transplantbillsfan Posted March 22, 2020 Posted March 22, 2020 Paywall. I don't think this has been posted unless it's in the monstrous Diggs thread. Apologies if it is. Trying to abide by CoC so I'm only posting bits and pieces, but there are supporting images in the article and A LOT more points. All in all, I think Diggs was a fantastic acquisition by Beane and I'm fine with the price. Win now baby! https://theathletic.com/1689386/2020/03/20/watching-all-of-stefon-diggs-2019-snaps-to-understand-his-fit-with-the-bills/ We went back and watched all 889 of Diggs’ snaps with the Minnesota Vikings in 2019 to form a clearer picture of what the Bills are getting in Diggs and how he’ll fit with Allen and into offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s offense. What are Diggs’ strengths? The days of needing one speedy receiver and another bigger, goal-line threat to challenge a defense are long gone in the NFL. With the 6-foot, 191-pound Diggs, the Bills are after something different: separation and maximizing plays after the catch. While Brown is a talented route runner, Diggs offers a blend of skills that is uniquely challenging for opposing defenders and can cause them to commit penalties. In man-to-man coverage, Diggs’ threat as a route runner begins with his release from the line of scrimmage. ... As Diggs goes to make his cut to the left or right, the angle of his shin gets so low to the ground that he’s able to change directions effortlessly and often leaves the defender a half step behind. Once he starts his break, either to the inside or outside, he has the explosiveness to get out from the cut and increase his separation, giving the quarterback a bigger throwing window. These are the biggest reasons why Diggs is a nuisance for defenses in the intermediate areas of the field. ... Diggs doesn’t need a series of steps to create a window for his quarterback down the field, even though he can do that with double moves. ... Diggs also offers a unique skill set against zone coverages. Diggs looks for the body positioning of the zone defenders as he’s entering their territory and then settles into the soft spot of the zone, often creating just enough separation between him and the defender for the quarterback to sneak the ball in for a completion. ... What separates Diggs from some of the NFL’s other route technicians are his explosiveness and ball skills. He’s able to deceive cornerbacks not just with his footwork, but also when he flashes his hands to catch the ball. If a defender is face-guarding him or attempting to chase him down, Diggs will wait until the last possible second to open his arms and receive the ball. That small detail prevents defenders from causing last-ditch pass breakups. Diggs can also routinely adjust his body to catch a pass, even stopping his momentum entirely to lean back and make a catch near the ground. That skill is important in contested-catch situations. Additionally, Diggs uses his 10-inch hands to pluck the ball out of the air away from his frame. Even at 6 feet, he’s one of the better receivers in the NFL at absorbing contact from a big hit and hanging on to the ball. He also doesn’t shy away from the tougher routes over the middle of the field, ... What are Diggs’ weaknesses? Most of Diggs’ weaknesses are minor but worth mentioning for how the Bills will have to acclimate him to their offense. There are times, for example, when Diggs will take a non-traditional path on his route to attempt to deceive the cornerback in front of him. The additional steps can also deceive his quarterback at times. If the passer is trying to hit Diggs with anticipation on an intermediate route, the extra steps can cue the quarterback and lead to an errant throw. The quarterback must study and know Diggs’ movements well, but some of those mistakes will be unavoidable. ... After going three straight seasons without a fumble, Diggs fumbled four times last year, losing three of them. The Bills will hope those ball security issues were an anomaly. ... Diggs also offers little as a blocker on runs and screens. ... The final concern is with his body language after plays he isn’t happy with. There are some examples in the film of Diggs working open, not getting the ball and expressing his frustration on the field for all to see. It likely stems from his passion and wanting to have a big impact on the game, but it’s a trait the Bills will have to monitor, especially with a young quarterback. Why Diggs is a perfect fit for Allen’s skill set ... When Allen was at his best in 2019, he was targeting the intermediate areas of the field. The Bills saw Allen grow the most with his accuracy on throws up to 20 yards, when he took the greatest advantage of his throwing power. Now he has Diggs, one of the top intermediate route runners in the league. The cushion Diggs provides on his routes will be integral for Allen, who doesn’t always anticipate his throwing windows. ... One of Allen’s redeeming qualities is his ability to keep those plays alive while holding his eyes down the field. Diggs will come in handy in those sandlot moments; when a play breaks down, as the film showed, he works hard to get back to the ball. Diggs can position himself with room away from defenders to give the quarterback a secure throwing window. ... Three areas where Allen needs to improve, the Bills hope Diggs can help. First, Allen needs to become more consistent at throwing with anticipation, against both zone and man coverage. Some of the routes Diggs runs, especially to the sidelines, require an anticipatory throw Against zone coverage, Diggs takes subtle steps to create separation before he enters the throwing window, which means the quarterback must spot it and throw him open. That leads into Allen’s second area of improvement, which is getting better against zone coverage. Learning to exploit those windows with Diggs will challenge the defense and might force them out of zone coverage. Lastly, Allen’s struggles on deep throws were well-documented last season. The Bills hope that Diggs’ unique skills on deep routes will help Allen connect on more of them, build his confidence and change how teams defend them. 6 4
Mat68 Posted March 23, 2020 Posted March 23, 2020 Diggs is as perfect pairing for the offense and Allen. With the NE principles that made Welker and Edleman famous, Diggs will be given freedom on jerk routes to get open. Beasley did non conventional moves to get open amd Allen found him alot. With Allens arm strength he can allow some freedom to Diggs and throw it to a spot. Diggs is also tops in the league since he entered in deep ball efficency. Having an elite deep threat is something Allen has always needed to stretch the whole fieild. Diggs moves all the other passing options down to an ideal position. Brown as the secondary option, Cole third and Knox forth really allows them to flurish with less attention. 1 1
DJB Posted March 23, 2020 Posted March 23, 2020 (edited) Here for those that want to watch for themselves (all targets not snaps) Edited March 23, 2020 by DJB 3 1
TigerJ Posted March 23, 2020 Posted March 23, 2020 "There are times, for example, when Diggs will take a non-traditional path on his route to attempt to deceive the cornerback in front of him. The additional steps can also deceive his quarterback at times. If the passer is trying to hit Diggs with anticipation on an intermediate route, the extra steps can cue the quarterback and lead to an errant throw. " Shades of Stevie Johnson! The difference is Diggs is also a lot more athletic. 1 1
transplantbillsfan Posted March 23, 2020 Author Posted March 23, 2020 2 hours ago, Mat68 said: Diggs is as perfect pairing for the offense and Allen. With the NE principles that made Welker and Edleman famous, Diggs will be given freedom on jerk routes to get open. Beasley did non conventional moves to get open amd Allen found him alot. With Allens arm strength he can allow some freedom to Diggs and throw it to a spot. Diggs is also tops in the league since he entered in deep ball efficency. Having an elite deep threat is something Allen has always needed to stretch the whole fieild. Diggs moves all the other passing options down to an ideal position. Brown as the secondary option, Cole third and Knox forth really allows them to flurish with less attention. Yeah what encourages me especially is his ability to make difficult catches, create separation and to do well getting open for his QB after the pocket breaks down. Bodes well for Allen! 1
Buffalo Barbarian Posted March 23, 2020 Posted March 23, 2020 After reading that i feel better about him, he reminds me of a much better version of Stevie Johnson. The bad body language is a concern hopefully they can process that out of him. 1
1st Ammendment NoMas Posted March 23, 2020 Posted March 23, 2020 (edited) Thanks for posting. I always liked Diggs and thought he made Thielen a better receiver. Watch how much Brown and Beasley get open because of him. I am very glad you posted and started a new thread. After 20-30 pages of a thread it gets to be a lot to cover and by the time it hits 50-60+, I rarely sift through it all to find the nuggets of good info, especially if I come back a day later and the thread spreads like a.... I won't go there. Edited March 23, 2020 by BillsRdue 1
maryland-bills-fan Posted March 23, 2020 Posted March 23, 2020 Looking good. Better than a top 15 draft pick. 1
Niagara Bill Posted March 23, 2020 Posted March 23, 2020 IMHO the biggest concern with Diggs is personality. He and Cousins had conflicts that carried onto the field and spread to the coaches and game plan. Josh has demonstrate his leadership on the field. He has taken control of the huddle. His strength of personality shows in his comeback mentality. Can or will Diggs allow himself to slip into the team, or will he react like in Minny when things get tough? I want his fire, not his conflict. 1
jdonley1180 Posted March 23, 2020 Posted March 23, 2020 Cousins isn't very good at throwing to a spot is he? For all the off coverage Diggs sees, his YAC could have been through the roof if Cousins would have let some of those short throws go before Diggs was out of his break. The attitude is worrisome, I wonder if Allen has the thick skin to deal with a "i want the ball everyplay" type of WR. I don't know if Cousins makes poor decision or if he was just trying to feed the Beast (Diggs), so he didn't have to hear it anymore in the huddle, but some of those throws across the middle when Diggs threw his "i'm open" hand up he definitely was not and Cousins threw it anyway. In any case Diggs ability to separate looks ELITE, and he is definitely a home run threat whenever he is on the field.
eball Posted March 23, 2020 Posted March 23, 2020 I believe the potential "personality" problem some are fearing with Diggs is really overblown. Name one superstar receiver who doesn't always want the ball? I don't know what sort of locker room culture there was in Minnesota but we know what sort of room the Bills have. We also know that Allen is a guy his teammates love. 1
transplantbillsfan Posted March 23, 2020 Author Posted March 23, 2020 14 hours ago, BillsRdue said: Thanks for posting. I always liked Diggs and thought he made Thielen a better receiver. Watch how much Brown and Beasley get open because of him. I am very glad you posted and started a new thread. After 20-30 pages of a thread it gets to be a lot to cover and by the time it hits 50-60+, I rarely sift through it all to find the nuggets of good info, especially if I come back a day later and the thread spreads like a.... I won't go there. Okay so it was posted in that thread??? My bad...
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