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Buck-Buck-Brawckkkkkkk: Trailing 35-10 in the second half, the Bills faced fourth-and-13 on the San Diego 40. Boom sounds the punt, and TMQ barely had time to write the words game over in his notebook before the Chargers scored going the other way. Punting inside opposition territory when down by 25 is "coaching scared" -- Mike Mularkey seemed afraid of his own shadow. When the count was San Diego 48, Buffalo 10 at the two-minute warning and it could not possibly have made the slightest difference whether the Bills went for the first, punted or started square dancing, then Mularkey went for it on fourth-and-11.
When a coach goes for it with his team trailing, he is challenging his players to win. When a coach shrugs and punts, he sends the message he has quit on the game; so why shouldn't his players quit, too?
As this column has documented, Buffalo has punted in opposition territory a truly shocking amount in the past five years. During that period, the Bills have been led by two gentlemen -- Mularkey and the tastefully named Gregg Williams -- who had no head coaching experience at any level before assuming the post. Both have played to avoid criticism rather than playing to win, consistently taking the timid way out and then shrugging their shoulders after defeat. Is there any mystery about why the Bills have not made the playoffs in the period during which their head coaches regularly quit on games? Is there one chance in a million Bill Belichick, trailing 35-10, punts in opposition territory?
When a coach goes for it with his team trailing, he is challenging his players to win. When a coach shrugs and punts, he sends the message he has quit on the game; so why shouldn't his players quit, too?
As this column has documented, Buffalo has punted in opposition territory a truly shocking amount in the past five years. During that period, the Bills have been led by two gentlemen -- Mularkey and the tastefully named Gregg Williams -- who had no head coaching experience at any level before assuming the post. Both have played to avoid criticism rather than playing to win, consistently taking the timid way out and then shrugging their shoulders after defeat. Is there any mystery about why the Bills have not made the playoffs in the period during which their head coaches regularly quit on games? Is there one chance in a million Bill Belichick, trailing 35-10, punts in opposition territory?
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