Regarding the passing game play calling, it seems to me to be too vertical given #16 and #86 are out and there is no option for Waters or Sams to check down. Well, we did have a call with a check down option, it was on a 3rd and long after trying to throw on 1st and 2nd with no option to check down. No option of letting a TE chip someone and slip out late into the flat or over the middle makes our protections pretty obvious to the defense. Not slipping a RB/FB out does the same thing, in addition to eliminating any threat of plays be run and pass option. If the defense is going to spy your mobile QB on passing downs, you have to make that defender chose between a eligible receiver releasing late and the the QB taking off to run. Sams can throw the short to medium stuff very well. Let him check down and pick up a few yards and make 3rd down easier.
The underlying problem with all of this for the 22 years under Bill, is the staff's obsession with getting into the perfect play based on down, distance and defensive alignment. This has lead to all the delay of game penalties and burned timeouts we all love so much. Snyder's failure is not giving enough attention to decision making after the snap. Sams and Waters would both be better if they were allowed to make more post snap decisions than pre-snap decisions. The passing game becomes even less effective when we have younger receivers, because the play calling takes away option routes. We become predictable and we get baited into calling certain plays (i.e. Sams pick against OSU, and any speed option ever run to the boundary side of the field).