Jerry Jabber Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 One big difference I noticed from Gailey to Hackett has been the small amount of passes to the RB's in the slot, screens and dump offs. IMO, I think Freddie and Spiller would have been more effective in the Steelers game if they received more passes in the slot or in the 5-10 yard range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 screen game relies heavily on blockers getting out in space. we lost a pretty good one in levitre, which may be part of the issue. though it seems you are advocating putting them at WR. id love to see spiller motion outside and run some routes horizontally (slants, crosses) across the field and force a lb to keep up. dictate the matchup then exploit it. if they drop a safety onto him, you can go over the top to the WR on that side often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsClinton Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 because he has never heard of that concept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 because he has never heard of that concept. reasonable and productive reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillsForever Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 (edited) One big difference I noticed from Gailey to Hackett has been the small amount of passes to the RB's in the slot, screens and dump offs. IMO, I think Freddie and Spiller would have been more effective in the Steelers game if they received more passes in the slot or in the 5-10 yard range. No hb screens, no bubble screens to WR's, rarely see any curl routes to WR's or quick slants. No playaction with the QB under center. The last one is just mind boggling considering how run heavy his playcalling is. Sadly, Hackett just isn't a very good coordinator. Edited November 11, 2013 by BuffaloBillsForever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsClinton Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 reasonable and productive reply. Am I wrong? I mean, surely Hackett has heard of a screen play. But for some reason it is almost as if he has never watched the Chan offense game tape. Does he not understand how to gameplan for two dual threat RBs that benefit from running in space, not to mention a subpar QB who can't sling the ball around to save his life? Seriously, we have run a screen play concept under 10 times this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangarang Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Hacket has never heard of screens, play action, bootleg, I formation, 2 TE sets, etc. etc. It's sad watching him call plays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5 Wide Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I would just take some motion at this point.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillsForever Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Hacket has never heard of screens, play action, bootleg, I formation, 2 TE sets, etc. etc. It's sad watching him call plays. The lack of bootleg with both EJ and Thad is mind boggling as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marauderswr80 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I love watching Darren Sproles do just that! Spiller needs more plays like that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Jabber Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 No hb screens, no bubble screens to WR's, rarely see any curl routes to WR's or quick slants. No playaction with the QB under center. The last one is just mind boggling considering how run heavy his playcalling is. Sadly, Hackett just isn't a very good coordinator. I agree. Another thing I noticed is that Hackett opens the playbook more for Tuel and Lewis than he does with Manuel. Doesn't Hackett trust Manuel, or are they babying his progress? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsBytheBay Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I agree. Another thing I noticed is that Hackett opens the playbook more for Tuel and Lewis than he does with Manuel. Doesn't Hackett trust Manuel, or are they babying his progress? I don't agree. I think EJ gets the same play calls. The difference is EJ burps the baby a bit, than checks down. Has he kept one on a read option yet? He has issues with throwing cachable balls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Jabber Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 I don't agree. I think EJ gets the same play calls. The difference is EJ burps the baby a bit, than checks down. Has he kept one on a read option yet? He has issues with throwing cachable balls. I've seen Tuel air it out a lot more and different plays called for both Lewis & Tuel than Manuel. Is Manuel a Captain Checkdown? So far, it appears to be. You are right that Manuel does have problem with his accuracy, but when he does throw accurate passes (as well as Tuel & Lewis) the Bills receivers have had butterfingers. I know there were 6 drops vs the Chefs, and around the same yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 The reason is that both Marrone and Hackett are rookies, learning on the job. They just do not have the experience to get the most out of the talent that they have to work with by having the right players on the field and calling the right plays. This is becoming more and more evident as the season wears on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prickly Pete Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 (edited) Especially when they are weak at WR (and TE), why not have their 2 best offensive players (FJ and CJ) on the field at the same time? Both can catch the ball well out of the backfield. ..it's mystifying. Spiller is more dangerous as a receiver than Graham The reason is that both Marrone and Hackett are rookies, learning on the job. They just do not have the experience to get the most out of the talent that they have to work with by having the right players on the field and calling the right plays. This is becoming more and more evident as the season wears on. Didn't they watch any film to see what they had in each player? I'm sure they did. I think they have concentrated so much on EJ (and were forced to get the other 2 up to speed), that they haven't been developing plays geared to the strengths of other players enough. Edited November 11, 2013 by Marauder'sMicro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt328 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 We know Hackett's playbook includes screens, play action, motion, etc. and we know they practice these plays - because we HAVE seen them at various points this season with all 3 QBs. However, I don't think Hackett understands how/when to properly implement these concepts into a game plan. I think he is totally overwhelmed when the bullets start flying on Sunday afternoon, and doesn't know how to respond when the plays he's attempting aren't working. Truthfully, this is what separates the great coaches from everyone else. Every formation and play has strengths and weaknesses. Football is a non-stop chess match. Some have the skill to counter an opponent. Others are clueless until Monday film session. Screens called at the right time, and executed properly can be HUGE for an offense. Screens called at the wrong time are usually lost yardage. As an inherently-conservative coach, Hackett chooses to use these plays sparingly - instead of making them into a big part of the offensive gameplan. He would prefer running a halfback dive into an 8-man front several times every week. The reason is that both Marrone and Hackett are rookies, learning on the job. They just do not have the experience to get the most out of the talent that they have to work with by having the right players on the field and calling the right plays. This is becoming more and more evident as the season wears on. The rookie excuse has worn thin. They are 10 games into a 16 game season. Jim Harbaugh left Stanford, took over a 49er team that hadn't made the playoffs in years (and who usually drafted around the same spot as the Bills), and almost took them to the Super Bowl his first year. They went to the big game a year later, and are 6-3 this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prickly Pete Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 We know Hackett's playbook includes screens, play action, motion, etc. and we know they practice these plays - because we HAVE seen them at various points this season with all 3 QBs. However, I don't think Hackett understands how/when to properly implement these concepts into a game plan. I think he is totally overwhelmed when the bullets start flying on Sunday afternoon, and doesn't know how to respond when the plays he's attempting aren't working. Truthfully, this is what separates the great coaches from everyone else. Every formation and play has strengths and weaknesses. Football is a non-stop chess match. Some have the skill to counter an opponent. Others are clueless until Monday film session. Screens called at the right time, and executed properly can be HUGE for an offense. Screens called at the wrong time are usually lost yardage. As an inherently-conservative coach, Hackett chooses to use these plays sparingly - instead of making them into a big part of the offensive gameplan. He would prefer running a halfback dive into an 8-man front several times every week. While I agree overall, I think having a rookie with limited ability to read defenses, audible, and well, execute, can put an OC in a tough spot. The OC could do better, but it's still the QB play that has, far and away, been the biggest problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 One big difference I noticed from Gailey to Hackett has been the small amount of passes to the RB's in the slot, screens and dump offs. IMO, I think Freddie and Spiller would have been more effective in the Steelers game if they received more passes in the slot or in the 5-10 yard range. Because he know the check down will go there anyway? =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Jabber Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 Especially when they are weak at WR (and TE), why not have their 2 best offensive players (FJ and CJ) on the field at the same time? Both can catch the ball well out of the backfield. ..it's mystifying. Spiller is more dangerous as a receiver than Graham Didn't they watch any film to see what they had in each player? I'm sure they did. I think they have concentrated so much on EJ (and were forced to get the other 2 up to speed), that they haven't been developing plays geared to the strengths of other players enough. Great point about Spiller being a better receiver than Graham. During Gailey's tenure, he had Spiller go out for deep passes of 30 yards or more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 We know Hackett's playbook includes screens, play action, motion, etc. and we know they practice these plays - because we HAVE seen them at various points this season with all 3 QBs. However, I don't think Hackett understands how/when to properly implement these concepts into a game plan. I think he is totally overwhelmed when the bullets start flying on Sunday afternoon, and doesn't know how to respond when the plays he's attempting aren't working. Truthfully, this is what separates the great coaches from everyone else. Every formation and play has strengths and weaknesses. Football is a non-stop chess match. Some have the skill to counter an opponent. Others are clueless until Monday film session. Screens called at the right time, and executed properly can be HUGE for an offense. Screens called at the wrong time are usually lost yardage. As an inherently-conservative coach, Hackett chooses to use these plays sparingly - instead of making them into a big part of the offensive gameplan. He would prefer running a halfback dive into an 8-man front several times every week. The rookie excuse has worn thin. They are 10 games into a 16 game season. Jim Harbaugh left Stanford, took over a 49er team that hadn't made the playoffs in years (and who usually drafted around the same spot as the Bills), and almost took them to the Super Bowl his first year. They went to the big game a year later, and are 6-3 this year. It's not an excuse, it is a reason. As for Harbaugh, not all rookie HC's are created equal, some are great, some horrible and some so-so. Remember, the Bills approached Harbaugh and he refused to interview for the job. I'm not suggesting that Marrone was the wrong hire; a year from now we will have a much better idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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