o-line the real problem

[Bocephuz]

Some of you may have seen the analyses I've posted over the last few years looking at O Line Pass Protect / QB Unforced errors.. if you haven't here's an example.. http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/190712-week-15-all-22-review-o-line-qb-unforced-errors/

 

Here are my O Line Pass Protect Grades for 2016

 

CORDY GLENN - B (had a handful of games where he wasn 't his normal pro bowl self.. but was generally very solid)
CYRUS KOUANDJIO - B ( did a solid job filling in for Glenn when he was hurt in BAL and other games)
RICHIE INCOGNITO - B (had a stretch of games earlier in the year where he had trouble recognizing stunts and gave up some pressures.. but has been lights out the last 5 games)
ERIC WOOD - B+ ( Wood was very solid this year until he got hurt)
RYAN GROY - B+ ( he struggled in the few snaps he took in SEA game but has been outstanding filling in for Wood since)
JOHN MILLER - C ( Miller typically gives up 2 bad pressures a game.. he is an average pass protector)
JORDAN MILLS - D ( Mills is consistently the worst pass protector week after week. He has certainly been the weak link this year and his poor play has hampered the passing game)

 

 

At any rate.. I've missed a few games.. but here is the overall data I have based on my watching the All 22 and doing the analysis on 14 games since week 6 2015

 

Here is the overall data from my various analyses (click to enlarge)

 

The average for this group since week 6 2015 is the line breaking down on 20% of snaps. The baseline for poor qb play (unforced errors) is 5%. As shown below.. there were 8 games where the line graded out average or better than average in pass protect. In 5 of those games.. the QB had more than 5 unforced errors and the Bills lost those games. (granted 2 games were with EJ at the helm). The Bills record was 3 - 5 in these games


.

Here is the analysis in games which the O line performed below average.

 

TAKEAWAYS

• O LINE PASS PROTECT WAS ABOVE AVERAGE MORE OFTEN THAN NOT - In the 14 games I analyzed.. the O Line was average or above average in pass protect 57% of the time. In other words... the line has been solid in pass protect more often than not
•
• TT ACTUALLY PERFORMED BETTER IN GAMES WHERE O LINE PASS PROTECT WAS BELOW AVERAGE - Interestingly enough. TT has actually generally performed worse in games when he has had better pass protection. This could be for a variety of reasons.. but it tells me he is more comfortable/effective improvising and making plays on the run than he is running and executing the offense in the pocket. This can be looked at as a good thing or a bad thing. To me .. it tells me he has trouble reading defenses and executing the offense.
•
• O LINE PLAY DOESN'T HAVE A DIRECT CORRELATION WITH WINS/LOSSES - Let's break down the 4 worst rated O Line games.
•
• 2015 TEXANS - WIN - 28% line breakdown rate - Jordan Mills actually played well but the rest of the line struggled with stunts and Clowney.. TT had a few errant throws that could have been Ints but the D played well and they made enough big plays to escape with a win
•
• 2016 DOLPHINS - LOSS - 30% line breakdown rate - Mills got toasted by Wake all game and TT was under fire nearly 1 out of every 3 pass plays. This was the worst rated performance I had for them over this period of analysis.TT actually played pretty well this game considering.. avoiding the pressure and helping the Bills stake an early lead. The defense blew this one by letting Jay Ajai run all over them in the 2nd half
•
• 2016 SEAHAWKS - LOSS - 29% breakdown rate - Mills got toasted by Cliff Avril all game... yet TT managed to escape pressure and arguably have his best game as a Bill. Hard to blame the offense in this one.
•
• 2016 JAGUARS - WIN - 27% breakdown rate. Much like the Texans game in 2015.. the O line played poorly and TT played poorly as well. It took a late 2nd half comeback to escape with a win here.
•
• RIGHT TACKLE IS WEAKEST LINK - Jordan Mills is awful.. The rest of the line is average or above average

Edited December 22, 2016 by Bocephuz

[Hapless Bills Fan]

So you are saying Tyrod needs a top 5 defense for him to get to the playoffs.

 

No thanks, i'll take the QB who can get to the playoffs with an average defense as teams have average defenses way more than they are elite top 5.

 

I don't think that's what he's saying. I don't see how you get that from what he wrote.

 

The Bills D currently ranks 15th on points against. A mere 16 points fewer would put us up to 12th or so.

Coincidentally, we happen to have lost 3 games by 7, 6, and 3 points, which means a difference of 13 points could theoretically have put us at 10-4 right now and right in the hunt for a playoff spot.

 

That's probably a deceptive picture, since in one of those games we were never leading and drew that close in the end, but there is another game (Oak) where we were leading until giving up 15 unanswered points in the 4th quarter.

 

I think the point stands that a modest improvement on D would have a big (playoff-worthy) impact on our W-L record. It's what was expected of Rex, he sells himself as Mr Defense. The excuse last year was players who didn't buy in or wrong players for system. So this year's draft and FA focus was all about D, arguably successful in terms of talent, but still not happening.

 

Going back to your comment, what is an "average defense" to you and who are these playoff teams who have "average defenses"? Of the teams leading their division/apparent top WC seed at present, 7 have D in the top 10 on points, one is #12 (Hou), and 3 have a lesser D (Tenn 18, Oak 21, Atl 27). Atlanta and Oakland are playoff-bound based on top-5 offense. Meanwhile, a number of teams with arguably better QB (better historically, or top 10 this year) look like going home - NO, GB, San Diego - and only 2 of this year's playoff bound teams are top-10 on offense (one is #11 and one is #12).

 

I don't think this is an anomaly. If you look at playoffs, historically the teams that go need to either be completely outstanding on one side of the ball (top 5), or competent on both sides, but it's more common for teams with a top-10 D and mediocre O to succeed than the reverse.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

Having the best run game in the league - as well as watching Taylor have about 30 minutes to hold the ball every time he drops back - is definitely indicative of a piss poor line.

There's a difference between run blocking and pass blocking. Plus, McCoy is rather good, which can compensate for average run blocking.

[Blokestradamus]

 

Awesome chart! Bills are definitely good at running the ball.

 

Do you have one for pass protection?

 

Based on these links, I think the pass protection chart might be a bit ugly - probably a lot uglier than people think

 

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/ol

 

http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&offensiveStatisticCategory=OFFENSIVE_LINE&role=TM&d-447263-n=1&d-447263-o=2&d-447263-p=1&d-447263-s=PASSING_SACKS_ALLOWED

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/nfls-best-worst-lines-cowboys-seahawks-rank/story?id=44212949

 

I'd really love to see a chart that ranked teams by percentage of QB pressures - ratio of total number of QB pressures to total number of pass plays. I think that would be the most accurate stat for offensive line pass protection performance. Still wouldn't account for qb influence, schemes and number of blitzes, but I think it would get about as close as you can to an overall pass protection measurement.

 

I haven't seen anything like that for pass protection. That chart is from Jeff Ratcliffe, who works for the fantasy branch of PFF.

 

What I can tell you, having the spreadsheet open, is how PFF attributes the sacks, hits and hurries for the Bills.

 

Cordy Glenn - 1 sack, 15 hurries.

Richie Incognito - 2 sacks, 5 hits, 8 hurries

Eric Wood - 4 hits, 19 hurries

John Miller - 3 sacks, 6 hits, 23 hurries

Jordan Mills - 9 sacks, 6 hits, 39 hurries

Cyrus Kouandjio - 11 hurries

Ryan Groy - 2 hits, 6 hurries

Seantrel Henderson - 3 hurries

 

Tyrod Taylor - 13 sacks, 1 hit, 4 hurries

LeSean McCoy - 2 sacks, 7 hits, 13 hurries

 

Not a clue how that relates to the rest of the NFL. Overall, they attribute blame for 30 sacks, 32 hits and 152 hurries.

[PolishDave]

There's a difference between run blocking and pass blocking. Plus, McCoy is rather good, which can compensate for average run blocking.

 

That is the part of this discussion that a lot of people are overlooking in this thread. And the OP specifically pointed out the weakness in pass protection not run blocking. You sir, are very level headed.

 

 

 

I haven't seen anything like that for pass protection. That chart is from Jeff Ratcliffe, who works for the fantasy branch of PFF.

 

What I can tell you, having the spreadsheet open, is how PFF attributes the sacks, hits and hurries for the Bills.

 

Cordy Glenn - 1 sack, 15 hurries.

Richie Incognito - 2 sacks, 5 hits, 8 hurries

Eric Wood - 4 hits, 19 hurries

John Miller - 3 sacks, 6 hits, 23 hurries

Jordan Mills - 9 sacks, 6 hits, 39 hurries

Cyrus Kouandjio - 11 hurries

Ryan Groy - 2 hits, 6 hurries

Seantrel Henderson - 3 hurries

 

Tyrod Taylor - 13 sacks, 1 hit, 4 hurries

LeSean McCoy - 2 sacks, 7 hits, 13 hurries

 

Not a clue how that relates to the rest of the NFL. Overall, they attribute blame for 30 sacks, 32 hits and 152 hurries.

 

Dang. That bolded part is the most interesting part. All good stuff though.

 

Thanks for all the extra info. It is enlightening and much appreciated. Thumbs up bloke!

[Blokestradamus]

Dang. That bolded part is the most interesting part. All good stuff though.

 

Thanks for all the extra info. It is enlightening and much appreciated. Thumbs up bloke!

 

I know someone who I believe has access to much more than just the Bills-specific data I have access to. Thankfully it's a business perk and not coming out of my own pocket, that **** isn't cheap

 

I'll have a word with him and see if he might be able to shed more light on how the Bills compare to others. Might take a while for a response, being Christmas and all. If I hear back, I'll share what I can.

[PolishDave]

 

I know someone who I believe has access to much more than just the Bills-specific data I have access to. Thankfully it's a business perk and not coming out of my own pocket, that **** isn't cheap

 

I'll have a word with him and see if he might be able to shed more light on how the Bills compare to others. Might take a while for a response, being Christmas and all. If I hear back, I'll share what I can.

 

Thanks bloke. No need to go out of your way.

 

I was hoping somebody was going to link to some public stat that is available for everyone to find. I searched high and low on Google to no avail. I see some places have subscriptions where you can get more detailed info. And I understand why they charge for it. I'm just surprised the NFL and ESPN aren't giving that info away to fans, more so ESPN than the NFL. The majority of the stats they do have publicly available are not the best tools for accurate analysis. General analysis yes - deeply insightful analysis no. But hey, its free to me so I guess I can't complain.

 

I imagine in Vegas there are probably guys measuring every stat including ones most of us have never thought of.

[Utah John]

So you are saying Tyrod needs a top 5 defense for him to get to the playoffs.

 

No thanks, i'll take the QB who can get to the playoffs with an average defense as teams have average defenses way more than they are elite top 5.

Actually I did not say that TT needs a top 5 defense. Just a good one that isn't bamboozled with no coaching adjustments to help them out.

 

And if you can find the QB of your dreams, I'll be delighted too, but most likely TT is as good as we're going to be able to get.

[Big Gun]

Actually I did not say that TT needs a top 5 defense. Just a good one that isn't bamboozled with no coaching adjustments to help them out.

 

And if you can find the QB of your dreams, I'll be delighted too, but most likely TT is as good as we're going to be able to get.

Keep telling yourself that and i'll show you a team that doesn't make the playoffs.

[Billsguy]

I guess that I didn't realize that only the Bills played bad teams? The team that is 2nd is .7 YPC behind them!! That's insanity.

 

EVERYONE PLAYS BAD TEAMS!!! Can we please stop using this irrational thought to rationalize our point? Dallas also played Cleveland, Cincy, and SF. Add in the Bears and that elite run defense in GB and their road has been every bit as easy.

If the Bills (according to you) had such a dominating run game, why didn't they win more games? (Irrational thought?) They didn't beat anyone of consequence (except NE with an injured 3rd string QB). If they were so dominant running the ball, why didn't they run it even more? Bad coaching? (Irrational thought?)

 

Everyone plays a mix of good and bad teams (as Captain Obvious points out) but the point is the Bills could only beat the bad teams. Why is that? Dallas managed to run even against good run defenses. They ran for 118 yds against Baltimore in a victory and 127 yds against Pittsburgh in another victory. The Bills lost to both of those teams and only ran for 65 yds and 67 yds. (Irrational thought?)

 

Some have pointed out that Tyrod Taylor is at fault because he had time to throw and still didn't succeed. Did those people consider that Taylor's ability to avoid the rush gave him more time to pass? Did those people consider that even though he might have had more time there were no open receivers? (Irrational thought?)

 

The Bills receiving corps was found lacking all season. Is that the fault of the QB? Maybe the coach and GM should take some responsibility?

 

Why is it irrational to question the possible reasons for the Bills failures?

 

You mentioned a couple times that questioning the Bills OL or rushing game was ridiculous because they lead the league in YPC by .7 "That's insanity!", you said. (BTW, correction: It's Yards per Attempt)

 

Can you guess which team led the league in rushing yards per attempt in the second half of games? With 5.3 yards per attempt ---the winless Cleveland Browns!!! They were .4 YPA greater than the Bills.

 

Insanity?!

 

According to your logic, the Browns fans have no rational right to challenge the efficacy of their OL or running game? Did you ever consider there might be other less obvious factors involved? Apparently not.

 

Did you ever wonder why Cleveland and San Fran both rank in the top 5 in the league in yards per attempt? (note: combined record of 1-27) Is it because of their great offensive lines? Maybe running draw plays on 3rd down and 18 leads to more 11 yard rushes?

 

The yards per attempt statistic for the Bills is the basis of your argument and it is a fallacy. A fallacy "is a failure in reasoning that renders an argument invalid."

[Kirby Jackson]

If the Bills (according to you) had such a dominating run game, why didn't they win more games? (Irrational thought?) They didn't beat anyone of consequence (except NE with an injured 3rd string QB). If they were so dominant running the ball, why didn't they run it even more? Bad coaching? (Irrational thought?)

 

Everyone plays a mix of good and bad teams (as Captain Obvious points out) but the point is the Bills could only beat the bad teams. Why is that? Dallas managed to run even against good run defenses. They ran for 118 yds against Baltimore in a victory and 127 yds against Pittsburgh in another victory. The Bills lost to both of those teams and only ran for 65 yds and 67 yds. (Irrational thought?)

 

Some have pointed out that Tyrod Taylor is at fault because he had time to throw and still didn't succeed. Did those people consider that Taylor's ability to avoid the rush gave him more time to pass? Did those people consider that even though he might have had more time there were no open receivers? (Irrational thought?)

 

The Bills receiving corps was found lacking all season. Is that the fault of the QB? Maybe the coach and GM should take some responsibility?

 

Why is it irrational to question the possible reasons for the Bills failures?

 

You mentioned a couple times that questioning the Bills OL or rushing game was ridiculous because they lead the league in YPC by .7 "That's insanity!", you said. (BTW, correction: It's Yards per Attempt)

 

Can you guess which team led the league in rushing yards per attempt in the second half of games? With 5.3 yards per attempt ---the winless Cleveland Browns!!! They were .4 YPA greater than the Bills.

 

Insanity?!

 

According to your logic, the Browns fans have no rational right to challenge the efficacy of their OL or running game? Did you ever consider there might be other less obvious factors involved? Apparently not.

 

Did you ever wonder why Cleveland and San Fran both rank in the top 5 in the league in yards per attempt? (note: combined record of 1-27) Is it because of their great offensive lines? Maybe running draw plays on 3rd down and 18 leads to more 11 yard rushes?

 

The yards per attempt statistic for the Bills is the basis of your argument and it is a fallacy. A fallacy "is a failure in reasoning that renders an argument invalid."

I stopped reading after the 1st sentence. You wouldn't classify the Bills running game as dominant? The gap between the Bills and the number 2 team in YPC is he same gap between the number 2 and 10 teams. The last NFL team to average 5.5 YPC was in 2006.

 

They also lead in total yardage. If you don't see the Bills running game as dominant we aren't going to agree.

Edited December 22, 2016 by Kirby Jackson

[bmur66]

I think the OP should be banned

[Thrivefourfive]

The best part of this team - which is middle of the pack...so that means some aspects of it must be better than par - is the runningbacks group and the o-line. If I were looking to improve the roster, I'd start elsewhere.

Edited December 22, 2016 by Thrivefourfive

[YoloinOhio]

SIAP

 

https://twitter.com/jeffratcliffe/status/811679128273485828

 

Damn Cordy & Richie... that's amazing

Edited December 22, 2016 by YoloinOhio

[thebandit27]

If the Bills (according to you) had such a dominating run game, why didn't they win more games? (Irrational thought?) They didn't beat anyone of consequence (except NE with an injured 3rd string QB). If they were so dominant running the ball, why didn't they run it even more? Bad coaching? (Irrational thought?)

 

Everyone plays a mix of good and bad teams (as Captain Obvious points out) but the point is the Bills could only beat the bad teams. Why is that? Dallas managed to run even against good run defenses. They ran for 118 yds against Baltimore in a victory and 127 yds against Pittsburgh in another victory. The Bills lost to both of those teams and only ran for 65 yds and 67 yds. (Irrational thought?)

 

Some have pointed out that Tyrod Taylor is at fault because he had time to throw and still didn't succeed. Did those people consider that Taylor's ability to avoid the rush gave him more time to pass? Did those people consider that even though he might have had more time there were no open receivers? (Irrational thought?)

 

The Bills receiving corps was found lacking all season. Is that the fault of the QB? Maybe the coach and GM should take some responsibility?

 

Why is it irrational to question the possible reasons for the Bills failures?

 

You mentioned a couple times that questioning the Bills OL or rushing game was ridiculous because they lead the league in YPC by .7 "That's insanity!", you said. (BTW, correction: It's Yards per Attempt)

 

Can you guess which team led the league in rushing yards per attempt in the second half of games? With 5.3 yards per attempt ---the winless Cleveland Browns!!! They were .4 YPA greater than the Bills.

 

Insanity?!

 

According to your logic, the Browns fans have no rational right to challenge the efficacy of their OL or running game? Did you ever consider there might be other less obvious factors involved? Apparently not.

 

Did you ever wonder why Cleveland and San Fran both rank in the top 5 in the league in yards per attempt? (note: combined record of 1-27) Is it because of their great offensive lines? Maybe running draw plays on 3rd down and 18 leads to more 11 yard rushes?

 

The yards per attempt statistic for the Bills is the basis of your argument and it is a fallacy. A fallacy "is a failure in reasoning that renders an argument invalid."

 

This is ridiculous.

 

The Bills' rushing game leads the NFL in nearly every statistical category. To call it anything other than dominating is simply wrong.

 

Remove Tyrod Taylor's rushing stats, and they still lead the NFL in yards/carry (and you can keep your stuffy comment about "yards/carry" vs "yards/attempt"...you knew exactly what Kirby meant--and it IS called yards/carry. Yards/attempt is a passing statistic if you want to get stuffy about it...NFL.com simply calls it "Avg").

 

The reason many people fault Tyrod Taylor for sacks is because--get this--we watch the games. He has plenty of time in the pocket on most occasions, and often bails the pocket before he needs to. He doesn't throw with anticipation, and instead allows the pass rush to bear down on him. Are there times when receivers aren't open? Sure. Is it the majority of the time? No. So sayeth the All-22 we watch on a weekly basis.

 

I also find it ridiculous that you build a strawman out of the yards/carry in the 2nd half of games. Who cares? The point of the post to which you're replying is that the team's run game is dominant...does that mean it somehow isn't? It seems that what you really disagree with is not whether or not the run game is dominant, but rather whether or not a dominant run game leads to wins. N'es pas?

 

I have a better idea: if you think that the team's run game isn't dominant, why don't you present data that contradict that assertion as opposed to building phony straw man arguments and asking nebulous questions that cannot be quantified?

 

The rushing numbers are clear: highest YPC, most yards, most TDs, 2nd-most 1st downs, most rushes of 20+ yards, most rushes of 40+ yards, and highest percentage of 1st downs achieved via rushes.

 

Your move.

SIAP

 

https://twitter.com/jeffratcliffe/status/811679128273485828

 

#logicalfallacy

Edited December 22, 2016 by thebandit27

[MDH]

SIAP

 

https://twitter.com/jeffratcliffe/status/811679128273485828

 

Damn Cordy & Richie... that's amazing

 

The numbers for the entire OL are amazing.

[Nihilarian]

 

I haven't seen anything like that for pass protection. That chart is from Jeff Ratcliffe, who works for the fantasy branch of PFF.

 

What I can tell you, having the spreadsheet open, is how PFF attributes the sacks, hits and hurries for the Bills.

 

Cordy Glenn - 1 sack, 15 hurries.

Richie Incognito - 2 sacks, 5 hits, 8 hurries

Eric Wood - 4 hits, 19 hurries

John Miller - 3 sacks, 6 hits, 23 hurries

Jordan Mills - 9 sacks, 6 hits, 39 hurries

Cyrus Kouandjio - 11 hurries

Ryan Groy - 2 hits, 6 hurries

Seantrel Henderson - 3 hurries

 

Tyrod Taylor - 13 sacks, 1 hit, 4 hurries

LeSean McCoy - 2 sacks, 7 hits, 13 hurries

 

Not a clue how that relates to the rest of the NFL. Overall, they attribute blame for 30 sacks, 32 hits and 152 hurries.

It would be interesting to see how the Bills stack up to the Cowboys offensive line stats. I'll say again that the right side of the Bills line is simply not good enough and perhaps a more dominant RT would help improve Miller.

 

Bills fans always seem to forget that this is a run-first team that basically lives or dies with the run game! So it really is imperative that it works all game long. Getting behind in points is not a valid excuse to stop using it either.

 

To the Bills fans that state that it's irrational to think about getting such good stats by playing bad teams because all teams play bad teams...these fans are missing the point on what it takes to get a team into the playoffs and beyond. What's important to me is how the team faired against the better defenses in the league because that is who they need to beat in order to get to the playoffs and ultimately the super bowl.

 

The Bills run game faltered badly against the Ravens, Jets, Miami, Pittsburgh. The Bills still lost to the Seahawks, Patriots, Raiders while having a punishing run game and it was the defense that let the team down in those games. But that is another story. The Bills defense also played a big part in the loss to the Jets and Miami. But again, that's another story and just says that the defense isn't good enough either.

 

Another stat that would be interesting to see is how Tyrod Taylor's time to throw matches up to last year when he had Watkins to throw to for 1047 yards and 9 TD's. He also had Hogan and other receivers that didn't end up on IR to throw to.

 

 

In my view, the Bills offensive line is not dominating when we see a great RB like LeSean McCoy held to a 2,6 yard per carry average all game long against the Steelers. Then we look at the other side and see Le'Veon Bell averaging 6.2 yards per carry to end up with 236 yards rushing on 38 carries. That is an embarrassment to me on both sides of the ball.

 

Against the hapless Browns McCoy had 19 rushes for 153 yards, 2 TD's with an 8.1 yard per carry average. Yea, dominant

Edited December 23, 2016 by Nihilarian

[John from Riverside]

Actually I did not say that TT needs a top 5 defense. Just a good one that isn't bamboozled with no coaching adjustments to help them out.

 

And if you can find the QB of your dreams, I'll be delighted too, but most likely TT is as good as we're going to be able to get.

Actually....wasnt that supposed to be the plan from the very beginning? A top 10 D and a QB that didnt lose games for you?

 

Now that our D gives up 28 points a game....the goalposts are moving

[Hapless Bills Fan]

 

I haven't seen anything like that for pass protection. That chart is from Jeff Ratcliffe, who works for the fantasy branch of PFF.

 

What I can tell you, having the spreadsheet open, is how PFF attributes the sacks, hits and hurries for the Bills.

 

Cordy Glenn - 1 sack, 15 hurries.

Richie Incognito - 2 sacks, 5 hits, 8 hurries

Eric Wood - 4 hits, 19 hurries

John Miller - 3 sacks, 6 hits, 23 hurries

Jordan Mills - 9 sacks, 6 hits, 39 hurries

Cyrus Kouandjio - 11 hurries

Ryan Groy - 2 hits, 6 hurries

Seantrel Henderson - 3 hurries

 

Tyrod Taylor - 13 sacks, 1 hit, 4 hurries

LeSean McCoy - 2 sacks, 7 hits, 13 hurries

 

Not a clue how that relates to the rest of the NFL. Overall, they attribute blame for 30 sacks, 32 hits and 152 hurries.

 

I'm confused here, Bloke. NFL.com asserts Taylor's been sacked 40 times (!), 31st in the NFL (only Cleveland is worse).

So is PFF saying they disagree on 10 of those sacks? Or that they can't assign responsibility/blame for 10 of those sacks?

 

Anyway, a couple of additional publically available stats:

-Football outsiders lists Buffalo as having 41 sacks against them, and having an "adjusted sack rate" (sacks plus intentional grounding) of 9.7% (second worst in the league)

-Cold Hard Football Facts has a similar stat "negative pass plays" which for the Bills is 10.5% (2nd worst in the league, again)

 

BUT, if we take away the 13 sacks that are attributed (by your PFF stats) to Tyrod Taylor from the 40 sacks attributed to the Bills, that would give the Bills OL 28 sacks which would tie them for 11th (with the Baltimore Ravens) - above average.

 

So what I'm wanting to know is what PFF means when they assign blame to Taylor? Holding on to the ball too long? Trying to scramble and not clearing the LOS? Not throwing it away when he could? Do they explain?

Actually....wasnt that supposed to be the plan from the very beginning? A top 10 D and a QB that didnt lose games for you?

 

Yep, that was supposed to be the plan. A top 10 D, a top run game, and a QB who would take care of the ball, not turn it over, and pass well enough to keep the defense guessing a bit (with the added threat of his legs).

The idea being that if we kept our top-4 D of 2014 and moved up from 18th O into the top 10, we'd be playoff-bound.

 

So now we have a top-10 O in PPG (#9 currently) and the 18th ranked D (22 pts per game currently, not 28, but who's counting?). Go Figgur, but apparently it's the O and specifically the OL that's to blame. Huh.

Edited December 23, 2016 by Hapless Bills Fan

[Big Blitz]

It's actually WR.

 

I'm not including Sammy in any way shape or form due to the injury. But there have been long stretches this year where our WRS have been guys that wouldn't be on half the rosters in the league.

 

We actually had Percy Harvin play....in an actual game. That happened.

 

 

 

Who would you rather have?

 

Shaq Lawson Reggie Ragland or Michael Thomas?

 

 

That's on Whaley. Who knew full well at the draft that Sammy had the foot injury.

Edited December 23, 2016 by Big Blitz