Drive Time: Dolphins Bills Week 9 Preview

attempt to keep the season afloat. At two and five, we'll break down the matchups, tell you about this Bill's team, how they got to where they are, all of that much more from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist.

but that's essentially what is the industry standard. And I found this pretty expensive, nice little USB mic, and so I want to let you guys know that in case the audio quality sounds different, we're trying it out. I think it sounds pretty good, but we'll find out. And the reason I say here we go again is because, well it's the damn Bills once more from high Mark Stadium in Buffalo, Week number nine at the Bills a one o'clock kickoff on CBS. The Kevin Harlan Crue has

this one. Will that be enough magic for the Dolphins to overcome their arch nemesis, their daddy.

games into twenty eighteen. They missed the playoffs that year, really the first of two years where Josh Allen wasn't Josh Allen just yet, And as I say that, they have not missed the postseason since that time. Ten wins, thirteen wins, eleven wins, thirteen wins, eleven more last year, one more trip to the AFC Title Game in twenty twenty, the brutal thirteen seconds game against those same Chiefs in the Divisional round one year later, and make it three

straight division round losses. Now with the Bengals in twenty twenty two, and then once again those Chiefs. The Chiefs are to the Bills what the Bills are to the Dolphins, as they beat them again, this time at home in twenty twenty three. But a lot of the mainstays from those clubs. They don't year is here, Trojan horsing Us, Micah Hyde retired, Trey White is in Los Angeles, to Fon Diggs is in Houston despite a torn ACL He's gone either way, and he arrived back in twenty and

twenty when that team really took off. Mitch Morse is in Jacksonville and earned Floyd with the Niners and Matt mclonald's down for the Earth injury. It's a lot of change there and entirely looking different looking Bills team. And again yet here we are six and damn two, Alan playing some of the most efficient ball of his career. He's not turned the ball over. They've paired that with a running game and defense that despite whoever is in

the lineup, just continues to produce. Here reminds me of the freaking Bilichick Patriots, which once again here I am finding myself like resigned to the fact that we have a superpower in our division that is not us and cannot be overcome until there's, you know, significant change. That's kind of how it feels. You've had this division dominated

by two separate clubs. And granted the Patriots was two decades for twenty five years now so fun fun times being a Dolphin and a Jets fan, and we bick growth the Jets so much, and it's like we eventually wind up back in the same place. Now we have had more success. But I digress, And speaking of that lineup that has all these changes and talking about the constant number five in scoring offense, number six and scoring defense, When will it ever end? That's a Coheaton Cambria Lyric

Bill's offense. It has changed entirely. We heard this from Joe Marino on the show yesterday. And they went from this site adjustment based passing attack where you have in route reads based upon coverage and leverage, and I think that produced more picks because there was more of a freestyler in their offense and Stefan Diggs and Josh Allen who can be scattershot at times, and where I think they found themselves in some slogs a year ago.

a bit more of an anticipator. That was kind of what you saw at the end of the year, and they grew into that, and I think they took that and over the course of the offseason evolved their offense to better tailor offense to alan strengths and also incorporate

a better running game and be more widespread. And the Bills I think came to the conclusion they could pivot off of the you know, funnel the ball to a superstar receiver offense with this you know, successful pivot within the offensive structure to accentuate Allen's ability as a visual thrower, which he's probably the most capable in the entire NFL of doing that because of his rare physical traits, i e.

The exceptional arm strength. I feel like arm strength is so overblown until you get to a certain point, like Jordan Love has this, Allen has this, Patrick Mahomes has this. There are unicorn arms out there that separate themselves from the rest of the pack, and I think that's where the discussion comes into play. And everybody else that doesn't have that has to be great in other areas, and

they usually are if they get to this level. That's helped this Buffalo team, all of that stuff really develop their identity to play on schedule with Josh Allen and then that along with the run game, has only extended the number of plays where he can create and be a playmaker. And just when you thought they might slow down, they've reimagined this offense and done it for the better. Their personnel groupings, it's changed this year. Eleven personnels fifty

four percent, twelve personnel's nineteen. They have a variation of a bunch of other groupings as well, and it's interesting because they do roll out some heavy personnel that allows them to add multiple gaps in the running game, like twelve heavy, which is one tight end or one running back, two tight ends, and then an extra offensive lineman which means one receiver, and so you get two more tight ends attached to the formation with an extra offensive lineman, Boom,

three more gaps. And I was looking at the week two preview notes in the offensive deployment was a forty thirty split between those two groupings, so that has shifted as the year has gone on. But the real takeaway from that is they are adaptable to the defense they're going to face. Which is interesting because the defense is not that way. More on that in just a moment. When they played US, it was a lot of those

twelve personnel groupings. But I also think the addition of Amari Cooper expands their ability to run more receiver groupings, more receiver heavy groupings. I should say, like, I know they're pretty happy and comfortable with Khalil Shaker being this premier slot receiver. Keon Coleman is producing at a nice level, but I still think that that's a limited player, I

will say. And then they get a lot more run here with Amari Cooper, I think, who is flexible across multiple positions the more he gets familiar with the offense. But that's kind of their base eleven personnel package with Curtis Samuel providing the ability to spell those guys, to get creative with backfield alignments and nasty alignments and play flinker and the slot. It's just a lot they went deeper opposed to being top heavy, and it's working out

for them. Teams played too high against this offense fifty percent compared to forty three percent after the coaching change. There was a little bit of zero coverage in there as well, but don't do that against Josh Allen because we I mean, we did that in the it was it the playoff game or was it the week when was it the playoff game? I think we zeroed him up a lot and he like missed a bunch of downfield shots which kind of kept us in that game.

But that game could have been a fifty burger if he just was a little a little bit more accurate on those. And his time to throw is twenty six amongst starters and thirty first overall. He's got a two point eight eight time to throw this year, which is a strange dichotomy versus their RPO popitt offense that Joe Brady ran at LSU. So it's like this marriage of multiple offenses. And then just some further stats here for you.

Josh Allen versus the blitz in twenty twenty four, thirty five percent of his dropbacks eight point six yards per attempt at sixty four completion, eight touchdowns and no picks, just four sacks compared to six sacks when not blitzed, Like,

don't blitz him, don't don't do it. He saw this team bliss Anthony Richardson and they were successful as hell doing that, and Kyler Murray to a certain extent as well, and Richardson, you created bad throws down the field because that guy just hasn't hit the broad side of a bar in his entire career so far, and that's a discussion for a different day about his development. But you can't have that same plan because Josh, like Anthony Richardson he did against us, will make you miss.

what they're doing. We saw in the second half against the Cardinals, and what do the Cardinals do but score on four five possessions. But their quick game and your rush does you no good if Josh just pulls it back and fires it in behind you, which he can do that too, But also if you rush and he tucks it, then you're chasing him on the back foot.

But if you're mirroring him, and maybe you even utilize a spy here or there, but that also removes a body from coverage, like you have to pick your poison. If you do that, though, you get a little bit more ability to match him, opposed to showing him your move. He adjusts and if he beats you, you're out of the play. And that's where Chopp has lived most of the year. Behind the quarterback. It's the worst place in

the football field to be. And the reason I think the receiving corps desperately needed a vertical threat like Amari Cooper is that I think you can commit an extra hat into the box and contend with that. So as I say don't blitz him, don't zero him, I do kind of feel like you need to show him the opportunity for a deep ball, like because that's the best place to get incompletions and get them behind the chains, So how do you do that? Lots of cover one,

challenge them to throw those deep shots. Mug your linebackers up in the A gap, keep a spy and or rush contain on Allen on any given snap. You know, if they hit one, maybe you get out of it. But I think they have to prove they can hit it. It's not that far off from that Ravens game in twenty twenty one against Lamar Jackson. They just never got a deep ball over the top, and we kept showing the same look and they couldn't do it, and it was one of their worst offensive showings in the Lamar

Jackson era. The Big Three versus the Bills offense kicks off with number one, do not let Superman don his cape. It's the exact same key from Week two. Everything is centered around the quarterback. If they didn't have Josh Allen, it's probably a five win football team. And if he's off with his accuracy, they can go through some lolls for a quarter, sometimes a full half at time. We saw it in the Week eighteen game last year, and that's where you have to go to put up points offensively.

If he's on, you just have to try to outscore him, which is kind of the nature of the Beast against all the top quarterbacks in the league. So how do you force him into the off night?

I think he is the guy that could be that fixed for them. But I think it will just keep getting better as they go along. In that connection, he had nineteen snaps his first game. Cooper did thirty eight last week. I imagine he's closer to a full time workload of fifty plus snaps in this one. As for the pressure ability, I don't think you concern yourself all that much with trying to confuse Dion Dawkins because he's seen everything he can squeeze to widen and to help

pick up outside delays and cornerback blitzes. I would, however, test their interior, and I think with these mugged up a gap pressure looks we have, that's where you can challenge that and force them off script immediately or preferably

into a rush contained out side. So with how Chopp gets off the football on the right side, with how we've seen them mix their rush and bluff looks, with how we've seen this team blitter defensive backs, I kind of feel like the best bet is to do it from the front side and force Alan to flee towards his left, towards his best pass protector and in a position where he you know, creatively it takes him to

throws back to the middle across his body. It's why I think the addition of Jordan Brooks has been such a force multiplier in the middle of this defense for his ability to play coverage and to blitz. And then you've got all those safeties who I think you know are probably a major key here, which hasn't been a position of strength of the Dolphins this season at all. And we might have to do it without Javon Holland

after he left last game with his knee injury. He had been a big part of some of those Josh Allen game plans. But it could be Poyer in May this week tasked with that, and Poyer versus Allen is a tough draw. It is just so so integral that you have good rush land integrity, and we have to have that.

You can't let Superman don his cape, and you have to commit to stopping James Cook in both the run and the passing game. In fact, it was James Cook's forty nine yard touchdown rush to kind of put that game into the distance, right It wasn't out of reach yet, but it gave you the same old Dolphins and Bills feelings, which every like I remember watching that game, the freaking Grant Debo's shoulder pop up pick and then they go down the field to score on a fourth down play.

It's like, here we go a game. Six minutes into the ballgame, it's seven to nothing and we already got the first possession of the half. It's just like, when will it ever change? And you know, I kind of went in on the James Cook stuff already, but I think this is done by adding additional hats into the fit, but also to be completely aware of Cook's ability as a pass receiver. They love to sneak him out onto the perimeter, pick a linebacker and get up over the top.

And I'll be frank about it. We saw it in the game on Sunday. That's gonna be David Long. They're gonna try to isolate James Cook on David Long. He has to find a way to minimize the damage in that matchup, or Anthony Weaver has to find a way to not let that matchup happen. Gotta find a way to do it. And so if you if you do go into the game with man free, that's a tough route to cover from there, and with Josh's running ability, man coverage is like the most horrific proposition you can

possibly present. You always want to mix it up, but I think you can get the run game sorted, Josh Allen scramble ability and those quick hits by playing that extra hat in the fit. What does that mean, Travis? It just means you're not playing shells. You're playing single high and you're bringing a guy down the box and then also zoning things off and very very committed to rush lane integrity, which is so hard, so much easier said than done, but you have to find a way

to do it. All of that will allow you to control gaps in the running game, and that is just so paramount against this team. If you start forcing second Longs, you take away the running game. You make all the things we've already touched on so much harder to accomplish. And that's where I think you have to get a lot out of David Long as far as a mesh point disruptor. Jordan Brooks is a spot drop, middle of the field expander, and both of them on blitzes to show the Bills those A and B gaps are not

open with the run. And if it's if d Long is in the same place he was against the Cardinals and not ready to do it, then get Anthony Walker up. That's why I want to see in that position, maybe even changing tendall.

elite quarterbacks. And I don't think anybody can stop elite quarterbacks when they're on, but can you limit them enough to keep you in the game.

those are my top four or five priorities. And their ability to get to heavier personnel and operate from condensed formations and add those gaps in the running game because of that is what makes this offense so damn challenging to contend with, especially when operated by the cyborg quarterback. But Knox and King Kaid are one of the more

unique tight end tandems in the entire game. I don't think either of them are plus run blockers, but I think they're good enough when you consider their receiving skill sets. King k can really stretch in the middle of the field, and that's why I feel like the Cover one and Cover three variations are your best options. Trying to limit those guys by capping them with trail defenders and linebackers underneath.

I keep coming back to the same players in the game in this game, like down the middle with the safety's factoring in here too with Brooks and David Long and Anthony Walker. But I also think Jalen Ramsey as a tight end eraser isn't a crazy idea by any stretch. We saw him get Kelsey a lot last year in the Chiefs game Hunter Henry in the Patriots game this year. I think you can solve some of your issues from their balanced twelve personnel looks by doing some of that

with Jalen Ramsey. Ultimately, I like to have both options because options means you can mix it up, and that's the best way to get a quarterback playing out of rhythm. The additional parts on their offense, Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown are really good bookend tackles. We talked about just briefly, And remember last year when I said the Bills won't

have the same injury look on the offens line. Again, well, between Dawkins, Edwards McGovern, Torrens, and Brown, the lowest snap total among those guys this year is ninety three percent. They've all been in every single game, so I guess that prediction that was a lie Mari povic Bill's defense. Let's go ahead and pivot over here without a break and talk about this scheme. We know how this goes, right. I mean, it's the same thing every year. They never

leave nickel. This year they play a lot more dime, so it's always five plus defensive backs. They want to play variations of zone and try to disrupt early and run into cap looks and remove the vertical game, and that invites the run a lot. But they also have terrific interior defensive line play with Ed Oliver and Daikwan Jones. There is no Matt Mlano, but you heard Joe talk

about it yesterday. They believe that they can, over the course of an eight to ten play drive, can force you into a mistake and then unleash their long down in distance defenses and rush games and good coverage, and that's where they always get the Dolphins. The pick on Grant de Bo's is the third and long play. The sack horrible flip to the sideline play that turned into a pick six on Tua was a third down play.

You have to say out of those situations, and you do that by running the ball and being as efficient as you can be in your quick game and early passing downs, and so that's what they have to do. The Bills play eighty five percent of their first and second downs and nickel, and it's an even split between nickel and dime.

of mixing their coverages. They have a terrific spread against two, Cover two, Cover three, Cover four, all around twenty percent, the small drop off to Cover one and Cover six at fifteen percent. They run the occasional two man in zero coverage. They just have a deep playbook and they coach the guys have to play Buffalo Bills football. And that's like the answer to why we can never beat

these guys. It's not because of Taron Johnson. Being a great player, or Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer or Shredavius Whye or Matt Mulono or Greg Russau. It's because they have this this deep playbook that beats us and it doesn't matter who's in the game, and it just it.

the running game. By nature of their pre snap presentation, you get a size advantage and sometimes a hats advantage when you do that. And again we saw it in the twenty twenty two game up there, we saw it in the first half of the finale last year. We saw it in the first quarter of the Week four

game last year. I actually think you can play a lot like that Week eighteen game where on third downs that you face, you know, you know, maybe you didn't have early down success and you face like we you know, we have the full compliment this time with all the pieces, including John hu Smith who is fully integrated into the offense, and then Devon a Chan who's even more versed in the offense to get options as a runner and passer, along with the inclusion of Jilen Wright. I hope we

see more of that. Do I think we will? I don't know, but I think you have to make them come down and play the run. I think you motion the crap out of them, and nobody runs more motion than us, right, So get Tua as much pre snap information as he can get, and I wonder how well they'll be able to disguise that was such a strength of their unit with all the stability they had back there without those guys, and they've done a good job

of it this year. But can Miami force him into some miscommunications like the long waddle touchdown back in twenty twenty two. I feel crazy cause I'm talking about all these successful plays we had against this defense, but it was like two years ago, So give us some fresh stuff to be excited about. I mean, I know, the whole even if they win this game, is gonna be like, well,

you blew the other games, so it's not important. But just get me to three and five against the Rams and then if you win that game, it's like, oh, we're back where we needed to be after these two games. I don't I'm not banking on it, but that's like the hope, right I don't know, So let's go ahead and get into the keys here with this Bill's defense number one, run them out of their light boxes and

Nickel and Diame looks. I always go back to that twenty twenty two damn game again up in December when it was at will alec Ingold Raheem Moster, just going downhill at those guys, and that is before you had, you know, good rap blockers like a like a Julian Hill or a John hu Smith, who I think can expand what you do in the running game. Despite all of Julian Hill's negatives this year, there still are some good blocks on tape where he gets that executed. But

in general, tight ends just have to be better. And it really really starts like to like on this game. You have to get it better to this game otherwise season might be over. I suspect they'll congest that area

of the field by flashing robbers down the middle. I thought we expanded the offense on Sunday in a way we haven't seen before where I thought teams and you go back to the Titans game last year where Mike Frable would take his weak side cornerback and basically bump him into the will position because he saw tendancy on tape where we just wouldn't throw that short back side out route or short outside expansion of the passing game. And you know, we did it in the game against

the Cardinals to attack that part of the field. And I think there's some opportunities there against this Buffalo defense to take the short game outside the numbers and really go after him there. We also saw them try to vacate safety help in the game against Tyreek and he want to press with for a long touchdown pass from Tua in that game up in Buffalo few years back. We also had the deep cross concept in the game

that produced a sixty five yard touchdown from Waddle. I think we're best equipped to get back to that in this game that we've been since twenty twenty two. And if you can get to the perimeter early. That works really well and bleeds into our next point, which is number two. Take shots against bump man free. They don't play a ton of man coverage. They don't play a ton of bump, but when they do it's almost always in like third and four, like third and three, in

that range short medium. They want you to threaten them deep. They want to drive downhill on those plays. It's a lot like how the Jets plays with Sauce and Reed, and we hit those guys up top for big plays every time we see them, and if you get it once,

especially early, it changes the way they defend you. Now, I think Rasseull Douglas is awesome, and I really like Christian Benford too, But you have to love wreaking wattle against anybody, despite how you know how bad it's been this year, Right, you got to go into every game thinking they can beat anybody, because if they can't, you're not gonna win football games. I mean, again, we've seen them beat the Jets guys consistently. Can we just do

it against these damn Bills for once? I just think you if you have third and two from your own thirty two and they roll that coverage up tight and don't give safety help on Wattle or hill. It's like the game against the Cardinals. Like that third and short, we're two hit Tyreek for thirty two yards. Like do that because if you're wrong, it can be a long touchdown for the for them to try to press those guys. And last year we saw them squat and drive on

those on those out routes and break them up. And if they play that way, I am more than happy to let Tua go after it and try to try to hear like, let's let's go for the win. Be aggressive, do something you don't you I've been asking for for the last few weeks. Be aggressive and go after them. But getting around that physical coverage and bumping of Douglas Johnson and Benford are big keys. And that's why the run game, the motion and misdirection are all big keys.

Here last break right there, come back on the other side to the third big key. Also talk about what's at stake and the range of outcomes and keys of victory on the Draft Time podcast your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. My third big key against the Buffalo defense is to always have a plan for Ed Oliver and Dake one Jones. I think that the Douglas Johnson Benford combination in the backfield is the strength of this defense, and this would be the one

b to that one a strength. I love the way both Tistad and Austin can handle their business off the edge in one on one matchups. Again, I'm glad that Leonard Floyd's gone because he I thought was the best one.

But if you can consistently erase their new best and Greg Russau with one of those tackles, then everything else becomes a little bit more simple, a little bit more black and white, and quite frankly, I'm excited to watch this offensive line get a crack against a good front that has a good scheme and good coaching, good fundamentals, and good technique because they've been playing really damn well the last few weeks, and I really think all year long.

But I think that the reason they've gotten so good the last couple of weeks is because of the fortification of the chemistry and playing time together, and they're developing that all year long, and that could provide not just a boost this year, but in the twenty twenty five

as well. Another reason I love the option to run the football from two receiver sets, beat an extra back or tight end or f then you can call for more six man protections, you can keep your back end more, and you can do this do with this offense is best at in creating backfield option, misdirection and play action to get those guys moving sideways, especially with your outside running game. And that's why I think Raheem, Devon Jalen are all big parts of this game, all three of them.

You can stay in that package and just stretch these dudes, boss, especially if you can sustain drives with another seventy five percent day converting third downs, and do it by consistently making these guys run wind sprints of the perimeter in the running game, which only serves to magnify those things we mentioned before, right with the direction in the play pass and if you keep it in third manageable, they never get to pin their ears back, but they will

get a couple of those chances unless you play the rare perfect game. And that's where I like to sneak your tailback up into the A gap a slide with help on one bringing a split flow way.

let them do that. Number two, win the defensive matchups down the middle and create chaos in the interior pocket for Allen and against the running game. And number three, your proficiency in the quick game on the perimeter has to be sharp from the jump to set up the rest of the offense. You all please be sure to Dialoado the podcast tomorrow for Kickball Dad and Kyle Krabs. You can also subscribe to the podcast, leave us a

riading and leave us a review. Please go ahead and give me a follow on social at Wingfield, NFL and the team at Miami Dolphins. Check out my guys, Seth and Juice on the fish Tank podcast. Check out the YouTube channel for a brand new episode of Dolphins HQ as well as all the media availabilities all just anybody watched Barry the Show on HBO. The guys want to go to buffrom mout Rings and try all and last button, not least Miami Dolphins dot com. Until next time, fins up,

call on and Cameron Daddy. You