daquixers_is_back Posted November 7, 2006 Posted November 7, 2006 I have been wondering this for months now. As for WR size, I'm sure Marvin Harrison can execute the quick slant just fine. He's one inch taller than Peerless Price and 5 pounds lighter. 827034[/snapback] Colts are my "2nd team" (I guess thats the best way to say it ... AKA the team i root for when the Bills dont make the playoffs) and watching the games every week I hardly EVER see Harrison catch a 3 step inside slant. If anything its a quick screen and ONCE in a great while a quick 3 step slant.
Rubes Posted November 7, 2006 Posted November 7, 2006 Colts are my "2nd team" (I guess thats the best way to say it ... AKA the team i root for when the Bills dont make the playoffs) and watching the games every week I hardly EVER see Harrison catch a 3 step inside slant. If anything its a quick screen and ONCE in a great while a quick 3 step slant. 827782[/snapback] Sigh...I see the point was lost here. Regardless, just look at New England.
jjamie12 Posted November 7, 2006 Author Posted November 7, 2006 Fair enough; Fairchild was groomed by Martz, so maybe that's part of it. They threw quick & short pretty much exclusively vs. Miami, and that was no offensive clinic. Also, Shelton caught a couple balls yesterday, which I assume wee 3steps; but I'd be lying if I said I counted steps when watching a game. 827770[/snapback] You know, I forgot that play to Shelton. They beat a blitz on that play, because the linebacker who would normally cover Shelton on that FB flat was blitzing, and the play picked up a decent amount of yardage. Thanks for pointing that out to me. Part of the problem with us fans, and our 'analysis', I guess, is that we really don't have a clue. That WAS a 3-step drop, but what I don't know is: Was the play a designed 3-step, or is that a hot read on JP's part? Offenses have become so sophisitcated that it wouldn't surprise me if he cuts his drop short to make that play... I honestly have no idea, and I can never really know, because, obviously, I don't have the game plan. That's what makes thinking about these things particularly frustrating! Thanks for pointing out the Shelton play to me, though, I had forgotten about that one.
Wraith Posted November 7, 2006 Posted November 7, 2006 You know, I forgot that play to Shelton. They beat a blitz on that play, because the linebacker who would normally cover Shelton on that FB flat was blitzing, and the play picked up a decent amount of yardage. Thanks for pointing that out to me. Part of the problem with us fans, and our 'analysis', I guess, is that we really don't have a clue. That WAS a 3-step drop, but what I don't know is: Was the play a designed 3-step, or is that a hot read on JP's part? Offenses have become so sophisitcated that it wouldn't surprise me if he cuts his drop short to make that play... I honestly have no idea, and I can never really know, because, obviously, I don't have the game plan. That's what makes thinking about these things particularly frustrating! Thanks for pointing out the Shelton play to me, though, I had forgotten about that one. 828247[/snapback] Wells said. That's why you have to trust the coaches opinion more than some other posters, even more than your own, and a hell of a lot more than the media. They know what was supposed to happen and they know what did happen. Not just the result, but all the intermediate steps. They know the context. Everyone else, no matter how much they think they saw on a play, is just guessing. Some guesses are more educated than others, but are still guesses.
Joe Miner Posted November 7, 2006 Posted November 7, 2006 Well, the following is only my opinion, so take it for what it's worth. Living in OK, I haven't seen any Bills games this year. The best I can do is getting on NFL.com and watching the stats tick by. But if I remember correctly, the first 3-4 games this year seemed to be filled with short pass plays by the Bills, and an occasional deep throw. I don't know if they were 3 step drops or not (again, haven't gotten to actually see them play), but a lot of them seemed to be short. < 10 yds, and passes out in the flats. I can only assume there were some 3 step drops in there for the amount of short passes it seemed we were completing. It seemed to be a common complaint that the short throws weren't getting it done and the offense was too dependent on receivers YAC. JP needed to use his "rocket, laser arm" and stretch the field. But I don't think anyone would argue that the whole team didn't look better in the first 4 games than they have in the last 4 games. Now it seems that the Bills are only attempting passes that are > 10yds down field. Well, when you attempt long passes and they are incomplete, that leaves the team in long yardage situations for the next down. Now, like everyone else, I have no ideas what plays are being called, and what, if any, audibles are being called. But it seems to me that the biggest problem with the offense is the lack of utilization of the tools that they do have. Is JP the QB for the future? I have no idea. Is McGahee the RB for the future? Who knows. Should any player on the Bills offense be very secure in their job? Probably not. Not one of them has performed up to par this season. Have we seen any flashes of greatness mixed in with good performances in some situations? Absolutely. But the offense as a whole has underperformed, each and every player out there has. But if you have an inexperienced QB, and a suspect OL, perhaps some shorter pass plays are in order? Perhaps more utilization of the TE is in order? Perhaps more screens are in order? Perhaps plays that appropriately use the talent that is currently on the team is what the Bills need instead of plays that ask the guys on the team to do things they just aren't able to do well. It should be obvious to the OC that 5-7 step drops for long pass plays are not always working for the Bills. Runs straight up the middle through our suspect OL are not always working. Perhaps we should be doing more of the things that we can do, instead of the things we can't. I'm not saying never pass it deep, or never run it in the middle, but do those plays in moderation, those shouldn't be the bulk of the playcalling. It almost seems to me that the coaches aren't focused on winning, but are still trying to figure out what this team can and can't do well. Lots of people are wanting to blame the QB, or the RB, or the OL, or the DL, or the DB's, for the failures and shortcomings of the team. I blame the coaches. It's the first job of the coaches to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their team, and then to get their team to play to their strengths, and keep working on eliminating the weaknesses. I would venture to say that most people couldn't name the Bill's strengths, on either side of the ball. Who's fault is that? Is it the fans' fault for not being observant? No. is it the players faults for not trying, or constantly failing? Not really. It's the coaches fault for not putting the team in a position to show us their strengths. But just as QB's are said to need 3 years to develop, most coaches also need about 3 years to develop.
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