What was the blocking scheme on this play?

[Rubes]

This is the TD play to Diggs last week. Great throw by Josh, nice pattern and TD by Diggs.

 

But what the heck was the blocking scheme on this play? I still can't figure it out. Left two guys completely unblocked. What were they trying to do?

 

 

[Solomon Grundy]

I was wondering the same. Was RB supposed to block 91? Thank God for Josh Allen’s abilities 

[Motorin']

5 minutes ago, Rubes said:

This is the TD play to Diggs last week. Great throw by Josh, nice pattern and TD by Diggs.

 

But what the heck was the blocking scheme on this play? I still can't figure it out. Left two guys completely unblocked. What were they trying to do?

 

 

 

It looks like it was an RPO with the RG pulling to block for the run. Josh decided to pull it and hit the post. 

 

Morse wasn't on time to shift right to block the first man rushing through the RG's evaded hole. 

 

In any event, this play is a good example of why you don't zero blitz Josh Allen (any more.) They left Diggs one on one and Josh hits him for an easy TD even though the Dolphins rushed 2 more men than the Bills had blockers. 

[klos63]

6 minutes ago, Rubes said:

This is the TD play to Diggs last week. Great throw by Josh, nice pattern and TD by Diggs.

 

But what the heck was the blocking scheme on this play? I still can't figure it out. Left two guys completely unblocked. What were they trying to do?

 

 

I saw this on twitter last night and asked the same question.

[Rubes]

1 minute ago, Motorin' said:

 

It looks like it was an RPO with the RG pulling to block for the run. Josh decided to pull it and hit the post. 

 

Morse wasn't on time to shift right to block the first man rushing through the RG's evaded hole. 

 

In any event, this play is a good example of why you don't zero blitz Josh Allen (any more.) They left Diggs one on one and Josh hits him for an easy TD even though the Dolphins rushed 2 more men than the Bills had blockers. 

 

Yeah, I think you're right...looks like it's part of an RPO to Singletary who could run to his left behind Feliciano. I wasn't sure how #91 was left unblocked, but it looks like a 7-man blitz by Miami to try and overload the blockers. I just can't see Morse getting over to block #91 even if there wasn't a blitz.

 

[Motorin']

2 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

I was wondering the same. Was RB supposed to block 91? Thank God for Josh Allen’s abilities 

 

No, he ran a middle screen to be the hot route. The Dolphins blitzed 8. 

 

The Bills had 6 blockers. Therefore there was 2 unblocked men. 

 

But this leaves only 4 defenders to cover the Bills wr's. 

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

They do two things you shouldn't due to Allen. 

 

Blitz (zero blitz at that with 8 defenders all in the box)

Man to man coverage

[Solomon Grundy]

5 minutes ago, Motorin' said:

 

No, he ran a middle screen to be the hot route. The Dolphins blitzed 8. 

 

The Bills had 6 blockers. Therefore there was 2 unblocked men. 

 

But this leaves only 4 defenders to cover the Bills wr's. 

Motor didn’t look like he was looking for a pass. He looked confused to me in that clip

[Motorin']

1 minute ago, Solomon Grundy said:

Motor didn’t look like he was looking for a pass. He looked confused to me in that clip

 

I can see that. I thought he was turning around to make himself availble and then saw the ball fly over his head.

 

But you could be right.

[Big Turk]

It was an RPO. Had an option of handing the ball off with a puller leading him through the hole or a pass based on what the defensive alignment was.

 

Josh decided to keep the ball and make the throw.

Edited November 6, 2021 by Big Turk

[Solomon Grundy]

Or maybe 91 was Williams responsibility?

[Big Turk]

7 minutes ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

They do two things you shouldn't due to Allen. 

 

Blitz (zero blitz at that with 8 defenders all in the box)

Man to man coverage

 

 Blitzing Allen is a death wish more often than not.

[gobills404]

It was an RPO so the offensive line was run blocking. The dolphins sent more guys than we had blockers so Josh kept the ball and threw the quick route to Diggs. 

14 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

Motor didn’t look like he was looking for a pass. He looked confused to me in that clip

His only job on an RPO is to either get a handoff or to just act like he's getting a handoff.

12 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

Or maybe 91 was Williams responsibility?

He wasn't anyone's responsibility because the Dolphins sent more men than we had blockers. That's why Josh didn't hand it off and threw the quick pass.

[Matt_In_NH]

8 man blitz, its a numbers game.  The good news is we have a qb that kills this.

[1ManRaid]

35 minutes ago, Motorin' said:

 

No, he ran a middle screen to be the hot route. The Dolphins blitzed 8. 

 

The Bills had 6 blockers. Therefore there was 2 unblocked men. 

 

But this leaves only 4 defenders to cover the Bills wr's. 

 

Blitz 8, with "only" 4 in coverage...(counts on fingers and mumbles)...

[NoSaint]

48 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

I was wondering the same. Was RB supposed to block 91? Thank God for Josh Allen’s abilities 

91 is joshs responsibility as a read and neutralize with his own decision 

[Motorin']

13 minutes ago, 1ManRaid said:

 

Blitz 8, with "only" 4 in coverage...(counts on fingers and mumbles)...

 

Hey hey hey, I was still having my morning coffee. They actually blitzed 7 on the play. The 8th man in the box was covering Motor, so he was the 4th man in coverage was also at the line of scrimmage.

[Rochesterfan]

It is an RPO with the guard pulling as a lead.  #91 is Allen’s guy based upon Allen’s read - he knows #91 is unblocked.  

 

Allen has a choice to hand it off going away from the free rusher or get the ball out quick.

 

The run action and the defensive call pull everyone tight up on the line and with the DBs playing off coverage - there was a huge clear zone right to Diggs.

 

They ran similar plays with a pulling guard/center several times to attack the edge where the Dolphins are weaker rather than attack the DTs of the defense.

 

The tackle covered his guy and the center and LG combo blocked with Morse sliding off picking up the safety.  If the defense had been less aggressive - it would have been a run right at Dawkins, but with the crowd and the blitz - Allen read it and made the pass.

 

The design is to get that ball out before an unblocked man could get home.  

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, Rubes said:

This is the TD play to Diggs last week. Great throw by Josh, nice pattern and TD by Diggs.

 

But what the heck was the blocking scheme on this play? I still can't figure it out. Left two guys completely unblocked. What were they trying to do?

 

 

 

I can't tell you the details of the blocking scheme.  But this is an example of an "overload blitz".

The Bills have 7 hats (maximum) available to block - TE in-line, 5 OLman, plus RB

The Dolphins are bringing 8, leaving 3 DB on the WR and 0 safeties - the so-called "Cover 0" or what Allen says the Bills call "Blitz 0"

In this coverage, one defender will of necessity be unblocked, plus of course whoever wins their blocking assignment or confuses the  blockers by stunting.

The QB knows he has to "handle" at least 1 unblocked defender.

 

PS unlike others here, I think this was an audible to a pass play before the snap, and it was intended to be a quick throw over the middle all the way, as that strategy is a classic "Cover 0" beater.   It's actually not uncommon for Daboll to have OL shifts designed to look like a run play as a disguise for his pass plays, but I think Allen knew #91 was his man and he had to get the pass off before 91 got there.

[patzen]

It looks like an RPO with Josh reading #8. If #8 drops into that middle zone josh would hand it off. If #8 comes up (like he does) Josh knows he has Diggs running the open slant route over the middle. It could technically be play action but everything I've read tells me we trust Josh enough to make those option decisions. The free rusher is nearly irrelevant in this situation because Josh knows he is going to have Diggs wide open before the rusher gets there.