Nyhiem Hines Restructures - Takes a pay cut to stay in Buffalo.

[Thurman#1]

11 hours ago, SWATeam said:

Glad he’s back, he was criminally underused.

 

the most head scratching aspect of the entire year was the major emphasis on finding multiple pass catching backs, only to never use them.

 

 

As I understand it, Allen's injury made it harder for him to throw short with accuracy.

 

I think that explains it. 

 

I'd expect to see more of it next year. Assuming that's the explanation.

[GunnerBill]

4 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

As I understand it, Allen's injury made it harder for him to throw short with accuracy.

 

I think that explains it. 

 

I'd expect to see more of it next year. Assuming that's the explanation.

 

Some of that. Some Josh hates throwing to running backs anyway. He regularly misses running backs open in space because he is holding the ball waiting for something to open up deep (it is just one of the things you live with because of everything else he brings). Thirdly, we suck at running back screens. I don't know what it is about them but we seem to telegraph them really obviously. When we are about to throw one I can call it out from home so I am pretty darn sure NFL defensive coordinators can. 

[John from Riverside]

6 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Some of that. Some Josh hates throwing to running backs anyway. He regularly misses running backs open in space because he is holding the ball waiting for something to open up deep (it is just one of the things you live with because of everything else he brings). Thirdly, we suck at running back screens. I don't know what it is about them but we seem to telegraph them really obviously. When we are about to throw one I can call it out from home so I am pretty darn sure NFL defensive coordinators can. 

Perhaps now having two athletic guards with movement skills will help with running back screens

[GunnerBill]

1 minute ago, John from Riverside said:

Perhaps now having two athletic guards with movement skills will help with running back screens

 

Here's hoping but it is almost the first bit I think we find harder. Most of our running back screens get blown up not because Josh gets sacked or knocked down by the intentional free rusher but because teams actually realise it is a screen and don't rush. Having athletic guards helps the 2nd bit which is once the pass rush has sold out and Josh dumps it down to the running back hiding behind the screen getting out to block the LBs and DBs. I feel like if we get that far we have been okay. It's the first bit we seem to struggle with... teams identify screen and instead of rushing they drop into the shallow zones and there is nowhere for Josh to go with the ball and he ends up chucking it at someone's feet as a dead play. 

[Dr. Who]

9 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Here's hoping but it is almost the first bit I think we find harder. Most of our running back screens get blown up not because Josh gets sacked or knocked down by the intentional free rusher but because teams actually realise it is a screen and don't rush. Having athletic guards helps the 2nd bit which is once the pass rush has sold out and Josh dumps it down to the running back hiding behind the screen getting out to block the LBs and DBs. I feel like if we get that far we have been okay. It's the first bit we seem to struggle with... teams identify screen and instead of rushing they drop into the shallow zones and there is nowhere for Josh to go with the ball and he ends up chucking it at someone's feet as a dead play. 

Why does that happen? Are we bad poker players, is there a tell? It's just a shame not to have the screen game as an effective part of the offense.

[SCBills]

Just now, Dr. Who said:

Why does that happen? Are we bad poker players, is there a tell? It's just a shame not to have the screen game as an effective part of the offense.

 

I think there's some validity to the way teams rush Allen.  

 

We have one of the most athletic OL's in the NFL.. there's no reason every screen should end up as Allen spiking it into the dirt. 

[Airseven]

Settling for Cook + Hines and adding McGovern isn’t moving the needle on what the Bills need to balance the offense. Concerning that some fans are already starting to massage this into a viable strategy.

[CincyBillsFan]

14 minutes ago, Airseven said:

Settling for Cook + Hines and adding McGovern isn’t moving the needle on what the Bills need to balance the offense. Concerning that some fans are already starting to massage this into a viable strategy.

Fans are not "massaging" this signing into a viable strategy.  We're one day into FA and we haven't held the draft.  How about we wait until after these two are done before declaring what fans are settling for?

 

BTW, adding McGovern has moved the needle and improved the Bill's O line.  The key here is the change not the absolute impact of a guy like McGovern. Staffold was one of the worst pass blocking guards in the NFL, McGovern is in the middle in pass pro.  That represents a huge improvement.  Staffold also got hit with a lot of penalties whereas McGovern is rarely penalized.  Adding McGovern has improved the O line.

 

With respect to Cook, we should see further improvement as he goes from his rookie to his 2nd year in the NFL.  And Cook showed real flashes of being the best Bills RB since Shady.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dr. Who]

Just now, CincyBillsFan said:

Fans are not "massaging" this signing into a viable strategy.  We're one day into FA and we haven't held the draft.  How about we wait until after these two are done before declaring what fans are settling for?

 

BTW, adding McGovern has moved the needle and improved the Bill's O line.  The key here is the change not the absolute impact of a guy like McGovern. Staffold was one of the worst pass blocking guards in the NFL, McGovern is in the middle in pass pro.  That represents a huge improvement.  Staffold also got hit with a lot of penalties whereas McGovern is rarely penalized.  Adding McGovern has improved the O line.

 

With respect to Cook, we should see further improvement as he goes from his rookie to his 2nd year in the NFL.  And Cook showed real flashes of being the best Bills RB since Shady.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fella only ever posts disparaging, negative comments. If he's an actual Bills' fan, he's indistinguishable from a troll

[SCBills]

3 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

Fans are not "massaging" this signing into a viable strategy.  We're one day into FA and we haven't held the draft.  How about we wait until after these two are done before declaring what fans are settling for?

 

BTW, adding McGovern has moved the needle and improved the Bill's O line.  The key here is the change not the absolute impact of a guy like McGovern. Staffold was one of the worst pass blocking guards in the NFL, McGovern is in the middle in pass pro.  That represents a huge improvement.  Staffold also got hit with a lot of penalties whereas McGovern is rarely penalized.  Adding McGovern has improved the O line.

 

With respect to Cook, we should see further improvement as he goes from his rookie to his 2nd year in the NFL.  And Cook showed real flashes of being the best Bills RB since Shady.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well said.  

 

These obviously aren't the only moves we make, and even if they were..  Cook in Year 2 is a better RB than rookie Cook or Singletary.  Hines with an off-season should theoretically become more integrated into the Offense.  

 

Re: McGovern, even if all he gives us good pass blocking and poor run blocking, that's a massive improvement over last year.  Given he's reportedly a better RG than LG, we are able to give him that spot on our OL, which also moves Bates to LG... the position he feels more comfortable in.   This one move has upgraded both LG and RG, while giving us two athletic 25 year olds on multi-year contracts.  

 

If we go RT at 27 and/or Brown makes a jump with a full, healthy off-season, this OL could become a strength. 

[Mr. WEO]

14 hours ago, 78thealltimegreat said:

To you it is 

 

you're easily impressed.

[78thealltimegreat]

24 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

you're easily impressed.

I am 

[NickelCity]

1 hour ago, Airseven said:

Settling for Cook + Hines and adding McGovern isn’t moving the needle on what the Bills need to balance the offense. Concerning that some fans are already starting to massage this into a viable strategy.

 

How many hours into the offseason are we?

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, Airseven said:

Settling for Cook + Hines and adding McGovern isn’t moving the needle on what the Bills need to balance the offense. Concerning that some fans are already starting to massage this into a viable strategy.

It’s been 25 hours.  But you be you

[Yantha]

Great news!

[BarleyNY]

On 3/13/2023 at 9:55 AM, Beck Water said:

 

Does anyone know exactly how they handled it yet?

Welp, we do now - and there wasn’t as much improvement as I had hoped. Bummer. 

[Believer]

15 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

As I understand it, Allen's injury made it harder for him to throw short with accuracy.

 

I think that explains it. 

 

I'd expect to see more of it next year. Assuming that's the explanation.

Allen is still developing his touch passes… Hitting a back in stride on a screen pass is as important as speedy pulling OL 

[Beck Water]

11 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Some of that. Some Josh hates throwing to running backs anyway. He regularly misses running backs open in space because he is holding the ball waiting for something to open up deep (it is just one of the things you live with because of everything else he brings). Thirdly, we suck at running back screens. I don't know what it is about them but we seem to telegraph them really obviously. When we are about to throw one I can call it out from home so I am pretty darn sure NFL defensive coordinators can. 

 

Can you identify what you're keying on for us?

1 hour ago, Dr. Who said:

Fella only ever posts disparaging, negative comments. If he's an actual Bills' fan, he's indistinguishable from a troll

 

He's so indistinguishable that...wait for it...some put him in an ignore file and never respond to him

[GunnerBill]

2 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

Can you identify what you're keying on for us?

 

So I think it is the way the lineman come off the snap. You really have to sell "I'm in my pass pro stance" and it is almost like a "I'm in stand still mode until Josh dumps it." 

 

I just no that by the time the ball gets to Josh my brain has gone "screen." Reminds me of one of the early Madden games where there was a "screen" audio that the defense would shout when it realised you were running one. I hear that Madden shout in my head really quickly. And I am not saying it is 100% but when that flashes into my head as we snap it seems to follow through a fair amount. 

 

Whatever it is I hope the Bills self scout it really hard. Because I feel like we never get that called running back screen where the Dline all rush normally and Josh can just pop it over the line to the back hovering behind the screen. In contrast at times it feels like 80% of the Chargers offense.

 

[LetzGoBuffalo]

great! would like to see him used more in run game even over cook...

[3rdand12]

16 minutes ago, LetzGoBuffalo said:

great! would like to see him used more in run game even over cook...

Both he and Cook should give Dorsey plenty of options 

[PBF81]

On 3/13/2023 at 9:37 AM, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Only so many snaps. Who do you take off the field? 

 

I think the point he was making was that as a percentage we didn't use them often, relatively speaking.  I mean we had 79 pass completions to our RBs, combined.  As a percentage of completions that's about 22%, as a percentage of attempts that's 14%.  

 

Using just the AFCE as a comparison ... 

 

Miami had 73 receptions by its RBs, about the same, and about the same percentages.  20% and 12.5%  

NY had 94 receptions by its RBs, 26% and 17.5% 

The Jets, 87, about 24.5%, and about 14%.  And the Jets had about the same number of completions, but about 50 more attempts, "artificially" keeping it lower.  

 

I'd guess that we were no better than average, likely slightly below average, in that way in the entire league.  Either way, as he said, for a team talking so much about having these receiving options out of the backfield, we didn't use them more than average or so, if even that.  

 

Same for running the ball to be frank.  Remember, they drafted Cook in round 2 both for more receiving options out of the backfield, but also to bolster our running game.  We ranked 20th in rushing attempts, 32nd by a country mile if Allen's rushes are not included.  This past season our total team rushing attempts decreased by 31, and our rushing attempts "other than Allen decreased by 33, nearly 10%.  

 

Essentially this is more of "say one thing, do another."   Maybe that's what "The Process" means, who knows since it's never been defined.  LOL