So Bills are at home, on a Sunday night, in a sold out stadium against the worst defensive team in the NFL and they get shut out for three full quarters. Sorry Bills fans but this Dorsey experiment just has to go. Just look at the play calling and lack of any type of imagination on this team. The Bill offense the past two weeks (and the first two weeks also) looks disjointed, confused and unimaginative. We have arguably one of the top two or three quarterbacks in the league. We have one of the best wide receivers in the league. We invested a first round pick on a Tight End who was supposed to be able to get downfield and open up the passing game even more. We have a second WR who has shown flashes of brilliance. We spent millions of dollars in the off season on Sherfield and Harty to give Josh extra targets. We invested in the Offensive line to give Josh more protection. What has it gotten us?
Last night’s debacle was the end for me of Dorsey as a reasonable offensive coordinator. Against a porous Giant defense that had given up an average of 31 points per game we went scoreless for three full quarters and should have lost at home to a bad football team. Again, the offense came out slow and sluggish. Yes the Gabe Davis fumble was an issue that you can’t blame Dorsey for. But to have only two people catch a pass from Josh in an entire half is just brutal play calling. How many times are we going to try and run that stupid draw play? How many times are we going to try to run a screen before we run one successfully?
Here are just a few of the play calls that really bothered me:
1. Twice in the first half the Bills were denied big plays (and possible touchdowns) when their receiver was “inadvertently” tripped while running a deep crossing route. On both occasions the WR was wide open. On both occasions the ref’s should have called Pass Interference (there is nothing in the rule book that says contact while the ball is in the air needs to be intentions). In spite of both plays being open for big gains Dorsey NEVER called for those plays again the entire game.
2. Not on slants or deep middle passes called the entire game.
3. We have not thrown a deep ball (other than when Josh improvises) in weeks. Not once last night did Josh attempt a post or fly pattern pass.
4. Second and goal from the one foot line-Dorsey calls for Murray, up the middle from a shotgun formation and we lose three yards. You can call anything in that situation OTHER than a play that risks the loss of yardage. How many times have we seen Josh sneak that ball in from there? How many times have we watched Jalen Hurts be unstoppable from that situation? We were lucky to score on the next play (which was Harty’s only target of the game). Why doesn’t he just do the easy thing?
5. Player usage- Yes Kincaid was out last night. Yes Morris caught the biggest TD of his career. But what is the deal with this 12 personal offense? we invested millions on Harty and Sherfield. They have been TARGETED 22 times total in six games. We got Kincaid as a skilled pass catching slot/Tight end. Not once this year has he been targeted on a throw like the one Josh made to Morris last night.-WHY? Why is Kincaid’s depth of target the sixth shortest of any receiver in the league? We drafted Cook as a running back who would be dynamic as a receiver out of the backfield. He has 18 targets in six games and wasn’t thrown to once last night-WHY?
This is just getting old. We have the highest scoring team in the NFL in the last two minutes of the half or the game. Why is that? Maybe it’s because it allows Josh to get into a rhythm and make plays on his own? Maybe because plays are less scripted? Most offenses have their first 6-8 plays a game scripted before hand by the coaching staff. How well has that gone lately? Why wasnt Gabe Davis targeted ONCE in the second half last night?
Good Offensive coordinators make use of the team’s talent. This year’s acquisitions have been mostly a waste. Money spent/draft picks for what? Is there any coincidence that this year’s Bills team runs the ball better than previous year’s teams yet the offense looks brutally inefficient as a whole?
Let Josh be Josh. Play quick. Pass to set up the occasional run. Throw the ball downfield. Use your talent and speed. But for the Miami game this offense looks brutal. Yes Josh has decent/good numbers but how much of that was during hurry-up? (all three scores v Jacksonville, two scores v Jets, a TD with 18 seconds left in the half v Vegas, two FG’s in the last two minutes of the first half v Washington and FG in last two minutes of half v Miami). What doesn’t Dorsey get about these stats? Why does he continue to restrict Josh.? HE NEEDS TO GO!!!