Article on JA’s run game

[BillsFan619]

There’s been some good discussion on this forum about Josh and his run game. Here’s an article that talks about it.

 

Enjoy and discuss.

 

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/2021/12/bills-josh-allen-says-running-a-luxury-but-i-want-to-throw-the-ball.html

[Nextmanup]

Wanna know why this year isn't going as well as last year?

 

"Allen is one of the most dangerous weapons in the NFL once the Bills get inside the red zone, and that’s where their offense has struggled the most this season. Buffalo converted just one touchdown in four trips to the red zone against the Patriots and now rank 18th in the league in red zone scoring efficiency at 58.8%. That’s down from 61% last season."

[Nextmanup]

I am in favor of Josh running more.  More planned runs.

 

His running is still the most dangerous thing this team does!

 

I don't buy the "he'll get injured" theory.

 

 

[BillsFan619]

4 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

I am in favor of Josh running more.  More planned runs.

 

His running is still the most dangerous thing this team does!

 

I don't buy the "he'll get injured" theory.

 

 

It was frustrating and perplexing why they ran ZM on 1st and Goal when it just doesn't work. It was such a wasted down. That down would've been a great time to try a JA planned run.

 

Then, you had the Pats run MJ, who isn't even in the same league when it comes to running ability, run two straight times on 3rd and 5 and 4th and 1 (or 2, can't remember) and he gets the first down.

[Chaos]

1 hour ago, BillsFan619 said:

It was frustrating and perplexing why they ran ZM on 1st and Goal when it just doesn't work. It was such a wasted down. That down would've been a great time to try a JA planned run.

 

Then, you had the Pats run MJ, who isn't even in the same league when it comes to running ability, run two straight times on 3rd and 5 and 4th and 1 (or 2, can't remember) and he gets the first down.

I am still bitter about this five days later

[Dablitzkrieg]

I've said this many times and I'll say it again.  Allen is one of the most dangerous and underutilized red zone threats in the NFL.  They should have ran QB power all 4 times when they were down at goal to go distance against any team, but specifically against the Pats Monday.  He will get you 6 yards on 4 tries

[BillsFan619]

13 minutes ago, Dablitzkrieg said:

I've said this many times and I'll say it again.  Allen is one of the most dangerous and underutilized red zone threats in the NFL.  They should have ran QB power all 4 times when they were down at goal to go distance against any team, but specifically against the Pats Monday.  He will get you 6 yards on 4 tries

Good point, bro. Like I said above, MJ got 5 yards on 2 tries. No reason JA couldn't have gotten 6 yards on 4 tries.

[Long Suffering Fan]

People say us lurkers don't post enough...😀

 

I was QB for a flag team back in the day (note that this post is not about my football knowledge, it is about human nature - I don't think I know deep football truths because of this).

 

My style was more like Lamar Jackson (I said style, not ability - I just ran a lot and was fast only compared to the less than athletes I played against) and we were successful.

 

Then I got better at throwing, worked on timing with my receivers, developed a better play set that would give us options against both man and zone, etc. and I fell in love with passing.  My receivers would literally come back to the huddle and chew me out for forcing a ball instead of running.  It got to the point where I asked them at the start of games to remind me all game long to remember to run.  It is a human nature thing - people like Lamar and early Josh are discounted a little for relying on running.  It is natural to try to prove them wrong.  Remember Lamar saying - not bad for a RB?

 

This hasn't just happened to Josh, it has happened to Dabol.  It is inexcusable that more designed QB runs were not called against the patsies (lower case on purpose).  Those are calls from above and he was not calling them.  I get wanting to save your QB hits, but time and place, man.  Do that against the Jets, not the patsies.  That was an important game.  Dabol needs someone next to him in the booth saying - remember to use Josh's legs - every series, in the red zone, and at key moments.

[BillsFan619]

3 hours ago, Long Suffering Fan said:

People say us lurkers don't post enough...😀

 

I was QB for a flag team back in the day (note that this post is not about my football knowledge, it is about human nature - I don't think I know deep football truths because of this).

 

My style was more like Lamar Jackson (I said style, not ability - I just ran a lot and was fast only compared to the less than athletes I played against) and we were successful.

 

Then I got better at throwing, worked on timing with my receivers, developed a better play set that would give us options against both man and zone, etc. and I fell in love with passing.  My receivers would literally come back to the huddle and chew me out for forcing a ball instead of running.  It got to the point where I asked them at the start of games to remind me all game long to remember to run.  It is a human nature thing - people like Lamar and early Josh are discounted a little for relying on running.  It is natural to try to prove them wrong.  Remember Lamar saying - not bad for a RB?

 

This hasn't just happened to Josh, it has happened to Dabol.  It is inexcusable that more designed QB runs were not called against the patsies (lower case on purpose).  Those are calls from above and he was not calling them.  I get wanting to save your QB hits, but time and place, man.  Do that against the Jets, not the patsies.  That was an important game.  Dabol needs someone next to him in the booth saying - remember to use Josh's legs - every series, in the red zone, and at key moments.

Thanks for posting, Long Suffering. You added some good thoughts.

 

Let's hope that JA continues to be a force with his arms and legs, especially in the red zone. Go Bills!

[John from Riverside]

I’m actually against Josh running a ton but we have swung entirely the other way and Josh Allen taking off is a weapon teams are not even guarding against it anymore because we don’t do it which means they’re dropping back into coverage

[BillsFan619]

2 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

I’m actually against Josh running a ton but we have swung entirely the other way and Josh Allen taking off is a weapon teams are not even guarding against it anymore because we don’t do it which means they’re dropping back into coverage

Yeah, I agree. It just needs to be a healthy balance. Let’s not swing the pendulum to either extreme.

[finn]

19 hours ago, Chaos said:

I am still bitter about this five days later

You may not have seen the All-22 from the Athletic. It shows what Moss was seeing, which was a wide open lane-really a highway--in front and to his right. Then Morse got tossed aside like a doll and the DT was in Moss' face. So it wasn't the play call, and it wasn't Moss. Once again, it was the Oline. It really isn't much of an exaggeration to claim that this would be the best team in the league except for the line, which rises to mediocrity only on its very best days.

[Chaos]

13 minutes ago, finn said:

You may not have seen the All-22 from the Athletic. It shows what Moss was seeing, which was a wide open lane-really a highway--in front and to his right. Then Morse got tossed aside like a doll and the DT was in Moss' face. So it wasn't the play call, and it wasn't Moss. Once again, it was the Oline. It really isn't much of an exaggeration to claim that this would be the best team in the league except for the line, which rises to mediocrity only on its very best days.

In other words, the coaches should know oline deficiencies and compensate on first and 6 from the goal by having their best runner (Allen) run the ball.  What  is the point of calling plays to prove the oline blows? 

Edited December 12, 2021 by Chaos

[pennstate10]

23 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Wanna know why this year isn't going as well as last year?

 

"Allen is one of the most dangerous weapons in the NFL once the Bills get inside the red zone, and that’s where their offense has struggled the most this season. Buffalo converted just one touchdown in four trips to the red zone against the Patriots and now rank 18th in the league in red zone scoring efficiency at 58.8%. That’s down from 61% last season."

Call me crazy, but I don’t think that there is much difference between 59 and 61 %. 

[finn]

2 hours ago, Chaos said:

In other words, the coaches should know oline deficiencies and compensate on first and 6 from the goal by having their best runner (Allen) run the ball.  What  is the point of calling plays to prove the oline blows? 

Right. It goes back to the coaches. We blame Beane, rightfully, for overestimating Ford, Mongo, Boettger, and Williams, but he didn't make his decisions in a vacuum. I'm sure Bobby Johnson, Daboll and McDermott assured him that all was well with the O-line. And, as you say, the coaches should have no illusions that they have a junior varsity squad on their hands. 

[Nextmanup]

23 hours ago, BillsFan619 said:

It was frustrating and perplexing why they ran ZM on 1st and Goal when it just doesn't work. It was such a wasted down. That down would've been a great time to try a JA planned run.

 

Then, you had the Pats run MJ, who isn't even in the same league when it comes to running ability, run two straight times on 3rd and 5 and 4th and 1 (or 2, can't remember) and he gets the first down.

That was the type of thing that gave rise to conversation during the week that maybe Daboll is under pressure from McDermott to "Run more" or to call some plays that perhaps he personally doesn't approve of.

 

Some of those plays we did call didn't seem well thought out and they were inconsistent with proven Daboll favorites down in the red zone!  

 

 

22 hours ago, Dablitzkrieg said:

I've said this many times and I'll say it again.  Allen is one of the most dangerous and underutilized red zone threats in the NFL.  They should have ran QB power all 4 times when they were down at goal to go distance against any team, but specifically against the Pats Monday.  He will get you 6 yards on 4 tries

If we are down anywhere near the 5 yard line, let's say...and you run Josh wide, heading for the pylon, with an ability for him to cut back anywhere along that long run to the pylon....or maybe he even ends up going the long route to the pylon....that play is nearly unstoppable! 

 

 

[transplantbillsfan]

Allen seems quite aware of what running has been doing to his body even if we fans don't notice it. That said, I thought I remembered seeing a study a few years ago that running QBs are no more likely to get hurt than pocket QBs.

 

Of course... look at Lamar Jackson who might fall apart young like Cam Newton.

 

I just think Allen needs to be a smarter runner. Last week on that 3rd down run where he dove for the 1st down I loved the effort but was terrified because I thought he was wincing from an injured shoulder.

 

No easy answer.

[Mikie2times]

2019, first playoff game against Houston. We come out and run a QB sweep with multiple pulling lineman, the play goes for 50+. We run it one more time, if Cody Ford doesn't miss his assignment we win the game. Fast forward to 2021, we still haven't seen the play called again. 

[BarleyNY]

This is speculation on my part, but I suspect that someone up top has decided that the team’s enormous investment in Allen be protected and has nixed running him a lot.  I’ve heard no rumors or anything, it’s just that I can think of nothing else that makes sense as to why the Bills aren’t running a lot more ROs, RPOs and designed QB runs.