Mickey Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 ....screw the "power running game" and start tossing that thing around. We have some talent at wideout and the bottom line is this offense is not good enough to nudge it down the field 4 yards at a time, they make too many mistakes. This team is better off going for the long ball. We might be able to go 4 or 5 plays without a disaster but that is it. We can't sustain a long drive given our error prone ways. Given enough plays on a long drive we will blow a block, get hit with a hold or PF or take a bad sack sooner or later that leads to a punt. What we can do is get down field, Drew still has the arm and we have some speed and size at WR, lets cut out the dives for -2 yards on first down. A few stats to ponder: We ran the ball on first down 12 times for a lousy 34 yards, less than 3 per carry. We threw the ball on first down 13 times prior to the very last drive and completed 11 for 138 yards and two TD's plus, Drew pulled one down and started to run and ended up pitching to Henry for 13 yards. Add that in and we had 151 yards when we called a pass play on first down. Both TD passes were on first down. Drew was essentially 11 for 12 on first down passes for 138 and 2 TD's. Maybe we should stop trying to turn Drew into Vinny Testaverde, throwing rarely and only when we have to and the whole stadium knows it and instead let him do what he does best, throw that sucker down the field. Yeah, I know, the "wisdom" here is that Drew stinks and everything that goes on with this team is his fault. Of course, that kind of crap is hard to sell after a game like that. You can't pin much on Drew on this one. This guy throws the long ball as good or better than any QB in this league. We all know he isn't very reliable on the short stuff. Why then are we not playing to his strengths instead of his weaknesses? And don't give me that Gilbride crap where he was trying to turn Drew into Warren Moon tossing 2 yarders in the run and shoot. I am all for running the ball when we are moving it on the ground but when it is clear the other team is risking getting burned in the air to try and stop Henry, we need to let Drew air it out instead of waiting until we are down 13 in the fourth. As soon as Mularkey took the shackles off the offense and started slinging it, we lit it up. Problem was, it was too late. Like it or not, Drew is our QB this year, there is no other viable choice so why not let him try to do his stuff? Give him a chance to answer his critics by showing that he still has the gun for any WR that can get open deep and any offense that give him just enough time to launch it. What the !#$!@#$ did we draft Lee Evans for and why do we pay Drew and Moulds that kind of jack if all we are going to do is dive left and right with Henry? How many losses do we have to pile up running the ball into the dirt before maybe, just maybe we try something different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rastabillz Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 Agreed Mickey. I would like to see the Bills run from the shotgun more and try some shuffle passes instead of the current blah running. I would also like to see them mix in the no huddle for a series or three. I think this would help to open up the long ball for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 I agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerJ Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 I wouldn't want the coaching staff to dump the running game at all. I just want them to be smarter about it. If your opponent all week says, "We have to stop Travis Henry," and they line up obviously keying on him, they you can't keep running him into a brick wall for 1 and 2 yards a pop for the whole game. If the defense uses a balanced approach, i.e. plays both run and pass with some honesty, they you can run the ball and mix in a few passes. If however they key everything to stopping your running back, and it works, then you have to do something else. Namely, you start passing, and you mix in a few running plays to demonstrate that you're still will ing to do that. The other thing that bothers me is Drew's fixation with Moulds. I think Moulds is a great player, and not a bad guy for a go to receiver, but if you spread things around a little more, it gives the defense more to think about, and should open up everything a little more. There's no justification for Drew throwing to Evans only once, when that reception is a 46 yard touchdown toss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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