This may be the worst Bills team that we have ever watched, and there has been a lot of bad ones since 1999. But if you compare this year’s team to any Bills team since 1999, even last year’s team that squeaked its way into the playoffs, thanks to the Cincinnati Bengals, the quarterbacks that have lined up under center and the offenses overall haven’t been as horrible as this. The Bills have started 19 different quarterbacks since the Jim Kelly era ended. Trent Edwards, J.P. Losman, Jeff Tuel, E.J. Manuel, Thad Lewis, Brian Brohm and Kelly Holcomb are just some of the infamous quarterbacks that have started for the Bills since the late 1990s. I thought it was hard to possibly find quarterbacks worse than those guys.
That list gets a bit bigger when you add Derek Andersen and Nathan Peterman. Yes, things could be different if the Bills first round pick and franchise quarterback hopeful Josh Allen didn’t sustain an elbow injury in week six. And yes, this is a team in the middle of a rebuild that wasn’t expected to win much of anything this year, but nobody expected this team to be this miserable. How could anyone expect these kind of results a year after Sean McDermott led a misfit squad, similar to this year’s team, to a 9-7 record and a postseason appearance?
While the Bills defense has shown the capability to be a playoff-caliber one, the offense is historically bad. As of now, the Bills offense hasn’t scored a touchdown in approximately 8 quarters of football. This season, the offense has put up just 87 points (Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley has single-handedly scored more points than the Bills), they average about 3.9 yards per play, they’ve been called for more offensive penalties than anyone in the league and Bills quarterbacks have combined to throw three touchdowns. The only bright spot for the Bills offense is that Stephen Hauschka has only missed one field goal on the season.
The only name that really stands out when you look at the Bills offense on paper is running back LeSean McCoy. But how can he show off his shady, elusive running style behind an offensive line that couldn’t stop a nosebleed?
The biggest problem with the Bills offense is the lack of talent at every position. And the pass catchers. Kelvin Benjamin, Zay Jones, Andre Holmes, Charles Clay, Ray-Ray McCloud and Jason Croom. They aren’t impact players, and they don’t create any separation. They are a slow, inexperienced group. Besides for Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, any quarterback would look bad throwing to this group.
Besides for Benjamin and maybe Jones, how many of these guys can you recognize? Because each of the three quarterbacks that have started a game for the Bills this year have trouble doing that too. Jones leads the team in receiving yards with only 281. The Bills totally lack play making ability. Oh and did I mention that Peterman, a guy who has thrown 9 interceptions in just 8 career appearances is about to get another chance?
How can you possibly throw Peterman back out onto the field after his disgusting performances? It’s embarrassing for the Bills and Peterman. And how did the Bills even get so desperate to the points of calling 14-year veteran quarterback, Derek Andersen, who is now probably regretting he didn’t answer the his phone while he was playing a round of golf just two weeks ago. I’d be willing to bet that he’s regretting his decision to join this dysfunctional mess of an organization.
As Sean McDermott always says, “respect the process,” and many Bills fans are starting to wonder where the process is and if there even is such a thing. How can there be a process when the door is always revolving at several positions on the offensive side of the football?
The Bills seem to be stuck in the same place that the organization has been comfortable in since the late 1990s: pure mediocrity. This offseason will tell a lot about the organization and how they plan on going through the “process” towards success once again. The Bills owe their fans answers, and only time will tell.
By Mike Hogan, Sports Assignment Editor
hoganm17@bonaventure.edu
