Bills Lineman Have Trouble On The Run

[patmoran2006]

I think this is a PERFECTLY written article that is summing up the Bills right now.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/story/485607.html

The Bills are 5-3, still tied for the AFC East lead. But there’s a palpable unease in the air, a growing sense that they’re an average team that is finding its level.

Suddenly, there are issues everywhere you look. No pass rush. Not enough production out of receivers not named Lee Evans. Trent Edwards is under siege and turning the ball over too much. The special teams are ordinary. The injuries are piling up.

But the most troubling issue is the run game. The linemen couldn’t block a doorway. The Bills are 26th in the NFL in rushing, 30th in yards per carry. They don’t have a run over 22 yards. Marshawn Lynch is averaging 3.5 a crack.

When the Bills were unbeaten and finding ways to win in the fourth quarter, it was easy to overlook their problems in the run game. Not now. The weather is unseasonably warm. But you know what’s coming.

Cold. Wind. Rain. Conditions that used to bring out the defiant, physical personality of the best Bills teams. Running weather. They’d better figure it out soon if they expect to be a playoff team.

[gr8slayer]

Ditch the zone blocking scheme and the yards will start piling up.

[Oaf]

I said, you're 26th in rushing, that's not playoffs, he said

"I'll remember that comment when we make it."

That's funny.

[Philagape]

Ditch the zone blocking scheme and the yards will start piling up.

During the offseason, I thought that's what they said they were going to do because it wasn't working much last year either. How can they keep doing what is painfully obviously not working?

[Mr. Pink]

I've been saying since year 1 of Fowler here that the reason we can't run is because we get no push up the middle.

Just look back at the running of Henry and McGahee as a rookie and compare to McGahee 2nd year through now...

It doesn't matter what the other guys do when you get no push at the point of attack unless you're running tosses all day long.

Our running game will not improve until we get a mauler at C. Period.

[Patti120]

During the offseason, I thought that's what they said they were going to do because it wasn't working much last year either. How can they keep doing what is painfully obviously not working?

I'm pretty sure that I read something a few months back that said that they have ditched the zone blocking scheme and that they only use it for certain plays. I can't remember where I read it though and I haven't paid enough attention to the oline (other than seeing someone getting owned or missing a block) to be able to tell if they are utilizing the zone scheme on their running plays.

[MikeInRoch]

Ditch the zone blocking scheme and the yards will start piling up.

Are you suggesting that the problem with that the scheme doesn't work in general? Or that it doesn't work with our personnel? What is it about our personnel that you would think would cause something else to work better?

[gr8slayer]

Are you suggesting that the problem with that the scheme doesn't work in general? Or that it doesn't work with our personnel? What is it about our personnel that you would think would cause something else to work better?
340 pound OL do not zone block well. Isn't it funny that the team that runs the scheme the best (Broncos) have very undersized OL (by NFL standards)? You need athletes to run that, not guys who are 6'7 330+ pounds.

[bigbub2352]

Zone Blocking is something you use when u have a bunch of unathletic lineman, We are rarely pulling, we dont run sweeps, and we constantly run the ball between the tackles, Also i think are struggles lie in the fact that our C either Preston our Folwer dont secondary block very well, so our rbs are often being hit by uninvaded LBers and that is why we dont get alot of big plays

We need to ditch the zone blocking scheme and keep the Defense guessing by trying to run outside a little more as well as counters and misdirections, instead of straight dives betwee nthe tackles

Turk sure looked alot more creative in week 1 and 2 then now

[gr8slayer]

Zone Blocking is something you use when u have a bunch of unathletic lineman, We are rarely pulling, we dont run sweeps, and we constantly run the ball between the tackles, Also i think are struggles lie in the fact that our C either Preston our Folwer dont secondary block very well, so our rbs are often being hit by uninvaded LBers and that is why we dont get alot of big plays

We need to ditch the zone blocking scheme and keep the Defense guessing by trying to run outside a little more as well as counters and misdirections, instead of straight dives betwee nthe tackles

Turk sure looked alot more creative in week 1 and 2 then now
:shakeno:

[Philagape]

Are you suggesting that the problem with that the scheme doesn't work in general? Or that it doesn't work with our personnel? What is it about our personnel that you would think would cause something else to work better?

It doesn't work with the personnel. Peters, Dockery and Walker are huge maulers who should be plowing forward. The blocking should be based on sheer brawn, not agility or zone position.

[gr8slayer]

It doesn't work with the personnel. Peters, Dockery and Walker are huge maulers who should be plowing forward. The blocking should be based on sheer brawn, not agility or zone position.
Add Butler to that category of "huge maulers".

[Philagape]

Add Butler to that category of "huge maulers".

He's tall, but is he filled out sufficiently for his height? BB.com says 315 ... that seems kinda small for 6-7

[patmoran2006]

its not JUSt the OL.. His point was well taken..

Suddenly, there are issues everywhere you look. No pass rush. Not enough production out of receivers not named Lee Evans. Trent Edwards is under siege and turning the ball over too much. The special teams are ordinary. The injuries are piling up.

[raphael120]

Our Oline is a bunch of overpaid bums. I liked it better when they were bums paid like a bunch of bums.

[thenry20]

its not JUSt the OL.. His point was well taken..

Suddenly, there are issues everywhere you look. No pass rush. Not enough production out of receivers not named Lee Evans. Trent Edwards is under siege and turning the ball over too much. The special teams are ordinary. The injuries are piling up.

Nope. Neither RB can break 75 yards/game and this has been happening before the injuries, etc; since week 1. We were getting after the opposing QB's just fine when we were 4-0.

[Mahdi]

Ditch the zone blocking scheme and the yards will start piling up.
We dont use zone blocking... havent since the second half of McNally's last season. He ditched it because it wasn't working.

[baalworship]

It is frustrating that we could run the ball a lot better with Willis and Travis Henry but we didn't have a QB. Now we have a QB but can't run the ball.