Bills get kicked around

By Anthony Bialy  |   Wednesday, December 03, 2008  |  Comments( 81 )

Buffalo Bills
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Ah, remember the pass from Brian Moorman to Ryan Denney? Their Week 1 touchdown connection against the Seattle Seahawks was gravy on mashed potatoes during a game where special teams players served as active participants in an onslaught executed by the Buffalo Bills. Of course, blame for the franchise’s incredible descent into oblivion since then can be passed around like a bottle of hooch in the 300 Level’s corners, but at best the third phase isn’t making life easier. Sneaky plays, solid coverage, and steadfast kicks recently combined to serve as a weapon for the Bills, but the unit has quickly become a liability; its fine play is currently as much a part of the past as are talks of the Bills winning a divisional crown.

As for the most obvious of the worst, the nicest thing to say about Rian Lindell is that he scored 100 percent of Buffalo’s points against the San Francisco 49ers. Field goal kickers are like cars in that you expect them to just work properly, but when they fail it becomes an aggravating hassle. They only get noticed when they break down, and it’s for good reason.

The only thing worse than a feckless offense being unable to punch it in is an ineffective field goal attempter being unable to then kick it through. Figuring if one of the two deflating aspects negatively inspired the other to be worse is like trying to determine if “Two and a Half Men” rots viewers’ brains or if viewers with rotted brains are drawn to “Two and a Half Men,” and the important thing is that it’s a mutually noxious pairing where nobody profits.

As for his kicking partner, Moorman usually thrives on chilly, gusty Western New York afternoons, but last week he inexplicably played like a dome punter who was new to life outside. He averaged 25.0 yards per punt on three tries, a horrid rate under any conditions and specifically when compared to his own usual stellar results.

It’s not that Moorman needs to be a difference-maker every time he touches the ball, but even some mediocre boots may have helped this squad generate momentum against San Francisco. As it stood, Moorman still accrued a paltry net distance even factoring that only one of the three was returned and then just for 3 yards; at least for last week, Bills fans were deprived of the chance to proclaim that, no matter how poorly the game goes, their side’s punter is pretty good.

There was an exception or two regarding the overall poor special teams showing when it came to getting the ball back: Roscoe Parrish gave his team a perfect, and ultimately perfectly wasted, chance to score thanks to a decent 26-yard punt return with under eight minutes remaining, a scamper that bumped his average for the contest up to 12 yards apiece on four efforts. Unfortunately, one of the other three was a 6-yard return in the second quarter that set up the offense at its own 7; fielding a punt with his cleats a few feet from the end zone is a gaffe the 26-year-old Parrish should have learned to avoid approximately 16 years ago.

Rookie Leodis McKelvin’s 37-yard bring back of the kickoff that opened the second half was also a nice run in itself as well as an opportunity for his team to seize control that also went notably untaken. It wasn’t enough, anyway. As with most things Bills this past game, a few bright moments on special teams were tarnished by dull general tendencies.

The Bills used to be the best at the foot part of football, and now the unit is functioning about as well as the rest of the team; that’s not exactly a compliment, and it’s especially so for an assemblage of players who now provoke tension when they take the field instead of sly smiles. For Buffalo fans, watching kicks isn’t fun anymore.
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CommentsComments: 81  |  Sign Up  View all comments
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No.1
ba bye		10:20 AM
12/03/2008
Part of the general malaise. I once hit a saguaro cactus with a drive. The golf ball made a nice boinking sound. Maybe Lindell...
No.2
Kegman		10:42 AM
12/03/2008
The Bills are not focused. You see it in all facets - coaching, communication, play-calling, on-field decisions..everybody from...
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No.3
jellybones		11:04 AM
12/03/2008
Kegman, I completely agree. The Bills are slumping and it is trickling down into all facets of the game, including our usually...
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