When someone turns to you Sunday and asks why the Pittsburgh Steelers are employing all sorts of pre-snap shifts and motions, or why in Week 2 deep over routes are a recurring feature in the Buffalo Bills' approach against the Miami Dolphins, you will know.
At least you will if you spend two minutes a week watching Mark Gaughan's PlayAction video series.
PlayAction is new to The Buffalo News' extensive NFL coverage. Each week, Gaughan, who has covered the league throughout his 38 years at The News, distills X's and O's and strategy relating to how the Bills match up with their next opponent. All in about two minutes.
For the Bills' opener, Gaughan explains in PlayAction why this Steelers offense is a different animal than what the Bills faced in 2020. Pittsburgh drafted a running back, Najee Harris, to jumpstart what was a dismal ground game. New offensive coordinator Matt Canada is going to employ his trademark shifts and jet motions.
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During the first episode of PlayAction, Gaughan notes that facing this is nothing new for the Bills – they saw a lot of it last season against the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers – but that communication is at a premium. The offense's pre-snap movements can create an advantage for the Steelers, if the Bills are not adjusting and reacting properly.
Look for PlayAction each Wednesday on BuffaloNews.com and from @TheBuffaloNews on Twitter. Sign up for the [BN] Blitz newsletter at BuffaloNews.com/newsletters to receive daily Bills and NFL updates, including more PlayAction-style analysis from Gaughan each Thursday.
