About the screen pass

[TigerJ]

Chan Gailey's use of the screen pass has accounted for a lot of yards this season. It's well known the Bills use the screen in various forms more than any other team in the league. However, against the Colts the screen pass was close to worthless. The Colts ran a lot of man coverage and got in the faces of receivers, tight ends, and running backs early, and using a lot of physical play (bumping, grabbing, etc.). Well, we know this is a copycat league. It worked for the Colts, so we can be reasonably sure the Jaguars will do the same thing on defense, and probably other teams the Bills face the rest of the season. So. . . what does Gailey do about that. In theory, when the defense takes something away, something else is going to open up. Let's have a football discussion on offensive strategy. What would you do as head coach if teams down the stretch use the Colts' defensive strategy to take away the screen pass?

[TigerJ]

I think the first thing that is going to open up are intermediate and passes. Buffalo had one of its longer pass plays of the season when an Indianapolis cornerback bit on a Steve Johnson fake when he was in man coverage. It would have been a touchdown if Johnson was a faster receiver. If you have good receivers, the DBs are going to be vulnerable oftentimes when in man coverage. Of course, that depends on having good protection (something that was lacking Sunday), receivers who can get open, and/or a QB who is accurate throwing intermediate and deep passes and willing and able to attempt a pass with a tight window. Receivers are not going to be as open as was Stevie Johnson on every play, but they won't be double teamed very often either.

[BLeonard]

Well, I can tell you how I'd gameplan for the Jags....

They're ranked 29th in rushing yards allowed and 28th in passing yards allowed... With the Bills having 2 pretty good running backs, I'd have to lean towards running their legs off, give them each at least 20 carries...

Unfortunately, we have Chan Gailey as head coach and he apparently thinks it's against the NFL rules to give our best offensive player the ball more than 10 times a game, in most cases...... So, taking this into account...

I tell Fitz to make Scott Chandler his #1 receiver all day long. Again, the Jags are ranked 28th in passing yards allowed... In most cases, the linebacker that would be assiged to cover Chandler would be a guy out of Penn State named Paul Posluszny... I think many of us recall just how well he covered Tight Ends during his career in Buffalo... Chandler also has 6 inches in height on Poz...

Shouldn't even need the screen pass to beat the Jags, but I'm sure Gailey will make it tougher than it needs to be.

-Bill

[kishoph]

Chan Gailey's use of the screen pass has accounted for a lot of yards this season. It's well known the Bills use the screen in various forms more than any other team in the league. However, against the Colts the screen pass was close to worthless. The Colts ran a lot of man coverage and got in the faces of receivers, tight ends, and running backs early, and using a lot of physical play (bumping, grabbing, etc.). Well, we know this is a copycat league. It worked for the Colts, so we can be reasonably sure the Jaguars will do the same thing on defense, and probably other teams the Bills face the rest of the season. So. . . what does Gailey do about that. In theory, when the defense takes something away, something else is going to open up. Let's have a football discussion on offensive strategy. What would you do as head coach if teams down the stretch use the Colts' defensive strategy to take away the screen pass?

This is nothing new, teams have been doing this since Rex Ryan did it to the Bills in game 8 of last season. The obvious book on stopping the Bills offense is to sit on the short routes, the failure to adjust to this has gotten so bad that at times teams have not even gone their nickle or dime packages against our multiple receiver sets, instead just keeping their LB's in the game to cover all the underneath junk that this offense runs, the Texans did this the whole game.
What any coach would do to stop this would be to stretch the field, but here's the dilemma, is it the coach or the QB ? I have heard Gailey in the past and just recently say that there have been plays called for passes down field and for whatever reason they were not made. With Spiller, Stevie and even Scott Chandler, this offense could be very potent, if used right.


Unfortunately, this is usually the result when they do go down field. This pass to an open Spiller would of been 7 if Fitz didn't blow it and it's happened too many times this season.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/kishoph/Image1g.jpg

[ParanoidAndroid]

....waaaaayyy too many times!

[MidnightVoice]

Unfortunately, we have Chan Gailey as head coach and he apparently thinks it's against the NFL rules to give our best offensive player the ball more than 10 times a game, in most cases......
-Bill

This is what I cannot understand. Why the hell does Spiller get so few carries? Run him until they prove they can stop him

[trapezeus]

with it being december, fitz will be asked to throw 30-40 times this game, despite the poor weather.

He will hit 200 yards. last 85 in garbage time as he makes the final score respectable.

or he will have 200 yards with a low scoring win that sucks the joy out of winning. it rivals the 6-3 browns game in terms of boredom. you long for the day when cheerleaders were shaved on the sidelines as a distraction from this crap.

This is my choose your own adventure response.

[Night Train]

I think it was the week before when the color analyst said Gailey was the " King of the Screen Pass ".

Did anyone else have the urge to launch a chair at their TV ?

[ghz in pittsburgh]

No one particular type of play works all the time in NFL. That is the truth! You want to run Spiller? Once, twice, three times, safeties are in the box and you go one yard next time. You want to do screens, once, twice, three times, cover guys are now onto your RBs and receivers from the get go.

Chan is right that you cannot just hand Spiller the ball every single time. He's not that kind of guy to pound the ball.

The problem is that he has no counter play right now. He can call it, but Fitz cannot make it. And defense won't honor it.

There is a reason why NFL GMs, scouts, coaches keep on saying this prospect QB, that potential draftee "can make all the throws", because it is one important aspect of the game.

When Brady came onto the scene in 2000, people questioned about his arm strength, whether he can do all. He gradually improved his long ball and is now a complete QB.

In Buffalo we are hoping Fitz can improve as well. But late last year and this season proves he cannot. End of story.

From what I know, Chan played a big role in giving Fitz and Johnson those big contracts. Nix had to be convinced. Now it looks like Fitz is simply a backup and Johnson is really not a true #1 receiver, someone you can throw the ball to whether he's covered or not in one on one situation.

[TigerJ]

I agree, ghz. Ideally, you want to have an offense that can do a number of things well so when a defense takes one thing, you can hurt them in some other way. I also agree with other posters that Fitzpatrick's limitations as a passer hurts the Bills, particularly in the deep passing game.