Cook & Singletary last night

[MarkyMannn]

14 minutes ago, hemma said:

Slap another 10 lbs of muscle onto Cook in the off season and he’ll be seriously dangerous.

 

Yeah I think that's a key improvement. With Cook now he can be stopped at the point of contact. Compare to Devin who can run thru a tackle. Cook's role the rest of this year will be significant, that speed threat

[smuvtalker]

3 hours ago, RiotAct said:

passes to the flat were brutal last night!   Not just to Singletary either.

Agree.  I hate to nitpick after an awesome victory like last night, but one thing that kinda irks me, and again this is just my two cents, but I feel like we struggle with screen passes, and we struggle to STOP opposing teams screen passes.... I concur with what SCBills said in that I do think we'll start seeing better results with the screens/misdirections/horizontal throws when Dawkins is back in the lineup and closer to 100%, and the timing.... definitely the timing...many times the screen is there for the taking and we just don't seem to execute it properly...and watching Jones take that screen to the house in the first quarter made me quite envious.  

 

Still a solid, workmanlike effort, and if we keep seeing the run game produce the way it has these past few weeks, no reason the W's won't keep piling up.

 

One more quick note....doesn't it seem like Singletary seems to get better and better as the regular season winds down?  I mean last year, he played well, but the last few weeks of the regular season and the playoffs, he seemed to take his game to another level.  I'm feeling like this is what I'm seeing this year as well.

[Mr. WEO]

3 hours ago, SageAgainstTheMachine said:

Motor is the great forgotten man on this team.  He’s on pace for 1,200 yards from scrimmage and is even racking up TDs lately.

 

forgotten by whom?  He has 168 touches.  Next is Diggs at 91.  He has more touches than Cook, Mckenzie Hines, Shakir and Davis combined.

[Dr. K]

I liked Cook's performance yesterday, but I worry about the possibility of his fumbling. Unlike Singletary, he does not seem to me to "wrap up" the ball while being tackled. He also seemed to trip himself up a couple of times. 

 

Still, I liked the speed he brought to the runs he made.  

[ngbills]

Cook had his best game of the season by far. Looked much more prepared to play. Still has the Zach Moss slipsy's. He is also more of a burst runner than a quick runner. He needs to go north south which the bills did better at vs having him going side to side trying to juke guys. 

[Straight Hucklebuck]

4 hours ago, smuvtalker said:

 Credit to Dorsey for calling a great game, and sticking with the run the entire evening.

 

This was the key in my eyes. 

 

Just sticking with the run even if you were only getting 3-4 yards. 

 

But your other point is key too. Cook not getting just 3-5 token carries. He got the ball the same amount as Singletary. 

 

You have this game, Cleveland and Tennessee, which show what Cook can do with 10+ carries. At some point a big run will happen. 

[Mango]

3 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

I've been down on Cook all season long, and I still have some complaints, but last night was the first time the Bills got good, consistent production from him, production that came from his particular skill set.   He was hitting holes (at least most of the time) with authority, and he was breaking tackles not with power but with consistently good speed that caused him to run out of tackles before he could be wrapped up.   He also made a couple of nice catches, the kind of catches he was supposed to be good at but we hadn't seen. 

 

He seems to be learning what Singletary always knew, which is that in this league you absolutely have to hit it upfield at the very first opportunity available, because running laterally looking for a better opportunity rarely works.   Cook simply isn't fast enough - pretty much no one is - to be able to beat the pursuit going wide.   He had some runs where he failed to take the upfield route, and he paid for it.   But I was really pleased that on several others he DID just pound it into the first little bit of daylight he saw.  And I think he'll learn, because the more he takes it upfield, the more he'll see that it doesn't work when he doesn't.  

 

I was really pleased.   Last night I saw some consistent positive production that I expected earlier in the season.   Last night was the first game where his production was better than what the Bills were getting out of Moss, which was more or less nothing.   If what we got last night was what we will see in the coming weeks, then the Bills' running game will be a factor.  

 

One thing that really impressed me about Cook last night was his ability to make such powerful cuts. There were some players where he put one foot in the ground and a single cut that were so powerful and quick I had to pick my jaw up. 

He was a decisive runner for the most part. But I agree there were times I would have liked him to just cut up field and take the yardage. He is young and hasn't had a ton of opportunities. I would imagine he is trying to break every play loose to earn more reps. He will be fine. 

McKenzie and Diggs both have a tendency to dance around and even lose yardage trying to avoid contact rather than taking the 3-5 yards in front of them. Drives me bonkers sometimes. 

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

21 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

forgotten by whom?  He has 168 touches.  Next is Diggs at 91.  He has more touches than Cook, Mckenzie Hines, Shakir and Davis combined.

Media, fans of other teams, often me.

[Aesop]

All three were solid. I wish Cook could keep his footing better at times, but that will come with more reps I believe. Hines was a great wrinkle this week. All of his pre snap motion was key in forcing LBs out of position over the middle. And Devin did what he always does.

 

I am excited to see more Hines/Cook formations. It adds a whole other element.

 

LOL to all the fans believing Hines was a busted trade. He finally got a full week of practice. I expect his usage to keep increasing.

[Shaw66]

26 minutes ago, Mango said:

 

One thing that really impressed me about Cook last night was his ability to make such powerful cuts. There were some players where he put one foot in the ground and a single cut that were so powerful and quick I had to pick my jaw up. 

He was a decisive runner for the most part. But I agree there were times I would have liked him to just cut up field and take the yardage. He is young and hasn't had a ton of opportunities. I would imagine he is trying to break every play loose to earn more reps. He will be fine. 

McKenzie and Diggs both have a tendency to dance around and even lose yardage trying to avoid contact rather than taking the 3-5 yards in front of them. Drives me bonkers sometimes. 

Yes, he was different last night, and it was impressive.  When he's decisive and just goes, he get stopped sometimes, but everyone gets stopped.  What was impressive was that sometimes he just zips through a pile or out of the grasp of someone who thought he had him, only to see him cruise by.  

 

I've dumped on McKenzie all season, too, in part for his refusing to turn it upfield and just go.  Last night, receiving, he redeemed himself in my eyes.  He had a really solid game - and I'm not talking about his status.  I'm talking about his awareness, his ability to make catches with people around him and hits possibly coming.  

 

And, yes, Diggs has had a few losses where he's tried to make something by going laterally, but generally he has such elusiveness that he can get away with stopping and assessing before he goes.   Most guys can't do that, but he has lateral quickness that is really amazing.  He can burst in any direction almost instantly, and he's able to avoid direct hits from tacklers.   The guy is a special talent. 

[HappyDays]

It's worth pointing out the Patriots have the 7th ranked rush defense by DVOA and we were still able to run it that well against them. And I don't think it's because our line and RBs suddenly became above average, it's because the Patriots backed everyone off and gave us free rushing yards. These easy rush opportunities have been there all year, Dorsey just hasn't been willing to stick with them. Every defense we face is selling out to stop our passing game. We have to commit to punishing defenses on the ground and slowly the pass game will open up. Last night was really encouraging but there was a still a few drives in the middle of the game where Dorsey got impatient and started calling killshots on every play. Get rid of that overaggressive tendency and we'll move the ball on everyone.

[Alphadawg7]

5 hours ago, smuvtalker said:

I know I have been one of many on here clamoring for Cook to get more touches, in hopes of one day being our featured back, but I gotta say last night I was thoroughly impressed with how both Cook and Singletary performed.  IMO, they made one heckuva one-two punch, and at least to me, for the first time last night I felt like their running styles complimented one another to perfection.  Credit to Dorsey for calling a great game, and sticking with the run the entire evening.  I know that alot of it had to do with the fact that we were up double digits, and was simply trying to eat up the clock, but NE's defense simply had no ability to shut down our running game.  Loved seeing the balance in carries as well. Cook finished with 14 carries, 64 yards with a 4.6 ypc average.  He also had 6 catches(on 6 targets) for an additional 41 yards.  Singletary finished with 13 carries for 51 yards.  Both guys ran hard, ran smart, and held on to the football.  

 

A solid, efficient all-around effort by both, and I love seeing them be this efficient running the ball because that's less pressure on 17 having to run as much.  Hope I'm not reaching when I say watching Cook and Singletary last night brought back fond memories of seeing Thomas and Davis in the backfield....Thunder and Lightning anyone?  

 

Incredibly pumped for the Jets game next week.  Let's go Buffalo!

 

Totally agree it was nice seeing our RB's more involved.  I do however think Devin needs and deserves some more touches.  Cook is very promising, but his vision isn't there yet and doesn't play fast enough while also stumbling a lot.  I feel like he often looks lost or in the wrong place on receptions too.  

 

Dont get me wrong, I like Cook and his potential and happy he is more involved.  A lot of this is because he is a rookie and still learning the game.  But he leaves so many yards on the field each week missing holes, missing cut back opportunities, and he goes down so easy.  

 

With Devin, the pile is always finishing forward, he is a tough runner.  His vision and agility get 8-10 yards on plays that Cook gets stuffed on because he just runs right into a pile.  When there is a good hole right in front of Cook, he can rip a nice run no doubt.  But he often misses opportunities for bigger gains because he has not been very shifty and too slow to hit the hole.  

 

I posted in another thread the ratio I would like to see is Devin to be at 15-18 combined touches (running/receiving) and Cook at 10-12.  Not every game may end up with our backs having this many touches amongst the 2 of them, but that kind of ratio between Devin and Cook I think is a good balance.  

 

Fun Fact:  Coming into last nights game, Devin had the 2nd highest catch rate on the team behind only Knox.  Better than Cook, Diggs, Davis, etc.  And this has been true the past 2 seasons.  People don't seem to realize Devin had quite a few receptions last season too.  He has grown as a receiver, he isn't perfect, but he has out performed Cook in this department too.  

[Mr. WEO]

1 hour ago, SageAgainstTheMachine said:

Media, fans of other teams, often me.

 

Other fans and the media would typically forget the 21st leading rushing RB in the league right now.  No big deal. 

[JerseyBills]

6 hours ago, elroy16 said:

Last week Cook almost caused an INT because he didn't find the throwing lane for Allen. This week he found the passing lanes and did a very good job of catching the check downs and moving the ball.

 

I like how they used Hines to stress the LB's horizontally and that helped free up creases for Cook.

 

Last night was a nice step for Cook and the run game. The offense looks much, much better when they're in 2nd and 5's instead of 2nd and 9's all game.

The Cook/Hines combo in that set is awesome and hopefully will be a staple for this O going forward.  

 

Motor n Cook are tremendous complements to each other.  This run gm suddenly has a ton of potential 

 

In Madden I love using that formation alot and use Cook and Hines in it as well.

 

Madden is actually way better this year , the gameplay and realism is a huge step up from last few years. Just bought it recently because it's only 30$ and been pleasantly surprised 

[NickelCity]

5 hours ago, SCBills said:

 

2)  For someone who the worry was “can he run between the tackles”, he runs between the tackles fairly well.  Still has some improvements to make adjusting to the NFL, but he has legit speed and elite acceleration, falls forward very well for a smaller back.  

 

I don't think he's bad at this, but I think he's got a lot of room for growth. When he can learn to take every inch available a la Fred Jackson or Singletary, he will be a fantastic piece. Really excited about Cook.

[smuvtalker]

57 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Totally agree it was nice seeing our RB's more involved.  I do however think Devin needs and deserves some more touches.  Cook is very promising, but his vision isn't there yet and doesn't play fast enough while also stumbling a lot.  I feel like he often looks lost or in the wrong place on receptions too.  

 

Dont get me wrong, I like Cook and his potential and happy he is more involved.  A lot of this is because he is a rookie and still learning the game.  But he leaves so many yards on the field each week missing holes, missing cut back opportunities, and he goes down so easy.  

 

With Devin, the pile is always finishing forward, he is a tough runner.  His vision and agility get 8-10 yards on plays that Cook gets stuffed on because he just runs right into a pile.  When there is a good hole right in front of Cook, he can rip a nice run no doubt.  But he often misses opportunities for bigger gains because he has not been very shifty and too slow to hit the hole.  

 

I posted in another thread the ratio I would like to see is Devin to be at 15-18 combined touches (running/receiving) and Cook at 10-12.  Not every game may end up with our backs having this many touches amongst the 2 of them, but that kind of ratio between Devin and Cook I think is a good balance.  

 

Fun Fact:  Coming into last nights game, Devin had the 2nd highest catch rate on the team behind only Knox.  Better than Cook, Diggs, Davis, etc.  And this has been true the past 2 seasons.  People don't seem to realize Devin had quite a few receptions last season too.  He has grown as a receiver, he isn't perfect, but he has out performed Cook in this department too.  

Very accurate points you bring up with regard to Cook leaving alot of yards on the field.  I am just as happy as the rest of us to see Cook getting more touches, and doing something with them, but you're right, alot of times I notice him falling easily, or even before he's touched sometimes.  His speed is outstanding, and I do believe when he is finally able to put it all together, he's got the chance to be one heckuva back.  He's definitely made some nice progress as the season has gone on.  

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

6 hours ago, smuvtalker said:

I know I have been one of many on here clamoring for Cook to get more touches, in hopes of one day being our featured back, but I gotta say last night I was thoroughly impressed with how both Cook and Singletary performed.  IMO, they made one heckuva one-two punch, and at least to me, for the first time last night I felt like their running styles complimented one another to perfection.  Credit to Dorsey for calling a great game, and sticking with the run the entire evening.  I know that alot of it had to do with the fact that we were up double digits, and was simply trying to eat up the clock, but NE's defense simply had no ability to shut down our running game.  Loved seeing the balance in carries as well. Cook finished with 14 carries, 64 yards with a 4.6 ypc average.  He also had 6 catches(on 6 targets) for an additional 41 yards.  Singletary finished with 13 carries for 51 yards.  Both guys ran hard, ran smart, and held on to the football.  

 

A solid, efficient all-around effort by both, and I love seeing them be this efficient running the ball because that's less pressure on 17 having to run as much.  Hope I'm not reaching when I say watching Cook and Singletary last night brought back fond memories of seeing Thomas and Davis in the backfield....Thunder and Lightning anyone?  

 

Incredibly pumped for the Jets game next week.  Let's go Buffalo!

I agree with everything, but any comparison involving #34 is a reach for sure

[T master]

The running game is getting better but i would love to see the Bills with either of the RB's from the Commanders Antonio Gibson or Robinson which was one i wanted bad in the draft i think being bigger would help the Bills in short yardage but as long as the Motor keeps Cook-ing i'm good with what we have .