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Well, that was fast. I was literally just reading about him being a good candidate. Time will tell, I suppose.
Orchard Park, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills of the past two years were a powerhouse rushing team that ranked in the top of the league.
This season, they enter their Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in search of answers on the offensive line. LeSean McCoy hasn't rushed for 100 yards since Week 1 since the New York Jets. He hasn't rushed for a touchdown all season long.
A common refrain for the Bills' struggles is the new blocking scheme offensive coordinator Rick Dennison brought with him. But what exactly has changed for the Bills?
While the Bills spent the majority of the 2015 and 2016 season using a "power" or "gap" scheme, this season they tried to make zone schemes the base of the offense. What's the difference? Allow Bills offensive line coach Juan Castillo to explain:
"We're using all of those," Castillo explained. "It's not like we're just using one or the other."
Gap scheme
"A gap scheme means that you have double-teams at the point of attack, a kick-out guy and a lead guy," Castillo explained. "That's the way you cut the defense is with double-teams and kick-out blocks."
Zone schemes
"The zone schemes, the wide zone (or outside zone), the way you cut the defense is you stretch the front side and then the back side you cut the defenders," Castillo said. "That's how you create the seams in the outside zone is getting on the ground and cutting the defenders on the ground so there is no pursuit because you end up getting them on the ground.
"Tight zone (or inside zone) is a different scheme. What you do there is you have some double-teams. Different kind of double teams than the gap scheme but still some double-teams. Each scheme cuts the defense. That's why everybody's had success every scheme. Rico's had some success running the wide zone and tight zone. We did the same thing when LeSean was with us in Philadelphia. All we did was run wide zone and tight zone back then. We're trying to use all the different schemes."
Which scheme works best?
Right now, it seems like none of the three blocking schemes are working for the Bills. Against the Jets, the Bills ran both the inside and outside zone schemes they installed over the summer. Those runs worked worked, but that may have been due to the opponent.
Since then, the Bills have used a bit more of an even mix. In the Bengals' game, the Bills ran a majority of their runs with the gap blocking scheme, and it didn't provide the spark they were hoping for.
"It just depends on the team that you play and what they're going to give you and then when you get in a game, what's having success and what's not having success," Castillo said. "All three schemes, you know have had success. You go into a game and have an idea of what you want to try to do. If it's working, you do a little bit more. If not, you go to another scheme. You always have an idea of how you're going to attack. Really, the best way to do it is to use all three different scheme and they work hand-in-hand."
To do that, players need to execute, and execution has been an issue on the offensive line. There might be some merit to the idea that the lateral quickness required in a zone-blocking scheme isn't the ideal fit for some of Buffalo's linemen, but the Bills have missed a lot of opportunities due to penalties, poor timing and missed reads, too.
McCoy isn't interested in leaning on the scheme as an excuse. He said Bills coaches are providing the team with a nice mix and that they've identified some of the things that went wrong in the running game. But he's not worried about the team adjusting to different schemes on the fly.
"I don't know, I have to get 100 yards, man," McCoy said. "Simple as that. That's it, have to get 100 yards somewhere."
What's missing?
While the Bills have been using a mix of three different blocking schemes, there is one element of the running game that has been missing. The zone-read runs have been absent save for eight plays. On those plays, Tyrod Taylor is able to read the defensive end and linebacker and either hand the ball to McCoy or keep it himself. For the offensive linemen, that just means pushing the defensive line toward the strong side.
Players describe those plays as their bread and butter. Maybe that's the next adjustment the Bills can make. Or maybe the string of lakcluster defenses they face will be what they need to turn things around.
Orchard Park, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills of the past two years were a powerhouse rushing team that ranked in the top of the league.
This season, they enter their Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in search of answers on the offensive line. LeSean McCoy hasn't rushed for 100 yards since Week 1 since the New York Jets. He hasn't rushed for a touchdown all season long.
A common refrain for the Bills' struggles is the new blocking scheme offensive coordinator Rick Dennison brought with him. But what exactly has changed for the Bills?
While the Bills spent the majority of the 2015 and 2016 season using a "power" or "gap" scheme, this season they tried to make zone schemes the base of the offense. What's the difference? Allow Bills offensive line coach Juan Castillo to explain:
"We're using all of those," Castillo explained. "It's not like we're just using one or the other."
Gap scheme
"A gap scheme means that you have double-teams at the point of attack, a kick-out guy and a lead guy," Castillo explained. "That's the way you cut the defense is with double-teams and kick-out blocks."
Zone schemes
"The zone schemes, the wide zone (or outside zone), the way you cut the defense is you stretch the front side and then the back side you cut the defenders," Castillo said. "That's how you create the seams in the outside zone is getting on the ground and cutting the defenders on the ground so there is no pursuit because you end up getting them on the ground.
"Tight zone (or inside zone) is a different scheme. What you do there is you have some double-teams. Different kind of double teams than the gap scheme but still some double-teams. Each scheme cuts the defense. That's why everybody's had success every scheme. Rico's had some success running the wide zone and tight zone. We did the same thing when LeSean was with us in Philadelphia. All we did was run wide zone and tight zone back then. We're trying to use all the different schemes."
Which scheme works best?
Right now, it seems like none of the three blocking schemes are working for the Bills. Against the Jets, the Bills ran both the inside and outside zone schemes they installed over the summer. Those runs worked worked, but that may have been due to the opponent.
Since then, the Bills have used a bit more of an even mix. In the Bengals' game, the Bills ran a majority of their runs with the gap blocking scheme, and it didn't provide the spark they were hoping for.
"It just depends on the team that you play and what they're going to give you and then when you get in a game, what's having success and what's not having success," Castillo said. "All three schemes, you know have had success. You go into a game and have an idea of what you want to try to do. If it's working, you do a little bit more. If not, you go to another scheme. You always have an idea of how you're going to attack. Really, the best way to do it is to use all three different scheme and they work hand-in-hand."
To do that, players need to execute, and execution has been an issue on the offensive line. There might be some merit to the idea that the lateral quickness required in a zone-blocking scheme isn't the ideal fit for some of Buffalo's linemen, but the Bills have missed a lot of opportunities due to penalties, poor timing and missed reads, too.
McCoy isn't interested in leaning on the scheme as an excuse. He said Bills coaches are providing the team with a nice mix and that they've identified some of the things that went wrong in the running game. But he's not worried about the team adjusting to different schemes on the fly.
"I don't know, I have to get 100 yards, man," McCoy said. "Simple as that. That's it, have to get 100 yards somewhere."
What's missing?
While the Bills have been using a mix of three different blocking schemes, there is one element of the running game that has been missing. The zone-read runs have been absent save for eight plays. On those plays, Tyrod Taylor is able to read the defensive end and linebacker and either hand the ball to McCoy or keep it himself. For the offensive linemen, that just means pushing the defensive line toward the strong side.
Players describe those plays as their bread and butter. Maybe that's the next adjustment the Bills can make. Or maybe the string of lakcluster defenses they face will be what they need to turn things around.
