Bills Play Field Position Game Down Four Touchdowns

FOXBORO, MA--The Buffalo Bills used a conservative game plan against the Patriots on Sunday and deftly played the field position game with quiet effectiveness, even when they were down 28-0 in the fourth quarter. That disciplined play calling was the lone bright spot in the team’s 35-7 loss.

Coach Mike Mularkey praised his staff for the effort.

“The whole coaching staff, from top to bottom, did a great job of calling a good, solid, risk-free game,” said Mularkey, whose team now stands at 4-9. “We certainly didn’t panic when we got down. A lot of teams in that situation late in the game would go into ‘score at all costs’ mode. Not us. Field position is just as important as points. I learned that from the last coach, who got fired.”

On another occasion, Mularkey opted to go for a field goal while down three touchdowns late in the third quarter. The field goal missed but the statement was made: the Bills were sticking to their game plan, no matter how ineffective.

“At that point we decided to go for the field goal because going for the touchdown would have involved a certain degree of risk,” said Mularkey. “What if we went for the touchdown and missed? Then we would’ve had no points instead of three. Of course, if we got the touchdown, we’d have seven points and a whole lot of momentum. We weren’t going to get the touchdown, though. I think everyone in the stadium understood that.”

Mularkey, a former offensive coordinator, was brought in two years ago to revamp the Bills’offense, which had suffered for years under coach Gregg Williams. With a hotshot young quarterback and a strong running back in Willis McGahee, the pieces looked to be in place this season. So far the team has yet to show any improvement.

“We just haven’t gotten it done, that’s the bottom line,” said Mularkey. “We have some nice skill players, but our offensive line is a disaster. It's one of the worst in the league. We just figured our young, inexperienced quarterback could do without one. Live and learn, I guess.”

The conservative play calling has been met with a mixed reaction in the Bills locker room. Some of the players understand the value of playing the field position game, while others would prefer a more aggressive approach.

JP Losman, the team’s starting quarterback, says he’s “tired of playing not to lose.”

“It gets a little frustrating when your coaches don’t have any confidence in you to make big plays,” Losman told reporters after the game. “Like in the fourth quarter when we were getting routed, I really wanted to go for it on fourth down. It didn’t make much sense to punt. Personally I would’ve preferred going into a shotgun formation, taking a five step drop, patting the ball once or twice, and then collapsing into a heap underneath a pile of defenders. At least then I would’ve made the highlight reels.”

Still, other players applauded the coach’s cautious approach.

“I’m glad we didn’t go for it on that fourth down. That’s the last thing we should’ve done,” said McGahee, who had only 3 yards rushing against the Patriots. “We were’t going to get the first down anyway. We might as well walk away with some dignity--albeit a tiny, negligible amount.”

As for his future with the team, McGahee didn’t want to speculate. As long as he’s under he contract he plans to give it his all every week.

“I don’t know what direction this team’s going in. It’s hard to tell what the future might bring,” he said. “It’s been a rough, depressing few years for me so far. Things haven’t gone as I expected. When I came back from my knee injury, the Bills were the only team that would take a chance on me. I really appreciated that at the time. Now I’m starting to wish that knee injury was career ending. It would’ve saved me a lot of trouble.”