This game was dumb.
It isn’t even really about the elimination from the playoffs, because that effectively happened last week. This game was the final step in chickens coming home to roost. From the pre-game stories about Whaley being on the hot-seat, to the burial of Mario Williams, the games being played behind the scene are indicative of a franchise representative of failure. To have this many leaks, this many people trying to willfully undercut their GM and one of their marquee players smacks of grudges and agendas that have little to do with winning. Rex Ryan’s decision to support Mario in press conferences are so much hot air after rumors of him not buying in and not showing up to meetings slides into the media’s DMs. Local media I trust are saying that Whaley hasn’t been on the block for firing, but national media are saying the Pegulas have been, in secret, consulting with someone who says Whaley must go. I’m going to go in deep on this stuff in a separate article, but I’ll finish with this – why is a coach that had been far more flexible in prior starts so hell bent on proving his family can coach in the NFL – and that their system must not be changed in doing so?
Anyway, here’re my thoughts on the game:
- Canary in Coal Mine: This is probably the scariest thing I took from the game and it was a pre-game happening. With all of the tweets and articles about Mario Williams, his attitude and his contract, lost in the madness was this fact. When signed, Mario was known to be a quiet, soft spoken dude who liked to lead by example. He even said as much when he was signed. So, like fans had been willing to rally around a relatively-quiet Gilmore with comments about Odell Beckham, Jr., Bills fans should do the same with Mario. If (pause for caps) THAT GUY is the one making the stink and the noise about the system / his usage you should probably listen. But Mario’s displeasure isn’t what I was scared by; it was the reaction of One Bills Drive. In true #OneBuffalo fashion, in lightning succession articles on Mario being overpaid, his cap number being an albatross, Mario not being all-in and pretending to be sick, etc all flooded the timeline. Rather than reach an amicable “agree to disagree” situation with a player, the only person to continually challenge the head coach’s defense is put out as THE reason the defense isn’t working. To have Rex talk all week about how hard Mario tries and fights to get back and then this drivel comes out? That’s weak leadership and a petty group at that.
- The Punt: Speaking of petty, to punt at 5:00 left in that game, in an effort to what – keep the 35-25 score respectable? There are a number of issues with this team and a killer instinct / organizational pathos is one big one. You can’t punt there. But, I digress…
- Resetting Line of Scrimmage: At no point in this game did I feel like the Bills reset the line of scrimmage on defense. And with Rex saying there will be “drastic changes” in the off-season, be prepared for both lines to be addressed. More “fat dudes” as Joe puts them. I’d love to give you reasoned analysis, but you don’t need all-22 to see that the Bills got shoved around. The biggest example is that 3rd and 15 conversion – rushing 3 (fail) dropping 8 (fail fail) and having Leodis hand off to Graham, who goes for the ole shoulder-the-ball-out move, but alas it’s the wrong one! (Fail Fail Fail).
And now the Tweet Bag, because after a game like this, why not:
@RDotDeuce @BuffaloWins I didn’t watch 1 minute of the game and instead to chose to punch my own dick for 3 hours. Did I choose wisely?
— Disgusted Buffalo (@DisgustedBuff) December 20, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsI wouldn’t recommend that for your health or for your future family, but I can imagine the next few weeks being a watch on delay or catch the highlights if you can sort of situation. But yeah, 3 hours of punching yourself in the nards (credit Monster Squad) will not end well man.
@BuffaloWins @RDotDeuce A team quitting is direct reflection of a coach. What % should Rex be legit be worried about his job?
— Mike McKenzie (@mack10zie) December 20, 2015
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Honestly? I don’t know. With the rumor mill saying Whaley’s more at risk, I don’t think the Pegula family would be inclined to cut a guy a year into a 27.5 million dollar contract. However, stranger things have happened. Like if you told me Marrone was gone and Ryan would replace him this time last year I’d be giddy. Instead, now I’m a year in and trying to figure out how many years it will take to get a competent defense before all of offense leaves in FA.
@RDotDeuce @BuffaloWins What should be the interview questions for the next HC and GM
— The Champlain Room (@TheDefenseman) December 20, 2015
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If they do pull the plug my first set would be:
“What do you define as success w/all three phases of the game?”
“How flexible are you to readily admit mistakes in personnel or scheme?”
“Give me an example of conflict management from a prior stop and how you accomplished it. Also, a name of the person with whom you were in conflict.”
Answer those three and I think, in addition to the regular experience I’m good with whomever.
Next Week: The only game that matters – Will Matt Cassel throw a 40 burger on this defense at home, or will it be the yearly Christmas win that means nothing? We’ll see…
Merry Christmas to all of you. And if you don’t celebrate, enjoy the holiday time and don’t take this team too seriously. Life’s too short.
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