How Josh Allen and Ken Dorsey are shaping the next wave of the Bills offense (great article)

[Logic]

I'll post a snippet, but its a bit long. It's a great read, though, so I suggest just checking out the whole thing yourself.


https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/8/2/23288239/buffalo-bills-josh-allen-ken-dorsey-new-offense

 

How Josh Allen and Ken Dorsey Are Shaping the Next Wave of the Bills Offense

The first-year offensive coordinator is trying to craft a system that will keep Buffalo atop a stacked AFC—and he’s working closely with his star quarterback to do it

By Kevin Clark  Aug 2, 2022, 9:12am EDT

 

Quarterbacks fail in the NFL, sure. But more often they are failed. This was the epiphany Bills general manager Brandon Beane had while studying quarterbacks prior to the 2018 draft. Beane scrutinized the careers of former top prospects who made it, along with ones who didn’t, and found that, overwhelmingly, those in stable organizations with more continuity were more successful. “We’d look at ‘Why did this guy fail?’ Well, three head coaches, or two GMs, it’s crazy,” Beane said this week. “Constant turnover, different coordinators every year.”

There is probably a chicken-and-egg conundrum here, in which a bad young passer might get a staff fired and create his own turnover. But even considering that, the evidence was clear: Give a young quarterback the runway to improve, and he usually will. So Beane’s goal ahead of the 2018 draft was simple: Build a steady foundation, then select a quarterback who was good enough to grow on it. Turnover would come eventually, Beane found in his research, but only once the team had won enough that other franchises wanted a piece.

It is obvious now that the Bills accomplished their GM’s objective. Four years later, they are the model for building an organization where a quarterback can thrive. They drafted Josh Allen seventh overall in 2018, constructed an offensive line and skill group capable of supporting him, and gave him a coach who could propel him forward. Brian Daboll, the team’s longtime offensive coordinator, was in Buffalo for the first four years of Allen’s professional career, and together they developed a relationship between play caller and quarterback that was among the best in the NFL—and formed the backbone of one of the great turnarounds in recent NFL history.

All of those pieces allowed Allen, a quarterback as physically gifted as any in the league, to improve more than nearly anyone outside Buffalo thought possible. But now, after Daboll departed for the Giants’ head coaching job last winter, comes the hard part: Replacing part of the foundation that made the franchise a Super Bowl contender and helped Allen become an MVP candidate. It’s one of the most important jobs in football in 2022, and it falls to Ken Dorsey. I went to Western New York last week to find out what happens next...

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by Logic

[billybrew1]

“When the team is ready, the QB appears…”

 

It didn’t happen quite that way but it is close….

Step one was build a defense so the QB doesn’t get huge regrets from making a mistake or is afraid to make a mistake.

Nobody ever gets step one….

My greatest regret is that don’t have a better OL…. I know it’s good, but I don’t like our depth… things could get ugly if we sustain injuries there.

My other regret is that this is who I would have drafted this year …

Christian Watson,  Cam Taylor Brit,  Dylan Parham, Terrel Bernard…..

I’m so torn, I love our draft. I love our top pick….

Its just that Watson is a 6’4” burner that might win rookie of the year…. I thought he could be JA’s  WR for life partner….

Just an elite weapon. And I just don’t think the Bills will ever have a shot at a guy like that again… If he went to a big school he would have been a top five pick… I wish we could have fin angled both somehow….

and an OL….

LOL!

I want a perfect team. Is that too much to ask?

[Jauronimo]

Quote

Beane said he was proud of the way Allen preserved his body last year. “He did a better job of taking less hits. That’s really the onus that I’ve put on him,” Beane said. “I don’t ever get on him for an interception. But I’ll get on him for taking an unnecessary hit. I commend him after games when we’re talking about hits or not hits. I commend him for his maturity. In 2020, he tried to run over Kyle Van Noy and somebody else. Don’t do that.”

That's my quarterback.

[Mr. WEO]

"constructed an Offensive line that can support him"?

 

That's still a work in progress (hence all the talk in the piece of the hits Josh takes--not all are downfield).

[Logic]

3 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

"constructed an Offensive line that can support him"?

 

That's still a work in progress (hence all the talk in the piece of the hits Josh takes--not all are downfield).

Agreed.

He DOES have a quality left tackle and center, and it looks like they may have hit on a right tackle. The guards positions have admittedly been revolving doors.

Regardless of the fine details, it's hard to argue with the larger point that the Bills put a system in place to support Allen. Not every aspect of it has been perfect -- the offensive line, as you mentioned, as well as lackluster WR2 production at times from John Brown and Emmanuel Sanders and lackluster running game production at times -- but overall, they surrounded him with enough talent and good coaching that he was able to elevate his game and become a top 5 passer.

It hasn't always been perfect or even pretty, but one need only look at what fellow '18 draftees Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, and Josh Rosen have been through in order to appreciate the stability around Allen.

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by Logic

[Mr. WEO]

1 minute ago, Logic said:

Agreed.

He DOES have a quality left tackle and center, and it looks like they may have hit on a right tackle. The guards positions have admittedly been revolving doors.

Regardless of the fine details, it's hard to argue with the larger point that the Bills put a system in place to support Allen. Not every aspect of it has been perfect -- the offensive line, as you mentioned, as well as lackluster WR2 production at times from John Brown and Emmanuel Sanders and lackluster running game production at times -- but overall, they surrounded him with enough talent and good coaching that he was able to elevate his game and become a top 5 passer.

 

 

I agree.  Brown only looked above average by comparison.  Ditto Sanders.  Beasely was a better pickup than either of them.  

 

Now is the season they have to cash in on all this.  SB or bust!

[FireChans]

I'm not sure we know anything about Dorsey as an OC until the games are being played, but I'm hopeful we keep the benches deep.

[hondo in seattle]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

I'll post a snippet, but its a bit long. It's a great read, though, so I suggest just checking out the whole thing yourself.


https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2022/8/2/23288239/buffalo-bills-josh-allen-ken-dorsey-new-offense
 

It is obvious now that the Bills accomplished their GM’s objective. Four years later, they are the model for building an organization where a quarterback can thrive. They drafted Josh Allen seventh overall in 2018, constructed an offensive line and skill group capable of supporting him, and gave him a coach who could propel him forward...

 

 

I'm sorry... I'm still waiting for this part.  

[Logic]

5 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

I'm sorry... I'm still waiting for this part.  

Yeah. Mr WEO mentioned this, too. My response is the same:

 

20 minutes ago, Logic said:

He DOES have a quality left tackle and center, and it looks like they may have hit on a right tackle. The guards positions have admittedly been revolving doors.

Regardless of the fine details, it's hard to argue with the larger point that the Bills put a system in place to support Allen. Not every aspect of it has been perfect -- the offensive line, as you mentioned, as well as lackluster WR2 production at times from John Brown and Emmanuel Sanders and lackluster running game production at times -- but overall, they surrounded him with enough talent and good coaching that he was able to elevate his game and become a top 5 passer.

It hasn't always been perfect or even pretty, but one need only look at what fellow '18 draftees Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, and Josh Rosen have been through in order to appreciate the stability around Allen.

 

 

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

The key word for the Bills offense should be C-O-N-T-I-N-U-I-T-Y

 

I hope we keep much of what worked and don't change too much.

 

I hope Dorsey respects this and doesn't try to change too much by making it "his offense" by ripping out large chunks and replacing it with what he thinks it should be.

 

Tinker a little, but keep it much the same.

[LeGOATski]

2 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

I'm sorry... I'm still waiting for this part.  

Hardest thing to do in the league is construct a quality offensive line without paying out the ass

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

3 hours ago, Logic said:

 

I'll post a snippet, but its a bit long. It's a great read, though, so I suggest just checking out the whole thing yourself.

 

I guess our definition of snippet is different 

 

😆 

[Punching Bag]

29 minutes ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

I guess our definition of snippet is different 

 

😆

 

Well when you do a snip off a mullet you can cut a bit more than when you snip off someone with Moe style haircut.

 

BTW he also did an interview with Steve Tasker and "Brownie" on One Bills Live.

[BuffaloBill]

I am juiced just reading that article.  The Bills rightfully have a great season ahead of them.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

9 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

"constructed an Offensive line that can support him"?

 

That's still a work in progress (hence all the talk in the piece of the hits Josh takes--not all are downfield).

 

They all know how to say real loud; "Run Josh, Run!!"

[Richard Noggin]

Great read. The dive into Dorsey's early work with Cam Newton is especially salient:

 

"Mike Shula, who worked as both QB coach and offensive coordinator for the Panthers and is now a Buffalo assistant, said Dorsey was instrumental in empowering Newton’s voice in the quarterback room. “He was flexible enough to say, ‘Hey, we got a guy here where it’s a little bit of unchartered waters. Let’s see how far we can take this,’” Shula explained. “He pushed the idea of, ‘Hey, let’s listen more to Cam, he’s got a lot of good ideas and it’s not what we’re used to.’ We went back into some of his stuff at Auburn. … The more we listened and the more we put that stuff in, the better we got.”"

 

Also:

 

"Dorsey said Newton “forced me to evaluate and research and do other things to expand your scope of what you can do as an offense.” And Beane and Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who were both in the Panthers organization during the Newton era, saw that innovation daily."

 

Dorsey's promotion feels VERY organic and well-timed. Let's hope it works allows the offense to find more consistency. 

[TampaBillsJunkie]

great article. Thanks for sharing.

[Big Turk]

Great article.

 

My only concern is that Dorsey is not as adept as Daboll at making sure the gameplans have new wrinkles weekly that make it hard for defenses to key in on things.  

 

The offense still is going to good either way but a lot is riding on Dorsey being highly capable and that is yet to be seen.

[BringBackFergy]

14 hours ago, billybrew1 said:

My other regret is that this is who I would have drafted this year …

Christian Watson, I wish we could have fin angled both somehow….

and an OL…

I agree with your post. There’s a few members here who may know how to fin angle that draft. @Gugny @Beerball @Mike in Horseheads

[Spiderweb]

17 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

I agree.  Brown only looked above average by comparison.  Ditto Sanders.  Beasely was a better pickup than either of them.  

 

Now is the season they have to cash in on all this.  SB or bust!

That's a "homer" point of view. While Brown may develop, he was barely adequate last year at best.

[TBBills]

I doubt the writer knows anything more than we all do...

[Beerball]

3 hours ago, BringBackFergy said:

I agree with your post. There’s a few members here who may know how to fin angle that draft. @Gugny @Beerball @Mike in Horseheads

I don't know why @billybrew1 thinks his draft would have been better than the one Beane put together. Beane has been fin angling for years now and he's shown that he knows how to construct a team. Look at some of the moves he has made: he fin angled Jacksonville to take Tub'OGoo, he fin angled Cleveland to take Tuhrod Taylor. He fin angled Diggs away from Minnesota.  Regarding the draft, look at all the fin angling he did in the latter rounds.  

 

At this point I give Beane an A+ at fin angling. I don't think that bb1 has done enough to be graded at this point.

18 minutes ago, TBBills said:

I doubt the writer knows anything more than we all do...

You overestimate us.

[C.Biscuit97]

The only thing that slightly scares me is having a first time OC.  

[The Wiz]

1 hour ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

The only thing that slightly scares me is having a first time OC.  

I think Dorsey has been in this offense long enough to leave it to Allen to audible when he feels like it's the right call. 

 

I would imagine he had a front row seat to how Allen and Daboll interacted on the field and wants to keep that relationship. 

Edited August 3, 2022 by The Wiz

[eball]

2 hours ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

The only thing that slightly scares me is having a first time OC.  

 

Is your worry that he won't call the right plays?  Won't manage a game well?  I mean, right now everyone talks about Daboll as if he was the greatest OC ever but while he was here he was constantly criticized for how he called games.

 

I'm pretty confident in Dorsey.  The fact he played QB and knows the importance of getting plays in quickly is a plus.  If you read that entire article, you also realize he has been cutting-edge his entire coaching career and has been preparing for this over the past 20+ years.

 

I think we're in good hands.

 

[T master]

I think given Dorsey's experience this will be the next step up for Josh which could be scary ! Dorsey's QB insight into the position and to win like he did in college in some respects taught him a lot so even though his time playing in the NFL wasn't nearly as successful i hope his learning experiences were .

 

If they can hook up in a chemistry type of way this could quite honestly be the next dynasty in the east . If Beane, McD, and Dorsey could stay together as the core & interchange some defensive coordinators like BB did in New England think about it anything is possible !!

 

I feel Josh could in a lot of ways learn to do what Brady did & be that good if his progression continues the way it has & the stability stays around him to keep some of the really good talent they have then with Beane's drafting magic this could be really big for a long period of time .

 

GO BILLS !!!

[BigAl2526]

From what I could see in the quote, the author seems to be spot on.   I think it is clear that Beane and McDermott have followed a carefully thought out methodology in building the team and facilitating the development of Josh Allen.  It's also clear to me that a lot of franchises have screwed any chance for a young potential franchise QB to succeed.  The New York Jets is exhibit A.

[BillsPride12]

8 hours ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

The only thing that slightly scares me is having a first time OC.  

I'm much more concerned about the play of the Offensive line.  That's the wild card that will dictate the play of the Offense this year in my opinion 

[Rigby]

16 minutes ago, BillsPride12 said:

I'm much more concerned about the play of the Offensive line.  That's the wild card that will dictate the play of the Offense this year in my opinion 

I agree. Might be over the top to some, but I think our O line could be the difference between us winning the Lombardi or not. Hopefully they perform better than I think they will.

[Milanos Milano]

5 hours ago, Rigby said:

I agree. Might be over the top to some, but I think our O line could be the difference between us winning the Lombardi or not. Hopefully they perform better than I think they will.

I think our defense is going to be so good this year, that it likely won’t matter if the Oline struggles. This D will be talked about for years. 

[eball]

8 hours ago, Rigby said:

I agree. Might be over the top to some, but I think our O line could be the difference between us winning the Lombardi or not. Hopefully they perform better than I think they will.

 

3 hours ago, IronMaidenBills said:

I think our defense is going to be so good this year, that it likely won’t matter if the Oline struggles. This D will be talked about for years. 

 

Two years ago the OL stunk and the Bills were in the AFC Championship.  They lost that game because they couldn’t stop Mahomes.

 

Last year the OL was up and down (mostly down), but playing a bit better by the end of the year.  They lost in the playoffs because they couldn’t stop Mahomes.

 

See the parallel?  Josh and this offense can function at a high level even with an “adequate” OL.  Dawkins and Morse are legitimate players.  Everyone is freaking out because the other three starters are being moved along slowly as they deal with injuries, but we still have more than a month before the first game.  We also now have a competent OL coach.  We brought in experienced depth, even if they are not long term answers.

 

The key to this team taking the next step is to have a defensive front that can harass all of the good QBs in the AFC.  I am so excited about watching this defense because I think they will be downright nasty.

 

I’m not worried about Josh.  He’s got lots of weapons to get the ball out to quickly, and he’s a beast.  If an injury happens, it happens, but it won’t be because Josh can’t protect himself behind an iffy OL.  How many bad hits have you seen Josh take in the pocket?  I can’t remember even one.  His hits come from RPOs and designed runs.

 

People need to relax about the OL at this juncture of training camp.

 

[TBBills]

Bengals were in the Super Bowl with the worst Oline in the NFL. Its not a huge problem.

[Punching Bag]

16 hours ago, eball said:

 

Is your worry that he won't call the right plays?  Won't manage a game well?  I mean, right now everyone talks about Daboll as if he was the greatest OC ever but while he was here he was constantly criticized for how he called games.

 

I'm pretty confident in Dorsey.  The fact he played QB and knows the importance of getting plays in quickly is a plus.  If you read that entire article, you also realize he has been cutting-edge his entire coaching career and has been preparing for this over the past 20+ years.

 

I think we're in good hands.

 

 

Being constantly criticized means little.  Bills were constantly criticized after draft for picking Allen.

[BillsVet]

On 8/2/2022 at 12:22 PM, Mr. WEO said:

"constructed an Offensive line that can support him"?

 

That's still a work in progress (hence all the talk in the piece of the hits Josh takes--not all are downfield).

 

On 8/2/2022 at 2:52 PM, LeGOATski said:

Hardest thing to do in the league is construct a quality offensive line without paying out the ass

 

One would think that a team who can identify the QB would be able to build an OL.  It's not as if they haven't spent big dollars to do so, signing a C in UFA and re-signing their LT to large contracts.  Drafting another interior OL high and paying Daryl Williams.  

 

The issue to all of this is, Buffalo has not focused much on offense save for the 2019 and 2020 off-seasons.  The former was all-in on UFAs and the latter to acquire Diggs.  No issues there, but it's as if they said we're set there and banked on Josh to make it all work after his excellent 2020 season.

 

This year, they threw some token money at WR and TE, drafted (another) RB fairly high for the position and, like 2021, seem content running it back again.  

 

McD is, despite all appearances, a conservative HC.  He wasn't enamored with passing the ball so often and, late in the year running Josh.  Dorsey will give him what Daboll did not: offensive balance.  Concern there is will the OL support more rushing attempts how does taking the ball out of Josh's hands make the offensive better, and when does the lack of WR depth show up?

[Mr. WEO]

4 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Yep.

 

He’s still has that “control the clock with running the ball and keeping the defense honest” phase… he’ll have even more reason to punt the ball this year because I expect the defense to be damn good…. my hope is the running game is that good that it won’t matter when they are force feeding the backs in January while taking it out of the best offensive player in the world hands.

 

00:13....

[SWATeam]

5 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Yep.

 

He’s still has that “control the clock with running the ball and keeping the defense honest” phase… he’ll have even more reason to punt the ball this year because I expect the defense to be damn good…. my hope is the running game is that good that it won’t matter when they are force feeding the backs in January while taking it out of the best offensive player in the world hands.

You must have missed last January   

[SWATeam]

5 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

I believe it was Tony Romo who said during the Chiefs/Bills divisional game that “the Bills got too conservative in the 3rd quarter offensively”. 

JA probably had the greatest QB postseason of all time.  Your take is embarrassing.  

[C.Biscuit97]

20 hours ago, eball said:

 

Is your worry that he won't call the right plays?  Won't manage a game well?  I mean, right now everyone talks about Daboll as if he was the greatest OC ever but while he was here he was constantly criticized for how he called games.

 

I'm pretty confident in Dorsey.  The fact he played QB and knows the importance of getting plays in quickly is a plus.  If you read that entire article, you also realize he has been cutting-edge his entire coaching career and has been preparing for this over the past 20+ years.

 

I think we're in good hands.

 

With this group, there are only minor concerns. But position coach to OC is a big joke. Admittedly, I wasn’t a huge Daboll fan at first but he had like 10 years of OC experience to fall back on. Luckily, Dorsey is inherited a very developed Allen which should make things easier. But I definitely want the first team to get some reps in preseason because it will be an adjustment for all parties. 

[BillsVet]

2 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

00:13....

 

McD is the primary weak link in this franchise.  Not just because of 13 seconds, but rather his vision for roster priorities.  

 

He has every defensive piece a former coordinator from that side of the ball could ever wish for.  He has to win now or it's an indictment of his overall coaching philosophy.  

[eball]

12 minutes ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

With this group, there are only minor concerns. But position coach to OC is a big joke. Admittedly, I wasn’t a huge Daboll fan at first but he had like 10 years of OC experience to fall back on. Luckily, Dorsey is inherited a very developed Allen which should make things easier. But I definitely want the first team to get some reps in preseason because it will be an adjustment for all parties. 

 

I think a half's worth of work for Dorsey and Allen in preseason should be enough.  And Dorsey will be calling plays the whole preseason anyway.

 

6 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

 

McD is the primary weak link in this franchise.  Not just because of 13 seconds, but rather his vision for roster priorities.  

 

He has every defensive piece a former coordinator from that side of the ball could ever wish for.  He has to win now or it's an indictment of his overall coaching philosophy.  

 

My goodness...so dramatic.  Your post should be played with a foreboding soundtrack.

 

Geez, man...you and Scott should lighten up a bit.  It's as if the past five years of dragging this franchise up from the depths of mediocrity mean nothing because they didn't sign the players YOU thought they should.

 

This is a fun time to be a Bills fan.  It's ok to have a contrary opinion about roster construction but you guys are treating this like life and death.