Joe Brady through 2 games

[Big Turk]

3 minutes ago, Dan said:

 

Agreed!   This was a game, where i was thinking go vanilla to start the 2nd half.  Don't run up the score because we'll see this team again and don't put anything on tape you don't want other teams to see.   
 

As has been mentioned, i wish they did more play action.  And they either need to work really hard on screen passes, or just delete them from the playbook because they absolutely suck at screen passes.  I mean suck.    
 

I like that they seem to be getting away from the tush push a bit.  Not that i think its bad to run, but a few teams are getting better at figuring it out.  So it's not quite the guarantee it used to be.    But, yeah, otherwise…. Its hard to fault the offense at all ; especially week 2!

 

They made some improvements towards the end of last year and stated dialing them up with some success, starting in the Rams game where Ty Johnson took a exceptionally well designed screen to the house untouched for like 45 yards to score their first TD of the game.  Had a few other nice ones after that, but yeah, in general they have not been great at them.

Edited September 15 by Big Turk

[oldmanfan]

I find no fault with the overall offensive schemes.  Anyone can pick apart a call here and there, but under Brady the offense has found great balance, Josh is being given more freedom to check out of plays, and we are able to attack defenses in a variety of ways.  And guys like Palmer and Coleman are showing great value.  Keep up the good work!

[Einstein]

2 hours ago, Big Turk said:

 

No need to put something on film against the Jets.

Or in the last 20 games.

[Big Turk]

1 minute ago, Einstein said:

Or in the last 20 games.

 

And still score 30 points a game like they are eating breakfast.

[GunnerBill]

3 hours ago, BillsVet said:

 

Being better than Daboll and Dorsey is a pretty low bar to set, particularly with an improved Josh Allen in 2024-25 versus 2020-23.  As an aside, Brady keeps designing runs for Josh which McD essentially ended for Dorsey in the first half of 2023.  Been back in their playbook since then, but I digress.

 

The philosophy is what it is and that calls for synching the offensive and defensive schemes closely together.  No one opposes the concept on offense of wanting to keep the ball, physically punish the opposing defense, having an offense which doesn't turn it over, keeps a run-pass balance, passes to max YAC/RAC, etc.  This paired with a defense which gets turnovers, can put pressure on the QB, and forces throws into that zone is all good....

 

But it's still a low margin for error philosophy no matter who the OC is and what he calls.  Particularly when the receivers are meh and struggle to get open.  Requires Josh to do more, put himself in the line of fire running it, and is so-so against better competition particularly in the playoffs, as we've seen the last 2 years. 

 

Brady has schemed the offense McD wants and Beane staffed.  It is what it is.   

 

No OC that has had Josh Allen ran him at a higher clip than Dorsey that is a fact. 

 

The low margin of error comes from the lack of elite talent around Josh not from the scheme. The scheme actually does a pretty good job of maximisng the talent. 

 

I also think there is a bit of wanting it both ways from the critics. They want the offense to be less Josh centric to give him some help and when the OC designs an offense that means Josh needs the cape less frequently, save for against the very best opponents they go "low margin for error!" 

 

This OC's record speaks for itself and while of course any OC with Josh Allen should be able to have this success the predecessor was going whole halves without scoring before getting fired. 

Edited September 15 by GunnerBill

[FireChans]

10 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

No OC that has had Josh Allen ran him at a higher clip than Dorsey that is a fact. 

 

The low margin of error comes from the lack of elite talent around Josh not from the scheme. The scheme actually does a pretty good job of maximisng the talent. 

 

I also think there is a bit of wanting it both ways from the critics. They want the offense to be less Josh centric to give him some help and when the OC designs an offense that means Josh needs the cape less frequently, save for against the very best opponents they go "low margin for error!" 

 

This OC's record speaks for itself and while of course any OC with Josh Allen should be able to have this success the predecessor was going whole halves without scoring before getting fired. 

Brady’s scheme has a much lesser supporting cast than Dorsey’s and has them playing actually way better, including the QB.

 

Who knows if Brady will succeed at his next stop, but he has somehow unlocked an even better version of Josh Allen

3 hours ago, BillsVet said:

Being better than Daboll and Dorsey is a pretty low bar to set, particularly with an improved Josh Allen in 2024-25 versus 2020-23

You don’t think the “improved” Josh Allen has anything to do with his OC? Lol

[Scott7975]

18 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

i hate second down runs! But I don’t mind them against the jets. I thought the game plan was perfect for this particular opponent. 
 

I do think we will see them go down field a lot more this week against Miami. 

 

I don't hate second down runs. What I hate is not mixing it up. It gets too predictable. They almost never take a play action shot on 2nd and short for example. Also don't like that Ray Davis getting the ball seems like a wasted down to me. The dude is constantly stuffed or held to 3 yards or less.  I thought Davis would be decent because he had a good game last year when Cook was out. Disappointing =(  I'd rather see Ty in on those downs and mix up some play action with him. Dude had a drop against the Ravens, but he is usually money in the passing game.

Edited September 15 by Scott7975

[Einstein]

1 hour ago, Big Turk said:

 

And still score 30 points a game like they are eating breakfast.

 

Josh Allen is why we score 30+ points per game.

[folz]

So, let me get this straight.

 

Many Bills fans complain continuously that Josh has to do everything on his own. That we aren't as talented as other top teams, so Josh has to put on his cape and play one-on-eleven (apparently).

 

Then we have a game that is a total team win. The offensive and defensive lines control the game and we run the ball a lot. They prove that there is a lot of talent around Josh actually. But now the issue is Josh didn't have enough passing yards, and we got stopped on some second down runs? 

 

I have learned over the years that some people just will never be happy, no matter how much you try to do for them. I'm not saying we can never discuss problems with the offense, the play calls, or individual players performances. etc. But we just opened the season scoring 41 points and 30 points, respectively, against two very good defenses. 

 

This offense is exactly what McDermott and Beane wanted since like Daboll's second/third season as OC. Don't you remember how many times McD tried to get the offense to be more balanced, get Daboll to run the ball more? We are a bigger, stronger, more balanced team now. We can play in a shoot-out with KC, or we can grind out rushing yards against physical teams (or poor teams). We can change our game plan according to our opponent (as weeks 1 and 2 showed us). We can now run a 4-minute offense to close out games (because we can run the ball better), etc.

 

Plus, the league has changed since 2019-2021. A lot of time was spent trying to shut down offenses like KC and Buf. The move to more cover 0, then to man coverage, etc. We couldn't continue with the aerial attack we had (in the same way), but not be able to run the ball well. The defenses dictated that players like Allen and Mahomes would need to be more patient and methodical. The defenses were keeping everything in front of them. So, the offensive style needed to change. Plus, we needed to be stronger and more physical (which we are now) to face the Cincinnatis and Baltimores of the world. We were much more what we used to call a finesse offense in the Daboll years. Now we can ground and pound when needed (without losing the ability to still have a prolific passing offense).

 

Just FYI

Daboll's Bills offense at it's best (2020-2021; 34 regular season games): Averaged 377.5 yards per game and 28.9 points per game.

Since Brady took over (mid-2023 to present; 25 regular season games): Averaging 350.8 yards per game and 30.2 points per game.

 

Playoffs:

Daboll (2020-2021) 3-2, averaging 30.2 points/game with 376.8 yards/game.

Brady (2023-2024) 3-2, averaging 28.4 points/game with 370.8 yards/game.

 

Pretty similar overall, but now our team is stronger and more multiple. We are no longer out physicaled by teams, we can run when we need to, change our game plan according to the opponent, fare better in inclement weather, we're not as predictable, etc...in my opinion. I don't think we have to worry about Brady and the offense.

 

 

P.S. Someone brought up that we had some struggles in the last few games (particularly Baltimore and Denver). Yes, before the Jets game, our last four opponents were Baltimore, Kansas City, Baltimore, and Denver. All three teams were top 10 defenses in both yards allowed and points allowed last year. Denver was 3rd in points allowed, K.C. was 4th, and Baltimore was 9th. Stands to reason that you'd struggle a bit more against better defenses. And yet, in those 4 games, the Bills still averaged 32 points/game. (Heck, even the Jets' defense was #3 in yards allowed last year and we just had 403 yards and 30 points against them.) But sure, good defenses are going to get some stops too---like on a second down run.

[Solomon Grundy]

Wanna see some deep shots to WRs

[That's No Moon]

I feel that this week was sort of like the week before against Baltimore. They kept it pretty close to the vest trying not to turn the ball over both games. This past week it was clear that they wanted to control the game by running the ball, which they did. It kept the Jets D-line from teeing off on the pass rush and it wore them down as the game progressed. It also ground the hell out of the clock in the second half to really ice the game.  Romo and Nantz were talking about the game being a little boring. It was a perfect road game tbh. They gave the Jets nothing. No life, no breath, no hope. By the 3rd quarter the ending felt inevitable and the Jets knew it too. They slowly pounded them into the ground methodically, in a way that frankly we aren't used to watching. It was beautiful.  The Bills held the ball for 38 minutes and virtually the entire 3rd quarter. There were only 3 possessions in the 3rd quarter. The Bills held the ball for 12:55 of that quarter. 12:55! And they scored 10 points on those possessions to take a 17 point game to a 27 point game and basically put it away.  They choked whatever remaining life the Jets had out in that quarter. It was a clinic on how to ice a game. No fuss, no muss. Allen didn't have to put the team on his back or do anything crazy. They just ran the offense and moved the ball down the field in an effective, low-risk manner.  I commented to my family on the play towards the end of the 3rd when Allen escaped from Gardner and rolled to his left. A younger, dumber, Allen would have tried to score there and might have. However, he would have definitely gotten hit and possibly fumbled. Yesterday, he got the first down and ducked out of bounds. There was no need to be the hero. Keep the ball, no unnecessary risks, just play the game. They ran out the rest of the quarter and Moore scored on another low risk play to begin the 4th. Game over.

 

Yes I know we want to see the big sexy plays. They are fun. Yes I know the WRs haven't been getting wide open at times. I also believe that Allen has intentionally not thrown some 50/50 balls that he would have in the past.  This is good. Not flashy, but good. There will be times we need it. Yesterday was not that day.

 

The fact that we even think to complain about an offense that has 71 points in two wins against two very non-cupcake defenses is pretty amusing. Enjoy these times boys. These are the salad days.

[Sierra Foothills]

On 9/14/2025 at 6:31 PM, boyst said:

I have questions about  Samuel, that's about it. 

 

On 9/14/2025 at 7:33 PM, gonzo1105 said:

The only reason why Samuel is still here is mostly because his contract is uncuttable for this year. My guess is he’ll be inactive if/when there is an injury to a WR . Beyond that expect him to be released after the season is over 

 

I could be proven wrong if/when they're both healthy but Samuel and Moore, though subtly different, for all intents and purposes play the same role... the Isaiah McKenzie gadget/slot role. I don't think they'll both be active for the same game.

 

It's a sign of the Bills depth that they have two physically talented and dangerous players to play one position.

 

Samuel being on the sidelines is just a luxury in my book... a weapon in the arsenal that we haven't needed yet. We don't miss him because we have Moore but there might be a time when Moore is unavailable and Samuel is ready to step up. I'm glad Moore contributed against the Jets and I anticipate that both he and Samuel will make plays this year that'll make us glad that they're both on the team.

 

 

[Big Turk]

21 hours ago, BillsVet said:

 

Being better than Daboll and Dorsey is a pretty low bar to set, particularly with an improved Josh Allen in 2024-25 versus 2020-23.  As an aside, Brady keeps designing runs for Josh which McD essentially ended for Dorsey in the first half of 2023.  Been back in their playbook since then, but I digress.

 

The philosophy is what it is and that calls for synching the offensive and defensive schemes closely together.  No one opposes the concept on offense of wanting to keep the ball, physically punish the opposing defense, having an offense which doesn't turn it over, keeps a run-pass balance, passes to max YAC/RAC, etc.  This paired with a defense which gets turnovers, can put pressure on the QB, and forces throws into that zone is all good....

 

But it's still a low margin for error philosophy no matter who the OC is and what he calls.  Particularly when the receivers are meh and struggle to get open.  Requires Josh to do more, put himself in the line of fire running it, and is so-so against better competition particularly in the playoffs, as we've seen the last 2 years. 

 

Brady has schemed the offense McD wants and Beane staffed.  It is what it is.   

 

"Low Margin for Error"? 

 

The Bills set an NFL record by not losing by more than 7 points in 40+ straight games, then lost to Baltimore early last year and haven't lost by more than 7 again since.  In a league where even the best teams usually get blown out a few times a year, to have 1 loss by more than 7 points going back almost 4 years(early November 2021) at this point is absurd.

 

Allen has scored 30+ points in 11 of the last 12 games and over 40 in 4 of those games. They averaged over 30 points a game last year. They set franchise records for TDs and points. They tied an NFL record with 8 straight 30 point games. They were one of the most efficient offenses in NFL history based on points/drive.  Exactly how is his margin for error low?

 

I'd say his margin for error is among the highest in the NFL.  It's amazing that no matter how productive this team is offensively you still have people that act like they are near the bottom in the NFL. Do you even watch other games and how bad those teams are offensively? I'm going to guess no, because the ridiculousness of what you just posted you would not be able to post if you did and actually be serious.

 

It's very hard to watch at least 25 other teams play football on offense. Like, it makes me want to vomit. We are so spoiled, that we have gotten to a point where if we don't score 40 points a game, drop 500+ yards and Allen puts up Madden numbers that "we sucked" on offense. 

 

I mean we put up over 400 yards in about 3 quarters against the Jets, put up 30 points and the offense didn't look great...but who cares? The end result was the same. They scored at will until they pulled Allen out with 12 minutes left in the 4th. You think that is somehow "bad"?  Other teams find that terrifying. When your "bad" game is 400 yards and 30 points, most teams would take that in a heartbeat. They have to try and figure out how to get to 20 points many times and still don't make it a lot of the times...we get 30 points as a given pretty much, that's the floor.  We sit here and complain. SMFH.

 

"it is what it is".  Yeah, you are right...among the best offenses in the NFL and a juggernaut every week that puts up points on everyone and wins by double digits more than any other team in the NFL over the last 5 years.

Edited September 16 by Big Turk

[GunnerBill]

4 hours ago, Solomon Grundy said:

Wanna see some deep shots to WRs

 

There were some called week 1 (less so this week) and Josh had to come off them because nobody was open and go underneath.

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

21 hours ago, Ayjent said:

And when people say this team is only Josh Allen on Offense this game says much differently.  They could have probably won this game by the same margin with Mitchapalooza.

I think the Jets game plan on defense would’ve been entirely different. And the receivers wouldn’t be nearly as open. You have to defend the entire field when you play Allen. Trubisky they would’ve stacked the box and dared him to throw. 

Edited September 16 by ChronicAndKnuckles

[harryS]

Putting up 30+ a game with average receiving talent is commendable.  A lot of what we view as playcalling weakness probably is just the receiving talent.

 

I would like to see us recapture last season's QB sneak magic, if possible.  We were the second-best tush push team last year, and it's such a huge advantage to be a 4-down team like the Eagles.

[machine gun kelly]

On 9/14/2025 at 9:12 PM, dayman said:

We’re scoring points, so I can’t complain too much—but doesn’t it feel like we have a lot of predictable 2nd-down runs that go nowhere and start slow? Came back strong vs. the Ravens, but it’d be nice to open things up earlier. Against the Jets it didn’t matter, but I’m still waiting to see more schemed explosive plays in the passing game, especially early. Similar issues as last year. What do you guys think?

I think any team that scores 71 pts. In two games warrants no criticisms whatsoever.  The rushing game is a cat and mouse situations and opens up passing opportunities as they can’t assume well through most of the game.  Some people just find it boring as they want Josh tossing it all over the field.  I’m never going to complain at an avg. of 35.5 pts. Per game.  I’m predicting we won’t be slowing down anytime soon with half of the Fish’ O Line on IR.  The Fish are a dumpster fire.

[GunnerBill]

3 minutes ago, machine gun kelly said:

I think any team that scores 71 pts. In two games warrants no criticisms whatsoever.  The rushing game is a cat and mouse situations and opens up passing opportunities as they can’t assume well through most of the game.  Some people just find it boring as they want Josh tossing it all over the field.  I’m never going to complain at an avg. of 35.5 pts. Per game.  I’m predicting we won’t be slowing down anytime soon with half of the Fish’ O Line on IR.  The Fish are a dumpster fire.

 

I don't think we have the receiving talent to have Josh tossing it all over the field. I suppose that goes to the heart of the debate. Any limitations that exist in this offense are less about the scheme and the playcalling to my eye than they are about the skill position talent. 

 

It's also why despite generally being against paying running backs I saw the value in retaining Cook. He is by far our most explosive skill position player. I wish that weren't the case, but given that it is I think it's prudent to retain that. 

[machine gun kelly]

11 hours ago, folz said:

So, let me get this straight.

 

Many Bills fans complain continuously that Josh has to do everything on his own. That we aren't as talented as other top teams, so Josh has to put on his cape and play one-on-eleven (apparently).

 

Then we have a game that is a total team win. The offensive and defensive lines control the game and we run the ball a lot. They prove that there is a lot of talent around Josh actually. But now the issue is Josh didn't have enough passing yards, and we got stopped on some second down runs? 

 

I have learned over the years that some people just will never be happy, no matter how much you try to do for them. I'm not saying we can never discuss problems with the offense, the play calls, or individual players performances. etc. But we just opened the season scoring 41 points and 30 points, respectively, against two very good defenses. 

 

This offense is exactly what McDermott and Beane wanted since like Daboll's second/third season as OC. Don't you remember how many times McD tried to get the offense to be more balanced, get Daboll to run the ball more? We are a bigger, stronger, more balanced team now. We can play in a shoot-out with KC, or we can grind out rushing yards against physical teams (or poor teams). We can change our game plan according to our opponent (as weeks 1 and 2 showed us). We can now run a 4-minute offense to close out games (because we can run the ball better), etc.

 

Plus, the league has changed since 2019-2021. A lot of time was spent trying to shut down offenses like KC and Buf. The move to more cover 0, then to man coverage, etc. We couldn't continue with the aerial attack we had (in the same way), but not be able to run the ball well. The defenses dictated that players like Allen and Mahomes would need to be more patient and methodical. The defenses were keeping everything in front of them. So, the offensive style needed to change. Plus, we needed to be stronger and more physical (which we are now) to face the Cincinnatis and Baltimores of the world. We were much more what we used to call a finesse offense in the Daboll years. Now we can ground and pound when needed (without losing the ability to still have a prolific passing offense).

 

Just FYI

Daboll's Bills offense at it's best (2020-2021; 34 regular season games): Averaged 377.5 yards per game and 28.9 points per game.

Since Brady took over (mid-2023 to present; 25 regular season games): Averaging 350.8 yards per game and 30.2 points per game.

 

Playoffs:

Daboll (2020-2021) 3-2, averaging 30.2 points/game with 376.8 yards/game.

Brady (2023-2024) 3-2, averaging 28.4 points/game with 370.8 yards/game.

 

Pretty similar overall, but now our team is stronger and more multiple. We are no longer out physicaled by teams, we can run when we need to, change our game plan according to the opponent, fare better in inclement weather, we're not as predictable, etc...in my opinion. I don't think we have to worry about Brady and the offense.

 

 

P.S. Someone brought up that we had some struggles in the last few games (particularly Baltimore and Denver). Yes, before the Jets game, our last four opponents were Baltimore, Kansas City, Baltimore, and Denver. All three teams were top 10 defenses in both yards allowed and points allowed last year. Denver was 3rd in points allowed, K.C. was 4th, and Baltimore was 9th. Stands to reason that you'd struggle a bit more against better defenses. And yet, in those 4 games, the Bills still averaged 32 points/game. (Heck, even the Jets' defense was #3 in yards allowed last year and we just had 403 yards and 30 points against them.) But sure, good defenses are going to get some stops too---like on a second down run.

Folz, excellent post and spot on.  I strongly prefer an explosive, tough, hit you from any angle offense, and when needed Josh comes out of the phone booth and puts on the cape.  We have it, but just need to use it when necessary.  Well, week 1 it was necessary.

2 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I don't think we have the receiving talent to have Josh tossing it all over the field. I suppose that goes to the heart of the debate. Any limitations that exist in this offense are less about the scheme and the playcalling to my eye than they are about the skill position talent. 

 

It's also why despite generally being against paying running backs I saw the value in retaining Cook. He is by far our most explosive skill position player. I wish that weren't the case, but given that it is I think it's prudent to retain that. 

GB, agreed to a point.  We may not have a Justin Jefferson, but overall Coleman has delivered, Palmer is growing with each week synergy with Josh, Moore has made small contributions, Shakir is well Shakir, and Cook as you mention GB is one of the most dynamic RB’s this team has seen since Thurmon. (I didn’t add McCoy as we caught him later in his career).

[Billsfan1972]

The issue is (and not a bad one) that Buffalo is very, very good and as fans we want to see more. 

 

The were a "yawn" game, as we too expect the next three....  The defense I knew would step up against a bad team (don't let their play vs. Pitt  make you think otherwise with Justin Fields as the QB).

 

The offense didn't seem overly precise and efficient and the Jets made plays and often the receivers looked blanketed.  The Jets also had penalties and were undisciplined. 

 

Sorry any game Josh throws for <200 is bothersome to me, as 250 in his sleep should be the floor.

 

We have this everyone eats mantra, but if Shakir is our #1 receiver and has two targets and Coleman only three that to me is not enough.