The Carolina Panthers’ Week 2 opponent will have familiar faces on the opposite sideline. Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott was instrumental in crafting an elite defense in Charlotte. Bills General Manager Brandon Beane was a valuable resource for former Panthers GM Dave Gettleman. Finally, Mike Tolbert, Joe Webb, and even Leonard Johnson had their moments with the Panthers organization over the years.
While the Panthers should have clear insight into McDermott’s defense, the Bills offense might be a question mark. With that said, their offense presents a similar challenge as the offense they faced last week in San Francisco.
Buffalo offensive coordinator, Rick Dennison, is a disciple of the Mike Shanahan offense. Dennison spent the first thirteen years of his coaching career in Denver in various roles on offense. Mike Shanahan, of course, is the father of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. As our friends at Buffalo Rumblings note about Dennison’s offense,
It features a relatively high frequency of play-action, bootlegs, and the quarterback under center.
So with that in mind, let’s preview how the Bills fared on play-action throws versus the Jets and how the Panthers did against the 49ers.
Run to set up Play-Action
An old football cliche is running the ball to set up play-action. Buffalo’s intentions are no secret. They are going to run the ball. Bills’ running backs LeSean McCoy and Mike Tolbert rushed for over 152 yards on 34 carries in week 1. The challenge will be to contain the running backs, so their quarterback Tyrod Taylor doesn’t utilize play-action.
Tyrod Taylor was 5/7 for 89 yards and 1 touchdown on play action vs the Jets. Surprised they used him so much on conventional drop backs
— Billy Marshall (@BillyM_91) September 14, 2017
After charting Taylor’s performance against the Jets, his play-action numbers were fantastic.
Throw 1: 0 yards
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This is the first play of the game. Taylor executes a naked boot play-action. The Bills are running a three level flood concept to the opposite side. Taylor has the intermediate option open, but the ounce of pressure provided by Jets edge rusher Kony Ealy (Yes that Kony Ealy) allows the defenders to run to their landmarks. New York’s defense deserves credit for reading their keys and not anticipating the run too aggressively.
Throw 2: 21 yards
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The Jets aligned their outside cornerback close to the line of scrimmage. It looks like they will press the wide receiver and play man coverage. However, that’s not the case. Taylor understands this before the snap too. Pay close attention to the head of the outside cornerback. He has his eyes on the quarterback. That means he will drop into zone coverage. He uses a press bail technique after the snap, but the wide receiver runs a post.
Furthermore, look at the throwing lane Taylor has after the play-action. Both of the Jets linebackers are caught in no mans land. Taylor has the window to make an easy throw.
Throw 3: 7 yards
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The next throw features Jon Gruden’s favorite play. Spider Y 2 banana. Jokes aside, this is an effective call inside the red zone. The spider 2 is the blocking protection, which calls for the line to slide left. The primary target is the full back in the flat.
Throw 4: 35 yards
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The Bills are running a sail concept off play action. The Jets are in cover 3 with three deep defenders and four underneath. The wide receiver running the 9 or vertical route grabs the attention of two defenders. That creates an opening for Taylor to find Charles Clay on the corner route. The end zone angle shows that the play-action caught the strong safety and linebacker not reading their keys correctly.
Throw 5: 1 yard touchdown
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Taylor’s second touchdown throw of the game was also one of his easiest. As the video shows, the threat of the run attracted the attention of the safety. However, the wide receiver runs across the line of scrimmage without any resistance to haul in the throw.
Throw 6: 0 yards
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The pressure forced by the Jets interior causes Taylor to make a quick decision. He doesn’t have time to step up in the pocket, so his pass to McCoy is inaccurate.
Throw 7: 22 yards
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The Bills seal the game on this drive, but the throw and completion was impressive. The outside wide receiver runs a clear out, which opens the left side of the field for two tight ends to exploit. Nick O’Leary does well to get his hands off the linebacker and his under route is open for Taylor. Taylor squares his shoulders and delivers an accurate pass.
Defending the play-action
The Panthers have an elite set of linebackers who are not only athletic, but very smart. Against play-action last week, the Panthers held Brian Hoyer to 2.4 yards per attempt, a sack, and an interception.
Really not much else to say about Kuechly. Reads Hoyer's eyes, drops, and makes an athletic play on the ball. pic.twitter.com/sUkTnhJF8I
— Billy Marshall (@BillyM_91) September 12, 2017
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Luke Kuechly is so smart, but his athleticism stands out on this interception. He reads Hoyer’s eyes to break on the ball after the play-action. The Panthers defense is going to need to follow Kuechly’s advise if they’re going to have more success against a passing offense featuring heavy play-action.
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Clips courtesy of NFL.com