The Athletic Article: Daboll and Allen

[WideNine]

1 hour ago, mabden said:

 "When he does miss, he misses by a lot, and it can be jarring to see at times and affects people’s perception of him When he does miss, he misses by a lot, and it can be jarring to see at times and affects people’s perception of him"

 

BS.  I have seen Peyton Manning throw ducks in the dirt.  Same with about any other QB in the NFL.

 

The QB lens is different for Allen than for other QBs and will be till it isn't. He came out of a small program as a raw project.

 

He is polarizing because so many fans of the game have an opinion about him. He's trash and will never get better, he needs to correct this or that, he just needs time, he is what he is and is spinning his wheels, etc. 

 

I have never personally seen this level of forensic scrutiny for any QB in the NFL before. I am guilty of the same thing.

 

Allen was very efficient with the ball last year after the NE game. The long ball was the only consistent area off and those made up about 2-3 passes a game.

 

He devoted himself to playing a much more controlled and turnover-free game, leaning on our defense. 

 

I think he was still holding the ball too long trying to be sure he was seeing the right thing and making the right throw. This led to the more inaccurate fastballs to his receivers that were off-platform and lacked anticipation. He would also uncork those long balls long and on a rope settling for just backing defenses up.

 

He was so risk-adverse on throws he made them difficult catches for our receivers and safely-impossible catches for defenders.

 

Its all part of his growth mindset. Now he is more confident reading the coverages and can better identify safety help over top.

 

He is letting it rip all over the field with touch and anticipation getting properly set and trusting his eyes and decisions that his receiver is going to have the best odds of hauling it in.

 

He will still have up and down games, but it is clear that he is learning and applying what he has learned.

 

 

 

 

 

[GoBills808]

2 minutes ago, Mango said:

 

I agree with this. I will add, that Josh can also be either hot or cold. He has a tendency to hit a few wow plays, then miss a bunch of throws that he either didn't deliver a good ball, or didn't see initially. The issue/complaints with Josh has always been constancy, not whether he could or could not make throws, reads etc. 

He has been very consistent so far this year. He has taken a large leap than I thought he would in year 3. It has been great to see!

 

 

Revisionist history. They said he was inconsistent, yes, but they also said he didn't have the tools to be a great QB. They said he was just a big arm and used the occasional misfire as proof. 

[Mango]

2 minutes ago, WideNine said:

 

The QB lens is different for Allen than for other QBs and will be till it isn't. He came out of a small program as a raw project.

 

He is polarizing because so many fans of the game have an opinion about him. He's trash and will never get better, he needs to correct this or that, he just needs time, he is what he is and is spinning his wheels, etc. 

 

I have never personally seen this level of forensic scrutiny for any QB in the NFL before. I am guilty of the same thing.

 

Allen was very efficient with the ball last year after the NE game. The long ball was the only consistent area off and those made up about 2-3 passes a game.

 

He devoted himself to playing a much more controlled and turnover-free game, leaning on our defense. 

 

I think he was still holding the ball too long trying to be sure he was seeing the right thing and making the right throw. This led to the more inaccurate fastballs to his receivers that were off-platform and lacked anticipation. He would also uncork those long balls long and on a rope settling for just backing defenses up.

 

He was so risk-adverse on throws he made them difficult catches for our receivers and safely-impossible catches for defenders.

 

Its all part of his growth mindset. Now he is more confident reading the coverages and can better identify safety help over top.

 

He is letting it rip all over the field with touch and anticipation getting properly set and trusting his eyes and decisions that his receiver is going to have the best odds of hauling it in.

 

He will still have up and down games, but it is clear that he is learning and applying what he has learned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the bolded point. I think part of that might be because he is our QB so we just have more discussion over it and pay more attention when national pundits mention his name. I would guess guys like Trubisky, Wentz, Sanchez, have all had long threads on their own boards about similar things. 

[Buffalo Boy]

1 hour ago, Shaw66 said:

The more I read about the Dolphins, the more worried I get.   It seems like the Dolphins pass defense schemes were very predictable, executed poorly, and played to Allen's strengths.  Add to that, the Dolphins pass rush was anemic.  That's what added up to Allen's great day. 

 

We'll see what happens when they play tougher opponents, starting this week. 

    I get this point of view. But, good that Josh got some easy outs to get his timing down and his confidence up.

     He hit some sweet passes last year against NE and Baltimore that were flat out dropped. Same thing with the Houston game. The kid is progressing but is nowhere near a finished project. 
     With Allen’s selfless work ethic and desire to improve, imagine where this kid will be in a year or two. 

[Alphadawg7]

2 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

The more I read about the Dolphins, the more worried I get.   It seems like the Dolphins pass defense schemes were very predictable, executed poorly, and played to Allen's strengths.  Add to that, the Dolphins pass rush was anemic.  That's what added up to Allen's great day. 

 

We'll see what happens when they play tougher opponents, starting this week. 

 

What is it about it that makes you "worried"?  I don't get that.  If you want to be cautiously optimistic, fine.  But why worried?  Doesnt matter the opponent, those passes Allen threw were pin point accurate and beauties.  These are passes deep he missed last year.  He in 2 weeks has shown a SUBSTANTIAL improvement in anticipation throws.  So regardless of the opponent, he STILL hit those passes.  Not to mention, Miami held NE pass attack in check, while a SB contender got lit up the next week at home by the same NE team.  

 

Nobody was calling the Miami defense terrible after week 1...but Allen lights them up, suddenly they are treated like the worst defense in the NFL.  Its not like our guys were just wide open and Allen was playing catch out there.  There were so many remarkable throws that only get completed with accuracy and timing and anticipation.  

 

Does it mean Allen will light every defense up every week.  No, but this narrative to be worried about Allen still because the perceived opponent was weak is being exaggerated.  

[HappyDays]

2 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

It seems like the Dolphins pass defense schemes were very predictable, executed poorly, and played to Allen's strengths.

 

Last year man coverage was actually a weakness, partly due to Allen and partly because our WRs couldn't separate. He was already playing well against zone coverage. The Dolphins secondary isn't elite by any stretch of the imagination but they have talented players back there. The difference is this year Allen is throwing with more anticipation and hitting deep throws, and thanks to Diggs we can now separate against man coverage. The one thing I am still a little concerned about is Allen's ability to hit his hot read on zero blitzes, I don't think the Dolphins tested him.

[Mango]

6 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

Revisionist history. They said he was inconsistent, yes, but they also said he didn't have the tools to be a great QB. They said he was just a big arm and used the occasional misfire as proof. 

 

I guess I can only speak for myself. But that has largely been my gripe, not that he could not, but he has not and  has been more than the "occasional" miss fire or misread. He has always had the tools. He has a cannon attached to his shoulder where an arm should be. He is big and strong. He has some wheels. A tenacious runner. A great work ethic and tremendous leader. 

[GoBills808]

1 minute ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

What is it about it that makes you "worried"?  I don't get that.  If you want to be cautiously optimistic, fine.  But why worried?  Doesnt matter the opponent, those passes Allen threw were pin point accurate and beauties.  These are passes deep he missed last year.  He in 2 weeks has shown a SUBSTANTIAL improvement in anticipation throws.  So regardless of the opponent, he STILL hit those passes.  Not to mention, Miami held NE pass attack in check, while a SB contender got lit up the next week at home by the same NE team.  

 

Nobody was calling the Miami defense terrible after week 1...but Allen lights them up, suddenly they are treated like the worst defense in the NFL.  Its not like our guys were just wide open and Allen was playing catch out there.  There were so many remarkable throws that only get completed with accuracy and timing and anticipation.  

 

Does it mean Allen will light every defense up every week.  No, but this narrative to be worried about Allen still because the perceived opponent was weak is being exaggerated.  

Correct. In fact, going into the Buffalo game people would have said the strength of the Dolphins team was their defense and in particular their secondary against the pass.

[WideNine]

4 minutes ago, Mango said:

 

To the bolded point. I think part of that might be because he is our QB so we just have more discussion over it and pay more attention when national pundits mention his name. I would guess guys like Trubisky, Wentz, Sanchez, have all had long threads on their own boards about similar things. 

 

Certainly possible or probable it is because we are tuned in more to our QB.

 

I just don't recall a qb that seemed to generate the churn of Allen on syndicated sports media shows and publications that has persisted so long.

 

And it is not like he tries to court controversy like Mayfield...he is just working on his craft.

 

Still, it could just be my hightened perception regarding the stale draft analysis narratives and PFF takes that seem to resist revision.

 

 

 

 

 

[IgotBILLStopay]

2 hours ago, ganesh said:

may be we should credit our OL for pass protection,

Spain needs to shape up a bit, but the others have been fabulous so far. And despite the Jets' woes on the offensive side, they are / were a very decent defense with a stout front line.

[IgotBILLStopay]

3 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

The more I read about the Dolphins, the more worried I get.   It seems like the Dolphins pass defense schemes were very predictable, executed poorly, and played to Allen's strengths.  Add to that, the Dolphins pass rush was anemic.  That's what added up to Allen's great day. 

 

We'll see what happens when they play tougher opponents, starting this week. 

That is the national narrative. Why cant these guys come out and admit the Bills offense did well? Bills rack up yards and TDs, why does it have to be that the opponent did badly? As you say, time will tell. If we do well against the Rams, will it be about our great offense or their bad defense? 

 

Miami had a completely different scheme after watching the Bills offense carve up the jets in the first half of game 1.  And yet, Daboll adjusted to the new scheme and devised all those great crossing routes and the offense did not miss a beat. I guess our 17 year drought has made losing to the Bills viewed like the Globetrotters losing to the Generals.