Why Didn't Willis Carry The Ball This Much..

[sweet baboo]

24 first downs vs. the Jets

 

13 by rushing.

478959[/snapback]

 

holy smokes, i'm going to need a bigger version of your av

[ganesh]

That's exactly it.  The defenses can't just stack the line continuously against KH, because he'll check to a quick slant (just like the Lee Evans against Miami play) and burn them.  There's a whole different thought process with a veteran QB.  With a rook (or 1st year starter) they challenge that QB to beat you by stacking the line.  Hence, less first downs and less touched for Willis.  They had to throw with JP, it was the only way to open up the run game....

479142[/snapback]

 

So why didn't Clements call those quick slants when JP was at the helm and

went for the downfield bombs...

[Campy]

So why didn't Clements call those quick slants when JP was at the helm and

went for the downfield bombs...

479199[/snapback]

How do you know what plays were or were not called? Perhaps the game was moving too fast for JP to hit those passes...

 

In Mularkey's press conference on Sunday he said that long balls have been called over the last two games, but that KH took what the D gave him, short quick-hitters. Reading between the lines, that's one of the subtle nuances of the position that it seems JP has yet to figure out.

 

Why do you think we saw a difference? Are you suggesting that the coaches wanted JP to fail?

[Dawgg]

C'mon, dog... make a fellow Indian proud. You're not being smart here.

 

1. Houston is NOT comparable to the Jets and Dolphins. End of story, check your facts.

 

2. JP pretty much was the same all 3 games (one at home 2 on the road). The coaches saw the film, saw numerous missed opportunities, and decided to make a switch. It was even evident on TV that JP was missing open receivers and was too hesitant to pull the trigger at times. When a QB is hesitant in the pocket and takes off for scrambles, that is suicide for your offense.

 

3. Again, check your facts. In the Atlanta game, the Bills had more time of possession than than the Falcons, but could not convert that into points.

 

Atlanta: 29:11

Buffalo: 30:49

 

4. KH is yet to see the above. Let's see how he plays these next two weeks. Two road games, two relatively difficult places to play.

 

Stop the whining. Bills are 2-0 under Holcomb. 1-3 under Losman.

 

 

People keep forgetting about the following:

 

1. The game that JP managed against Houston....The Jets and Miami teams

    that we played are pretty comparable to Houston in the mediocrity dept.

2. JP gets to play roads games against Tampa Bay and in a noisy dome at

    San Antonio.......Tampa Bay probably is leading in all defensive categories

    in the NFL now.  They have manhandled pretty much every one in the

    AFC East..

3. JP gets to play a tough game against Atlanta at home, where the defense

    could never get off the field on 3rd and longs.....They let Vick, Dunn and

    Duckett run for 240 yards...and control the clock....

 

4. KH is yet to see any of the above.....If KH managed the games at home

    very well, then how JP managed the Houston game should not be

    conviniently forgotten....

 

I want the bills to win, so I don't care how we win...but please don't make

KH look like a god...

479089[/snapback]

[Dawgg]

Are you pregnant with JP's child? It sure seems that way.

 

Moulds is the consumate professional and plays his butt off on every down. I have seen that over the last 8 years. There isn't much Moulds can do when he's open and JP just takes off scrambling instead. Or when JP throws the ball over his head and into the hands of an opposing corner (see New Orleans).

 

Also veteran WRs like Moulds refused to help out the kid by coming back for

the ball....He had already made up his mind that he did not want JP throwing

to him.

479085[/snapback]

[Dawgg]

Ummm he DID call those plays. JP simply was unable to execute them. He did not step into his throws and often times gave up on a play and took off running.

 

So why didn't Clements call those quick slants when JP was at the helm and

went for the downfield bombs...

479199[/snapback]

[Dawgg]

He hearts JP.

 

Why do you think we saw a difference?  Are you suggesting that the coaches wanted JP to fail?

479212[/snapback]

[BuffOrange]

How do you know what plays were or were not called?  Perhaps the game was moving too fast for JP to hit those passes...

 

In Mularkey's press conference on Sunday he said that long balls have been called over the last two games, but that KH took what the D gave him, short quick-hitters.  Reading between the lines, that's one of the subtle nuances of the position that it seems JP has yet to figure out.

 

Why do you think we saw a difference?  Are you suggesting that the coaches wanted JP to fail?

479212[/snapback]

 

Please sticky this. Please? Somebody?

It is the most painfully obvious observation ever and yet so refreshing to read that SOMEBODY on this board has some degree of sanity.

[Mickey]

Now he's getting 10-15 more carries and the Bills are controlling the clock. Holcomb is the right choice now but all we heard was this plan of pounding the ball with a first year QB. Instead, the Bills abandoned the run for long streaks in all of Losmans starts. His poise was shot, asking him to do waaaaaay too much with his arm and legs. He wasn't ready to carry a full playbook and Mularkey is to blame here. The sales job stated was to run often and throw the short stuff. Isn't that exactly what they're doing now ??

 

Now Willis is seeing the rock and we're 2-0. Giving the ball to #21. What a concept.    Kind of sets up a lot of other opportunities, if you stick to the plan. Who cares if the D stacks the line on some plays. Run it anyhow and control some clock !

 

The coaches corrected their mistake. The 1-3 start could easily have been 3-1, if they practiced what they preached. Losman will be back and still is our future. Hopefully, the dunderheads with the headsets will handle this better the 2nd time around. 

478955[/snapback]

It kinda goes like this: You give the ball to Willis and if he gains 3 yards or so, you do it again. However, if you give him the ball and he gets stopped for no gain bringing up 2nd and 10, you start to consider other options. Recall also that we have been without Mike Williams since the first half of the Tampa game and Chris V. has missed two games.

 

Running the ball and running the ball effectively are two different things. I have every confidence that if we are able to move the ball on the ground, Clements and Mularkey would do just that. However, when we are not gaining yards and the defense is stacked and you have backups filling in for injured starters, you have to throw the ball.

 

He had 27 carries against Atlanta, 29 against the Jets. He was gaining yards so even though we were struggling and even though JP was the QB, we gave Willis the ball plenty. Against Tampa, he had 13 carries for 34 yards, 2.6 ypc. Clearly, he wasn't gaining yards. Against Miami, he had 31 carries and only 86 yards so even though he wasn't really getting first downs or running all that well, we gave it to him plenty. The result was a totally stagnant offense in the second half even though they did stick with the run. He had 14 carries in the second half.

 

We run plenty, we just don't run well all the time.

[Kelly the Dog]

Greaaaat.  Now I have to rewatch the first six games tom compare the defensive alignments vs our two QBs to reprove my point.  The other factor could be that Bills were making more mistakes on offense w/ JP in there putting them in more obvious passing situations.

479081[/snapback]

True, but a lot of the mistakes were calling pass plays on second down when they should have been running it. I recall several times where JP would immediately be sacked, or we would get a holding penalty or he'd be scrambling or throwing it away, bring up a 2-20 or 3-18 or 3-10 or 3-8 instead of 3-5 if we ran Willis. Those 3-5 carries/calls a game they should have made easily could have picked up 2-3 more first downs instead of three and outs, which turns into 10 more carries a game, which turns into several less bad passes or sacks or holding calls. Not to mention confidence it gives the young QB, the makeshift line and the entire offense. Not to mention keeping the scrambling D off the field. 3-4 plays a game can easily turn it around.

[Kelly the Dog]

How do you know what plays were or were not called?  Perhaps the game was moving too fast for JP to hit those passes...

 

In Mularkey's press conference on Sunday he said that long balls have been called over the last two games, but that KH took what the D gave him, short quick-hitters.  Reading between the lines, that's one of the subtle nuances of the position that it seems JP has yet to figure out.

 

Why do you think we saw a difference?  Are you suggesting that the coaches wanted JP to fail?

479212[/snapback]

Watch the drops, Camp. Mularkey was responding to the fact we didn't throw once down the field in the Miami game and only once in the Jet game. There were 3-4 times when KH had a deep drop and didnt throw it downfield but dumped it off. A veteran play and why he was there. Thats what Mularkey was talking about. It doesn't talk about the 15-20 plays that JP dropped back deep to throw (many of which he ended up bailing out and running for his life) You KNOW they werent quick outs called like they have been for KH because JP would have stopped after three steps and tried to throw the ball.

[ganesh]

How do you know what plays were or were not called?  Perhaps the game was moving too fast for JP to hit those passes...

 

In Mularkey's press conference on Sunday he said that long balls have been called over the last two games, but that KH took what the D gave him, short quick-hitters.  Reading between the lines, that's one of the subtle nuances of the position that it seems JP has yet to figure out.

 

Why do you think we saw a difference?  Are you suggesting that the coaches wanted JP to fail?

479212[/snapback]

 

Here is the difference...You don't expect a rookie QB to have the experience

of reading NFL defenses....So it is up to the coaches to call plays that make

him effective.....KH knows to throw underneath without going downfield....

and JP might not have the experience for that....My point is the coaches

should have put JP to make higher percentage plays....Look I am not saying

JP played well...All I am saying is that coaches should take equal blame in

not putting the youngster in a position to make plays....I don't think the

coaches wanted JP to fail, but I think they got carried away by his strong arm

and ability to throw downfield, albeit inaccurately.....

[Dawgg]

Bottom line: JP's inability to complete short to mid-range passes crippled the offense. Teams no longer respected the pass and stuffed the box to shut Willis down. You see he wasn't playing to his potential during JP's short-lived tenure. To counter-act that during the game, the coaches had to call long pass plays just to get the safeties to move back.

 

You can call plays until the cows come home, but defenses will not respect it unless they are EXECUTED. That's where the problem was with our young quarterback. Executing in the short to mid-range requires quick decision making and confidence in the pocket. JP showed flashes of them, but not nearly enough to sustain drives.

 

This team is too good for this type of experiement to occur. If JP was a top 5 pick and was making $8M a year, I might speak differently. But from a cap standpoint, the team's investment is not all that high. Thus, sit him and let the wins pile up.

 

 

Here is the difference...You don't expect a rookie QB to have the experience

of reading NFL defenses....So it is up to the coaches to call plays that make

him effective.....KH knows to throw underneath without going downfield....

and JP might not have the experience for that....My point  is the coaches

should have put JP to make higher percentage plays....Look I am not saying

JP played well...All I am saying is that coaches should take equal blame in

not putting the youngster in a position to make plays....I don't think the

coaches wanted JP to fail, but I think they got carried away by his strong arm

and ability to throw downfield, albeit inaccurately.....

479455[/snapback]

[Campy]

Here is the difference...You don't expect a rookie QB to have the experience

of reading NFL defenses....So it is up to the coaches to call plays that make

him effective.....KH knows to throw underneath without going downfield....

and JP might not have the experience for that....My point  is the coaches

should have put JP to make higher percentage plays....Look I am not saying

JP played well...All I am saying is that coaches should take equal blame in

not putting the youngster in a position to make plays....I don't think the

coaches wanted JP to fail, but I think they got carried away by his strong arm

and ability to throw downfield, albeit inaccurately.....

479455[/snapback]

No, here's the difference: 1-3 versus 2-0. I could care less if frickin' T-Bone was our QB. All I want them to do is win. Over the last two weeks, they've won. End of story.

[ricojes]

Bottom line: JP's inability to complete short to mid-range passes crippled the offense.  Teams no longer respected the pass and stuffed the box to shut Willis down.  You see he wasn't playing to his potential during JP's short-lived tenure.  To counter-act that during the game, the coaches had to call long pass plays just to get the safeties to move back.

 

You can call plays until the cows come home, but defenses will not respect it unless they are EXECUTED.  That's where the problem was with our  young quarterback.  Executing in  the short to mid-range requires quick decision making and confidence in the pocket.  JP showed flashes of them, but not nearly enough to sustain drives. 

479468[/snapback]

Yes, exactly. And similar points were mentioned previously in this post, yet some people don't get it. The defense dictates your offense, you just can't run for the sake of running.

[Risin]

In Mularkey's press conference on Sunday he said that long balls have been called over the last two games, but that KH took what the D gave him, short quick-hitters.  Reading between the lines, that's one of the subtle nuances of the position that it seems JP has yet to figure out.

479212[/snapback]

 

 

LoL. KH did try and throw the long ball, did you see it? Holy rag arm Batman, it lead to the Jets first TD of the game. If I had an arm like that, I'd check down also.

 

I don't care who the QB is, I just don't want this debate to get ugly. KH is a VERY likeable guy, and he is the QB of our team. Who cares if JP had harder circumstances to operate under, if KH is a bad QB the truth will come out eventually, and JP will be back in there. For now, let's enjoy the ride.

 

Also, to those who want JP back in there, based on past history, it won't take long. In the past, Kelly has made RJ look durable, it could happen this week.

[Campy]

LoL.  KH did try and throw the long ball,  did you see it?  Holy rag arm Batman,  it lead to the Jets first TD of the game.  If I had an arm like that,  I'd check down also.

479497[/snapback]

KH checks down. JP doesn't/can't. KH audibles. JP doesn't/can't.

 

Any questions?

[Risin]

KH checks down.  JP doesn't/can't.  KH audibles.  JP doesn't/can't.

 

Any questions?

479498[/snapback]

 

 

Rag Arm, any questions?

 

No need to be short, I'm on your side for crying out loud.

 

If JP was as restricted as some say, was he allowed to audible?

[Campy]

Rag Arm,  any questions?

 

No need to be short,  I'm on your side for crying out loud. 

 

If JP was as restricted as some say,  was he allowed to audible?

479510[/snapback]

I didn't intend for it to sound curt - it was part in response to your post, and part in response to KTFBD's. KH is better at a reading a D than JP. Because a QB has the smarts to audiblize to a quick slant, he obviously is going to take a shorter drop. KH is more efficient at moving this offense. But to blame the coaches for KH's superiority in getting out of bad plays is stoopid IMO.

[Risin]

I didn't intend for it to sound curt - it was part in response to your post, and part in response to KTFBD's.  KH is better at a reading a D than JP.  Because a QB has the smarts to audiblize to a quick slant, he obviously is going to take a shorter drop.  KH is more efficient at moving this offense. But to blame the coaches for KH's superiority in getting out of bad plays is stoopid IMO.

479519[/snapback]

 

 

Sorry I misunderstood your intentions.

 

All the things KH is better then JP at, all follow one common denominator, experience. That is the beauty of starting a veteran QB, in a win now league. He will make up for his physical shortcomings, with mental superiority compared to the young guy.

 

He is a better QB then JP right now, by miles. Depending on JP's learning curve, at some point he will surpass KH at being a better QB. He may never be as clever as KH, who seems like a pretty heady ball player, but JP's physical abilities will allow him to makeup for his lack of knowledge. The game is just moving way to fast for JP now, and I agree somewhat with KTFBD, the coaches didn't do JP any favors. Not saying they set him up to fail, but they didn't put him in a position to likely suceed either.

 

Hopefully JP turns out to be the QB we all want him to be, as Bills fan. In the meantime, it's good to know we have an efficient QB to handle the reigns. This was a great signing by TD, and I hope his naysayers will agree.