The big reason Willis is so successful

[BF_in_Indiana]

The biggest reason for the turnaround on offense and for Willis' success is simple. Willis adds the big play to the running game.

 

It's nice to have a guy like Henry who will get you 4 yards a pop, but he never breaks a big one. Running backs don't get enough carries in a game so they need to break 1 or 2 big runs durring a game to help a drive.

 

Travis just doesn't bring that to the offense.

 

In a normal drive it will go something like this.

 

Incomplete pass

Travis run for 4

Incomplete pass

 

With a guy like Willis in the lineup you will see more plays like this.

 

Willis 14 yard run. If you put that 14 yarder in the middle of those two incomplete passes that is an extra down. With Travis gaining 4 instead of the 14 that Willis may be able to get you that's a punt.

 

Not sure this will make sense to anybody but I'm trying to explain as clearly as I can.

[ofiba]

Let me help.

 

Willis 3-0

Travis 0-5

[BF_in_Indiana]

Let me help.

 

Willis 3-0

Travis 0-5

107093[/snapback]

 

Yes I know this stat.

 

I think he is a better reciever and picks up the blitz better. Those two things also help.

[Tisaruse]

Don't think Willis has laid the ball down ever. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[ofiba]

Is it possible that his knee injury actually strengthened his legs?? Not the injury itself, but all that rehab and those leg exercises may have made the power in his legs greater than it was at UM. Just a thought...

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

I wouldn't discount the importance of better teamwork in several quarters as being big reasons Willis is so successful rather than attributing his and our increased success to simply one person. There is some chicken and egg to this ad good performance in one area leads to good performance in another area. However, one reason NFL football is great in my book is that it is a team game and though our simple American brains and the star machine of the NFL love to identify only one hero, the game is played better when multiple facets kick in.

 

I would specifically identify these crucial areas of improved work that have been a key to WM and the team's success which cannot be ignored or discounted when doing accurate analysis:

 

1. WM himself- like you I also attribute alot of this to special talents which WM brings to the game which should not be discounted even if one recognizes that his play alone is far from the whole story of identifying big reasons for success.

 

2. Special teams play- This to me is the critical difference and a leading element for this team. Our Ws would simply not be without the returns of McGe and Clements and without the punting of Moorman. Their play in these areas is linked to WNs success but are really wholey sepaate from it and have been a leader which has allowed WM to get off to some unproductive starts running as he did today before he got stronger as the game went on. ST play has been critical in helping us win the field position battle which has provided a winning context for WMs play.

 

3. Increased confidence- This is something which WM brings but also builds upon itself as the individual players are playing better and building upon it. Passes which would have been dropsearly in the season are being caught in critical situations searate from WNs performance and this better play has made a lot of difference.

 

4. Fewer key penalties and ref calls going our way- It may be the greater demands individual players are putting on themselves, it may be MM getting refs to join in our practices and throw flags on our players. it may be lucky breaks as calls like Evans from Bledsoe being called in bounds and the Jets being out of TOs to challenge it, but this issue which is separate from the WM performance is one of the big factors in our O success.

 

5. Better OL play and blitz pick-ups- If it were simply the running game stats showing improvement or on play after play the RBs pick-up on whiff blocks by the OL you might attribute the OL improvement to WMs running, but the pass pro has also improved with O sacks in two games. WM is part of this but better OL play deserves credit for part of WMs performance.

 

6. Better play calling and design by the coaches- The nclock mismanagement at the end of the half shows there are still miles to go. WMs abilities obviously give the coaches confidence to go for it and have the team make it on 4th and 1. However, the coaching staff has clearly shown command of the game with moves like going to the Jumbo package with Bannan which has revitalized the O in the redzone making critical blocks which have allowed WM to walk-in unscathed. In addition, the OC has kept confidence in players and plays like using Bledsoe's arm in the wind to hit Evans.

 

7. The D has improved- The return of Lawyer Milloy has not simply made a big diffrence in plays like his INT but the D is simply making plays now that has preserved leads the O provided the D as they did in the pre WM era but now they hold them.

 

Looking at WMs play and simply giving all the credit there is simply too simplistic when analyzng new found success.

[BillnutinHouston]

The biggest reason for the turnaround on offense and for Willis' success is simple.  Willis adds the big play to the running game.

 

107091[/snapback]

 

Pretty shallow analysis - we know McGahee is gaining bigger chunks of yards. I wanted to read your opinion about WHY he is doing so.

 

I think it's due to superior vision & power, regained speed to the outside and above all, he has the patience of Thurman behind his blockers. The burst is definitely coming back!!!!!!!!

[dib]

Don't think Willis has laid the ball down ever.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

107100[/snapback]

 

Yesterday.

[Campy]

Before the game I was talking to a fellow Bills fan who believes TH should be the starter. One of the things I said was that WM may not yet have the breakaway speed he had before, but the difference is that his patience in allowing his blocks to set up and his vision and lateral quickness will get him far more opportunities to break off 20 yard runs than TH.

 

It's 3 games, I'm not quite ready to annoint him as the league's next great back, but it's hard to argue with the results thus far. He's a dangerous weapon. Mature on the field beyond his years, WM just might end up being very special before all is said and done.

[MattyT]

Before the game I was talking to a fellow Bills fan who believes TH should be the starter.  One of the things I said was that WM may not yet have the breakaway speed he had before, but the difference is that his patience in allowing his blocks to set up and his vision and lateral quickness will get him far more opportunities to break off 20 yard runs than TH.

107198[/snapback]

Absolutely. It's a tale of two backs right now...one organic and one deterministic. A comfortable back is a patient back and McGahee's patience is the key right now. The situation that TH has been thrown into is causing him to feel determined to ram it down everybody's throat as fast as he can and show that he's as good or better than WM. Henry's first running play was a perfect example...he ran into the blocker standing right in front of him and was dropped for a loss. He's done this countless times this year.

 

Willis, on the other hand, is pausing to see what opens up and, if no opportunity arises, he has the speed and awareness to bounce it to the outside.

 

In my heart, I think that Travis has about 90% of the talent and ability that McGahee is playing with right now, but we will probably not see it again while he is in a Bills uni.

[MattyT]

5. Better OL play and blitz pick-ups- If it were simply the running game stats showing improvement or on play after play the RBs pick-up on whiff blocks by the OL you might attribute the OL improvement to WMs running, but the pass pro has also improved with O sacks in two games.  WM is part of this but better OL play deserves credit for part of WMs performance.

 

107114[/snapback]

I think that the only point missing from this observation is that the success in the running game created by McGahee's play is not allowing our opponents to blitz with the same frequency as they were doing pre-McGahee. This in itself has enhanced the perception of better OLine play and blitz pick-up.

 

When neither our running game or passing game was working, our opponents had little to lose and everything to gain by sending everybody directly at Drew. Very few teams could fend off the number of blitzes that were thrown at them pre-McGahee. Now that WM has shown a propensity for breaking off big plays, teams need to stay home and can't leave the big holes created by blitzing LBs because they will likely pay for it. The play of WM has done the same for the passing game, which decreases the likelihood of blitzing safeties and CBs as well.

 

 

I think McGahee is doing a better job chipping and re-directing blitzers than TH did, which is a combination of his technique and size. Don't get me wrong, the offensive line IS playing better....but they are no longer being asked to do extraordinary things.

[BF_in_Indiana]

The biggest thing he has is the vision and patience to get into holes that aren't there when the snap occurs.

 

Travis is just a straight ahead guy, if there is a hole he hits it, if not he goes down with no gain.

 

When Willis DOES get that speed back he will only get better.

[Fezmid]

Yesterday.

107168[/snapback]

 

Yeah, he technically fumbled yesterday as he was stretching for the first down. I didn't understand why the whistle wasn't blown long before that time, but hey. We got it back at least...

 

CW

[34-78-83]

It's nice to see some analysis here where people just point out facts and stay away from the "TH is a quitter" nonsense...

[GG]

I think that the only point missing from this observation is that the success in the running game created by McGahee's play is not allowing our opponents to blitz with the same frequency as they were doing pre-McGahee. This in itself has enhanced the perception of better OLine play and blitz pick-up.

 

When neither our running game or passing game was working, our opponents had little to lose and everything to gain by sending everybody directly at Drew. Very few teams could fend off the number of blitzes that were thrown at them pre-McGahee. Now that WM has shown a propensity for breaking off big plays, teams need to stay home and can't leave the big holes created by blitzing LBs because they will likely pay for it. The play of WM has done the same for the passing game, which decreases the likelihood of blitzing safeties and CBs as well.

I think McGahee is doing a better job chipping and re-directing blitzers than TH did, which is a combination of his technique and size. Don't get me wrong, the offensive line IS playing better....but they are no longer being asked to do extraordinary things.

107336[/snapback]

 

I think you nailed it in this one. I attribute the offensive resurgence directly on WM. Our OL did not suddenly became superstars in not allowing sacks on Bledsoe. A lot of it is the changed complexion that the defenses throw at us.

 

If you want a parallel, look back to 1997, when there was absolutely no respect of our long ball. Thus, despite Henning's total max protect, Todd Collins was a beaten rag doll, with eight men stacked in the box for nearly every play.

 

With TH in the backfield, there was little risk in blitzing, because you knew that TH would be more likely than not to miss his blocking assignment, and then you wouldn't have to worry about him being the outlet for a dump off.

 

The DC's have to play a much miore base defense now, because WM is a multiple threat, who has better fundamentals and skills.

 

You can make a case that it's a team effort. But, after watching the replays of some of the games, the turnaround is 90% McGahee.

[seq004]

Pretty shallow analysis - we know McGahee is gaining bigger chunks of yards.  I wanted to read your opinion about WHY he is doing so.

 

I think it's due to superior vision & power, regained speed to the outside and above all, he has the patience of Thurman behind his blockers.  The burst is definitely coming back!!!!!!!!

107134[/snapback]

Why is he doing so much better....Willis will get in your face if you make a dumb mistake and lose your concentration. When a leader steps on the field it makes everyone better. The offensive line has improved. Yes, Willis has great vision and patience not to mention he has one of the best blocking fullbacks in the league.

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

I think the bottomline here is that what WM adds is that we are now a two dimensional offensive team where in the past it has been pretty one dimensional. With the threat WM poses to other teams, the rest of the offense is now working against a weaker D as these Ds shift resources aways from the blitz or other pass defense efforts in order to try to slam the door on Willis.

 

However, to give Willis sole credit for our offensive resurgence does miss a big point because unless the team is effective at making use of other approaches then running Willis becomes one dimensional and gets stopped.

 

Is WM doing it alone and he is the sole reason for our success? No. If Bledsoe, the WRs and other weren't good enough at their jobs to pose a threat then WM would get stopped.

 

Does the fact that WM is playing so well allow the other players to do better? Yes. Because its more difficult for an RB to think blitz and stop WM as well they blitz less and there are fewer (no) sacks because our OL is capable of providing good pass pro for Bledsoe when they are not blitzed alot. In general I think it misses the point to look for the biggest single reason and is simply wrong to declare one player the sole reason.

 

The key to understanding all this and to success is recignizing it works best when it is a TEAM effort and the whole is actually greater than the sum of the individual parts.

[John from Riverside]

I think that the only point missing from this observation is that the success in the running game created by McGahee's play is not allowing our opponents to blitz with the same frequency as they were doing pre-McGahee. This in itself has enhanced the perception of better OLine play and blitz pick-up.

 

When neither our running game or passing game was working, our opponents had little to lose and everything to gain by sending everybody directly at Drew. Very few teams could fend off the number of blitzes that were thrown at them pre-McGahee. Now that WM has shown a propensity for breaking off big plays, teams need to stay home and can't leave the big holes created by blitzing LBs because they will likely pay for it. The play of WM has done the same for the passing game, which decreases the likelihood of blitzing safeties and CBs as well.

I think McGahee is doing a better job chipping and re-directing blitzers than TH did, which is a combination of his technique and size. Don't get me wrong, the offensive line IS playing better....but they are no longer being asked to do extraordinary things.

107336[/snapback]

 

 

I thought was really interesting when one of yesterdays commentators said something to the effect of "Hey Maghehee......take some notes on how Curtis Martin is picking up the blitz"

 

I was thinking to myself:

 

a. Willis is doing a pretty darn good job in his own right and

 

b. If Willis was wrapping his arms around a defender the way Curtis Martin was...they would be throwing the flag....the arms are not supposed to be to the OUTSIDE of the defender......

[GG]

I think the bottomline here is that what WM adds is that we are now a two dimensional offensive team where in the past it has been pretty one dimensional.  With the threat WM poses to other teams, the rest of the offense is now working against a weaker D as these Ds shift resources aways from the blitz or other pass defense efforts in order to try to slam the door on Willis.

 

However, to give Willis sole credit for our offensive resurgence does miss a big point because unless the team is effective at making use of other approaches then running Willis becomes one dimensional and gets stopped.

 

Is WM doing it alone and he is the sole reason for our success? No. If Bledsoe, the WRs and other weren't good enough at their jobs to pose a threat then WM would get stopped.

 

Does the fact that WM is playing so well allow the other players to do better?  Yes.  Because its more difficult for an RB to think blitz and stop WM as well they blitz less and there are fewer (no) sacks because our OL is capable of providing good pass pro for Bledsoe when they are not blitzed alot.  In general I think it misses the point to look for the biggest single reason and is simply wrong to declare one player the sole reason.

 

The key to understanding all this and to success is recignizing it works best when it is a TEAM effort and the whole is actually greater than the sum of the individual parts.

107726[/snapback]

 

Your circular logic still leads to one conclusion - the difference is McGahee. Yes, it is a team game and the execution of the offense is dependent on the entire offensive unit executing and not making mistakes.

 

What you choose to ignore in your analysis is the direct impact that Mcgahee's entry into the huddle has on the Bills' offensive plan and on the opponents' defensive plan. Whether McGahee can execute the plan or whether his swagger is a contagion to the other players is secondary. If he didn't execute, this discussion would not exist.

 

As soon as McGahee is on the field, the balance shifts to the Bills. It is not coincidental that the OL suddenly looks better and that Bledsoe is upright for most of the game.

 

You can wrap it around the niceties of teamwork and everyone being on the same page. But the bottom line is that McGahee is the sole factor that enabled them to get to that level.