Tyrod Taylor says that he and Von Miller are friends. Maybe in the heat of the moment - with the temperature hovering close to 90 degrees and the Bills holding on to a seven point lead late in the fourth quarter of yesterday's game in Orchard Park - Miller decided to set aside their friendship by offering his hand to help Taylor from the ground after a hard hit and then pulling it away just as Taylor reached for it. Perhaps it was just an incident of competitive ribbing between friends or maybe it was the manifestation of Miller's frustration that a game in which his team was clearly favoured to win was slipping away. But Miller was called for unsportsmanlike conduct which gave the Bills a new set of downs and then a field goal which put them up by 10 points with just over three minutes to go.
I was surprised that the call was made. Not because it wasn't unsportsmanlike conduct - because it was - but because I have never seen such an act in a football game and I wondered if the officials had seen it before either. The CBS broadcast team of Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta obviously hadn't seen it called before either as Archuleta seemed stumped by the call, wondering why Miller's clean hit on Taylor was called: "it was a textbook shoulder to the chest hit", Archuleta declared, looking for a reason for the call. Sure, I've seen a player turn away from an opponent on the ground and not help him up after a play - I mean you don't have to help your opponent up after every play. But what Miller did was actually taunting in a slightly different form than it's usually seen and taunting is regularly called as unsportsmanlike conduct in NFL games. It was a devastating penalty for the Broncos and one from which they would not recover.
The Bills will likely find themselves climbing a few rungs in the NFL Power Rankings later this week after a solid performance against what was considered to be a clearly superior team in the Broncos. It was another outstanding defensive effort which in the end was too much for Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian, the Northwestern product in his third NFL season. Siemian made two awful plays in the second half which resulted in crucial interceptions and, along with a highly questionable fake punt play which the Bills stopped, cost his team the game. Kudos to the offence are also deserved: With the Broncos outstanding front seven shutting down the Bills running game, Tyrod Taylor was able to move the ball in the air, showing impressive touch on a couple of key passes in the second half and LeSean McCoy set aside his frustrations and was able to find his way to two key fourth quarter first downs which kept drives alive and kept the Broncos offence off the field. For the Bills, it was big win indeed.
I really am reluctant to wade into anything related to Donald Trump on this blog but since his recent statements were aimed directly at the NFL and prompted such a strong reaction, here's where I am on it: I have never understood Trump's strategy and I'm even more mystified by it this morning. I wonder if he is ever able to predict the response to his words and actions or if he practices any semblance of game theory in how he plays out issues he decides to tackle. Regardless of what I might think of him, his policies or his personal style, his success in politics can not be denied. Despite what seemed like insurmountable flaws, he won last year's election so while his strategy on any number of issues so often looks to be self-destructive, he somehow endures. Until he is impeached or indicted, his strategy works - like it or not. His recent statements have unified most of the NFL's players, many of its team owners and some of its fans. But, for sure, not all of its fans. If his goal was to divide NFL fans by making them choose sides, he surely succeeded. Did he foresee the on-field response yesterday with most players kneeling, locking arms in solidarity or skipping the national anthem altogether? Who knows? And who knows what, if any, his larger strategy with this issue really is. If he thought that Colin Kaepernick was a lone wolf who has been appropriately ostracized by the NFL for fighting an unpopular solo battle, he is obviously wrong. How or even if this forms part of any coordinated political game plan on his part is entirely unknown to me.
Things don't get easier for the Bills in week four with a trip to Atlanta to face the Falcons and their high powered offence.
Monday, 25 September 2017
Monday, 18 September 2017
Panthers 9, Bills 3
It was a perfectly scripted ending for Sean McDermott. Returning to Charlotte after six years as the Panthers Defensive Coordinator, the Bills new head coach lead his team through a grinding defensive battle and a last-minute win on a spectacular catch by rookie wideout Kay Jones who lept high in the air at the goal line, grabbed Tyrod Taylor's pass and rolled untouched into the endzone. Bills upset the heavily favoured Panthers 10-9.
Except Jones couldn't make the catch and the Bills have now fallen from first place in the AFC East. It was a fun ride for the one week it lasted. The silver lining was obviously the defence which kept Cam Newton out of the endzone for four quarters. Holding a team to 9 points should and almost always is enough to win in the NFL but the Bills weakness on the offensive side of the ball was glaring. The Panthers game planned very well for LeSean McCoy who was unable to move the ball on the ground at all. The passing game wasn't able to step up until later in the second half and, although they almost pulled it out, the Bills didn't come close to the endzone either except on their final play.
This was a frustrating game to watch as a Bills fan but for NFL fans without a rooting interest, it must have been excruciating. A defensive battle with only four field goals isn't going to do much for the league's sagging ratings, especially on a day without many close games to switch to in the 1pm line-up.
Comparing yesterday's Bills game to Saturday's Toronto Argonaut victory over the Edmonton Eskimos is a little like comparing apples to kiwi fruit but I'll give it a go anyway. Played before a gathering of just over 13,000 at BMO Field (which, laughably, is one of the biggest home crowds the Argos have drawn this season in a stadium with a football capacity of about 33,000), the home side beat the favoured Eskimos 34-26 in a game which featured 46 first downs and more than 800 yards of offence. I watched most of the second half with my dad, a life-long Argonaut fan who hasn't been to a game since 1978. The CFL still generates surprisingly decent national television ratings despite high levels of apathy in Canada's largest city. Regardless of its many challenges, the CFL's on-field product is almost always entertaining and Saturday's game was a great example of that.
The CFL made news last week by announcing an end to padded practices with contact during the regular season. The league obviously knew which coaches would support the move and which ones likely wouldn't as BC Lions head coach Wally Buono said that it was about time for such a move and Eskimos head coach Jason Maas questioned the decision and said that he learned of it only through the media. The only valid criticism I've heard of the decision is from junior and high school football coaches in Canada who worry that the pressure from parents to match the policy in their own leagues may develop a cohort of younger players who have not learned how to make or receive a proper football hit until they find themselves in game situations. This may lead to more injuries in the end, not less, they say. We'll see. If the policy serves to slow the decline in participation rates among young athletes, then it probably makes sense. I doubt that it will really give parents any more comfort when they decide which sports to sign their children up for.
The Bills have a tough test upcoming in week 3 as the Denver Broncos, coming off an impressive win against Dallas yesterday, come to Orchard Park. Then the team has two road games and a bye week before their next home game on October 22nd.
Except Jones couldn't make the catch and the Bills have now fallen from first place in the AFC East. It was a fun ride for the one week it lasted. The silver lining was obviously the defence which kept Cam Newton out of the endzone for four quarters. Holding a team to 9 points should and almost always is enough to win in the NFL but the Bills weakness on the offensive side of the ball was glaring. The Panthers game planned very well for LeSean McCoy who was unable to move the ball on the ground at all. The passing game wasn't able to step up until later in the second half and, although they almost pulled it out, the Bills didn't come close to the endzone either except on their final play.
This was a frustrating game to watch as a Bills fan but for NFL fans without a rooting interest, it must have been excruciating. A defensive battle with only four field goals isn't going to do much for the league's sagging ratings, especially on a day without many close games to switch to in the 1pm line-up.
Comparing yesterday's Bills game to Saturday's Toronto Argonaut victory over the Edmonton Eskimos is a little like comparing apples to kiwi fruit but I'll give it a go anyway. Played before a gathering of just over 13,000 at BMO Field (which, laughably, is one of the biggest home crowds the Argos have drawn this season in a stadium with a football capacity of about 33,000), the home side beat the favoured Eskimos 34-26 in a game which featured 46 first downs and more than 800 yards of offence. I watched most of the second half with my dad, a life-long Argonaut fan who hasn't been to a game since 1978. The CFL still generates surprisingly decent national television ratings despite high levels of apathy in Canada's largest city. Regardless of its many challenges, the CFL's on-field product is almost always entertaining and Saturday's game was a great example of that.
The CFL made news last week by announcing an end to padded practices with contact during the regular season. The league obviously knew which coaches would support the move and which ones likely wouldn't as BC Lions head coach Wally Buono said that it was about time for such a move and Eskimos head coach Jason Maas questioned the decision and said that he learned of it only through the media. The only valid criticism I've heard of the decision is from junior and high school football coaches in Canada who worry that the pressure from parents to match the policy in their own leagues may develop a cohort of younger players who have not learned how to make or receive a proper football hit until they find themselves in game situations. This may lead to more injuries in the end, not less, they say. We'll see. If the policy serves to slow the decline in participation rates among young athletes, then it probably makes sense. I doubt that it will really give parents any more comfort when they decide which sports to sign their children up for.
The Bills have a tough test upcoming in week 3 as the Denver Broncos, coming off an impressive win against Dallas yesterday, come to Orchard Park. Then the team has two road games and a bye week before their next home game on October 22nd.
Tuesday, 12 September 2017
Bills 21, Jets 12
The headline in the Chicago Tribune, which reads "Hurricane Irma Delays NFL's TV Ratings", probably portends more bad news for the NFL in the form of another season of declining fan interest which will manifest itself in lower television viewership, smaller in-stadium crowds and the corresponding list of excuses from the league office. The fact that the offices where NFL television ratings are compiled and reported is - or was - in Tampa, which was evacuated ahead of the storm, will only delay the inevitable.
Last year it was the election. This year, NFL spin doctors suggest, it's the weather. Ratings for The Weather Network are way up as some football fans (even those in areas not impacted by the hurricanes) apparently are now more interested in the weather than in whatever the NFL has to offer for their viewing pleasure. What will the league offer up as an explanation for the ratings drop once the hurricane season is over? Will there be another major news story which they can claim has drawn attention away from their product? Anything, I guess, to not address the fundamental issue of declining participation in junior football programs and the alarming number of high schools across America (and Canada too) which have scrapped their football programs due to player/student safety concerns.
The New England Patriots have won the Superbowl in two of the past three seasons (the 2014 and 2016 seasons). The winner of the big game from the previous year earns the right to host the league's opening regular season game on the Thursday night of Week 1, three days before the rest of the teams open their schedules. On that opening Thursday in 2015, the Patriots game was watched by an average audience of 27.4 million viewers. Two years later, average viewership for last week's game dropped to 21.8 million. A year ago, the Denver Broncos (the 2015 Superbowl winner) opening Thursday home game drew an average of 25.2 million. See a pattern here? Make no mistake: the NFL is still a ratings juggernaut and no other sports league or television program even comes close to the numbers that the NFL can draw but the downward trajectory is clear and I am confident is saying that the Golden Age of Football is now behind us. Sure, I'll still watch on television and I'll still make the pilgrimage to Orchard Park once or twice each season (or more if the Bills are competitive in December) but I am less confident now that I will still be doing so 20 or 30 years from now than I would have been five years ago.
But the Bills won in Week 1 and I still feel good about that. I like the attitude and demeanor of the new head coach Sean McDermott. I like the defence, the offensive line and the running game. I remain concerned about the quarterback and the lack of big play receivers which the team will need to get back into games where they fall behind. Like they probably will in next week's trip to Carolina.
I saw only a bit of the Jets game as I was focused mainly on rebuilding our pump house after we replaced our entire water system this summer at the cottage. I watched part of the Patriots game on Thursday night and I was pleased to see the Chiefs dominate in the 4th quarter and hand them a home loss. With the Dolphins idle due to the hurricane, the Bills find themselves alone in first place in the AFC East. This will likely only be a week-long phenomenon but I like the look of the standings in the newspaper right now.
If the Bills can pull out a road win in Week 2, then prospects for the 2017 season will definitely seem brighter in what still feels like a rebuilding year. We are rebuilding our pump house and the Bills are rebuilding for the future. I am confident that our pump house will last 30 years or more. The NFL will still be around in 30 years too but it could like quite different that it does now.
Last year it was the election. This year, NFL spin doctors suggest, it's the weather. Ratings for The Weather Network are way up as some football fans (even those in areas not impacted by the hurricanes) apparently are now more interested in the weather than in whatever the NFL has to offer for their viewing pleasure. What will the league offer up as an explanation for the ratings drop once the hurricane season is over? Will there be another major news story which they can claim has drawn attention away from their product? Anything, I guess, to not address the fundamental issue of declining participation in junior football programs and the alarming number of high schools across America (and Canada too) which have scrapped their football programs due to player/student safety concerns.
The New England Patriots have won the Superbowl in two of the past three seasons (the 2014 and 2016 seasons). The winner of the big game from the previous year earns the right to host the league's opening regular season game on the Thursday night of Week 1, three days before the rest of the teams open their schedules. On that opening Thursday in 2015, the Patriots game was watched by an average audience of 27.4 million viewers. Two years later, average viewership for last week's game dropped to 21.8 million. A year ago, the Denver Broncos (the 2015 Superbowl winner) opening Thursday home game drew an average of 25.2 million. See a pattern here? Make no mistake: the NFL is still a ratings juggernaut and no other sports league or television program even comes close to the numbers that the NFL can draw but the downward trajectory is clear and I am confident is saying that the Golden Age of Football is now behind us. Sure, I'll still watch on television and I'll still make the pilgrimage to Orchard Park once or twice each season (or more if the Bills are competitive in December) but I am less confident now that I will still be doing so 20 or 30 years from now than I would have been five years ago.
But the Bills won in Week 1 and I still feel good about that. I like the attitude and demeanor of the new head coach Sean McDermott. I like the defence, the offensive line and the running game. I remain concerned about the quarterback and the lack of big play receivers which the team will need to get back into games where they fall behind. Like they probably will in next week's trip to Carolina.
I saw only a bit of the Jets game as I was focused mainly on rebuilding our pump house after we replaced our entire water system this summer at the cottage. I watched part of the Patriots game on Thursday night and I was pleased to see the Chiefs dominate in the 4th quarter and hand them a home loss. With the Dolphins idle due to the hurricane, the Bills find themselves alone in first place in the AFC East. This will likely only be a week-long phenomenon but I like the look of the standings in the newspaper right now.
If the Bills can pull out a road win in Week 2, then prospects for the 2017 season will definitely seem brighter in what still feels like a rebuilding year. We are rebuilding our pump house and the Bills are rebuilding for the future. I am confident that our pump house will last 30 years or more. The NFL will still be around in 30 years too but it could like quite different that it does now.
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