Wr usage

[bills11]

We signed Joshua Palmer now, and probably Will look to add another wideout in the draft , but one thing that has been concerning to me after it now looks like we've moved on from Amari Cooper is Joe Brady's ability to use WR's in the passing game.

 

While I understand cooper may have lost a step I still believe he was capable of contributing alot more than he's shown..we saw a similar massive dip ( third of the production he did under dorsey ) with Stefon diggs once Brady took over. 

 

While the offence as a whole has been greatly productive one of the major weaknesses has been production at tight end and wr..the only game this past season where we saw a heavy involvment of wrs and tight ends in the passing attack was the lions games which was just a perfect game on offence. WR's and tight ends to multiple games with barely a catch in this offence and we know Josh is capable of more as we've seen in his seasons under the tutelage of Daboll.

 

[Steve Billieve]

I mean, if his name wasn’t Amari Cooper no one would really care if we let him walk after last season.

 

I always thought the plan was to recoup some of what we spent on him from a comp pick 

[Doc Brown]

  On 3/15/2025 at 3:27 AM, bills11 said:

We signed Joshua Palmer now, and probably Will look to add another wideout in the draft , but one thing that has been concerning to me after it now looks like we've moved on from Amari Cooper is Joe Brady's ability to use WR's in the passing game.

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As Carolina's coordinator during the Covid year he managed to get DJ Moore and Robbie Anderson both over 1,000 yards with Teddy Bridgewater throwing them the ball.  Even Curtis Samuel had 851 WR yards that season.  It's pry more of a lack of talent on the outside rather than not being able to use WR's in the passing game.

[GunnerBill]

I understand the concern but I really do think Diggs hit something of a wall in 2023 and Amari did wrist ligaments in his first game as a Bill. That said it bears watching. But the Bills still need more talent outside. Interesting how soft Amari's FA market is.

[The Cincinnati Kid]

I love it when people talk about NFL coordinators not knowing how to get the ball to different positions. 
 

Apply for the job, let me know how it goes. 
 

Brady literally had JaMarr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Jow Burrow at LSU where Brady was the, wait for it, PASSING GAME COORDINATOR. Something tells me he might just know what he is doing. 
 

But yeah, guy who has never watched coaches film, let’s talk, AGAIN, about how Brady is just sitting in the booth licking an oversized candy lollipop. 🍭 

[Kirby Jackson]

It’s less about coaching and more about talent. The Bills have, and have had, one of the worst receiving groups in the league. They are elevated by Josh, not held back by Brady. If they had talent there, it would look much better.

Edited March 15 by Kirby Jackson

[SoonerBillsFan]

For a guy that can't use WR's well, we still had a top 2 Offense and Josh won the MVP.

 

I would ask fans to get out of Fantasy football mode in regards to individual stats.

[LyndonvilleBill]

I thinks it's more about trying to balance the offense. I mean, total passing yards were down less than 500 yards YoY. Rushing was up almost 100 yards. So we are talking about less than 400 yards total. Around 20 yards a game. That's like 1 or 2 passes a game YoY. Personally,  I don't see an issue. Just a slight change in offensive strategy. 🤔

Edited March 15 by LyndonvilleBill

[Billzgobowlin]

Why do we think the offense is the issue.  WR usage is by design.  Balanced attack with running the ball is the idea

[Matt_In_NH]

The goal of OC is points and yards and limiting turnovers not “WR production”. People are so obsessed with wide receivers it gets old.  The bills broke their team record for points per game…building the running game was the right thing to do.  Always more talent is better but WR is not the make or break for this team ultimately winning.  

Edited March 15 by Matt_In_NH

[below]

  On 3/15/2025 at 10:20 AM, SoonerBillsFan said:

For a guy that can't use WR's well, we still had a top 2 Offense and Josh won the MVP.

 

I would ask fans to get out of Fantasy football mode in regards to individual stats.

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Well yeah, that's why he's MVP.

 

There's def a point about the WRs' lack of productivity under Brady. Diggs' production tanked under him. So did Cooper's. Samuel never got started. And MVS's season speaks for itself.  

 

I don't care about stats if the O is productive. But this should be taken into account when evaluating say, Coleman's production or lack thereof.

[SoonerBillsFan]

  On 3/15/2025 at 11:50 AM, below said:

Well yeah, that's why he's MVP.

 

There's def a point about the WRs' lack of productivity under Brady. Diggs' production tanked under him. So did Cooper's. Samuel never got started. And MVS's season speaks for itself.  

 

I don't care about stats if the O is productive. But this should be taken into account when evaluating say, Coleman's production or lack thereof.

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McDermott and Coleman addressed his lack of production.  He wasn't the same after the injury.  

[The Cincinnati Kid]

Golly. Also: 

 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

  On 3/15/2025 at 11:56 AM, The Cincinnati Kid said:

Golly. Also: 

 

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And yet as pointed out above, we had the #2 offense.  The Bills are fine at WR and TE, probably will add a rookie with a mid round pick.

[bills11]

  On 3/15/2025 at 8:17 AM, The Cincinnati Kid said:

I love it when people talk about NFL coordinators not knowing how to get the ball to different positions. 
 

Apply for the job, let me know how it goes. 
 

Brady literally had JaMarr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Jow Burrow at LSU where Brady was the, wait for it, PASSING GAME COORDINATOR. Something tells me he might just know what he is doing. 
 

But yeah, guy who has never watched coaches film, let’s talk, AGAIN, about how Brady is just sitting in the booth licking an oversized candy lollipop. 🍭 

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It's not that deep It's an observation on the lack of production from our wr position..not attacking Joe Brady's body of work I'm completely aware of his resume..the offence overall has been great Just would like to see more production from tight ends and wrs..

[BillsVet]

 

  On 3/15/2025 at 8:46 AM, Kirby Jackson said:

It’s less about coaching and more about talent. The Bills have, and have had, one of the worst receiving groups in the league. They elevated by Josh, not held back by Brady. If they had talent there, it would look much better.

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This organization from HC to GM doesn't have a feel for offense, be it scheme, personnel or otherwise.  Yeah, Josh makes it better but there's a ceiling to even having the MVP as your QB.  Last season plus it's them trying to swim against the NFL current offensively while having a franchise QB.  

 

For whatever reason, McBeane have pivoted away from the idea of a WR1 and WR2 since the end of 2023.  Might be a resistance to featuring someone who'll want the ball 8-10x/game and the offense going more through them (the Diggs effect).  Might be a cost issue which allows them to spend to their other priorities.  Or, they consider it a matchup advantage having 4 WR3ish types on the roster.  Perhaps a combination of each.  Or, they still anticipate receivers like Coleman will improve in the short term.  

 

I don't see it working, just like last year when it necessitated the trade for Cooper. 

[chris heff]

  On 3/15/2025 at 1:52 PM, BillsVet said:

 

 

This organization from HC to GM doesn't have a feel for offense, be it scheme, personnel or otherwise.  Yeah, Josh makes it better but there's a ceiling to even having the MVP as your QB.  Last season plus it's them trying to swim against the NFL current offensively while having a franchise QB.  

 

For whatever reason, McBeane have pivoted away from the idea of a WR1 and WR2 since the end of 2023.  Might be a resistance to featuring someone who'll want the ball 8-10x/game and the offense going more through them (the Diggs effect).  Might be a cost issue which allows them to spend to their other priorities.  Or, they consider it a matchup advantage having 4 WR3ish types on the roster.  Perhaps a combination of each.  Or, they still anticipate receivers like Coleman will improve in the short term.  

 

I don't see it working, just like last year when it necessitated the trade for Cooper. 

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But the Cooper trade did nothing for whatever reason and yet they were a catch or a call away from going to the Super Bowl.

[hondo in seattle]

  On 3/15/2025 at 3:27 AM, bills11 said:

We signed Joshua Palmer now, and probably Will look to add another wideout in the draft , but one thing that has been concerning to me after it now looks like we've moved on from Amari Cooper is Joe Brady's ability to use WR's in the passing game.

 

While I understand cooper may have lost a step I still believe he was capable of contributing alot more than he's shown..we saw a similar massive dip ( third of the production he did under dorsey ) with Stefon diggs once Brady took over. 

 

While the offence as a whole has been greatly productive one of the major weaknesses has been production at tight end and wr..the only game this past season where we saw a heavy involvment of wrs and tight ends in the passing attack was the lions games which was just a perfect game on offence. WR's and tight ends to multiple games with barely a catch in this offence and we know Josh is capable of more as we've seen in his seasons under the tutelage of Daboll.

 

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It's hard to criticize Brady when he produced one of the prolific offenses in the NFL in his first full year as coordinator.

 

And yet I agree with this whole heartedly.  Brady struggles to scheme wideouts open.  And the problem is bigger than the lack of talent in the WR corps.  

[hondo in seattle]

  On 3/15/2025 at 8:17 AM, The Cincinnati Kid said:

I love it when people talk about NFL coordinators not knowing how to get the ball to different positions. 
 

Apply for the job, let me know how it goes. 
 

Brady literally had JaMarr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Jow Burrow at LSU where Brady was the, wait for it, PASSING GAME COORDINATOR. Something tells me he might just know what he is doing. 
 

But yeah, guy who has never watched coaches film, let’s talk, AGAIN, about how Brady is just sitting in the booth licking an oversized candy lollipop. 🍭 

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C'mon Kid, this is what we fans do.  We criticize GMs, coaches, coordinators, players.  We sign up for all that when we join the Mafia.  

 

And while none of us can match an NFL coach or scout in terms of knowledge, they do sometimes feed us fodder.  For example, Beane for all his brilliance made Elam a first-round pick.  He was criticized by some on this board at the time and his critics were right. 

 

I, personally, think it's fair to criticize Brady for his use of wide receivers thus far.   If you disagree, present your case.  Don't make ad hominen attacks against the poster you disagree with.   That doesn't prove anything, doesn't make the board a fun place, and you're better than that. 

[BillsVet]

  On 3/15/2025 at 3:29 PM, chris heff said:

But the Cooper trade did nothing for whatever reason and yet they were a catch or a call away from going to the Super Bowl.

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He was banged up first and didn’t mind being a complementary piece regardless.  Besides, it’s their offensive identity now to spread ball around. Solidified with personnel decision/priorities. 
 

People forget Cooper’s downfield catches versus KC in regular season. Sustained drives that ended in scores.  Wouldn’t have won without him.