What schemes/concepts would you like to see carry over into this season?

[HoofHearted]

There's been enough discussion around here about schemes and concepts that we all do not want to see again. With new Coordinators on both sides of the ball, what schemes and concepts from last year would you like to see carry over into this season under new leadership?

 

Personally I'd like for us to continue building on our Dart run concept that was so successful for us last season (click here if you're unfamiliar with the concept). It was by far our most productive run concept we ran, and towards the end of the year I think we got a bit of a glimpse of what's to come this season under Brady as we saw an uptick in the RPO game off of Dart action. My hope is we'll continue to scheme around this concept in order to not only have Dart, Q Dart, and all of the RPO game off of it, but also be able to use the blocking scheme in misdirection off jet/orbit motions.

 

Defensively we saw a dramatic shift in our coverages going from a primarily Quarters/Cover 2 defense with a steady dose of Cover 3 mixed in to a predominantly Cover 3/Cover 1 defense with a steady dose of Quarters mixed in. With the backers we've been able to add to the team over the last few seasons I think we're at a point where we can feel comfortable sitting in Cover 1 knowing that our guys are athletic enough to get home on pressures. My hope is we continue to lean into this, put pressure on opposing Quarterbacks while still being able to disguise these looks as Cover 3 or Quarters coverages to give help to our secondary.

[GunnerBill]

Definitely more cover 3/cover 1 on defense but I also wish Sean had Leslie's patience at times. Too many ill timed blitzes when I felt like he just got frustrated and so blitzed out of anger / frustration. I tend to think that is the worst time to blitz. Whether Sean or Bobby call the D this year I'd like to see some of the coverage evolution from last year continue but with greater patience in the playcalling.

[HoofHearted]

9 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

Definitely more cover 3/cover 1 on defense but I also wish Sean had Leslie's patience at times. Too many ill timed blitzes when I felt like he just got frustrated and so blitzed out of anger / frustration. I tend to think that is the worst time to blitz. Whether Sean or Bobby call the D this year I'd like to see some of the coverage evolution from last year continue but with greater patience in the playcalling.

Yeah, that’s kind of the nature of it isn’t it. Playing on the edge like that can be very boom or bust. I think what encourages me, even on the plays that didn’t go our way, the design of the scheme was excellent. You could clearly see we were being deliberate with our pressures - not sending guys just to send them - but scheming up protections in order to guarantee someone free or at the worst 1v1 with a RB.

 

Having personally been in those shoes before I can tell you exactly where those calls are coming from haha. When you’re not getting home with four and just leaving your secondary out to dry your next answer is to start bringing more.

[GunnerBill]

10 minutes ago, HoofHearted said:

Yeah, that’s kind of the nature of it isn’t it. Playing on the edge like that can be very boom or bust. I think what encourages me, even on the plays that didn’t go our way, the design of the scheme was excellent. You could clearly see we were being deliberate with our pressures - not sending guys just to send them - but scheming up protections in order to guarantee someone free or at the worst 1v1 with a RB.

 

Having personally been in those shoes before I can tell you exactly where those calls are coming from haha. When you’re not getting home with four and just leaving your secondary out to dry your next answer is to start bringing more.

 

I get it. Just one of the things I appreciated most about Leslie was his patience. There were games last year - Denver and New England stand out - where we needed a bit more of that.

[iccrewman112]

Shallow crossing routes. Keep a TE or a back in to ensure time for the route develop. Not sure why this has been absent from our offense for years.

[HoofHearted]

6 minutes ago, iccrewman112 said:

Shallow crossing routes. Keep a TE or a back in to ensure time for the route develop. Not sure why this has been absent from our offense for years.

We ran Mesh a ton last year. It was one of the boards least favorite concepts we ran lol.

[HappyDays]

I'd like to see Kincaid run more seams. Early in the year it was mostly all flats and checkdowns and quick hitches. Later in the year we let him fly down the field more and from my memory we tended to have very good success on those plays. With a WR room that I think will struggle to find consistent vertical separation, Kincaid can possibly be our one consistent means of freezing safeties and opening up pass catchers underneath.

[muppy]

increase production in the running game by whatever means necessary. That would open up #17 even more. I'd love to see it.

 

I'm really enjoying the banter in the daily threads.  The questions have been Primo Congrats 🙂 

[MJS]

3 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

Definitely more cover 3/cover 1 on defense but I also wish Sean had Leslie's patience at times. Too many ill timed blitzes when I felt like he just got frustrated and so blitzed out of anger / frustration. I tend to think that is the worst time to blitz. Whether Sean or Bobby call the D this year I'd like to see some of the coverage evolution from last year continue but with greater patience in the playcalling.

Oh gosh. There were times I was BEGGING McDermott not to blitz. There were times he absolutely needed to drop into coverage and he didn't. He lost us at least one game by being aggressive when he shouldn't have.

 

But overall I really did like the change in playcalling. He brought a spark to the defense for sure. He has a better feel for calling plays and confusing the opposing offense than most. Playcalling is more than just x's and o's. There is an art to it, or an intuition. I think McDermott has that.

[GunnerBill]

26 minutes ago, MJS said:

Oh gosh. There were times I was BEGGING McDermott not to blitz. There were times he absolutely needed to drop into coverage and he didn't. He lost us at least one game by being aggressive when he shouldn't have.

 

But overall I really did like the change in playcalling. He brought a spark to the defense for sure. He has a better feel for calling plays and confusing the opposing offense than most. Playcalling is more than just x's and o's. There is an art to it, or an intuition. I think McDermott has that.

 

I think he got better as the year went on. Early on he was way too aggressive in bad spots IMO. 

[Chandler#81]

For all his accolades, Aaron Kromer is still underrated. Morse, McGovern, Brown & Edwards are run of the mill players and Dawkins is overrated, imo. Yet they were among the Leagues best rated units last season. Now, Morse is gone, McGovern is Center (presumably) Edward’s moves up. It’s Kromer’s skill -and Allen’s run & threat to run that makes them seem great. My solution, start Ray Davis at RB. I think he’s already a stud and will excel from the jump. Cook can be the 3rd Down back.As for Defense, I have no idea what we have. There’s no single rush threat from the edge, the Secondary is a mess and Milano’s health is unknown. Bass sucked after signing an extension and I also have no idea what to expect with kickoffs -except that Bass typically knocks them through the other uprights -which will kill us allowing opponents to start at the 40. 

So, Surprise Surprise! Josh does everything or the Bills will be on the golf courses in Florida after New Year’s Day.

🤷‍♂️

[Logic]

Utilizing the running backs in the passing game on more than just swing passes and checkdowns.

It was always a sight for sore eyes to me when Cook would run a wheel route or split out wide and run a go against a linebacker. Yes, I realize Cook had some crucial drops last season. But he remains a mismatch against most linebackers and I think the Bills should continue to find more ways to get him creatively involved in the passing game.

Additionally, there were times last year that both Cook and Johnson were lined up in the backfield together. I'd like to see more of this, but with Ray Davis. Davis had seven TD receptions in the SEC last season, so he's a more than capable receiver himself. Beane keeps talking about how when we consider the Bills' pass catchers, we should be thinking about tight ends and running backs, too. That said, having both Cook and Davis in the backfield seems like it presents options. One can stay in to block while one runs a route, one or both can motion out wide, etc. 

So give me some legitimate running back involvement and variety in the passing game this year. I liked it when I saw it last year, and I'd like to see more of it. Get Davis and Cook matched up against a linebacker and let them eat underneath.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

I'd like to see some more run plays NOT from the shotgun, give Cook a chance to get moving before hitting the line

 

[MJS]

Just now, Pine Barrens Mafia said:

I'd like to see some more run plays NOT from the shotgun, give Cook a chance to get moving before hitting the line

I also think play action is less effective faking the run from the shotgun, but I don't think Josh likes turning his back to the defense like you need to do when you fake the handoff starting under center. I guess that's an area of growth for him.

[sven233]

Honestly, there is a lot that you can carry over from the last few years. We've been one of the highest scoring teams in the league over the past several seasons so if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Concepts like mesh, pin and pull, duo, etc should stay, but where I think expanding and adding to these concepts is very important. It seemed like there were too many times last year we would just spam these same concepts over and over because they were the only things that were working. The problem is, teams figured this out and we had no counter punch. That's why I think many in this board started to hate these concepts. It just got to the point they were relied on too much. However, these are core concepts that absolutely have a place in our offense.

 

What I want to see, though, are some of the concepts we've gotten away from since Daboll left make a return. I miss the jet sweeps, the constant motion and eye candy, the misdirection, push passes, etc. I know the type of WR we have now has changed and we don't have a lot of those gadget guys anymore, but there is still a place for this. But perhaps the biggest thing we need to find a way to do is to bring back the slant pass into this offense. It has been virtually absent from our offense for years now so much to a point where it's a joke when they actually use it and it works. I know it's not Allen's favorite pass to throw, but with the focus on bigger WRs in the offense, a slant is one of the biggest weapons you can use. Same with back shoulder throws. Finally, I believe this offense will run a lot through Kincaid and making sure you continue to use him up the seams and on deep overs. While they didn't do this early in the season, they did it late in the year with great success. I said it when he was drafted and he did nothing last year to show I might be wrong.....I truly believe he can be the next great TE in this league. Everyone was raving about LaPorta and the season he had last season, and he was very good, but it was mainly because they chose to feature him early and often whereas our coaching staff chose to incorporate Kincaid slower than was necessary. However, I expect him to be featured early and often this season and, providing everyone is healthy, I think he is going to explode this year. 

 

As for the defense, while several of the faces may change, I don't expect to see much different than what we've been accustomed to. While we did play a bit more cover 1 and cover 3, and did get out of that 2 deep shell more last season, and while I do expect that to continue, this defense is what it is and they pay their system for better or worse. What could help is honestly just staying healthy. Injuries over the last couple seasons have slowed this defense and taken away what it is designed to do, so health rather than concepts might be more important. This defense relies on getting pressure from the front 4. So, can Oliver pick up where he left off? Can Von get back to form now another season removed from injury? Can Groot stay healthy all season and become a more dominant and consistent player? Can AJ, Solomon, and some of the new depth contribute to a sustained pass rush? Can Jones stay healthy and dominate for an entire season? Can Milano come back to his all pro form? Can TB stay healthy and build on his breakout season? I really am not concerned about the new faces on the back end. They will be just fine. To me, it's not about a change in philosophy necessarily, but rather health. If we get beat up again, we're going to be in trouble no matter what we want to run. But hey..... go out and score 30+ and make teams keep up. If we do that, we'll win more than we lose for sure. 

[Htt2821]

54 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

For all his accolades, Aaron Kromer is still underrated. Morse, McGovern, Brown & Edwards are run of the mill players and Dawkins is overrated, imo. Yet they were among the Leagues best rated units last season. Now, Morse is gone, McGovern is Center (presumably) Edward’s moves up. It’s Kromer’s skill -and Allen’s run & threat to run that makes them seem great. My solution, start Ray Davis at RB. I think he’s already a stud and will excel from the jump. Cook can be the 3rd Down back.As for Defense, I have no idea what we have. There’s no single rush threat from the edge, the Secondary is a mess and Milano’s health is unknown. Bass sucked after signing an extension and I also have no idea what to expect with kickoffs -except that Bass typically knocks them through the other uprights -which will kill us allowing opponents to start at the 40. 

So, Surprise Surprise! Josh does everything or the Bills will be on the golf courses in Florida after New Year’s Day.

🤷‍♂️

Cook was 6th in the league in All Purpose yards and you want him as the 3rd down back? That’s….something. 

[GunnerBill]

16 minutes ago, Htt2821 said:

Cook was 6th in the league in All Purpose yards and you want him as the 3rd down back? That’s….something. 

 

It's mad.

[Lost]

No more WR bubble screens.   Coleman could almost certainly gain more yac than Diggs did but still, it didn't seem like we disguised them well enough last year because they were almost always blown up.  

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

4 hours ago, HoofHearted said:

We ran Mesh a ton last year. It was one of the boards least favorite concepts we ran lol.

 

It works in man quite well.  

6 minutes ago, Lost said:

No more WR bubble screens.   Coleman could almost certainly gain more yac than Diggs did but still, it didn't seem like we disguised them well enough last year because they were almost always blown up.  

 

See i liked them and i think it was just a check in the 3x1.  If you have numbers to the sideline you can just throw a pass for an easy 5ish yards and stay on schedule.  Break a tackle and its a first down.    

 

Diggs was actually quite terrible at them.  Between drops, hesitation, and being one of the weaker blockers, he didn't offer much on in the bunch.  

[Alphadawg7]

Most important for me is that we continue to incorporate motion with purpose on offense that Brady ramped up as soon as he took over.  And quite honestly, that style of play is exactly why I think our WR room looks the way it does, to be able to continue that philosophy and really scheme guys open.  Our stable of weapons now is mostly made up of unselfish, smart, sure handed, good to great route runners where I think Brady is going to really excel at creating movement to create mismatches, opportunities, and easy throwing lanes for Allen.  Everyone from the recievers, TE's, and backs are here to be able to excel in that style of offense.  

 

On defense, I agree with the OP about the Cover 3, Cover 1, and Quarters balance...but my main question and concern is who is going to be calling the defense.  Right now McD said its undecided and probably won't see a decision on this for another 2 months at least.  I felt like our defense under McD's play calling was a big step in the right direction.  The good news though is that if Bobby does get the play calling duties and struggles, its easy to just switch back to McD until Bobby is more ready or even for the rest of the season if necessary.  

 

Heading into last season I kept saying I thought the Bills had a shot at leading the NFL in sacks under McD, and while a lot of people argued with me on that and they didn't lead league, they finished 3rd in the NFL only 3 sacks behind the leader (KC) and that was after they lost Tre, DQ and Milano for the majority of the season and Bernard for the end, otherwise they very likely would have lead the NFL.  This year, with Bobby here, I still think McD will have a heavy footprint on the defense, so I expect them to build on a lot of what they did last year, just more of a question how all the new pieces fit into the rotation and how well they play together. 

 

We are losing a lot of experience in our defense, so going to be interesting to see how fast the new pieces accumulate and gel with the other guys who have been here.  The defense is where I am very excited to see how the camp battles and preseason play out.  Want to see how big of a case Bishop makes to start early even though we got some solid guys in Edwards and Rapp that can play week 1 there.  I am VERY interested to see how Elam comes back and battles for the starting role this year.  And I am very intrigued by Solomon and if he can battle his way into relevant rotational role early as well.