Just gonna say it: Daboll’s worst game since the first half of the season

[DrPJax]

14 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Our running backs are not very good. They are both decent number 2s but neither is a guy I want to depend on when I gotta have a play.

I agree. Our biggest mistake and my big regret is taking epenesa over JJ DOBBINS in the second round. Just compare their playing time and production this year. We had a chance to get a 1 st round graded back who inexplicably fell. He has power , speed , can catch and is good at pass blocking. We needed to score more this year as our stated first priority by Beane. So we take a slower DE who dropped because of that fact with Our pick after we devoted several free agent acquisitions to bolster the d line and tied up huge cap space there. Results were average at best and our d line still could not even get a single sack against the most immobile QB we have seen. Couple that with an anemic run game all year, and I think we missed badly with our pick. 
 

Epenesa’s lack of impact and Beanes one draft questionable pick continues to be an issue as we go along. . We could be getting the same production from Murphy who languishes on on the inactive roster while accounting for a big cap hit. We settled for a true 3 rd round talent in Moss who made his yardage against college inferior talent. He flashes at times, does have good hands but is not consistently productive. Williams, an undrafted FA looked better in his one appearance hitting holes with more decisiveness, while showing good hands as well. Dobbins has 7 rushing tds which is probably more than our backs combined all while being  a second or third option in the Ravens run oriented offense. 
 

 Our backs lack of productivity also puts Allen more at risk for injury as he is our lone consistent runner. I hope we don’t play the Ravens and face Dobbins being a part of a game plan that might eliminate us as our D struggles with running game plans. We can stop one rb we focus on but then give up huge yardage to a second rb like happened today. I just think we passed on a guy who would be paying dividends in our offense while taking a project DE at a position we already were deep at. We only had motor and Yeldon on our roster as rbs at the pick and motor had shown he was unlikely to be a workhorse type back. Love Beane but wish we had that pick to do over. 

[DCOrange]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

We also don't know how they really felt about the health of Beasley and Diggs and that might play in. They obviously felt McKenzie was not right as he was barely on the field. We saw Beas walk off after one play like John Wayne he is clearly playing through the pain barrier. That is their three major short game weapons. I think there might have been some element of managing a beaten up receiving corps through the game.

 

Yeah, they obviously won't say anything about their health because they don't want to tip their hand, but you could pretty easily tell that Beasley was hurting out there. McKenzie obviously wasn't right like you said. Hard to say with Diggs, but this felt like a game where we were simply hoping to survive and advance and hopefully give the WRs another week to heal.

 

And as Wayne Cubed mentioned, it wasn't lost on me that we just kept chipping away with the QB draws and dump offs until they finally brought a safety up and then immediately burned them deep.

 

It was a frustrating gameplan but just further evidence that this offense is capable of adapting to what defenses take away. I wish we were better on the handoffs and it might come back to bite us at some point in this postseason, but I thought it was pretty promising that we were able to still put up points against a top notch defense that wasn't willing to let anyone get behind them, while having poor starting position, our most important non-QB guys hobbled, and a poor run game with the RBs.

 

The Colts also just thoroughly controlled the game with their offense for most of the day as the defense couldn't get a stop without the Colts making simple mistakes on their own.

[DCofNC]

18 hours ago, BillsEnthusiast said:

We need to give credit to Indy's defense. They're outstanding and stacked with talent. 

 

With that said, on one drive Daboll called three running plays that were exactly the same - halfback slam over the left side. That was confusing. 

This.  You were up against the 30th ranked pass D and you tried to force the run against a strong run D.  So basically you went your weakness vs their strength and did it repeatedly.  The minute they went to the pass, success.  It was damn near like he was trying to show his offense could run for his interviews and make it look as though he was the genius and Allen was the result of him, not the other way around.  
 

He better get his crap together for next week.

[Scott7975]

10 hours ago, HappyDays said:

I think Daboll is the main reason this game was so stressful. We had multiple chances to run away with it but he kept calling stupid drive killing plays that let the Colts hang around. The way you beat a strong running team is not with slow methodical drives that drain the clock with 2 yard runs. That's playing into what the Colts wanted. We should have been aggressive passing the ball and building a lead so big that running wasn't an option for them.

 

I just don't understand why he went away from our identity in this one. It's like he accidentally grabbed the 2019 playbook on the way to the game. Allen played great and we had our full complement of receivers for the first time in forever, yet we somehow ended up punting the ball more than any game since the bye. That's 100% on Daboll. I won't be unhappy to see him hired away this year.

 

I picked on Daboll all game.  My most hated play ever from him... the Colts best corner goes out for a play with an injury.  Instead of trying to take advantage of that, Daboll dials up a 3 yard run.  I just don't understand Daboll's madness sometimes. 

 

Also, I don't mind sprinkling in Josh runs here and there but they do it way too often.  Earlier in the season he did the same thing with the same bad results.  Thought he wouldn't go back to doing that.  Especially not in a playoff game.  It's like they went back to the same plan as the wildcard game last season after playing like KC the last month.  Stick with what got you here.  It got you here for a reason.  I only hope they go back to their identity for the rest of these game(s)

and to further that thought... He called 3 run plays in a row right at the strength of their defensive line.  WTF does that?

[HappyDays]

6 hours ago, Man with No Name said:

yup. our version of a run game should be short little swing passes into the flats. 

 

Exactly. On 7 targets to Singletary and Moss they had 7 catches for 49 yards. So 7 YPA and 100% completion. That's our run offense.

[LabattBlue]

I see that Daboll interviewed with the Jets today.  It makes you wonder how much of a distraction preparing for an interview would be with play calling in a playoff game the previous day?

[Nihilarian]

At this point Daboll might already have his bags packed and be thinking about his new team.

 

If I'm McD, I gotta wonder if it would be wise to let Allen view the field change the play if needed should Dumball show his face again this week.

[GunnerBill]

2 minutes ago, Nihilarian said:

At this point Daboll might already have his bags packed and be thinking about his new team.

 

If I'm McD, I gotta wonder if it would be wise to let Allen view the field change the play if needed should Dumball show his face again this week.

 

Allen changed plays this week.

[Man with No Name]

ZOOM or in person, playoff coaches should absolutely not be involved in interviews while their team is still alive. terrible rule change this year. 

Edited January 11, 2021 by Man with No Name

[LABILLBACKER]

16 hours ago, frogger said:

Not sure if this was brought up, honestly 10+ pages on Daboll in a win where we are not saying good things in truly the privilege of a very good team.

 

that said, all week we heard how this team wants him and he’s interviewing with this other team.  He may have been distracted. I expect a better game plan next week against Balt/Pitts.  The colts are a tough team.

He may have one foot out the door but he better finish what he started.

[Kenosha2Buffalo]

16 hours ago, Back2Buff said:

3:53 left in game, Buf on Indy 34 yard line, SIngletary just had nice run, Indy 1 TO left, Bass already made 54 yarder. 

 

Daboll goes 4 WR and 1 RB.  No extra protection.  This is inexcusable and has happened way too much this year.

 

Get this guy out of here.  Zero concept of game management.

 

Go crawl in a hole somewhere and root for someone else ... Our strength is our receivers and josh allen not the running backs.. we have 14 wins and one of them being a playoff victory ... THANKS to Daboll and the team... Troll

Edited January 11, 2021 by Kenosha2Buffalo

[WideNine]

On 1/9/2021 at 1:55 PM, GunnerBill said:

 

That is true and I give Daboll a bit of a pass for that. But the bizarre playcalling continued into the 2nd half.

 

There were some head-scratchers out there where we went away from things that were working at odd times in the game.

 

Also, I am ok with Allen on the QB-draws when they are focused on hemming him in on the edges and there is no one in front of him. I am fine with Allen running RPO plays or scrambling when nothing is there, but when I saw the Allen designed stretch play rear its head again after so many disasters running that last year I damn near choked.

 

I think some of it may have been Beasley being not at 100%, but I cannot fathom why McKenzie was not more involved then sharing snaps...

 

Want to see some film break down of what Indy was doing - they definitely kept a LB roaming the shallow middle of the field as a spy on Allen and to follow his eyes to take away the shorter stuff... Whenever Allen broke contain that guy closed in on him in a hurry.

 

 

 

[GunnerBill]

3 hours ago, WideNine said:

 

There were some head-scratchers out there where we went away from things that were working at odd times in the game.

 

Also, I am ok with Allen on the QB-draws when they are focused on hemming him in on the edges and there is no one in front of him. I am fine with Allen running RPO plays or scrambling when nothing is there, but when I saw the Allen designed stretch play rear its head again after so many disasters running that last year I damn near choked.

 

I think some of it may have been Beasley being not at 100%, but I cannot fathom why McKenzie was not more involved then sharing snaps...

 

Want to see some film break down of what Indy was doing - they definitely kept a LB roaming the shallow middle of the field as a spy on Allen and to follow his eyes to take away the shorter stuff... Whenever Allen broke contain that guy closed in on him in a hurry.

 

 

 

 

Agree on the QB runs..... on McKenzie he was hurt too on the injury report all week and barely practiced. Not an excuse but I do think some of the odd calls may have been trying to manage a beaten up receiving corps.