Orlovsky: Bills aren't as talented offensively as we thought

[njbuff]

Yet, the Bills are 10-3 while playing C+ football.

 

It’s pretty obvious the Bills are just trying to get to the post season at this point.

[Big Blitz]

Just now, Rock-A-Bye Beasley said:

running backs lol

 

Every legit contender:

 

 

Sanders/Hurts 

CMC

Zeke/Pollard 

Dalvin Cook 

 

Mixon/Perine

Ekeler 

Pacheko/McKinnon

 

 

 

Devin Singletary/James Cook

 

 

 

Yea.  It’s Running Back.  

[SCBills]

I think we have some personnel issues that need to be evaluated and/or worked through on Offense.

 

I also know that we had a lot of these same questions this time last year.  Not totally sure how to quantify all that.  

[somnus00]

Dorsey seems to be on tilt. The offense is struggling to find a rhythm, and instead of taking the easy first downs, he calls a 5 step drop on 3rd and 2 yesterday. 7 step drops on 3rd and 9.

 

Let's get into a rhythm first before taking those shots. Earlier in the season, Dorsey seemed to have a better feel for the game and how to set up plays. These last few weeks he seems like he's pulling plays out of a hat.

[Rock-A-Bye Beasley]

Just now, Big Blitz said:

 

Every legit contender:

 

 

Sanders/Hurts 

CMC

Zeke/Pollard 

Dalvin Cook 

 

Mixon/Perine

Ekeler 

Pacheko/McKinnon

 

 

 

Devin Singletary/James Cook

 

 

 

Yea.  It’s Running Back.  

Nah. While I do think our running backs are underwhelming. It’s not the reason the offense is struggling. 
 

who were the running backs the last couple years? Or in the NE playoff game? 

 

This is clearly an issue of McDermott restricting the offense again with some sort of edict. 

[balln]

1 minute ago, Rock-A-Bye Beasley said:

Nah. While I do think our running backs are underwhelming. It’s not the reason the offense is struggling. 
 

who were the running backs the last couple years? Or in the NE playoff game? 

 

This is clearly an issue of McDermott restricting the offense again with some sort of edict. 

Yea Dorsey running what 50 pass plays to 3 running plays in first half before td drive ?

 

or throwing to knox at end of game where he couldn’t make a play ? 
 

no edict 

 

I think Allen is sort of mental. Wild horse. When he’s on he’s on. When things go sidewise need a rancher (Daboll) to rope in and weather the storm until he gets back on track 

[Big Blitz]

1 minute ago, Rock-A-Bye Beasley said:

Nah. While I do think our running backs are underwhelming. It’s not the reason the offense is struggling. 
 

who were the running backs the last couple years? Or in the NE playoff game? 

 

This is clearly an issue of McDermott restricting the offense again with some sort of edict. 

 

I GUARANTEE if you look at the numbers this offense is more productive right now then it was up to this point last year.  It doesn’t mean all our problems are solved it just means there are over reactions to the wrong concerns some are having.   

[dollars 2 donuts]

4 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I am definitely on the train that we need more pass catchers.  I thought Davis and McKenzie would fill in fine.  Davis finally getting the #2 position and thought McKenzie would give us the YAC element from the slot.

 

Both have been disappointments.  #2 needs to be upgraded but we can't do that this year..  McKenzie needs to sit.  I can't wait for Crowder to come back or move Shakir to full time slot.  I have no faith in McKenzie and he scares me that he's going to have a ball bounce off his pads, go in the air and it becomes a pick 6.

 

 

 

 

Royale, I like him as a person and I like some of the amazing things he's done for the Bills, but if he were a free agent after this season (he has 1 more year), a season in which he is on pace for 50 receptions, for 900 plus yards and 7-8 TDs with JA as his QB it is crazy to me thinking that someone would still likely offer him 4 years, $50 million, $20 million guaranteed and that would be on the low end.

 

I just wouldn't want the Bills to do it.

 

Let's see how the rest of this works out in '2, in the playoffs and in '23.

 

 

Royale, I like him as a person and I like some of the amazing things he's done for the Bills, but if he were a free agent after this season (he has 1 more year), a season in which he is on pace for 50 receptions, for

 

Edited December 12, 2022 by dollars 2 donuts

[Process]

13 minutes ago, Big Blitz said:

We get every team's A game.

 
The Jets are an elite Defense.  
 

The Packers have an elite Secondary.  
 

Detroit has 1 loss since Halloween (us down Dawkins and Morse). 
 

We curb stomped New England.  
 

The Vikings choke should have never happened and Allen coming in with the elbow sprain doesn’t have 2 turnovers (the fumble and the OT INT where the play call was terrible and essentially green lit him to go hero ball). 
 

We handled Cleveland no problem.  Motor and Cook 170 yards rushing.  31 points.  
 

We just played a top 3 D in awful conditions and did what we needed to do - took no chances because the D had the game in control.  Still scored 20 points on just 50 offensive plays - bc too many 3rd and longs and drops —

 

 

Which leads to THE reason anyone would doubt this offense.   The RBs are underwhelming and scare no one.  
 

Against all the defenses just mentioned above if you can stop our running game with just 5-6 in the box and have a great secondary you can absolutely slow us down some.  

 

Running with Singletary/Moss for 3 years - the decision was made to not use draft capital on an RB or cap space.  This offense is all Josh.  It’s not too much unlike KC.  But their oline is better running the ball.  

What? The Bills have spent an absurd amount of draft capital on RBs.

 

The problem is that despite being by far the easiest position to fill, beane somehow has no idea how to find a good one.

[dollars 2 donuts]

18 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I am definitely on the train that we need more pass catchers.  I thought Davis and McKenzie would fill in fine.  Davis finally getting the #2 position and thought McKenzie would give us the YAC element from the slot.

 

Both have been disappointments.  #2 needs to be upgraded but we can't do that this year..  McKenzie needs to sit.  I can't wait for Crowder to come back or move Shakir to full time slot.  I have no faith in McKenzie and he scares me that he's going to have a ball bounce off his pads, go in the air and it becomes a pick 6.

 

 

 

Royale, I like him as a person and I like some of the amazing things he's done for the Bills, but if he were a free agent after this season (he has 1 more year), a season in which he is on pace for 50 receptions, for 900 plus yards and 7-8 TDs with JA as his QB it is crazy to me thinking that someone would still likely offer him 4 years, $50 million, $20 million guaranteed, and that would be on the low end.

 

I just wouldn't want the Bills to do it.

 

Let's see how the rest of this works out in '2, in the playoffs and in '23.

 

 

[Buffalo Boy]

7 Drops by my count( by memory) yesterday:

McKenzie 3

Knox 2

Brown 1

Singletary 1

 

I was at the game so didn’t get replay on most if any of them but it was an abysmal showing by the targets.

 

The last Knox drop was like icing on a very unappetizing cake

 

[Big Blitz]

Yep I’m correct:

 

 

2021:

 

28 points per game

129 rushing yards per game 

252 passing yards per game 

381 total yards per game 

 

 

vs 2022 much more difficult schedule 

 

27 points per game 

133 rushing yards per game 

263 passing yards per game

397 total yards per game

 

 

[Rock-A-Bye Beasley]

Just now, balln said:

Yea Dorsey running what 50 pass plays to 3 running plays in first half before td drive ?

 

or throwing to knox at end of game where he couldn’t make a play ? 
 

no edict 

 

I think Allen is sort of mental. Wild horse. When he’s on he’s on. When things go sidewise need a rancher (Daboll) to rope in and weather the storm until he gets back on track 

McDermott said post game that they thought the pass to Knox was worth the risk. He basically said he was involved in the decision which was the correct one. Josh just needs to run there or Knox needs to hold on to the ball that’s in his arms. 
 

Are you someone that blamed Daboll too? McDermott clearly has influence on what the offense does.

[NewEra]

15 minutes ago, Big Blitz said:

We get every team's A game.

 
The Jets are an elite Defense.  
 

The Packers have an elite Secondary.  
 

Detroit has 1 loss since Halloween (us down Dawkins and Morse). 
 

We curb stomped New England.  
 

The Vikings choke should have never happened and Allen coming in with the elbow sprain doesn’t have 2 turnovers (the fumble and the OT INT where the play call was terrible and essentially green lit him to go hero ball). 
 

We handled Cleveland no problem.  Motor and Cook 170 yards rushing.  31 points.  
 

We just played a top 3 D in awful conditions and did what we needed to do - took no chances because the D had the game in control.  Still scored 20 points on just 50 offensive plays - bc too many 3rd and longs and drops —

 

 

Which leads to THE reason anyone would doubt this offense.   The RBs are underwhelming and scare no one.  
 

Against all the defenses just mentioned above if you can stop our running game with just 5-6 in the box and have a great secondary you can absolutely slow us down some.  

 

Running with Singletary/Moss for 3 years - the decision was made to not use draft capital on an RB or cap space.  This offense is all Josh.  It’s not too much unlike KC.  But their oline is better running the ball.  

I agree with everything until the bolded.  If you really believe the offense is lacking because we lack talent at RB, you’ve got it all wrong.  That’s just an awful take.  Doesn’t get much worse.  
 

You’re on point with the rest though.  
 

P.S.-  we used a 2nd rd pick on james cook. The 3rd RB taken in the draft.  

[Rock-A-Bye Beasley]

2 minutes ago, Big Blitz said:

Yep I’m correct:

 

 

2021:

 

28 points per game

129 rushing yards per game 

252 passing yards per game 

381 total yards per game 

 

 

vs 2022 much more difficult schedule 

 

27 points per game 

133 rushing yards per game 

263 passing yards per game

397 total yards per game

 

 

Now look at the offense before and after the TB game last year. What happened in the second half that suddenly made them good?

[Mango]

We need help on OL and WR.

 

Which makes me believe that we have to re-sign/extend Poyer, Edmunds, and Oliver. We just can't afford to create any more holes on defense that necessitate a top 100 pick on defense. Being able to somehow retain Philips and Lawson would be a huge bonus.

 

Buffalo needs to grab a WR and 2 OL in the fist 3 rounds this offseason. 

[Boatdrinks]

He’s not wrong, and it’s a genuine concern. The Bills seem lacking in skill position players that can be counted on. The OL has been bad at times and just serviceable at others. Not sure what was different in the first third of the season but the issues are apparent now. It’s too late to do much except hope for better coaching / scheme and much better execution and performance from players we do have. 

[Shaw66]

14 minutes ago, Billz4ever said:

The part I don't get is that basically all the way up to the bye week, they looked almost unstoppable offensively.  Did teams figure us out? Did we change something?  Is it just poor execution?  It's almost a night and day difference it seems at times.

I think a lot of folks are looking at this in a vacuum.  The Bills play in the National Football League where, by design, the talent is spread around pretty equally.  Most of the games are pretty close.   No one, except maybe the Eagles, run away and hide from the rest of the league.  The Rams kind of did it last season, and look where they are now.   Having a truly dominant team in the NFL is a pipe dream; it happens, but it's the exception, not the rule.   The Chiefs almost lost to Denver yesterday, for Pete's sake.  

 

I agree that the Bills don't have great talent on offense, other than Allen and Diggs.  The Bills haven't gone after high-end offensive line talent, people who thought Knox and Davis were on the brink of being all-world weren't thinking clearly. 

 

But this team is built to be an all-purpose team, a team that can play a lot of different styles.   It's also built to emerge as good all-purpose team in December, and that's what I think we're seeing.  

 

What happened after the bye was just what was happening around the league.   They always say it's a copy-cat league, and what defenses around the league was copy what McDermott and Frazier are doing - stop the deep ball and explosive plays.  Get pressure with four rushers.   A lot of teams started having trouble throwing the ball, not just the Bills, and teams with quality running games started winning games.  The Bills don't have the running game to take over games, so that defensive posture has worked to slow down the Bills.  

 

Plus, there are a lot of really good defenses now.  The Jets and the Dolphins to begin with, and the Pats.  

 

Yes, but look at the Cowboys, or the Eagles.  Yup, there always is a team or two that in recent weeks has really been lighting it up.  But except for maybe the Greatest Show on Turf, you don't win Super Bowls in this era with explosive offenses.  The Patriots proved that by beating the Greatest Show and then playing great defense for 15 years, with efficient offense.  

 

Through 12 weeks, Football Outsiders had the Bills having played the 7th toughest schedule in the league, with the 8th toughest schedule remaining.  They also had the Bills with the number 1 DVOA.   So, if the Bills are playing a tough schedule, have the second best record in the league, and are the #1 ranked team, are we really going to moan that the offense doesn't look like something that is seen only in comic books?

[Boatdrinks]

17 minutes ago, njbuff said:

Yet, the Bills are 10-3 while playing C+ football.

 

It’s pretty obvious the Bills are just trying to get to the post season at this point.

I sure hope this take is correct. They need to flip that switch for MIA and CIN and can probably cruise through the Bears and Pats. 

[ArdmoreRyno]

We haven't looked that great lately, but a bunch of factors... Josh's arm and playing really good defenses are reasons IMO (including Detroit, who has been SOLID the past 6 games).

 

We are STILL top 5 in scoring

We are STILL 2nd in total offense