Kubiak on Bills-Saints game: Is there hope for the running game?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/jim-kubiak-how-bills-run-game-helped-allen-plus-breaking-down-crazy-whip-route-to/article_cb8a0588-509c-11ec-b445-979a945d9867.html

 

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Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll made a commitment to running the football. Running back Matt Breida started the game, and his speed and pep made a difference. The Bills’ offense ran the ball on 11 of their first 15 plays with Breida and Allen, and by the end, totaled 32 rushes of their 62 offensive plays. 

 

If you do it well, running the football does two things. First, it takes the pressure off the quarterback, as he doesn't have to make all of the plays to move the football, and eliminates the potential for mistakes. Second, it creates rhythm and a sense of controlling the game. The linemen get to attack, rather than protect, and getting after a team and controlling the football results in increased time of possession (the Bills had the ball for 34:38, while the Saints' had the ball for 25:22). 

 

Certainly, offenses can still control the ball and the clock while passing every down, but there is a comfortable sense of dominating an opponent that you just can’t get continuously throwing the football.

 

A successful running game forces the defense to adjust to stop it, which, in turn, creates opportunities to play-action and to attack with a short-to-intermediate passing game. This is what Allen and Daboll do best, and if they can somehow bottle this strategy and use it each week, the Bills’ offense will have a combination that will be difficult for any opponent to defend.

 

What  I think Kubiak doesn't mention, is that to my observation (and comments by Mitch Morse after Jacksonville), when a defense believes they can totally neglect defending the run, they can use 4 or even 3 defenders to create overload pressure on one or the other side of the line - combined with stunts and with disguised pressure looks, this is very very difficult for even the best OL to block.

 

And we don't have the best OL.

 

I had not realized that the 1Q opened with quite as many runs as it did:

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First quarter

Play selection: 15 plays – four passes, 11 runs.

Allen: 3 for 4 passing for 30 yards, one touchdown, one sack. Three carries for 17 yards.

Performance grade: 100%.

Score: Bills, 7-0.

In the Bills’ opening series, Daboll called seven runs in 10 plays. The drive started at their own 35-yard line and was topped off with a touchdown pass to Dawson Knox

 

Kubiak's comments on the two Allen interceptions:

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Here, Allen is looking to his right and works his way back to Diggs on the left side. It is difficult to say whether Diggs was supposed to curl back to Allen. The ball placement indicated Allen expected Diggs was going to come back to him, but Diggs kept coming across the field on what appeared to be a dig route.

Saints cornerback Bradley Roby did a fantastic job of reading the route and jumping in front of Diggs for the interception.

 

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With 16 seconds left, Allen had Singletary in the flat to his left and Emmanuel Sanders crossing from right to left on a drag route. Allen appeared to try to manipulate the defense with his eyes to open up the deeper end zone route. Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan bull-rushed his way back to Allen and hit his right arm as he was throwing. The ball went into the air as linebacker Kwon Alexander dove to make the interception.

 

The lesson here for Allen is to take the progressions in order, rather than try to use them for deeper attempts. A field goal could have been important at this point in the game and would have made the score 13-0 on the road. The Bills also were getting the first offensive possession of the second half. 

 

The only thing Allen could have done differently was to stay in progression and deliver on time to either Singletary or Sanders. The Bills would have had to call a timeout and kick the field goal. Allen’s waiting required better protection, which he did not have and was not his fault. A turnover like this against a better opponent could be a game changer.

 

I agree with that last.  It's a point to be made that if one is going to take a shot, 16 seconds left and deep in our territory might be that time, but it's also a point that going up 13-0 at the half is better than 10-0 at the half.

 

Kubiak didn't comment about the Boettger "ineligible downfield" penalty.  There was some exchange on the sideline afterwards which to me indicated the whole Knox TD-called-back was ad lib improvisation after a busted play.  If it's true that it was supposed to be a screen to Breida but he failed to position himself properly, I hope these are things that can be corrected and not symptomatic of problems that kept Breida on the bench for so long, because I like the "juice" Breida has given us in the run game.