LifetimeBillsFan
09-15-2008, 06:05 AM
A huge myth that has been accepted by many Bills fans in recent years was debunked in the 4th quarter on Sunday. A fact that was confirmed in the post-game comments of HC Dick Jauron.
For the greater part of this decade, athletes who have been employed to play defense for the Buffalo Bills have repeatedly excused their failures to come up with big plays and big stops late in games by telling the media and Bills fans that, because of the failures of their teammates on the offensive side of the ball, they were on the field "too long". This was a refrain repeated so often that it came to be accepted as the truth by many in the media and most fans.
On Sunday afternoon, the current members of the Bills defense proved it to be a "cop-put".
After stopping a long drive by the Jaguars right before the halftime break, the Bills defense spent more than 12 minutes on the field in the third quarter in the oppressive Jacksonville heat that registered over 95 degrees at game-time. If what we had been told by some of the big-name defensive stars who have worn the Bills uniform this decade were true, the game should have been over at that point. The Bills defense should have wilted in the hot Florida afternoon sun and allowed the Jags to salt away the win that their 16-10 lead promised.
But, that, as we all know, is not what happened.
Rather than laying down, content that they had a good excuse for doing so, the Bills' defenders rose up and did something that their more experienced and heralded predecessors rarely ever did. After holding Jacksonville to just three points after Trent Edwards' fumble, the Bills defense stopped the Jags on three consecutive possessions in the 4th quarter, giving the offense a chance to come from behind and snatch a victory.
There were no excuses. There was no need for any excuses because the Bills defenders did what they are paid to do--keep the score down and give the offense a chance to win the game.
Afterwards, during his press conference, Coach Jauron was asked to comment on the fact that the Bills defense had spent so much time on the field in the third quarter in all of that heat. Jauron acknowledged, in his matter of fact manner, that having the defense on the field for 12 of the 15 minutes in a quarter in that kind of heat is not ideal. But, then, he went on to add that having the offense on the field for 12 minutes in that kind of heat isn't necessarily something that you would want either.
Jauron then went on to talk about the fact that the heat was something that they knew about beforehand, prepared for and understood would be a factor. He continued on to say that the heat was something that they could not do anything about, so the players simply had to get through it.
While he didn't downplay the impact of the heat or fatigue that it would cause and praised Trent Edwards for keeping his teammates focused despite the heat and their fatigue, it was clear from his comments that, unlike recent Bills teams and coaches, this coaching staff and team isn't looking to make excuses, even when they have a golden opportunity to do so.
It would have been easy for the Bills to fall apart as a team on Sunday, especially after Edwards' fumble stymied a promising looking drive and set the Jaguars up deep in Bills' territory. The defense, having already spent nearly 9 minutes on the field that quarter, could have packed it in and quit, like the 2005 team did in Tampa Bay during the second game of that season. They could have left the offense out to dry and pointed fingers at them afterwards. But, that's not what happened.
After yielding 15 hard yards in 8 plays, the defense held the Jags to a field goal. When the offense was forced to punt, they rose up and held Jacksonville again in four plays and got the ball back again for the offense to begin its game-winning drive. Then, they gave the offense a chance to increase their tenuous one point lead by holding the Jags to a three and out to set up Roscoe Parrish's big punt return and Lindell's clinching field goal, before closing the game out with a turnover in the dying seconds.
All despite the heat and their exhaustion.
And after being on the field for more than 12 minutes in the third quarter.
So, who says that it can't be done?
Not these Bills defenders. Not these Bills coaches. Not this Bills team.
They got the job done. In spite of the heat and the exhaustion. They kept their focus and their will to win. They didn't look for an excuse. And, as a result, they didn't need one after the game.
No excuses.
It's nice to finally see that from a Bills team again.
For the greater part of this decade, athletes who have been employed to play defense for the Buffalo Bills have repeatedly excused their failures to come up with big plays and big stops late in games by telling the media and Bills fans that, because of the failures of their teammates on the offensive side of the ball, they were on the field "too long". This was a refrain repeated so often that it came to be accepted as the truth by many in the media and most fans.
On Sunday afternoon, the current members of the Bills defense proved it to be a "cop-put".
After stopping a long drive by the Jaguars right before the halftime break, the Bills defense spent more than 12 minutes on the field in the third quarter in the oppressive Jacksonville heat that registered over 95 degrees at game-time. If what we had been told by some of the big-name defensive stars who have worn the Bills uniform this decade were true, the game should have been over at that point. The Bills defense should have wilted in the hot Florida afternoon sun and allowed the Jags to salt away the win that their 16-10 lead promised.
But, that, as we all know, is not what happened.
Rather than laying down, content that they had a good excuse for doing so, the Bills' defenders rose up and did something that their more experienced and heralded predecessors rarely ever did. After holding Jacksonville to just three points after Trent Edwards' fumble, the Bills defense stopped the Jags on three consecutive possessions in the 4th quarter, giving the offense a chance to come from behind and snatch a victory.
There were no excuses. There was no need for any excuses because the Bills defenders did what they are paid to do--keep the score down and give the offense a chance to win the game.
Afterwards, during his press conference, Coach Jauron was asked to comment on the fact that the Bills defense had spent so much time on the field in the third quarter in all of that heat. Jauron acknowledged, in his matter of fact manner, that having the defense on the field for 12 of the 15 minutes in a quarter in that kind of heat is not ideal. But, then, he went on to add that having the offense on the field for 12 minutes in that kind of heat isn't necessarily something that you would want either.
Jauron then went on to talk about the fact that the heat was something that they knew about beforehand, prepared for and understood would be a factor. He continued on to say that the heat was something that they could not do anything about, so the players simply had to get through it.
While he didn't downplay the impact of the heat or fatigue that it would cause and praised Trent Edwards for keeping his teammates focused despite the heat and their fatigue, it was clear from his comments that, unlike recent Bills teams and coaches, this coaching staff and team isn't looking to make excuses, even when they have a golden opportunity to do so.
It would have been easy for the Bills to fall apart as a team on Sunday, especially after Edwards' fumble stymied a promising looking drive and set the Jaguars up deep in Bills' territory. The defense, having already spent nearly 9 minutes on the field that quarter, could have packed it in and quit, like the 2005 team did in Tampa Bay during the second game of that season. They could have left the offense out to dry and pointed fingers at them afterwards. But, that's not what happened.
After yielding 15 hard yards in 8 plays, the defense held the Jags to a field goal. When the offense was forced to punt, they rose up and held Jacksonville again in four plays and got the ball back again for the offense to begin its game-winning drive. Then, they gave the offense a chance to increase their tenuous one point lead by holding the Jags to a three and out to set up Roscoe Parrish's big punt return and Lindell's clinching field goal, before closing the game out with a turnover in the dying seconds.
All despite the heat and their exhaustion.
And after being on the field for more than 12 minutes in the third quarter.
So, who says that it can't be done?
Not these Bills defenders. Not these Bills coaches. Not this Bills team.
They got the job done. In spite of the heat and the exhaustion. They kept their focus and their will to win. They didn't look for an excuse. And, as a result, they didn't need one after the game.
No excuses.
It's nice to finally see that from a Bills team again.