Kelly the Dog Posted August 18, 2014 Posted August 18, 2014 Except the Bills haven't really used the no huddle, let alone the hurry up, much this preseason.
Justice Posted August 19, 2014 Author Posted August 19, 2014 I am partially with you here. Instead off all no huddle all the time, I'd love to see it turned on and off. If you are in a rhythm, or catch the d in a mismatched package... No huddle like crazy, but move the tempo up and down so it's less predictable. Use it when you have momentum and throttle it back to keep dictating the pace. If you are pounding them on the ground slow it down and run the clock. To me this is the true value the ability to go no huddle can bring. I can't agree more. Except the Bills haven't really used the no huddle, let alone the hurry up, much this preseason. Do you think they're going to scrap it this year? I don't.
Kelly the Dog Posted August 19, 2014 Posted August 19, 2014 I can't agree more. Do you think they're going to scrap it this year? I don't. No, I don't at all. I think they will start out using it for sure. i just thought a lot of people were talking about the offense so far in preseason, and then about the no huddle/hurry up isn't working. But they aren't doing it. Another reason why preseason is not a good predictor of what the offense or playcalling is going to look like.
reddogblitz Posted August 19, 2014 Posted August 19, 2014 (edited) Points allowed is a very deceptive statistic. So much depends on your own offense's problems (turnovers, lack of ability to move the ball -- which results in good drive starts for opposing teams, etc.). The Bills were 12th in points per drive in any case, which is good. The Bills D was seventh in time per drive, 5th in plays per drive, and 2nd in yards per drive. The offense, however, was terrible: 8th in average drive start yet 31st in time per drive, 22nd in plays per drive, 28th in yards per drive, and 25th in points per drive. You make some good points here. And points per game does depend on a lot of things. However, in the grand scheme of things that's all that really matters. Just because you get bad field position doesn't mean you need to roll over and give up a TD. As I saw it and I admit I don't do stats that much, the D played very well in some games (Baltimore, Fish twice, Clowns, Jets game 2) but totally stunk it up in several games as well (Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Patsies game 2, Cinci). I also disagree with you that you gotta stop the run in the NFL. It's not a pass only league as many say. If anything it seems to me that the trend is shifting on some teams running more and passing less (Seattle/San Fran). Even the Patsies are running it more. Philly runs a lot as well. With Ivory and Johnson I suspect the Jets will be run heavy this year as well. If you can't stop the run, you have a bad defense IMHO. We were 5th from the bottom last year. From what I've seen so far in pre season (which means nothing), it looks like Schwartz' scheme is working better vs the run. Bottom line, the D has got to better at stopping the opposition from scoring points no matter the O does or does not do. O and kicking teams need to play their part as well. The rest is just excuses IMHO. Edited August 19, 2014 by reddogblitz
dave mcbride Posted August 19, 2014 Posted August 19, 2014 (edited) You make some good points here. And points per game does depend on a lot of things. However, in the grand scheme of things that's all that really matters. Just because you get bad field position doesn't mean you need to roll over and give up a TD. As I saw it and I admit I don't do stats that much, the D played very well in some games (Baltimore, Fish twice, Clowns, Jets game 2) but totally stunk it up in several games as well (Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Patsies game 2, Cinci). I also disagree with you that you gotta stop the run in the NFL. It's not a pass only league as many say. If anything it seems to me that the trend is shifting on some teams running more and passing less (Seattle/San Fran). Even the Patsies are running it more. Philly runs a lot as well. With Ivory and Johnson I suspect the Jets will be run heavy this year as well. If you can't stop the run, you have a bad defense IMHO. We were 5th from the bottom last year. From what I've seen so far in pre season (which means nothing), it looks like Schwartz' scheme is working better vs the run. Bottom line, the D has got to better at stopping the opposition from scoring points no matter the O does or does not do. O and kicking teams need to play their part as well. The rest is just excuses IMHO. The Bills were 12th in points per drive. That's not too bad. The fact that defense faced more drives is not their fault, so it's not an excuse. It's a fact. I do think the new emphasis on enforcement of defensive holding penalties will make this upcoming season the biggest passing season ever. It's already tough to play DB in the NFL, and if you can't grab a little early on, guys are going to be wide open all of the time. I hate the change, but it is what it is. As for Schwarz, his defenses in Detroit were pretty mediocre to bad. To be fair, he took over an awful team and it did get better; it was average the last couple of seasons. Still, the pass defense was consistently poor. Part of that comes from playing at least 9 games a season in dome (8 at home plus Minnesota). Plus they have to face Aaron Rodgers twice every year. But still. Edited August 19, 2014 by dave mcbride
rcatty Posted August 19, 2014 Posted August 19, 2014 I was at the game Saturday night. Some observations. Manuel is just plain awful. He misses guys that are wide open, and leaves touchdowns on the field. He is no better than Fitzpatrick, and maybe worse. He just dosen't have it on a consistent basis. People say his completion percentage is low, but that's not the issue. It's not making the play when it counts. It's an inability to deliver a key pass in the end zone, or whereever on the field to make a play that counts. Yes, he does make some plays, but not consistently. Kelly had his share of gaffes but he consistently hit the big plays where and when it mattered. Tuel and Lewis are minor leaguers. Tuel has a propensity for making at least one very costly mistake per game. Again, its the lack of consistency that hounds him. Our offensive line play is horrible. We had a great line coach under Chan. Our line players seem to regress instead of improve.We have no push or muscle up front. All in all we look like a minor league team, coaches and many players. It will be a miracle to win more that 6 games this year.
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