Okay, so there looked to be a faction on one side of this board that wanted to believe it was all execution that caused the loss to the Bills. Don't get me wrong, there were a ton of execution errors, a lot from Sanchez, but an Offensive Coordinator needs to be able to see when something isn't working, needs to be able to adjust to things like weather, needs to be able to design a play flow that will march the team down the field efficiently, to put the boot on the other team's throat, and to pull away with a lead. After looking at the play design and play selection of the Buffalo game, it wasn't just execution. Schotty would get the team marching on a great drive, only to take stupid chances downfield, when the weather was affecting his rookie QB way too much to make those granny shots downfield that we saw against the Dolphins effective against the Bills. I'm posting the formations, personnel selection, and the play execution from each play on that windy-ass Sunday 2 weeks ago, to see if the TGG community can puzzle out the real reasons the Jets lost that game. I've already added my own comments to most of the plays. Note: the dotted line indicates pre-snap motion.
Score: Jets 0, Bills 0 Drive 1 – 1st Quarter 14:51 1st and 10 NYJ 19 Schotty gives the look of run, and 4 players simultaneously go into motion and change the formation into Weak I – Ferguson jumps before the snap and the play is dead and moved back 5 yards. First play of the game and Schotty is playing trickery and it backfires on him. 14:51 1st and 15 NYJ 14 Another Weak I Form flipped on it’s head, Buffalo reads run and stacks the box, probably because it’s the same formation as the previous play. Tony Richardson motions right, then back to his mark (to make the Bills give a look of what pressure they are going to give), giving the Bills even a stronger read on the run. is slow to the lead block and Jones is stopped for a gain of 2. 14:14 2nd and 13 NYJ 16 Leon motions from the backfield of an I-form with twins right and lines up wide to the left. Hartsock motions to the right side of the line. 3-step drop, Leon runs a stop and go and Sanchez makes a pretty clumsy looking fake at Leon’s stop point, then stares at Leon as he tries to get open up the LOS. This play had no chance, it’s a mismatch in favor of the corner on that side, and Sanchez eye-balling Leon draws the safety (20) to that side. Not to mention, it was just a weak-looking pass. There was nothing about this play that tells me that it was well-rehearsed in practice at all. Neither Leon nor MS were fluid in their respective motions. Not to mention, Sanchez is throwing directly into the wind. Such a low-percentage play has no chance of working this early in the game. 14:09 3rd and 13 NYJ 16 Sanchez lines up in the shotgun with 2 receivers, Leon in right slot and Keller on the right side of the line. This was an H-back Screen, and it also had no hope of success. Leon motions left right before the snap, goes for the play-action end-around, and zero Bills defenders bite on the fake. One LB with shadowing Keller on the screen, and another was in a short zone just past the LOS. Jets punt. Schotty pretty much took a shotgun to his own foot on this one. He had a chance to set the tempo against a bad run defense and ran the ball once. The results were predictable.
Score: Bills 3, Jets 0 Drive 2 7:21 1st and 10 NYJ 20 The Jets line up with 2 wide and Wallace Wright in the slot. Hartsock motions right and then back to the left side of the line. The play is a very well-executed counter run to the left, Hartsock seals the HELL out of the edge and Wright, who is an excellent blocker, seals the other side to make a wide running lane for Leon. The result is a gain of 13 yards. Very fundamentally sound play. 6:47 1st and 10 NYJ 33 This is a 2 TE set, with Keller starting on the right side behind Hartsock, motioning to the left side. The only wideout is Edwards. This is what I call Ground and Pound. The Bills sold out on the run, stacked 9 in the box, and the Jets? interior line just overwhelmed them and opened a hole for Jones to gain 8 yards off guard. 6:07 2nd and 2 NYJ 41 This is pretty much the same exact set as the last play flipped on it?s head. Except it?s a sweep, left instead of an inside run, Hartsock and Faneca both get beaten, and Jones is stopped for a loss of 3. I could say it?s predictable, but at least it?s a running game, and it?s working. 5:29 3rd and 5 NYJ 38 This is kind of an odd formation, because they have Hartsock lined up wide on the left, effectively taking the left side of Sanchez? progressions out of the picture. MS goes through 2 progressions before making a bad throw over Braylon?s head. The center of the pocket was pushed back and he ended up throwing off-balance. Bad execution on this play ? Sanchez overcompensated for the wind. 5:12 4th and 1 NYJ 42 Westhoff gift-wraps a 4th and 1 for the offense on STs, so the Jets go for it. Obvious rushing down, Hunter reports eligible on the left side, Hartsock on the right, with Keller and TRich giving the look of a left-side run. TRich motions right before the snap and makes a terrible whiff on the safety, but Jones is running with a purpose today and breaks an arm tackle to get the first down. The drive is saved by Westhoff and Weatherford, though.
Drive 2 continued... 4:26 1st and 10 NYJ 44 This play is one of the classic reasons why we need to use Keller in more of a receiver role than as an H-back. He just cannot block. Pre-snap, Clowney motions left and goes for an end-around fake before the handoff to TJ for a pittance. The Jets run off tackle to the right and there are 8 men in the box, they really get nowhere. Here I am, praying for Ben Hartsock to get back onto the field. 3:56 2nd and 8 NYJ 46 Strong I-form, same personnel as the previous play, but the previous play was an attempt to set this one up. The wideouts draw the secondary back, Keller and TRich drift to the left sideline to draw a safety and a linebacker, and Jones run a simple up and out route to the right. This play could easily have failed, because Sanchez was staring directly at TJ as the entire play developed, but Jones shook the LB and got open for a reception of 8 yards. The Jets are in Bills territory. 3:16 3rd and 1 BUF 47 Same personnel as the last play, straight-up I-form. This is also the second play in a row with no pre-snap motion – I think that’s a new record for Schotty. Sanchez makes an great play-fake to Jones with the Bills showing 8 in the box again, and immediately rolls far right. Excellent pass by MS and excellent catch by Keller. My only problem with this play is that the O-line left Sanchez wide out to 2 defenders immediately to sell the fake to a Jones-left run. If one of those LBs had not bitten on the fake, Sanchez gets murdered. 2:33 1st and 10 BUF 36 I can tell now that Schotty is getting anxious because we’re near the red zone. Time for the bag of tricks to start coming out. Sanchez come out in the shotgun with TJ on his left and Leon on his right. Leon then motions out wide to the left of Edwards. Edwards turns and decides to have a conversation with Leon about where they are standing right before the snap. This play reeks of lack of preparation. And of course, it’s a bubble screen. Sanchez apparently doesn’t realize his receivers aren’t set on the left hand side and calls the snap, Edwards is still chatting with Leon instead of getting upfield to block the man that is about to knock the fillings out of Leon’s teeth, and Leon is standing there doing his best impression of a duck sitting on a pond. Totally blown play, waste of a down, although I got to hear some ‘Asshole’ chants after Drayton Florence took a fake fumble return to the house and fake showboated on the goal line. There is a penalty, but it is declined for a loss of downs. The best part about this play is that dumbass Jauron didn’t take the yards. 2:29 2nd and 10 BUF 36 Schotty put his bag of tricks to the side for a moment. Single-back, 3 receivers with Keller on the left side of the line and Wright in the slot. Wright is in the slot because he is an excellent downfield blocker, that much is sure. This is an outside toss, in which Brick pulls to the far outside and takes Donte Whitner completely out of the play, and Leon evades 2 tacklers for a gain of 15 yards. Fundamentals, using the players for what they are best suited. REPLAY
Drive 2 conntinued x2... 2:04 1st and 10 BUF 11 Uh-oh! We?re in the red zone. Time to get FUNKY. The Jets line up in the ?Seminole?, with Shonn Greene lined up wide to the left for the fake handoffs, TRich in the backfield with Leon, Keller on the line, and Edwards and Clowney wide and slot respectively on the right side. Rant Time ? okay, I have a problem with Schotty on this one. If you are going to run a direct snap to the RB for an inside run, give him a little more blocking security than a single fullback in the backfield. He is setting a play like this up to fail when he uses 2 wideouts as decoys on the right and has a TE in Keller who can?t block to save his life standing at the point of attack. This is another play that had no chance. Why? Because there was nothing but smoke and mirrors behind it. No real strategy at all. Leon runs into a wall of defenders. Gain of a yard. 1:28 2nd and 9 BUF 10 Sanchez back under center, Leon motions wide to give an obvious passing play look with 4 receivers and TRich in the backfield as a blocker. Excellent coverage by Buffalo?s secondary, Sanchez is flushed from the pocket when Faneca gets beaten and the ball is thrown away. Now the Jets have no choice but to pass. 1:21 3rd and 9 BUF 10 Sanchez drops back into the shotgun, with TJ as his backfield blocker. Unbalanced set with 2 wideouts on the left, Hartsock on the left side of the line, and Keller lined up wide right. Clowney, BE and Hartsock all run routes into the endzone but all are covered, and Sanchez if forced to hit Keller on an intermediate route for a gain of 5 yards, 4th down. Jets settle for a field goal.
Score: Jets 3. Bills 3 Drive 3 – 2nd Quarter 13:24 1ST and 10 NYJ 30 This is the first Sanchez INT. Jets line up in a Weak I, TRich gives motion to read the blitz assignments. The Bills defense doesn’t give anything away, because Schotty uses way too much motion pre-snap and teams are coached not to buy into the motion. The Bills sell out on the run with 8 in the box and a safety deep. MS overthrows Edwards on a skinny post and the ball tips BE in the fingertips and ends up in the hands of the safety. Rant: Okay, so Sanchez has already been having trouble dealing with the wind, which is understandable since you can’t even hear what the refs are saying because it’s blowing so hard out there. So, 2nd quarter, the field is reversed and MS has the wind at his back. Wouldn’t it make just a tiny bit of sense to give him some short routes first instead of making the kid throw a 40 yard pass into double coverage? This is an idiotic playcall from a situational standpoint. The ball is overthrown because MS doesn’t know how the wind at his back will affect it’s trajectory. REPLAY
Score: Jets 3, Bills 3 Drive 4 12:26 1st and 10 NYJ 9 The Jets bring Turner in as an eligible receiver, showing an obvious running play. The Bills bring 9 into the box, and it doesn’t matter. Jones runs off tackle right and Whitner and an LB fail to recognize what is happening, and TJ squirts in between them, and breaks off a 64 yard gain. This is the first of many plays where we will see Turner lined up at the end of the O-line, and it is effective a lot of the time. Turner and Hartsock are vital to making this running game effective. REPLAY 11:54 1st and 10 BUF 27 Leon runs off guard right for a gain of 4 yards. He probably could have at least gotten to the 1st down marker, but Wright was lined up in the slot and apparently didn’t know the playcall, because instead of blocking Florence (the eventual tackler) he runs a half-assed weak out pattern and is watching for the ball in the air. 11;19 2nd and 6 BUF 23 Leon off guard left for a gain of 2. This play was on Woody, he let Spencer Johnson kick his ass all the way across the line and make a great play on Leon for a short gain. 10:33 3rd and 4 BUF 21 The Jets have Leon in single back formation with Wright lined up wide and Edwards in the slot. Pre-snap, Wright motions next to the edge of the line, as a blocker. This play was a tell for the Bills. Every time the Jets have Wright near the line, they run to that side – especially when Edwards is on that side, because he doesn’t know the blocking assignments and he has so far put minimal effort into blocking for the run in this game. Gain of 2 yards. 9:50 4th and 2 BUF 19 I hate when Schotty does this. I can’t count the number of times over the past 3 ? years that Schotty has had us run out there on 4th and short and try to draw the opposing defense offsides, but I can tell you that it has almost never worked. The Jets line up in a heavy blocking scheme showing run, then motion into a heavy passing formation, and the Bills call their bluff. Jets take the delay of game and kick a field goal.
Score: Jets 6, Bills 3 Drive 5 8:06 1st and 10 NYJ 33 This drive starts after an excellent defensive stand by the Jets, and reminds me how much I am going to miss seeing #77 on the field for the remainder of the season. :’( TRich motions right into an I-form with 2 wide, Sanchez runs a fantastic boot-leg left after a very nice fake and scrambles for a 7-8 yard gain. Edwards continues to struggle blocking and gets called for a hold. Nice playcall, could have had a better result. So far, the only thing that scares the Bills on our defense is the running game, and this play showed it. They bit hard on that play-action. 7:40 1st and 14 NYJ 29 7 in the box, the Jets line up Hartsock motions to the line and we get an awesome display of run-blocking as Mangold crushes his man and Faneca pulls as a lead-blocker to bust open a nice hole. TJ runs for a 71 yard touchdown on this one. Once again, the Jets break a big run while Tony Richardson is on the sideline. REPLAY
Score: Jets 13, Bills 3 Drive 6 4:40 1st and 10 NYJ 15 This drive follows a Leonhard muffed punt return, leaving the Jets with bad field position but enough time on the clock to drive down the field and eat the clock. Turner reports as eligible, and Hartsock motions to the left side of the line this time from the H-back role, with twins left. TJ runs off tackle left for a gain of 4, which probably would have been more if Faneca had been able to disengage from his initial block to pull left. The single back heavy blocking sets so far have been far more effective than the I formations. 4:00 2nd and 6 NYJ 19 People can comfort themselves all they want, but this play illustrates why we will be missing the hell out of Leon later in the season. The Jets line up in standard I-form, Keller motions from wide to slot, and the Jets give the look of a run. Sanchez takes a 5 step drop, allows Leon to run a comeback route up the middle, and Richardson floats out to the right flat as a blocker, setting up and excellent catch and run up the sideline for 33 yards. Leon had an option to run up the middle of the field, but lost that option when Keller missed his first upfield block, so Leon took his secondary YAC route past TRich up the right side. I like this playcall, taking advantage of the short game when it is offered and putting players in position to succeed. REPLAY 3:25 1st and 10 BUF 48 The Jets turn bad field position into good field position and still have plenty of time to march down the field and make a statement before the half. The Jets now line up with a heavy blocking set, although instead of bringing Turner onto the field, they have Keller on the left and Hartsock on the right. (Keller, it must be noted, does an excellent job of blocking when the play isn’t coming to his side…) Leon runs up the middle of the line, starts left but the hole closes and goes to the right for a gain of 2 yards. Moore got spun around on this play and his man made the tackle. 2:40 2nd and 8 BUF 46 Again we see Ben Hartsock lined up as a receiver, this time with Keller on the line with TRich lined up for the Strong-I formation; Leon motions to the right slot. It’s pretty obvious from the way the game has played out so far that the Jets are passing on this down. Sanchez takes a 3 step drop, his first progression is Leon, who is covered by a LB in a short zone, so MS throws short to Keller on the left, even though he has 2 defenders right behind him – Keller drops the ball, and Sanchez gives him an ear-full about it. The play was well-defended, all short routes were covered. I would have liked to see another run on this down. 2:35 3rd and 8 BUF 46 Jets line up with twins on either side, then pre-snap Clowney motions to make it trips left with Sanchez in the shotgun. Keller is the primary target on this play, running an excellent crossing route. Sanchez drills a nice pass just ahead of him and Keller barely makes an effort to catch the ball. Rant: This play fucking pisses me off, because it seems that Keller was angry at Sanchez for giving him shit about the last play and made no effort to get it back on this one. Nice playcall considering the circumstances, terrible play by Dustin. The Jets punt the ball away in Buffalo territory.
Score: Jets 13, Bills 3 Drive 7 1:32 1st and 10 NYJ 30 2 minute drill time. Sanchez is in the shotgun, 3 receiver set. The Jets run a screen to the left, but Faneca misses his initial block and the guy sticks to Leon like glue to bust the screen apart. This play is a clusterfuck. We are lucky it wasn?t the second INT of the game. 1:26 2nd and 10 NYJ 30 I don?t like this playcall at all. Less than 2 minutes in the half, deep in our own territory, and Schotty calls a draw play. Sanchez is not fluid at all in this play, as if he?s not used to running it ? he completely telegraphs the draw and the Bills? defense reads it immediately. The Bills delay blitz up the middle for a loss of 3 yards. 1:18 3rd and 13 NYJ 27 This is a designed quick throw to the flat. Sanchez makes one progression and it?s a quick throw to Keller, who makes his third unforgivable drop in a row ? not that it would have mattered, because Keller had 2 defenders bearing down on his and he was barely past the LOS. The Jets punt, but the Bills? PR team gets confused and they gift-wrap a 1st down deep in their own territory after Izzo recovers the muff. 1:02 1st and 10 BUF 29 Another single-back heavy blocking formation with Turner on the line. Nice 4 yard off guard run by Jones. I like this formation with this personnel, but Schotty will start using it like a crutch in this game. :38 2nd and 6 BUF 25 I would have liked to see a run here, considering the Jets have had a lot of luck breaking big runs when the Bills aren?t stacking the box, and they haven?t for the past couple of drives. The Jets line up in a Strong I, with Keller on the line, which is pretty much going to be a pass from how Schotty has been calling them. The plays busts when TJ bumps into Mark?s elbow and forces a fumble, result of the play is a sack for -7 yards.
Drive 7 continued... :26 3rd and 13 BUF 32 Leon runs off-guard for 6 yards, but may have gotten enough for the 1st down if he had chosen the left lane, since Faneca and Mangold were kicking the shit out of defenders on that side. The Jets go for a field goal and Feely misses. End of half.
Score: Jets 13, Bills 3 Drive 8 – 3rd Quarter 13:10 1st and 10 NYJ 30 Jets are showing run again, although this formation is being used a lot. I know TRich’s lead-blocking hasn’t been anything to write home about in this game, but if you use the same formation this many times, a team is going to figure it out and adjust to it at halftime. Buffalo brings 8 men into the box again, although they are all on the LOS this time. They flood the edges at the snap and TJ goes for an outside run, but is chased down by an unblocked safety. Loss of a yard. 12:36 2nd and 11 NYJ 29 This is a nice playcall, unfortunately Sanchez executes it terribly. The Bills read pass with 7 men in the box this time. Sanchez runs a pretty nice bootleg to TJ and rolls left, Hartsock is covered underneath on his first progression, so MS tries to force it to Keller at the sideline, off-balance, into the wind, and it ends up being picked. The shame of this play is that Clowney was wide the hell open in the middle of the field. REPLAY
Score: Jets 13, Bills 3 Drive 9 7:45 1st and 10 NYJ 20 Heavy O-line blocking set again, and by this point you have to wonder if Tony Richardson is injured or something. Schotty has almost given up on him on rushing downs. It’s a run between the guards again for Leon, which Leon really isn’t suited for, for the most part, but he makes the most of it. Leon may even have broken this one long, but Woody got owned all the way across the field of play by Kelsay and they blocked Leon’s progress so the Bills’ LBs could catch 29 from behind. Gain of 5. 7:12 2nd and 5 NYJ 25 I formation, Clowney lines up off the shoulder of Woody. The Jets have probably their best run-blocking push of the game on this play. TJ runs between the guards and gains 5 yards with a strong run for a first down. Unfortunately, he rolls up the back of Woody’s leg and takes DW out of the game. 6:36 1st and 10 NYJ 30 The Jets insert Hunter into Woody’s spot, and Turner reports as eligible to augment the pass protection. This play was designed as a quick slant to Edwards, but the corner on his side does a great job jamming him, and BE barely gets off the line in time to catch a quick bullet in traffic for a gain of 8 yards. Sanchez makes a nice PA fake that freezes the LBs for a second but takes a bit too long to execute. Edwards looked like he was asleep at the wheel when the ball was snapped, because he didn’t look like he expected to be jammed so hard. It was a good read at the LOS by the Bills’ defense. The nice part of this play is that it looks like the offense is developing a good rhythm for the short game, and is marching well. 6:05 2nd and 2 NYJ 38 Schotty uses personnel that he has previously used in passing sets on this play, and has TJ run up the middle for a gain of 3 and a first down. Buffalo ties up the Jets’ blockers pretty well, but 74 and 66 get enough push to help TJ muscle for a 3 yards gain and a first down. The Bills are getting savvy to the short game, but so far in this drive they haven’t been able to stop it. 5:26 1st and 10 NYJ 41 This play starts out with Hartsock lined up wide but motioning to the line to give the look of a run. There are 8 in the box on this play. MS makes a nice fake toss to TJ, and has a week and a half to go through his progressions. Sanchez barely even looks a Clowney, who has single coverage across the middle, and for some reason is off balance making the throw, probably trying to strong-arm it to compensate for the wind, and the ball is under-thrown and picked off by the rookie safety. Rant: This play is a combination of a couple of things. It’s Mark Sanchez making a rookie mistake with a badly placed pass (although he was throwing into the WIND again). It’s also Schotty getting impatient – he either wants to safeties to stop crowding the box, or to get downfield in a hurry. I don’t care what anyone says about execution, if your rookie QB is having issues throwing into the wind, you tell him to lay off the deep routes and his the intermediate guy who is singled up. He should have been coached on this play ahead of time, but something tells me that Schotty wanted Edwards to be the target on this play. All of that early work with the ground game gone to waste because of impatience. I HATE this playcall. REPLAY
Score: Jets 13, Bills 13 Drive 10 2:24 1st and 10 NYJ 27 8 in the box, strong I with Keller motioning to the left side, Jones runs right for a gain of 7. Hartsock and Hunter to an excellent job of sealing off a running lane for TJ, and Richardson makes an appearance by crushing #56 on the lead block. 2:02 2nd and 3 NYJ 34 Jones off tackle right, gain of 9, Richardson motions pre-snap into the I and then gets off another very good lead block. Hunter did especially well on this play, taking his man completely out of the play. This one was also 8 in the box. 1:26 1st and 10 NYJ 43 Another look of heavy run defense from the Bills, Shonn Greene is the single back. It?s designed as either an off tackle or off guard guard right, but Hunter gets mauled by Kelsay on this play. Greene is hit 3 yards into the backfield, Kelsay squares up on him for a solid hit, but SG keeps his feet moving, turns his body and muscles away from the big man, and gets back to the LOS. Impressive run for no gain, if that can be said. Not sure why this was Greene?s only appearance in this game, disappointing use of personnel by Schotty. 1:00 2nd and 10 NYJ 43 Single back, 3 receivers with Leon lined up on the right. No motion, Sanchez drops back and makes a quick progression to Keller, then a very slow and deliberate progression to Leon, who is running a short post route. It?s read easily by LB #59 and the ball looks like it?s tipped before it gets to Leon and bounces incomplete. It was a somewhat catchable ball, but could just as easily been an INT. :56 3rd and 10 NYJ 43 Sanchez in the shotgun, the Bills bring a nice inside blitz, provide great pressure to collapse the pocket, and Sanchez is staring down Edwards who is open underneath in the middle of the field. The ball gets batted at the LOS, but the Jets get lucky with an encroachment call.
Drive 10 continued... :49 3rd and 5 NYJ 48 I like this play call a lot, 3 receivers with an offset I, Keller motions near the left side of the line to sell the run (although Bills don?t bite and they defend the pass), Keller and TRich clear out the flat, Sanchez makes a couple of progressions and then smartly hits TJ with the dump-off for a gain of 10 yards. Nice play design, and nice situational playcall. :49 1st and 10 BUF 42 9 in the box this time, Keller motions over to Brick?s shoulder. This looks like it was designed as a run to the right side, but the Bills collapse that side and TJ makes a nice cutback to the left for a gain of 8. Keller surprisingly makes a key block, enabling TJ to breaks a few extra yards. 4th Quarter 15:00 2nd and 2 BUF 34 Another heavy run-blocking set with 8 in the box. The blocking after the snap suggests a run up the middle, but Faneca whiffs on Poslusney up the middle and TJ gets hit in the backfield for a loss of 1 yard. I hate Pos. He makes their defense a lot better. 14:19 3rd and 3 BUF 35 This is kind of a confusing play, probably a blown play. Leon motions pre-snap out of the backfield to line up wide on the right side. After the snap, Sanchez makes a 5 step drop, Edwards runs kind of a half-assed crossing route, Keller runs up and hits his cover man like he?s blocking for a screen, and Leon runs to the flat. Keller quickly breaks off his block and runs run as if he?s the go-to guy, but at that moment the Bills? delayed inside blitz gets penetration and Sanchez has to move around in the pocket, then throws the ball up for grabs to Edwards, who luckily knocks the ball toward the sideline instead of toward a defender. But there were 3 receivers all in the same vicinity, drawing about 5 defenders into that area. That play was designed for failure. 14:11 4th and 3 BUF 35 This is another example of Sanchez trying to force the ball to Edwards. Jets have trips left and Edwards alone on the right side. Leon motions to Sanchez? right in the shotgun, after the snap, Leon is uncovered in the flat, and Sanchez actually looks at him before focusing on Edwards, who is double-covered. The ball is deflected and intercepted. Could have been an easy 1st down to Leon.
Score: Jets 13, Bills 13 Drive 11 9:03 1st and 10 NYJ 3 The Jets get pinned at their goal line after a nice Bills punt. This is a run off guard right for Richardson, his first carry in a while. Gain of 3 yards. Decent push by the Jets? heavy run-blocking set. 8:27 2nd and 7 NYJ 6 Obvious rushing down, the Bills bring 10 defenders into the box. The cornerback on Edwards is not even lined up in front of BE, he?s cheating to the LOS to stop the run. A more seasoned QB would check out of this run immediately and throw an easy pass to Edwards and BE would easily take it to the house. Keller motions right and TJ runs off tackle for a surprising gain of 2 yards. 7:49 3rd and 5 NYJ 8 8 in the box, Bills reading run again. Sanchez makes a relatively weak play-action, but the Bills? D bites hard on it and MS hits Edwards on a short comeback route for 10 yards, 1st down. 7:28 1st and 10 NYJ 18 Twins left, Clowney motions over toward the O-line and the Bills? front 7 cheats to that side. TJ runs off tackles right for a nice gain of 7. This play is a nice example misdirection, as opposed to trickery. 6:51 2nd and 3 NYJ 25 Similar formation to the previous play, it?s designed as a left-side run. The Bills read the play correctly and collapse the blocking on the left, and TJ makes a really nice cutback to the right at the LOS and runs to the outside for a gain of 9 yards. Ground and pound is working a lot when Schotty commits to it.
Drive 11 continued... 6:06 1st and 10 NYJ 34 8 in the box, Leon on an outside run to the left, the Bills stay home and Poslusney chases Leon down on the perimeter for a short gain of 2 yards. 5:20 2rd and 8 NYJ 36 This is designed as a play-action pass to Edwards, who is running a fly route. More impatience by Schotty. The play-action isn’t very convincing, and LB #52 stumbles into the backfield, and chases Sanchez down for a sack and loss of 16 yards. There was plenty of time to march down the field, especially in this weather, I don’t know why Schotty is so intent on killing drives with long ball attempts at this point. Sanchez is visibly shaken on these long passing attempts today. REPLAY 4:41 3rd and 24 NYJ 20 At this point, the Bills are in deep coverage trying not to give up the big play. This looks like a similar design to the play where Leon caught the short pass and ran for 33 yards, except this time Sanchez locks his eyes on Leon in the middle of the field, and the LBs behind Leon read the play easily. It doesn’t help that there are no downfield blocks set up at all. The following Bills drive is the final drive of regulation, and they miss the game-winning field goal.
Score: Jets 13, Bills 13 Drive 12 ? OVERTIME 14:53 1st and 10 NYJ 15 Obvious rushing down, 8 in the box, Hartsock motions from the right side of the line next to Richardson, and I can?t even remember what this formation is called. Jones runs off tackle right with TRich and Hartsock as a pair of lead blockers out of the backfield. Hartsock loses his block and TJ is stopped for a gain of 1 yard. 14:15 2nd and 9 NYJ 16 Another 8 in the box, Jets give the look of run and Sanchez makes a nice play fake but has trouble getting his feet set, he throws off balance and the throw is high, but Edwards makes a nice leap on his post route and catches the ball of a gain of 22 yards. The run is setting up the short passing game nicely here. 13:32 1st and 10 NYJ 38 Another reason to miss Leon. Middle run, the O-line works nicely with Mangold and Faneca sealing their blocks and Moore crushing his man to open the hole, Leon squirts up the middle, cuts to the sideline and upfield for a gain of 33 yards. REPLAY 12:44 1st and 10 BUF 29 Another middle run for Leon, he makes a nice cutback to gain 5 yards. The Bills defense is looking tired, you have to wonder why they kept a fresh-legged young runner like Greene out of the game at this point. 12:13 2nd and 5 BUF 24 Middle run for Leon again. The Jets? blocking breaks down, Hunter gets his ass kicked by Stroud. Something I noticed on this and a few other plays, Keller has a penchant for throwing REALLY low cut blocks, like at the ankles of the defenders. That?s some weak shit.
