ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — You’ve got Buffalo Bills questions. I’ve got answers. Let’s do this.
BeastsoftheEast: Do you think the way the last 13 sec of the KC playoff game and OT was handled by the HC & DC will have some residual effects in the locker room? It has to rank as the worst playoff loss in Bills history due to the coaching blunders.
Vic Carucci: You raise a valid point. It would be nearly impossible to believe there wasn’t some level of locker-room strife in the immediate aftermath of that loss.
A fair amount of players and coaches on offense undoubtedly believed victory was in hand before the kickoff with 13 seconds remaining in regulation. It would be reasonable to think they reacted to what unfolded the rest of the way with a mixture of shock and outrage, and that they could have some lingering animosity toward special teams (especially for Tyler Bass’ kickoff to be left short of the goal line to take time off the clock rather than landing in the end zone for a touchback) and the defense that seemingly made it too easy for the Chiefs to get in position for the tying field goal.
Therefore, it will be incumbent upon Sean McDermott to make the strongest effort possible to help assure cohesion doesn’t erode after the days, weeks and months players will have to let the circumstances of that outcome to stew.
It was curious, at least from a timing standpoint, that a story, under the headline “Brotherhood-type bond among Bills creates hope for future after a painful loss,” appeared on the team’s official website only three days after the divisional-round defeat. Perhaps McDermott’s process on the cohesion front has already begun.
I’m not sure I agree with ranking it as the worst playoff loss in Bills history. The “Music City Miracle” still sits at the top of my list. And nothing can match the crushing nature of “Wide Right.”
I also don’t believe that coaching blunders were as large a factor in the result of the Kansas City game as the absence of the Bills’ defense from start to finish. Despite what happened during those final 13 seconds and OT, the fact is the NFL’s top-ranked D gave up 42 points. That’s inexcusable.
Ed Helinski: How big of a roster turnover might we see during this offseason?
VC: Generally, a third of each NFL roster turns over annually. The forces of the salary cap and the ability to add draft picks and other rookies with cap-friendlier deals prompt an inevitable cycle of change. I believe that will apply to the Bills, though I don’t see the need for any major overhaul.
The most significant alterations will probably be on defense. I can see a parting of ways with at least two veteran linemen, Jerry Hughes and Star Lotulelei, largely because the Bills have replacements ready to step up. They should expect to see their top two draft picks from 2021 – Greg Rousseau and Boogie Basham – make a greater impact in 2022. The free-agent priority should be to retain Harrison Phillips, who, with knee issues behind him, blossomed into a difference-maker as the ’21 season progressed.
The offensive foundation is mostly set. There will likely be some new faces added for depth at receiver and running back, and perhaps on the offensive line.
As I mentioned on air to WGRZ Sports Director Adam Benigni on Thursday, the Bills should resist the temptation to follow the blueprint the Los Angeles Rams utilized to win a Super Bowl championship. It won’t be surprising to see teams copy the Rams’ “all-in” approach of spending premium draft picks on accomplished players, but that wouldn’t make sense for the Bills, who have a good deal of young talent and whose defense will improve greatly with the return of cornerback Tre’Davious White from a torn ACL. Besides, when you mortgage your future, the bill eventually comes due.
bigrick: Don’t you think people should expect with a coaching staff that has changed so much this offseason there could be a continuity issue until all really are on same page?
VC: Probably, but my biggest concern when it comes to the changes within the assistant ranks is there will be someone new calling offensive plays.
Despite having already been a part of the staff and the strong bond he has with Josh Allen, former quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey is stepping into a whole new world as offensive coordinator. Dorsey has never called plays in the NFL, and it would be understandable for him to experience some growing pains as he transitions into the new role.
Dorsey’s replacement as QB coach, Joe Brady, brings solid credentials, having spent the better part of the past two seasons as offensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers. Brady does need to develop chemistry with Allen, but the fact Allen is more of a finished product than he was when Dorsey began working with him 2019 should help in the development of Brady’s relationship with the QB.
Mike S.: Are you concerned with the talk regarding McDermott not getting along with coaches? Is he becoming a control freak? Does he need to be more open-minded? Also, why wasn’t he talking to special teams or part of the conversation before ball was kicked in KC?
VC: I think there’s reason to believe some acrimony existed between McDermott and his former offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, now the head coach of the New York Giants.
I was more than a little surprised when McDermott took a clear shot at Daboll as he addressed his team’s offensive struggles with reporters after the Bills’ Monday night loss against the New England Patriots in December. That didn’t seem like McDermott’s style, though it is his style to have a purpose behind most (if not all) of what he says in public. So I doubt it was accidental.
However, what it means in the grand scheme of things isn’t much. Head coaches, by nature, are all about control. I don’t necessarily think McDermott needs to be more open-minded when it comes to his assistants; his approach has mostly served him and the Bills well so far.
As for his involvement, or lack thereof, with special teams before the final kickoff of regulation at Kansas City, I don’t know that he was out of the loop. From everything I can gather, the plan was to leave the kickoff a little short of the goal line but Bass unintentionally applied a bit too much power. Put it under the heading of “stuff happens.”
Dawn Keith: Tremaine Edmunds ... brilliant talent but just never quite reaches the expected level.
VC: That about sums up his four seasons with the Bills.
I’m not ready to pull the plug on him just yet, but there’s no question his performance this season will go a long way toward determining whether the Bills will want to keep him beyond his fifth-year option in 2022. The “brilliant talent” to which you referred, along with his status as first-round draft pick, is still worth as much patience as possible.
BillszMafia: Do you think the coaching staff will ever let J Allen run the offense and call his own plays like J Kelly did way back when? I always believed the QB would have a better feel for what would work than a coach up in the box.
VC: The days of quarterbacks calling their own plays are long gone, and I don’t expect them to return any time soon, with Allen or anyone else.
Coaches want as much control as they can get, especially in the selection of offensive plays or defensive calls, because they don’t want to leave decisions that have a direct impact on their job security in someone else’s hands. The same is true at the collegiate level, so QBs are already conditioned to having plays fed to them from the sidelines well before they arrive in the NFL.
You’re correct about a quarterback’s field-level perspective giving him certain advantages over a coach watching from above. But there have been many instances where offensive play-callers and defensive signal-callers have been highly successful. As long as that success continues to play a significant role in those coordinators becoming head coaches, you will continue to see that structure remain in place for the foreseeable future.