Is Joe Brady the main issue on offense?

[Figster]

So now the problem is Deon Dawkins.

 

Brilliant 

[CincyBillsFan]

2 hours ago, MrB1onde said:

THIS. Baker Mayfield is making it work throwing to Sterling Shepherd, a 7th rounder, and an undrafted FA while his top 3 WRs are out. It's not too much to expect the reigning MVP to make it work with what we have at WR as well. 

 

Personally I think the problem is 70% scheme/playcalling, 20% Josh not being at his best, and 10% injuries.

Mayfield has made it work for 1 or 2 games.  Allen has also made it work for the 4 games the Bills scored 30 or more points.  

[Pete]

https://www.si.com/nfl/bills/onsi/joe-brady-stubborn-play-calls-cost-slumping-bills-two-weeks-in-a-row-jet-sweep-james-cook

“In what's sure to make one's head explode, that aforementioned four-yard carry on second down wound up being Cook's last touch of the game despite the Bills obtaining two more possessions in the final quarter.”

[Doc Brown]

7 hours ago, Dan Darragh said:

You're at 4th and 1, you have a genius scrambler at QB, an RB you just signed to a huge contract, an OL that has been good all season long, plus you have a hot prospect at blocking TE and you've dedicated a roster spot to a FB.  

 

This is a perfect situation to run a jet sweep with a 4th string WR or better yet a TE and fumble the ball.  At least if you're going to call a play like that, make it look like you've run it once or twice in practice.

It was 3rd and 1.  Last year they just do a QB sneak once if it gets you the first or twice if you only get half a yard.  This is the most easy problem to fix.  It's lack of talent at the skill positions that concern me the most.  It concerned me most last year too but we were extremely efficient at not turning the ball over along with avoiding negative plays.  This was bound to regress to the mean which is why a lot of us were begging o trade for a true #1 WR like DK Metcalf this off-season.  You need an explosive playmaker on the outside to succeed in this league.  Period.  We don't have that right now.  That's on Beane.

[technobot]

For me, it's the meta strategy that starts with McD. I get what he's trying to do, but its protect the defense, so possess the f out of the ball and punish their defense with cumulative clock killing offensive series that last like 5+ minutes. We choke the f out of them and win on our terms.

 

The issue is we seem to gameplan around scoring on each possession, and when we don't, we run out of possessions. Do we have a gear for score quick? It seemed like we had the 2-minute killer instinct in weeks 1-4, but was it all a mirage and a function of lesser opposition?

 

In Brady's defense, we don't seem to have much offensive firepower outside of Allen and Cook. Kincaid was trending up but is hurt, and Shakir's a nice piece who can't dominate a game by himself. I've seen this kind of defensive strategy against the Bills during the drought: play us straight up and dare us to beat them, because we can't win 1 on 1s. Allen's getting blitzed regularly as word is out on the street that teams don't fear "someone beating us deep".

 

I'm still hoping and praying that as flawed as we are, so is everyone else, and we're getting our wtf stretch out of the way early.

 

[Doc Brown]

55 minutes ago, Figster said:

So now the problem is Deon Dawkins.

 

Brilliant 

I think he was referring to the predictability of our offense but it did make it seem like he was blaming Dawkins.  LOL.

[Figster]

17 minutes ago, Pete said:

https://www.si.com/nfl/bills/onsi/joe-brady-stubborn-play-calls-cost-slumping-bills-two-weeks-in-a-row-jet-sweep-james-cook

“In what's sure to make one's head explode, that aforementioned four-yard carry on second down wound up being Cook's last touch of the game despite the Bills obtaining two more possessions in the final quarter.”

Houston...we have a problem...

[Pete]

15 minutes ago, Figster said:

Houston...we have a problem...

I have my pitchfork!  

During a recent Bills loss, James Cook was taken off the field during a critical 3rd-and-1 play, despite having a successful game up to that point. 

In a post-game press conference, a reporter asked head coach Sean McDermott about the decision to sideline Cook.

McDermott responded directly to the question about the play call by saying, "that's a good question".

He added that the staff could have been better, a comment that was perceived as deflecting responsibility and placing some blame on offensive coordinator Joe Brady. 

[Figster]

13 minutes ago, Pete said:

I have my pitchfork!  

During a recent Bills loss, James Cook was taken off the field during a critical 3rd-and-1 play, despite having a successful game up to that point. 

In a post-game press conference, a reporter asked head coach Sean McDermott about the decision to sideline Cook.

McDermott responded directly to the question about the play call by saying, "that's a good question".

He added that the staff could have been better, a comment that was perceived as deflecting responsibility and placing some blame on offensive coordinator Joe Brady. 

I didn't catch the McD post game press conference.

 

I appreciate the fact Bills HC McD placed some of the blame right where it needs to be IMO. Both the OC and DC are a problem for McD IMO.

 

A fellow poster brought up the discussion of coaching from the booth vs coaching on the sidelines. 

 

Joe Brady needs to be standing on the sidelines for better communication with his QB in my humble opinion Pete.

Edited 4 hours ago by Figster

[Pete]

2 minutes ago, Figster said:

I didn't catch the McD post game press conference.

 

I appreciate the fact Bills HC McD placed the blame right where it needs to be IMO.

I want to see Bills reporters step up and ask Brady tough questions.  He has zero answers for short yardage. Pure arrogance and stupidity to double down on his stupid jet sweeps. He should be thrown out the door for his gross negligence of Cook in the 4th.  Does he have pass plays that go past 10 yards?   Can we stop with the bubble screens?  What’s your best 2 point play?  Can we stop being cute?  Do you ever learn from your mistakes?What percentage blame to you put on yourself for our offensive failures?  Why do we look good on first drive, and then crap out?  Why don’t we throw to running backs?  Do you think our starting 5 WR are SB caliber?  Do we need more talent on offense? Can you scheme Keon open?  ETC

[GoBills808]

please keep in mind- this is actually the offense they wanted.

 

we are currently 3rd in the league in first downs/game, 1st in Time of possession, 9th in punts/play...this is the exact kind of ball control grind it out type offense they set out to create

 

 

[Pete]

Just now, GoBills808 said:

please keep in mind- this is actually the offense they wanted.

 

we are currently 3rd in the league in first downs/game, 1st in Time of possession, 9th in punts/play...this is the exact kind of ball control grind it out type offense they set out to create

 

 

Nice in theory.  Defense stopped the Falcons 3 times in the 4th.  Bills offense had 3 chances to tie the game.  Ball control would have been great then.  But they failed 3 times.  And gained a measly 29 yards in 3 possessions.  That is not ball control.  And that is not winning football.  And the past two playoff exits, the Bills D made a stop at end, and gave the Bills offense chances to win the game.  Bills offense failed our last two playoff exits.  Kincaid drop, remember?  Where was the ball control then?  When we need it most, it disappears 

[HappyDays]

I don't think Brady is the problem but he's not the solution either. His simple system would work better if we had legit WR talent on the roster. He doesn't support the talent and the talent doesn't support him. You need either the play caller or the talent to be top tier to have a Super Bowl caliber offense, and currently we have neither.

 

One thing I would tell him is please for the love of God stop calling mesh on every 3rd and 4th down. I get it, it's our most consistent play given the lack of real WR talent, but it is way way too predictable and easy to defend at this point. Atlanta beat it a couple times just sending extra rushers and playing basic zone, which is an automatic win against that route combination.

[GoBills808]

Just now, Pete said:

Nice in theory.  Defense stopped the Falcons 3 times in the 4th.  Bills offense had 3 chances to tie the game.  Ball control would have been great then.  But they failed 3 times.  And gained a measly 29 yards in 3 possessions.  That is not ball control.  And that is not winning football.  And the past two playoff exits, the Bills D made a stop at end, and gave the Bills offense chances to win the game.  Bills offense failed our last two playoff exits.  Kincaid drop, remember?  Where was the ball control then?  When we need it most, it disappears 

i think that is the point

 

they claim to want to play 'complementary football' and then couple an offense that cant generate explosive plays w a defense that gives up 24 points and 400 yards in the first half

 

dedicating themselves to small ball was a poor choice but it's the bed they made

[Figster]

18 minutes ago, Pete said:

I want to see Bills reporters step up and ask Brady tough questions.  He has zero answers for short yardage. Pure arrogance and stupidity to double down on his stupid jet sweeps. He should be thrown out the door for his gross negligence of Cook in the 4th.  Does he have pass plays that go past 10 yards?   Can we stop with the bubble screens?  What’s your best 2 point play?  Can we stop being cute?  Do you ever learn from your mistakes?What percentage blame to you put on yourself for our offensive failures?  Why do we look good on first drive, and then crap out?  Why don’t we throw to running backs?  Do you think our starting 5 WR are SB caliber?  Do we need more talent on offense? Can you scheme Keon open?  ETC

To me this is one of the most important aspects of the Bills O that needs correcting. Bijan Robinson had 6 receptions for 68 yards vs Buffalo. Zero receptions for James Cook. One of the best TD machines in the NFL. I'm watching Cook go into relief valve check down mode. Is Josh not using it part of the problem?

 

WTF Pete?

Edited 4 hours ago by Figster

[VW82]

7 hours ago, Roundybout said:

No but this is still a damnable offense 

 

Guess Howard Simon doesn't watch much Bills. Cook isn't usually on the field for 3rd/4th down because he doesn't pass block. 

[Julio Hopkins]

7 minutes ago, VW82 said:

 

Guess Howard Simon doesn't watch much Bills. Cook isn't usually on the field for 3rd/4th down because he doesn't pass block. 

 

Which would makes sense if Ty Johnson wasn't on the field over him RUNNING ROUTES INSTEAD OF BLOCKING

[Low Positive]

1 hour ago, Doc Brown said:

It was 3rd and 1.  Last year they just do a QB sneak once if it gets you the first or twice if you only get half a yard.  This is the most easy problem to fix.  It's lack of talent at the skill positions that concern me the most.  It concerned me most last year too but we were extremely efficient at not turning the ball over along with avoiding negative plays.  This was bound to regress to the mean which is why a lot of us were begging o trade for a true #1 WR like DK Metcalf this off-season.  You need an explosive playmaker on the outside to succeed in this league.  Period.  We don't have that right now.  That's on Beane.

They're so afraid of bringing another diva WR into the locker room after the Diggs fiasco, and it's destroying the franchise more than anything Diggs ever did. These guys are all divas. Ja'Marr Chase complains to beat reporters at his locker about targets after wins all the time, and he's the best in the game. But in order to win in this league, you need these guys. If McDermott can't handle a narcissistic a-hole like Diggs or Metcalf, then he cannot be a head coach in this league. It's part of the job. And if Josh is also asking for a "workman-like" WR room, then he's part of the problem too. Part of the skill of being a star QB in the NFL is being able to develop and maintain relationships with guys with multiple influencer girlfriends and 4 Lamborghinis. I don't think Aaron Rodgers has much in common with Devante Adams or DK Metcalf, but he wants these guys in the locker room and works to keep them happy because that's what it takes to win. 

[HappyDays]

This is interesting:

 

 

[Julio Hopkins]

32 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

I don't think Brady is the problem but he's not the solution either. His simple system would work better if we had legit WR talent on the roster. He doesn't support the talent and the talent doesn't support him. You need either the play caller or the talent to be top tier to have a Super Bowl caliber offense, and currently we have neither.

 

One thing I would tell him is please for the love of God stop calling mesh on every 3rd and 4th down. I get it, it's our most consistent play given the lack of real WR talent, but it is way way too predictable and easy to defend at this point. Atlanta beat it a couple times just sending extra rushers and playing basic zone, which is an automatic win against that route combination.

 

I understand what you're saying and I mostly agree.  But, Brady has insane issues with personnel decisions and play call tendencies.  Beane could add prime Desean Jackson and Tyreek Hill tomorrow but Brady would still be giving Shavers playing time over them.  Why?  Because that's what he did with Diggs and is currently doing with Cook.