Criticisms of Brian Daboll should be ceasing
When the Bills offense was struggling at the start of November, much of the blame went the way of Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Since the offense was having problems finding the end zone and piling up yardage, Daboll was skewered for questionable gameplans and curious in-game play-calls.
This will often happen when the quarterback is struggling. It’s easier to put the blame for offensive struggles on the coordinator, rather than the franchise quarterback the team traded up to select. Still, Daboll made a change to try and spark some offense by moving from the sidelines to the coaches booth on game days. Daboll made this change the week of the Bills’ trip to Miami. The result? A 37-point outburst that was the Bills’ highest point total of the season.
The new vantage point has helped Daboll call an overall better game and assist Allen with seeing the whole field. Daboll also made another change to the offense that has produced dividends. Daboll has called a more up-tempo offense featuring the hurry up. The Bills have played at a faster pace and it has paid off.
Since moving up into the booth, Daboll’s offense has responded with three of its better performances of the season. This continued Thursday in Dallas. The Bills racked up 22 first downs and 356 total yards against the Cowboy defense. More importantly, the Bills found the end zone three times as part of their 26-15 victory. Daboll mixed up the run and the pass as part of the gameplan. He called on Allen to move the Bills’ offense in the first half and he delivered with several big throws on Buffalo’s two touchdown drives.
Daboll also dialed up one of the most creative playcalls on the season in the second quarter when he called the reverse pass. It’s a similar play to one he called back in Week 4 against New England, but Brown’s pass for TJ Yeldon was broken up at the goal line in that contest. This time, the play worked perfectly and Devin Singletary was wide open for an easy 28-yard touchdown that put the Bills ahead for good.
The play call was the type of creativity fans love. It shows Daboll’s ability to adapt and think outside the box when calling a game.
More importantly, Daboll has designed an offense that has done wonders for his quarterback. Daboll is letting Josh Allen thrive without asking him to do too much necessarily. Daboll has kept Allen’s total pass attempts in a more reasonable range as of late, around 25 to 30 attempts a game. He’s also called more designed runs for Allen. The result is a quarterback that looks like he’s improving.
Daboll deserves full marks for the work he’s done with Allen, transforming a raw prospect who did not particularly impress in college to one that looks like a legitimate NFL quarterback. If the Bills continue their strong play and perhaps make a playoff run in January, you likely will hear Daboll’s name in the conversation for open head coaching gigs. Quite frankly, he’s earned it.