Joe Brady, Josh Allen, and the playcalling

[JMM]

59 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Whether it was Josh or Brady, I don't know.  I just know I was sitting there saying over and over "throw the ball downfield a bit."  Not bombs away, not 25-yard strikes, just get some 8- and 12-yard gains to get the defense back on its heels.  It seemed all night the Bills were attacking with runs and passes at the line of scrimmage. 

Yes I'm a big believer in keeping a D honest. That means a commitment to the run game AND attempting to take the top off a D several times a game. I know we don't have a burner but you have to threaten downfield at times.

[Low Positive]

2 minutes ago, McBean said:

I don’t know what happened. It was bad. However, I’m glad that we FINALLY came out on the right side of this game for once.

 

i can’t remember the last time we won a game like that.

https://www.nfl.com/games/colts-at-bills-2020-post-1?active-tab=watch

[Dafan]

52 minutes ago, Pete said:

How many passes were attempted down the field.  If it wasn't a bubble screen, Josh often checked down to a dump off to RB.  Take the training wheels off Brady

Believe we threw it deep 3 times.  Once to Hollins down the left side I believe.  Then Shakir up the middle for 34 yards.  And I think it was colmen on the right side that was missed.

Edited 4 hours ago by Dafan

[hondo in seattle]

1 hour ago, nedboy7 said:

Here try something positive for your brain. 

 

 

 

 

It thought the coloring exercise was a fail but loved Orlovsky's support for Allen and the Bills.  

[Heavy Kevi]

3 hours ago, Low Positive said:

I'll have to go look at the all-22, but I think a lot of the bad play calls on those two third-quarter drives were audibles. Let's take those WR screens that went nowhere as an example. As we know, the Ravens have been historically great at simulated pressure. My memory of those plays is that the Ravens simulated blitzers and Josh audibled into those screens to beat the blitz. Not a bad play call. But then, the Ravens backed out and covered the flats and blew up the screens. I think this happened at least twice. I'm also pretty sure Josh called his own number on those QB sneaks at the goal line. My broader point is that we don't know if plays that don't work are because Joe Brady called them or if Josh Allen misread the defense and audibled into the wrong play.

 

I think the "second play" on the kill call were pretty bad all day.

 

When Josh said "we're good" the plays worked, but I think a lot of the time, BOTH plays were bad so Josh didn't have great options to check into.

 

Plus a couple blown plays where Josh called his own number but were not positive plays.

 

I didn't like the offensive calls much all day. It felt kind of like Greg roman for a minute, with over commitment to the run (esp on 1st down and it felt like it never worked), up until the last drive or 2. We have run well all year, but when it's not working it's not working. Baltimore was intentionally stopping the run and screens in the second half

[Dan]

3 hours ago, MikePJ76 said:

You could also credit the ravens for playing good defense.  
 

 

Just as no one in the national media is giving the Bills credit for forcing the turnovers and actually out playing and out scheming the Ravens.  …not enough posters here are giving the Ravens enough credit for being a really good team that was playing really good defense.   
 

Yeah the Bills looked to struggle but I think the Ravens made great adjustments.   We just out lasted them!

[zow2]

Well cmon, lets be honest...Joe Brady was so busy interviewing last week he didn't have time to design plays.  It was just hand off, hand off, hand off, screen pass, Josh run.. Lol.

[JohnNord]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I did not spot it at the time but you are 100% right. Josh clearly kills the play and audibles. 

I think there were a couple of other play calls as well.  Baltimore seemed to have Josh tricked by simulated pressures.  

[Mango]

2nd half wasn’t good. 
 

They played the 2nd half like they scored out of the tunnel and were holding the likely win until the end. 
 

But they didn’t do that. They never scored another TD. And the plan never seemed to adjust to the circumstances. 
 

Credit to Baltimore but they also let them back into the game. 
 

I also hated the timing of Brightside. The game was anything but over at that point. Had we lost that I would have probably hated that song for eternity. We should play it when the games in hand. We don’t have to do it all the time. 

[Haslett_Stomp]

this game was 2 or 3 plays from being a potential blowout, or at the least a more comfortable margin of victory.  The Kincaid drop that killed the first drive of the 2nd half, which may have led to a 28-10 score.  The 3rd and goal where Josh was stuffed for no gain and the Coleman slant that would have gone the distance if not for a great tackle.

[SCBills]

It did seem like we came out of half..

 

1)  Thinking what we did in the 1st half would just keep working

 

and 

 

2)  Thinking we could just grind the game out up 11

 

Very frustrating half that was saved by an elite defensive play by Bernard and Andrews drop, but I will give credit to Baltimore..  Their Defense showed why they were the best in the league for the last half of the season and Henry/Lamar got rolling. 

[ganesh]

1 hour ago, Dan said:

Just as no one in the national media is giving the Bills credit for forcing the turnovers and actually out playing and out scheming the Ravens.  …not enough posters here are giving the Ravens enough credit for being a really good team that was playing really good defense.   
 

Yeah the Bills looked to struggle but I think the Ravens made great adjustments.   We just out lasted them!

and that 11 point half time lead really helped keep that pressure and some wiggle room. Go Bills !!!

[Thrivefourfive]

Let’s do this. Now, passes are hitting in-stride WRs. No longer do we throw those junk balls up the sidelines which were 2014 cliché because Rodgers could do it (ONLY W/ ALLPRO WRs btw) with little chance for completions. No longer need to hit an aging, temperamental dud-YAC WR. All our backs are triple-threat. All our WR have purpose. Our line is the best in the league and dare I say it…. (One of the better lines in franchise history(?) 

 

Tony Romo was 100% backwards last night. This team doesn’t turn Josh Allen loose in the 4Q. Football ain’t basketball. Brady was not Jordan; though, Jordan had to facilitate in the Q1-Q3 to win champions. My point is Josh facilitates. That’s how a QB can be their best. Knowing what to do with the ball. It takes calm and patience and our giant has that now.

 

Brady would be on my short list for a HC job. Serious serious candidate. I don’t know what he’s like outside of Xs & 0s, but he has the coaching part aced. 
 

During the game, Cook on first down was a big middle finger to BAL, and the offense loved it. I commend Cook’s ground and pound game TREMENDOUSLY. Sleeveless 💪🏾💪🏾

 

I think, Cook for 2yds…what are we doing here?.. switch it up..!

 

 Of course I think pass. Joe Brady’s answer: Gilliam. So Brady kept his middle finger up AND switched it up. I think it was off tackle for like 8 yards. I f***** loved it 

[colin]

4 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

 

 

 

good find.

 

holy crap knox was just awful on that, the angle on the camera shows how awful his move was.  he had room on the right and if he breaks a tackle it is a big one.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

2 minutes ago, colin said:

 

 

good find.

 

holy crap knox was just awful on that, the angle on the camera shows how awful his move was.  he had room on the right and if he breaks a tackle it is a big one.

Yep. Most see it as a bad check by Allen but Knox definitely had room.

[colin]

1 minute ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Yep. Most see it as a bad check by Allen but Knox definitely had room.

 

i legit thought it was a horrible check, i didn't see the replay because i was texting to other fans and whining in the game thread (not sure what the replay showed).

 

iirc, is that the one allen was flipping out at someone about?  im thinking now he was screaming and knox for not picking up the free 10 and potentially more yards in front of him.

[Old Coot]

5 hours ago, Low Positive said:

I'll have to go look at the all-22, but I think a lot of the bad play calls on those two third-quarter drives were audibles. Let's take those WR screens that went nowhere as an example. As we know, the Ravens have been historically great at simulated pressure. My memory of those plays is that the Ravens simulated blitzers and Josh audibled into those screens to beat the blitz. Not a bad play call. But then, the Ravens backed out and covered the flats and blew up the screens. I think this happened at least twice. I'm also pretty sure Josh called his own number on those QB sneaks at the goal line. My broader point is that we don't know if plays that don't work are because Joe Brady called them or if Josh Allen misread the defense and audibled into the wrong play.

It's clear that Josh was fooled on that play.

 

But the options for blitz beating were limited by the formation. The RB is covered on the other side so Josh has to check down to the other side.

 

It's also possible that the Ravens say something on tape. I can't say for sure but my impression is that most of Josh's check downs go to his left. Maybe that's because teams like to blitz the QB's left side -- his "blind" side.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

14 minutes ago, colin said:

 

i legit thought it was a horrible check, i didn't see the replay because i was texting to other fans and whining in the game thread (not sure what the replay showed).

 

iirc, is that the one allen was flipping out at someone about?  im thinking now he was screaming and knox for not picking up the free 10 and potentially more yards in front of him.

Still wouldve had to beat Kyle Hamilton, he’s why Knox cuts inside. But Knox probably gets a few yards and McDermott might go for it.

[Captain Caveman]

One thing that stood out to me was how often we had in an extra lineman, and how often we ran right into his ass on those plays.  In previous games, we were able to wear down the opponent last night that way (San Francisco especially comes to mind.) 

Last night it just felt like we were shooting ourselves in the foot by letting Baltimore know what we were going to do.  If we are going to keep going with the extra lineman so often next week, I hope Brady can get a little more creative with it and bring in more pass plays and other wrinkles.  Last night I think we did pass out of it 1 or two times and there was also a nice counter run which caught Baltimore off guard.

 

In general I think if we can use more traditional sets (or 3 or 4WR sets also) it's going to keep the defense a little more honest and can still open up the run game a little more.  

 

Aside from this, the tendency to run on 2nd and short EVERY TIME drives me absolutely nuts.  Josh loves his deep shots - THIS IS THE TIME TO TAKE SOME (or just throw over the middle sometime.) If I know what play we're going to call based on a certain down and distance, then I'm sure the opponent does too.  Maybe Brady is just playing the long game and will finally take advantage and break tendencies this week, but I'm not very optimistic.