Offensive stat that needs to be improved - YAC

[CorkScrewHill]

 

While watching this year it seemed to me that we had far fewer YAC yards than the other contenders. When looking at Profootball Reference it was much worse than I thought .. we don't have the lowest YAC per completion of the contenders .. we have the lowest YAC per completion in the league 4.2 yards. The 49ers were tops at 6.6 followed by the Bengals, Chiefs, and Packers.  The net is the Chiefs ended up with about 1000 more YAC than the Bills (2728 to 1760).

 

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2021/advanced.htm - sort by "YAC / Cmp".

 

It seems that to some extent our receivers, backs, TEs are not great at making the 1st defender miss (though without data to back it up .. it always seemed like Diggs found ways to get extra yards. I think some of it is also on Josh as he seems to hit the recievers but they are not always positioned to make a move. If I were the Bills / Jordan Palmer .. that is what I would work on this coming year. The interesting thing is if you just give Josh 500 more YAC by the receivers .. he would have been 3rd in passing yards even though we had so many bad weather games.

 

[947]

Totally agree with you.

 

A few contributing factors off the top my head:

 

- It seemed like we ran less crossing routes than in we did in 2020, especially early in the season.

- Beasley wasn't breaking away like prior years, going down within 2-3 yards of the catch more than he used to.

- Diggs was bracketed the majority of the time & didn't have as many YAC opportunities.

- The OL was pretty bad for more than half of the season, causing Josh to get rid of the ball early, resulting in more low passes that had receivers sliding down to catch.

- We barely used Gabe Davis for half the year, and he's solid in YAC.

[BuffaloBobs]

I think some of this is likely because we are one of the leaders in air yards per completion. By design if you are throwing the ball further down the field you give the defense more of an opportunity to make a quick stop.

Edited February 10, 2022 by BuffaloBobs

[BuffaloBillies]

FWIW - looking at the same data, Josh/Bills were second in the league in CAY/COMP (completed air yards per completion) at 6.5 yards. So in a way, the lack of YAC yards are somewhat made up by the fact that we're throwing the ball further down the field to begin with.

[atlbillsfan1975]

Some has been play design and some is lack of speed. Maybe both get addressed with a new OC and personnel through draft/FA. 

Edited February 10, 2022 by atlbillsfan1975

[RalphWilson'sNewWar]

 - Need more talent that can execute those routes and take off with it.

 

- Need play caller to scheme up and call those plays

 

- Need your QB to be able/willing to throw a more nuanced/finesse ball that allows the Receiver to grab in stride and break away.

[Patrick Duffy]

1 minute ago, BuffaloBillies said:

FWIW - looking at the same data, Josh/Bills were second in the league in CAY/COMP (completed air yards per completion) at 6.5 yards. So in a way, the lack of YAC yards are somewhat made up by the fact that we're throwing the ball further down the field to begin with.

Agree. That does factor in for sure. They didn't run many screen type plays too often and the few times they did they basically never had any success. 

[Ray Stonada]

Gabe Davis and to a lesser extent McKenzie were on the bench for Sanders and Beasley.

[Patrick Duffy]

1 minute ago, RalphWilson'sNewWar said:

 - Need more talent that can execute those routes and take off with it.

 

- Need play caller to scheme up and call those plays

 

- Need your QB to be able/willing to throw a more nuanced/finesse ball that allows the Receiver to grab in stride and break away.

I think the bold is the main thing

[BuffaloBillies]

1 minute ago, Sheneneh Jenkins said:

Agree. That does factor in for sure. They didn't run many screen type plays too often and the few times they did they basically never had any success. 

 

Yep.

Team A: Screen pass that goes for 6 yards = 6 YAC

Team B (Bills): Throws the ball 6 yards = 0 YAC

 

End up at the same place, despite no YAC

 

[billsfan1959]

 

 

Of the top 20 QBs in passing Yards, Allen was last in the % of his total passing yards that came from YAC, and first in the % of his total passing yards that came before YAC

 

Allen (in relation to top 20 QBs):

8th in total passing yards

16th in total YAC

20th in YAC as a % of his total passing yards

3rd in Total yards prior to YAC

1st in Total yards prior to YAC as a % of his total yards

 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by billsfan1959

[mushypeaches]

Did I miss the part of the discussion where we scored 483 points this year (3rd in the league)?

 

I don't really care how we get to the end zone, just how many times we get there

[Buffalo716]

The bills have plenty of guys who can get yac 

 

Diggs , McKenzie , Davis , Knox , singletary 

 

This is an offensive design thing by daboll not necessarily something they can't do

 

First Josh leads the league in air yards.. usually the higher the air yards the lower the yac..  

 

If Two quarterbacks averaged 12 yards per completion.. but one averaged 11 air yards per completion and one was eight... Obviously the guy with eight air yards per completion has more yac 

 

Also Josh's scrambling ability and ability to throw the ball to the boundary has an effect on yac..  how many times does he scramble outside the pocket and then throw a dart to diggs or Davis on the sideline for toe tap? A beautiful masterful play that leaves zero room for yac.. Josh does that multiple times a game 

 

Also the staple of dabolls short game was hitch routes .. digs, beasley and Davis and sanders run a bunch of five-seven yard hitch routes..  this is to set the defense up for the double moves and go routes later.. but there's almost zero room for rac in that route 

 

It was a schematic thing a bunch

Edited February 10, 2022 by Buffalo716

[Allen2D̶i̶g̶g̶s̶TBD]

We don't run enough crossing routes and we use a lot of curl routes that end up with the receiver facing the line of scrimmage, making it difficult to break away from a defender that you can't see until you turn upfield. 

 

If it's true that Toney is available from the Giants, I would make that deal for a 3rd rounder.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Allen2Diggs

[LABILLBACKER]

14 minutes ago, Ray Stonada said:

Gabe Davis and to a lesser extent McKenzie were on the bench for Sanders and Beasley.

Exactly. Play Gabe and Isaiah more and call more crossing routes and screens. Beasley basically gets tackled Immediately and Diggs isn't much better.  Knox is not bowling people over like Kelce.  We absolutely can't be dead last in YAC anymore. 

[Patrick Duffy]

5 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Exactly. Play Gabe and Isaiah more and call more crossing routes and screens. Beasley basically gets tackled Immediately and Diggs isn't much better.  Knox is not bowling people over like Kelce.  We absolutely can't be dead last in YAC anymore. 

Hopefully Dorsey/Kromer can design the screens much better too

[jletha]

Allens specialty is curls/comeback routes to the outside and deep crossers that almost always go out of bounds after being caught. Our screen game has been mediocre lately and Josh has never been much of a true go-ball thrower. So quick slant routes would be the best way to get YAC for us. Maybe Dorsey will unlock it, but with Josh being so good at other things Im not gonna get too upset about it. The 9 yards comeback route to Diggs is unguarable sometimes.

[RalphWilson'sNewWar]

5 minutes ago, jletha said:

Allens specialty is curls/comeback routes to the outside and deep crossers that almost always go out of bounds after being caught. Our screen game has been mediocre lately and Josh has never been much of a true go-ball thrower. So quick slant routes would be the best way to get YAC for us. Maybe Dorsey will unlock it, but with Josh being so good at other things Im not gonna get too upset about it. The 9 yards comeback route to Diggs is unguarable sometimes.

Take that Mahomes-Hill 60+ yard TD.

 

Mahomes takes some off and throws a perfectly placed ball to hit Hill in stride while crossing right over the middle and Wallace looks to be in good position.

 

Now for Allen…does he make that throw?  I would lean…no.

 

I would say if he is going to throw that, it will be coming out way too hard and have a much lower % of duplicating the play Mahomes and Hill had.

 

But

 

i Still think Allen would make a play.  He probably pumps it, spins, tucks, and rumbles for a 30-35+ gain.

 

There are just other things he is top notch in that can supplement him not wanting to make that throw…but still achieving very good results l.

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, Buffalo716 said:

The bills have plenty of guys who can get yac 

 

Diggs , McKenzie , Davis , Knox , singletary 

 

This is an offensive design thing by daboll not necessarily something they can't do

 

First Josh leads the league in air yards.. usually the higher the air yards the lower the yac..  

 

If Two quarterbacks averaged 12 yards per completion.. but one averaged 11 air yards per completion and one was eight... Obviously the guy with eight air yards per completion has more yac 

 

Also Josh's scrambling ability and ability to throw the ball to the boundary has an effect on yac..  how many times does he scramble outside the pocket and then throw a dart to diggs or Davis on the sideline for toe tap? A beautiful masterful play that leaves zero room for yac.. Josh does that multiple times a game 

 

Also the staple of dabolls short game was hitch routes .. digs, beasley and Davis and sanders run a bunch of five-seven yard hitch routes..  this is to set the defense up for the double moves and go routes later.. but there's almost zero room for rac in that route 

 

It was a schematic thing a bunch

 

 

While this is all true...........they really didn't have players who would be great at taking short passes for big yardage in 2021.

 

They really could use that kind of receiver to take some of the load off of Allen and to address the defense's that are better equipped to stop the Bills from succeeding with air yards.

 

In 2020 Daboll schemed John Brown that way...........his production in YAC was largely the difference between finishing 23rd in YAC in 2020 and being dead last in 2021.    They certainly missed that aspect during that 3-5 stretch where the OL wasn't giving Allen enough time to push the ball downfield.

 

But as I used to say to the people who would complain about the Bills lack of passing game under Anthony Lynn(despite being a top scoring offense and leading the league in big plays on offense)...........you can't throw a TD pass when you've already ran the ball into the end zone.

 

It's not like the offense isn't excellent.........there is just an area that clearly could be improved and it's not entirely a schematic issue. 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by BADOLBILZ

[Buffalo716]

1 minute ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

While this is all true...........they really didn't have players who would be great at taking short passes for big yardage in 2021.

 

They really could use that kind of receiver to take some of the load off of Allen and to address the defense's that are better equipped to stop the Bills from succeeding with air yards.

 

In 2020 Daboll schemed John Brown that way...........his production in YAC was largely the difference between finishing 23rd in YAC in 2020 and being dead last in 2021.    They certainly missed that aspect during that 3-5 stretch where the OL wasn't giving Allen enough time to push the ball downfield.

 

But as I used to say to the people who would complain about the Bills lack of passing game under Anthony Lynn.......despite being a top scoring defense and leading the league in big plays on offense...........you can't throw a TD pass when you've already ran the ball into the end zone.

 

It's not like the offense isn't excellent.........there is just an area that clearly could be improved and it's not entirely a schematic issue. 

 

 

I'll agree to that 

 

And I wasn't trying to say it was a schematic issue.. more like daboll schemed to the strength of his wide receivers 

 

Which is why we didn't see a lot of bubble screens , quick slants , drag routes .. typical yac routes.. daboll and Allen really like to work the sidelines