Were We Running Into a Stacked Box?

[gobills404]

We run into stacked boxes every game, and usually it works. That’s what happens when you play a lot of heavy personnel.

[3rdand12]

On 11/10/2025 at 11:44 AM, 26TrapDraw said:

that's why it's over. every DC in the league will leave their cb's one on one because our wr's can't beat coverage and they will stack the box. 

double secret reverse psychology .

 Setting it up for the playoff run

[Steptide]

Every team is gonna do this to the bills. They have to get the passing game going 

[Buffalo716]

5 minutes ago, Steptide said:

Every team is gonna do this to the bills. They have to get the passing game going 

 

8 years of Josh Allen says you can't do it consistently.. this was the dolphins Super bowl 

 

We are at the point where for years the bills get every team's best effort... Let alone a division rival who has taken a backseat to Josh Allen 

 

Fire general manager coach on the hot seat.. this literally was the dolphins Super bowl 

 

Considering NFL players adapt.. strictly putting eight people in the box all the time will not work because Josh Allen will make you pay historically 

 

Just didn't happen against the dolphins

 

If the bills had Mac Jones at quarterback that might work more consistently

 

 

Edited 18 hours ago by Buffalo716

[3rdand12]

1 hour ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

An elite running game doesn't get worried about a stacked box 

 

It gets drawn up, you block it correctly, execute and it's successful 

 

James Cook has had lots of success on eight man boxes in his career.. especially the last two seasons 

 

Most of your long touchdowns happen on a stack box.. because you only need to make one person Miss if you get to the second level

 

That shows they were not executing their blocking assignments not anything the dolphins did.. because as I said most top pro bowl running backs salivate at the thought of a stacked box when you're in the groove

 

Because they trust their vision and running instincts.. you hit the hole hard you just need one guy to beat..  everybody from Adrian Peterson to Chris Johnson thrived in that spot

 

I'm pretty sure his long 60-yard rushing touchdown earlier was on an eight-man box also

 

It seems the bills had a problem blocking it this week

I saw Bills struggling at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

At one point I really wondered if it was the heat.

Because if it was just the O ? Its a coaching issue with preparation and adjustments

 But to your point 716 , they were not executing. Once I focused a tad more at the snap. Was Josh calling the wrong stuff ? Out of sorts nearly in the run game

[Mike in Horseheads]

I always like to run into a stacked box 

[Buffalo716]

6 hours ago, 3rdand12 said:

I saw Bills struggling at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

At one point I really wondered if it was the heat.

Because if it was just the O ? Its a coaching issue with preparation and adjustments

 But to your point 716 , they were not executing. Once I focused a tad more at the snap. Was Josh calling the wrong stuff ? Out of sorts nearly in the run game

 

Running game comes down to the fronts that you're being shown ..whether you're in a zone or gap blocking scheme the front or the shift of the defensive line can change your assignment

 

Throughout practice since training camp their gap or zone blocking schemes adjust based on the shift of the defensive line or how they're aligned

 

If the dolphins were throwing some looks that they haven't really prepared for.. It could throw off their execution.. the line is a symbiotic unit

 

It's five+ people working as one... If they're all not seeing the same thing it could leave it slightly discombobulated

 

Now that it's on tape they can go to the film room and tell the O line this is how you have to execute against this front...

 

There could be a lot of reasons there not executing to full potential.. my father instantly was talking about the heat and how it's a different animal

 

Edited 12 hours ago by Buffalo716

[NewEra]

2 hours ago, DapperCam said:

I never know what to think of an analyst looking at the All-22 and crediting incompletions to turning down an open receiver. It requires knowledge of the progression, whether the QB is reading low-to-high or high-to-low, whether that player is even expecting the ball (Brady famously has "clear out routes" where the ball is never intended to go to certain players), whether the "missed opportunity" is early in the progression when the QB is waiting for a bigger gain in a later progression, etc.

There are just so many factors, seems like only Allen and Brady would really know.

Even something like the redzone INT targeting Knox. Allen threw inside and Knox turned outside. Was it just an inaccurate pass, or did Allen or Knox read the coverage wrong?

I’m not saying Marino is correct or not.  🤷🏻‍♂️ 

[Augie]

 

To answer the question…..not very far. 

[EmotionallyUnstable]

Here is a cut up of an example of how a condensed formation, this with a heavy personnel, is intentionally clogging the box. 
 

 

Here we see a heavy formation out of 22 personnel (Hawes, Knox, Gilliam, Cook). This is essentially a weak side mid zone that almost pops. We are 8 v 8 here in the box, and if Knox can get his head across the safety who rolls in late (with the motion) it’s Cook vs Corner and a lot of green grass to work with. The flow here in the zone is perfect. Everybody working in unison here, good double to the inside backer and Gilliam with a nice seal on the edge. 
 

The scheme here is exactly what I’ve been referencing up thread. They are intentionally bringing bodies to the party, but this is what happens when 1 guy doesn’t execute. It gets blown up and we think the scheme is bad. Nothing wrong here with this design IMO, in fact, I really like it. I just don’t like the 17 million dollar player getting beat across his face. 

[Buffalo716]

1 minute ago, EmotionallyUnstable said:

Here is a cut up of an example of how a condensed formation, this with a heavy personnel, is intentionally clogging the box. 
 

 

Here we see a heavy formation out of 22 personnel (Hawes, Knox, Gilliam, Cook). This is essentially a weak side mid zone that almost pops. We are 8 v 8 here in the box, and if Knox can get his head across the safety who rolls in late (with the motion) it’s Cook vs Corner and a lot of green grass to work with. The flow here in the zone is perfect. Everybody working in unison here, good double to the inside backer and Gilliam with a nice seal on the edge. 
 

The scheme here is exactly what I’ve been referencing up thread. They are intentionally bringing bodies to the party, but this is what happens when 1 guy doesn’t execute. It gets blown up and we think the scheme is bad. Nothing wrong here with this design IMO, in fact, I really like it. I just don’t like the 17 million dollar player getting beat across his face. 

 

Yes if you can block up that 8-man box a guy like cook doesn't need much room to operate 

 

Everybody just needs to execute though

[EmotionallyUnstable]

Similar concept here, condensed formation and better execution on the cook fumble. 
 

 

22 personnel outside zone lead. More solid work upfront from the hogs (Dawk solo, double from Edwards/McGovern to the backer). 
 

Again, intentionally bringing guys into the box to get a hat on a hat quickly. It puts a lot of stress on the defense, creating extra gaps to account for. Here you see the gigantic D gap between the TEs is exactly where we lead. You’d like the Hawes Gilliam combo to come off to the corner not pictured initially, and Knox to not allow his guy backdoor access and it’d be Cook 1v1 with the safety. 
 

Scheme is sound, execution is good, result is awful because of a heads up play by Miami. 

[BVBILLS]

Guess our genius OC forgot we have Josh Alien. Because they have been trying to turn him into Trentative Edwards

Edited 16 hours ago by BVBILLS

[Buffalo716]

7 minutes ago, EmotionallyUnstable said:

Similar concept here, condensed formation and better execution on the cook fumble. 
 

 

22 personnel outside zone lead. More solid work upfront from the hogs (Dawk solo, double from Edwards/McGovern to the backer). 
 

Again, intentionally bringing guys into the box to get a hat on a hat quickly. It puts a lot of stress on the defense, creating extra gaps to account for. Here you see the gigantic D gap between the TEs is exactly where we lead. You’d like the Hawes Gilliam combo to come off to the corner not pictured initially, and Knox to not allow his guy backdoor access and it’d be Cook 1v1 with the safety. 
 

Scheme is sound, execution is good, result is awful because of a heads up play by Miami. 

That's why running on a stacked box is about execution 

 

You get hats on hats with a guy like cook who shoots through a hole and he's not far from being one-on-one with one guy between him and the end zone

[Sierra Foothills]

5 hours ago, EmotionallyUnstable said:

Here is a cut up of an example of how a condensed formation, this with a heavy personnel, is intentionally clogging the box. 
 

Nothing wrong here with this design IMO, in fact, I really like it. I just don’t like the 17 million dollar player getting beat across his face. 

 

He was by fare the last person to move... how do even explain that?

 

He didn't know the snap count?

 

[machine gun kelly]

14 hours ago, Steptide said:

Every team is gonna do this to the bills. They have to get the passing game going 

That would easier to do if Brady would take some pages out of Daboll, and Beane would get his head out of… , and stop neglecting WR.

 

This has been going on for 5+ years.  Brady is also not utilizing Moore and Samuel correctly.  Get these guys schemed downfield and once Palmer is ready should be some alternating guys with Shakir DOWNFIELD.

 

Every loads up on us as they know exactly what we’re going to do.  Ugghh!

[Bruffalo]

14 hours ago, EmotionallyUnstable said:

Here is a cut up of an example of how a condensed formation, this with a heavy personnel, is intentionally clogging the box. 
 

 

Here we see a heavy formation out of 22 personnel (Hawes, Knox, Gilliam, Cook). This is essentially a weak side mid zone that almost pops. We are 8 v 8 here in the box, and if Knox can get his head across the safety who rolls in late (with the motion) it’s Cook vs Corner and a lot of green grass to work with. The flow here in the zone is perfect. Everybody working in unison here, good double to the inside backer and Gilliam with a nice seal on the edge. 
 

The scheme here is exactly what I’ve been referencing up thread. They are intentionally bringing bodies to the party, but this is what happens when 1 guy doesn’t execute. It gets blown up and we think the scheme is bad. Nothing wrong here with this design IMO, in fact, I really like it. I just don’t like the 17 million dollar player getting beat across his face. 

 

Wouldn't this type of play be more susceptible to mistakes since it requires more individuals to execute than the more standard 11 or 12 personnel setup? Don't get me twisted here, we've seen how effective the Bills can be out of the heavy set. I think the Bills need to be more effective in the standard personnel groupings though, because they allow for more improvisation when we're not working all working in unison well (like against the Dolphins). 

[Nitro]

Brady is stubborn.  Runs the same plays when at one point Miami had ten men in the box with one safety deep.  A play Allen should have audibled into a throw.  Several times Miami safety hit Cook in the hole.  Play action seems to be an enanthema to Brady in his play calls.  Not having a plan to attack a base defense is alarming.  The book is now set on how to stop this offense.  Time to try something else.  By the way please alter the routes you call.  They are easy to defend if you do any type of film study on the team.  

[st pete gogolak]

I’m glad I started the thread because a lot of interesting comments as to why you might WANT to run into a heavy box, especially with a runner like Cook who can make one guy miss and he’s off to the races. I get that but shouldn’t there also be a set number of pass plays designed to take advantage of the heavy box?  Put Cook in motion, send Knox deep (which we know he can do)?