Devin Singletary not scoring a TD with 34 seconds left

[RocCityRoller]

It was the right call and play at the right time given the clock, TO remaining etc. The 1st down would have felt better, but a defender could have pushed him into the endzone. I am more a flow of game/momentum/take the points in most situations, but in this case analytics was right IMO.

 

Buffalo has clearly improved in the late game/ time management situation.

 

And the now the Bills are winning a lot of close games, against good teams on the playoff bubble (Jets/ Detroit/ Miami) which should build confidence and situational awareness when Buffalo plays payoff teams in close games.

 

It's cardiac arrest, but the team needed to have success in these types of games.

[Doc]

55 minutes ago, NewEra said:

“Brought him down”??  
 

No-  this is incorrect.  Rewatch it.  Devin dove to the ground,  kohou lowered his shoulder but missed him.  He may have grazed him.  Holland was there, but didn’t touch him.  There’s a chance not one dolphin touched him once he broke the line of scrimmage.  If Kohou did, touch him, he barely touched him

He definitely went down on his own.  Idk if they were trying to let us score though.  Kohou tried to hit him but whiffed becssue devin was taking a dive

OK he did go down on his own but the Dols defenders were converging on him. If they wanted him to score they wouldn’t have bothered. 

[bobobonators]

I thought it was the right play. The point being you run the clock down so there’s no time left for opponent to win the game. You have the last play. You dictate whether you win or not. Period. 

[In Summary]

49 minutes ago, Zag20 said:

Moreover, if you’re confident that Bass can hit the extra point for a 7 point lead, then you’re confident he can hit the super short field goal to end it.

McDermott feeling himself some Bass-O-Matic.

[Coffeesforclosers]

5 hours ago, NUT said:

This is what bothers me. It sounds like Singletary decided to do this himself. Not good.

 

What? Why? Singletary used his judgement, exercised some initiative, and made a smart call. 

[BlazinBill]

This was smart football and I absolutely celebrated instantly and then completely panicked and paced non stop just hoping nothing went wrong 

[NewEra]

10 minutes ago, Doc said:

OK he did go down on his own but the Dols defenders were converging on him. If they wanted him to score they wouldn’t have bothered. 

I agree, unless someone didn’t get the memo.  Kohou was the only one that legitimately attempted to tackle him.  Roberts made a token dive which had no chance. 

 

[RunTheBall]

Do people understand getting the first down meant NOTHING. All that was required was not to score.  It’s pretty revealing that a number of posters have a lack of understanding of situational football.

 

Personally, I wouldn’t have even run Motor. I would have kneeled twice to make them spend a TO and run the clock down. The conditions weren’t bad for kicking a chip shot.

 

Why would you ever leave 35 seconds with a timeout for Miami and risk Waddle/Hill/or a BS pass interference when you have Bass-O-Matic from chip shot range?

 

This is a non issue. They did the right thing and it worked. 13 pages for this? Wow.

 

[gtw3]

7 hours ago, pennstate10 said:

Let’s put it this way. 

 

If bills coaching staff didn’t give singeltary explicit instructions to score or not score, they’re idiots.  
 

That’s like giving your punter the option to run or punt when the game is on the line in your own end. 
 

Players shouldn’t be making that decision, coaching staff should. 
 

Speaking about coaches giving directions to players down the stretch in games...  did you see the end of that Patriots Raiders game?   Hahaha

[Ramza86]

Wait...this is really a discussion? 

 

People wanted to give the Dolphins the ball back?

 

Lol

[Simon]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

OK he did go down on his own but the Dols defenders were converging on him. If they wanted him to score they wouldn’t have bothered. 

 

Maybe they wanted to knock him into the endzone?

[Doc]

7 minutes ago, Simon said:

Maybe they wanted to knock him into the endzone?

No, there was no attempt to grab a hold of him and pull him into the end zone.  

[Rochesterfan]

36 minutes ago, Doc said:

No, there was no attempt to grab a hold of him and pull him into the end zone.  

 

Was that because he was trying to go down on his own?

 

It reminded me of the Baltimore game where 9 or 10 of the players were going to try and let him score and one player tried to strip the ball as he was going down.

 

I think if he had stayed up and kept running - they would have assisted him in, but before the could get there - he started down.

 

I don’t know though - Miami is a very poorly coached team and really have gone way down hill on defense and they are not very aware situationally, but they only way to win is if the Bills scored and left them time.

 

 

Edited December 19, 2022 by Rochesterfan

[EmotionallyUnstable]

I love me some Motor. I will miss him next year when he is with the Giants 

[ArtVandalay]

6 hours ago, Dr. K said:

Wrong. The whole point of running the clock down is to leave the Dolphins with NO TIME on the clock, so you don't have to kick off and risk some miracle play. 

You can still do that lmao.

[leh-nerd skin-erd]

3 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

Absolutely the right decision.  I did not want to sweat out a minute of Hill and Waddle possibly getting behind our secondary and tying/winning (2 point conversion) the game.  I'll take a chip shop field goal for the win with Bass any day in nearly all weather conditions.

One thing perhaps lost in the dialogue is if Singletary scores, the kick is still necessary one way or the other. Any way you sliced it, Bass is on the field and the result matters. 
 

Assuming the Fins get a TD after Singletary scores, it happens in some rather spectacular fashion. Blown coverage.  Defender falls down.  Gadget play. The Bills are rocked, chaos ensues, and the snow continues to fall and the field is a bit more slippery as the defense lines up for the final play of regulation.  

 

A two point conversion on the road, against a team you’ve moved the ball against, with speed on your offense, under those circumstances makes a ton of sense.  A sucker punch to the nads, as they say, to end the game and go back to South Beach. 
 

It’s amazing the Bills ate up nearly 6 minutes of clock, moved 90+ yards and ended it in spectacular fashion with no time left.  It was a dream drive.  
 

 

 

[zow2]

I'm in the camp of Singletary SHOULD have scored the TD.  My first reaction was shouting to my son that now the Bills have to execute a perfect snap, hold and kick in snowy icy conditions...  But thankfully they did so all good..   But i didn't like it, not in those weather conditions.

[Orlando Tim]

Reading this thread is hilarious for anyone not seeing it was the right play. The first down did not matter at all, the kick was a 99% play and when the other team has Waddle and Hill you don't give them the ball back if you can help it, especially when the footing is slick and straight line speed can be deadly. 

[Neo]

Full disclosure.   I’ve not coached an NFL team and I’ve not run the numbers, but:

 

Seems to me odds of taking the TD and allowing 34 seconds and winning are greater than running out the clock and kicking the FG.  Assumption:  No team misses an xtra point if they get a TD.  Situation becomes Bills up by seven.

 

Miami has to score a TD in 34 seconds and then beat us in OT.  I think this is less likely than a FG on that turf (cleared or not) with that makeshift OL.

 

One poster has Hill living rent free in McDermott’s mind.  There may be something to this.

[TBBills Fan]

10 hours ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

Sanchez is stupid. He has no business calling games. 

Agree.  I can't believe he made it as far as he did, he really doesn't seem to understand the game. 

 

It was the right call. 

 

I believe it was Maurice Jones drew back in the day that did this as well, upsetting fantasy owners.  

 

Great end of game management from the coaches to the players.  

 

Jacobi Brissett today...the opposite of what Singletary dis