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Chan Gailey, has Anyone Done More With Less?


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by Glenn Naughton (@acefan23)

 

Almost immediately after word got out regarding the Jets decision to make Todd Bowles their new Head Coach, the name Chan Gailey began to surface as Bowles’ top choice to run his offense.  Jets fans familiar with Gailey’s work as a Head Coach in Buffalo with the Bills from 2010-2012 let out a collective groan.  Under Gailey, the Bills posted a 16-32 record in three seasons before the Bills sent him packing.  While things didn’t work out for Gailey in Buffalo, or in Dallas where he coached the Cowboys to a pedestrian 18-14 mark in 1998-1999, he’s done some rather remarkable things for his offenses and the young quarterbacks he’s had the opportunity to work with.

 

Some of Gailey’s best work came as an offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 1996 and 1997 seasons.  In those two years, Gailey’s teams were ranked 11th and 7th respectively in points scored. Even more impressive is the fact that the Steelers posted those numbers with some fairly undesirable options at the quarterback position.

 

Their 1996 team was saddled with journeyman Mike Tomczak, a career back-up who had started more than ten games just once, when he got the nod 11 times for the Bears in 1989.  Tomczak threw for 2,058 yards with 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions that season. His completion percentage was just 51% as he attempted a career-high 306 passes in the windy city.  With Gailey in Pittsburgh in ’96, his TD/INT numbers in fifteen starts were in the same ballpark (15 /17) but he threw just one more interception than he did in ’89 despite attempting 95 more passes.  Far from prolific production, but credit Gailey for guiding the offense of a team that would go on to finish 10-6 despite having a quarterback who wouldn’t see significant playing time again until 1999.  In relief of Kordell Stewart in week 10 and starting by week 11, the Steelers stumbled to a 1-5 finish with Tomczak under center.

 

During Gailey’s second season in Pittsburgh he was tasked with developing a project quarterback in Kordell Stewart.  A second round pick out of the university of Colorado, there was plenty of doubt surrounding Stewart’s ability to succeed at the NFL.  Many viewed Stewart as a “gimmick” on offense when he earned the nickname “slash” for playing quarterback, running back, and wide receiver early on in his career.  With the Gailey/Steward combo however, the Steelers finished 6th in the NFL in total yards and 7th in points scored.  It was after that season that Gailey would move on to become head coach of the Dallas Cowboys with the Steelers finishing the season with an 11-5 record.  Following Gailey’s departure, Stewart would never again throw 20 touchdowns as he did in 1997 (21) and eclipsed the 3,000 yard mark just once more in 2001 after topping that mark in his first season as a starter under Gailey.  So, as with Tomczak, the Steelers managed to post double-digit wins with a quarterback who would never again perform at the level he had under Gailey.  It was undoubtedly that performance that landed Gailey the head coaching job in Dallas as the Cowboys offense struggled while Gailey was working his magic with Stewart in Pittsburgh.

 

Armed with Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman during the 1997 season, the Dallas Cowboys finished an embarrassing 22nd in scoring  in the NFL.   Gailey’s addition was supposed to bring the Dallas offense back to life and he delivered.  Despite losing Aikman for five games in 1998, Gailey’s Cowboys vaulted from 22nd in scoring to a top-10 finish when the ranked 9th in points scored .  Even when Aikman was lost to injury for five games Gailey kept the Cowboys afloat with second-string QB Jason Garrett taking over.  During that span the Cowboys went 3-2 en route to flipping their 6-10 record from the previous season, to a division winning 10-6 under Gailey.  In his second and final season in Dallas, Gailey saw his offense slip slightly from 9th in scoring, to 11th.  With Aikman still battling injuries, an eight-win season wasn’t enough to save Gailey from being let go by owner Jerry Jones.  Once again however, Gailey made the best of a bad situation.  A division title and a high-octane offense despite a banged up, aging quarterback and a career back-up being called on to start seven games during his two season stint with the Cowboys.

 

From Dallas it was on to Miami where Gailey would be back to calling plays with another physically limited quarterback in Jay Fiedler.  Never somebody who struck fear in his opponents, Fiedler would join Tomczak and Stewart as quarterbacks who would do their best work under Gailey.  The biggest difference this time around for Gailey was going to be the lack of an established running back.  In Pittsburgh and Dallas he featured a couple of future Hall of Famers in Jerome Bettis and Emmitt Smith.  With the Dolphins, Gailey would be pairing Fiedler with a virtual unknown in Lamar Smith.  Smith was a solid runner who  had never been a featured back or eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark.  He had also reached the end zone just 11 times in his first six NFL seasons.  Under Gailey, that all changed in a hurry. The coordinator relied heavily on Smith due to Fiedler’s limitations and lack of experience.  The  result for Smith were career highs in carries (309), yards (1,139) and touchdowns (14).

As far as Fiedler’s growth under Gailey, with a full season under his belt as a starter in 2000, he was turned loose by the veteran coordinator.  After managing just 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in year one with Gailey, Fiedler had a career year of his own.  The QB’s interception total was high (19) but he also managed 20 touchdowns, completed over 60% of his passes and threw for 3,290 yards.  Fiedler would go on to play four more seasons following Gailey’s departure for Georgia Tech, but he would never come close to matching his production from the 2001 season.

 

After spending six seasons in the college ranks, Gailey was called back to NFL action when former New York Jets coach Herm Edwards asked him to run his offense for him in Kansas City.  The season was a disaster as the Chiefs limped to a 2-14 finish under Edwards, and Gailey’s offense ranked 26th in scoring.  Despite the final record and poor ranking, Gailey’s work with a young quarterback may have been one of  his most impressive efforts up to that point.

 

For the majority of the 2008 season it was up to Gailey to find ways to score with quarterback Tyler Thigpen running the offense.  Prior to that season the second-year 7th round pick had thrown a total of six passes in the NFL.  Thigpen would end up starting 11 games for the Chiefs that season and Gailey somehow managed to get the youngster to throw 18 TD’s to just 11 interceptions.  Since that season under Gailey, Thigpen has remained a back-up, staring only one contest for the Dolphins in 2010.

 

For the Jets, a team that has spent the past six seasons watching first and second round quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith turn the ball over a staggering 145 times while throwing just 93 touchdowns, the thought of an inexperienced seventh round pick producing more touchdowns than interceptions is an alien concept.

 

Proving he could get results from even the most unlikely candidates at quarterback, the Buffalo Bills gave Gailey his next shot as a Head Coach when they hired him following the 2009 season.  Gailey once again inherited a seventh round pick and this time it was Harvard product Ryan Fitzpatrick.  Fitzpatrick, another journeyman, was on his third team in six seasons after the Rams chose him with the 250th overall pick in the 2005 draft. When Gailey arrived in Buffalo he had a total of 23 NFL starts with a career high of 12 with the Bengals two years earlier.  Over that span Fitzpatrick completed 57% of his passes while throwing 21 touchdowns and 27 interceptions.  Another project for Gailey to add to the list, and while the Bills struggled to win games with one of the worst defenses in the NFL, he once again managed to get his quarterback to play at a level he hadn’t approached up to that point.

 

In three seasons under Gailey, Fitzpatrick completed 60% of his passes with 71 touchdowns and 54 interceptions.  An overall record of 16-32 in Buffalo led to Gailey’s dismissal.  Until Bowles called, Gailey seemed to have faded away.  He didn’t coach anywhere in 2013 or 2014.  Because of his record as a head coach, some fans and media viewed his hiring as a bad choice.  Upon learning Gailey was the likely choice to run the Jets offense ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini said the choice wasn’t “inspiring” but seems to have come around since then.

 

Gailey has spent a good portion of his career changing public opinion of the quarterbacks he’s worked with.  Now in New York, he gets an opportunity to change public opinion of himself.  Gailey isn’t just somebody who’s been fired from two coaching jobs, but a coach who has gotten the most out of what he’s had.  With the Jets, he’ll likely have another challenge on his hands with the struggling Geno Smith or whoever else is brought in.  Regardless, Jets fans should be happy in knowing that if anyone can get their quarterback to finally resemble an NFL offense, Gailey is that man.

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My confidence has grown based on what i've been reading on Gailey. Don't want to jump too far ahead but so far I'm glad Woody didnt wait for Quinn. 

 

I'm not going to pretend I didn't like the MM hiring when it was announced. He was the OC for some teams in Philly that did a nice job with a few different QB's. However, McNabb was a high pick and Garcia already had some really good seasons under his belt before working with Marty.  Gailey's resume shows doing well with a lot less to work with.

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I'm not going to pretend I didn't like the MM hiring when it was announced. He was the OC for some teams in Philly that did a nice job with a few different QB's. However, McNabb was a high pick and Garcia already had some really good seasons under his belt before working with Marty.  Gailey's resume shows doing well with a lot less to work with.

I liked the MM hiring too. After reflecting on it I think it had less to do with MM himself and more with the fact that it wasnt Schotty and Sparano. MM being this bad surprised me though. He was poor. This Gailey guy has a legit resume. I didnt know Gailey back then, but i certainly knew the teams and the players and I remember Fitzpatrick in those years. I remember when they went 5-0 and to support I even changed my avatar to Fitzpatrick. I really have no grudge against the Bills. Don't like the fins/Pats though. I remember that Tyler thigpen season and I remember Jay Fiedler too. To know that this is the guy that was the mastermind behind all of that makes me believe that Todd Bowles is no average coach and he's been waiting to get a shot for some time. I hear Bowles had no ties to Gailey. Bowles has his nose to the grindstone man. 

 

Im always optimistic about our Jets (go back and see the glowing things I felt about Idzik), but this honestly seems a little different. The other times it was like a glimmer of hope. This seems like we brought in a guy thats about keeping his nose to the grindstone and getting the results that he expects. Got to give it to Woody again. I like the GM's background and Im really liking this Todd Bowles guy. Gailey seems like the right guy for the job. 

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My confidence has grown based on what i've been reading on Gailey. Don't want to jump too far ahead but so far I'm glad Woody didnt wait for Quinn. 

Believe me when I say Gailey would still be sitting on the couch if the Jets waited for Quinn.

 

I like the Bowles hire and I'm OK with the Maccagnan hire(wanted the guy the Redskins made GM).

 

Not really sure what to think of Gailey and the DC from Miami... I guess we'll see come September.

 

A lot will have to do with Maccagnan's draft and FA selections.

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Believe me when I say Gailey would still be sitting on the couch if the Jets waited for Quinn.

 

I like the Bowles hire and I'm OK with the Maccagnan hire(wanted the guy the Redskins made GM).

 

Not really sure what to think of Gailey and the DC from Miami... I guess we'll see come September.

 

A lot will have to do with Maccagnan's draft and FA selections.

Im not really concerned about the DC from Miami because Bowles is the coach. I was pissed that Dunbar left to go to Buffalo, but the DC was the former Dline coach for Miami and they're not bad. Yes Gailey would have been on the couch, what excites me is that his spread offense compliments alot of our current pieces. Geno was a heisman contender in the spread, Jace Amaro was the best receiving TE in the country playing in the spread. Jeremy Kerley played in the spread offense at TCU. On top of the fact that this guy seems to get the most out of the QB position, he has players here already who understand the fundamental concept of the spread offense. They'll have to get his formation changes down etc., but this on paper looks like a great marriage to me. 

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Im not really concerned about the DC from Miami because Bowles is the coach. I was pissed that Dunbar left to go to Buffalo, but the DC was the former Dline coach for Miami and they're not bad. Yes Gailey would have been on the couch, what excites me is that his spread offense compliments alot of our current pieces. Geno was a heisman contender in the spread, Jace Amaro was the best receiving TE in the country playing in the spread. Jeremy Kerley played in the spread offense at TCU. On top of the fact that this guy seems to get the most out of the QB position, he has players here already who understand the fundamental concept of the spread offense. They'll have to get his formation changes down etc., but this on paper looks like a great marriage to me. 

I'm curious... what type of system did MM run in Philly with McCoy, DJ and Celek? Was he considered a spread offense coordinator?

 

I hope we're not looking for an OC after the 2015-16 season.... we've been through a LOT of OC's in the past 4 years.

 

Hope Chan can make this thing work.

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I'm curious... what type of system did MM run in Philly with McCoy, DJ and Celek? Was he considered a spread offense coordinator?

 

I hope we're not looking for an OC after the 2015-16 season.... we've been through a LOT of OC's in the past 4 years.

 

Hope Chan can make this thing work.

 

If he just keeps doing what he's always done then hopefully he'll be around for a bit.  

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I'm curious... what type of system did MM run in Philly with McCoy, DJ and Celek? Was he considered a spread offense coordinator?

 

I hope we're not looking for an OC after the 2015-16 season.... we've been through a LOT of OC's in the past 4 years.

 

Hope Chan can make this thing work.

Im not exactly sure what system he ran in Philly, but from my findings and what I've seen here in NY he is a West Coast coordinator. http://turnonthejets.com/2013/01/new-york-jets-marty-mornhinwegs-offense-101-an-in-depth-look/

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Im not really concerned about the DC from Miami because Bowles is the coach. I was pissed that Dunbar left to go to Buffalo, but the DC was the former Dline coach for Miami and they're not bad. Yes Gailey would have been on the couch, what excites me is that his spread offense compliments alot of our current pieces. Geno was a heisman contender in the spread, Jace Amaro was the best receiving TE in the country playing in the spread. Jeremy Kerley played in the spread offense at TCU. On top of the fact that this guy seems to get the most out of the QB position, he has players here already who understand the fundamental concept of the spread offense. They'll have to get his formation changes down etc., but this on paper looks like a great marriage to me. 

Let's not forget that Casserly and Wolf said that during the interview Bowles had already done his homework on the Jets players and came in with what they called an impressive plan. This could very well speak to Bowles believing that Gaily would be able to get the most out of the specific players we have under contract at this present time. That would be a positive in my opinion.

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Would be so clutch if Chan can make Geno or Simms serviceable, allowing us to load up at other positions in the short term. If he pans out, it removes the onus of needing to find 'the guy' at QB.

+1 Which has been the downfall of many coaches, especially young new coaches. I think Bowles understands that he may have an untapped resource in Geno Smith. It's not like Geno is a 7 year vet here. He just finished his 2nd season and he was with an offensive coaching staff that developed nothing on the offensive side of the ball for 6 years...literally (Another reason why I couldn't criticize Idzik's draft too harshly). If Chan fulfills on this expectation then the Jets will be winning immediately. We'll have a serviceable offense with a defense like Rex but with the add-on of game time adjustments that Rex seem to never develop. Also, this will allow for the front office not to reach at this #6 pick because there's a great possibility that one of those 2 QB's will be available for us, and though Winston looks more NFL ready, neither one should be starting day one, which means that we can pick elsewhere at 6 and look at another QB that we can develop behind Geno and the QB free agent we bring in this year. 

 

 

I really can't wait for the season to start! lol. 

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+1 Which has been the downfall of many coaches, especially young new coaches. I think Bowles understands that he may have an untapped resource in Geno Smith. It's not like Geno is a 7 year vet here. He just finished his 2nd season and he was with an offensive coaching staff that developed nothing on the offensive side of the ball for 6 years...literally (Another reason why I couldn't criticize Idzik's draft too harshly). If Chan fulfills on this expectation then the Jets will be winning immediately. We'll have a serviceable offense with a defense like Rex but with the add-on of game time adjustments that Rex seem to never develop. Also, this will allow for the front office not to reach at this #6 pick because there's a great possibility that one of those 2 QB's will be available for us, and though Winston looks more NFL ready, neither one should be starting day one, which means that we can pick elsewhere at 6 and look at another QB that we can develop behind Geno and the QB free agent we bring in this year. 

 

 

I really can't wait for the season to start! lol. 

 

 

link?

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Safe to say if Gailey can't get Geno to be productive then nobody will?

Pretty much. I like that Bowles is showing that he's looking to get the most out of and develop key components on the offensive side of the ball. Funny how many were clamping for an offensive minded coach to do something that a Defensive minded coach just did. 

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My confidence has grown based on what i've been reading on Gailey. Don't want to jump too far ahead but so far I'm glad Woody didnt wait for Quinn. 

 

I am really starting to like the assistants under Bowles.  Joe Danna did a nice job with the secondary in Atlanta. He might even bring

 Dwight Lowery with him; we could use those Safety ball skills.  Chan Gailey could bring in C.J. Spiller.  Big upgrade over CJ000K.

 

...Kacy Rodgers was best Dolphins position assistant for years. His players consistently developed. And now Jets have him.

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I am really starting to like the assistants under Bowles.  Joe Danna did a nice job with the secondary in Atlanta. He might even bring

 Dwight Lowery with him; we could use those Safety ball skills.  Chan Gailey could bring in C.J. Spiller.  Big upgrade over CJ000K.

 

...Kacy Rodgers was best Dolphins position assistant for years. His players consistently developed. And now Jets have him.

Exactly. I forgot about my boy Mike Loooooowery! (Dwight Lowery). I didnt want the Jets to get rid of him either. I always said to put him at safety because for as long as the play was in front of him he produced. Now looking back, the Rex Ryan Regime when it came to player development had to be the worst in Jets history. 

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 My money's on nobody will. I know very little about OC's, hardly anything about HC's and f#@k all about GM's. What I do know is that I am a truly broken jets fan who is fresh out of positive thoughts related to the aforementioned team. I liked Rex & Marty. Our offensive line is on the decline. watching our offense take the field any time in the near future will be painful.

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Not so sure that's what I said.

Sorry airforcejet. I'm not either lol. I just jumped on a chance to get a negative rant off my chest. I feel much better now. How you been anyay? I've been a fugitive from the board and it's great to see some familair names here

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Sorry airforcejet. I'm not either lol. I just jumped on a chance to get a negative rant off my chest. I feel much better now. How you been anyay? I've been a fugitive from the board and it's great to see some familair names here

 

Look, it's tough being a Jets fan and the last thing I ever pretend to be is an expert.  I'm a fan with an opinion who reads a few articles and stats to make some basic observations.  No matter what anyone thinks of any NFL coach, I can't help but laugh when an EMT or a cop jumps on a message board to tell everyone how much more they know about football than an NFL coach. 

 

Don't sweat it at all man.

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A Discussion Of Chan Gailey's Buffalo Bills Offense

By Brian Galliford  @BrianGalliford on Jun 21 2012, 12:15p 104 

20120511_ajw_al9_304.jpg
May 11, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey watches players during rookie mini camp at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-US PRESSWIRE
 

In the latest of a series of posts in which I address questions submitted by readers, a young man named Ben asked the following question (or, more accurately, simply made an observation) earlier this week: "Mr. G, I think a post describing the offense that Chan Gailey runs would be very interesting."

I would tend to agree, of course; hence this post. But describing any NFL offense is not a particularly easy feat, let alone the Buffalo Bills offense that Gailey has installed over the last two-plus years. But hey, it's June, and we're positively made of time right now. It can't hurt to try to cram the essence of an entire pro football offense into one blog post, right?

After the jump, I've tried to break down my observations and opinions of Gailey's offense into three main components: space, disguise and niches. (Warning: this is a very long post, and the prototype for why things like Instapaper exist.)

SPACE

Whenever Gailey's offense is discussed in more general terms, the word "spread" is often referenced. Yes, Gailey's passing offense uses a lot of spread concepts with multiple receivers, but that's only part of the bigger truth: his entire offense begins with the need for space.

Gailey himself has mentioned that the design of his offense is meant to stretch the field horizontally, i.e. from sideline to sideline. The team also made an effort to improve their personnel to help them stretch the field vertically, as well, in the form of speedy wide receivers T.J. Graham and David Clowney.

This concept is not remotely unique to Gailey, because, well, any football player in any offense at any level is going to need space to operate. The more space, the better - and Gailey's offense, along with many other much higher-octane offenses in the NFL and in college, utilize spread concepts to maximize the amount of space that skill players have to operate in.

The base theory of Gailey's Bills offense is simple: get players into space, get them the ball, and let them do what they do best. As such, his running offense is zone-based and prominently features shotgun formations, traps and weak-side runs, while his passing offense is highly reliant on shorter throws, screen passes, and the ability for receivers to pick up yardage after the catch. Power runs? Play-action? Seven-step drops, deep throws and brute physicality? You're far less likely to find them here than in more traditional offensive systems.

DISGUISE

The word is a bit of a misnomer, but only because it applies to a specific portion of Gailey's offense - everything that happens in the minute or so between snaps.

It's helped me tremendously to think of Gailey's offense as a sort of inverted pyramid, which journalism students use to prioritize the importance of facts in writing a news story (in a nutshell: important facts first, filler later). The concept is applicable to anything, really; in this case, I think of the top level (the level with the most breadth) as personnel packages, the middle level as formations and motions, and the bottom level (the "smallest" group, for lack of a better term) as actual play calls.

Maybe this will be simpler for some: Gailey's offense is complex only in the sense that it uses a variety of different personnel groupings, formations and motions to execute the same play calls. Without having direct access to the playbook, I'm willing to bet that more so than any other playbook you're likely to find, there's a higher ratio of "how many different ways can we run this one play" than in other systems. In short: lots of formations and motions, lots of personnel groupings, not as many actual plays.

It all starts with personnel groupings, and it's there where the most demanding aspect of Gailey's offense lies: players need to know the responsibilities of multiple roles on a given play call, and be able to execute those assignments on game day. That's especially true at receiver, where - as an example - the rookie Graham is currently learning four different positions.

The versatility borne of this demand of Gailey's allows the team flexibility in running several different formations with the same personnel group. This helps them better disguise their intentions, as Gailey's offense is largely a "bread and butter" offense - they run what they're good at, try a few new things once in a while, and eliminate what they're not good at. His offense is simple in its execution, but is also constantly evolving.

As a quick aside before we get into the third category: this is a good spot to talk about the offensive line, as well. Their role in the passing offense is fairly straight-forward (don't let 
Ryan Fitzpatrick
 get sacked), so we'll ignore that; in the run game, you'll often see guards and centers pulling - along with trapping tight ends and receivers - to generate creases in the running game. It's a zone-blocking scheme, and the Bills feature two running backs that are either not very big (
C.J. Spiller
), or are able to "get skinny" in the hole (
Fred Jackson
). The sheer size of the line - especially the tackles - helps disguise some play execution, to an extent, in the running game. (As an example: if Spiller is running to the right, sometimes it's just flat-out difficult for defenders to see him until he's run by 
Erik Pears
.)

This may explain the team's preference for mass rather than athleticism in the players it's acquired. For the record, however, three of the Bills' projected starting linemen (
Cordy Glenn
Andy Levitre
 and 
Eric Wood
) are all very mobile players, and Gailey has taken good advantage of said mobility with Levitre and Wood in the run game.

NICHES

We'll get into why I believe Gailey's offense has evolved to the point where niches are crucial in a bit. For now, the bigger point is this: in terms of personnel, Gailey is highly reliant on niches, which can be broken down into roles first and specialists second.

When Buffalo's offense has been at its best under Gailey, it's been operating out of a three-receiver, one-tight end and one-back set. This coming season, that five-man personnel package could feature, for example: Stevie JohnsonDonald JonesDavid NelsonScott Chandler and Fred Jackson.

Gailey has leaned heavily on two types of receiving roles: "outside" guys (i.e. split ends and flankers) and "inside" guys (i.e. slot receivers and tight ends). This personnel grouping has worked out well largely because the two "inside" guys - Nelson and Chandler - are highly interchangeable, and thus help disguise some play calls. (They're also decent blockers, which helps Gailey design blocking schemes to aid the line.) The team appears to be heading toward a similar situation with outside receivers, where Johnson, Jones and Derek Hagan can all be moved around (i.e. play both outside, but also sneak inside on occasion). Assuming that Jones and Hagan can contribute consistently, this will allow the team to put Johnson in more positions to make plays out of the slot, where he is explosive.

A big question mark that I've harped on all off-season can be applied to "roles," as well: so far, we haven't seen a Gailey offense that features two prominent running back roles. Will he be able to mold two roles to accommodate two starting-level backs in Jackson or Spiller, or will the two backs have to, essentially, split one role?

Roles leave cracks, however, and Gailey fills them in with specialists. On occasion, the team will need a blocking specialist, so he'll call on either fullback Corey McIntyre or tight end Lee Smith. The team signed free agent Brad Smith with the idea of building an entirely new Wildcat package around him - and when they were actually able to use it in 2011, it provided a useful additional wrinkle to the offense. As we speak, the team is trying out street free agent Dorin Dickerson in an H-Back role that the team has apparently been looking to experiment with.

The idea of niches would seem to contradict the idea of disguise: if a player is asked to know multiple roles in the playbook, how can a player like Nelson, for example, be shoe-horned into one specific role? The answer is fairly simple: as much as he can, Gailey gets the ball to his skill players in positions where he knows they'll excel. Everything else is window dressing, disguised to increase the efficiency of the offense by a) having everyone on the same page, and B) disguising intent.

Why has Gailey's offense evolved with such a high reliance on niches? I believe it comes down to the organization's philosophy that a competitive offense can be fielded without sacrificing large resources (whereas, on defense, they clearly believe that to keep up with the modern offense, you need to spend high-quality resources on exceptional athletes). Take a look at the skill players that are expected to be prominently featured this year, and how they were acquired:

 

  • QB Ryan Fitzpatrick: inherited from previous regime (former Round 7 pick)
  • RB Fred Jackson: inherited (former undrafted free agent)
  • RB C.J. Spiller: Round 1 pick
  • WR Stevie Johnson: inherited (former Round 7 pick)
  • WR David Nelson: undrafted free agent
  • WR Donald Jones: undrafted free agent
  • WR Derek Hagan: street free agent
  • TE Scott Chandler: street free agent

That's not to say that the Bills are averse to putting resources into the offense, of course. Fitzpatrick, Johnson and Jackson have all gotten lucrative contract extensions from the team, and Spiller was a Top 10 pick. Right now, however, the team's top-level personnel dictates that Gailey work his offense in this fashion. If he were still fortunate enough to coach Calvin Johnson - a guy that can't be stopped no matter how ill-disguised a play is - I'm certain the offense would look different.

Whew. If you made it down here, you're a trooper. While I go contemplate my future with carpal tunnel, leave your comments below, and I'll return at some point to answer anyone's questions. One last reminder: keep in mind that this is just my interpretation of Gailey's offense. I'd be interested in hearing anyone else's, as well!

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Sorry, but part 1 is no longer on the internet. I have parts 2-4 though.

 

 

Chan Gailey's Buffalo Bills Offense, Part 2: Horizontal Timing

By Jason Pieri on Jul 24 2012, 10:30a 27 

126362837.jpg
Getty Images
 

This article is the second in a four-part series examining Chan Gailey's 
Buffalo Bills
 offense. 
Part one
 took a look at Gailey's traditional offensive roots. Part three examines the screen game that Gailey loves to use.Part four examines the Bills' running game.

Modern offenses in the NFL tend to mix proven plays and concepts. If a vertical timing play works, a West Coast team uses it to throw deep. Power running teams run horizontal timing plays. The NFL is a results business, and team generally do what works. Coaches innovate. Teams take power running ball-possession concepts, apply them to multiple receiver offenses, and go to work. In Gailey's case, he's essentially mixed a traditional ball-control passing game with west coast timing concepts.

He mixed for a couple reasons. First, horizontal timing concepts allow the quarterback to make quick reads. As Gailey went with the spread, his quarterbacks have become more vulnerable, due to fewer available big-bodied blockers in pass protection. Horizontal timing concepts allow Buffalo quarterbacks to get rid of the ball very quickly, a plus for the quarterback and the offensive line.

Second, Gailey likes to allow his playmakers a lot of freedom to win one-on-one matchups with defenders. Horizontal timing requires quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw to a spot on the field. The receiver's job is to be there at a specific time. How he gets there is up to the receiver. Gailey preaches "beat the man." Part of that is beating the defender in coverage to the spot.

Brief Definition of Terms: Horizontal Timing

The horizontal timing offense, commonly and inaccurately called the west coast offense, originated in Cincinnati in the late 1960s into the early 1970s. Bill Walsh served as Paul Brown's offensive coordinator, with the daunting task of designing an offense capable of moving the football on the Steel Curtain defense. Walsh took an old Sid Gilman concept of throwing to spots on the field, re-designed the idea, and ran it with great effect.

There are two reasons to throw to spots in the short passing game. The first we've already talked about. If your quarterback is only dropping three or five steps, the defense has a smaller chance to get pressure. Secondly, throwing to spots gives the receiver a better chance of getting open. Take a play that is designed for a receiver to run five yards, and then break in toward the middle of the field. If the defensive back can jam the receiver or bump him off the route, the play's timing can be disrupted. If the receiver does not have a specific route to run, and just has to get to a spot, he can get jammed and bumped, adjust his route in stride, and still get to the spot on time.

Basic Route Tree

For reference (and brevity's sake), let's use a basic route tree to reference passing routes. Many readers remember their football days, where they may very well have used a tree numbered differently. This tree is only an example, and is used for reference throughout the article. Note that the west coast offense normally does not refer to route numbers in their play calls. We are using it for descriptive purposes only.

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Horizontal Timing Passing

Here is how a horizontal timing offensive play could look in execution. As with the last story, the model play is simple in design purposefully; any high school team could run this. The tight end is running a 3 route, the Z runs a 9 route, and the X runs a backside 2 route. The slot receiver is also running a 2 underneath the tight end. The running back runs to the left flat as the outlet receiver.

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Conceptually, though, that's not how the play is designed. In a horizontal timing offense, the play might look that that in a playbook, but shown below is how the play is supposed to be thought through by the players. The receivers think of the routes conceptually in terms of getting to spots, not specific routes. If you read the terminology for a west coast offense, the numbers do not correlate to the example route tree.

Below is how the play looks conceptually. Each receiver has to get to their spots at a certain time. The X and the S may need to be at their spots by the quarterback's third step. The Y and the Z may need to be at their spots by the quarterback's fifth step. How they get there is up to them. The running back still runs to the flat as an outlet. Notice the spacing. The X and S are relatively close, but only to create a hi-lo read. The Y, Z, and running back are all well away from the hi-lo read, and each other, adding stress to the defense. We'll test this play, and how it naturally changes, against man, zone, and press coverage defenses.

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In the below model, the defense plays man with the safeties in two-deep coverage. The tight end knows that he's probably going to get jammed by the outside linebacker, and then covered by the inside linebacker. In anticipation, and knowing that he has five steps to get to his spot, he runs an inside release, avoiding the outside linebacker, and then rounds off his route a bit in order to get back outside on time. The S sees that the nickel corner is playing him head up, so he runs a straight line to his spot. The X runs at the corner, then breaks to his spot, a normal-looking route. The Z runs at his cornerback, getting very tight to make it harder for the defender to change directions, and then fades to his spot, getting there at the fifth step. The running back runs to the flat, taking the other inside linebacker with him.

As the play unfolds, the quarterback could read from the slot receiver (the low read) to the X receiver (the high read), then progress to the tight end or Z receiver. At the end, he can always dump it off the the running back. When analysts talk about progressions, they are describing the order in which the quarterback reads the play. In this play, the quarterback reads the S short to X intermediate over the middle of the field, then looks to the right side for the Y and Z, and finishes with the running back in the left flat.

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In the play shown below, the defense is playing a three-deep zone with the strong safety, nickel back, and inside linebackers in shorter zones. Pre-snap, the quarterback and receivers should read three-deep zone. The X goes directly for his spot, then gears down in the seam in the zone. The slot receiver runs the same route. The tight end runs his route a little more precisely, getting to his spot, where he squares his shoulders and makes himself a bigger target in front of the cornerback. The Z still runs deep, and the running back still runs to the flat. The progression is the same: S/X to Y/Z to the checkdown in the flat.

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In the play shown below, the cornerbacks are playing press coverage against the receivers, the strong safety is coving the tight end, and the free safety is playing a Cover 1, or one-deep-zone. The Jets play this defense fairly regularly against the Bills. Buffalo receivers need to "beat the man" on this play. The X, S, and Z must beat the press coverage. For all three, the play is all about beating the press, then running to their spot. The X and S run similar routes, taking direct paths to their routes. The Z beats the press and then initiates a foot race to his spot. The Y takes an inside release, then tries to beat the strong safety to his spot.

The progression is the same as the previous plays. The difference here is that this play is more of a test of talent, and less a test of scheme. Beat the man.

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Horizontal Timing Applied to Erhardt-Perkins Concepts

Brian described disguise as a theme to Gailey's offense. One of the ways Gailey can disguise plays is to run one type of play using another type of concept. The play below is the Erhardt-Perkins play we used in the last article. Gailey can use this play as either an E-P concept, as depicted below, or...

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... in a horizontal timing fashion, using the same formation with the same intentions, just changing definitive routes into spots. The play looks the same to the defense, and starts out the same. Gailey can call the play with timing concepts, and still attack the defense in the same way while allowing the receivers the flexibility to adjust their routes to beat the defense.

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Summary

Gailey's offense relies heavily on timing. Some of the plays are west coast plays by design, and some are Erhardt-Perkins plays with timing applied. Timing gives the receivers the freedom to adjust, both pre-snap and post-snap, to negate or minimize what the defense is trying to accomplish. Gailey preaches "beat the man" to his players. In his timing plays, it means "outthink and outrun the defender to the spot."

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