Buffalo Bills: Brian Daboll should bring aggressiveness to offense
By Brenden Deeg
The Buffalo Bills have hired Brian Daboll to replace offensive coordinator Rick Dennison. Lets take a look at the hiring and what it means for the offense.
After a disappointing offensive season for the Buffalo Bills, it was imperative they made changes on the offensive side of the ball. The Bills fired offensive coordinator Rick Dennison on Jan. 12, opening the door for a fresh face to come in and run the offense. Buffalo found that fresh face just two days later as they hired the University of Alabama offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who just won a National Championship with the Crimson Tide.
Daboll has a lengthily NFL resumé, and has worked with some big name NFL coaches. He was hired as a defensive assistant in 2000 by the New England Patriots before becoming their wide receiver coach in 2002.
He was the Jets quarterbacks coach for one year, then followed Eric Mangini to the Browns and was their offensive coordinator during the 2009 season. He was the Chiefs offensive coordinator in 2011 and the Dolphins offensive coordinator in 2012, before going back to New England as an offensive assistant from 2012-16.
One thing Daboll hasn’t had the luxury of doing during his career as an offensive coordinator is working with a top-tier quarterback, and it shows in his team’s offensive rankings. During his career in that position, his teams have finished 32nd, 29th and 20th, respectively, in total offense. His quarterbacks during those seasons were Brady Quinn, Chad Henne and Matt Cassel.
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Daboll is known for his aggressiveness in play calling, and likes to push the ball down the field. This was on display in the last play of the National Championship. His play call resulted in a 41-yard game winning touchdown pass, which won them the title. Fans should be excited for a Daboll run offense after watching such a conservative offense in 2017. Look for the Bills offense to be much more aggressive on offense in 2018.