Kubiak on Miami-Bills game: Missing in Action Screen Game located

[Hapless Bills Fan]

https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/jim-kubiak-how-josh-allen-and-bills-capitalized-on-dolphins-blitzing-ways/article_01f0b9aa-3b5d-11ec-a100-bf764b489d38.html

 

For those who say the Bills never run screens, 1/3 of the 16 plays run in the 2Q were screens.  Some of them worked quite well.

 

He has this to say about the 1st half:

Quote

Allen was pressing the entire first half, trying his best to get big plays, mostly when they weren’t open and certainly when they were outside his passing progressions. His tendency to choose the high-risk play can be traced to his need to do more than is required of his job on a given play. Open receivers underneath coverage are more valuable than the alluring prospect of deeper shots down the field. His lack of efficiency and patience was the key factor in the Bills’ slow offensive start.

 

So for those blaming the RBs or blaming the OL, Another Country Heard From.

 

About the Blitz:

Quote

The Dolphins blitzed 25 times on 48 dropbacks, according to News charts, the most any opponent has blitzed against the Bills this season. Allen was 3 for 8 against the blitz in the first half, and 12 for 15 in the second. He totaled 119 yards and two touchdowns.

12 for 15 numbers sound like the reason Allen doesn't get blitzed so much any more.

 

On the Bills first Q offensive woes (only 9 plays) Kubiak points to the play after Allen's long run:

Quote

It was in the very next moment, however, that you could see Allen’s desire to make another big play as he went for it all on a well-covered out-and-up.

 

Here, it appears Allen’s mind is made up, and he is going deep no matter what the defense does. As you look closely at the footage, you can see running back Zack Moss standing undisturbed and uncovered in front of Allen for what would have been another first down. Miami cornerback Byron Jones did not bite on the double-move out-and-up fake and Allen looks to his right preemptively, trying to influence the free safety away from receiver Emmanuel Sanders. This tells you that Allen was thinking about taking a shot regardless of the coverage.

 

Completing the throw to Moss or tight end Tommy Sweeney on the other side would have been the right answer for Allen here, but his desire for a big play got the better of him. This take-a-shot mentality wore into the second quarter and caused him to lose his composure in frustration on the sideline. Sure he was fired up at the offensive line and the referees, but he was also frustrated that the offense was sputtering. Miami wasn’t playing great defense; Allen was not attacking the Dolphins’ weaknesses.

 

Let's say that again: "Miami wasn't playing great defense, Allen was not attacking the Dolphins' weaknesses."

 

Allen says the right stuff (for example, on the broadcast with the Mannings) about needing to take the short stuff in order to get teams out of the two high safety looks.  But when he's on the field, and his adrenaline is rocking, the "blinders" still go on at times and he simply WILL NOT take what the defense is handing him on a platter.

 

Fortunately he snapped out of it in the second half, as Kubiak grades him 100% for both the 3Q and 4Q.

 

Kubiak concludes:

Quote

it is worth noting that Allen’s attitude was focused only on what he could do in the second half and much less of what was happening around him. If this play would have happened in the first half, we might have seen him react negatively. In this case, I was most impressed with his ability to put all of the first-half distractions behind him and do what he was made to do, throw touchdowns despite surrounding circumstances.

 

Ultimately, Allen had only one minus in the third quarter. The simple change in what he started to look for – the short passing game – made all the difference in the outcome.

 

and concludes:

 

Quote

Allen scored an overall performance grade of 92%, threw a pair of touchdowns, ran for another and completed 70% of his passes. Allen played flawlessly in the second half and managed to overcome his early eagerness to create plays that weren’t there.

 

When the Bills have too much time to prepare for an opponent – such as the Steelers in the season opener and the Dolphins coming off the bye – they tend to overthink things. It sometimes appears as if they try to do too much, perhaps because they have so much talent at their disposal.

 

Allen’s biggest challenge going forward will be controlling and focusing his talents. He has the ability to make any throw on the field, and most quarterbacks don’t have that luxury. Allen is different, and has an extraordinary ability to physically make plays that almost no one else can make. The difficulty is reining himself in. Hopefully, he is learning that his best performances are built around his efficiency, not his long passing abilities. Allen must focus himself on one thing going forward. He must shape his performances around what it will ultimately take to win.

 

He can be both a greedy “two birds in the bush” type of quarterback as well as an unstoppable “bird in the hand” player. We saw first-hand in this game those two strategies, and I for one, am hoping the “bird in the hand” quarterback returns in the remaining weeks of the season because that version of Allen can win a Super Bowl.

 

I don't see anything here about how we've got the worst OL in the league that simply doesn't give Allen the time he needs to function.  Allen can lead the Bills to wins behind this OL; he simply has to keep his composure and take what the defense gives him, even if that means passing up some of the "kill shots"

[Mango]

3 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/jim-kubiak-how-josh-allen-and-bills-capitalized-on-dolphins-blitzing-ways/article_01f0b9aa-3b5d-11ec-a100-bf764b489d38.html

 

For those who say the Bills never run screens, 1/3 of the 16 plays run in the 2Q were screens.  Some of them worked quite well.

 

He has this to say about the 1st half:

 

So for those blaming the RBs or blaming the OL, Another Country Heard From.

 

About the Blitz:

12 for 15 numbers sound like the reason Allen doesn't get blitzed so much any more.

 

On the Bills first Q offensive woes (only 9 plays) Kubiak points to the play after Allen's long run:

 

Let's say that again: "Miami wasn't playing great defense, Allen was not attacking the Dolphins' weaknesses."

 

Allen says the right stuff (for example, on the broadcast with the Mannings) about needing to take the short stuff in order to get teams out of the two high safety looks.  But when he's on the field, and his adrenaline is rocking, the "blinders" still go on at times and he simply WILL NOT take what the defense is handing him on a platter.

 

Fortunately he snapped out of it in the second half, as Kubiak grades him 100% for both the 3Q and 4Q.

 

Kubiak concludes:

 

and concludes:

 

 

I don't see anything here about how we've got the worst OL in the league that simply doesn't give Allen the time he needs to function.  Allen can lead the Bills to wins behind this OL; he simply has to keep his composure and take what the defense gives him, even if that means passing up some of the "kill shots"

 

I am one of the screen game Haters.  Not that we don’t run them, but traditionally they haven’t been very good for us. I noticed it was much better vs Miami.
 

But for whatever reason, screens feel like so much work for us. Peyton made note of something last night I thought was interesting. It has looked to me like Allen has been locking in on receivers early this year, screens included. Peyton made note that Mahomes had been locking in on his screens early in the game, but started to hold the safety’s for a second with his eyes then hit the screen. 
 

Not sure that’s thing that’s been happening with Josh, but it is something I immediately thought of when I heard that. 

[MJS]

I don't think anybody believes the oline is the worst in the league. I think they are average. You can win with them. You can also lose with them. Sometimes they are going to help you, sometimes they are going to hurt you.

[billsfan_34]

19 minutes ago, MJS said:

I don't think anybody believes the oline is the worst in the league. I think they are average. You can win with them. You can also lose with them. Sometimes they are going to help you, sometimes they are going to hurt you.

Our O line as a whole is average. The interior of the O line is below average. 

[Johnnycage46]

48 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/jim-kubiak-how-josh-allen-and-bills-capitalized-on-dolphins-blitzing-ways/article_01f0b9aa-3b5d-11ec-a100-bf764b489d38.html

 

For those who say the Bills never run screens, 1/3 of the 16 plays run in the 2Q were screens.  Some of them worked quite well.

 

He has this to say about the 1st half:

 

So for those blaming the RBs or blaming the OL, Another Country Heard From.

 

About the Blitz:

12 for 15 numbers sound like the reason Allen doesn't get blitzed so much any more.

 

On the Bills first Q offensive woes (only 9 plays) Kubiak points to the play after Allen's long run:

 

Let's say that again: "Miami wasn't playing great defense, Allen was not attacking the Dolphins' weaknesses."

 

Allen says the right stuff (for example, on the broadcast with the Mannings) about needing to take the short stuff in order to get teams out of the two high safety looks.  But when he's on the field, and his adrenaline is rocking, the "blinders" still go on at times and he simply WILL NOT take what the defense is handing him on a platter.

 

Fortunately he snapped out of it in the second half, as Kubiak grades him 100% for both the 3Q and 4Q.

 

Kubiak concludes:

 

and concludes:

 

 

I don't see anything here about how we've got the worst OL in the league that simply doesn't give Allen the time he needs to function.  Allen can lead the Bills to wins behind this OL; he simply has to keep his composure and take what the defense gives him, even if that means passing up some of the "kill shots"

 

I think this all rings true and seemed to play out in the opposite in the 2nd half when Allen was feeding Beasley on a lot of shorter throws and letting him make a move and pick up a few extra yards.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

51 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

I don’t think anyone is arguing that Allen can’t “lead the Bills to wins behind this OL”…. The argument or question is is the line good enough to get to and win a SB…or better yet, can Allen carry the offense and shotty offensive line on his back all the way to a SB victory? He’s an incredible QB who willed the team to victory Sunday, but when he is getting hit and pressured in the pocket he begins to not trust his protection and starts looking at the rush(as we saw against Pitt and even 1st half against the Titans). 

 

I think you're missing the point, but I doubt anything I could say would penetrate your mental armor and suffice to explain it.

[JaCrispy]

When Allen finally learns to consistently take what the defense is giving him, we will win a Super Bowl...question is- can he contain his emotions long enough to be patient for an ENTIRE game? Stay tuned...👍

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, MJS said:

I don't think anybody believes the oline is the worst in the league.

 

Hi!  Meet Scott7975.  He may possibly be ScottLaw's Brudda by another mudda.

 

1 hour ago, MJS said:

I think they are average. You can win with them. You can also lose with them. Sometimes they are going to help you, sometimes they are going to hurt you.

 

I agree with you.  They are average.  There are two points here:

1) Kubiak's point, that sometimes Allen is looking for well-covered downfield throws and waiting for something to come open, when he could take a short throw to one of two wide-open receivers right in front of him, and trust his teammates to make a play

 

2) My corollary, that the line would look sufficient more often and like a complete jailbreak less often, if Allen did this

 

Allen is getting better at this.  I see encouraging signs. 

 

In the KC game I saw stuff where I was YES!  He threw into the Blitz to the Hot Read!  and YES!  He took the checkdown!  But then in the Tenn. game and the 1st half of the MIA game, a step back.

 

And if the other team scores 20 or 21 points on offense while we're figuring it out (as Miami could have were they more competent on offense), it's liable to be an L.

 

Just now, JaCrispy said:

When Allen finally learns to consistently take what the defense is giving him, we will win a Super Bowl...question is- can he contain his emotions long enough to be patient for an ENTIRE game? Stay tuned...👍

 

When You're Right, You're Right.

[WhoTom]

Thread title implies that it was Miami's screen game that was featured. Did you mean "BUF Screen Game Located"?

[TPS]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/jim-kubiak-how-josh-allen-and-bills-capitalized-on-dolphins-blitzing-ways/article_01f0b9aa-3b5d-11ec-a100-bf764b489d38.html

 

For those who say the Bills never run screens, 1/3 of the 16 plays run in the 2Q were screens.  Some of them worked quite well.

 

He has this to say about the 1st half:

 

So for those blaming the RBs or blaming the OL, Another Country Heard From.

 

About the Blitz:

12 for 15 numbers sound like the reason Allen doesn't get blitzed so much any more.

 

On the Bills first Q offensive woes (only 9 plays) Kubiak points to the play after Allen's long run:

 

Let's say that again: "Miami wasn't playing great defense, Allen was not attacking the Dolphins' weaknesses."

 

Allen says the right stuff (for example, on the broadcast with the Mannings) about needing to take the short stuff in order to get teams out of the two high safety looks.  But when he's on the field, and his adrenaline is rocking, the "blinders" still go on at times and he simply WILL NOT take what the defense is handing him on a platter.

 

Fortunately he snapped out of it in the second half, as Kubiak grades him 100% for both the 3Q and 4Q.

 

Kubiak concludes:

 

and concludes:

 

 

I don't see anything here about how we've got the worst OL in the league that simply doesn't give Allen the time he needs to function.  Allen can lead the Bills to wins behind this OL; he simply has to keep his composure and take what the defense gives him, even if that means passing up some of the "kill shots"

Thanks for this. More confirmation that "only Josh Allen can beat Josh Allen."

[WhoTom]

3 minutes ago, TPS said:

"only Josh Allen can beat Josh Allen."

 

Someone needs to tape that to Josh's locker.

 

 

[BearNorth]

22 minutes ago, billsfan_34 said:

Our O line as a whole is average. The interior of the O line is below average. 

Actually our O line is comparable to the Ravens, Bengals, and Steelers, our offensive line is exactly at the average of the 7 AFC teams with records above .500.

 

Tenn is currently the best O line in the AFC, although we will see how much is due to King Henry. Chargers also have a solid group, Raiders line is garbage, but Carr and Jacobs compensate to some extent.

 

Wonder if anyone has calculated the number & % of plays where JA17 has succeeded when his line has not.

[Logic]

Thanks for sharing this.

 

I read an article on The Ringer the other day: 

 

https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2021/11/1/22757426/afc-leading-teams-titans-ravens-chiefs-bills 

 

It points out that, according to Sports Info Solutions, the Bills led the league last year in success rate on short dropback plays. This year, they’ve fallen to 16th. That’s quite the drop off! 
 

The short passing game, the “taking what is given”, the requisite composure to not try to do too much and to trust your playmakers…Allen seems to be having a harder time with these than he did last year. Im not really sure why. Perhaps how defenses are playing him?

 

 

As others have already said, the key to winning a Lombardi lies in Allen re-discovering his 2020 form in these areas.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

19 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

Thread title implies that it was Miami's screen game that was featured. Did you mean "BUF Screen Game Located"?

 

Valid.  Mia vs MIA too subtle.  I edited.

 

I will take the opportunity to add in, it's not that I don't think our OL needs improvement, especially at G.  I do.

 

But I don't think they're necessarily the primary reason for struggles in the passing game, when we struggle.  Scheme plays a role (we seem susceptible to stunts), and so does the QB play (looking for the deep shot vs. looking for the quick pass)

[LeGOATski]

1 hour ago, Johnnycage46 said:

 

I think this all rings true and seemed to play out in the opposite in the 2nd half when Allen was feeding Beasley on a lot of shorter throws and letting him make a move and pick up a few extra yards.

Sometimes I feel like it depends on the player too. Josh is much more likely to settle for Beasley than he is for a RB or backup TE.

[Scott7975]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Hi!  Meet Scott7975.  He may possibly be ScottLaw's Brudda by another mudda.

 

 

I agree with you.  They are average.  There are two points here:

1) Kubiak's point, that sometimes Allen is looking for well-covered downfield throws and waiting for something to come open, when he could take a short throw to one of two wide-open receivers right in front of him, and trust his teammates to make a play

 

2) My corollary, that the line would look sufficient more often and like a complete jailbreak less often, if Allen did this

 

Allen is getting better at this.  I see encouraging signs. 

 

In the KC game I saw stuff where I was YES!  He threw into the Blitz to the Hot Read!  and YES!  He took the checkdown!  But then in the Tenn. game and the 1st half of the MIA game, a step back.

 

And if the other team scores 20 or 21 points on offense while we're figuring it out (as Miami could have were they more competent on offense), it's liable to be an L.

 

 

When You're Right, You're Right.

 

First of all this is the second time you have equated me with Scottlaw. I am nothing like Scottlaw and you will rarely find me complaining about this team.

 

Secondly point to where I said this o line is the worst in the league.  I said its bottom 10 and in some cases bottom 5.  Stats and rankings back that up.  I will choose those and my own eye test over your eye test alone.

 

The o line is terrible.  Allen makes it look better.  You have debated nothing against the stats.  Until you think you can try to do so, I would stop.  Generally I like your posting but you are rather annoying here.

[billsfan_34]

1 hour ago, BearNorth said:

Actually our O line is comparable to the Ravens, Bengals, and Steelers, our offensive line is exactly at the average of the 7 AFC teams with records above .500.

 

Tenn is currently the best O line in the AFC, although we will see how much is due to King Henry. Chargers also have a solid group, Raiders line is garbage, but Carr and Jacobs compensate to some extent.

 

Wonder if anyone has calculated the number & % of plays where JA17 has succeeded when his line has not.

Interesting stats thanks for sharing. 

[billsfan1959]

3 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

Allen says the right stuff (for example, on the broadcast with the Mannings) about needing to take the short stuff in order to get teams out of the two high safety looks.  But when he's on the field, and his adrenaline is rocking, the "blinders" still go on at times and he simply WILL NOT take what the defense is handing him on a platter.

I think he has been a lot better this year with taking what the defense is giving him, but, like the first half against Miami, he still has his moments. I actually think much of what we’re seeing with Mahomes this year, in terms of his struggles, is the same issue. Teams are doing their best to take away the big play and force him to take the short stuff down the field. Just my opinion, but it seems QBs like Allen and Mahomes just operate from such supreme confidence in their abilities to make those big plays - no matter what the defense does - that they sometimes have more difficulty being patient than most QBs. And, they appear to get frustrated easier when they are unable to play their style. Maybe something to that whole “gunslinger mentality?”

 

When Allen has the patience and finds that balance, he is almost unstoppable.

[Scott7975]

Let me repost those stats for you so you can try and tell people the O line is average.  This is all passing stats so it wont even include how bad they are at run blocking

 

Blitzed 23rd lowest %

Allen pressured 25.3% of his passing attempts 9th worst

Allen hurried 6th most

Allen hit 5th most

Pocket time until collapsed 2.4 seconds 7th worst

 

Anybody care to explain to me how the o line is just fine, average, not terrible or whatever?  Please don't give me your eye test garbage.

Edited November 3, 2021 by Scott7975

[Hapless Bills Fan]

19 minutes ago, Scott7975 said:

First of all this is the second time you have equated me with Scottlaw. I am nothing like Scottlaw and you will rarely find me complaining about this team.

 

We'll do our own "eye test" on that one

 

19 minutes ago, Scott7975 said:

Secondly point to where I said this o line is the worst in the league.  I said its bottom 10 and in some cases bottom 5.  Stats and rankings back that up.  I will choose those and my own eye test over your eye test alone.

 

You said what you were fairly quoted as saying "one of the worst".  You then backtracked to 23rd out of 32 (mediocre, middle of the NFL) to 27 out of 32 depending upon the metric.  You were asked for the source of those stats and how some of them were defined.  You didn't answer.  It's kind of hard to debate against unsourced, undefined stuff.

 

Someone else posted some (equally unsourced) stats claiming the Bills OL is comparable to the Ravens, Bengals and Steelers and "exactly at the average of the 7 AFC teams with records above 0.500".  How about if you go debate that?  Oh wait, without knowing the source and what that means...you can't

 

19 minutes ago, Scott7975 said:

You have debated nothing against the stats.  Until you think you can try to do so, I would stop.  Generally I like your posting but you are rather annoying here.

 

I raised a number of points questioning the meaning of low values on some of your stats.  You didn't respond, just repeated them 🤷‍♂️