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Bills vs. Dolphins 2013: Bills four verticals offense

Remember the four verticals offense that the New Orleans Saints popularized? Doug Marrone has brought it with him to Buffalo, and it's paying off for the Bills.

Through six games this season, Buffalo Bills quarterbacks EJ Manuel and Thad Lewis have combined to throw for seven touchdowns. Three of them have come off of the same play call, commonly referred to as "four verticals," aptly named for four receivers running vertical routes. Buffalo made good use of the play in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, scoring two times on the concept to force overtime.

You can flip through the gallery above to see Manuel's lone touchdown (out of five) on the play, which came in Week 3 against the New York Jets, as well as Lewis' two scores from this past week. In each, note how the defense is using the same coverage, with a slot receiver (Stevie Johnson, Robert Woods and Scott Chandler on the respective plays) effectively double-covered.

Bills head coach Doug Marrone worked under New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton for three years; Payton's offense gained popularity for the four verticals concept, and how he married it into a West Coast themed offensive system. Now, Marrone and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett have taken that offense a step further, incorporating read-option run game elements and upping the pace of the attack.