Inside or out, Bills players are too cozy
TORONTO –Marcus Stroud grew up in Georgia and went to college there. He played the first seven years of his NFL career in Jacksonville. So if you’re in a charitable mood, you can forgive the guy for insulting the intelligence of Bills fans.
“I guarantee you won’t find any guys in our locker room that’s complaining about going to play in a dome,” the Bills’ defensive tackle said the other day. “So it’ll work both ways. It [playing inside] is going to benefit everybody.”
Gee, and all these years I’d been under the mistaken impression that playing games outside in December helped the Bills. I actually bought the idea that biting cold, sleet, snow, swirling winds –all the things we endure here in winter –gave the Bills an advantage.
I must have spent too much time listening to Darryl Talley, Thurman Thomas and Jim Kelly. They relished the brutal conditions. What must Marv Levy be thinking? Whatever happened to, “Where would you rather be than right here, right now?” Or, “When it’s too tough for them, it’s just right for us.”
Maybe Stroud will assemble the Bills at midfield inside the balmy Rogers Centre dome and say, “When it’s warm and cozy for everyone, it’s just right for us!”
I didn’t take any polls in the locker room. But considering how mentally soft this team has been in recent weeks, I don’t doubt him. I sure didn’t hear any Bills complaining about having their home-field advantage taken away, like Kelly did last week in a national interview. Mainly, the players were mouthing the company line that says moving a home game to Canada is essential to the team’s long-term survival.
Believe that if you must (I don’t). But they could show a shred of resentment about playing the game indoors, without the real 12th Man. Offensive tackle Langston Walker said he doesn’t think they’re losing any home-field advantage.
“Well, it’s going to be about 50 degrees warmer than Orchard Park,” Walker said, “and that’s a good thing. No, it’s not the friendly confines of The Ralph, but it’s probably just as good.”
Sure, Langston. I imagine Chad Pennington, who has fits in the wind, would just as soon play in Buffalo. The guy who punted the ball backward (Rich Camarillo) probably wishes he could come out of retirement just to play here again.
It must be painful for Bills fans. The team has lost five of six. They’re going to miss the playoffs for the ninth straight year. Coach Dick Jauron grows more unpopular by the week and no one will say if there’s a contract extension.
Today, the big rivalry game will be played in Canada and the players are telling you it’s no big deal. It’s an insult to every fan who ever sat out in the bitter cold and helped will the Bills to victory.
The 12th Man is no myth. It’s a living force, and it doesn’t travel well. Will they play the “Shout” song if the Bills actually score a touchdown?
In the end, it might not matter where they play. The six teams the Bills have beaten are a combined 18-56. There are six teams in the NFL with 10 losses. The Bills have wins over four of them. A loss drops them below .500 for the first time this season. At least the players will be comfortable.
They’ve grown a little too comfortable, if you ask me. They perform like a team that doesn’t believe in itself, that prefers a lower standard. There’s no sense of outrage or passion. Look around that locker room. How many of them strike you as classic Buffalo guys? How do you respect a Bill who happily yields his home field?
Some of them seemed awkward, as if afraid to speak ill of this wonderful Toronto series. Maybe they actually believe it’s good for the franchise. I don’t believe the NFL wants its teams farming out home games out of financial necessity. It wants hugely profitable teams in major markets with new stadiums and overpriced luxury suites.
It’s of some comfort that the citizens of Toronto didn’t rush out to buy tickets. They’re not the suckers the league thought they were. They want a team, but not at those absurd prices. To some extent, it’s an encouraging sign. But it’s not enough to convince me the Bills will stay in Buffalo.
But enough of that. Big game today. The players say their playoff hopes are still alive. Maybe they’ll play like it. Whatever the case with the extension, Jauron could be in trouble if they lose their last four, or if they go 7-9 again. So they might be playing for the coach’s job.
Lee Evans said the players love Jauron. Who cares if they love him? It’s about how they perform.
The Bills are in free fall, forced to play in another country with their season on the edge. They seem content to do it in a dome, warm and comfortable in their numbing mediocrity. Oh, and O. J. is going to jail.
Big day? This might be the saddest day in the history of the franchise. The truly sad thing is, the guys in the uniforms don’t even get it.
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