Straight Hucklebuck

I think it's part of Dorsey's job to extract more out of the players we have. But I also think we've done the Diggs-Davis-scrub WR routine in 2022 and now into 2023 and we're seeing largely the same results. A Diggs centric passing game, with occasional spikes from Davis, and everyone else is sporadic (although I do still like Shakir). Baring a trade, the only potential to be different is how good Kincaid can be, and be utilized (unless we're banking on the Bills opening up Josh run plays again, or executing a better screen game with Cook). But can Dorsey extract 30-33 ppg from this offense? Is 28 ppg "enough"? Or is the main goal to shrink the outlier games?

This video proves the exact opposite of what E. Turner has been pushing since Gabe Davis was made the #2 WR. His mantra (and all the guys on that channel outside of Nate Geary) has been the weapons are fine, they’re good in fact. But sit back and just listen to this video and tell me how often Erik says - Gabe smokes his man (he mentions this once), wow Harty’s speed is evident here, did you see Knox dust that linebacker, Shakir really sold his route here, James Cook did a great job on the chip and released, Q. Morris needs more snaps because of this ability. You don’t. All you hear in this video is Stefon Diggs does a great job winning one on one, Diggs breaks his route off perfectly, Diggs sells this fake, Diggs makes a tough catch. Instead it’s Dorsey’s fault for not using his weekly play design hours to come up with creative dumpoffs and flat concepts for average pass catchers, or figure out how to work around Gabe Davis’ route limitations. This obsessions with “easy button” throws. How about a more straightforward path that doesn’t require perfect play design so you can get a 4-yard bubble off to Deonte Harty? What is so hard in saying that a first round WR with better traits is a more direct path? Gabe Davis is Robbie Anderson, and just like the Jets, it’s hard to make that a game in-game out number #2. We’ve tried it - he drops passes and fumbles the ball. New Orleans had 4 years of Harty, did they make him a primary weapon?

Keep in mind this is from the people who think our weapons are fine. So of course their message is Josh and Dorsey need to use their “weapons” better.

Went exactly how I wanted. Give the Chargers another loss. 2-3. Now we need the 49ers to crush the Bengals when they come back from their bye. Bengals 3-4.

But Beck, look at all the gymnastics you are having to do to try and come up with solutions. And a lot of those solutions are take more checkdowns. Why? Because we have sub-par personnel that can’t shake coverage. Throw more to Cook, dump off to Harty, WGRs obsession to try to recreate Cole Beasley, have Sherfield get deep - these are not structures you can build anything on. Bottom line here is Allen wants to throw vertically to WRs. His preference is WR, not Tight Ends, not RBs. The Bills have insisted that he use the running backs more and it doesn’t happen. Singletary was sporadic, Hines was a joke, Cook catches a ball here or there, the veteran third down back Breida/Yeldon/Harris/Murray are not going to be passing game factors. The problem is an overall lack of speed in our group, an overall lack of size, an overall lack of talent. We have “guys”. Our offense right now is dependent on Allen making key-hole, tight window, hole shot throws to anyone not named Diggs. Now we all know Dorsey is a pedestrian OC. There isn’t movement, Knox never catches anything on the move, everything feels like it is to the sidelines, and Allen does lose patient with checkdowns and heave deep (Jets, Jaguars). We’re the 2017-2021 Packers with Rodgers to Adams. Sign Fournette, pound the rock and throw to Diggs. I’m not surprised we’ve ended up in the same logic spot as those Packers did with pedestrian OC/HC McCarthy.

Don’t blame him at all. In fact I’d push 20 targets per game to him. Does anyone play with Diggs competitiveness or fire? We are getting what we pay for on offensive skill position. Who is their right mind thinks 5’6” Deonte Harty is a consistent playmaker? Who in their right mind is like we gotta get Trent Sherfield some more snaps out wide? Our talent is average. Thats why on all the pre season lists the Bills are mid pack when their weapons are rated.

And he's getting crushed anyways. Holding the ball waiting for anyone not named Diggs to do anything.

Agree with this 100%. Beane/McDermott has taken the team building philosophy to keep as much of the 2020 core together as possible, and focus resources on the pass rush to combat Mahomes. To me this mindset really started when they signed Emmanuel Sanders on his last legs, but offensively the Bills came into last year with Diggs, Davis, and then Jamison Crowder, Isaiah McKenzie, Jake Kumerow, and Kahlil Shakir, with Singletary, Cook and Knox. They turned over the bottom of the WR room this year by ditching Kumerow, McKenzie, Crowder, but the mold is the exact same because of money restrictions, low-end veteran WRs with no history of being a priority target: Sherfield (<1,000 career yards), Harty (<1,000 career yards). Now it's Kincaid. Now some of it is the draft didn't fall great this year with the run on WR starting before their pick, but back to the point, this idea that the team has to be intact has potentially led us to drafting/signing pass catching running backs, and passing on George Pickens. Gabe made captain. Gabe being called the hardest worker by Beane, they won't move off him, and Dorsey hasn't shown any ability to scheme new players into the offensive (see Hines and Kincaid).

For the Gabe Davis is fine as our #2 crowd —- Cover 1.

He runs a post, and a comeback off the post.

Then by all means Bills, go ahead and sign him to a fat second contract, and he can stay our #2 for foreseeable future. I have no interest in that, and am where I was last year, we need a high-traits, first round WR.

Why is Stefon Diggs a #1 WR in this league? Is he the fastest? No. Is he the tallest? No. Is he a rocked up tackle-breaker? No. It's because he's an outstanding route runner, agile, great hands, improvises well, competitive, and has just enough speed to threaten teams deep. He's a balanced WR with some of everything. Gabe is stiff. We saw Week 1 that he rounds his routes and that created an Allen interception. We know he can't and doesn't run a full route tree. We know Gabe has inconsistent hands. Last night he fumbled. He runs in the 4.5's. Gabe is a limited player who makes the occasional big play. But he is not a sustaining player to use a Greg Cosell term. He's not a chain mover.

What happens if you get a Jets II? Highly unlikely with that field position granted.

Then win 6-3.

That's what I said last week when the narrative was we just couldn't run on Jacksonville. When the truth is we ran the ball 3 times in the second half (2 of those were to Cook out of Shotgun). I said, where the heck is McDermott to override these stupid play calls? Instead we get some lip service after the game about wanting to establish physicality, or wish we had more balance. We don't run. What do these coaches expect? The time of possession was 18:30 Giants, 11:30 Bills at halftime, it was going the same way as Jacksonville.

You have a statue Mac Jones, this pass rush should get home. Their skill talent is bottom of the barrel.

The current offenses second best pitch is the power run game. They need to hammer it with Murray more. I don't see anything else that works in this offense right now besides Allen to Diggs and the power run game. When the Bills actually line up under Center and just run straight ahead.

Because we drafted a rocket arm QB who wants to push the ball down the field, and we've given him one legitimate WR to throw to.

Tomorrow WGR will quote DVOA and overall points, and say relax, but 3/6 games now this offense has not shown up and the defense gave them every chance they could.

Yeah I know, buoyed by those empty Jaguars stats late in the 4th. Gabe stinks. You can defend his pace all you want, he had his worst game of the season tonight, 3 for 21 and a fumble. 2 for 32 against NY, 1 for 35 and a TD against Washington, 3 for 21 tonight. Half of the games he doesn't show up. Isn't it obvious that Allen to Diggs is the only reliable thing this offense has? Knox can't do it. Sherfield can't do it. Harty is a gadget player. Shakir can't do it.

He's been getting whalloped by holding the ball and not taking off. He got crunched twice tonight. And he had a run to the left side tonight for 5-yards, where he waited as long as he could, and it was the last thing he wanted to do. In the old days Josh would have taken off and gotten an easy 15 yards. That element is gone now due to the constant harping from our coaches.

If they draft one in the first round, then at least the elite physical traits will be there. Gabe just doesn't have the hips, the route running, to do anything but run straight.

Diggs is the only one he trusts. Gabe fumbled early in the game and cost the Bills. You're getting what you pay for on this offense: Diggs 5th who has morphed himself into a Top 10 WR. After that though... Gabe (4th Rounder), Shakir (5th Rounder), Harty (undrafted), Sherfield (undrafted), Knox (3rd Rounder). Not a lot of speed, not a lot size. I put this more on the Front Office. They recognized the need for an elite #1 in 2020, but they've stopped trying to find another elite talent since that point. And Kincaid was always going to be a stretch because Allen has never targeted Tight End. He wants to throw to vertical WRs, and there aren't any on this team.

I don't disagree with this assertion. Also, it's very clear that this Coaching staff has Josh terrified to run anymore, and they've taken all those designed plays out of the playbook. So that's another lever this team had, that has been taken away.

It has to come from the Draft. First Round. But we can't just punt on the season, Beane has to do something for this year.