McGee’s botched return a microcosm of Bills’ woes

By Connor Byrne  |   Monday, October 03, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Buffalo Bills
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There were ten seconds remaining in the first half and the Saints led the Bills 13-7. Saints' kicker John Carney kicked a line drive down the middle of the field, it was scooped up by the Bills' all-pro kick returner, Terrence McGee. He then proceeded to weave in and out of would-be-tacklers in one of the most amazing runs in football history. However, to sum up the entire history of the Buffalo Bills, McGee tripped just five yards from the end zone. Time had expired and McGee's incredible return went for naught. The Saints went on to win 19-7.

The Buffalo Bills opened the game up with their offensive clicking on all cylinders as they marched down the field and scored the game's first touchdown. The play calling was tremendous, J.P. Losman looked smooth as he escaped pressure and completed two passes to receiver Lee Evans, and running back Willis McGahee ran over the Saints' defense. That would be all that Buffalo could muster offensively as the Saints made defensive adjustments and the play calling for the Bills on offense was putrid for the remainder of the day. Willis McGahee rushed 16 times for 84 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry but did not get the ball enough. Had Willis gotten around 30 touches, Buffalo probably would have won the game since he tore up the New Orleans' defense all day. Buffalo Bills head coach Mike Mularkey and offensive coordinator Tom Clements continue their incompetence after such a promising year from them last year. They continue to set J.P. Losman up to fail with their inability to call the right play at the right time. Late in the fourth quarter, with Buffalo down just 13-7, Mularkey elected to pull Losman from the game and put veteran backup Kelly Holcomb in. How is a young quarterback supposed to learn how to win and gain confidence when he is getting pulled late in games? It just seems as if this coaching staff has no idea what direction they want to take this team in. Losman ended up completing just 7 of 15 passes for 75 yards and an interception, and he also contributed 38 yards rushing. Holcomb failed to provide the spark in the fourth quarter as he contributed nothing.

Buffalo's offense has been bad thus far but their defense hasn't exactly been dominant. They stymied Saints' runner Deuce McAllister throughout the day but were gashed by him in the fourth quarter. McAllister ended up with 130 rushing yards. Despite the fact that New Orleans was missing their best player, receiver Joe Horn, their passing game was still very crisp. Receiver Donte Stallworth stepped up in Horn's absence with 8 receptions for 129 yards. Quarterback Aaron Brooks completed 15 of 26 passes for 172 yards and no interceptions. He went all game without a mistake. It helps when the opposing pass rush is non-existent as Buffalo gave Brooks a ridiculous amount of time to throw every time he dropped back to pass. When Brooks did get flushed out, he killed Buffalo's defense with his mobility, as he rushed for 33 yards and a touchdown. Bills' linebacker Angelo Crowell, replacing the injured Takeo Spikes, looked totally out of place on many of Brooks' scrambles. It's hard to pick on Crowell when supposed greats like Troy Vincent, Lawyer Milloy, Sam Adams, and London Fletcher all looked bad.

The Saints improved to 2-2 with their victory in front of a nearly sold out Alamo Dome in San Antonio, Texas. It was their first "home" game in the building. The Buffalo Bills dropped to 1-3 with their third straight loss. They'd better get it together fast as they go home to meet the first place Miami Dolphins next week.
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