One value of McCoy injury I think we will see today

[KingRex]

Make no mistake, you start Shady if he is ready to go and you use him as much as you can because a good player is a good player (and frankly a great player and obvious MVP for the Bills O is a great player).  Murphy is Murphy and Tolbert is too often DNP Coaches decision.

 

However, the modern NFL has become about hard work to try to counter superior talent, regimentation and getting a feel (building chemistry) for playing together, and analysis and adjustment to opponents..

 

Hard work for example, appears to be studying tape on opponents to get tip offs on at least the direction and preferably a complete read on the play the O is running or likely to call.

 

Having been featured in over a third of the Bills O plays and really developing an O over 16 games that was centered around Shady, the Bills O will for this game be somewhere between being an O that for a week has focused on:

 

1. How well and how does the O work running Shady's plays for Murphy's unknown (far inferior no doubt but likely quite different running/pass catching  style.

2. Practicing a more Tyrod oriented play calling likely to consist of:

A. More utilization of planned TT runs used occasionally but today a standard such as QB draws when the pass coverage is wide.

B. More play action passes

C. More QB sweep pass/run option plays

3. New wrinkles and plays featuring Tyrod which were in the playbook, but never used as the team focused on using the better runner Shady and making sure TT survived the season.  However, in any case if Shady is out or hobbled and in particular if the Bills braintrust has already decided to find a new QB (draft/FA, or trade) then by all means risk and use TT.

 

2. Developing altered blocking schemes and even personnel packages that suit the inferior skills and different areas of talents of Murphy and Tolbert

 

3. Installing as best as possible new schemes and looks for running w/o Shady such as

A. Use of TEs as H-backs (running the same patterns they do now but lining up in FFB position in backfield- particularly O'Leary

B. Use of wildcat sets

C. Who knows

 

The weird advantage for the Bills is that there is little or no tape for the Jags on these plays

 

In the modern NFL where the players do their work by studying tape to look for tip-offs on the direction, flow, or specific call.  Where DCs scheme to counter what the O generally does and their particular tendencies at a particular down and distance, there simply is little or no tape on what a Shadyless Bills O will do.

 

I hope Shady plays and plays a lot, but even if injuries do not allow, I really look forward to seeing the "new" Bills O we have practiced for a week and the Jags have no tape on.

 

If the flow of this game is actually that a more Tyrod focused Bills O builds a lead and then for the rest of the game the Bills D simply tries to hold on or even better take advantage of the Jags having to rely on Bortles passing, this might be a great game!