Commentary
DiCesare: Defense pays the price for a worthless offense
Nobility ran rampant in the Buffalo Bills locker room Sunday afternoon as the defense attempted to exonerate the offense for the second-half whipping inflicted by the Houston Texans. Defenders blamed themselves for Houston's 22 fourth-quarter points. They insisted there's no excuse for allowing the Texans to put a 22-minute stranglehold on the football in the second half.
"We're on the field a lot, but if that's the way it's going to be, that's the way it's going to be," said linebacker Paul Posluszny. "It's something that we're going to have to deal with throughout the year. We want to be out there because we feel it gives us an opportunity to make plays. The third and fourth quarter, we are on the field for those long drives, that's on us. We have an opportunity to get off the field, get a three and out, get them in third and long and we kind of blew it. Anytime we're on the field for an extended amount of time we feel like that's our responsibility."
Good try, Poz. Ditto George Wilson and Reggie Corner, fellow defenders who made similar comments that deflected all criticism from the offense. The "D" would like everyone to believe that it was solely responsible for that 31-10 defeat at The Ralph when everyone knows that it's an uninspiring, insipid offense that's killing the Bills as they hit the bye week at 3-5 with the only QB controversy being: Do they have one?
Was the defense at fault when the dreadful Cleveland Browns slipped out of town 6-3 winners? Was the "D" the reason the Bills trailed high-powered New Orleans, 10-7, through three quarters before the Saints pulled away as the offense managed not a single fourth-quarter first down? Shouldn't the offense bear heavy responsibility for the torture being inflicted upon the "D"?
This Bills offense is worse than inept. It's boringly inept. Admit it. You were giddy when Terrell Owens went 29 yards for a touchdown on a reverse, not because the play worked, but because the Bills were so daring as to try it.
Not that there's a lot to work with. The offensive line is a mangled mess thanks to poor front office judgments and ownership thrift. Opponents sit on the run and tee-off in passing situations, which arise with virtually every third down, if not sooner. Build the house foundation out of sand and it's bound to slide into the river. Still, with tedious short passing attacks all the rage, one would think the Bills could manage something a little more substantial than a 41.4 QB rating out of Ryan Fitzpatrick.
It's a shame, too. Injury has reduced the defense to a shell of an NFL outfit yet it continues to play with guts and resourcefulness, at least until the weight of carrying the offense becomes too much to bear. The defense is the reason the Bills held a 10-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter Sunday despite injuries that extracted Keith Ellison, Aaron Schobel and eventually rookie sensation Jairus Byrd from an already depleted outfit. It simply couldn't stand up to the intense, grinding pressure exacerbated by an offense that went until 3:34 remained in the fourth quarter before producing its initial second-half first down.
"The defense just wore down," Fitzpatrick admitted. "We weren't running the ball and converting third downs to allow them to catch their breath. When you leave your defense on the field for that long it's bound to happen."
There's a quid pro quo that goes with being a competent football team. The defense must produce big stops on some occasions, the offense must sustain long, clock-depleting drives on others. Trouble is, this isn't an offense capable of coming to the rescue. Heroic defensive efforts are going for naught.
"Obviously it wasn't good enough," asserted Corner. "We got to do better."
"We're professionals," Wilson said in dismissing the fatigue factor. "We just have to improve."
Give the defense credit. It's a proud group. The "D" refuses to entertain excuses no matter what the circumstances, no matter how many injuries it incurs or how far the scales sway on time of possession. But let's be realistic. It does have its limits.
"Everyone is not pleased with the way we played, but looking at it from our team's perspective, offensively we're not getting it done," said Terrell Owens. "The defense is doing a great job. They're keeping the opponent out of the end zone."
For as long as it can, anyway.
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