWEVER...our offensive line was absolutely AWFUL at run blocking. Like really, REALLY bad at it. I lost count of the times that Shady was hit within 1 second of being handed the football. Those that say he's "washed up" or want to ship him out for peanuts are crazy, in my opinion. He didn't suddenly forget how to play football overnight. Get this man some legitimate offensive linemen and he'll do what he's always done. I'm all for drafting a young guy to be Shady's heir apparent, but the speed with which so many Bills fans have given up on him -- after a year in which the team had a historically dreadful offensive line -- is baffling to me. I think you are right on point. McCoy danced in holes that were closing fast due to the terrible line play. The routes that he was asked to run were not downfield and didn't use his speed advantage over the linebackers that were covering him. When you look at the way that the Cheatriots use James White, it is completely different from the use of McCoy. White runs a lot of wheel routes, option routes underneath, and an occasional deep route up the seam against zones. White is a huge part of their offence. I believe McCoy is a faster and more illusive back than White. McCoy has been a good receiver throughout his career. He isn't going to be the guy to pound it between the tackles 20 times a game but he can still be a big part of an effective backfield. 2019 should be the year that McCoy is sharing reps with his replacement. 6 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoTom Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Use Shady as the primary receiver on screens and quick slants. That makes up for the deficiencies in the o-line (which should be better next year, but probably not as good as we'd like it to be) and wreaks havoc on the D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magox Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Shady has been a very good locker room asset and the Bills won't be in a cash crunch for 2019. Even though he most likely won't play to his contracted value it would be best to keep him around for another year. There are ways to use to him that would benefit the team and having him around to hopefully mentor a drafted RB would pay long-term dividends. Unless the Bills plan on using all their cash which I think is highly unlikely, I don't see why they would look to drop him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 25 minutes ago, Florida Bills Fanatic said: I think you are right on point. McCoy danced in holes that were closing fast due to the terrible line play. The routes that he was asked to run were not downfield and didn't use his speed advantage over the linebackers that were covering him. When you look at the way that the Cheatriots use James White, it is completely different from the use of McCoy. White runs a lot of wheel routes, option routes underneath, and an occasional deep route up the seam against zones. White is a huge part of their offence. I believe McCoy is a faster and more illusive back than White. McCoy has been a good receiver throughout his career. He isn't going to be the guy to pound it between the tackles 20 times a game but he can still be a big part of an effective backfield. 2019 should be the year that McCoy is sharing reps with his replacement. YES! When I look at how the Patriots use James White...and Rex Burkhead, and how the used to use Dion Lewis and Kevin Faulk, etc, etc, etc...it drives me absolutely NUTS that the Bills don't use Shady the same way in the passing game. He is more talented than ALL of the above running backs. Splitting him out into the slot or out wide against a linebacker or safety and sending him on a slant or drag route should be easy money every time. Utilizing him as a receiver out of the backfield on wheel routes and option routes - same thing. Easy money. Why don't the Bills do this? Everyone knows the Pats have bad receivers and that their running backs will be getting the ball in the passing game, yet they're STILL able to use them successfully, even with the defense knowing its coming. Again, why can't the currently receiver-deficient Bills do this? It's just maddening. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommonCents Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Draft Holyfield in the 3rd and forget about Shady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeding Bills Blue Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 1 hour ago, CaptnCoke11 said: I would just release him and not blow 9 million on the cap for an old third down back. Another thing with him i can see happening.. The way his career is heading with dwindling production I can see him starting to cause problems in the locker room. He already got benched for the start of a game for somethingbhe did. I could see it - but we have no need of salary cap at the moment, and we aren't going to burn through the cap that we have. So bring him to camp, and confirm if someone can actually take his job. He has better hands than most incoming rookies and running backs in general, he doesn't fumble, he blocks well, and he's still tough to tackle 1x1. Find me a guy that can do all those things AND be an effective 3 down back... and it'll cost you a premium pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 21 minutes ago, Magox said: Shady has been a very good locker room asset and the Bills won't be in a cash crunch for 2019. Even though he most likely won't play to his contracted value it would be best to keep him around for another year. There are ways to use to him that would benefit the team and having him around to hopefully mentor a drafted RB would pay long-term dividends. Unless the Bills plan on using all their cash which I think is highly unlikely, I don't see why they would look to drop him. People don't understand the locker room presence point about Shady. They confuse his occasional off field issues with what kind of a teammate he is. From what I see, he works his butt off and he doesn't complain. My sense is McBeane love him and will keep him. What they should be doing is fixing the line and the offensive scheme to maximize his talents. In 2019 he likely will be the most talented non-qb on the offense, more talented than any receiver, so the Bills need to do a much better job taking advantage of those talents. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeding Bills Blue Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said: Maybe keeping him and using in a different role is the way to go with Lesean... https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2019/1/30/18201603/lesean-mccoy-asked-to-make-something-out-of-nothing-in-passing-game-buffalo-bills-running-back LeSean McCoy asked to make something out of nothing in passing game The pattern of usage for LeSean McCoy gives us some fun stat oddities and shows how valuable the veteran can be He was simply used as a checkdown, as our offense was really vertical last season. One thing i notice when watching a team who uses their backs a lot in the passing game, is how much they design plays for backs that aren't check downs. They're identified pre-snap by a matchup they want to see, and whenever they see that matchup they run a play at that player. Same goes for McCaffrey, Gurley, kamara, etc. If they see a mismatch they are going that way with the ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Bills Fan Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Renegotiate his salary or move him out in a trade or just waive him. Not a full-time back anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Hix Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 2 hours ago, Logic said: People are hating on Shady way too much for his 2018 season. I fully agree that he danced too much at times and needed to hit the hole with purpose more often. HOWEVER...our offensive line was absolutely AWFUL at run blocking. Like really, REALLY bad at it. I lost count of the times that Shady was hit within 1 second of being handed the football. Those that say he's "washed up" or want to ship him out for peanuts are crazy, in my opinion. He didn't suddenly forget how to play football overnight. Get this man some legitimate offensive linemen and he'll do what he's always done. I'm all for drafting a young guy to be Shady's heir apparent, but the speed with which so many Bills fans have given up on him -- after a year in which the team had a historically dreadful offensive line -- is baffling to me. RBs fall off a cliff production wise at his age. So it’s not “forgetting how to play”, but it’s the same result. 1 hour ago, Magox said: Shady has been a very good locker room asset and the Bills won't be in a cash crunch for 2019. Even though he most likely won't play to his contracted value it would be best to keep him around for another year. There are ways to use to him that would benefit the team and having him around to hopefully mentor a drafted RB would pay long-term dividends. Unless the Bills plan on using all their cash which I think is highly unlikely, I don't see why they would look to drop him. Didn’t Shady get benched last season? Doesn’t jive with the “great in the locker room” narrative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 1 minute ago, Buddy Hix said: RBs fall off a cliff production wise at his age. So it’s not “forgetting how to play”, but it’s the same result. I'd love to know how getting hit immediately upon receiving the hand-off indicates how his skills/production "fell off a cliff". Care to elaborate? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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