Bills o-line scheme and reliance on mesh routes - The Athletic (Mike Sando)

[machine gun kelly]

21 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

“6. Two-minute drill: Bills' predictable offense?

 

Bills quarterback Josh Allen took eight sacks, and his offensive coordinator, Joe Brady, took criticism from some analysts for overusing mesh concepts on third down in a 23-19 defeat at Houston.

What's the truth?

 

On the sack front, the Bills have empowered Allen to handle free rushers instead of leaning on intricate protection schemes to do the job, according to coaches familiar with Buffalo.

 

Allen can make defenders miss and break away from their grasp as well as just about any quarterback. He can also play freer without directing more of his energy and preparation toward setting protections. But with Allen taking sacks at a higher rate this season (7.9 percent) than in any since he was a rookie (eight percent), that's an area the team might be wise to revisit. The Bills have also led the NFL in rate of plays using five-man protection, the minimum number possible, in each of Brady's two seasons as coordinator, per TruMedia.

 

The answer is nuanced regarding Brady's love for mesh concepts, which deploy receivers running shallow crossing routes to create natural rubs against man coverage in particular.

 

Critics had a point Thursday night when Brady called mesh concepts on failed third-down plays with 1, 3 and 6 yards to go for a first down. Houston played Cover 3 Seam and Cover 1 defenses on these plays, ideal schemes for either defending crossing traffic (Cover 3 Seam) or making tackles immediately before the sticks (Cover 1).

 

On the one mesh rep against zone Thursday night, Allen found no one open and tried running up the middle, only to have Texans linebacker Denzel Perryman slam him to the ground from behind with great force.

 

Mesh was a successful go-to concept for the Bills last season, but Buffalo's effectiveness on those plays has plummeted in 2025.

 

How Brady adjusts will be important for Buffalo.”

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6808180/2025/11/24/chiefs-eagles-playoffs-super-bowl-hopes/

Dave, excellent synopsis of this game and the season’s offensive scheme approach.  This is what is meant when you hear analysts indicate Brady is way too predictable and Kroger is not adjusting line protections based on opponent.  It is as stated above an overly confident assessment that Josh can always evade pressure.  His OLine coach and OC need to help him, and Beane is getting what he deserved for the arrogant approach of persistently ignoring WR, and the stupid excuse is we don’t need speed, we need football players.  Beane and McD, how’s that working out for you?

 

Hey Beane, why not draft high another jag D Lineman and then overpay for him instead of constructing a roster that can actually impose its offensive will on opponents?  Oh, that’s right, that’s what you do each and every year, and yet we still can’t defend the run.

 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by machine gun kelly