Brian Daboll deserves a lot of credit today.

[FireChans]

Patchwork OL. Banged up receiving group. Some absolutely head scratching performances (Sanders and Kumerow in the anti-clutch department).

 

we still put up 30+ against the best defense in football, and had ONE drive not end in points today (outside of the victory formation).

 

He called a masterful game. 
 

I wonder if McD will think twice about benching an offensive weapon like McKenzie again.

[Steptide]

He called a great game today. One thing that hasent been talked about it, is the 4th down when they drew the Pats Offside. They lined Allen up in shotgun and had mckenzie(?) come across in motion. Was pretty genius and the defender jumped 

[Billsfan1972]

Saw a lot more movement and innovation.

 

Except for playcalling when they were second and goal from the 1 (of course the Sanders drop didn't help), I thought he did a good job today.

 

Also doesn't hurt to have JA at qb....

[Nextmanup]

He doesn't deserve a lot of praise when we win, and he doesn't deserve a lot of hate when we lose.

There is so much that we DO NOT KNOW as fans on each play that it's very hard to accurately judge the quality of the offensive coordinator.

 

 

 

[HappyDays]

I will be the first to give him credit today. We finally got Allen some pass protection by moving the pocket and leaving extra blockers in. The red zone play calling was much better outside of the one Moss run. The offense looked in rhythm from start to finish and played a complete game for really the first time this season. 3rd and 4th down play calling were excellent. If Daboll actually sticks with this offense I would be happy to see him back next year.

[FireChans]

3 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Saw a lot more movement and innovation.

 

Except for playcalling when they were second and goal from the 1 (of course the Sanders drop didn't help), I thought he did a good job today.

 

Also doesn't hurt to have JA at qb....

The Sanders and Kumerow drops kept the Pats in the game unfortunately. 
 

The call to Kumerow was masterful, dude was without a defender within 10 yards and flubbed it.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

every time mckenzie plays as a solid 3 I’m confused what it is Beasley must do better 

[Coach Tuesday]

1 minute ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

every time mckenzie plays as a solid 3 I’m confused what it is Beasley must do better 

Option routes.

[HomeskillitMoorman]

12 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Patchwork OL. Banged up receiving group. Some absolutely head scratching performances (Sanders and Kumerow in the anti-clutch department).

 

we still put up 30+ against the best defense in football, and had ONE drive not end in points today (outside of the victory formation).

 

He called a masterful game. 
 

I wonder if McD will think twice about benching an offensive weapon like McKenzie again.

Yup I thought Daboll was pretty good today overall. 
 

McD…I liked that we went for it as much as we did…but a lot of that is football today and he’s just been behind. I also thought he once again called a brutally bad timeout in the 2nd half and I didn’t like giving up the possession at the end of the first half. Thankfully today those things didn’t end up hurting us but we’ve seen in the past how it can. 
 

I don’t know who’s call it was, most likely McD’s, but benching/deactivating McKenzie was stupid from the start. I’m glad we kind of lucked into him getting this opportunity today. 

[Bob in STL]

10 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Patchwork OL. Banged up receiving group. Some absolutely head scratching performances (Sanders and Kumerow in the anti-clutch department).

 

we still put up 30+ against the best defense in football, and had ONE drive not end in points today (outside of the victory formation).

 

He called a masterful game. 
 

I wonder if McD will think twice about benching an offensive weapon like McKenzie again.

Good job game planning with lots of backups in but I suspect he ran the same plays he would have anyway.  I agree that he finally did things to help the pass protection.
 

 I really hated the play calling on 2nd and goal from the 1.  Three passes was being too cute.  Even though Sanders missed a catchable ball.  Thankfully the defense bailed us out and forced a 3 and out. That could have changed the momentum otherwise. 
 

I don’t like that we don’t have have a heavy package that can grind out a few yards. Our red zone offense has been inconsistent.  This roster make up is more on Beane and McD though.  
 

 

[Coach Tuesday]

Still don’t love the shenanigans inside the 5 yard line - it’s like they have no go-to plays down there they’re comfortable with and pull out the mad scientist crap instead, which they clearly don’t practice enough.  Daboll needs to learn that it’s better to master 3-5 plays than to dabble in 27 plays… Daboll the Dabbler.  Brian Dabble.  I’m onto something here…

[billsbackto81]

McD will say in his Press Conference, " Let's not give Daboll more credit than he deserves".😂

 

He called a decent game with a few head scratchers but it was Josh that made him look competent today. 17 was ballin!

[FireChans]

Just now, billsbackto81 said:

McD will say in his Press Conference, " Let's not give Daboll more credit than he deserves".😂

 

He called a decent game with a few head scratchers but it was Josh that made him look competent today. 17 was ballin!

What play calls did you think were bad?

2 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Still don’t love the shenanigans inside the 5 yard line - it’s like they have no go-to plays down there they’re comfortable with and pull out the mad scientist crap instead, which they clearly don’t practice enough.  Daboll needs to learn that it’s better to master 3-5 plays than to dabble in 27 plays… Daboll the Dabbler.  Brian Dabble.  I’m onto something here…

Don’t we have the worst running game inside the 10 in the NFL?

 

I think we got bailed out by Josh being such a threat down there for the last few years, we could basically run throw to Diggs, the flat and if they aren’t open, Josh tuck it and run. Defenses key in on Josh as a runner so hard in the red zone nowadays. That’s BD’s job to adjust, of course.

[White Linen]

Just now, FireChans said:

What play calls did you think were bad?

 

Running Allen to kill the clock before halftime.   Good way to get your QB hurt.  Totally boneheaded.

[FireChans]

1 minute ago, White Linen said:

 

Running Allen to kill the clock before halftime.   Good way to get your QB hurt.  Totally boneheaded.

There was 48 seconds left, they weren’t trying to kill clock…..

 

If Josh gets 15 or 20 there, they call time out and go for points. If he doesn’t, the half is over.

 

Josh is our best runner, especially when it comes to chunk plays.

[HappyDays]

3 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Don’t we have the worst running game inside the 10 in the NFL?

 

Only with Moss. If he called that same run but with Singletary on the field it would have been a TD. I don't get why Moss ever comes on the field in the red zone. That being said the drive ended with Sanders wide open, he just dropped it, so if that is the worst series Daboll is going to call I'll take it.

[billsbackto81]

Just now, FireChans said:

What play calls did you think were bad?

The ones that didn't produce yards😂

 

Seriously though, he needs to stop with the QB sneak. This O line is not physical enough to push the pile when a D knows it's coming. 

 

The calls on 1st and Goal from the 1 yard line that ended with the dropped TD pass to Sanders were mind numbing. To not score in that situation is embarrassing.

 

All and all its the best game he's called in a while. 

[hemma]

Sanders has been out of synch for awhile, so any pass to him makes me wish something else had been called.

Time for Davis (asap), permanently.

[HoofHearted]

20 minutes ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

every time mckenzie plays as a solid 3 I’m confused what it is Beasley must do better 

Beasley is the more polished route runner - he understand coverages and where the soft spots in zone are. McKenzie is just quick af and good at getting separation on crossers.

[Bangarang]

He gets credit but it also brings up the obvious question of why McKenzie hasn’t been used the entire year. 

[HoofHearted]

12 minutes ago, billsbackto81 said:

McD will say in his Press Conference, " Let's not give Daboll more credit than he deserves".😂

 

He called a decent game with a few head scratchers but it was Josh that made him look competent today. 17 was ballin!

Can you not say this for any play caller in the league? Players make you look good or bad. You can prepare them as much as you want throughout the week, but it ultimately comes down to how guys execute under fire.

[Southern_Bills]

2 minutes ago, HoofHearted said:

Beasley is the more polished route runner - he understand coverages and where the soft spots in zone are. McKenzie is just quick af and good at getting separation on crossers.

 

Agreed, as good as McKenzie is Beasley gives way more options as far as route/play selection. 

 

McKenzie should be mixed in for what he specializes in more though. 

[Peace Frog]

The way MacKenzie was playing today, if we had Gabriel Davis in place of Sanders......

[Shaw66]

35 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Patchwork OL. Banged up receiving group. Some absolutely head scratching performances (Sanders and Kumerow in the anti-clutch department).

 

we still put up 30+ against the best defense in football, and had ONE drive not end in points today (outside of the victory formation).

 

He called a masterful game. 
 

I wonder if McD will think twice about benching an offensive weapon like McKenzie again.

I agree.  And it wasn't just play calling.  It was play design.  He did his homework and loaded the offense with plays that would work against Belichick's magic.  

[HoofHearted]

1 minute ago, Bangarang said:

He gets credit but it also brings up the obvious question of why McKenzie hasn’t been used the entire year. 

He’s still a work in progress as far as being able to run the route tree from the slot. He’s not as polished a route runner as Beasley is but was a complete mismatch running those crossers against the Patriots man coverage.

[ganesh]

25 minutes ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

every time mckenzie plays as a solid 3 I’m confused what it is Beasley must do better 

two different players...Beasley plays well on the inside while McKenzie was used extensively on the outside.

 

Beasley is Mr Automatic on 1st downs and means a lot to our passing game.  I think the Patriots did not respect McKenzie today and he burned them

[Billsfan1972]

The Knox TD seems like a simple play that should work often.  Not sure why the Bills have so much issues inside 7 yards....  

 

Some no huddle or quick counts wouldn't hurt too.

[Best Williams Available]

27 minutes ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

every time mckenzie plays as a solid 3 I’m confused what it is Beasley must do better 

No way Beasley gets more separation or YAC compared to McK. Maybe better at catching it tight spaces.

[HoofHearted]

2 minutes ago, Southern_Bills said:

 

Agreed, as good as McKenzie is Beasley gives way more options as far as route/play selection. 

 

McKenzie should be mixed in for what he specializes in more though. 

100% agree. He needs to have “his package” of things that he does really well. The misdirection stuff in the run game with the jet/orbit motion game and then the obvious man coverage beaters running high and shallow crossers are mismatches against most nickel corners or safeties.

[oldmanfan]

Other than the brain fart calling three passing plays on the one yard line, he did well today.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

43 minutes ago, Steptide said:

He called a great game today. One thing that hasent been talked about it, is the 4th down when they drew the Pats Offside. They lined Allen up in shotgun and had mckenzie(?) come across in motion. Was pretty genius and the defender jumped 

Because Morse raised his head at the same time. Great coordination and a little luck.

7 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

Other than the brain fart calling three passing plays on the one yard line, he did well today.

Two of those should have been TDs if executed properly. JA missed wide open Knox and Sanders dropped a perfect pass.

[Orlando Tim]

7 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

Other than the brain fart calling three passing plays on the one yard line, he did well today.

This is the one time I could not believe him- this legitimately could have been a blow out had he simply plowed ahead on those play.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

11 minutes ago, ganesh said:

two different players...Beasley plays well on the inside while McKenzie was used extensively on the outside.

 

Beasley is Mr Automatic on 1st downs and means a lot to our passing game.  I think the Patriots did not respect McKenzie today and he burned them

Good post

[Nebillzfan]

This play calling makes up for the other vanilla play calling games we have had. 

[Buffalo716]

Everybody talks about Mackenzie benching Mackenzie benching

 

But did you ever think maybe getting benched lit the fire under his butt? 

 

That's a belichick move 100%

[TPS]

Was it Daboll's play calling or was it Allen maturing as a QB and taking what's given? 

[TheBrownBear]

This is what it looks like when a team executes and finishes plays (sans the Sanders and Kumerow drops).  Also helps that they weren't behind the sticks all day with penalties.

[StHustle]

29 minutes ago, White Linen said:

 

Running Allen to kill the clock before halftime.   Good way to get your QB hurt.  Totally boneheaded.

 

That pissed me off...why not just slam Singletary into the line if you're not going to make a serious attempt at getting in field goal range?!?!

[That's No Moon]

27 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Patchwork OL. Banged up receiving group. Some absolutely head scratching performances (Sanders and Kumerow in the anti-clutch department).

 

we still put up 30+ against the best defense in football, and had ONE drive not end in points today (outside of the victory formation).

 

He called a masterful game. 
 

I wonder if McD will think twice about benching an offensive weapon like McKenzie again.

They were forced to put their best OL on the field when Boettger went down so that was a plus. IDK why they won't play Bates normally and it was clear that Dawkins was fine to play so again IDK why we didn't just start the game that way. The 5 they had on the field to end the game today need to be the starting 5 from here out, fingers crossed for health.

 

Re: the WRs being out and McKenzie, there is such thing as having too many mouths to feed. Adding Sanders created a math problem in that you really can't have everyone on the field at the same time. Sanders doesn't do some of the things that Davis and McKenzie do and he hasn't added a lot to the downfield aspect of the offense either.  I don't think it's a coincidence that Sanders being out and limited since the second half at Tampa has freed up some of the offense and forced Daboll to play some guys with more flexibility than Sanders has. When everyone is healthy, he might be one of our most talented WRs, but the offense's production has been better and more well rounded with him either not on the field or not getting a lot of targets. When a player like McKenzie is on the field all the time, or at least a lot more, it's harder for the defense to key on his presence.  When he's only on the field when they are trying to get him the ball it's much easier to key off of.

 

We play 3WRs a lot of the time. For me our most effective 3 is Diggs, Davis, and McKenzie.  It gives you 3 guys who test defenses in different ways and they give you the most options on what to do on each play without subbing or being obvious, particularly when you add Knox to the mix. When you go 4WR then it's a bit of a coin flip between Beasley and Sanders but to go 4WR you are taking Knox or the back off. Is that improvement? McKenzie isn't as reliable as Beasley catching the ball or going into ugly places but Beasley also doesn't do all of the other things that McKenzie does well either so it's a matter of choosing what you want to have on the field. As I said, when McKenzie is on the field a lot it's harder to key on stopping his specific plays. When Beasley comes on you know what he's going to be doing anyway (sitting down shallow in zones) so it's not really tipping off stuff in the same way.

 

 

[Big Blitz]

Not going to disagree I had a few problems in game but overall the game plan and oline were fantastic.  

 

The biggest thing I see is Josh taking the check down short stuff and dump offs to Singletary - I'm really enjoying that.

 

And it looked like we had much better YAC today.