Bills must unleash their "psychopath" on the Rams
There's no question the Los Angeles Rams have a scary defense led by future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. The Buffalo Bills have an enforcer of their own, but he sure isn't anyone's first guess. Or probably even 30th guess. And that's offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. There was a moment earlier in the preseason where […]
There's no question the Los Angeles Rams have a scary defense led by future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald.
The Buffalo Bills have an enforcer of their own, but he sure isn't anyone's first guess. Or probably even 30th guess.
And that's offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.
There was a moment earlier in the preseason where Josh Allen commented on Dorsey's "fiery" demeanor and how it was the likely catalyst that led to Dorsey coaching up in the box as opposed to his typical position on the sidelines. Dorsey responded by saying he likes to think he's "not too much of a psychopath", which led to the perfect troll job from Allen:
Jokes aside, it's clear the Bills have a passionate guy on their hands in Dorsey. This may be his first go as an offensive coordinator in the NFL, but he has five NFL seasons on his résumé and was an NFL quarterbacks coach for seven seasons before adding passing game coordinator duties in 2021.
He has a strong relationship with Allen, and he knows the Bills offense, obviously. This isn't your typical first go-around for a new OC.
The familiarity and cohesiveness should allow Dorsey to be aggressive in his play calling, which is exactly what the Bills need to be on Thursday night against the Rams.
Sure, the Rams defense is one that makes offenses -even the best ones- go into turtle-mode. Long-developing routes and chunk plays aren't ideal considering what the Rams can do in terms of their defensive scheme.
But that's exactly how you loosen up the defense and make them give you room. And it's exactly why Dorsey needs to let it all hang out against Raheem Morris' unit.
Teams had more success in 2021 when attempting passes of 20+ air yards against the Rams than most think, as well. Per Sports Info Solutions, the Rams allowed the 13th-highest positive play rate (41.7%) and the 13th-highest completion rate on pass attempts of 20+ air yards.
Dorsey has the weapons to completely stretch all three levels of the field and he needs to use that advantage as much as possible. Even plays designed to get the ball out quickly can eventually work the defense to where it gives up a big play.
And once the big plays come, the defense doesn't.
Plus, Dorsey wants the shadow of former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to go away as quickly as possible. And, wouldn't he want to show off against Sean McVay, who's considered one of -if not the best- offensive minds in the league?
The Bills are loaded. They have an elite quarterback and they have what every NFL team covets: continuity.
There's no reason for Dorsey to let that fiery personality take over and show why he was the guy chosen to take over for Daboll on Thursday night.
And it's easy to see why the Bills will be much better off for it when he does.
Featured image via Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
