BackInDaDay

pick 6 time!!

see our safeties drop to cover vertical threat? we don't demand that, and get little room underneath

need a turnover

'run across the formation' ~ the essence of our horizontal offense

injured knee

let's see if we can get something done inside on 1st down - they're playing us from the outside in

wait til they start to play action our LBs

facebooks old girlfriends

killing our interior

still not accounting for Mack? mm, ok

The defense isn't heading anywhere - they've arrived. The offense, on the other hand, can't get started until they find a driver that can keep the thing from stalling every few yards. maybe it's because it's such a well oiled, complex machine that it takes a special guy to run it.. or maybe, it's a lemon

The failure to develop a future QB, and the failure to get even average offensive production from average to above average talent is a reality that our final record - skewed by a championship defense - can't hide. if our coaches need a talented finished product at the QB position to execute their offense, then 2015 won't look any different than this year. as a matter of fact.. if Schwartz moves on, there's a very good chance 2015 will be worse. As a pragmatic fan who wants to see his team win championships, i've seen nothing being built by our offense-minded coaches that translates to future success.

Mike iupoti.. LG.. 49ers.. free agent

first off, let me join my fellow TBDer's in thanking you for keeping this alive. that is a nice job by the LG on that stunt - really stymied them, but how about that well executed outside zone run in the third clip? its a great example of the ZBS 'covered/uncovered' principles, complete with the O line's initial lateral footwork, and as a bonus it shows how motion can bring second level defenders into a better position to be blocked. to this last point, see how the TE comes in motion left, dragging both LBs into 'reach'able positions for the playside guard and center? cool, right? and then the same TE cleans up the backside? man, that's great stuff. i would love to see us incorporate more of this. i know we're not good at getting to the second level, but this Rams O line doesn't look like a classic ZBS line either - they look a bit bulky.. but i tell ya what, they do look like they've got their assignments down pat - at least on that play.

you have to understand that the Kolb we were getting was a shadow of the QB who threw for close to 13,000 yards at Houston inder current Baylor coach Art Briles. when Andy Reid drafted him for his quick hitting passing game, he was the 4th in career yards. then he became the best player that never played. i do think he would have helped Marrone & Hackett weather the storm of some sloppy coaching.. perhaps he may have offered some advice to the staff on breaking young receivers into the scheme.. doesn't matter now, but i do take all this junk into account when i crucify our coaches. they were dealt some tough circumstances, but overlooking the details they could control baffles me.

in the context of EJ - Downing's remarks were an honest appraisal of what they were asking him to do - assess the coverage, process that with with his receivers routes, choose your #1, and deliver the ball. to help EJ, receivers weren't given many options to adjust routes - if any. it's how the learning begins. all he had to do was trust his initial read, trust the timing of his footwork, and throw in anticipation where the receiver would be. what Downing didn't say was how that elementary design falls apart when receivers run sloppy or wrong routes. now add the introduction of route adjustments to the process, where everyone had to be on the same page, and it was just much, too soon for EJ. as far as Orton goes.. his experience in reading defenses, along with his development within an offense that includes adequate pass blocking, and talented receivers - should have had him executing well. but he isn't, because he's only an adequate QB, and we're still too sloppy. maybe Kolb's experience in Andy Reid's WCO could have rescued the offense for the coaches. ..and just to be clear.. this isn't an attack on Moore. just as - in retrospect - it shouldn't have been on Hilliard.

as someone eager to hear excuses, you tell me what works for you: inadequate guard play O line coach Pat Morris inadequate rookie QB inadequate veteran QB QB coach Todd Downing inexperienced receivers receivers coach Rob Moore Sr O assistant coach Jim Hostler

last season Ike Hilliard was canned because his receivers were bewildered by coverages they didn't recognize pre-snap, which led to running improper routes - often too deep or too shallow in respect to what the QB's read was, which often resulted in them bringing trailing defenders into each others' routes. the problem here was that our QBs were not savvy enough to know where the defenders were going.. making for a very sloppy, ineffective passing attack. little has changed this season. Marrone & Hackett began the mini-camps and the pre-season with a fundamental west coast timed passing game - receiver routes timed to the QB's footwork. i have no argument with this.. it's a sound approach that can build confidence in a young QB by getting the ball to a pre-determined place at a pre-determined time. unfortunately, NFL defensive coaches know exactly what they were up to, so when the games meant something, we were an easy read. So Marrone & Hackett were forced to have EJ get up to speed much faster than they anticipated. He needed to pick up the complexities of the offense, or they were at a disadvantage. he'd been coached to read the coverages, and make correct pre-snap reads on how each formation would be defended, but he was too often fooled, and his mistaken pre-snap reads snow-balled into a thrower's paralysis - no where to go with the ball! anyone who understands that they're watching a timed passing attack - whether it the WCO or some hybrid - knows that when the ball doesn't come out in under 4 seconds, one of three things went wrong: 1. the QB has screwed up up his initial reads and his attempts at getting to his 2 & 3 have also failed 2. the receivers have screwed up their individual reads, and aren't where the QB expects them 3. a combination of 1 & 2. watching a QB do very little other than throwing short, high or behind is symptomatic of a QB and receivers who are not on the same page. so Marrone Hackett bench the rookie for the vet. no problem there, as long as they were going to address the same problem they canned Hilliard for - the inability of the receivers to understand which route to run. maybe they thought they're old Syracuse coach Rob Moore was going to shore that up.. but just a look at those early games should have proof that the same problem existed. so thinking that Orton was gonna have that much more success in a poorly coached passing attack was either a case of not understanding the problem in it's entirety, or a refusal to admit they weren't taking care of their responsibilities as coaches. orton's catching a lot of heat for not hitting this guy or that - and a lot of it's warranted.. but we're still where we were with EJ because of 1,2, 3 above. i give Marrone & Hackett credit for moving Pears inside. they sacrificed an agile run game to help wall of the center in pass protection. overall, i think the O-line has done a good job in pass protection - giving our QBs enough time to execute a quick hitting, timed passing game. but they break down when the QB and receivers can't make the play.. and they can't make a play when they all don't recognize the coverage.. and they all won't recognize the coverage if they're unprepared. that's on Marrone & Hackett. it's their offense, and in the two years they've been here, they haven't been able to install the timed passing game that's at the heart of their offense. from the giddy reaction to our 'big year' from both the fans, and the front office - Marrone & Hackett will get the chance find another scapegoat this off-season for their failures.

I don't have the time to explain the offensive issues this team has had.. where it began, or where it is. I've tried that in other posts. You see an O limited by talent. I see an O being held back by lack of attention to details. What "makes this board a joke" is when ignorant fans keep others from posting their dissent.

yes.. the Bills defense shut down one of the most prolific offenses in the league, and our STs scored every point. Just makes one wonder what could have been, if a professional coaching staff prepared our offense as effectively.

We have one unit holding this team back, and it's on the Marrone and Hackett. Our guards are not athletic, but their big enough to play Hackett's WCO, so stop repeating what you hear, and try to understand what they're responsibilities are in the system. As far as the RBs go, starting with #22 - he deserves as good an effort from his coaches, as he gives on each carry. Accept mediocrity, delivered in a promise of greatness.. but this team had, and has, a chance to do more - and Marrone and Hackett have failed them for two years

Overworked

Why aren't they executing? Who the hell is supposed to prepare them? We're 14 weeks in, with a veteran QB, and we're not finishing plays? C'mon man! The defense is executing. You know why? Because there's a professional coach who's prepared his unit for how he anticipates his guys will be attacked. Not executing should get the guy in charge fired!