Jim Kubiak Analysis in BN

[Casey D]

The article is behind a pay wall in today's BN, so I did not link it.  But it is really insightful and here are the highlights:

 

- The Bills appeared mentally and physically exhausted throughout the game.  He noted early on how Allen avoided contact by going out of bounds when he was running to save energy.  He thought the Bills put on a gutsy performance given injuries and fatigue.

 

-Felt that Dorsey went to the RPO one time too many on the interception in the red zone in the third quarter.  Need some new wrinkles in red zone.

 

- Allen's third quarter was his worst since 2018. 

 

- Last throw from Allen to Diggs defied the laws of physics.  Given the Lions' coverage, the play should have been available at the 18-22 yard range given the time the defenders had to react.  Allen threw it 36 yards in the same amount of time as a normal NFL QB could throw it 18-22 yards.  It was moving 59 MPH.  Diggs also ran a fantastic route.  Basically, it was a play that should not have been made, and only Allen and Diggs' surreal skills make it possible.  

 

If you have a subscription, I highly recommend the read as it really helps cut through all the BS on the Board.

[freddyjj]

Kubiak does these weekly. Always features nice analysis and includes highlights.

 

Two noteworthy items in this week's synopsis.  The first is his opinion on how exhausted Josh and the Bills appeared all game. The second is his appeal to CBS to not have Romo do Bills games due to his anti Bills bias.   

 

Worth the read for sure.  

[Casey D]

12 minutes ago, freddyjj said:

Kubiak does these weekly. Always features nice analysis and includes highlights.

 

Two noteworthy items in this week's synopsis.  The first is his opinion on how exhausted Josh and the Bills appeared all game. The second is his appeal to CBS to not have Romo do Bills games due to his anti Bills bias.   

 

Worth the read for sure.  

Thanks.  I was not sure who wrote that letter to CBS about Romo, but it was really good.  Must have been Kubiak given the placement.

[WotAGuy]

5 minutes ago, Casey D said:

Thanks.  I was not sure who wrote that letter to CBS about Romo, but it was really good.  Must have been Kubiak given the placement.

I don’t know about that “letter”.  Whining about announcers not giving “my team” enough attention seems bush league. 
 

Romo’s job is to build up the game to hold an average viewer’s attention by pandering to the lowest common denominator. This is especially true on a big holiday broadcast where the point spread was large.  
 

 If you are looking for analysis, listen to Eric Wood on WGR; he breaks down each play, gives personnel and formation and assesses the success or failure of each play as the game goes on. 
 

If you want something specific, you need to know where to go for it.  

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

35 minutes ago, WotAGuy said:

If you are looking for analysis, listen to Eric Wood on WGR; he breaks down each play, gives personnel and formation and assesses the success or failure of each play as the game goes on. 

Agreed.  Listening to the game Thursday I appreciated Wood's analysis.  It seemed during Mark Kelso's tenure that he was trying to comment on too much that occurred in the previous play.  Not a knock; Kelso was just overachieving. 😁

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, freddyjj said:

Kubiak does these weekly. Always features nice analysis and includes highlights.

 

Two noteworthy items in this week's synopsis.  The first is his opinion on how exhausted Josh and the Bills appeared all game. The second is his appeal to CBS to not have Romo do Bills games due to his anti Bills bias.   

 

Worth the read for sure.  

 

Romo biased? I didn't think so. Not like Collinsworth.

[Arkady Renko]

Biased Romo calls Dane Jackson a budding superstar? 

[PromoTheRobot]

4 minutes ago, Arkady Renko said:

Biased Romo calls Dane Jackson a budding superstar? 

 

Romo was practically drooling over Josh Allen's throws.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

12 minutes ago, Arkady Renko said:

Biased Romo calls Dane Jackson a budding superstar? 

Biased?  Or hints at CTE? 🤔

[strive_for_five_guy]

How does he claim that Romo is biased against the Bills?  The thought has never crossed my mind with him.

[Rc2catch]

It’s Detroit, thanksgiving is supposed to be their game and they are becoming a fun team to watch. They’re never on national tv outside the holiday game. I like what they’re building the last couple years I have no issue with them getting some Romo love. I have never listened to him call a bills game and think he has any agenda. 
 

 

And I have seen enough RPO at this point that I don’t really want to see it anymore. 

[Casey D]

25 minutes ago, strive_for_five_guy said:

How does he claim that Romo is biased against the Bills?  The thought has never crossed my mind with him.

Yeah, I think he was doing was all announcers do, build up a game for the weaker team when there is blowout potential just to keep people watching.  Romo did not appreciate, however, how undermanned the Bills were, and Kubiak felt that was totally ignored.  

[Logic]

Thanks for the post. 

I respect Kubiak's opinion, but I disagree with any notion of anti-Bills bias by Tony Romo.

He repeatedly, constantly excused Allen's poor stretches of play and bad throws by blaming them solely on a sore elbow. He called Dane Jackson a "budding superstar" on more than one occasion. He openly voiced his amazement at some of Allen's throws.

Lack of preparedness/thoroughness by not mentioning Bills injuries? Sure. Actual anti-Bills bias? I didn't come away with that impression at all.

Has Kubiak ever heard Chris Collinsworth?!

[BuffaloBill]

The RPO was once a strength in the Bills offense.  However as is often true in life, overuse or sometimes consistent reliance on a “good thing” turns it into a “bad thing.” I think the Bills are there.

 

Dorsey’s route trees and lack of creativity is hurting the Bills in the red zone.

[Casey D]

9 minutes ago, Logic said:

Thanks for the post. 

I respect Kubiak's opinion, but I disagree with any notion of anti-Bills bias by Tony Romo.

He repeatedly, constantly excused Allen's poor stretches of play and bad throws by blaming them solely on a sore elbow. He called Dane Jackson a "budding superstar" on more than one occasion. He openly voiced his amazement at some of Allen's throws.

Lack of preparedness/thoroughness by not mentioning Bills injuries? Sure. Actual anti-Bills bias? I didn't come away with that impression at all.

Has Kubiak ever heard Chris Collinsworth?!

You make an excellent point on preparedness-- Romo was not.  He kept harping on Detroit missing two guards, as if they were the only undermanned team.  Probably ate too much at the Wednesday meal, as he said when going on about hanging on the goalpost and tilting it to help the last Lion FG try.  🙂

2 minutes ago, BuffaloBill said:

The RPO was once a strength in the Bills offense.  However as is often true in life, overuse or sometimes consistent reliance on a “good thing” turns it into a “bad thing.” I think the Bills are there.

 

Dorsey’s route trees and lack of creativity is hurting the Bills in the red zone.

Agree.  Get Allen moving in the red zone to give HIM an option to run or throw would be mostly unstoppable, yet we rarely see it.

[Freddie's Dead]

1 hour ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Agreed.  Listening to the game Thursday I appreciated Wood's analysis.  It seemed during Mark Kelso's tenure that he was trying to comment on too much that occurred in the previous play.  Not a knock; Kelso was just overachieving. 😁

 

Kelso was the ultimate X's and O's guy.  Learned a ton from listening to him, but agreed, it took me a while to decipher the hieroglyphics.

[Irv]

13 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

Kelso was the ultimate X's and O's guy.  Learned a ton from listening to him, but agreed, it took me a while to decipher the hieroglyphics.

I agree 100%.  Unfortunately, I never played a down of organized football in my life.  Most of his commentary was lost on me.  

[Ya Digg?]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Romo biased? I didn't think so. Not like Collinsworth.

I completely agree - I have never thought of Romo as biased.  I would be happy though if the Bills never played another Sunday night game just so we didn't have to listen to Collinsworth.  Josh has broken his precious PFF and he will never get over that.

[MJS]

Romo has no bias against the Bills. That is a laughable claim.

[Big Turk]

38 minutes ago, BuffaloBill said:

The RPO was once a strength in the Bills offense.  However as is often true in life, overuse or sometimes consistent reliance on a “good thing” turns it into a “bad thing.” I think the Bills are there.

 

Dorsey’s route trees and lack of creativity is hurting the Bills in the red zone.

 

Where has the free access RPO went?  It's still available but the Bills don't take it too often anymore...the 5 yard out to Diggs when DB's are playing off coverage.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

39 minutes ago, BuffaloBill said:

The RPO was once a strength in the Bills offense.  However as is often true in life, overuse or sometimes consistent reliance on a “good thing” turns it into a “bad thing.” I think the Bills are there.

 

Dorsey’s route trees and lack of creativity is hurting the Bills in the red zone.

 

I don't think we run enough RPOs tbh.  The issue is every RPO is a slant.  

[Punching Bag]

1 hour ago, Casey D said:

Yeah, I think he was doing was all announcers do, build up a game for the weaker team when there is blowout potential just to keep people watching.  Romo did not appreciate, however, how undermanned the Bills were, and Kubiak felt that was totally ignored.  

 

Romo needs to stop taking cliff notes from @Big Turk

[eball]

What the entire Bills organization went through over the past two weeks -- only two practices, snowstorm, moving a game, and then playing twice in five days -- has been significantly under-appreciated.

 

What they accomplished was remarkable...it's one of several reasons I felt compelled to start the "coaching criticism" thread over the weekend.

 

[Solomon Grundy]

3 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Romo was practically drooling over Josh Allen's throws.

And thinking about that TurDucken😎

[Beck Water]

2 hours ago, BuffaloBill said:

The RPO was once a strength in the Bills offense.  However as is often true in life, overuse or sometimes consistent reliance on a “good thing” turns it into a “bad thing.” I think the Bills are there.

 

Dorsey’s route trees and lack of creativity is hurting the Bills in the red zone.

 

So Cover1 did a Film Room thing on Bills-Lions.  They made a case for part of the problem with the RPO being the lack of a Beasley replacement who can find the gap and get open quickly for the "P" part of the option.  Beasley was the RPO king.  I think the Bills conceptualized Crowder as That Guy, but the leg injury took him out of contention.

 

They made a similar comment on lack of receiving options over the middle.

 

Maybe I've missed it, but I don't understand why Knox isn't an option there, as well as on RPOs.

 

 

[Bob in STL]

4 hours ago, freddyjj said:

Kubiak does these weekly. Always features nice analysis and includes highlights.

 

Two noteworthy items in this week's synopsis.  The first is his opinion on how exhausted Josh and the Bills appeared all game. The second is his appeal to CBS to not have Romo do Bills games due to his anti Bills bias.   

 

Worth the read for sure.  

 

I don't hear an anti-Bills bias from Romo.  

 

He was making excuses for Allen's play due to the elbow injury.  Until then I was still believing the elbow was not a major factor.  I still think Allen's performance drop is a combination of things (his own mental mistakes, his supporting cast, play-calling), and not just the elbow.  

[RiotAct]

Romo was hyping up the Lions sure, but I thought he did a pretty good job of giving the Bills their due as well.

[Beck Water]

3 minutes ago, Bob in STL said:

 

I don't hear an anti-Bills bias from Romo.  

 

He was making excuses for Allen's play due to the elbow injury.  Until then I was still believing the elbow was not a major factor.  I still think Allen's performance drop is a combination of things (his own mental mistakes, his supporting cast, play-calling), and not just the elbow.  

 

All the things you cite, but I think the elbow is the overarching problem connecting them.

 

To whit, I think Allen can get away with making a couple poor mental decisions per game when he makes enough superb throws to overcome them.  I think Allen can overcome "solved" play calling which isn't scheming guys open (or WR who aren't getting open) when he can whip the ball into a small open window reliably.

 

With the elbow injury and Allen not able to make enough great throws to overwhelm the  brain farts and create completions out of tight windows, the mental mistakes, play calling, and supporting cast faux pas all loom larger.

4 hours ago, Casey D said:

Thanks.  I was not sure who wrote that letter to CBS about Romo, but it was really good.  Must have been Kubiak given the placement.

 

Is there a link to a letter to CBS about Romo somewhere online?

[Casey D]

14 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

All the things you cite, but I think the elbow is the overarching problem connecting them.

 

To whit, I think Allen can get away with making a couple poor mental decisions per game when he makes enough superb throws to overcome them.  I think Allen can overcome "solved" play calling which isn't scheming guys open (or WR who aren't getting open) when he can whip the ball into a small open window reliably.

 

With the elbow injury and Allen not able to make enough great throws to overwhelm the  brain farts and create completions out of tight windows, the mental mistakes, play calling, and supporting cast faux pas all loom larger.

 

Is there a link to a letter to CBS about Romo somewhere online?

Is at the end of the article, so it is behind the pay wall too.

[freddyjj]

41 minutes ago, Bob in STL said:

 

I don't hear an anti-Bills bias from Romo.  

 

He was making excuses for Allen's play due to the elbow injury.  Until then I was still believing the elbow was not a major factor.  I still think Allen's performance drop is a combination of things (his own mental mistakes, his supporting cast, play-calling), and not just the elbow.  

Believe this falls under category of “Don’t kill the messenger”.  😃

[LABILLBACKER]

Good write up....the team was exhausted and factor in a lack of practices before Cleveland & Detroit reflected that....I  agree Dorsey is an issue right now. I realize he's a rookie OC and is developing too, but he's gotta return some basic Daboll nuances to the playbook....I didn't see any anti-Bills bias from Romo. What I do notice lately from him is an annoying habit of manufacturing artificial drama to a game.  His first couple years he played nostradamous and it was kinda cool. Now he's reverted to acting. And it comes off disingenuous...

..the bottom line is each week from here on out the Bills need to get more players return from injury than they lose.

[MJS]

2 hours ago, Bob in STL said:

 

I don't hear an anti-Bills bias from Romo.  

 

He was making excuses for Allen's play due to the elbow injury.  Until then I was still believing the elbow was not a major factor.  I still think Allen's performance drop is a combination of things (his own mental mistakes, his supporting cast, play-calling), and not just the elbow.  

Allen was in his slump before the elbow injury. I'm sure the elbow is affecting him, but his problem had been decision-making before the injury. Now, he needs to piece back together his confidence plus deal with the elbow. But I'm sure he'll be just fine on both accounts in a couple of weeks.

Edited November 28, 2022 by MJS

[jlgarsh]

6 hours ago, BuffaloBill said:

The RPO was once a strength in the Bills offense.  However as is often true in life, overuse or sometimes consistent reliance on a “good thing” turns it into a “bad thing.” I think the Bills are there.

 

Dorsey’s route trees and lack of creativity is hurting the Bills in the red zone.

They only call 3 or 4 different plays once inside the 20. It's so bizarre.

[Never NEVER Give-up]

8 hours ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Agreed.  Listening to the game Thursday I appreciated Wood's analysis.  It seemed during Mark Kelso's tenure that he was trying to comment on too much that occurred in the previous play.  Not a knock; Kelso was just overachieving. 😁

Unfortunately I never hear Wood's analysis, because I have seizures whenever I hear Murph!!

[msw2112]

8 hours ago, Casey D said:

You make an excellent point on preparedness-- Romo was not.  He kept harping on Detroit missing two guards, as if they were the only undermanned team.  Probably ate too much at the Wednesday meal, as he said when going on about hanging on the goalpost and tilting it to help the last Lion FG try.  🙂

Agree.  Get Allen moving in the red zone to give HIM an option to run or throw would be mostly unstoppable, yet we rarely see it.

 

While I don't think Romo showed any anti-Bills bias, I do agree that he went out of his way to mention Detroit's injuries, but he said little to nothing about the Bills injuries (he did mention Allen's elbow many times, but I am talking about the guys that were not able to play due to injury).  Also, Detroit deserved the props they got.  As an underdog with a terrible record the last few years, they went toe to toe with one of the league's top teams.  While I am happy with the win, the Lions gave the Bills all they could handle and the Bills were fortunate to come out with a win.

[John from Riverside]

Did he mention Allen’s arm injury like Romo did 1 million times?

[Kwai San]

10 hours ago, Arkady Renko said:

Biased Romo calls Dane Jackson a budding superstar? 

 

I almost blew my drink thru my nose when he said that!!!!

[BigAl2526]

Buffalo has been through a difficult stretch.  The injuries in particular have stressed the players.  I'm picking Buffalo to beat New England, but it's not going to be an easy game.  The "mini-bye the Bills have before their next game will do a lot to help them get their energy back, especially if the medical people decide Von Miller can play out the season with a brace.

[Dr.Sack]

I’ve been saying this for weeks. No more RZ RPOs unless we actually start running the ball. Allen is tall and big enough to see over the backers, if anything the RPO takes Allen’s vision off the 2nd level (LBs & Safeties) as he checks the outside DL containment.