Nathaniel Hackett, Kyle Orton, And Quarterbacks

Jul 21, 2014; Pittsford, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett watches play during training camp at St John Fisher College. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills are set to take on the New York Jets today. The Buffalo Bills have struggled in some aspects this season; the offensive line being on, but what goes along with that is the play of the quarterback.  Kyle Orton is at the helm currently, but it didn’t start with him. 

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Nathaniel Hackett has been the man on the front line trying to hone in on the quarterback position.  He has worked with EJ Manuel, Jeff Tuel, Thad Lewis, and now Kyle Orton, just to name a few.  The Bills have had 12 quarterbacks come through One Bills Drive and Hackett has transitioned with 5 separate quarterbacks in his 1.5 years as coordinator.

Buffalo Bills fans are calling for his head, and I think that better play calling is needed by Hackett for the Bills to be successful, but when you are transitioning between this many quarterbacks in a short a mount of time, the options within the playbook are extremely limited.  It was even known that EJ Manuel, the quarterback that has worked the longest with Hackett did not have access to the entire playbook yet.

Kyle Orton provides Hackett something that he has not been able to have so far and that is veteran experience.  Orton brings in 10 years of experience and it has shown.  Orton has a quick release and makes decisions to get rid of the ball.  With a better offensive line, this could be a potent offense.  One bad things about Orton is that he is a true pocket passer and with a thin offensive line, getting away from pressure is not a strong suit for him.

Before Buffalo, Hackett and Orton or whoever is at quarterback can be that dominating offense that we want it to be, they have to be able to connect and have a relationship that will last for a long time.  Constantly changing different pieces of the puzzle, will never allow the puzzle to be finished and because of that, the Bills are sitting with the longest active streak for missing the playoffs.