Sean McDermott Is A Fucking Idiot
How could the Bills not just lose today, but not even show up?
In their own backyard. With Damar Hamlin in the building. Years of pent-up playoff blue balls, ready to ejaculate all over the Bengals, who limped into this game, figuratively and literally, after barely squeaking one out against Baltimore last week And losing two of their offensive lineman in the process!
I hate to say it, but Joe Burrow didn't wake up, he was never asleep. Kids been a fucking flame thrower since the day he came into the league and hasn't skipped a beat since. I'm not taking anything away from him- he sacked up and just won ANOTHER pivotal road playoff game in one of the most hostile environments in sports. In shit weather to boot!
This one falls solely on Bills HC Sean McDermott and his coaching staff. Yes, Leslie Frazier is also a fucking idiot. But the responsibility falls on the guy at the top. Especially when it comes to game planning.
Speaking of which...
Did nobody on the Buffalo staff watch last week's game? Bmore pressured the fuck out of Burrow all game. Not with blitz packages, because, they didn't need to with their front three able to penetrate quickly off the snap and collapse pockets. And because Cinci's line is that shitty. And, as much as it pains me to state this, because John Harbaugh did a decent job game planning.
And that's without mentioning that Cinci had 3 starting offensive linemen out today!
FUN FACT - The Bengals are 0-3 in games this season when Joe Burrow is sacked 5 times or more.
Another FUN FACT - With Von Miller, the Bills ranked 4th in the NFL in pressure rate (34.4%) with 4 or less pass rushers. Since his injury, the Bills are 27th in the NFL in pressure rate (25.4%) with 4 or less pass rushers.
Injuries suck. But everybody has them. Especially in the playoffs. How you adjust and compensate for them falls solely on the coaching staff.
Zac Taylor and company deployed a quick, precise, passing attack that got quick first downs, protected their ravaged offensive line from being exposed, and controlled the clock today. The Bills allowed Burrow to complete each of his first nine attempts as Cincinnati took a big lead early and never looked back.
So what did McDermott and Frazier opt to do today? They sat back, in pussy nickel packages, playing soft prevent, "bend don't break", zone bullshit all day and let Joe pick them apart. Unreal.
This was no secret, as everybody with a brain and a sense of common football knowledge seemed to have been saying the same all week.
And listen, I get it. Burrow is very, very, very good at beating the blitz. But stats lie. He's been running for his life ever since he was drafted by Cincy. They have yet to put together an O-line capable of giving the poor guy time to blink before its an all out jail-break every time he drops back to pass. That's not hyperbole.
The fact that he is STILL putting up the numbers he is, and going into the toughest places in the league to win in the playoffs and coming out on top is fucking insane. The kid is now 5-1 and 3-0 and the road in the playoffs. Those are Tom Brady numbers. It's insane.
But what would you prefer? To sit back and let him do surgery on you, death by a million paper cuts? Or sack up, play to win by pressuring the guy, and making him beat you over the top? In a blizzard?
That chart of the Bills' draft busts is very Chicago Bears-esque. Matt Milano is a fucking s-t-u-d, but outside of that, who on that defense makes plays or is a ball hawk? Genuinely curious?
Everybody and their mother LOVED the Bills to win the Super Bowl coming into this year. Everybody said Cincinnati would suffer a major hangover after "overachieving" last year. Well everyone was wrong.
(p.s.- yes, I'm aware the Bills kicked the Pats dicks in in their first matchup this season, but if not for two pathetic special teams blunders resulting in TWO Bills kick return TDs, they don't win the second meeting. And the Patriots suck.)
(p.p.s. - yes I'm bitter about BUF -6)
(p.p.p.s.- sucks we can't do comments of the week anymore, because ones like this, from the Nick Sirriani showing the Eagles the 8-mile battle rap scene, I posted earlier today, are gold.)
