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Bruce DeHaven's Revenge: Buffalo dominated Jersey/B in offensive yards, first downs and time of possession but lost 37-31 on a special-team implosion, as the Jets returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, totaled 300 kick-return yards and blocked a punt to set up a field goal. The football gods, and a gentleman named Bruce DeHaven, chortled.
From 1988 until January 2000, DeHaven was Buffalo's special teams coach, and consistently kept the Bills near the top of the many special-teams categories, as well as high in the influential annual Dallas Morning News composite ranking of special teams. Then came the Music City Miracle that cost Buffalo a playoff victory against the Titans. This was, arguably, the worst single special-teams breakdown in NFL history.
DeHaven was partly to blame. During their sideline huddle before the kick, he failed to remind his unit to watch for a trick play on a kickoff with 16 seconds remaining and the receiving team desperate -- an obvious trick-play situation. Yet during the week, DeHaven had shown his charges tape of Tennessee running the "home-run throwback" action that caused the Miracle, and told them that if they lined up and saw the left outside Titans guy changed from the previous kickoff, that meant the throwback play was coming. The Bills lined up, saw the left outside Titans guy changed from the previous kickoff and did nothing, botching it as DeHaven madly screamed, "Throwback! Throwback!" from the sidelines as the ball was kicked off.
Chad Morton's two kick returns probably made Bruce DeHaven smile.
TMQ's point, and why the football gods took note: DeHaven was fired the next day, rendered the scapegoat for one totally screwed-up 10 seconds in an otherwise outstanding career. DeHaven has gone on to the 49ers, where special-teams play has improved since his arrival. The Bills, meanwhile, dropped from fourth-best to dead last in the Dallas Morning News rankings in the first year DeHaven was gone, giving up several touchdown returns (including a kickoff touchdown to the Jets that lost a game that season) and firing DeHaven's replacement.
In 2001, the Bills once again finished dead-last in overall special-teams play, then Sunday opened the 2002 season with one of the worst special-teams days in league annals. While DeHaven was with the Bills, the club was 135-78; since his petty scapegoating and the Buffalo special-teams collapse, the club is 11-20. Aye carumba.
From 1988 until January 2000, DeHaven was Buffalo's special teams coach, and consistently kept the Bills near the top of the many special-teams categories, as well as high in the influential annual Dallas Morning News composite ranking of special teams. Then came the Music City Miracle that cost Buffalo a playoff victory against the Titans. This was, arguably, the worst single special-teams breakdown in NFL history.
DeHaven was partly to blame. During their sideline huddle before the kick, he failed to remind his unit to watch for a trick play on a kickoff with 16 seconds remaining and the receiving team desperate -- an obvious trick-play situation. Yet during the week, DeHaven had shown his charges tape of Tennessee running the "home-run throwback" action that caused the Miracle, and told them that if they lined up and saw the left outside Titans guy changed from the previous kickoff, that meant the throwback play was coming. The Bills lined up, saw the left outside Titans guy changed from the previous kickoff and did nothing, botching it as DeHaven madly screamed, "Throwback! Throwback!" from the sidelines as the ball was kicked off.
Chad Morton's two kick returns probably made Bruce DeHaven smile.
TMQ's point, and why the football gods took note: DeHaven was fired the next day, rendered the scapegoat for one totally screwed-up 10 seconds in an otherwise outstanding career. DeHaven has gone on to the 49ers, where special-teams play has improved since his arrival. The Bills, meanwhile, dropped from fourth-best to dead last in the Dallas Morning News rankings in the first year DeHaven was gone, giving up several touchdown returns (including a kickoff touchdown to the Jets that lost a game that season) and firing DeHaven's replacement.
In 2001, the Bills once again finished dead-last in overall special-teams play, then Sunday opened the 2002 season with one of the worst special-teams days in league annals. While DeHaven was with the Bills, the club was 135-78; since his petty scapegoating and the Buffalo special-teams collapse, the club is 11-20. Aye carumba.
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