Willis McGahee

[jamze132]

I am a bit concerned with Willis. Over the past few games dating back to last year, I haven't seen him "hit the hole" a hell of a lot. It seems like he receives the handoff and almost stops before he make a decision as to where he going to go. Now this may be in part to a crappy offensive line not making the proper holes for the designed play or it maye be that Willis is trying to hard to be a finesse back. I don't know. What I do know is that he is playing very timid. Yesterday watching Williams, that guy is running pretty hard when he reaches the first line of defense and it's no wonder why he got som many yards against us. Granted the Bills where tired, and beat up, Williams just seem to "hit the hole" at fuul speed and almost always made yardage after first contact. I know willis has the size and speed to do the exact same thing but I don't know why he doesn't.

It doesn't matter who is running the ball, when you play a tough run defense who just happens to be one of the fastest defenses in the league, you run north, not east and west before you even reach the line of scrimage. I know there are a lot of traps, counters, and sweeps that Buffalo uses, but they also us the good ole smash mouth, in your face runs too. But Willis needs to "hit the hole" a bit harder to break the initial contact. Watching a couple of games last year, he seemed to do this outstanding. But for the most part, he just seems hesitant while he's back there dancing around.

This is my opinion and I am not sure if the line has a lot to do with it or if it's just Willis. But whatever the problem is, it needs to be addressed and fixed. And yes, I know that Tampa Bay had 8-9 guys in the box most of the afternoon, but so did we.

[Pride]

I agree.. apparently Willis took dancing classes in the offseason... because he dances WAAY too much out there. Part of it is also the fact that most of the running plays were delay's or traps... plays that take a while to develop. Why we arent doing half back dives I'll never know.

On a side note... did we attempt 1 screen yesterday?

[Jan Reimers]

I also aree. Willis is tentative in hitting the hole, and does not seem to be running as physically as he did last year. He seems to lack a real burst, too. I'm worried that he is not going to give us what we need to take some of the pressure off JP. He certainly didn't yesterday.

[Bert102176]

I agree also when he gets the ball he has to hit the hole and not dance back there and let the D's come to him

[DMBcrew36]

Hopefully the coaches are coming to this realization also. I hope Mularkey answers a question regarding to McGahee's struggling in his "Ask the Coach" segment on their website.

[LtBillsFan66]

I agree too. Cadillac can hit a hole like he was shot out of a cannon.

[Lone Stranger]

I agree with all of the above. He's not hitting the hole hard and he's not showing any acceleration. There were a few opportunities when he could have made decent yardage.

[Buckets]

DITTO!!!!!

[Voltron]

I agree too. Cadillac can hit a hole like he was shot out of a cannon.
That kid is everything he was promised to be. I couldn't get over how many times he made our supposed top LB corps miss :shakeno:

[BuffaloRanger]

What is WM's longest run from scrimmage? It can't be over 30 yards. And what's his longest TD run? I know he had some long runs called back due to penalties last season.

When will he break a long run?

[Italian Stallion]

To me, and I hate to say this....he has looked alot like Antowian Smith lately.

-He seems to hesitate at trying to find a hole to run through at the line.

-He posesses almost zero burst when running through the l.o.s.

-Too often lately, he's been running latterally and trying to create something. He just doesn't have top speed (or hasn't shown it if he does) to beat athletic LB's to the edge.

-It's almost as if he tries to slow down to try and use his stiff-arm, instead of moving forward and using it when necessary. Hopefully he isn't doing this to get on the highlight reels, like many U of Miami players would.


I need to see alot more out of Willis the next few games in order for me to disspell the Antowian Smith comparison. Remember, AS looked awesome as a part time starter in his first year too, sharing time with Thurman. It was all downhill from that point on.....

As we all know, how Willis goes ultimatley determines how the offense does. If he becomes AS part II, this team will struggle to score ANY points.

[DMBcrew36]

Does anyone wonder how hard McGahee REALLY worked out this offseason :mehmeh:

I think he did, but he could still use some work in regards to hitting the holes and increasing his success going North to South, not East to West.

[Drive 4 Five]

Part of it is also the fact that most of the running plays were delay's or traps... plays that take a while to develop.[QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Italian Stallion]Too often lately, he's been running latterally and trying to create something.

You guys nailed it right there. While his play does look somewhat uninspired to me as well, I think the design of the runs has been a huge factor in our inability to run the ball effectively. Make no mistake about it. Houston's defense sucks. When a TALENTED defense like Tampa's, who has the corners to leave GOOD receivers like Evans and Moulds alone in space with single defenders, bring eight and nine defenders on every play, you have to match this with an equal amount of blockers. For example, trying to run against Tampa yesterday out of a three wide receiver set was foolish. It worked somewhat with Williams but only because he has the quickness and shiftiness to dart through the small holes (much like Thurman used to) that McGaee just does not possess. If you are going to run Willis against a defense clearly devoted to shutting down the run, you have to use the BIG packages with multiple blockers (fullback and multiple TE's) to match blocker for blocker.

[Mr. Cynical]

You guys nailed it right there. While his play does look somewhat uninspired to me as well, I think the design of the runs has been a huge factor in our inability to run the ball effectively. Make no mistake about it. Houston's defense sucks. When a TALENTED defense like Tampa's, who has the corners to leave GOOD receivers like Evans and Moulds alone in space with single defenders, bring eight and nine defenders on every play, you have to match this with an equal amount of blockers. For example, trying to run against Tampa yesterday out of a three wide receiver set was foolish. It worked somewhat with Williams but only because he has the quickness and shiftiness to dart through the small holes (much like Thurman used to) that McGaee just does not possess. If you are going to run Willis against a defense clearly devoted to shutting down the run, you have to use the BIG packages with multiple blockers (fullback and multiple TE's) to match blocker for blocker.
Good post.

[colin]

You guys nailed it right there. While his play does look somewhat uninspired to me as well, I think the design of the runs has been a huge factor in our inability to run the ball effectively. Make no mistake about it. Houston's defense sucks. When a TALENTED defense like Tampa's, who has the corners to leave GOOD receivers like Evans and Moulds alone in space with single defenders, bring eight and nine defenders on every play, you have to match this with an equal amount of blockers. For example, trying to run against Tampa yesterday out of a three wide receiver set was foolish. It worked somewhat with Williams but only because he has the quickness and shiftiness to dart through the small holes (much like Thurman used to) that McGaee just does not possess. If you are going to run Willis against a defense clearly devoted to shutting down the run, you have to use the BIG packages with multiple blockers (fullback and multiple TE's) to match blocker for blocker.

signed.

pitts runs like a machine, and there are always hats on hats, they never leave it to their back to dance and wiggle. we are trying to outsmart the opposition a bit too much. against tampa that just will not fly.

we need to get back to our bread and butter, i'm pretty sure we will make the adjustment against hotlanta

[DynaPaul]

He hesitates because he wants a highlight reel run everytime. It don't work like that in the NFL.

[Luisito23]

I got Willis' back but if he doesn't wake the hell up against the Falcs I'm gonna be very upset and surprised, because I doubt he'll dissapoint us....




GO BILLS!!!!

[JefftheBillsfan]

i wonder if it was in part the situation he was in yesterday. seemed very, painfully frequent we would have an incomplete pass on first down, then a run play on 2nd and 10. you guys are absolutely right, hes dancing, not pounding away like last year.

i think another huge difference that maybe nobody has been how he handles the first tackler. last year he most often would either break the tackle altogether, or at least drag it out for another 1-3 yards. i didnt get to see the opener, but i didnt see much of that against TB.

[Mike13]

I also aree. Willis is tentative in hitting the hole, and does not seem to be running as physically as he did last year. He seems to lack a real burst, too. I'm worried that he is not going to give us what we need to take some of the pressure off JP. He certainly didn't yesterday.
Thas really strange especially for a good back like he is.

[ParanoidAndroid]

Almost every possession, it seemed they were faced with a 3rd and 7. Anyone else notice that? It was some kind of magic number. When a pattern like that surfaces, you start to wonder why they didn't try mixing things up a bit more. How many times did they try to hit Moulds on a 10 yard hitch? When he finally grabbed one of those high rockets, they went right to trying long. It was too obvious that was what they were trying to set up. They spent all game trying to set up the deep ball. Just like last week, they wanted to open up the run with the pass. It was almost as if they had no plan B.
They should have been pounding the ball at Rice at least a little bit. McGahee needs to stop setting his feet every time he's running between the tackles. Keep those legs churning, man! If he sees a cutback developing, that's another thing.

[Tinboy]

WMG look a bit daft againts Bucs. He needs to show us more of the stuff that made him a starter last year. Wonder if the trade with Henry made him soft, now that there's no one to compete for the no. 1 spot?

[colin]

don't get me wrong, he is still a good back with potential to be great.

he is just not doing the right things, he is out thinking himself a bit.

he is a patient back and a guy who make make a lot out of very little, but he just needs to stop making easy plays hard.

that said tho, what is the home record of tampa, miami, carolina, and jacksonville at home in september?

They have a HUGE advantage there, they must win like 75% or more of their games at home early, and these clubs have put out some crappy teams.

that loss reminded me of miami 2 years ago, kept our d on all night and rammed the ball down our throats, our O did jack.

that is what these teams are built to do, and we just walked into it.

[Philagape]

-He posesses almost zero burst when running through the l.o.s.

This is what I've particularly noticed. When he gets to the line, if there's any defenders there, his legs stop chugging and he just falls forward. He gives up easily.

[Historian]

That tentativeness that dancing in the backfield...he's looking a lot like OJ Simpson as a rookie. Especially in that uniform.

I'm waiting for them to line him up at wide receiver.

[Voltron]

That kid is everything he was promised to be. I couldn't get over how many times he made our supposed top LB corps miss :shakeno:
I also can't believe that Op negged me for this comment :mad:

[camelcowboy]

Wills is fine, I can't believe this is even a issue, one freakin game. He already has 7, 100 yard games and he hasn't been starter for a complete season yet. Watching the game my biggest concern is the o-line. They are massive, but very slow moving against a very fast bucs D-Line. How can Wills get any yards when he's running into defenders three yards deep into the back field. When Wills tried bouncing it outside he would be forced back in by a speedy linebacking core. It was a very poor game plain by our offensive coaching staff. How about a couple deep balls to Lee to at least scare the bucs into thinking we can throw more then 15 yards down field. How about counter running plays to negate the speed of the D-line, how about some dives in the middle of the bucs line were we can focus on those D-Tackles. We gave up on the draws to quickly, and why are you pulling guards against a team like the bucs. They are so fast on the back side they were running Wills down from behind. With Smaller Speedy Defences run right at them and ware them down."You think Mularkey would know that from last time he faced this team" Against bigger defences tried to run around them and bounce it outside. They better have learned there lesson, because they are going against a team in the falcons which is just about as fast as the bucs. I hope they watched the seattle game.

[colin]

Wills is fine, I can't believe this is even a issue, one freakin game. He already has 7, 100 yard games and he hasn't been starter for a complete season yet. Watching the game my biggest concern is the o-line. They are massive, but very slow moving against a very fast bucs D-Line. How can Wills get any yards when he's running into defenders three yards deep into the back field. When Wills tried bouncing it outside he would be forced back in by a speedy linebacking core. It was a very poor game plain by our offensive coaching staff. How about a couple deep balls to Lee to at least scare the bucs into thinking we can throw more then 15 yards down field. How about counter running plays to negate the speed of the D-line, how about some dives in the middle of the bucs line were we can focus on those D-Tackles. We gave up on the draws to quickly, and why are you pulling guards against a team like the bucs. They are so fast on the back side they were running Wills down from behind. With Smaller Speedy Defences run right at them and ware them down."You think Mularkey would know that from last time he faced this team" Against bigger defences tried to run around them and bounce it outside. They better have learned there lesson, because they are going against a team in the falcons which is just about as fast as the bucs. I hope they watched the seattle game.

fo sho,

but willis can still improve.

if he hit the holes hard and direct he would have had many more positive carries against the bucs, dunno if we would have won tho.

[JD]

Where the hell is the McGahee we all seen last year?

[Luisito23]

WMG look a bit daft againts Bucs. He needs to show us more of the stuff that made him a starter last year. Wonder if the trade with Henry made him soft, now that there's no one to compete for the no. 1 spot?


Wait ti'll week 3, they'll see......




GO BILLS!!!!!!

[Historian]

Voltron...do you follow the Orange?

What would you think about seeing thet Wyche kid in a Bills uniform one day?

I like the tight end they have too. The polish kid. He's got a nose for the ball.

[TigerJ]

Hopefully the coaches are coming to this realization also. I hope Mularkey answers a question regarding to McGahee's struggling in his "Ask the Coach" segment on their website.
I haven't heard Mularkey directly but when they've talked about Mularkey's comments on WGR, it was stated that he singled out McGahee for exactly that.

[Tinboy]

From the latest Bills Digest the editorial with Chris Brown:

Willis McGahee looked hesitant to
the hole, and his fakes weren’t fooling
anyone in a white jersey. It proved to
his least productive day as a starting
tailback since an 11-carry, 25-yard performance
against Cincinnati last season.
Buffalo’s ground attack is the centerpiece
of head coach Mike Mularkey’s
offensive philosophy and will be essential
this season in taking the pressure off
Buffalo’s young quarterback.
Mularkey was disappointed with the
results.
“You cannot go sideways against
fast defense,” said Mularkey, who was
referencing McGahee’s hesitation when
had the ball in his hands. “(If you do)
you’re asking for trouble.”
Mularkey believed there were holes
be hit in the run game based on some
the pictures he was getting faxed
down to him on the sideline from the
coach’s booth. Still, Mularkey’s message
couldn’t be clearer even when holes do
not exist.
“We need to do a better of job of hitting
it up in there even if it’s not there,”
said. “We’ve got to do it or (this
result) is going to happen again. ”


Sound like Murlarkey is going to have a talk with WMG before the next game.

[don137]

I wonder if no backup pushing WM hurts his performance. In Miami and last year he had to fight for his job. Now he does not have to.

[Jeff1220]

If he wants his big payday/extension that is inevitible, he'll have to step it up and show that he deserves it.

[Voltron]

Voltron...do you follow the Orange?

What would you think about seeing thet Wyche kid in a Bills uniform one day?

I like the tight end they have too. The polish kid. He's got a nose for the ball.
I do and I don't ... I am not as fanatical with SU football as I am with Basket Ball for obvious reasons :)

I have watched about 1 quarter this year and was not impressed. It will take about 3 years to get this program back to where it once was after Coach P killed it.