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I wonder if the Bills will be able to run the ball without Levitre


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last year the bills averaged 5.0 yards/carry for the season.

 

today they averaged 4.0 yards/carry (without Levitre).

The Titans averaged 4.5 YPC last year. Yesterday they averaged 2.7 YPC.

 

What does it all mean?

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I think it's simply a matter of how we call plays for both. If the box is stacked, Fred has a better chance at up the middle runs than CJ does. When the field is spread out, CJ is a significantly better runner. It all comes down to calling the right plays for what personnel is out there. No need to continue to stuff it up the gut against a stacked box with CJ. Call screens, play actions, audible him to line up in the slot, etc.

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The problem isn't run blocking when Spiller is in the game. It's a question of getting the right play in to exploit stacking the box. Timely play fakes will eventually open things up. The Pats sold out on the run hard in order to stop CJ. Play action and 1 good deep pass completion would have changed that. I expect to see that on the 15th.

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First time in a long time Wilfork wasn't a factor. First time in a long time Levitre didn't play LG for the Bills. Coincidence? I think not.

 

Chris Johnson's career YPC average before Levitre 4.5 yards. Chris Johnson's YPC with Levitre: 2.8.

 

Let's all play the stupid game, shall we?

 

GO BILLS!!!

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Where are you guys getting the 4 ypc stuff? NFL.com has spiller and jackson at 30 total carries for 108 yards or 3.6 ypc.

 

I thought our run game stunk. We got no movement on 3/4s of the plays and it resulted in no gains, or one yard gains or losses, way too often. That doesn't happen to teams that make the playoffs. And Colin Brown got torched on one pass play killing a drive on 3rd down (I forget if it ended up a sack or not)

 

On a related note I think most Bills fans are accustomed to sub-par play so when they see sub-par play they think its pretty good. Like Colin Brown, how many playoff teams do you think this guy would start for? My guess is zero. Scott Chandler, many bills fans I talk to say he is 'good enough' for a TE. Well go look at the teams that make the playoffs every year - Chandler would be 2nd or even 3rd string on those teams.

 

Stop accepting average if you ever want to make the playoffs again. We were gifted a TD (seary's recovery after the dude just drops the ball without being touched) and gifted another turnover at the 1 yard line (Brady drops the snap) and we still cannot win. Thats one of the worst games I've seen the Patsie play in the last ten years and we still lost is traditional Bills fashion. Woof.

 

First time in a long time Wilfork wasn't a factor.

 

Is this a typo? Wilvork was a huge factor, pun intended.

Edited by peterpan
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Where are you guys getting the 4 ypc stuff? NFL.com has spiller and jackson at 30 total carries for 108 yards or 3.6 ypc.

 

I thought our run game stunk. We got no movement on 3/4s of the plays and it resulted in no gains, or one yard gains or losses, way too often. That doesn't happen to teams that make the playoffs. And Colin Brown got torched on one pass play killing a drive on 3rd down (I forget if it ended up a sack or not)

 

On a related note I think most Bills fans are accustomed to sub-par play so when they see sub-par play they think its pretty good. Like Colin Brown, how many playoff teams do you think this guy would start for? My guess is zero. Scott Chandler, many bills fans I talk to say he is 'good enough' for a TE. Well go look at the teams that make the playoffs every year - Chandler would be 2nd or even 3rd string on those teams.

 

Stop accepting average if you ever want to make the playoffs again. We were gifted a TD (seary's recovery after the dude just drops the ball without being touched) and gifted another turnover at the 1 yard line (Brady drops the snap) and we still cannot win. Thats one of the worst games I've seen the Patsie play in the last ten years and we still lost is traditional Bills fashion. Woof.

 

 

 

Is this a typo? Wilvork was a huge factor, pun intended.

 

No, Wilfork didn't have as much impact as usual against us.

 

And no, the play where Brown got undressed in the first in the first half was NOT a sack. We didn't give up any all game.

 

The point is, these threads are useless and absolutely devoid of fact. It is ALL supposition. Period.

 

But if you and others need to feel that if Levitre was in the lineup we would have run for 500 yards, feel free. But there is NOTHING to support that argument in reality. Nothing at all.

 

GO BILLS!!!

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Now I remember why I stopped coming to this board. All of the regulars act like they know everything and talk down to people who bring up factual points. You get your panties in a bunch and get all defensive and make ridiculous assumptions and put words in other peoples mouths. I didn't even bring up Levitre. I didn't say we would have run better with him. SO why make it seem like I did or assume that's what I meant?

 

And to say Wilfork didnt impact the game is asinine? Wilfork impacted the game yesterday severely, he moves the LOS into the Bills backfield a yard or two on 90% of the snaps. You cant win a football game that way. AND he has been a huge player for the patriots for a decade - the same decade where they have steamrolled the Bills twice a year. You must not understand the grand scheme of football to think that Vince Wilfork isn't one of the best players in the league and has been destroying out OL for ten years.

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Now I remember why I stopped coming to this board. All of the regulars act like they know everything and talk down to people who bring up factual points. You get your panties in a bunch and get all defensive and make ridiculous assumptions and put words in other peoples mouths. I didn't even bring up Levitre. I didn't say we would have run better with him. SO why make it seem like I did or assume that's what I meant?

 

And to say Wilfork didnt impact the game is asinine? Wilfork impacted the game yesterday severely, he moves the LOS into the Bills backfield a yard or two on 90% of the snaps. You cant win a football game that way. AND he has been a huge player for the patriots for a decade - the same decade where they have steamrolled the Bills twice a year. You must not understand the grand scheme of football to think that Vince Wilfork isn't one of the best players in the league and has been destroying out OL for ten years.

 

Relax. You're right about Wilfork. He dominates regardless who we have lined up at LG. Has was before, during, and will AFTER Levitre. I brought up Levitre because because of the thread title. If I mistakenly lumped you in with those that are suggesting we can't run the ball without Levitre, my apologies. That's how it sounded to me.

 

GO BILLS!!!

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stealing this from 26CornerBlitz...

 

The left guard position has been a hot-button issue throughout Bills camp given the departure of free agent Andy Levitre, and it wasnt a good start to the post-Levitre era.

 

Weve already mentioned some of LG Browns difficult day, as he finished at -7.8 and was just as poor as a run blocker (-4.9) as he was in pass protection (-3.2). Brown may have had the most difficult task on the Bills line, however, as he often found himself battling not only the Patriots best run defender in Wilfork, but also their best pass rusher in Jones. Not only did Wilfork control Brown in the running game, he also bull-rushed him for a pressure with 1:43 to go in the second quarter. Jones lined up on the inside, a new wrinkle for the Patriots, as he played defensive right tackle (on a four-man line) seven times on Sunday after doing so only three times all of last season. He beat Brown for a hit and two hurries in his limited time, going to his outside shoulder each time. It looks like the Levitre whispers will continue for at least another week in Buffalo.

 

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/09/09/refo-ne-buf-week-1/

Edited by papazoid
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When did the Bills front office say that?

 

Isn't it obvious they made a decision to keep Wood over Levitre since they realistically couldn't resign both with an extrnsion for Glenn on the horizon in the next few years?

 

The problem wasnt letting Levitre walk it was not finding a suitable replacement

Not true, Bills have cap space for both, check the cap calculations --- they made a calculated decision that they could go cheap on LG and it isn't working, hindsight is always 20/20 ---- at some point Bills will get squeezed on cap space if they develop a talented roster and win games, right now, they are not even close to maxing out on cap -- they have over $20M in room this year alone ---

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I think it came down for not wanting to overpay for Levitre and he wanted too much money to stay, I don't have the numbers for it, but the Bills made a decision not to overpay for him at LG. Is it their fault they didn't plan on a suitable replacement for him? Yeah to me it is. But they made their bed and they can search for a new LG or hope the ones we have can perform.

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you mean until he pukes :D

 

 

 

By closed sets do you mean short yardage and FBs? (never heard of closed sets before)

By closed sets i mean a traditional running pro style set with TE's in to help with run blocking vs the shotgun "spread set" that Gailey utilized with 4-5 WR's.

 

The Bills started the game in a 3 WR, single back formation with EJ under center and Spiller the lone back. The next play they went shotgun with 3 wide, a TE with 2 WR's close to the formation in what i would call a closed set.

 

Then Bills did go 4 wide spread set in the first play of the third series, and looked like a passing play on first down and then handed off to CJ who ran left side for 8 yards. Why they didn't utilize this play more often is beyond me.Then strangely the Bills went to a shotgun 3 wide on the short side, and Spiller got the first down on 2nd and one. The next play, same sort of formation and EJ went over the middle to Woods which went for naught because of a hands to the face penalty by Glenn.

 

 

To me it looked like the Patriots were stacking 8-9 in the box to stop Spiller, while keying on him. The Patriots didn't blitz all that much with the intention of shutting down CJ and forcing EJ to beat them. Which EJ almost did "IF" the Bills could have controlled the clock at all with 5 min left in the game. The Bills need to be able to move the chains when it really counts, and they need be able to gain yardage from those running sets.

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Brown is more physical, just struggles at hitting moving targets, his size helps. If we stay healthy,we will be fine.

 

There were a number of plays, one that was highlighted in a replay, where Brown was just destroyed by Wilfork. He also got beat badly on one particular pass play but EJ was able to escape the sack. Brown is the weak link on our OL and one can only hope is he does improve......quickly. At 8 mil a year, Levitre would have been too expensive, but he is missed.

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