Name: PlayAction column: Stefon Diggs' deep threat keys elite route running
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PlayAction column: Stefon Diggs' deep threat keys elite route running

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Skip to main contentSkip to main contentFeed your obsession. Start every morning with a guide to the latest news from One Bills Drive and stay informed about what is going on elsewhere in the NFL.Back to homepageSubscriber LoginKeep reading with unlimited digital access.Loading&amp;hellp;{{title}}{{description}}{{banner}}(renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax){{action_button}}{{tagline}}{{action_button}}{{special_title}}{{html}}You are the owner of this article.Edit ArticleAdd New ArticleYou have permission to edit this article.EditRead Today's E-edition© 2023 Lee EnterprisesTerms of Service Privacy PolicySubscribeRead Today's E-editionShare ThisPlayAction column: Stefon Diggs' deep threat keys elite route runningCommentsShare thisStefon Diggs put on another route-running clinic in last week’s victory over the Miami Dolphins.It’s an every-week occurrence, but it’s still worth marveling at how the Buffalo Bills’ star receiver is able to consistently get open on underneath pass routes.Like any great receiver, Diggs forces cornerbacks to respect his ability to get deep.He did it on the 55-yard touchdown pass against the Dolphins, selling an out-and-up route down the left sideline before slamming on the breaks, catching the ball 13 yards downfield, breaking a tackle and scoring.Diggs says making the defender think about the deep ball is essential.“It’s actually a conversation I always have with Josh and Dors,” Diggs said, referring to quarterback Josh Allen and offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. “From my standpoint, if I make him respect me vertically, it will soften him up a little bit. Even that slight second of second-guessing (by the cornerback), like, ‘Damn, he might go deep.’“The past couple years, it was like we weren’t running so many deep routes and I’m like, listen, I don’t care if it’s completed or it’s not completed,” Diggs said. “I’ll do my best to make a play on it. But to have a DB respect you going deep is like No. 1. So when guys do squat or do want to like play the odds (to cheat underneath), I make it a point of emphasis early on. I’ll go deep the first play. I don’t like people sitting on me, because if you sit on me, that means you don’t respect me.”Diggs threw a flurry of moves at cornerback Kader Kohou on the out-and-up route. It’s actually called a “squirrel route,” because it’s a comeback after the out and up. When Diggs bursts up field on the up portion, he has to make the cornerback feel his speed.“He had a little freedom on that because it was play-action,” said Bills receivers coach Adam Henry. “So he had great protection. But the anticipation of Josh delivering was crucial, too.“We always preach about the RAC,” Henry said, referring to run after catch, “so the finish on the little squirrel route on the sideline and being able to finish was tremendous.”Even more impressive was Diggs’ third TD, the 13-yarder to the scoreboard end zone when he faked a skinny post to the middle with a violent plant to the inside and a break to the sideline. That was an example of how Diggs is good not only selling the move with his feet, but also with his eyes, head and shoulders.“That’s what we call mannerisms,” Henry said. “He sells it. Once we hit it, the defender had clear vision to the quarterback, so he felt it (the fake). He’s great at the top of route with his mannerisms. It’s the body language of him digging and they feel it, and now he can put his foot down and transition in and out of breaks.”The play design helped, too, because Diggs went in motion toward the offensive tackle at the snap, which helped sell the idea he might be going up the middle of the field.Diggs ran 4.46 in the 40-yard dash out of college, which is plenty fast. His production shows he plays just as fast as any 4.40 guy.“He ran 20 mph this past game,” Henry said. “He was the highest of our group.”That’s according to the Bills’ GPS tracking. NFL Next Gen Stats only releases speed of players with the ball in their hands. Only 15 NFL players hit 20 mph with the ball in their hands in Week 4.Diggs tied for third in the NFL in catches of 40-plus yards last year with six.Diggs now has 369 catches with the Bills, only eight behind Lee Evans (377), who is fourth on the team’s all-time list. He has caught a pass in 123 straight games – every game of his career. It’s the third-longest active streak in the NFL behind DeAndre Hopkins (149) and Travis Kelce (145).Diggs has 9,211 career receiving yards, third highest total in NFL history in a player’s first nine seasons after being drafted in the fifth round or later. The top two are Antonio Brown (11,207) and Marques Colston (9,239). Diggs should pass Colston this week.No 2021 redux? The Bills were stunned by the Jaguars in Week 9 of the 2021 season, 9-6. Fans will recall the big problem was the offensive line got dominated. Right guard Cody Ford gave up seven hurries, including a sack. Right tackle Daryl Williams gave up five hurries and was partially responsible for two sacks. Left guard Ike Boettger struggled.It also was a game in which former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll either got way too pass happy or lost all confidence in the Bills’ run game (or both). The Bills’ running backs ran nine times for 22 yards.Obviously, the Bills’ offensive line and run game have been overhauled since then so a repeat of the 2021 performance would be a shock.The 30,000-foot view. This will be the Jaguars’ 11th game in London since 2013. The Jaguars unveiled drawings for a proposed 62,000-seat Jacksonville stadium in June. It’s projected to cost at least $2 billion, and the team wants the city to pay half the cost. Polls show Duval County residents are split on the idea. Jaguars President Mark Lamping says the team wants a deal in place by the second quarter of 2024.The 22 wrinkle. The Bills pulled out their “22 personnel” – two running backs, two tight ends, one wideout – on three consecutive plays vs. Miami. It produced a 12-yard pass to Dawson Knox, a 9-yard pass to Dalton Kincaid and a 29-yard run by Latavius Murray. On the pass to Kincaid, the Bills had an empty backfield, with both running backs (including fullback Reggie Gilliam) split out wide. You don’t see that very often. It guarantees some big guy is getting matched on some little guy, presuming the big guys are good enough to take advantage.“Being able to spread everybody out and have multiple personnel groups out there, I think it makes you defend the field in a completely different way and it creates mismatches,” said Knox. “It’s going to keep the (defensive) coordinator on his toes.”Stats for the road. Trevor Lawrence gets rid of the ball fast. He’s tied for second in NFL Next Gen Stats’ time to throw metric, at 2.44 seconds, tied with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and behind only Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa. ... Jags coach Doug Pederson is aggressive. He went for it on fourth down 27 times last year (eighth most). ... Pederson won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia going all-in on RPOs, and it’s a big part of the Jags’ plan. They were eighth in run-pass options last season. ... The Jags have a quality No. 1 cornerback in Tyson Campbell, the 33rd pick in the 2021 draft. He ran 4.36 out of Georgia. ... The Bills will go up against two former Buffalo assistant coaches – Jags receivers coach Chad Hall and special teams coach Heath Farwell.CommentsFeed your obsession. Start every morning with a guide to the latest news from One Bills Drive and stay informed about what is going on elsewhere in the NFL.NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner thinks quarterback Josh Allen played well in the Buffalo Bills’ season-opening loss to the New York Jets, and …It turns out moving an NFL team across an ocean to participate in one practice and then a game is exactly as complicated as you might imagine.Restaurants and bars in Western New York are opening early Sunday for the Buffalo Bills game in London to provide fans with a fun and social e…Thousands of fans are packing their Bills gear for an adventure of a lifetime to experience all that London and the surrounding areas have to …Allen is killing it on play-action passes. He’s completing 81.8% for the most yards in the league (451), according to Pro Football Focus.Miller returned to Bills practice Wednesday, as the team opened his 21-day window to return.The Bills made a statement with a dominating win against Miami to improve to 3-1. Mark Gaughan and Katherine Fitzgerald discuss what has made …The Bills made a statement with a dominating win against Miami to improve to 3-1. Mark Gaughan and Katherine Fitzgerald discuss what has made …Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | Omny StudioListen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | Omny Studio{{title}}{{summary}}You don't have any notifications.Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.Topics

Skip to main contentSkip to main contentFeed your obsession. Start every morning with a guide to the latest news from One Bills Drive and stay informed about what is going on elsewhere in the NFL.Back to homepageSubscriber LoginKeep reading with unlimited digital access.Loading&amp;hellp;{{title}}{{description}}{{banner}}(renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax){{action_button}}{{tagline}}{{action_button}}{{special_title}}{{html}}You are the owner of this article.Edit ArticleAdd New ArticleYou have permission to edit this article.EditRead Today's E-edition©...

PlayAction column: Stefon Diggs' deep threat keys elite route running

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