Rookie Minicamp is Underway

[Art in PNS]

Man, the wide receiver screen used to be one of my favorite plays. Used sparingly with a lightning-quick receiver, it always seemed to get a big play for those late-90s offense. Then we pulled it out and it didn't work. Okay, I thought, it was a good try. Then they went back to it and it didn't work. Hmmm - maybe we don't have this one. Then they tried it again and it didn't work. And again, and again, and again until I started feeling like it was my fault all along.

 

 

It works when the other team actually thinks you might throw the ball further than 2 yards . When your offense relies on running the ball , and a passing offense that racks up massive 2 yard gains except for the obligatory deep pass to Lee Evans in the first quarter and the last quarter , you pretty much get your butt handed to you as soon as the reciever catches the ball .

[OCinBuffalo]

Man, the wide receiver screen used to be one of my favorite plays. Used sparingly with a lightning-quick receiver, it always seemed to get a big play for those late-90s offense. Then we pulled it out and it didn't work. Okay, I thought, it was a good try. Then they went back to it and it didn't work. Hmmm - maybe we don't have this one. Then they tried it again and it didn't work. And again, and again, and again until I started feeling like it was my fault all along.

I think if they can burn enough teams with Hardy, and if they can make Josh Reed into the slot receiving threat that we think he is, that the RB screen becomes a real danger for our opponents. Imagine this:

 

Hardy O-Line TE Reed Evans

Edwards

 

Lynch/FB

 

If you have everything going on to the right, and they have to respect Hardy on the left(let's say he takes his man 10 yards down field), then that creates a really soft zone on the left side, a perfect place for Lynch to sneak out to. Now you have Hardy blocking on a CB, and Lynch hitting top speed at the LOS, with basically one man to beat for a 1st down, and he probably has 2 steps on him. I like those odds. Meanwhile, if they are in the wrong D, and Edwards gets to audible, then you might see Evans against single coverage out of this as well, which, I thought, was the whole point.

[scribo]

Second day wrap-up is on the Bills' site. Looks like the Johnson guy is still doing well, as is Hardy and Bell.

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

Man, the wide receiver screen used to be one of my favorite plays. Used sparingly with a lightning-quick receiver, it always seemed to get a big play for those late-90s offense. Then we pulled it out and it didn't work. Okay, I thought, it was a good try. Then they went back to it and it didn't work. Hmmm - maybe we don't have this one. Then they tried it again and it didn't work. And again, and again, and again until I started feeling like it was my fault all along.

Seriously, I'm a big fan of the WR screen, and Roscoe is PERFECT for it. I hope Turk finds a way to make it work. Roscoe can do some damage on that play if you set it up right.

[Trader]

It works when the other team actually thinks you might throw the ball further than 2 yards . When your offense relies on running the ball , and a passing offense that racks up massive 2 yard gains except for the obligatory deep pass to Lee Evans in the first quarter and the last quarter , you pretty much get your butt handed to you as soon as the reciever catches the ball .

 

Screens don't work when the other team is looking for it?

 

How about a tight end reverse?

[Nanker]

Second day wrap-up is on the Bills' site. Looks like the Johnson guy is still doing well, as is Hardy and Bell.

 

This is no good news.

How can the board meltdown if we drafted good players?

[Sen. John Blutarsky]

It works when the other team actually thinks you might throw the ball further than 2 yards . When your offense relies on running the ball , and a passing offense that racks up massive 2 yard gains except for the obligatory deep pass to Lee Evans in the first quarter and the last quarter , you pretty much get your butt handed to you as soon as the reciever catches the ball .

Well, as big a problem is not running it every time you have certain personnel on the field. We've been terrible with that recently.

 

For example, every single time that Josh Reed came in motion toward the formation last year we ran the ball. Every, single, time. I'm not kidding, go back and look.

 

And we wonder why good defense were able to kill us. I'm sure every team picked that up on film and just ignored whatever the QB was doing and keyed on the RB on that play.

 

We have been absolutely brutal in terms of running counters off plays. Every play should be run with a counter in mind. If you want to run with Reed blocking after motioning toward the line that's fine, but you've got to mix in some PA passes, maybe a flea flicker or a reverse to take advantage of the over pursuit that is coming. Fairchild's offense was sub high school in complexity at times. He got so obsessed with formations and personell that he failed to design effective plans for each of those formations and packages. After awhile all you had to do was look at who was on the field and where they were liend up to know what was going on.

 

Another example. Anytime an H-Back didn't motion out of the backfield before the snap the play was a pass. Everytime. It defeats the purpose of all the "deception" crap if the defense, before the ball is even in play,knows with reasonably certainly that you are either running or passing. Good offenses can run or pass effectively out of any formation.

[BillsWatch]

This is no good news.

How can the board meltdown if we drafted good players?

 

Practice. Lots of Practice.

 

Practice in this case does not make it perfect.

[Sisyphean Bills]

This year's 5 yard outs are more likely to confuse the opposition than last year's 5 yard outs.