Sunday afternoon, during the Bills vs. Jets game, my Twitter column exploded with virtual high fives from bros saying how awesome Stevie Johnson’s touchdown tribute to Plaxico Burress was. Most of the media was disgusted. I was glad we had just scored a touchdown.
There are several issues to what happened on Sunday.
#1: The NFL is made up of individual players who want to try and make the game fun, yet suffer incorrigible penalties that their team has to battle against. There is no ‘I’ in team.
I love Stevie Johnson. I follow him on Twitter. I think he has one of the biggest hearts on the Buffalo Bills. He is entertaining. However, we are not the Green Bay Packers. We are not the New England Patriots. Until we can put our money where our mouth is and win some games, I think the team needs to stay, cool, calm and collected. I believe Fred Jackson is one of the most tempered athletes in the game. Unfortunately he is now injured, and that lack of leadership can be seen on the field. No matter how amazing a game Fred is having, he gets up and acts like it’s no big deal. I think the best, most respectable players in the league realize it is their job to score touchdowns, and it is fun for the fans, but one is never enough. You have to keep playing until the very end. Just play the game.
#2: The media is seen as a bunch of old ninnies on Twitter, where honest opinions are like assholes, and everyone has one.
I love, absolutely love, how everyone hates on the media when they give an opinion on something. THIS IS THEIR JOB. It doesn’t make them old. It doesn’t make them out of touch. This is what they get paid for. They see these guys in and out of practice every day. Particularly the local media: You don’t think they don’t want them to win for the community they live in? Media are impartial, yes, but their job is a hell of a lot easier when they don’t have to explain why a team that started with such a promising season has become such a dumpster fire. So cut them some slack and go fight with your 12-year-old cousin. They are just doing their job.
#3: This was a must-win game for the Bills. Receivers need to catch the ball.
Once again, do your job. Keep your focus on catching the ball and not on how you are going to appeal to the cameras. There were too many dropped passes in this game. There have been too many dropped passes all season. Granted, Fitz has his moments where he is definitely off the mark. However, this is the NFL. You are there because you are an extraordinary athlete with skills that 99% of football players can’t measure up to. The game was on the line and Stevie failed. He didn’t do his job when it mattered most. The discussions shouldn’t be about whether what he did on camera was disrespectful or not. It should be about dropped passes leading to a loss.
I’m sure I’m going to get reamed out about these thoughts. “I’m a chick, what do I know.” “I’m like an old person.” “I’m media biased” Whatever. Either way, the Bills are pretty much out of the playoffs and THAT is the story of the day. Not Stevie’s antics. It’s been a rough ride and hopefully the Bills can man up and play like the team we know they can be.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
