McDermott & Bills need to commit to playoffs or the process
By Dan Bender
Committing to the process is in Buffalo’s best interest
Of the two options mentioned, it would certainly be more entertaining to see McDermott put Tyrod back in, test his luck, and make a playoff push.
We seemed to have been duped once again into believing they were at least above average, but, let’s face it, the Bills do not appear to be a good team and aren’t nearly complete enough to enable Tyrod to take them deep into the postseason. With the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl, merely making the playoffs as a 6th seed would do no good in achieving that.
John Clayton was on WGR 550 a few weeks ago and said the following which bothered me:
"“Is it that big a deal in any city to be able to make the second wild card, lose by 2 touchdowns… in Buffalo it’s huge….I know that in the big picture it’s like ‘OK a wild card loss isn’t great’, but for Buffalo it’s fantastic.”"
Clayton seems to insinuate that, well, you’re the Bills, know your role and be happy with just being in the playoffs. Stay in your lane, so to speak.
I understand there is a temptation to do whatever it takes to end the drought as soon as possible, but have our expectations become so low that you agree that losing in the wild-card round is some fantastic feat?
Have we become so numbed by the drought that we don’t consider winning a Super Bowl remotely feasible?
I know it’s been 17 years and Buffalo is desperate for playoff football, but I refuse to be satisfied with losing in the first round like the Bengals year after year. If it means a few more years without the playoffs, I think it’d be worth it to see the Bills become a legitimate contender instead of continuing to be a 7, 8, or 9 win team.
It may result in the Bills losing 10 or 11 games this year, but I think McDermott should keep Peterman in so we can see what he has and better evaluate the draft strategy in the upcoming years. After all, despite it being a horrible showing, it was just one game and to judge his ability on a single performance is truly unfair.
Besides, we know what Tyrod’s ceiling is underneath Dennison’s scheme. Yes, he currently is better than Peterman, but by not tailoring the playbook to his strengths and altering his contract in the off season, the coaching staff has made it evident he’s not part of the future.
So, why not give the the rook a chance to develop and possibly surprise us?
At best, though extremely unlikely, he shows his first game was a fluke and leads the Bills to the playoffs and possibly beyond.
At worst, and much more realistically, the Bills drop from mediocre to bad and get a better draft pick to help them find their franchise quarterback, something they haven’t had since their Super Bowl era.
Next: 5 Reasons why the Buffalo Bills lost to the Los Angeles Chargers
With patience running low, having a long term view can seem excruciatingly painful as it feels like an eternity has passed since the Bills were anywhere near good. However, it is probably the best move if we want to develop into a consistently strong team and see a Super Bowl in our lifetime.