Bills WR Route Concepts in Our Offense

[Warriorspikes51]

Perhaps I am imagining things or ignorant.

But it seems to me that we almost never run quick inside slants toward the middle of the field? 

I only remember us doing it often in the Rams game with lots of quick passing

Most of our throws are to the numbers or near the sideline.   

Diggs has shown he is elite on slants.

What exactly do you suppose the reason is for our offense having so many longer developing plays?

 

Perhaps we will see this as a new wrinkle for the playoffs

 

[Don Otreply]

Outside of Diggs who’s catching those passes? It would help if Dorsey incorporated Smoke into the offense with more frequency, amongst other more imaginative usage of our current personnel, jmo…, imo, we don’t do the things that were successful when the fat guy was our OC, which is somewhat frustrating to be honest. 

[ClemsonBills]

I really think our offense is about to open up. We have seen great play calling through stretches of the season followed by horrendous out of sync play calling. The only rationale I can come up with is they are about to unleash all of it these next few weeks. Dorsey is still learning, but this offense did not have to be creative to make the playoffs this year. But they need to be creative to win a superbowl. 

[Warriorspikes51]

Also....screens to Hines and Cook please. 

[whorlnut]

I think a lot has to do with personnel. Beasley was elite at working the middle of the field and getting open. It doesn’t seem Davis is good at running routes and McKenzie is limited. I believe Allen isn’t totally comfortable with anyone outside of Diggs and maybe knox. 

[Lost]

2 minutes ago, Don Otreply said:

Outside of Diggs who’s catching those passes? 

 

This was Beasley's bread and butter while he was playing..

[Don Otreply]

Just now, Lost said:

 

This was Beasley's bread and butter while he was playing..

But Dorsey isn’t using him…, 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

We do runs slants. They are just called as RPOs. Diggs and Davis have caught them. What is missing is Beasley caught many of them in the past but they are not getting that production from the current group of slot WRs. 

[Lost]

13 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Perhaps I am imagining things or ignorant.

But it seems to me that we almost never run quick inside slants toward the middle of the field? 

I only remember us doing it often in the Rams game with lots of quick passing

Most of our throws are to the numbers or near the sideline.   

Diggs has shown he is elite on slants.

What exactly do you suppose the reason is for our offense having so many longer developing plays?

 

Perhaps we will see this as a new wrinkle for the playoffs

 

 

I've been asking question since the bye week.   They had a gameplan that worked great early in the season.  Josh wasn't holding the ball for more than 3 seconds in those first few games.   Then they just abandoned it for some reason.

 

I know Josh likes the deep ball but you keep scorching teams with the short game you'll eventually get those 1on1 matchups outside which Josh is good at identifying.

Edited January 10, 2023 by Lost

[dollars 2 donuts]

Just now, whorlnut said:

I think a lot has to do with personnel. Beasley was elite at working the middle of the field and getting open. It doesn’t seem Davis is good at running routes and McKenzie is limited. I believe Allen isn’t totally comfortable with anyone outside of Diggs and maybe knox. 

 

 

That's why I still think there is a place for Beasley during these playoffs.  He has only been back for a bit.  I honestly think he can help*.

 

 

(* I didn't say lead..."help")

 

 

[GolfandBills]

10 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Perhaps I am imagining things or ignorant.

But it seems to me that we almost never run quick inside slants toward the middle of the field? 

I only remember us doing it often in the Rams game with lots of quick passing

Most of our throws are to the numbers or near the sideline.   

Diggs has shown he is elite on slants.

What exactly do you suppose the reason is for our offense having so many longer developing plays?

 

Perhaps we will see this as a new wrinkle for the playoffs

 

Because teams sit back and flood passing lanes against us almost every snap.  

[clayboy54]

11 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Perhaps I am imagining things or ignorant.

But it seems to me that we almost never run quick inside slants toward the middle of the field? 

I only remember us doing it often in the Rams game with lots of quick passing

Most of our throws are to the numbers or near the sideline.   

Diggs has shown he is elite on slants.

What exactly do you suppose the reason is for our offense having so many longer developing plays?

 

Perhaps we will see this as a new wrinkle for the playoffs

 

While none of us know what Dorsey has been thinking, I do expect to see a package of all the plays that have worked this season. I also expect to see far less "experimental" plays because he now knows if they will work or if they will not. Plus, we've seen the Dolphins twice already. There are no more secrets come playoff time.

[Don Otreply]

2 minutes ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

 

 

That's why I still think there is a place for Beasley during these playoffs.  He has only been back for a bit.  I honestly think he can help*.

 

 

(* I didn't say lead..."help")

 

 

A long with Smoke, those two could “help” if they were on the field and being targeted from time to time…, 

[ddaryl]

slants on a timing route should be capable from any WR you just have to be able to catch it with litte time to prepare.. Its a timing route... Now if our WRs are incapable of getting off the line and into the route quick enough then we have a totally new issue in scheme or WR incapable of beating the defender at the snap.

yes I have been wondering about those quick slants for a few years with Allen at the helm.

The other thing is Allen isn't the most reliable with quick timing patterns and he does need to continue to improve here because like what has been said, this is necessity to get opposing Ds to adjust some.

[Eastport bills]

McKenzie has regressed and has become undependable on slants. Davis gets targets underneath but has struggled with drops. We’re doing check downs with Motor and Cook that are getting good 1st and 2nd down yardage. I would expect more Hines and Cook flares and underneath crossers in the playoffs along with Knox stretching the defense against LBs. If Davis steps it up and Cole gets more targets we’ll be really hard to defend. Remember these teams have to use safeties as spies to defend Josh runs. His off schedule throws when he’s flushed can get us 2 or 3 chunk plays like the Smoke and Diggs TDs.

[Beck Water]

38 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Also....screens to Hines and Cook please. 

 

I mean, I'm all for the screen game.

 

But when have the Bills been able to run a conventional (not a bubble) screen in, like, the last 4 seasons?  There have been threads about this.

 

[dollars 2 donuts]

36 minutes ago, Don Otreply said:

A long with Smoke, those two could “help” if they were on the field and being targeted from time to time…, 

 

 

Don...my goodness that catch by Brown was so gorgeous.  I'm sorry, I just love replaying it on video and in my head. 

 

One...it takes just one of those to total mess with the head of a DC. 

 

If Allen started to hit Beas on just a couple of slants, ad then you have Diggs and Smoke on the sides, and Cook and Motor as valves...oh boy.

 

[flmike]

6 hours ago, Don Otreply said:

But Dorsey isn’t using him…, 

Beas must be having stone hands in practice or something...

5 hours ago, Beck Water said:

 

I mean, I'm all for the screen game.

 

But when have the Bills been able to run a conventional (not a bubble) screen in, like, the last 4 seasons?  There have been threads about this.

 

We don't have the OL for it and Josh is not the best on the short stuff.

[Da webster guy]

A lot of time defenses against Josh have a spy whose job is to take away that throw.  It's probably the only thing you can really do as a spy without losing contain on #17, take away the short middle or tip the intermediate middle.

[Da webster guy]

5 hours ago, dollars 2 donuts said:

 

 

Don...my goodness that catch by Brown was so gorgeous.  I'm sorry, I just love replaying it on video and in my head. 

 

One...it takes just one of those to total mess with the head of a DC. 

 

If Allen started to hit Beas on just a couple of slants, ad then you have Diggs and Smoke on the sides, and Cook and Motor as valves...oh boy.

 

Both catch and the throw by Josh was hilariously good he was running as he launched that one.

Eric Wood said the angle from the booth he was certain it was way past Smoke but that wily old speed demon somehow got his mitts on it AND controlled in on the ground slam which is just as hard as catching it in the first place.

 

If you really think about that route, its one you might never see again, a deep cross/comeback/go route.  Only a mobile qb can give a receiver the 5+ seconds it takes to pull that one off.  The ability to buy 2 extra seconds for your targets to separate once in awhile has been the difference between a win and a loss for us several times.  Mahomes was about to beat us doing just that before Von dropped him and ended the game in KC this year.