A Timeout on Buffalo Bills Mismanaging Games
The Bills are in the zone. That’s not praise unlike how Seymour Skinner uses the term. A rather rotten couple days for the non-lacrosse portion of Buffalo sports features the common unappealing aspect of refusing to adapt. Stubbornly sticking with a defense that put turnstiles to shame is like not trading away traffic cones posing as defensemen. Franchises sharing common traits isn’t necessarily comforting.
Who blew it first? The study of cause and effect can help prevent future letdowns even if it’s not fun itself. The lack of rushing offense can rightfully be blamed on the utter lack of defense. I’ve been told the Bills have a defensive-minded head coach. They might’ve given up 50 if they didn’t.
Matt Ellis might as well coach special teams for the Bills, too. With countless variables on every play, the difference comes down to one spectacular play. A punt block is as rare as Tom Brady saying something interesting. I would rather listen to him bitch about a quarterback being protected because of his precedent. Clearing his throat on the air sounds as terrific as his alleged insight.
The defensive line is undersized but not quick enough. There’s supposed to be upside with that conjunction. Lucky Bills fans get to decide if A.J. Epenesa notably making bad decisions is as regrettable as Ed Oliver not noticed at all. The latter is the Dylan Cozens of the Bills who did the hard work of getting a spectacular contract and figured his job was done.
An interior defensive linemen’s impact can’t always be measured statistically. The monolithic Ted Washington dominated games where he’d only stop a few plays directly. But a 3–4 nose tackle’s role differs entirely from the club’s present style where members are supposed to be directly disruptive. Oliver is shifty in the wrong way. Buffalo’s richest deadbeat is presently averaging fewer than one tackle per game and one sack per season.
The secondary plays along by not playing particularly well. Rasul Douglas defends like Owen Power, but at least the football version wasn’t a waste of a first overall opportunity.
Buffalo gambled the Rams would tire of throwing to Puka Nacua. Trying to get ahead on trends is common amongst visionaries who anticipate a future. But the urge to change first can backfire if a certain tendency remains. To the shock of all, the Rams kept throwing to the player who found the softest spots in a cushy zone.
Teams can’t overtake earlier screwups when they keep committing them. Rushing the ball at the goal line when they needed every timeout was one of those infuriating decisions that every fan could see constituted a grievous miscalculation as it happened. Hindsight is unnecessary to see what failed in progress.
Diners who cite previous hunger as excuse for lousy meals tell you to shut up and eat your Domino’s. Consistency means one coach holds the team back. It’s true in losses and wins that are too close. Sean McDermott not only does too little to help Allen but also makes maddening decisions that squander the greatest gift he’ll ever be given. Ralphie may as well have left his BB gun in the yard to rust.
It’s so unfair that Buffalo teams have to play ones based near palm trees. Yet the all-time excuse doesn’t quite hold up. The People’s Republic of California’s Rams are taxed like New Yorkers, which means the outcome doesn’t make sense. The only way the hockey side could get worse is if the general manager responsible for assembling such a useless roster is inept, smug, and defiant. Kevyn Adams knows just how to fix football problems. It’s not part of his job tasks. But he’s a team player.
I prefer when the clubs distract from each other with at least one victory. Instead, only the Bandits provide relief as the city’s other two teams found different aggravating ways to lose. The erstwhile hockey school supervisor’s stirring Herb Brooks-esque press conference motivated everyone in and out of sports. But it backfired by motivating the Utah hockey club, which is also known as the Utah Hockey Club. Blowing a smaller lead against the Red Wings than the epic meltdown versus the Avalanche will have to suffice as progress.
Wasting incredible moments is less common for the football department than the hockey one, but that doesn’t make it less frustrating when it happens. You may have heard about Buffalo’s quarterback making spectacular plays on his lonesome. Josh Allen creating half a dozen touchdowns in a loss summarizes the worst fear of Bills fans.
Buffalo’s sole hope didn’t again score on a pass to himself, but his personal results were still acceptable. Those around him letting him down is part of his accepted burden. McDermott is a terrific coach if he’s the one telling Allen to evade every attempt at tackling and either throw it to someone semi-open or cut out the middleman. Khalil Shakir played spectacularly in reliability.
The Bills better be desperate to prove losing to the Rams was an exception. The upcoming trendy Super Bowl pick won’t happen if the visitors continue to indulge in a troubled version of themselves. A loss resonates if it shows opponents how to inflict more.
Top teams don’t allow lapses this often. A multiple choice test where the taker gets 10 out of 13 correct is good enough to make the NFL honor roll but not speak at graduation. The valedictorian gets to hoist a confetti-streaked trophy. If the Bills consider themselves a candidate to finish at the top of their party school’s class, they need their coach to learn how clocks work.
Trying to overcome earlier mishaps is an unwelcome theme. A Bills game featuring a fruitless effort to eliminate a sizable deficit is reminiscent of the semiannual vain Sabres attempt to make the playoffs after putzing early. Allen is a dual threat who often looks like he’s surrounded by no other threats. Citing their impressive record as a case against ingratitude is an excuse for poor management and nonexistent adjustments. Good enough isn’t great.
