Analyst Louis Riddick mentioned during Monday Night Football that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick doesn’t care about “style points.”
That was obvious after the Big Mac (Jones) attack of the Pats consisted of 46 rushing attempts and three passes in a 14-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
But I’m all about distributing style points in my TV analysis and the member of the ESPN trio getting the most of them Monday was play-by-play announcer Steve Levy.
He cut the tension several times during the game with his humor.
When Bills coach Sean McDermott decided to challenge a key spot after it was unclear Pats QB Jones had made a first down on a fourth and one, Levy looked at the mass of bodies making it difficult to see where the ball was and cracked, “Let me know when you can find him.”
People are also reading…
That was his way of explaining there was no way to change the ruling. In a way, it also illustrated there was no way for the officials to award Jones the first down, either.
When ESPN showed the blue lights coming out of a downtown building, Levy cracked there were plenty of Blue Lights in the stadium, indicating his knowledge of one of Western New York’s favorite beers.
When another aerial view of downtown from a blimp was shown, Levy noted, “This is a shot from last night because you wouldn’t want to be up in the wind tonight.”
And then there was this gem before Bills kicker Tyler Bass lined up for a field goal at the more difficult part of the stadium: “This ought to be fun.” Soon afterwards, Levy explained it was “the shortest miss of his career.”
Of course, the weather probably lessened the fun for many at the stadium. It should have added to the stylish look of the game. But the cameras couldn’t fully capture the feel of the winter wonderland at the stadium because wind isn’t as visual as snow or rain.
It surely looked a lot less uncomfortable than it undoubtedly was for the Bills Mafia experiencing Buffalo’s third home loss of the season at Highmark Stadium.
The home losses to Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and New England with the Bills Mafia behind them illustrate as much as anything how overrated the team was in preseason.
The No. 1 seed in the AFC? Forget about it. At this point, the Bills are fighting for their playoff lives, Jay Skurski says.
Analyst Brian Griese doesn’t get many style points for his voice or presentation, but he was excellent explaining how Bills quarterback Josh Allen lowered his elbow to throw in the wind and where in the stadium Allen told him he was more comfortable throwing.
Griese also raised the issue on the minds of Bills fans – whether they could compete with the Patriots’ “physicality.” The answer was clearly no as the Pats became the second team in three games to run over the Bills for more than 200 yards.
The analyst was generally softer in his criticism than Bills fans and the local media undoubtedly will be. Some of his toughest criticism directed at Buffalo was for not being ready on the fourth down sneak by Jones that resulted in a questionable first down.
He also gently criticized Allen for not seeing an open Stefon Diggs short of the goal line when the quarterback was scrambling and instead tried to hit tight end Dawson Knox in the end zone.
However, Griese also gave Bills fans the most hope for the Dec. 26 rematch.
At game’s end, Griese said New England “was better in this style of game,” but things may be different in the rematch in a few weeks.
Riddick was at his best explaining coverages and the Patriots ground game and the importance of linebacker Kyle Van Noy in keeping Allen from running.
ESPN’s referee expert John Parry was utilized effectively on questionable calls, including what he termed a “tight” delay of game penalty against the Bills that had McDermott agitated and a weak “very technical” personal foul against the Pats’ Myles Bryant that led to a Bills field goal.
We could have heard more from Parry, especially on what appeared to be a potential holding call or pass interference call against Patriots safety Adrian Phillips that prevented Knox from catching a touchdown late in the game.
He also could have been asked about something Griese brought up – whether the Pats’ Matt Judon could have been called for roughing the passer after landing on top of Allen.
There also could have been more debate on key McDermott decisions. The analysts gave no opinion on McDermott’s decision to have Bass kick an extra point rather than go for two when the Bills were down, 8-6, in the first quarter.
And they didn’t question a late-game decision to have Bass try that “fun” field goal late in the game down 14-10 in the direction of the stadium that led Belichick to go for a two-point conversion rather than have Nick Folk try an extra point.
After all, even if Bass had made the kick – the wind blew it wide right – the Bills still would have needed another one in terrible conditions to win the game.
Now on to more highs and lows of the broadcast:
Let Me See If You Can Find Him: Bills nose tackle Star Lotulelei, who was supposed to be key in stopping the Patriot running attack, was barely mentioned, except for reportedly being on “a pitch count” after recovering from Covid.
Define Fascinating: Griese called it a “fascinating game” on the postgame show with Scott Van Pelt.
Inside Baseball: Levy praised ESPN’s outside crew a few times for putting on a broadcast in less-than-ideal circumstances.
Complete Nonsense: The praise heaped on the Patriots’ Bryant for knocking down an Allen pass on fourth and 14 to seal the victory seemed over the top since the pass most likely was going to be incomplete anyway.
C’mon Man: The pregame praise of Jones as the best rookie quarterback also was over the top when you consider how little Belichick trusted him. Before the game, Levy said Jones is “playing like the draft boards had it all wrong.” A case can be made that if Jones were with Jacksonville, the New York Jets or Chicago Bears, he’d be doing as well as the rookies there. The announcers were so desperate to praise Jones that they glorified a 12-yard completion on a floated pass that led to a circus catch by tight end Jonnu Smith.
Sneaky Comments: After Jones ran two quarterback sneaks, including the disputed one for a first down, Riddick cracked it was his way of saying, “let me do something.” At another point when the Bills left a gunner on the Pats punting team open to almost dare them to fake a punt and throw, Griese cracked: “If the quarterback can’t throw, certainly the punter can’t throw it.”
The Camera Can Lie: ESPN initially had trouble tracking New England’s punts against the wind.
You Can’t Hyde: The replay of the 64-yard touchdown run by the Patriots’ Damien Harris showed how out of position Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and safety Micah Hyde were on the play.
Understatement of the Night: Before the game started, Levy said: “It is probably a nice night to be watching on the couch.”
Model Child: Even Bills fans would have to admit that the pictures of Mac Jones at around age 7 were cute. He has confirmed he had a modeling career as a child.
Name the Top 2: Bass told the announcers that the game was in the top three of the worst weather conditions he’s played in.
Anger Management: After repeated shots of McDermott on the sideline, Levy noted, “he’s been angry from the opening kick … He’s been wearing out the officials.”
Cue Bob Seger: After Harris’ touchdown run, Griese said, “scoring against the wind is like scoring twice.” Not really.
Quatro: Griese noted that’s the Belichick word for being in four-down territory.
Poyer Endorsement: After noting that Bills safety Jordan Poyer has been receiving about 100 messages a day since revealing his struggle with alcohol, Levy said the crew doesn’t usually campaign for players to make the Pro Bowl. Then he added of Poyer: “There is a guy you can throw a vote to and feel good about it.”
Would Have Been Nice to See: The announcers noted that McDermott talked to Bills linebacker Matt Milano at length during a commercial before Milano made back-to-back tackles for losses. ESPN either didn’t have it on camera or didn’t have time to show it.
No Eruption: As the Bills entered the red zone and had the potential to take the lead, Griese noted that fans “were ready to erupt if they score.” They didn’t.
A Sense of Urgency: Griese suggested that McDermott’s challenge of the Jones’ sneak for a first down without any evidence to support it illustrated his “sense of urgency.” With the Bills now 7-5 and perhaps needing “quatro” victories to make the playoffs, the sense of urgency for a trendy preseason Super Bowl pick undoubtedly has heightened.
