Mister Defense

there you go, some of the other CW from last year, that they were over-confident, etcetera Not seeing the forest through the trees again, not seeing how unprepared they were. So do you think the same thing happened again the next time the starters played in the preseason when they looked the same--and then, again and again and again this year, when they looked so similarly inept? Over confident, no energy? It seemed they had that same look on their faces to me, that they had last year against Cinci--and for the same reason. I guess we will now have 7 weeks to see, although it means they have to make big changes in the coming weeks--but still win the next few games despite this need.

Watch it again--they immediately seemed to have no answers on offense, not how to protect Allen from the blitz, with almost no easy passes for Allen no clue on line protection schemes, almost no runs--and almost no variety in running plays... It was like Dorsey was playing his Madden game for a few months, against someone who had been playing it for years. Just like this year, I think some are not seeing the forest through the trees... Just like Harty, Sherfield, Knox, Davis, Murray...are not likely on actual precipitous declines, but are symptoms of an extremely dysfunctional offense, coordinator. One of the most important reasons for firing Dorsey now--if not the Bills would likely make some very bad personnel in the off season, as they don't know what their players are capable of now. Hopefully there is time to at least get this aspect right now.

The Bengals offense scored 27 points against an offense that was almost completely inept, so I think if the Bills had an offense that day the Bengals would not even get to that point level--and the Bills could easily outscore them. But not when they are "outrageously predictable"--even a decent division 3 defensive coordinator could have easily spotted the many fatal flaws in Dorsey's shockingly inept offense.

yes, not a good performance, but I feel the Bills still would have won the game if their offense was better prepared before the game and during the game. No complimentary football to speak of, with the offense misfiring on all cylinders.

In truth, I think he is to blame--he hired someone completely incompetent, who didn't seem to know even the basics of game planning, game changes, formations, at least beyond the very superficial. Was there an extensive interview process involved? It doesn't seem there was, and that maybe Dorsey was just put into the position. And I definitely blame McDermott for not firing him as soon as the season ended last year--and then again when the team looked almost exactly the same in their first preseason game. The buck stops with the head coach, in my book. Let's see how this move, too late maybe?, works, but Sean will be held to account, to some degree if this is a lost season.

Yes, it tells me that Houston made a poor decision in making Pierce their starting RB, and waiting so long to finally use Motor, make him their starter. He will remain there, I think, and add that other needed dimension for Houston to become a true contender. I think he will make $3.5 million this year. How much do Harty and Sherfield make? Not their fault they are not used, and not used well, but how much production for how much money?

And look at the most recent game--same kind of running stats! Then see what their next two opponents, including Ol' Devin, did to that defense on the ground in the two weeks that followed. Two perfect examples that the Bills were not merely dealing with a poor OC, but a grossly incompetent one, the worst in the NFL.

Yup, and it took Houston a little too long to realize what they have in Singletarry--their starter, a workhorse, one of the best running backs in the league at protecting the quarterback, a team player, never complaining, and someone who gets better and better the more you feed him the ball And he is always available. Now, watch to see if Houston is smart enough to let Motor run and run, providing Houston with a missing element of the offense, just like he did so well with the Bills in the middle of the 2021 season. The Bills became the best rushing team in the league during that stretch, propelling the entire offense, and Josh Allen, to their best play ever, championship caliber. If Dorsey was not as incompetent as he is, he would have ridden Motor last year and not let him go this year.

Yes, and I think that all of the offensive players, especially Allen and Diggs, were seeing what so many of us saw. Listen to Allen's words after the firing, and read between the lions. For example, Allen said how much he respected Dorsey "as a human being", but never said he was a good offensive coordinator, at least from what I heard. Loved to have been a fly on the wall in that players only meeting, to hear what veterans like Diggs and Murray and Dawkins said about the game planning and play calling. Maybe we will find out soon.

Last year it quickly became conventional wisdom by many in the media, locally and nationally, that the Bills were simply emotionally and physically spent, and that is why they were dominated by the Bengals in Buffalo, at High Mark Stadium. The story went something like this: the tragedy in Buffalo, the loss of Knox’s brother, the snow storms, and the Hamlin incident all were too much for the Bills, and that is why the Bengals handled them so easily, the reason the Bills were not even in the game. ‘They look exhausted’, we heard during and after the game. That take became the CW across the country, although I don’t think the Bills thought that was the reason. But I and others didn’t think that was the reason in any way for the Bills performance. That is not because of a lack of empathy, but I thought this was a tough, resilient team, Buffalo Strong, and that if anything, the surprisingly quick recovery of Hamlin was like the weight of the world being lifted off the team’s, and Buffalo’s, shoulders. The problem was that they had an incompetent offensive coordinator, who the league was slowly coming to terms with as the season progressed. We saw with our own eyes, if we were paying attention, that he was extremely poor at even the most fundamental of OC duties: o Did not seem to have game plan specific plans prepared for the game that would help to facilitate things against defenses…. o He did know how to make in game changes to overcome what the defense was doing, seemed to have no plan for those things… o Did not utilize the running game well, using it arbitrarily, with almost no connection to the passing game. As Gregg Cosell said several times last year: “There is no synchronicity between the Bills' running and passing game”. This in itself, to me, was a reason Dorsey could not be permitted to return for this season... o Did not call plays that made sense, repeatedly, and often was clueless as to what a good rhythm in play calling meant o He did not use his personnel effectively, not getting the most out of the players on the offense. o And awful use of formations to facilitate things for the offense, with extremely limited use of motion, and with so little use of Allen under center and play action, despite the fact that the Bills excelled when using those three things… Etcetera--but those are only some of the big, obvious things. Imagine how Dorsey dealt with the equally important smaller details that make an offense work. I cannot imagine how bad those details were if he had no clue related to the big, obvious problems even laymen like us saw. Even one of those defects means that there would be significant obstacles placed in front of the offense—rather than facilitating things, Dorsey was doing the opposite, placing big obstacles in front of his talented players. But add up all of the obstacles and they became insurmountable. That is what happened this year, clearly. And the fish then rotted from the head, as the players tried to overcome their grossly incompetent OC. This year, as the offense became Dorsey's alone, and the heavy lift from last year became their identity, of course the play of the players, even of the best Bills, was going to decline. They were operating in a fundamentally flawed offense, one that could often not even move the ball, and one that caused them to fall behind in game after game. Players, already going into the game with Dorsey's huge obstacles in front of them, now were faced with coming back against teams, teams that seemed to know the Bills extremely limited repertoire of plays by heart, causing the Bills to look sloppy, inept, turn the ball over, and causing them to lose their confidence. Our tough, resilient team was not exhausted in the playoff game, and not against the Jaguars this year because of jet lag…. they were UNPREPARED to play well, let alone win-- shocked, defeated before they even walked on the field, as defenses, especially the good ones, like the Bengals, had come to terms with how fundamentally flawed this offense was. And this year it had become common place, with an offense Dan Orlosvky said was “outrageously predictable” and “the easiest offense in the NFL to defend”. Our recently great, feared offense now the easiest to defend in the NFL? THAT is why the Bills looked so shocked and confused in that playoff game--and we then saw those same faces this year, over and over and over. This is why Michael Robinson bravely called for a change in the OC position before the Bills' Thursday night game, one of the few to dare speak the truth on national television. Good head coaches and defensive coordinators have been like fat kids in a free candy store, drooling and licking their chops, at how easy this very poorly coached offense would be to stop now, despite several elite players and a history of them dominating defenses. This became clearer and clearer. What happened the next time we saw the starters on the field in the preseason, how did they do? No points(?) scored in the entire half of that preseason game. This was yet another canary in the coal mine for all of us understanding how fundamentally poor Dorsey was at his job. Even in a preseason game his players were unprepared, could not get first downs, could not score. (I kept thinking--what will happen when they play good defenses in the NFL this year--or even mediocre ones?) And the look on the players' faces?--shocked again, and with no answers. Just like they looked against the Bengals in their previous game. The CW at the time? Just a preseason game, meaningless, as this is going to be a great offense, a “wrecking crew”, as Steve Tasker called them. And then, of course, this was what we would see this season, as that became their identity. So let's not accept any longer that CW from last January or now from so many on the Dorsey firing. The new CW? Dorsey was a scapegoat, a fall guy, that Allen is to blame, or the other players, and Dorsey should not have been fired, especially in the middle of the season. That this cannot be done now, is almost never the answer, is going to make the Bills worse... But the CW is wrong again, of course. The Bills were likely not going to beat any of the good teams they are yet to play this year with Dorsey in charge, as they were the worst coached offense in the NFL, turning our once great offense into a crap heap. The only hope to save the season was to get Dorsey out of there. Now, hopefully there is time for the Bills to show who they really are. It may be hard to rebound quickly from the mess Dorsey alone created, but I think they will, and prove the latest CW wrong--and last year's too. No dominant teams in the AFC this year, and now we may be able to see what the Josh Allen led Bills are really made of...again.

short passing game and run game--Murray and Cook The Bills start to become the hard nosed physical team that they were meant to be, freeing up Allen and infusing the team with a new confidence

Well, he is an interim coach, and I agree his pedigree in the NFL was not impressive. But at least now the Bills know all of the things Dorsey was doing wrong (comprehensive, but also easy to see, at least the big things...) they can have Brady focus on those--preparing legitimate, team and player specific game plans, running the ball--and with more than the 2-3 plays that creative, intelligent Dorsey used, scheming his playmakers open, using his players effectively, as they should use them, etcetera. I am under no illusions that Brady will be great, or even good, but at least there is now SOME hope for the last seven games, and a chance they can beat some good teams. To me, there was almost zero hope with Dorsey--leading what Dan Orlovski (our next OC?) calls the easiest offense in the entire NFL to defend because of they were "outrageously predictable" and other big obvious reasons. Dorsey was so bad I believe he will never coach in the NFL again. And he never got it, never improved.

He would have been fired anyway, in my view. For the first time I can recall in my decades of being a Bills' fan I was hoping they lost, forcing McDermott's hand--and giving the Bills some (small) hope of still salvaging this season. Dorsey could not beat the good teams coming up, or even the average ones, unless the Bills were almost 100% perfect in execution AND also got lucky. The Bills went scoreless yet again in the first half, as the players were doing the only thing they could think of, and forcing the issue, as the obstacles Dorsey created were almost insurmountable now. One touchdown in the first half, the Bills having to come back, this time at home, Dorsey was done, and clearly, despite his 'confidence', something McDermott was considering for a while.

Umm, the Josh Allen without the weight of the world on his shoulders, as, hopefully, he has an OC now who will actually game plan to facilitate all things on offense, rather than placing one huge obstacle after another in front of him. You need to see the forest through the trees.. No way were the offensive problems related to Allen, as many of the most respected analysts have said over and over, and clear if you watch the games and saw the mess that Doresy created. That is why he was so dejected.

I really disliked his contract too, thought he was paid way too much--and that he could have been signed for much less, deserved less. But two high end tight ends like Knox and Kincaid, and an OC who knows how to use them, can be a dynamic duo for Allen and this offense.. Under Daboll Knox was becoming one of the top tight ends in the league. The Bills cannot get rid of players like that now.

I really disagree with the Dorsey role, if that is what you are saying. I think they are smart enough to know that they cannot evaluate their players effectively under Dorsey's shockingly inept offense. I believe players like Knox, their new receivers, Harris, Murray, and Davis, will be given the opportunities they need to show what that they may have great ability and can make significant contributions this year. Late in the game, but some will now shine.

Late, but much much better today than after the season is completely lost. So important that they did this now, for so many reasons.

That would mean the Bills brass are complete idiots. I don't believe that is so. They know perfectly well that things cannot be evaluated to this point because of Dorsey's gross, across the board incompetence.

Ridiculous that you think that there is no shot at the playoffs. Though with Dorsey, I was moving in that direction. It will be tough to undo the damage quickly, but this team, once coached effectively, and even with the staggering injuries on defense, can still come through this year.

Because he showed a significant decline in productivity under Dorsey? If that is the case, say goodbye to Murray, Shefiield, Harty, Harris, Davis, Hines.... There is no way to tell what we had on this team, as they were the worst in the league at so many vital things under Dorsey. Now, if Brady comes through, and McD, then we may get a better indication. So many players have played significantly under their potential with the most incompetent OC in the league.

Hard to have fun when tremendous obstacles are placed in your way continuously, and when there are so many they have become insurmountable.

I am starting to fear that McDermott may be looking at the comically inept disastrous offense of the jets and is saying to himself, "Hmm, now Hackett looks like my kind of offensive coordinator. I have confidence that he can turn this around next year." Unless the Jets are so indebted/intimidated by Rogers, Hackett is as good as fired already, and unless somehow he gets a new brain in the coming weeks. If we can take McDermott at his word, and accept that he really does have confidence in Dorsey. Hackett returns!?

The offense if fundamentally flawed. The prep/plan for the game, the in game adjustments, the use of personnel, the choices for plays, the use of the 'running game', the protections of the line, the scheming to get receivers open.................................................................................... If Davis was open with clear shots for Allen, and with the proper time and play calling, I have extreme confidence that Allen gets him the ball. Almost every offensive player is not playing to their potential, and making 'mistakes', but the clear, general, over-riding reason is a monumentally flawed offense now, dysfunctional at almost every level. The fish rots from the head. So, see the forest through the trees, as the trees are giving some a distorted view of things. Look at the big picture and you will find the reason for so many of the many problems on offense. It gets worse and worse as the season progresses, regresses.

Unless it was almost completely focused on how they as players can take over the offense, or how they can initiate the key change needed, then they are just spinning their wheels again. Did someone have the courage to say what is really happening, I wonder, but think probably not. Diggs? Morse? Dawkins?

It is more difficult to have a good running game as a good one means many options in line formations and plays. There is no way Dorsey can handle that--he struggles with the simplest of things when it comes to offense. I honestly believe Dorsey simply does not know what to do, somehow did not acquire this knowledge in all of his years in the NFL.