Apart from watching Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs continue their season-long game of pitch and catch, my favourite image from ESPN's coverage of last night's blowout football game in Foxborough was Bill Belichick angrily (almost violently) throwing what appeared to be an 80s style cordless telephone after presumably speaking to whoever recommended that he throw the red challenge flag on a sideline catch by Bills tight end Dawson Knox. Not because I dislike him because I really don't dislike him. I just think that he is a bit of a sore loser. Think back to Superbowl XLII when, after posting a 16-0 regular season record, his team lost the championship game 17-14 to the NY Giants, ruining what would have been only the second perfect season in NFL history. After the clock ran out, he stormed off to the locker room without walking toward the centre of the field to shake the hand of Giants coach Tom Coughlin. That stuck with me because I don't think I've ever seen an NFL coach fail to perform that particular post-game ritual before or after that game.
As I was drifting off to sleep after the game last night - or trying to - WGR's post-game coverage included the virtual press conferences from each head coach. Bills coach Sean McDermott was asked repeatedly to comment on the significance of the win for the Buffalo Bills franchise and fan base. "Was this win a changing of the guard - a declaration by your team that the Patriots have finally been ousted from their 20 year run of domination in the AFC East?" McDermott, never one to create "bulletin board" material for any other team (even if wouldn't be used until next season), wouldn't take the bait and literally said that. "Nice try but this was just a big win for our football team and we have more work to do to reach our goal as an organization". I'm not worried about the bulletin board consideration so I'll offer my own answer: Yes it was. In many ways. Amazingly, 2020 was the first season since 2000 which saw any of the Patriots three division rivals sweep both games in one season. This is also the Patriots first losing season in 20 years. The Bills division title comes after the Patriots claimed the crown for the past 11 consecutive years. And to win this particular game in such an emphatic style is what Bills Nation was hoping for going in while most prognosticators (including me) predicted that Belichick would find a way to keep the game close.
As for Belichick's press conference, he made the appropriate deferential comments about the team he just lost to, saying in his customary monotone style that they played better than his team did in all three phases and are well-coached etc etc. He was then specifically asked about the telephone throwing incident. After a long pause where even in my half-asleep state I could feel his slow burn, all he offered was that the Bills receiver made a good catch and that his challenge was unsuccessful as it should have been. He was asked again why the play was challenged - and at the time I also wondered why as all replays clearly showed Knox with full control of the ball with both feet touching well inside the white line - and he simply repeated his first answer about the catch being good. Whoever suggested to Belichick that he challenge the call was probably on the other end of that phone call and deserves full criticism for costing the Patriots a time-out. Belichick will probably insist that he personally pay for a replacement telephone for the bench. I actually have one in a drawer somewhere which worked well before I disconnected my landline, although the battery pack may be dead. Dead like the 2020 Patriots.
In September, 2013, the Carolina Panthers came to Orchard Park and lost a one-point game on a late game comeback engineered by Bills rookie quarterback EJ Manuel. I attended the game and I distinctly remember carefully watching Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, in his third year in the league, display his other-worldly athleticism and strong and accurate throwing arm. He was then and remains an impressive physical specimen and now at age 31, he should be in his prime - if not at his peak - as an NFL quarterback in his 10th year in the league. Following the 2019 season, after injuries plagued him for his last two seasons in Charlotte, the Panthers gave up on him. When the Patriots signed Newton this past off-season, I predicted a full revival for him in Belichick's system with years of tormenting the Bills lying ahead. But, despite retaining his athletic ability (seen clearly on the Patriots only touchdown last night), the man, for whatever reason, has lost his ability to throw a football. The ESPN crew kept referring to the Patriots passing game posing no real downfield threat and, trailing by double digits in the third quarter when it was most needed, they didn't even try to throw deep. Josh Allen, be thankful for what you have. In the NFL, it can be fleeting.
The NFL has managed to steer its ship, listing at times but always recovering, nearly to the finish line as week 17 of the regular season approaches. No week 18 will be needed and the playoffs and Superbowl are set to proceed on schedule. In September, I would have bet against this. Sure, the league has its retractors and for good reasons. But what it has managed to pull off in 2020 deserves to be applauded. The only complaint that comes to mind about the NFL this season, for me, is that game officials seem to have completely forgotten to call "helmet to helmet" hit infractions. There were two obvious incidents last night: one against Bills running back Devin Singletary and a second initiated by Bills safety Jordan Poyer against Cam Newton. Neither infraction was called but Poyer was taken off the field afterward for concussion evaluation and did not return. It was obviously a league initiated decision to remove him from the game after the violent hit. More credit to the NFL for this I guess but they have to call penalties on those hits if they are ever going to stop them.
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