I am convinced that Josh Allen awoke yesterday morning with an unwavering determination to be the deciding factor in the afternoon game against the Los Angeles Rams at Bills Stadium in Orchard Park. He must have decided that, either way, win or lose, however it all turns out by around 4pm, that the final score in the game was to be because of his play between the lines. Speaking of lines, Allen is able, like no other quarterback I have seen, to straddle the line between brilliant and reckless. This season, he has clearly stepped up the brilliance but, true to form, just when Bills fans sense that he may have moved away from his reckless tendencies, he plants a foot on the reckless side of the line. Then another foot. And another. It seems that its just who he is.
NFL rewind on the NFL Network replays the most exciting games from the previous Sunday over the course of the following week. There were some good ones to choose from yesterday (Cowboys v Seahawks, Packers v. Saints) but I think that the tilt between the Rams and Bills will make its way on to the NFL Network prime time schedule this coming week. There was obviously no other game yesterday which featured (1) the winning quarterback taking a face-masking penalty and then an unsportmanlike conduct penalty on what was the winning drive, (2) the losing team piling up 28 first downs and 478 yards of offence, or (3) an "interception" (Allen's first and only one this season through three games) where the receiver (Bills tight end Tyler Kroft) clearly makes the catch, has possession as he goes to the ground, then ends up in a situation which would be ruled a "jump ball" in basketball. FOX NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira disagreed with the ruling which was then upheld on review. Later, he agreed with what looked to be a questionable defensive pass interference call against the Rams which set up the Bills winning touchdown.
I had the pleasure of attending what is known in Buffalo as "The Comeback Game" in January of 1993 when the Bills erased a 35-3 deficit and came back to win a playoff game against the Houston Oilers. I was thinking about that game as the Bills built a lead almost as lop-sided as the Oilers had and then, like the Oilers did on that January day 27 years ago, blew it and found themselves trailing late in the fourth quarter. Unlike the 1993 Oilers, Josh Allen and the Bills were able to generate one more touchdown to eek out the win before an audience of trainers and coaches in an otherwise empty Bills stadium. We almost left the game early in the second half in 1993 but agreed to stick it out until the end of the third quarter. Thousands of others didn't. No one needed to worry about that yesterday.
For casual sports fans, the rules of football can be baffling. I consider myself to be much more than a casual fan but yesterday, I found myself baffled by the non-call on what was clearly a horse-collar tackle on Josh Allen. He was obviously baffled too as he took that unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in reaction to it. FOX commentator and former quarterback Brock Huard pointed out on the broadcast that the horse-collar tackle rule excludes this particular tackle against a quarterback in the pocket. At the time, I made a mental note to look that up because it made no sense. It still makes no sense to me but I did look it up and Huard is correct: the rule does not apply to a runner in the tackle box or to a quarterback in the pocket. I can not think of why.
Speaking of FOX, I was amused by the promotion of the first presidential debate which is scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday). The debate was promoted like a heavy-weight boxing match and will be moderated by FOX's Chris Wallace who was referred to on the promotion as America's best journalist. As the son of the famous Mike Wallace, he clearly has solid pedigree and is the only FOX News personality I can think of with legitimate journalistic integrity. I read some analysis recently which suggested that the televised debates, while they generate large viewing audiences, do not move the needle very much in terms of swaying voters; rather, they are mostly watched by those who are already firmly planted in their red or blue corners. Sort of like when I watch a Bills game. I am rooting for my team to win. No matter how well the opposing team plays, or how poorly mine does, there is zero chance that I will switch allegiance to the other team because of what happens in the game. Move over Malcolm Gladwell. My mind is made up.
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