Is Bills’ Process Still Working?

That comfy feeling and easy smiles will be missing for the next few days around One Bills Drive.

A blowout 35-10 road loss at Baltimore will do that.

Still, at 3-1 and still leading the AFC East, the Bills pride hurts more than the loss. The media that loved them a week ago will quickly turn. Some fans are already jumping off the ol’ band wagon. Guaranteed.

Fans and media are upset, but whatever angst they might feel right about now is a tiny fraction compared to the Bills organization and their families. Did I really include media in the “angsts” group? Purposely. I’ve been there. The beat writers and local TV media, including podcasters and bloggers, are all emotionally tied to the success or failure of the team they cover. Many won’t admit that, but trust me, most media people are cheerleaders too when it comes down to it.

Many get emotional or angry after a loss, and just sit in the press box sometime if you don’t believe me. A lot of them envy the players’ money and fame, and can’t wait to voice or write their comments when their team fails. The media, in general, has the power to “punish” all aspects of an organization, and a few share these thoughts a little bit too soon.

Hitting deadlines is part of the problem, because media folks don’t get to “cool down”. Most all of us have written something and sent it, only to wish we’d waited a bit.

Talk shows need controversy and emotion to survive, and in that sense, a bad game gives them plenty of opportunity to vent. The callers, if they’re a part of it, are relatively few in number, but by far the most willing to blast the people they hold responsible. Facts often don’t matter. They’re all experts who know what they see – or think they see.

I’ve always found it interesting that many fans – not just Bills fans but everywhere – make such statements as “we have to hold them accountable. We won’t accept mediocrity”, etc. Really? Unless you own the team, you have two choices. Accept what just happened, or jump ship. Demanding a better performance sounds like a tree falling in the forest.

Some players actually use criticism as motivation, but most avoid reading or listening to the after math dissection of a bad loss.

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Remember Chuck Dickerson, the Coach on GR55 several years ago? He was a former Bills assistant coach who was fired by Marv Levy after Super Bowl XXVI in Minneapolis, the second leg of the Bills Quadruple Crown of four straight Super Bowl losses. With a full week of media availability, the opportunities for giving the opposition “poster board” motivation were too much for a few. Dickerson, who recently died at the age of 86, was the Bills DL coach for the first two Bills’ SB’s. Dickerson was either loved or hated after he left coaching to join the sports talk show world, but he was entertaining. His engaging humor and bombastic personality peaked the week before SBXXVI. He was attracting crowds of media, who always look for but seldom find some type of controversy before the big game.

Dickerson gave them a barnyard full. The Redskins’ huge offensive line was known as “The Hogs” to Skins fans and media, and they were good. Very good. So in tribute, Dickerson began making pig noises, and the “oink oink oink” blasts were hysterical. The media loved it.

The Redskins Oline, and Marv Levy, not so much. The Hogs kept qb Mark Rypien all but untouched in a 37-24 Redskins win that was essentially over at the half with the Bills trailing 17-0.

It was ugly. Levy, an eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame coach, fired Dickerson on the spot. Dickerson then turned to talk radio, because his coaching doors were now nailed permanently shut.

This brings me back to how players react to criticism, with some using it for motivation while most avoid reading or hearing it. No matter how they try to avoid it though, well meaning friends and family members make sure their favorite players are aware of what’s being said.

Thurman Thomas, who is still blamed for losing his helmet before the SB26 kickoff, loved recording Dickerson’s GR55 rants, and would often sneak up on a recent victim after practice to play back the really juicy stuff. If Leon Seals hadn’t heard what “The Coach” said, Thurm made sure he did, laughing all the way.

Since I have zero connection with the current crop, I have no idea how players handle criticism now, but it’s safe to assume they avoid hearing or reading it if they can.

Such will be the case now, until the Bills next game at Houston this coming Sunday. The Bills are early 1 1/2 point underdogs in a game that now looms pretty large for this early in the season. Lots of people will be picking Houston.

The Ravens defeat was an unmitigated disaster in every way possible. The D knew coming in that Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry would try and run the football with vigor and often. So on the Ravens’ FIRST offensive play? Henry untouched 87 yard TD. He averaged 8.3 yards per carry, while Jackson averaged 9 yards per carry with 56 yards and a TD, and oh by the way threw for 156 yards and 2 TD’s.

Some might try to put some blame on Josh Allen here, but that would be silly. Just a week ago the talk was about Allen being the MVP front runner, but Jackson silenced that discussion – for now at least. The Ravens D dared the Bills to beat them downfield, and the Bills couldn’t do it. Allen had only 180 yards passing, and the Ravens outgained the Bills in yardage 427-236.

Don’t worry, I didn’t forge the game’s biggest disaster from the Bills’ perspective.

After falling behind 21-3 at the half, the Bills showed some life in the third quarter, getting a couple stops on D and scoring a TD to make it 21-10. The Bills then began driving, and OC Joe Brady decided to get cute. A trick play that fooled no one resulted in Allen losing a fumble and getting demolished in the process.

We’ll never know if the Bills had made it 21-17 what might have happened, but old Mo left town on that play.

Brady has been fantastic so far. He’s bright and is rebuilding an offense to take more pressure off Allen, and until now it has been working. He has a new crop of receivers without a clear #1, although Khalil Shakir is becoming “the guy”. He’ll use this as a learning experience, as HC Sean McDermott indicated would happen in post game comments.

To sum up my thoughts, this game was surprising and unexpected, but maybe it’s good to happen so early. The Bills are 3-1, and the Jets, Dolphins and Patriots are all struggling. Barring injuries or a total collapse, the Bills should eventually win another AFC East title and keep their hopes alive.

How many examples do you need of how little this loss matters in the big picture? In 2014 the Patriots were 0-2 including a blowout loss against the Chiefs at Arrowhead, yet wound up winning the SB. The Bills SB teams suffered blowout losses at KC and Pittsburgh during their run but bounced back.

The Bills have a brutal schedule, but they’re built for a stretch run. Allen’s best football has come in cold weather and in the playoffs; he just didn’t get the defensive help needed to close the deal.

The Ravens looked invincible, but yet they’re 2-2. Can they count on Jackson and Henry to continue pounding the ball, which means pounding their bodies, for an entire season? Both are older and haven’t been durable.

Right now, the Chiefs are still the Big Dog at 4-0. They’re winning even though Patrick Mahomes has 6 TD passes and 5 interceptions. What a turnover machine! Allen, despite the Ravens loss, has 7 TD passes and NO INTs. He also has two rushing TD’s. Who knows what the records will be by the time the Bills host the Chiefs in November?

Houston is dangerous with CJ Stroud off to a great start. He’s thrown 6 TD’s with 2 INTs, with (who else?) Stefon Diggs a second favorite target with 25 catches for 233 and 2 TD’s. But Stroud’s favorite target is Nico Collins, who already has 489 yards and 2 TD’s

The Texans also have the #6 defense in overall yards allowed.

It’ll be interesting to see if Allen and Diggs say hello before or after the game, but that ship has sailed.

What’s more interesting, is to see how the Bills react to being blown out. The national media, which had in many cases put the Bills back at #1 in their power polls, will give them a tumble now.

I’m expecting the Bills to play a great game at Houston, but it’s still early, right?

Stay tuned.

Editor’s babble: Big thank you to Ed Kilgore for his contributions to our blog. You can also find Ed on Xwitter @Kilgore2Ed.