Watching the Bills this season is like watching a three and a half-hour episode of "The X-Files." You want to believe, but then you slowly realize just how ridiculous it all seems.
The Buffalo Bills, a playoff contender? A member of the NFL elite? Compared to that, a government plot suppressing the existence of UFOs doesn't seem so far-fetched anymore.
The Bills playoff hopes drifted off into outer space, after turning in a sloppy performance against the San Francisco 49ers, losing 10-3 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
"It's the same story as last year," defensive end Chris Kelsay said. "The playoffs are on the line, and we lose it."
After building up hope to dizzying heights while climbing out to a 5-1 start, Buffalo has been a rapid freefall, losing 6 out of their last 8. They've been consistently inconsistent throughout the year, but it has really started to show up lately.
Against Kansas City, the Bills piled up their second-highest point total in history. More alarming at the time was their suddenly porous defense, which had given up an average of 30 points over a two-game stretch.
So going into this week, the question wasn't whether they could put points on the board, but whether they could keep the 49ers from scoring. Instead, we get a defense that holds an opponent to under 200 yards, gets consistent quarterback pressure, and forces a key turnover.
We also see an offense that scores only once on three trips to the red zone, that on a measly field goal. Mr. Consistency, kicker Rian Lindell, was the NFL leader for consecutive field goals made inside 40 yards. He rings two of the goalposts. The only thing you can count on with this team is that you can't count on anything.
In fairness, there is one thing you can count on with this team week in and week out. That's poor coaching from Dick Jauron and his staff. How many timeouts can you burn because you can't get a play in on time? It's getting ridiculous, and contributes to a lack of confidence in the team.
A prime example occurred in the first half, when the Bills had a third-and-long in their own territory. Buffalo completed the pass at midfield, but was forced to burn a timeout because they didn't have a play ready to go after it. Did they have so little confidence in making the first down that they weren't ready for it? Were the coaches so asleep at the wheel that they couldn't make a decision?
The more costly timeouts get burned in the red zone, where they can't seem to figure out what to do when they are inside an opponent's 10-yard line. In recent games, we have seen them burn several timeouts in scoring position, then come out with an unimaginative and ineffective play. Does it really take a timeout to tell Lynch to run into his linemen's backs, or call a pass play where Edwards throws the ball into the stands?
I'll throw out another conspiracy theory that might have a kernel of truth to it. There is open disagreement between sets of coaches and the players over how to run the red zone offense. The team has no problem moving between the 20s, but once they get there, any progress ceases. The play calling gets conservative, and that's when we see the timeouts. Is someone else, say Dick Jauron, jumping into the fray, changing the play calls and causing confusion?
The players seem to know what they want to do. Receiver Lee Evans, a star who has no problem calling for the ball, gave his thoughts after the game. "I think we should just give the ball to Marshawn, and just let him do his thing," he said.
JP Losman, always good for an interesting quote, quickly deflected a question on the timeouts, but gave reporters a nugget on what might be going on. "I'm not going to comment on the internal game. You're just not going to get it out of me," said the backup quarterback, who entered the game after a Trent Edwards groin injury.
They were only a few comments from players after the heat of the battle, but it does make you start to wonder if there is some internal conflict there. The rash of inopportune timeouts might come from coaches squabbling amongst themselves, and the players looking for the call. It's not limited to the offense, either. The defense has called time outs because they didn't have the right packages in as well.
On the defensive side, the team put in a lights out performance. They limited the 49ers best player, running back Frank Gore, to a little over 2 yards per carry. They allowed only one touchdown, and a 50-yard field goal after the Bills offense turned the ball over late in the first half.
Another pleasant surprise was the pass rush, which suddenly sprung to life. They racked up three sacks, and got consistent pressure all game. You could ask where this pressure has been all year, but it's just a part of the team's inconsistency.
The offense took a nosedive against San Francisco, doing very little right against one of the league's weaker units. "Beast Mode" was the only thing going right for the Bills. Lynch averaged 8.4 yards per carry, and ripped off a 50-yard gain that led to the Bills only points. The passing game was completely ineffective for Buffalo, gaining only 205 yards against the 28th ranked pass defense.
Tony Boselli, the retired Pro Bowl offensive lineman covering the game for Fox, gave an excellent diagnosis of the Bills passing woes. His take was that the quarterback was getting excellent protection from his line, but that the receivers needed to beat someone and make a play.
If you watched the game, it is hard to argue with that. Edwards, and later Losman, sat in the pocket all day, looking for anyone to get open. Maybe more of the blame has to go to the receiving corps than the quarterbacks. Has anyone had a James Hardy sighting lately? Will we soon see Roscoe Parrish's mug on the side of a milk container?
There are countless reasons why the Bills turned in such a poor performance, but Losman's final assessment is the final word. It aptly sums up both the 49ers game, and the second half of their season:
"We didn't deserve to win, anyway," he said. "You can't make that many mistakes. There is no way you are going to win in the NFL playing like that."
Jim Cwierley is a contributing writer for the Niagara Falls Reporter. E-mail him at jim.cwierley@gmail.com.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | December 2 2008 |