It's not just Allen under the microscope this year, so is Daboll

[Phil The Thrill]

7 minutes ago, Happy Gilmore said:

 

At the least, I think we can agree that Daboll is under the microscope right now, as well he should be.  McD's second OC in four years.

 

If it gets to the point that a vet FA QB is brought in to compete with Josh in two or whatever years, McD and Beane are in trouble, as well.  Trading up for a QB is not a decision that can be hid, or trading up for a RT for that matter.  There are things they have done right, but also enough they have done wrong.

In general terms, you might be correct.  Missing on a highly drafted QB is enough to get a coach or GM fired.  But you have to consider the context in Buffalo.

 

- McDermott changed the culture at OBD

- Beane has built a successful competitive roster

- The Bills made the playoffs 2 out of their first 3 years after going decades without

- The Bills org is starting to develop a good reputation 

- the approval of the fan base/players

- The Pegula’s history of failed coaches/leaders and their desire to keep one of the few successful hires in place.

 

McDermott and Beane are a LOT safer than most coach/GM combos would be in this situation.  I have no doubt that they can survive if Allen does not develop the way they had planned.   
 

There’s no doubt they treat Allen like Chicago is treating Trubisky after year 3.

[Mango]

11 hours ago, 32ABBA said:

Josh Allen is here to stay. 

 

If he doesn't develop into some kind of superstar, or whatever this "leap" I keep hearing that he needs to make is, they will instead change the emphasis of the offensive strategy to suit whatever they think he is capable of, rely more on the running game, and probably start emphasizing defense strategically and in the draft.

 

 

He isn't going anywhere for a long while. He is the guy.

 

 

 

 

I would expand on this and say Allen is not going anywhere until his 5th year option at the earliest. Allen would have to regress quite a bit for them to keep Daboll and move on from Allen before that. That said IF Allen does not show more growth this year or remains flat, the short term move is probably going to be to bring in a new OC for year 4 and 5. 

[Cripple Creek]

2 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said:

I should clarify.... I meant he’ll be extended for a 5th season.  Not a new $30M L/t contract.  
 

I don’t buy that it’s all on Daboll however.  Allen is still a question mark as well.  If the Bills have a bad year I can see Daboll getting fired but I think the Bills will start bringing in completion for Allen.  So he’s not entirely safe

That's why I said "it's not just Allen who has all the weapons necessary." The pressure is on and neither has excuses left.

[Big Gun]

5 hours ago, Bangarang said:

No more excuses for either Daboll or Josh. It’s time to take a seat at the big boy table. 

I guess 10-6 and the playoffs is still at the kiddie table huh? Does the rest of the league eat off the floor? Geez!

[Phil The Thrill]

21 minutes ago, pop gun said:

I guess 10-6 and the playoffs is still at the kiddie table huh? Does the rest of the league eat off the floor? Geez!

No but I know what he means.  Josh could be very inconsistent last season.  While he made improvements and had plenty of good moments, he also struggled and hurt the team with poor play - specifically in the 2nd half of playoff game.  
 

I think he means, we need Josh to step up in the way other QB’s in this league have.  It’s a fair point 

4 hours ago, Bangarang said:

He may stick around for his entire rookie contract just like Mariota and Winston but if he doesn’t elevate his game then I doubt BB and McD are going to sit patiently and pretend that he’s good enough.

I don’t understand why people assume that Josh has done enough to warrant a 2nd contract after finishing only his second season.  
 

Like you said, there are plenty of examples where Beane and McDermott have made a tough decision in the interest of their team.  They won’t hesitate to move on, it things go south 

[Nihilarian]

11 hours ago, Inigo Montoya said:

Everyone knows that Josh Allen needs to take another big step forward this year.  It is his third year in the same offense,  he should enjoy better O-Line play, and he will have more weapons to get the ball to this year.  If he isn't able to take a step forward this year, then we are probably looking at his ceiling and I don't think we win a Super Bowl with him under center.

 

The same thing can be said about Brian Daboll.  The offense has been the anchor around the neck of this franchise the last couple seasons.  Not all of it is Daboll's fault, the offensive cupboard was pretty bare when Daboll arrived.  That's not the case anymore.  With the offensive continuity and the players that Beane has given him, the pressure is squarely on Daboll to produce a much better offense.  He is out of excuses this year,  just like Josh Allen.

 

I think Daboll's biggest problem is that he just seems to outsmart himself at times. This year there should be no excuses for Lee "False Start" Smith being on the field, or DiMarco running routes 20+ yards down field, or Singletary disappearing for huge stretches of games when he is running effectively, or Cole Beasley disappearing for entire halves of games. 

 

Daboll needs to find his groove this year and this offense needs to finally start scoring some points. Barring catastrophic injuries, he has no more excuses, the cupboard is full of talent.  Now Daboll needs to get that talent to execute.  I don't think Beane and McDermott bring him back for a year four if he doesn't get the job done this year.

 

 

Man, well said.

 

I can't emphasize enough how crucial it is having a top offensive coordinator in building a top offense. Daboll did some really good things last season and like you stated in outsmarting himself and at other times just went into a daze on how to beat certain teams. 

 

The 2019 Buffalo Bills had a really really weak schedule in facing bad teams in the division 2x, 7-9 Jets, 5-11 Dolphins, and other bad teams 2-14 Bengals, 6-10 Browns, 8-8 Steelers, 3-13 Redskins, 4-12 Giants, 8-8 Cowboys, 7-9 Broncos.

 

Now look at the teams they lost to 12-4 Patriots 2x, 9-7 Eagles, 6-10 Browns, 14-2 Ravens, 10-6 Texans in the playoffs.

 

The Eagles game stands out to me as the Bills were dominated on both sides on the lines in that 31 to 16 loss, the Bills never had a chance as the Eggles ran the ball down the bills throats 41 rushes for 218 yards, 3 rushing TDs. The Bills defense inability to stop the run along with the inability to run the ball is why they lost...Singletary with only 3 rushes for 19 yards! One of those games in which Daboll had his head firmly stuck up his posterior.  Allen took 4 sacks, 9 QB hits and was under tremendous pressure all game and yet played well considering the line failed him. 

 

The Ravens game, the Bills had a Thurs night game against Dallas so they had extra time to prepare for Baltimore. And yet the Bills offense fell so hard on its face that it looked like someone putting their face under a forge hammer! The Ravens defense didn't have a dominant pass rusher so they blitz 50% of the time to counter that. The Bills OC had to know this, had to see this and should have had multiple plans to counter all that blitzing. Instead, Daboll called for 4-5 deep passes to beat that cover zero blitz...and when Allen missed on those deep passes the Ravens stepped up their blitzing to 65% plus! 

 

Devin Singletary, 17 rushes for 89 yards a 5.2 YPC avg and 6 receptions for 29 yards. This was a player the Ravens couldn't stop and by running the ball it would have taken away their constant QB blitzing. Instead Allen 39 passing attempts, 6 sacks, 12 QB hits under constant pressure every drop back! This is more than an OC outsmarting himself! This was downright moronic to see how much pressure Allen was under and keep calling for pass plays. Stupid is as stupid does...  Frank Gore was useless in this game, but Singletary was tearing it up and should have seen the ball 30 plus times. Motor was underutilized again with Daboll so narrow mindlessly focused on passing the ball.

 

The Browns, This was a game in which Brian Daboll was outsmarted by a now fired HC in Freddy Kitchens. In week 10 one of the top pass rushers, sack leaders in the league this season was Browns DE Myles Garrett. The Bills were playing the 3-6 Browns in Cleveland and that point in time the only thing the Browns had going for them was that pass rush by Garrett. 

 

The Bills game plan should have been mostly running the ball to keep the Browns pass rush in check and Singletary underutilized 8 rushes for 42 yards a 5.3 YPC avg. Meanwhile Allen was asked to throw 41 times...why? After the game Daboll gave the excuse that the Browns were stacking the box against the run! Which was pure bullcrap because when you look at the game log Singletary 1st qtr 4 yards, 2nd qtr 9 yards, 8 yards, 3rd qtr 1 yard, 10 yards, 4 yards, 5 yards, 6 yards. Singletary didn't even touch the ball in the 4th quarter?  Yes, Frank Gore sucked again and you have to ask why is he even seeing a hand-off,  5 rushes, 12 yards a 2.4 ypc avg. 

 

The Texans playoff game. Even with a lead for most of the game this OC had Singletary 13 rushes for 58 yards a 4.5 ypc avg and Gore saw 8 carries for 22 yards a 2.8 ypc avg. With Josh Allen being the leading rusher 9 carries, 92 yards a 10.2 ypc avg along with Allen throwing 46 times!

 

Big difference between saying that Daboll outsmarting himself with bad game calls and him being a complete moron with bad game plans. Even when he sees that throwing the ball isn't working and the run game is working with a particular RB, he keeps calling pass plays? 

 

Like with the Nathan Peterman debacle in which this OC couldn't see which is the better QB before the regular season. This OC doesn't see when a RB has hit the wall and just keeps using him when there is nearly nothing left. Frank Gore was basically useless for the second half of last season and yet saw the ball more than he should have.  

 

Now, think back to when Chan Gailey had a burnt out journeyman QB behind center and ran five WR sets with a 7th round draft pick at WR. Now THAT receiver corps really sucked and yet Gailey managed to get those guys to a #14 in points, #14 in yards. The 2019 Buffalo Bills had a much better offensive cast and this OC couldn't  get them better than #23rd and #24th. Brian Daboll should have been held accountable after least season. The way this OC leaves the QB to hang out to dry so often and abandons the run game is a big reason as to why he should have been replaced this off season. JMO

 

 

[Bangarang]

46 minutes ago, pop gun said:

I guess 10-6 and the playoffs is still at the kiddie table huh? Does the rest of the league eat off the floor? Geez!

My comment was clearly directed towards Allen and the offense. 
 

People can flash the record all they want but the reality is we had a soft schedule and were carried by the defense. We scored 19.6 points per game which obviously isn’t good. The HC and GM both acknowledge that the offense needs to score more points so clearly they aren’t just flashing the record from last year around and pretend everything is just fine. 
 

Is the goal not to beat good teams and compete for a championship? Logic says we’re going to need to score more points if we want to do that.

[Phil The Thrill]

21 minutes ago, Nihilarian said:

Man, well said.

 

I can't emphasize enough how crucial it is having a top offensive coordinator in building a top offense. Daboll did some really good things last season and like you stated in outsmarting himself and at other times just went into a daze on how to beat certain teams. 

 

The 2019 Buffalo Bills had a really really weak schedule in facing bad teams in the division 2x, 7-9 Jets, 5-11 Dolphins, and other bad teams 2-14 Bengals, 6-10 Browns, 8-8 Steelers, 3-13 Redskins, 4-12 Giants, 8-8 Cowboys, 7-9 Broncos.

 

Now look at the teams they lost to 12-4 Patriots 2x, 9-7 Eagles, 6-10 Browns, 14-2 Ravens, 10-6 Texans in the playoffs.

 

The Eagles game stands out to me as the Bills were dominated on both sides on the lines in that 31 to 16 loss, the Bills never had a chance as the Eggles ran the ball down the bills throats 41 rushes for 218 yards, 3 rushing TDs. The Bills defense inability to stop the run along with the inability to run the ball is why they lost...Singletary with only 3 rushes for 19 yards! One of those games in which Daboll had his head firmly stuck up his posterior.  Allen took 4 sacks, 9 QB hits and was under tremendous pressure all game and yet played well considering the line failed him. 

 

The Ravens game, the Bills had a Thurs night game against Dallas so they had extra time to prepare for Baltimore. And yet the Bills offense fell so hard on its face that it looked like someone putting their face under a forge hammer! The Ravens defense didn't have a dominant pass rusher so they blitz 50% of the time to counter that. The Bills OC had to know this, had to see this and should have had multiple plans to counter all that blitzing. Instead, Daboll called for 4-5 deep passes to beat that cover zero blitz...and when Allen missed on those deep passes the Ravens stepped up their blitzing to 65% plus! 

 

Devin Singletary, 17 rushes for 89 yards a 5.2 YPC avg and 6 receptions for 29 yards. This was a player the Ravens couldn't stop and by running the ball it would have taken away their constant QB blitzing. Instead Allen 39 passing attempts, 6 sacks, 12 QB hits under constant pressure every drop back! This is more than an OC outsmarting himself! This was downright moronic to see how much pressure Allen was under and keep calling for pass plays. Stupid is as stupid does...  Frank Gore was useless in this game, but Singletary was tearing it up and should have seen the ball 30 plus times. Motor was underutilized again with Daboll so narrow mindlessly focused on passing the ball.

 

The Browns, This was a game in which Brian Daboll was outsmarted by a now fired HC in Freddy Kitchens. In week 10 one of the top pass rushers, sack leaders in the league this season was Browns DE Myles Garrett. The Bills were playing the 3-6 Browns in Cleveland and that point in time the only thing the Browns had going for them was that pass rush by Garrett. 

 

The Bills game plan should have been mostly running the ball to keep the Browns pass rush in check and Singletary underutilized 8 rushes for 42 yards a 5.3 YPC avg. Meanwhile Allen was asked to throw 41 times...why? After the game Daboll gave the excuse that the Browns were stacking the box against the run! Which was pure bullcrap because when you look at the game log Singletary 1st qtr 4 yards, 2nd qtr 9 yards, 8 yards, 3rd qtr 1 yard, 10 yards, 4 yards, 5 yards, 6 yards. Singletary didn't even touch the ball in the 4th quarter?  Yes, Frank Gore sucked again and you have to ask why is he even seeing a hand-off,  5 rushes, 12 yards a 2.4 ypc avg. 

 

The Texans playoff game. Even with a lead for most of the game this OC had Singletary 13 rushes for 58 yards a 4.5 ypc avg and Gore saw 8 carries for 22 yards a 2.8 ypc avg. With Josh Allen being the leading rusher 9 carries, 92 yards a 10.2 ypc avg along with Allen throwing 46 times!

 

Big difference between saying that Daboll outsmarting himself with bad game calls and him being a complete moron with bad game plans. Even when he sees that throwing the ball isn't working and the run game is working with a particular RB, he keeps calling pass plays? 

 

Like with the Nathan Peterman debacle in which this OC couldn't see which is the better QB before the regular season. This OC doesn't see when a RB has hit the wall and just keeps using him when there is nearly nothing left. Frank Gore was basically useless for the second half of last season and yet saw the ball more than he should have.  

 

Now, think back to when Chan Gailey had a burnt out journeyman QB behind center and ran five WR sets with a 7th round draft pick at WR. Now THAT receiver corps really sucked and yet Gailey managed to get those guys to a #14 in points, #14 in yards. The 2019 Buffalo Bills had a much better offensive cast and this OC couldn't  get them better than #23rd and #24th. Brian Daboll should have been held accountable after least season. The way this OC leaves the QB to hang out to dry so often and abandons the run game is a big reason as to why he should have been replaced this off season. JMO

 

 

The problem here is that you are scapegoating Daboll and giving Allen a free pass.  This is what a lot of the Bills fan base who doesn’t want to blame Allen.  The Allen stans, as they say.

 

Could Daboll have been better.  Yes.  But ask any NFL analyst and the majority have said it was Allen’s performance that held back the Bills offense last year, more than coaching.

 

So in short, if Daboll goes down this season, Allen probably isn’t far behind.  It’s a huge year

[Nihilarian]

7 hours ago, BillsVet said:

Buffalo scored 21 or more points just 6 times out of 17 games with five of those performances coming against teams that drafted in the top 10.   

 

I want to see the HC get away from the keep-it-close mentality that depends on the defense showing up every week.  To win 10 or more games against this year's opponents it's going to take some weeks where Buffalo puts up 30.  And that might mean throwing it 40 times.

 

Teams that want to be strong defensively and conservative on offense have a ceiling that is around a 5 or 6 seed. 

 

It's going to take the HC changing his perspective and using newly acquired (Diggs) or hopefully improved weapons (Allen, Singletary, Knox) in the passing game.

Take a long hard look at the 2019 Minnesota Vikings, 49ers or Titans.

 

They often scored more than 30 points in games and didn't need to throw it 40 times. Point here is if your team is throwing 40 times its usually in a losing, catch up effort. I don't think there was a game in 2019 that the Vikings actually threw it 40 times or more.

 

The Vikings, Titans are teams that the Bills offensive game plan should follow in setting up the pass with a dominant rushing attack. That Titans game against the Patriots was one of my favorite games in the 2019 season. The Titans 40 rushes for 201 yards, 1 TD. Passing Tannehill,  9 of 16 for 76 yards.

 

The 13-3 New Orleans Saints have arguably the very best passing QB ever in Drew Brees and they were beaten in New Orleans by Minnesota running the ball 40 times for 136 yards. 

 

How did the 13-3 49ers beat the Vikings in a divisional playoff game. 47 rushes for 186 yards, 2 TDs. How did they beat the 14-4 Packers 42 rushes for 285 yards, 4 Tds. Jimmy G passing in that game 6 of 8 for 77 yards...the problem is that the 49ers looked like they had Daboll calling plays in the SB, as they didn't run as much and put the game on Jimmy G's shoulders...

 

So, the super bowl champs were the KC Chiefs and they have a prolific passing QB in Patrick Mahomes. The Buffalo Bills don't have Mahomes, they don't have Andy Reid calling plays, setting up the offensive game plan. The Bills also don't have TE Travis Kelce or WR Tyreek Hill.

 

Right now the best option for Buffalo is to setup their offense like the 49ers, Vikings, Titans. In 2019 when the Bills ran more than they threw they usually won that game. 

 

Nothing wrong with being a dominant running team as it should help Josh Allen develop into a top passing QB.

[Nihilarian]

1 hour ago, Phil The Thrill said:

The problem here is that you are scapegoating Daboll and giving Allen a free pass.  This is what a lot of the Bills fan base who doesn’t want to blame Allen.  The Allen stans, as they say.

 

Could Daboll have been better.  Yes.  But ask any NFL analyst and the majority have said it was Allen’s performance that held back the Bills offense last year, more than coaching.

 

So in short, if Daboll goes down this season, Allen probably isn’t far behind.  It’s a huge year

Re-read what I wrote. I never said anything about giving Allen a free pass. However, asking a young, inexperienced QB to face the onslaught of that ferocious Baltimore blitz was downright moronic. Especially when the run game with Singletary was working very well and the Ravens couldn't stop it. 

 

The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over when it isn't working. That is exactly what Brian Daboll did against the Ravens, the Browns, the Texans by asking Allen to throw so often when the run game was working. I don't think that there was an opponent that managed to stop Devin Singletary all season. So why not run more and throw less?
 

 

Go back and re-watch that Thanksgiving day game against the Dallas Cowboys to see how Josh Allen performs with a good complementary run game. 34 rushes for 124 yards by Buffalo and Allen had the best game of his career. 20 of 25 for 231 yards, 1 TD with a 120.7 rate. 

 

The thing is, Bills OC Brian Daboll in his six seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator has NEVER fielded a passing offense better than 22nd in yards, 20th in points. Even Chan Gailey with a total crap roster on offense still managed to get to 14th in yards, points in 2011 with smoke and mirrors. 

 

Josh Allen is going into his third season as a starting QB. Daboll going into his 7th as an OC. With the talent on this offensive roster I think the onus is on the OC to develop that young QB and get that offense into the top 15. 

 

  

[GunnerBill]

The usual Daboll haters are out in force I see. The person to blame for out offensive ineptitude continues to be Brandon Beane. And don't take my word for it. Beane said it himself at his end of season press conference.

[DuckyBoys]

51 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

The usual Daboll haters are out in force I see. The person to blame for out offensive ineptitude continues to be Brandon Beane. And don't take my word for it. Beane said it himself at his end of season press conference.

 

Its a little bit of all three  .  I think Beane addressed the first issue with acquiring Diggs.  Just off that we should see more production.  Daboll did some good things but we also saw stretches of strange playcalls and he does have a problem with getting into his own head too much trying to be cute.  Josh needed to be better and I think he will with another year under his belt and the addition of Diggs and Moss.  I pray McDermott shows total confidence in Josh.  Please dont neuter Allen with "safe ball"

[Phil The Thrill]

S

1 hour ago, Nihilarian said:

Re-read what I wrote. I never said anything about giving Allen a free pass. However, asking a young, inexperienced QB to face the onslaught of that ferocious Baltimore blitz was downright moronic. Especially when the run game with Singletary was working very well and the Ravens couldn't stop it. 

 

The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over when it isn't working. That is exactly what Brian Daboll did against the Ravens, the Browns, the Texans by asking Allen to throw so often when the run game was working. I don't think that there was an opponent that managed to stop Devin Singletary all season. So why not run more and throw less?
 

 

Go back and re-watch that Thanksgiving day game against the Dallas Cowboys to see how Josh Allen performs with a good complementary run game. 34 rushes for 124 yards by Buffalo and Allen had the best game of his career. 20 of 25 for 231 yards, 1 TD with a 120.7 rate. 

 

The thing is, Bills OC Brian Daboll in his six seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator has NEVER fielded a passing offense better than 22nd in yards, 20th in points. Even Chan Gailey with a total crap roster on offense still managed to get to 14th in yards, points in 2011 with smoke and mirrors. 

 

Josh Allen is going into his third season as a starting QB. Daboll going into his 7th as an OC. With the talent on this offensive roster I think the onus is on the OC to develop that young QB and get that offense into the top 15. 

 

  

 

This is a weak argument which again, is designed to scapegoat and not to highlight some of the deficiencies in Allen’s game, which are great.

 

Say what you will about Daboll but he’s gotten moire out of Allen than a lot of people thought he would.   If you are happy with Allen so far as a QB, then Daboll deserves a lot of credit.  
 

Fans like you you want to blame Daboll for everything offensive related...but guess who didn’t - Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane.

 

The truth is, many of the “bad playcalls” that Bills fans love to hang on Daboll, were calls that Allen actually audibled into.  Again, trying to blame Daboll over Allen is futile.  Also some of the reasons certain play calls were made was because Allen struggled with reading defenses.

 

The truth is the lack of scoring on the Bills offense can probably attributed more to Allen than to Daboll.  
 

Whether you like it or not....that’s a #fact!

 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by Phil The Thrill

[Hampton Josh fan]

15 hours ago, 32ABBA said:

Josh Allen is here to stay. 

 

If he doesn't develop into some kind of superstar, or whatever this "leap" I keep hearing that he needs to make is, they will instead change the emphasis of the offensive strategy to suit whatever they think he is capable of, rely more on the running game, and probably start emphasizing defense strategically and in the draft.

 

 

He isn't going anywhere for a long while. He is the guy.

 

 

 

Excellent analysis, we can win the division and compete for the conference with what Josh was last year. With a representative receiving Corp, better o-line play and a defense that will control most games , Josh just has to limit turnovers and not try to do too much. Remember, this guy was thrown into starting right away and has slowly improved over 2 campaigns. Now, Beane has surrounded him with weapons and a dominant defense. Even Buffalo detractors know this team will be a force to be reckoned with. 

 

[ColoradoBills]

17 minutes ago, DuckyBoys said:

 

Its a little bit of all three  .  I think Beane addressed the first issue with acquiring Diggs.  Just off that we should see more production.  Daboll did some good things but we also saw stretches of strange playcalls and he does have a problem with getting into his own head too much trying to be cute.  Josh needed to be better and I think he will with another year under his belt and the addition of Diggs and Moss.  I pray McDermott shows total confidence in Josh.  Please dont neuter Allen with "safe ball"

 

Perfect observations and comments!  What is exciting for me is that a small improvement in all 3 plus the McDermott comment can yield

a huge improvement.  Everyone is looking for the one big thing that needs improving.  I agree with you, it's all of the above.

[BillsVet]

3 hours ago, Nihilarian said:

Take a long hard look at the 2019 Minnesota Vikings, 49ers or Titans.

 

They often scored more than 30 points in games and didn't need to throw it 40 times. Point here is if your team is throwing 40 times its usually in a losing, catch up effort. I don't think there was a game in 2019 that the Vikings actually threw it 40 times or more.

 

The Vikings, Titans are teams that the Bills offensive game plan should follow in setting up the pass with a dominant rushing attack. That Titans game against the Patriots was one of my favorite games in the 2019 season. The Titans 40 rushes for 201 yards, 1 TD. Passing Tannehill,  9 of 16 for 76 yards.

 

The 13-3 New Orleans Saints have arguably the very best passing QB ever in Drew Brees and they were beaten in New Orleans by Minnesota running the ball 40 times for 136 yards. 

 

How did the 13-3 49ers beat the Vikings in a divisional playoff game. 47 rushes for 186 yards, 2 TDs. How did they beat the 14-4 Packers 42 rushes for 285 yards, 4 Tds. Jimmy G passing in that game 6 of 8 for 77 yards...the problem is that the 49ers looked like they had Daboll calling plays in the SB, as they didn't run as much and put the game on Jimmy G's shoulders...

 

So, the super bowl champs were the KC Chiefs and they have a prolific passing QB in Patrick Mahomes. The Buffalo Bills don't have Mahomes, they don't have Andy Reid calling plays, setting up the offensive game plan. The Bills also don't have TE Travis Kelce or WR Tyreek Hill.

 

Right now the best option for Buffalo is to setup their offense like the 49ers, Vikings, Titans. In 2019 when the Bills ran more than they threw they usually won that game. 

 

Nothing wrong with being a dominant running team as it should help Josh Allen develop into a top passing QB.

 

My friend is a Vikings fan, so I hear all about the concerns he has with Zimmer trying to pair a strong defense with a run first offense.  Doesn't help that Cousins is limited in some respects.   Tennessee, from a team design standpoint, is still an outlier given their lack of results of multiple seasons.  The point being, you're not riding Derrick Henry to playoff glory year after year the way a franchise QB that leading an ultra-productive offense can.  

 

Teams that try to balance out offense and defense end up running behind Kansas City in the AFC.  Tennessee had a good defense and they got 35 hung on them in the AFCCG.  San Francisco's defense broke down in the SB when they needed it most, albeit combined with an ineffective and uber-conservative offense late. 

 

I know many here want to latch onto the McDermott way, but if he doesn't begin prioritizing offensive production over his precious defense, Buffalo is topping out at a 5/6 seed or losing in the divisional round.  Buffalo has to figure out how to compete with the AFC's best if they're going to advance and win the SB.  That means beating KC.  

[Tipster19]

Good post. Here is what I have perceived so far with our OC, Josh and the offense overall. Daboll came in and in his exuberance he tries to incorporate a complex strategy that Josh is just not ready to be able to absorb, if ever. Daboll isn’t solely to blame, Allen at times tries too hard and doesn’t let others do their part as well. To say that this whole offense was/is a work in progress is not an over statement.  So when Daboll simplified the game plan the production/results started to go up. With Josh’s physical attributes and now more talent and continuing around him I believe all Daboll needs to do is KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid. 
 

on another note, one that I can’t and won’t forget or overlook. In that first game against New England, Allen seemed overwhelmed or putsch out or whatever you want to call it. As the game went on he calmed down and started playing football. My point is I wonder if they were ever to play in the Super Bowl this year or next, would Josh be able to handle it and be able to perform without having a meltdown? 

[DuckyBoys]

Honestly Daboll's job is to put the players on offense in the best situation.  I think he can be slow to adjust in games and seems to stick with things that are not working out of hubris or simple frustration.  That said the offense left a lot of points on the field  There were numerous times the play was there but the Bills just didn't make it.  Sometimes it was Josh and sometimes it was the supporting cast simply not being good enough to make plays that high power offenses make numerous times per game.   We dont have to worry about a out of gas Gore eating up carries.  They need to be much better on third down and in the red zone.  Adding Diggs and a young physical rb should help immensely.  I'm hoping someone steps up from the TE's  Maybe they taught Knox how to catch or Tyler Kroft finally stays healthy for more than five minutes

[Nihilarian]

3 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said:

This is a weak argument which again, is designed to scapegoat and not to highlight some of the deficiencies in Allen’s game, which are great.

 

Say what you will about Daboll but he’s gotten moire out of Allen than a lot of people thought he would.   If you are happy with Allen so far as a QB, then Daboll deserves a lot of credit.  
 

Fans like you you want to blame Daboll for everything offensive related...but guess who didn’t - Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane.

 

The truth is, many of the “bad playcalls” that Bills fans love to hang on Daboll, were calls that Allen actually audibled into.  Again, trying to blame Daboll over Allen is futile.  Also some of the reasons certain play calls were made was because Allen struggled with reading defenses.

 

The truth is the lack of scoring on the Bills offense can probably attributed more to Allen than to Daboll.  
 

Whether you like it or not....that’s a #fact!

First of all, how on earth is my argument weak when I point out in specific games in which the game day play calling wasn't working and yet the play caller kept calling for the same thing over and over?

 

(Its not like the Buffalo run game wasn't working at all or getting continuously stuffed at the line. When you have a running back that is averaging 5.1 yards per carry over the season (which BTW is what the Titans RB Derrick Henry averaged) In 2019 Henry got 303 carries for 1540 yards rushing, 16 TD's Meanwhile Singletary 151 carries for 775 yards, 2 rushing TDs.  I'd say Singletary was vastly underutilized all the 2019 season. 

Even Brandon Beane thinks Singletary can be the workhorse RB needed every down. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001108839/article/bills-gm-devin-singletary-can-be-workhorse-if-needed)

 

Second, how on earth do you KNOW whether a specific play call was an audible by the QB or a call by the OC? Does a second year inexperienced QB have the ability to call his own plays now? Or is it that he has the option to change the play at the LoS depending on what he sees the defense doing? I can tell you this, it is widely known that Daboll was helping Allen with those line play calls after he went up into the booth and would see what defense he was facing and direct him to make changes before the snap.  

 

The "truth", it might be what be what you envision... or it might be that like in that Ravens game in which Allen was under constant blitzing pressure to throw 39 times in getting sacked SIX times and hit TWELVE times and yet the Bills kept passing. DESPITE the FACT that both Brown and Beasley were covered like blankets!!! Go re-watch that game to see what I'm taking about! As it was, Allen only rushed 2 times for 9 yards the entire game...Why? Because that ferocious Ravens blitz was in his face every stinking play!

 

Yet, the Bills run game was working against the Ravens with Singletary gaining 5.2 yards per rush (.1 yard over his season average)! This game ended 17-24 and was very winnable had the Bills OC taken the load off 2nd year QB Josh Allen's young, inexperienced shoulders and ran the ball with Devin Singletary more often! 

 

 

 

P.S. I'm not hating on Brian Daboll by telling untruths or by calling him undue derogatory names. I'm merely pointing out the deficiencies in the game planning, play calling that would have helped the Buffalo Bills win games.

 

There is a very real reason as to why Bills GM Brandon Beane traded the 2020 #1 pick specifically for WR Stephon Diggs! Probably because he watched those games in which Bills WRs John Brown, Cole Beasley were covered, couldn't get any separation. However, Diggs has the ability to create a lot of separation at the top of a route, and when the ball is on target, his hands are as good as anyone's.

 

There is also a real reason why the Bills used a #3 pick and drafted a RB like Zack Moss, who is notably a workhorse and pile driver like RB Frank Gore was supposed to be the latter half of the 2019 season.

 

 

Lastly, I have no idea why you are defending an offensive coordinator who has never been a top offensive coach, never developed a rookie QB. Listen, this is the very same OC who thought Nathan Peterman should start the 2018 season, get all the pre season, training camp reps. Then throw the better rookie QB into the fire behind a very bad offensive line while asking that rookie QB to throw far more than he should have. That season the Bills run game stunk besides Allen. From my view this OC doesn't know sh!t about developing a rookie QB. Daboll's only claim to fame is his association with Patriots HC Bill Belichick and Alabama HC Nick Saban. Otherwise he hasn't proven anything at the NFL level as an offensive coordinator.

 

If anything, it's been Josh Allen who has made Brian Daboll look like a viable OC because of his pocket escape-ability, running ability along with a determination to win, the likes of which we haven't seen in Buffalo since QB Jim Kelly.

 

 

 

[BobbyC81]

On 4/27/2020 at 4:09 AM, TroutDog said:

It would be interesting if Daboll rolled with a simpler O a’la K gun. The weapons are now there. It seemed to work last year with the no-huddle and then, for an unknown reason, he stopped it. Weird. 
 

Not sure if I’m as high on the O line as you @Inigo Montoya  They’re certainly light years better than they were in ‘18 but still have some questions to answer. 
 

I have little doubt Josh will take another step as he has shown the ability during his rookie year (pre vs post injury) and then again in year two. Another step will happen and he is our QB. 

 

I wish we had detailed data as to what sacks and pass rush in backfield were totally the fault of the O-line.  I know Ford struggled a lot and maybe only Morse is above average but play calling and play design also have to be considered.

 

It drives me nuts when the Bills run an empty backfield on 3rd and 3.  First of all, you take away the unknown of pass vs run.  Second, if someone misses an assignment or just loses their battle, there’s no back to cover up. Now Singletary was a rookie and is small, but he likely wouldn’t be useless back there. Even a chip of the rusher before going out on a pattern would help.