Who is the imposter in Brian Daboll's Body?

[Logic]

The Bills got out coached on both sides of the ball last night.

 

HOWEVER...

 

The execution was also lacking. Did you see the replays, time after time? Receivers were not separating. #17 was passing up checkdowns and short options repeatedly. Pass blocking was suspect.

 

It’s not entirely the Xs and Os, it was also the failure of the Willies and Joes.

Our quarterback, in particular, still has some growing to do.

Edited January 25, 2021 by Logic

[Beerball]

10 hours ago, Lieutenant Aldo Raine said:

I don't recognize this Brian Daboll offense this postseason as compared to the regular season.  The offense in my opinion looked relatively different as compared to the regular season.  The imagination appeared very vanilla, the jet sweeps were missing (except today when it was too late), and the red zone play calling left a lot to be desired.  I understand players have to execute, but I feel these playoff games were not Daboll at his best.  

How many times do you remember Allen (seemingly) changing plays at the line?  How many RPO’s did you see?

 

Allen had a very poor night except w his feet.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

2 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

There is plenty of blame to go around IMO. 

There's more to being vanilla or not than jet sweeps. 

 

I'm going to wait until I see the all-22 to put it so much on Daboll.  I thought his offensive play design in the Ravens game was actually very creative and effective.

 

There are still times when Josh doesn't make the right call or passes up a simple throw that would move the chains instead of taking what the defense gives him.

There are times when another player makes a mistake

Either our protection calls were screwed or we were just getting our asses whupped on the line

 

A factor that I don't know how to adjust for is officials allowing DBs to mug the WR in playoff games.  This was a factor in the TB/GB game as well.

 

It'd be like if they decided to just start calling all the offensive line holding penalties that they let teams get away with all season.  Complete 180 in officiating - Romo is saying that the coverage is sticky and i can see diggs and bease jerseys getting tugged all night long. 

[Nextmanup]

7 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said:

They played better teams.  The Bills were playing patsies down the stretch.  

 

Much better teams.

 

The offense and the passing game struggled in all 3 of our playoff games.

 

We need to look to those performances to find how to improve.

Not beating up on 6 win teams earlier in the year.

 

 

[Bills69]

IMHO this is on the Offense. We knew KC was going to score a LOT but we also thought that we would (could) keep up.... on the 4th down on the second quarter "regular season" Daboll would have run some sort of trick play.... The whole post season he did not have answers to what the other DCs were doing...this is troubling going into next season when everyone knows how the Bills play.

[WideNine]

Gotta admit, I felt like he was sticking to a very vanilla 11 personnel 2x2 package and for the most part motioning Knox and Singletary to help Allen diagnose coverages....

 

Not sure why, but perhaps he was trying to keep things more simple for Allen as KC was doing a lot of things to complicate and disguise their coverages and blitz packages.

 

We do have some predictable things we do, and a smart team may look at how we line up, motion, Josh calls protections, and then snaps the ball.

 

KC waited till he went through that familiar progression and before the snap, changed their defensive look. The Bills defense is known for that too, particularly our safeties.

 

It forced Allen to scramble to change protections and play calls and it got hurried and sloppy.

 

Hindsight being 20/20 there are times when your offense can be too predictable and reactive to defenses. We had that tendency teams could exploit..

 

The best strategy if we were not going to go with a lot if different personnel or alignments may have been to go 2 minute drill/no-huddle. Change our progession timing to force their defense into being simpler and more reactive.

 

Food for thought.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2021 by WideNine

[WEATHER DOT COM]

Execution was just as poor as coaching last night. 

 

It was a team loss.

 

Regroup and be prepared to be the 2021 NFL favorites.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

17 minutes ago, Logic said:

The Bills got out coached on both sides of the ball last night.

 

HOWEVER...

 

The execution was also lacking. Did you see the replays, time after time? Receivers were not separating. #17 was passing up checkdowns and short options repeatedly. Pass blocking was suspect.

 

It’s not entirely the Xs and Os, it was also the failure of the Willies and Joes.

Our quarterback, in particular, still has some growing to do.

 

I need to watch the game again to see, but Josh said in his post-game that he was pressing in the first half (meaning passing up checkdowns and short options).  I think he was expecting his receivers to separate, but they were being mugged all night and didn't/couldn't.

 

That's been his kryptonite, to not take the open checkdown.  I thought he'd gotten over it - he did it in the Steelers game and IIRC to some extent against the Chargers and Arizona, but it seems it's still his next mountain to climb.

[RoyBatty is alive]

10 hours ago, Aussie Joe said:

Something went off the rails with the O this post season and I’m not sure what it was 

 

I think it’s a little simplistic to blame Daboll although this may be a factor...

 

The OL struggled today  ...  do we blame Dabs for that? 
 

 

1) We are playing better competition.

2) The refs are reluctant to call penalties in the playoffs, so just like our Second Super Bowl versus the Redskins, pass defenders can play very, very physical with receivers and not get a penalty.

[Logic]

5 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I need to watch the game again to see, but Josh said in his post-game that he was pressing in the first half (meaning passing up checkdowns and short options).  I think he was expecting his receivers to separate, but they were being mugged all night and didn't/couldn't.

 

That's been his kryptonite, to not take the open checkdown.  I thought he'd gotten over it - he did it in the Steelers game and IIRC to some extent against the Chargers and Arizona, but it seems it's still his next mountain to climb.

I re-watched the Chiefs game from earlier in the season, and it was exactly the same story. The Chiefs essentially conceded all the short stuff entirely. They made the bet that Josh would stay too fixated on the intermediate to deep stuff for too long, and they were right -- both times. By the time he started using his outlets late in the second half, it was too late.

While Allen has made great improvements with regard to taking what the defense is giving him, it seems like he still has a tendency to revert to "doing too much" Josh, "Hero Ball" Josh, in certain big moments. When the Bills face good defenses but mediocre offenses, he seems quite willing to be patient, to take what's there. Whenever they face good offenses, where Josh knows that the Bills are going to have to keep pace offensively, he starts pressing too much. 

Perhaps it was the offensive efficacy of the opponent. Perhaps it was the enormity of the moment. Whatever it was, the guy we saw last night looked more like 2019 Josh than 2020 Josh to me. He'll learn, he'll improve. I just hope it's not always his fatal flaw.

6 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

1) We are playing better competition.

2) The refs are reluctant to call penalties in the playoffs, so just like our Second Super Bowl versus the Redskins, pass defenders can play very, very physical with receivers and not get a penalty.

I agree with this.

The combination of more physical coverage being allowed in the playoffs and most of our receiving corps being hobbled by injury led to a lack of separation all game which, coupled with a QB who was unwilling to check it down, led to offensive ineptitude. 

 

[Mr. WEO]

[Hapless Bills Fan]

9 minutes ago, Logic said:

I re-watched the Chiefs game from earlier in the season, and it was exactly the same story. The Chiefs essentially conceded all the short stuff entirely. They made the bet that Josh would stay too fixated on the intermediate to deep stuff for too long, and they were right -- both times. By the time he started using his outlets late in the second half, it was too late.

While Allen has made great improvements with regard to taking what the defense is giving him, it seems like he still has a tendency to revert to "doing too much" Josh, "Hero Ball" Josh, in certain big moments. When the Bills face good defenses but mediocre offenses, he seems quite willing to be patient, to take what's there. Whenever they face good offenses, where Josh knows that the Bills are going to have to keep pace offensively, he starts pressing too much. 

Perhaps it was the offensive efficacy of the opponent. Perhaps it was the enormity of the moment. Whatever it was, the guy we saw last night looked more like 2019 Josh than 2020 Josh to me. He'll learn, he'll improve. I just hope it's not always his fatal flaw.

I agree with this.

The combination of more physical coverage being allowed in the playoffs and most of our receiving corps being hobbled by injury led to a lack of separation all game which, coupled with a QB who was unwilling to check it down, led to offensive ineptitude. 

 

 

It would help if we had a run game we could count on at all, other than Josh.  It's really axiomatic, when a team has a known gap, the opponent can scheme better against their strengths.

 

But yes, when I suggested in Year 1 that RB in the flat and other checkdown options should be equipped with 6' orange fiberglass poles topped with fluttering flags so that Josh could better identify them, and in the AFC Championship game 3 years later I'm still seeing it,  it's (see what I did there) a flag.  But there have been lots of flags with Josh, and he's been year after year capturing those flags and moving on to the next.

 

I dislike the "deer in the headlights" "looked like 2019 Josh" blah blah takes.  They're a bit lame IMO.  Josh took his improved ability to read defenses and know where to go, and his improved accuracy, into the game.  He looked like a deer in the headlights sometimes because there wasn't a WR open when he expected one (muggings), or because he had checked to a Blitz0 beating play, and the defense dropped out or vice versa.  But part of the reason that worked, is because sometimes he passed up the easy yards on 1st and 2nd down.

 

From listening to his presser, Josh realizes that.  Part of went wrong for the Bills was failing to extend drives and keep KC's offense off the field, which was surely part of their plan.

 

For Josh so far, the next step from realizing something, is to figure out how to attack and improve it.  So we'll see.

 

Next Season!

 

 

[WideNine]

32 minutes ago, Logic said:

I re-watched the Chiefs game from earlier in the season, and it was exactly the same story. The Chiefs essentially conceded all the short stuff entirely. They made the bet that Josh would stay too fixated on the intermediate to deep stuff for too long, and they were right -- both times. By the time he started using his outlets late in the second half, it was too late.

While Allen has made great improvements with regard to taking what the defense is giving him, it seems like he still has a tendency to revert to "doing too much" Josh, "Hero Ball" Josh, in certain big moments. When the Bills face good defenses but mediocre offenses, he seems quite willing to be patient, to take what's there. Whenever they face good offenses, where Josh knows that the Bills are going to have to keep pace offensively, he starts pressing too much. 

Perhaps it was the offensive efficacy of the opponent. Perhaps it was the enormity of the moment. Whatever it was, the guy we saw last night looked more like 2019 Josh than 2020 Josh to me. He'll learn, he'll improve. I just hope it's not always his fatal flaw.

I agree with this.

The combination of more physical coverage being allowed in the playoffs and most of our receiving corps being hobbled by injury led to a lack of separation all game which, coupled with a QB who was unwilling to check it down, led to offensive ineptitude. 

 

 

I imagine having an arm like Allen's but being forced into check downs is like feeling the rumble of your 600HP engine as you are forced to limp along through never ending 20mph speed zones.

 

It will be the hardest thing for him to learn to do.

 

The Bills FO can help by getting more speed on the outside to carry safeties deep and open the middle a bit, but that what smoke and Beasley were for, but they were not at full speed.

 

Tough with all the injuries, but when you don't have the horses to go deep Allen has to take what he can shallow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dakrider]

Receivers weren't getting open very quickly and Allen really didn't have time to wait for them.  They needed more quick plays and they just weren't doing that.  
I think Allen's biggest mistakes in the game were running backwards when being sacked.  Don't run backwards 20 yards!  You take a step or two around but not running back like that.  There were some plays Allen had no time or options to do anything whereas Bills defense barely touched Mahomes and missed some great sacks.  The absolute worst play imo was the Singletary dropped pass.  A 5 year old would have caught that pass.  

Bills coaching staff didn't prepare them for the noise either. Played all year without any noise and was exactly what it looked like. 

The other poor part was the Bills inability to score TD's and instead settled for field goals.  They didn't have enough urgency and they should have gone for a couple of those 4th downs.   And on  defense, how was Kelce barely covered and open time and again.  Some plays he would float out there uncovered.  What did they think would happen?  With Hill is  a little different but Kelce is not Hill. 

[WideNine]

7 minutes ago, dakrider said:

Receivers weren't getting open very quickly and Allen really didn't have time to wait for them.  They needed more quick plays and they just weren't doing that.  
I think Allen's biggest mistakes in the game were running backwards when being sacked.  Don't run backwards 20 yards!  You take a step or two around but not running back like that.  There were some plays Allen had no time or options to do anything whereas Bills defense barely touched Mahomes and missed some great sacks.  The absolute worst play imo was the Singletary dropped pass.  A 5 year old would have caught that pass.  

Bills coaching staff didn't prepare them for the noise either. Played all year without any noise and was exactly what it looked like. 

The other poor part was the Bills inability to score TD's and instead settled for field goals.  They didn't have enough urgency and they should have gone for a couple of those 4th downs.   And on  defense, how was Kelce barely covered and open time and again.  Some plays he would float out there uncovered.  What did they think would happen?  With Hill is  a little different but Kelce is not Hill. 

 

Our defensive schemes do not take away TEs very well when we have to account for other receivers. Has been an open issue for two seasons. 

 

I think it is both scheme and personnel. We do not have that guy that can cover the more elite TEs in the league, and our soft zone just waves the white flag saying here's your 10 or more yards just don't beat us deep.

 

The slow death by a thousand cuts.

 

They have made adjustments and have done a better job stopping the run - especially on those stretch zone read runs that we were giving up on the edges earlier in the year. Stopping many for no gain or a loss.

 

Romo was right. If we are going to commit enough guys to the box to not get run on, and to try to get some.pass rush, then someone should have been hitting Kelci hard first to disrupt his timing/release/route.

 

It would also allow our coverage guys a bit more time to diagnose pass, and get into position to contest that short throw.

 

 

 

 

[Billsfan1972]

10 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said:

They played better teams.  The Bills were playing patsies down the stretch.  

 

Not on Defense.  KC is a middle of the road defense that frankly Cleveland was able to block (fumble out of the endzone was huge).  Baker was sacked once and I don't remember unrelenting pressure. 

 

The Buffalo defense is another story, but the Offense was suspect and Allen was under pressure. 

 

Seemed they read every play.  Won't be surprised if we hear that they knew the plays being called. 

[zow2]

With Daboll here and Allen throwing the ball all over the place, the Bills should be able to attract whatever burner WR's are out there on the market..

The offense can't be just Allen to Diggs next year.  If that's taken away,  we're dead. 

[prissythecat]

53 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Not on Defense.  KC is a middle of the road defense that frankly Cleveland was able to block (fumble out of the endzone was huge).  Baker was sacked once and I don't remember unrelenting pressure. 

 

The Buffalo defense is another story, but the Offense was suspect and Allen was under pressure. 

 

Seemed they read every play.  Won't be surprised if we hear that they knew the plays being called. 

 

A defense like KC's can look really good if they just have to focus on stopping one thing.   Thats why even Cowher remarked early on in playoffs that the Bills better figure out how to run the ball.  

[Billsfan1972]

28 minutes ago, prissythecat said:

 

A defense like KC's can look really good if they just have to focus on stopping one thing.   Thats why even Cowher remarked early on in playoffs that the Bills better figure out how to run the ball.  

Then Josh could have run for 150.....

[prissythecat]

5 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Then Josh could have run for 150.....

 

Thats brilliant.  They should have adopted your gameplan then lol.    

 

Incidentally,  Josh ran for 88 yards at over 12 yards a carry.   

Edited January 25, 2021 by prissythecat