starkeeper
07-19-2006, 03:53 AM
The red zone (inside the opponent's 20-yard line) is often described as the most critical area of the field for both the offense and the defense. It's where most offensive possessions are capped with a scoring play or where most defenses are looking for a key stop.
OFFENSE
For Buffalo's offense their performance in the red zone has reached new lows each of the last three seasons. The last time the Bills offense finished in the top half of the league in red zone touchdown percentage was 2002 when they ranked 14th. Since then they've been 19th (2003), 29th (2004) and 30th (2005).
What led to the most recent problems last season was the lack of continuity at quarterback, a tendency to pass more than run on plays between the 20 and three-yard lines and poor execution.
Quarterback Kelly Holcomb was amazed by their lack of success last season.
"Red zone was an issue for us," said Holcomb. "We've got to be better on third downs," said Holcomb. "If you stay on the field on offense you have a chance to make things happen because you have three more opportunities to do something else."
The first step in converting those third downs is to get into third-and-short situations, which Buffalo did, but they still just converted less than 38 percent of their third down chances in 2005.
"We had so many third and shorts last year and didn't convert," said Holcomb.
Why? Well there were differing opinions.
"Last year the offense (stunk)," said Willis McGahee. "It (stunk). This year we have new coaches and now everything is different. It's going to be a totally different show. I can bet on it."
McGahee had a right to be upset. Oftentimes in 2005 his number was not called once the offense was inside the 20-yard line, and he was frequently on the sidelines on third downs. Taking one of your best players off the field on the most critical down of a series, or choosing not to utilize his talents as much as possible in the red zone was questionable at best, and the Bills lack of success reflected that.
So do things figure to change for the better in that department this season?
In all likelihood they do.
The new coaching staff has a healthy respect for the running game, which is reinforced by the climate in which the Bills must endure in Buffalo come November and December. That's why McGahee is believes that he'll be more of a focal point when it comes to punching it in the end zone.
"I've got a lot of confidence in him," said McGahee of offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild. "I'm not worried about (my opportunities). Hopefully I won't come off the field. Right now I'm just ready and waiting."
And McGahee hopes there are a variety of ways in which he'll be able to find the end zone for the offense, similar to the way Marshall Faulk has done for St. Louis.
"Put the ball in 21's hands and I'm good for five yards a catch," said McGahee. "If I catch it I'm good for five yards afterwards. I'd love to be a part of the passing game and show the other side of my football skills."
Holcomb agrees that McGahee and the other men in the offensive backfield could use more touches in the passing game.
"You've got to get the backs involved," said Holcomb. "I think last year we didn't get them involved enough. We'll get everybody involved and I think that's what this offense and coach Fairchild is getting us to do."
But even the main men in the passing game know no matter how good plays look in the book they still have to be executed on the field.
"It's certainly going to be a group effort for us to step up and make this offense work," said Lee Evans. "Steve (Fairchild) has come in with a great offense with a lot of options to do a lot of things."
Of course to do those things an offensive line that struggled with execution will have to be markedly better this season to enable the team to run the ball in the red zone and provide the quarterback with enough time to make a play in the passing game.
And in an ideal situation that quarterback will be just one man for the entire season to help provide a more consistent flow to the offense throughout the year.
Those are a lot of 'ifs' heading into the season. But as long as a couple of them can pan out in training camp, Buffalo's offense should be posting a higher percentage of touchdowns in 2006 than they did a year ago.
DEFENSE
The recent history has not been as bad on defense as it has been on offense. Sure the 2005 season was forgettable as the unit finished dead last in the league in keeping opponents out of the end zone once they cracked Buffalo's 20-yard line. But in 2004, the Bills were fifth in the league in red zone defense.
A good number of that defensive talent from 2004 is still on the roster and with the infusion of some athletic young talent and a new system predicated on speed and pursuit to the ball, Buffalo's defenders can only get better than their ranking of 32nd last season.
"What I saw were guys playing hard," said Bills secondary coach George Catavolos of his 2005 film evaluation. "They weren't making the plays that they were two years ago. Whether it was the front the middle or the back end, they weren't doing what statistically they did two years ago."
What made defending their red zone so difficult was stopping opponents on third down, another category where they finished last in the league in 2005. What made life so hard for Buffalo's defenders was the fact that the opponent was often in third-and-short situations. And that was because the Bills surrendered way too much yardage on first down. So much in fact that they finished next to last in the league in first downs allowed.
There were a host of mental breakdowns with players out of position, subpar execution and poor tackling all contributing. But Bills new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is determined to avoid such pitfalls this season.
"We know the importance of having our players knowing exactly what to do," said Fewell of executing his system. "We talk about mental errors and cutting down on them in the football game so our players don't have to think a whole lot and can then play fast."
Fewell's players say his system is low on volume, but high on details. So while there is a good amount of study involved to master the system, the players shouldn't experience nearly the amount of breakdowns they suffered last season.
That should lead to more consistent play, more opportunities for big plays and ultimately more stops in the red zone.
However, much like the case on offense it comes down to execution. The new interior on the defensive line will have to be far more effective against the run than last season's group. Tackling must be sound every Sunday and the playmakers on Buffalo's defense must earn their money when crunch time arrives.
"It's an ongoing process," said Fewell. "But we're always striving to make our system better knowing our opponent is trying to negate our efforts every week."
Hopefully Buffalo's defenders can stay one step ahead of their opponents when their heels are close to their own goal line and be dramatically better at keep opposing teams from reaching the end zone in 2006.
OFFENSE
For Buffalo's offense their performance in the red zone has reached new lows each of the last three seasons. The last time the Bills offense finished in the top half of the league in red zone touchdown percentage was 2002 when they ranked 14th. Since then they've been 19th (2003), 29th (2004) and 30th (2005).
What led to the most recent problems last season was the lack of continuity at quarterback, a tendency to pass more than run on plays between the 20 and three-yard lines and poor execution.
Quarterback Kelly Holcomb was amazed by their lack of success last season.
"Red zone was an issue for us," said Holcomb. "We've got to be better on third downs," said Holcomb. "If you stay on the field on offense you have a chance to make things happen because you have three more opportunities to do something else."
The first step in converting those third downs is to get into third-and-short situations, which Buffalo did, but they still just converted less than 38 percent of their third down chances in 2005.
"We had so many third and shorts last year and didn't convert," said Holcomb.
Why? Well there were differing opinions.
"Last year the offense (stunk)," said Willis McGahee. "It (stunk). This year we have new coaches and now everything is different. It's going to be a totally different show. I can bet on it."
McGahee had a right to be upset. Oftentimes in 2005 his number was not called once the offense was inside the 20-yard line, and he was frequently on the sidelines on third downs. Taking one of your best players off the field on the most critical down of a series, or choosing not to utilize his talents as much as possible in the red zone was questionable at best, and the Bills lack of success reflected that.
So do things figure to change for the better in that department this season?
In all likelihood they do.
The new coaching staff has a healthy respect for the running game, which is reinforced by the climate in which the Bills must endure in Buffalo come November and December. That's why McGahee is believes that he'll be more of a focal point when it comes to punching it in the end zone.
"I've got a lot of confidence in him," said McGahee of offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild. "I'm not worried about (my opportunities). Hopefully I won't come off the field. Right now I'm just ready and waiting."
And McGahee hopes there are a variety of ways in which he'll be able to find the end zone for the offense, similar to the way Marshall Faulk has done for St. Louis.
"Put the ball in 21's hands and I'm good for five yards a catch," said McGahee. "If I catch it I'm good for five yards afterwards. I'd love to be a part of the passing game and show the other side of my football skills."
Holcomb agrees that McGahee and the other men in the offensive backfield could use more touches in the passing game.
"You've got to get the backs involved," said Holcomb. "I think last year we didn't get them involved enough. We'll get everybody involved and I think that's what this offense and coach Fairchild is getting us to do."
But even the main men in the passing game know no matter how good plays look in the book they still have to be executed on the field.
"It's certainly going to be a group effort for us to step up and make this offense work," said Lee Evans. "Steve (Fairchild) has come in with a great offense with a lot of options to do a lot of things."
Of course to do those things an offensive line that struggled with execution will have to be markedly better this season to enable the team to run the ball in the red zone and provide the quarterback with enough time to make a play in the passing game.
And in an ideal situation that quarterback will be just one man for the entire season to help provide a more consistent flow to the offense throughout the year.
Those are a lot of 'ifs' heading into the season. But as long as a couple of them can pan out in training camp, Buffalo's offense should be posting a higher percentage of touchdowns in 2006 than they did a year ago.
DEFENSE
The recent history has not been as bad on defense as it has been on offense. Sure the 2005 season was forgettable as the unit finished dead last in the league in keeping opponents out of the end zone once they cracked Buffalo's 20-yard line. But in 2004, the Bills were fifth in the league in red zone defense.
A good number of that defensive talent from 2004 is still on the roster and with the infusion of some athletic young talent and a new system predicated on speed and pursuit to the ball, Buffalo's defenders can only get better than their ranking of 32nd last season.
"What I saw were guys playing hard," said Bills secondary coach George Catavolos of his 2005 film evaluation. "They weren't making the plays that they were two years ago. Whether it was the front the middle or the back end, they weren't doing what statistically they did two years ago."
What made defending their red zone so difficult was stopping opponents on third down, another category where they finished last in the league in 2005. What made life so hard for Buffalo's defenders was the fact that the opponent was often in third-and-short situations. And that was because the Bills surrendered way too much yardage on first down. So much in fact that they finished next to last in the league in first downs allowed.
There were a host of mental breakdowns with players out of position, subpar execution and poor tackling all contributing. But Bills new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is determined to avoid such pitfalls this season.
"We know the importance of having our players knowing exactly what to do," said Fewell of executing his system. "We talk about mental errors and cutting down on them in the football game so our players don't have to think a whole lot and can then play fast."
Fewell's players say his system is low on volume, but high on details. So while there is a good amount of study involved to master the system, the players shouldn't experience nearly the amount of breakdowns they suffered last season.
That should lead to more consistent play, more opportunities for big plays and ultimately more stops in the red zone.
However, much like the case on offense it comes down to execution. The new interior on the defensive line will have to be far more effective against the run than last season's group. Tackling must be sound every Sunday and the playmakers on Buffalo's defense must earn their money when crunch time arrives.
"It's an ongoing process," said Fewell. "But we're always striving to make our system better knowing our opponent is trying to negate our efforts every week."
Hopefully Buffalo's defenders can stay one step ahead of their opponents when their heels are close to their own goal line and be dramatically better at keep opposing teams from reaching the end zone in 2006.