Leslie Frazier "taking a year off from coaching" per Bills PR

[BillsCuse]

13 minutes ago, Georgia Bill said:

I sure hope next year at this time everybody's not sitting around griping about how much the defense sucked.  It seems like a lot of Bills fans are now spoiled and feel they deserve nothing less than a super bowl win.  Of course that's the goal, but getting incrementally better is a much safer approach than blowing things up.  We had a very good D.  Yes it didn't always look great in the playoffs but there you are playing the best offenses.  Having a top 5 D consistently is nothing to sneeze at and things might have been different this year without the Hyde and Von Miller injuries, to name a couple. 

 

Things don't always get better just because you want to celeubrate change.  I'll hope for the best now that this is done.  Wishing Frazier the best and I'm thankful for what he did for our team.

Agree, the grass isn't always greener...

[Thurman#1]

Just now, BillsCuse said:

Agree, the grass isn't always greener...

 

 

Yup.

[Shaw66]

1 hour ago, Thrivefourfive said:

Anyone have a feeling the defensive scheme will be exactly the same..? My hope has not been captured yet. 

I don't think there's any doubt the scheme will be the same.   The play calling and some other tactics may change, but the scheme will be the same.  

[dave mcbride]

3 hours ago, Meatloaf63 said:

Good in the Miami game? They had a third string scrub QB, missing top running back and a few offensive linemen. They had a chance to win. If Tua was playing we lose that game.

It’s like you don’t even look at the drive charts and the stats. 

3 hours ago, Meatloaf63 said:

Did you watch the game? Did you see the wide open drops their receivers had? How may points did they put up against the jets? If you felt comfortable at any point that we were in control and were absolutely positive we were going to win you are nothing but a liar. But keep up the personal attacks cause they make you appear so smart👍

I am questioning whether you watched the game. Every team has botched plays on offense (looking at you, Shakir). Look at the numbers and the drive charts. This is a bad hill to die on. Focus on the Cincy game and take the easy W.

Edited March 1, 2023 by dave mcbride

[DapperCam]

2 hours ago, Rock-A-Bye Beasley said:

If it’s so simple then why don’t they just say that?

The same reason some high profile positions in companies are given the option to “resign” rather than be publicly fired. It lets them save face, but the organization still sever ties. It also shows future candidates for the position they will be treated with respect. You are supposed to read between the lines.

[dave mcbride]

23 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

The thing about the playoff problems is that we didn't have  playoff problems.

 

We had three games in the playoff problems. 

 

All three of those games were without Von Miller or any serious pass rush. 

 

Without the wave of defensive injuries it would very possibly have been an entirely different game on that side of the ball. Of course, the defense wasn't good against the Bengals but the offense was absolutely horrific. 

 

That was probably Frazier's fault too.

The performance against Cincy was bad, but I honestly get the sense that way way too many posters on this site are unaware of how crucial DaQuon Jones was to the Bills this season. Him being out that game along with Miller, Hyde, and Hamlin down for the count put the Bills at a real disadvantage, personnel wise.

[Rock-A-Bye Beasley]

13 minutes ago, DapperCam said:

The same reason some high profile positions in companies are given the option to “resign” rather than be publicly fired. It lets them save face, but the organization still sever ties. It also shows future candidates for the position they will be treated with respect. You are supposed to read between the lines.

Oh I am reading between the lines, but not the way you’re thinking. If McDermott publicly fires his DC and assistant head coach his seat gets hotter. Putting it this way is a deflection and self-preservation technique. It’s not altruistic. 

 

but yes you’re right it also benefits Frazier. Due to the timing, I think they were hoping Frazier got hired somewhere else but knew all along he’d be gone. 

[Figster]

 

[Beck Water]

7 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

So we could get compensation if he got hired somewhere else.

 

As far as I know, having a coach under contract voluntarily take a year off from coaching is damned near unprecedented.

So I have no idea how the NFL would handle it if he came back and the Bills said "oh, he's a member of our staff still, so we get compensated if you hire him"

 

But folks here have to make up their damned minds - either Frazier is not under contract, and therefore if someone else hires him now or next year no compensation to the Bills - or, if compensation is a possible motivation for how the Bills are handling things  he is under contract, not only this year but next, and the "smoke" that Frazier was not under contract to the Bills is without fire.
 

6 hours ago, ngbills said:

Funny the excuses people make to avoid believing this was Frazier's choice. He was asked to take a demotion, lowball offer, was talking him into retiring, waited for another team that had not even interviewed him to hire him. 

 

If that is really the case do you realize how disorganized the front office would be? Let's wait to fire our guy and have no chance to hire a bunch of other good candidates. They took this long to make a decision, wow? They have not even started working on next year anyway. There is no positive spin if this was the actual case.

 

Is it that hard to accept that he either does not want to be here next year or needs a year off? So protective of McD and Beane that people believe ridiculous theories to not tarnish that. 

 

What you write here seems a bit contradictory.  You seem to be saying that people believe ridiculous theories in order to "not tarnish" McDermott andd Beane - and then point out that those ridiculous theories would, in fact tarnish McDermott and Beane badly by showing a poor level of organization and leadership.  Then you seem to imply that believing Frazier needs a year off or doesn't want to be here next year would "tarnish" them, whereas there are multiple reasons why Frazier might need a year away from the game that do not tarnish them (medical, family, reaction to the Hamlin incident, frustration with being passed over for job offers and needing time to process/reset/reflect)

[cgg716]

It's just odd to me, because it seems so obvious, and people are still defending Fraiser. He plays a style of defense, popularized 20 years ago, before 3 WR sets were even common, without even talking about quick passing and jet motion. Game passed him.by, just like many before him.... Wish him well and enjoy that we've taken step one towards trying to win it all

[Beck Water]

2 hours ago, Patrick Duffy said:

 

Well I still get the feeling it could be just a respectful gesture by both sides as a way for parting ways.....

 

And I'm aware what Beane said etc...but I still feel that's possibly what it is. 

 

That's one possibility, yes.

[Beck Water]

2 hours ago, Patrick Duffy said:

 

I think most ppl definitely has plenty of respect for him, I mean he's earned that for sure....that said while many have much respect they also feel like it's time to move on

 

At least on this forum, there seems to be a sizeable and vocal contingent who do not respect Frazier....examples:

 

1 hour ago, transplantbillsfan said:

Sorry for any Frazier defenders but our last 2 Postseason losses have really soured me on Frazier as a Sunday big game gameplanner.

The defensive gameplan against the Bengals was absolutely criminal.

 

39 minutes ago, Figster said:

 

 

I'm not saying these aren't fair points, but people seem to forget that he did run a defense that was consistently good and GOT us to the playoffs.

Edited March 1, 2023 by Beck Water

[Doc Brown]

14 hours ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

If you want to know about how to feel about this, listen to the latest Locked On Bills podcast

You base your feelings on some guy's opinion?  Why, what he'd say?

[Figster]

15 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

At least on this forum, there seems to be a sizeable and vocal contingent who do not respect Frazier....examples:

 

 

 

I'm not saying these aren't fair points, but people seem to forget that he did run a defense that was consistently good and GOT us to the playoffs.

The Bills had a very tough time getting traction vs Cinci and that alone put the Bills Secondary on its collective heels IMO. 

 

We know McD himself will be an upgrade though right?

[Fan in Chicago]

20 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

At least on this forum, there seems to be a sizeable and vocal contingent who do not respect Frazier....

 

 

 

I'm not saying these aren't fair points, but people seem to forget that he did run a defense that was consistently good and GOT us to the playoffs.

One can simultaneously respect Frazier as a person and as a DC yet also believe that he is not good enough to help the team win the Superbowl. 

[Beck Water]

18 minutes ago, Figster said:

The Bills had a very tough time getting traction vs Cinci and that alone put the Bills Secondary on its collective heels IMO. 

 

We know McD himself will be an upgrade though right?

That was a big puzzle to me, why that was the case.  Did not seem to be slowing Cincy at all

[Richard Noggin]

3 hours ago, Steptide said:

I'm obviously late to the party, as this is page 34, but next year we're really gonna see if our defensive woes were really Fraizer, or a product of something else 

 

That simple 1:1 comparison only works if the depth chart is the same year-to-year, and I think we all know there will and/or should be some FAs who move on in 2023...

[HappyDays]

3 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

The performance against Cincy was bad, but I honestly get the sense that way way too many posters on this site are unaware of how crucial DaQuon Jones was to the Bills this season. Him being out that game along with Miller, Hyde, and Hamlin down for the count put the Bills at a real disadvantage, personnel wise.

 

Injuries were a big problem. But the Chiefs didn't have Von Miller, Micah Hyde, or DaQuan Jones when they held the Bengals to 20 points. Even with our injuries was the Chiefs defense really that much more talented than the defense we fielded in the divisional round? Multiple rookie CBs including a 7th rounder, an iffy safety tandem, meh edge rushers. Chris Jones is obviously elite and Nick Bolton appears to be a rising star. But the Bengals scored 27 against us in a game where they only tried to score for 3 quarters. Against the Chiefs they fought to the very end and came away with 20. To me the difference in those outcomes is a coaching discrepancy much more than a talent discrepancy.

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by HappyDays

[DapperCam]

3 hours ago, Rock-A-Bye Beasley said:

Oh I am reading between the lines, but not the way you’re thinking. If McDermott publicly fires his DC and assistant head coach his seat gets hotter. Putting it this way is a deflection and self-preservation technique. It’s not altruistic. 

 

but yes you’re right it also benefits Frazier. Due to the timing, I think they were hoping Frazier got hired somewhere else but knew all along he’d be gone. 

Pegula decides how hot McDermott’s seat is, and if this was in fact a discreet firing, I’m sure he knows…

[Buffalo_Stampede]

29 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Injuries were a big problem. But the Chiefs didn't have Von Miller, Micah Hyde, or DaQuan Jones when they held the Bengals to 20 points. Even with our injuries was the Chiefs defense really that much more talented than the defense we fielded in the divisional round? Multiple rookie CBs including a 7th rounder, an iffy safety tandem, meh edge rushers. Chris Jones is obviously elite and Nick Bolton appears to be a rising star. But the Bengals scored 27 against us in a game where they only tried to score for 3 quarters. Against the Chiefs they fought to the very end and came away with 20. To me the difference in those outcomes is a coaching discrepancy much more than a talent discrepancy.

 

Yes because Chris Jones and Frank Clark are playoff super heroes. Those guys dominate in the playoffs.

 

Ive asked this question before, name me the defensive player on the Bills that has stepped up his game in the playoffs? No one. 

[BobbyC81]

17 hours ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

Historically poorly, horrible defensive gamelans 

The biggest negative on his resume is ‘13 seconds’.  You take timeouts before those 2 last plays and then give up chunks of yardage.  That was unforgivable.

[GunnerBill]

30 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Yes because Chris Jones and Frank Clark are playoff super heroes. Those guys dominate in the playoffs.

 

Ive asked this question before, name me the defensive player on the Bills that has stepped up his game in the playoffs? No one. 

 

The only ones you can even make a case for are Taron Johnson and Matt Milano. And neither of them has ever dominated. It is just that they are the two who seem capable of just maintaining their consistency in those moments.

[BillsFan130]

4 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

Injuries were a big problem. But the Chiefs didn't have Von Miller, Micah Hyde, or DaQuan Jones when they held the Bengals to 20 points. Even with our injuries was the Chiefs defense really that much more talented than the defense we fielded in the divisional round? Multiple rookie CBs including a 7th rounder, an iffy safety tandem, meh edge rushers. Chris Jones is obviously elite and Nick Bolton appears to be a rising star. But the Bengals scored 27 against us in a game where they only tried to score for 3 quarters. Against the Chiefs they fought to the very end and came away with 20. To me the difference in those outcomes is a coaching discrepancy much more than a talent discrepancy.

 

Ya the injuries are an excuse in my opinion.

 

Our corners were fully healthy and we play everyone in a soft shell. (The most bizarre part is we trade up to get a man to man guy in Elam, then play him in that zone which he’s not good at)

 

If your pass rush is struggling which is was, that is when you press/jam the receivers, so the pass rush has an extra half a second to get home.

 

Frazier completely dropped the ball on the game plan. I think we could have had Lawrence Taylor and aaron Donald and still lost that game 

Edited March 1, 2023 by BillsFan130

[PBF81]

5 minutes ago, BillsFan130 said:

Ya the injuries are an excuse in my opinion.

 

Our corners were fully healthy and we play everyone in a soft shell. (The most bizarre part is we trade up to get a man to man guy in Elam, then play him in that zone which he’s not good at)

 

Great point, I hadn't thought of that.  Another indictment.  

 

[Pete]

Great news.  Frazier was a major problem.  Our D played way too passive. Our tackling sucked.  Our 4th quarter defense choked time and time again when it mattered.

 

Frazier takes a year off is a a classy euphemism for firing him imo.  So if thats Beanes plan, he must have a D coordinator, whom he introduces asap. 
 

The Bills still have talent on D.  I’m guessing whomever takes over, does better than Frazier.  For all the talent, Bills D underperformed.  Yeah they had numbers, but they were Swiss cheese in playoffs year after year

[Pete]

4 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

The only ones you can even make a case for are Taron Johnson and Matt Milano. And neither of them has ever dominated. It is just that they are the two who seem capable of just maintaining their consistency in those moments.

Taron has made some huge plays-his 90+ yard interception return against the Ravens for example.  Taron and Milano made plays all year.  Taron, Milano, and Dequan were the 3 most consistent on D imo

[Niagara Bill]

Often thought about the mental capacity requirements to call a defensive signal before a play, deciding package, outguessing the O before the O actually knows what they are doing.

Last year or two we seemed at times to be guessing wrong, especially when Hyde was injured. 

I hope this was not a sign that LF was showing a decline in cognitive activities. His age puts him into the zone where such things can occur and go downhill fast. 

[DrPJax]

9 hours ago, BillsCuse said:

Agree, the grass isn't always greener...

     Sorry , but when your d collapses in 3 playoff losses , two of which you blew leads in, the grass wasn’t all that green to begin with.  Again , in 3 losses , the great D gave up 107 points, 1403 yards , and lost one lead with only 13 seconds left to protect .  When it couldn’t do that , it promptly let the Chiefs march down the field as an encore for a game wining TD.   To make matters more understandable , each of the teams that beat us with our vaunted D, promptly lost the following week and didn’t look like the same efficient offenses the Bills lost to.  

 

     I remember wide right, and that great Bills team never recovered in playoff performances after that loss.  Wins just don’t happen because fans expect the team to keep progressing. Blowing that 13 second game, when Allen had two historic playoff performances , is something that could be analogous to wide right ; Allen and the team actually regressed in the playoffs this year , barely beating the fins behind a 3rd string qb , and then never being a threat to Cincy. Many analysts who were staunch supporters , are suggesting the team is at a crossroad and may regress.  That includes Greg cosell, Bucky brooks, florio and sims, so they don’t seem all that optimistic with the current talent. 

 

      I wouldn’t  call our situation currently green grass , more like weeds that needed a cleanup and pruning. Regardless of what happens now as Frazier rests, you can’t get back those lost opportunities.  Even if the D is worse , and the record is worse ( which i expect given the strength of schedule and teams like Cincy, kc, Miami , and even the jets improving as they nearly beat us twice despite their terrible qb play ), it seems like a change  in a positive direction to be competitive with teams like San Fran and Philly.  We didn’t belong in the SB this past year after watching the caliber of play in that game.

 I don’t see how the grass was so green ; beating lower tier competition , yet losing to playoff caliber play a third year in a row seems more like the color of fertilizer than a green pasture.  13-3 was very enjoyable, but having never won a SB and watching teams like CINCY & PHILLY,with less tenured staffs leap frog us, dampens all that great regular season success.  I think it’s fair to feel it’s possible to be better, especially having probably the best qb in franchise history playing in his prime. Change helps clarify if you have the right HC at the helm or are you just wasting Allens prime years. Maybe the grass can be greener on this side of the fence if McD has better support.  Remember , the fans didn’t make Frazier take time off; that either came from him , mcd, or above, so maybe lecture them about expectations !  

Edited March 1, 2023 by DrPJax

[colin]

for anyone who is sticking to frazier is a good DC: McD is a better one.  he's had much better Ds, shown more versatility and creativity, and had was Frazier's boss in buffalo.

 

if mcd can't improve our playoff d by stepping more into the DC role, then we really don't want or need him as our head coach.  mcvey, reid, that guy in cinci, and billacheat all very much had heavy control over their side of the ball as head coaches, it's time for mcd to show he can do the same.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

6 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

The only ones you can even make a case for are Taron Johnson and Matt Milano. And neither of them has ever dominated. It is just that they are the two who seem capable of just maintaining their consistency in those moments.

Yeah I came up with Johnson also. That’s probably it.

 

Milano hasn’t really stepped up in the playoffs. It was him and Jerry Hughes that bounced off Watson that would’ve ended that playoff game.

 

Milano also was running 30 yards down field with a 3rd string TE while Tyreek Hill was coming right behind him on that 65 yard TD vs KC. No awareness at all. I get that he was in man but come on, show some awareness. He was completely lost.

 

We signed Von Miller to be the difference maker in the playoffs.
 

 

[Thurman#1]

10 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

I don't think there's any doubt the scheme will be the same.   The play calling and some other tactics may change, but the scheme will be the same.  

 

 

Indeed.

[Dopey]

15 hours ago, Kiva said:

#newsflash# The entire world is toxic. 

#newsflash no, it's not. My world just fine. If your world is toxic, you have a choice to change your situation.

16 hours ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Sometimes the truth is toxic.

No argument there.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

21 hours ago, Billz4ever said:

 

Cincy had 30 first downs. 240 through the air and 172 on the ground.  When were these defensive stops going to happen that would keep the Bills in the game?  

 

Cincy wasn't playing aggressively in the second half because they didn't need to.  They chewed the clock and they did so because the defense couldn't stop them. +8 minutes time of possession for Cincy.

 

Pure domination at the line of scrimmage.  Barely sniffed Burrow all night long against a backup O-line.  Unacceptable.  

 

DBs lining up 7 to 10 yards off the ball on a 3rd and 5.  Unacceptable.

 

And we already knew our O-line sucks, so pointing the finger at the offense to deflect away from a total defensive collapse is not a valid excuse.

 

 

 

 

 

We scored 10 points.  So... maybe it was a total team collapse?

[Billz4ever]

4 minutes ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

We scored 10 points.  So... maybe it was a total team collapse?

 

So because it was a total team collapse, that means we shouldn't address the problems and hold people accountable?

 

And let's not act like that's the first time our defense has gotten shredded in our early playoff exits in recent years.

[HappyDays]

7 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Yes because Chris Jones and Frank Clark are playoff super heroes. Those guys dominate in the playoffs.

 

Ive asked this question before, name me the defensive player on the Bills that has stepped up his game in the playoffs? No one. 

 

Chris Jones is incredible. But you can't convince me that their back 7 is more talented than our back 7. Chris Jones alone did not hold the Bengals to 20 points. Their game plan on defense was completely different. They pressed the WRs to give their guys a chance to disrupt the timing and they sent every pass rush concept they had to keep Burrow guessing. They got burned a couple times but they also had two interceptions and knocked Burrow around. Even if we had Chris Jones I don't think it would have mattered. Our game plan made it easy pitch and catch.

[Thurman#1]

1 hour ago, DrPJax said:

     Sorry , but when your d collapses in 3 playoff losses , two of which you blew leads in, the grass wasn’t all that green to begin with.  Again , in 3 losses , the great D gave up 107 points, 1403 yards , and lost one lead with only 13 seconds left to protect .  When it couldn’t do that , it promptly let the Chiefs march down the field as an encore for a game wining TD.   To make matters more understandable , each of the teams that beat us with our vaunted D, promptly lost the following week and didn’t look like the same efficient offenses the Bills lost to.  

 

     I remember wide right, and that great Bills team never recovered in playoff performances after that loss.  Wins just don’t happen because fans expect the team to keep progressing. Blowing that 13 second game, when Allen had two historic playoff performances , is something that could be analogous to wide right ; Allen and the team actually regressed in the playoffs this year , barely beating the fins behind a 3rd string qb , and then never being a threat to Cincy. Many analysts who were staunch supporters , are suggesting the team is at a crossroad and may regress.  That includes Greg cosell, Bucky brooks, florio and sims, so they don’t seem all that optimistic with the current talent. 

 

      I wouldn’t  call our situation currently green grass , more like weeds that needed a cleanup and pruning. Regardless of what happens now as Frazier rests, you can’t get back those lost opportunities.  Even if the D is worse , and the record is worse ( which i expect given the strength of schedule and teams like Cincy, kc, Miami , and even the jets improving as they nearly beat us twice despite their terrible qb play ), it seems like a change  in a positive direction to be competitive with teams like San Fran and Philly.  We didn’t belong in the SB this past year after watching the caliber of play in that game.

 I don’t see how the grass was so green ; beating lower tier competition , yet losing to playoff caliber play a third year in a row seems more like the color of fertilizer than a green pasture.  13-3 was very enjoyable, but having never won a SB and watching teams like CINCY & PHILLY,with less tenured staffs leap frog us, dampens all that great regular season success.  I think it’s fair to feel it’s possible to be better, especially having probably the best qb in franchise history playing in his prime. Change helps clarify if you have the right HC at the helm or are you just wasting Allens prime years. Maybe the grass can be greener on this side of the fence if McD has better support.  Remember , the fans didn’t make Frazier take time off; that either came from him , mcd, or above, so maybe lecture them about expectations !  

 

 

Yeah, as long as you throw out the other three regular seasons of games and the playoff games in those years where they were good, and you  only include the two against Mahomes when we didn't have a single really effective pass rusher and the one against Burrow with a wave of injuries putting most of our best players out or shades of themselves, including DaQuan and Von gone ... yeah, as long as you only look at those, it doesn't look good.

 

You're also throwing out the big picture. You're going out of your way to cater to your confirmation bias and only look at things that lead to the conclusion you're looking for. It's one of the best blueprints for flawed thinking that humanity working in concert have ever found.

 

The offense wasn't nearly as injured in that Bengals game. They sucked too. How come you're not raving at them? They were pretty healthy.

 

Of course analysts are saying they may regress. That's true every season. Are Cosell, Bucky Brooks, Florio or Sims predicting they'll regress? Can you produce some links showing that?

[Coffeesforclosers]

9 hours ago, Fan in Chicago said:

One can simultaneously respect Frazier as a person and as a DC yet also believe that he is not good enough to help the team win the Superbowl. 

 

Nuanced opinions? Come now sir, don't you realize this is the Internet? 

[newcam2012]

2 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Chris Jones is incredible. But you can't convince me that their back 7 is more talented than our back 7. Chris Jones alone did not hold the Bengals to 20 points. Their game plan on defense was completely different. They pressed the WRs to give their guys a chance to disrupt the timing and they sent every pass rush concept they had to keep Burrow guessing. They got burned a couple times but they also had two interceptions and knocked Burrow around. Even if we had Chris Jones I don't think it would have mattered. Our game plan made it easy pitch and catch.

Bingo!

 

I just don't understand the Bills defensive game plan. What in the world did they learn from the 9 min Monday night game? They seemingly did nothing different. 

 

That defensive game plan was doomed from the start. You can't tell me coach McD didn't have his hand on that game plan. 

 

It was a colossal failure in everyway. However, coaches have to create effective game plans to give their players the best chance to win. The exact opposite happened. 

[Billz4ever]

7 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Chris Jones is incredible. But you can't convince me that their back 7 is more talented than our back 7. Chris Jones alone did not hold the Bengals to 20 points. Their game plan on defense was completely different. They pressed the WRs to give their guys a chance to disrupt the timing and they sent every pass rush concept they had to keep Burrow guessing. They got burned a couple times but they also had two interceptions and knocked Burrow around. Even if we had Chris Jones I don't think it would have mattered. Our game plan made it easy pitch and catch.

 

This is what I don't get.  We almost never do this and that along with not getting pressure on the QB makes it just too easy.  If you aren't at least going to try and disrupt the timing, you are going to have a bad day against good QBs.

[newcam2012]

1 hour ago, DrPJax said:

     Sorry , but when your d collapses in 3 playoff losses , two of which you blew leads in, the grass wasn’t all that green to begin with.  Again , in 3 losses , the great D gave up 107 points, 1403 yards , and lost one lead with only 13 seconds left to protect .  When it couldn’t do that , it promptly let the Chiefs march down the field as an encore for a game wining TD.   To make matters more understandable , each of the teams that beat us with our vaunted D, promptly lost the following week and didn’t look like the same efficient offenses the Bills lost to.  

 

     I remember wide right, and that great Bills team never recovered in playoff performances after that loss.  Wins just don’t happen because fans expect the team to keep progressing. Blowing that 13 second game, when Allen had two historic playoff performances , is something that could be analogous to wide right ; Allen and the team actually regressed in the playoffs this year , barely beating the fins behind a 3rd string qb , and then never being a threat to Cincy. Many analysts who were staunch supporters , are suggesting the team is at a crossroad and may regress.  That includes Greg cosell, Bucky brooks, florio and sims, so they don’t seem all that optimistic with the current talent. 

 

      I wouldn’t  call our situation currently green grass , more like weeds that needed a cleanup and pruning. Regardless of what happens now as Frazier rests, you can’t get back those lost opportunities.  Even if the D is worse , and the record is worse ( which i expect given the strength of schedule and teams like Cincy, kc, Miami , and even the jets improving as they nearly beat us twice despite their terrible qb play ), it seems like a change  in a positive direction to be competitive with teams like San Fran and Philly.  We didn’t belong in the SB this past year after watching the caliber of play in that game.

 I don’t see how the grass was so green ; beating lower tier competition , yet losing to playoff caliber play a third year in a row seems more like the color of fertilizer than a green pasture.  13-3 was very enjoyable, but having never won a SB and watching teams like CINCY & PHILLY,with less tenured staffs leap frog us, dampens all that great regular season success.  I think it’s fair to feel it’s possible to be better, especially having probably the best qb in franchise history playing in his prime. Change helps clarify if you have the right HC at the helm or are you just wasting Allens prime years. Maybe the grass can be greener on this side of the fence if McD has better support.  Remember , the fans didn’t make Frazier take time off; that either came from him , mcd, or above, so maybe lecture them about expectations !  

Fantastic post! Witty and painfully accurate. It won't resonate as popular here.