Zack Moss revisited

[Sierra Foothills]

The Bills drafted running back Zack Moss in the 3rd round (86th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. At the time I liked the pick and thought of him as a good physical back. He flashed at times as a Bill but was mostly a disappointment partly because of his inability to stay healthy and partly because of his general ineffectiveness. He never seemed to resemble the player he was at Utah.

 

Finally last Halloween we traded him to the Colts for fellow running back Nyheim Hines. Besides swapping him for Hines, we acquired two physical runners (Damien Harris and Latavius Murray) to provide that ruggedness that Moss was supposed to bring us.

 

By the time he was shown the door he was pretty much a whipping boy for members of this forum. It hasn't been spoken of much around here but Moss has quietly resurrected his career.

 

Here are his stat lines from his last 5 regular season games with Indy:

 

Zack Moss last 5 Regular Season Games with the Colts

Date	ATT	YDS	YPC
12/17/22	24	81	3.38
12/26/22	12	65	5.42
1/1/23	15	74	4.93
1/8/23	18	114	6.33
9/17/23	18	88	4.89
AVERAGE	15.4	84.4	5.48

 

I'm curious if anyone here has any insights as to what has changed to make him a seemingly effective NFL running back. Health? Scheme? Also would you say his improvement has vindicated the Bills decision to draft him in the first place?

 

 

Edited September 23, 2023 by Sierra Foothills

[Buffalo716]

3 minutes ago, Sierra Foothills said:

The Bills drafted running back Zack Moss in the 3rd round (86th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. At the time I liked the pick and thought of him as a good physical back. He flashed at times as a Bill but was mostly a disappointment partly because of his inability to stay healthy and partly because of his general ineffectiveness. He never seemed to resemble the player he was at Utah.

 

Finally last Halloween we traded him to the Colts for fellow running back Nyheim Hines. Besides swapping him for Hines, we acquired two physical runners (Damien Harris and Latavius Murray) to provide that ruggedness that Moss was supposed to bring us.

 

By the time he was shown the door he was pretty much a whipping boy for members of this forum. It hasn't been spoken of much around here but Moss has quietly resurrected his career.

 

Here are his stat lines from his last 5 regular season games with Indy:

 

Zack Moss last 5 Regular Season Games with the Colts

Date	ATT	YDS	YPC
12/17/22	24	81	3.38
12/26/22	12	65	5.42
1/1/23	15	74	4.93
1/8/23	18	114	6.33
9/17/23	18	88	4.89
AVERAGE	15.4	84.4	5.48

 

I'm curious if anyone here has any insights as to what has changed to make him a seemingly effective NFL running back. Health? Scheme? Also would you say his improvement has vindicated the Bills decision to draft him in the first place?

 

 

Bills fans tend to overreact for the positive and negative

 

He always had talent but was the guy that needed Carries, more than five a game to be effective

 

And he basically had the same role as singletary.. but being his back up

Edited September 23, 2023 by Buffalo716

[Nelius]

I don't really have any answers but it's nice to see. Saw his stat line last week and a couple of rumblings in the around the NFL thread.

 

I think it had to be health, but it seemed like there was some general two-way frustration with the coaches/team as well. Above all else he seems like a really good dude, not a malcontent at all that would intentionally wear his displeasure on his sleeve, but for some reason it felt like you could feel the frustration toward the end. Ball control issues, maybe? I remember him fumbling a few times early and seemingly being in the dog house for it, maybe he could never really get out or regain the right amount of confidence. He's alongside Logan Thomas as just being bubble dudes that were talented enough and also worked hard enough to catch on elsewhere. Would be pretty cool if he stayed healthy and sniffed 1k.

[MJS]

He just needed more opportunity. Singletary outplayed him. If Moss would have had Singletary's role, he probably would have put up similar stats to him. They weren't all that different. Moss didn't really take advantage of his limited opportunities here, either. Maybe he is a guy who needs a bigger workload to get going.

[GoBills808]

oline

[JJGauna]

Colts have better run blockers and rely on the ground way more than we do.

[GunnerBill]

It is mainly blocking and carries. The Bills oline in 2021 and 2022 was not very good at run blocking. And Moss isn't a speedy back who can get 5 or 6 carries and break one. He is more of a plodder who needs carries to get into a groove. And there is a little bit of scheme thrown in too. The Colts run a lot more from the I with the QB under centre which is a better fit to his style. The Bills are more of a shotgun team where you get the ball on a standing start and have to accelerate quickly - which less Moss's style.

Edited September 23, 2023 by GunnerBill

[Sgt. Ski]

3 hours ago, Sierra Foothills said:

The Bills drafted running back Zack Moss in the 3rd round (86th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. At the time I liked the pick and thought of him as a good physical back. He flashed at times as a Bill but was mostly a disappointment partly because of his inability to stay healthy and partly because of his general ineffectiveness. He never seemed to resemble the player he was at Utah.

 

Finally last Halloween we traded him to the Colts for fellow running back Nyheim Hines. Besides swapping him for Hines, we acquired two physical runners (Damien Harris and Latavius Murray) to provide that ruggedness that Moss was supposed to bring us.

 

By the time he was shown the door he was pretty much a whipping boy for members of this forum. It hasn't been spoken of much around here but Moss has quietly resurrected his career.

 

Here are his stat lines from his last 5 regular season games with Indy:

 

Zack Moss last 5 Regular Season Games with the Colts

Date	ATT	YDS	YPC
12/17/22	24	81	3.38
12/26/22	12	65	5.42
1/1/23	15	74	4.93
1/8/23	18	114	6.33
9/17/23	18	88	4.89
AVERAGE	15.4	84.4	5.48

 

I'm curious if anyone here has any insights as to what has changed to make him a seemingly effective NFL running back. Health? Scheme? Also would you say his improvement has vindicated the Bills decision to draft him in the first place?

 

 

A better line

[BananaB]

Opportunity in more situations outside the redzone. That’s who we are though and it makes it alittle obvious. We done it with Singletary/Gore, Singletary/Moss and Cook/Harris/Murray.

 

He was the short yardage guy they leaned on. It’s harder when teams know what your doing too

Edited September 23, 2023 by BananaB

[CSBill]

Better line, more carries, and better system for him. And, maybe he has improved as a runner--sometime adversity (getting traded) helps you wake-up and grow.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Good question excellent responses.

Case closed

Close thread 

[WotAGuy]

I think it’s better math.  His average carries per game is 17.4, but that 15.4 makes his YPC look better.  😜

[shane nelson]

Simple, commitment to the running game.  Bills were always pass first during his years.  Just look at the # of carries per game.  He never got that with Buffalo

[Matt_In_NH]

5 hours ago, Sierra Foothills said:

The Bills drafted running back Zack Moss in the 3rd round (86th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. At the time I liked the pick and thought of him as a good physical back. He flashed at times as a Bill but was mostly a disappointment partly because of his inability to stay healthy and partly because of his general ineffectiveness. He never seemed to resemble the player he was at Utah.

 

Finally last Halloween we traded him to the Colts for fellow running back Nyheim Hines. Besides swapping him for Hines, we acquired two physical runners (Damien Harris and Latavius Murray) to provide that ruggedness that Moss was supposed to bring us.

 

By the time he was shown the door he was pretty much a whipping boy for members of this forum. It hasn't been spoken of much around here but Moss has quietly resurrected his career.

 

Here are his stat lines from his last 5 regular season games with Indy:

 

Zack Moss last 5 Regular Season Games with the Colts

Date	ATT	YDS	YPC
12/17/22	24	81	3.38
12/26/22	12	65	5.42
1/1/23	15	74	4.93
1/8/23	18	114	6.33
9/17/23	18	88	4.89
AVERAGE	15.4	84.4	5.48

 

I'm curious if anyone here has any insights as to what has changed to make him a seemingly effective NFL running back. Health? Scheme? Also would you say his improvement has vindicated the Bills decision to draft him in the first place?

 

 

This is just a guess but what has changed is he has gotten some Carries.   

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

I’ll assume that the Colts have an offensive line that knows how to block for an elite run game. 

[DJB]

29 minutes ago, WotAGuy said:

I think it’s better math.  His average carries per game is 17.4, but that 15.4 makes his YPC look better.  😜

For a split second I read that as better “meth”

[billsfanmiamioh]

Do the Colts use more of a man blocking scheme? Thought I saw that the Bills had settled back into more man blocking than the zone scheme we primarily ran the last couple years. If so, maybe a better fit for him? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[clearwater cadet]

I might be wrong, but I thought he had a few fumbles at critcal monments which really sent him to the dog house?

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

36 minutes ago, clearwater cadet said:

I might be wrong, but I thought he had a few fumbles at critcal monments which really sent him to the dog house?

I think you're describing every RB in the McDermott era. 😁

[Nuncha]

7 hours ago, Sierra Foothills said:

The Bills drafted running back Zack Moss in the 3rd round (86th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. At the time I liked the pick and thought of him as a good physical back. He flashed at times as a Bill but was mostly a disappointment partly because of his inability to stay healthy and partly because of his general ineffectiveness. He never seemed to resemble the player he was at Utah.

 

Finally last Halloween we traded him to the Colts for fellow running back Nyheim Hines. Besides swapping him for Hines, we acquired two physical runners (Damien Harris and Latavius Murray) to provide that ruggedness that Moss was supposed to bring us.

 

By the time he was shown the door he was pretty much a whipping boy for members of this forum. It hasn't been spoken of much around here but Moss has quietly resurrected his career.

 

Here are his stat lines from his last 5 regular season games with Indy:

 

Zack Moss last 5 Regular Season Games with the Colts

Date	ATT	YDS	YPC
12/17/22	24	81	3.38
12/26/22	12	65	5.42
1/1/23	15	74	4.93
1/8/23	18	114	6.33
9/17/23	18	88	4.89
AVERAGE	15.4	84.4	5.48

 

I'm curious if anyone here has any insights as to what has changed to make him a seemingly effective NFL running back. Health? Scheme? Also would you say his improvement has vindicated the Bills decision to draft him in the first place?

 

 

Buffalo wasn't dedicated at all to running the ball when he was here, and the O line stunk at run blocking which is probably why they threw it most of the time.

[PBF81]

7 hours ago, Sierra Foothills said:

The Bills drafted running back Zack Moss in the 3rd round (86th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. At the time I liked the pick and thought of him as a good physical back. He flashed at times as a Bill but was mostly a disappointment partly because of his inability to stay healthy and partly because of his general ineffectiveness. He never seemed to resemble the player he was at Utah.

 

Finally last Halloween we traded him to the Colts for fellow running back Nyheim Hines. Besides swapping him for Hines, we acquired two physical runners (Damien Harris and Latavius Murray) to provide that ruggedness that Moss was supposed to bring us.

 

By the time he was shown the door he was pretty much a whipping boy for members of this forum. It hasn't been spoken of much around here but Moss has quietly resurrected his career.

 

Here are his stat lines from his last 5 regular season games with Indy:

 

Zack Moss last 5 Regular Season Games with the Colts

Date	ATT	YDS	YPC
12/17/22	24	81	3.38
12/26/22	12	65	5.42
1/1/23	15	74	4.93
1/8/23	18	114	6.33
9/17/23	18	88	4.89
AVERAGE	15.4	84.4	5.48

 

I'm curious if anyone here has any insights as to what has changed to make him a seemingly effective NFL running back. Health? Scheme? Also would you say his improvement has vindicated the Bills decision to draft him in the first place?

 

 

 

Funny, Hines did more, much more, as a RB for the Colts too.

 

Could be us.  

 

 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

1 hour ago, billsfanmiamioh said:

Do the Colts use more of a man blocking scheme? Thought I saw that the Bills had settled back into more man blocking than the zone scheme we primarily ran the last couple years. If so, maybe a better fit for him? 🤷🏻‍♂️

yeah, they seem to run more gap style running, than the zone we ran. Think that suits Moss a little more.

 

that said, Moss did pretty well running zone runs. People sort of forget that he looked really good and was a key contributor for the early part of last year, and then just fell off a cliff. 

[Fan in Chicago]

8 hours ago, Sierra Foothills said:

The Bills drafted running back Zack Moss in the 3rd round (86th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. At the time I liked the pick and thought of him as a good physical back. He flashed at times as a Bill but was mostly a disappointment partly because of his inability to stay healthy and partly because of his general ineffectiveness. He never seemed to resemble the player he was at Utah.

 

Finally last Halloween we traded him to the Colts for fellow running back Nyheim Hines. Besides swapping him for Hines, we acquired two physical runners (Damien Harris and Latavius Murray) to provide that ruggedness that Moss was supposed to bring us.

 

By the time he was shown the door he was pretty much a whipping boy for members of this forum. It hasn't been spoken of much around here but Moss has quietly resurrected his career.

 

I'm curious if anyone here has any insights as to what has changed to make him a seemingly effective NFL running back. Health? Scheme? Also would you say his improvement has vindicated the Bills decision to draft him in the first place?

 

 

I havent seen the Colts or Moss so cant tell about the scheme or his running style. Perhaps it is a combination of - him being motivated due to being booted off his first team, scheme, number of carries. On the Bills, he didnt look very motivated after the first season during which he looked like a hard runner and the type we eventually got with Harris and Murray. 

For one reason 

 

On a related note, I see that Singletary on the Texans has these stats

4-14-3.5

7-15-2.1

 

These are pretty poor so I looked up if he is injured but I cant find any such reports. Why is he being underutilized?

[Ben]

7 hours ago, GoBills808 said:

oline

yep running behind Quentin Nelson helps. 

[Sierra Foothills]

8 minutes ago, Fan in Chicago said:

On a related note, I see that Singletary on the Texans has these stats

4-14-3.5

7-15-2.1

 

These are pretty poor so I looked up if he is injured but I cant find any such reports. Why is he being underutilized?

 

I'm glad you brought up Singletary too because it'll be interesting to see how his post-Bills career plays out.

 

It's hard to say what's going on in Houston. Their starter Dameon Pierce had an excellent rookie season last year averaging 4.3 ypc. This year Pierce is at 2.7 ypc so it's not only Singletary.

2 minutes ago, Ben said:

yep running behind Quentin Nelson helps. 

 

I wonder how Moss would like running behind O'Cyrus Torrence and this offensive line.

[BADOLBILZ]

4 hours ago, PBF81 said:

 

Funny, Hines did more, much more, as a RB for the Colts too.

 

Could be us.  

 

 

 

 

The Buffalo Bills lead the entire NFL in yards per carry by RB's last season.

 

I don't know what to tell you folks anymore........but it's comedy gold reading about how bad the Bills OL was/is at run blocking. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2023 by BADOLBILZ

[mrags]

9 hours ago, Sierra Foothills said:

The Bills drafted running back Zack Moss in the 3rd round (86th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. At the time I liked the pick and thought of him as a good physical back. He flashed at times as a Bill but was mostly a disappointment partly because of his inability to stay healthy and partly because of his general ineffectiveness. He never seemed to resemble the player he was at Utah.

 

Finally last Halloween we traded him to the Colts for fellow running back Nyheim Hines. Besides swapping him for Hines, we acquired two physical runners (Damien Harris and Latavius Murray) to provide that ruggedness that Moss was supposed to bring us.

 

By the time he was shown the door he was pretty much a whipping boy for members of this forum. It hasn't been spoken of much around here but Moss has quietly resurrected his career.

 

Here are his stat lines from his last 5 regular season games with Indy:

 

Zack Moss last 5 Regular Season Games with the Colts

Date	ATT	YDS	YPC
12/17/22	24	81	3.38
12/26/22	12	65	5.42
1/1/23	15	74	4.93
1/8/23	18	114	6.33
9/17/23	18	88	4.89
AVERAGE	15.4	84.4	5.48

 

I'm curious if anyone here has any insights as to what has changed to make him a seemingly effective NFL running back. Health? Scheme? Also would you say his improvement has vindicated the Bills decision to draft him in the first place?

 

 

I’ve got the answer. Beane and McD are doing a Bangup job. 

[starrymessenger]

With a good line he can certainly help give a team a decent running game and I'm glad that he is doing well as Colts main back. But to me he's pretty much JAG and I suspect that there are many NFL RBs who could do as well in similar circumstances. He did not have what it takes to transition to the NFL and be the same player as he was at Utah. Maybe this could have been seen in his measurables. At 200 Lbs he was unlikely to develop into a bruising power back that could stay healthy at this level of play. Maybe if he carried an extra 20 he'd have the bulk. A guy like Gibbs is about the same size and can break tackles and make violent contact but he's not only much faster but much more explosive.

[Max Fischer]

Good for Moss, but it was still the right move. 

[Gugny]

9 hours ago, Sierra Foothills said:

The Bills drafted running back Zack Moss in the 3rd round (86th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. At the time I liked the pick and thought of him as a good physical back. He flashed at times as a Bill but was mostly a disappointment partly because of his inability to stay healthy and partly because of his general ineffectiveness. He never seemed to resemble the player he was at Utah.

 

Finally last Halloween we traded him to the Colts for fellow running back Nyheim Hines. Besides swapping him for Hines, we acquired two physical runners (Damien Harris and Latavius Murray) to provide that ruggedness that Moss was supposed to bring us.

 

By the time he was shown the door he was pretty much a whipping boy for members of this forum. It hasn't been spoken of much around here but Moss has quietly resurrected his career.

 

Here are his stat lines from his last 5 regular season games with Indy:

 

Zack Moss last 5 Regular Season Games with the Colts

Date	ATT	YDS	YPC
12/17/22	24	81	3.38
12/26/22	12	65	5.42
1/1/23	15	74	4.93
1/8/23	18	114	6.33
9/17/23	18	88	4.89
AVERAGE	15.4	84.4	5.48

 

I'm curious if anyone here has any insights as to what has changed to make him a seemingly effective NFL running back. Health? Scheme? Also would you say his improvement has vindicated the Bills decision to draft him in the first place?

 

 

It’s difficult for any RB to put up impressive numbers as a spectator. 
 

[Bangarang]

A Beane blunder for sure. 

[FireChans]

2 hours ago, Nuncha said:

Buffalo wasn't dedicated at all to running the ball when he was here, and the O line stunk at run blocking which is probably why they threw it most of the time.

We threw it all the time because we have a superstar QB and running the ball is for the Mac Jones’ of the world.

[JackKemp]

My opinion is that he finally learned to read the blocks. He constantly misread where the hole was when he was a Bill. 

[Sierra Foothills]

5 minutes ago, JackKemp said:

My opinion is that he finally learned to read the blocks. He constantly misread where the hole was when he was a Bill. 

 

I wonder how much of that is scheme compatibility.

 

[PBF81]

47 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

The Buffalo Bills lead the entire NFL in yards per carry AND yards per carry by RB's last season.

 

I don't know what to tell you folks anymore........but it's comedy gold reading about how bad the Bills OL was/is at run blocking. 

 

What does that have to do with Hines' performance here v. at Indy?  

 

BTW, doesn't that make you wonder why we didn't run the ball more?  

 

I believe that we also ran the ball less using our RBs than any other team in the league.  For what that's worth.  

 

 

[AuntieEm]

Josh Allen is the MICK Jagger to the Bills Rolling Stones and everyone knows a  rolling stone carries no Moss so he had to be let go so we traded him for something...

.

Edited September 23, 2023 by AuntieEm

[Sharky7337]

He aint tearing up the league i don't see what there is to revisit

Edited September 23, 2023 by Sharky7337

[Utah John]

Moss wasn't a good fit for the Bills.  And the Bills were a terrible place for Moss to spend his career.  Our offense was completely wrong for him.  Wrong O line personnel, wrong schemes, wrong focus.  We didn't need a power back to gain three yards at a crack running between the tackles.  We have Josh Allen to hit short throws, or scramble downfield, when we need three yards.  We need the RB to be a quick, dangerous runner who forces defenses to spread out of respect for the edge.  This year we're seeing Cook get around the corner and downfield for 20, on plays where Moss or Singletary get caught and lose 2.  And we're seeing more openings across the middle because defenses have to be spread a little more.

 

I got to be a big fan of Utah football when I lived in Salt Lake City, and I particularly admired Moss and was happy the Bills drafted him.  I thought he played with the same intensity and drive that we saw from Freddie Jackson.  I think that's the guy the Colts now have.  Good for Moss to find a place where he fits, and good for the Bills to finally have the RB they needed to begin with.

[Doc]

19 minutes ago, AuntieEm said:

Josh Allen is the MICK Jagger to the Bills Rolling Stones and everyone knows a  rolling stone carries no Moss so he had to be let go so we traded him for something...

 

What's the difference between Mick Jagger and a Scottish farmer?  Mick Jagger says "hey, you, get off of my cloud" and a Scottish farmer says "hey, MacLeod, get off of my ewe."

[Coach Tuesday]

1 hour ago, Bangarang said:

A Beane blunder for sure. 

Drafting him?  Or trading him?