Bills Mailbag: Fans are right to feel cheated by officials after debacle in Tampa

Chuck Zernentsch asks: I guess in today's NFL, you can grab, mug, interfere with a receiver, but all is forgiven if you turn to look at the ball. Clearly, Stefon Diggs was interfered with in the end zone, but no call, as that might have decided the game. When we have some contact, it's interference. Not saying we didn't interfere, just that the enforcement was clearly not consistent. Is the NFL deliberately, perhaps unconsciously, influencing games?

Gerald Volpe asks: Never been one to complain about the officials. It all kind of evens out. That being said, at what point does the NFL step in and put a stop to this referee/Tom Brady love affair? Two weeks ago was bad with the Patriots and Bill Belichick. Sunday was worse.

Gary Gates asks: Now, don't get me wrong and I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but do you think the officiating in the Tampa game was a little one-sided? … It seems like Tom Brady and company got a lot of calls their way. Buffalo being a small-market town wouldn't draw the attention or viewership of a Super Bowl like Tampa Bay and New England – Brady vs. Belichick. Am I crazy? Your thoughts?

Jay: As I tweeted after the game, I rarely blame officials, because I believe there are plays that happen after bad calls are made that can change the outcome of a game. In this case, however, the Bills have a right to be furious. Diggs was interfered with; multiple officials had eyes on it; and no flags came out. It was a game-altering play. If the Bucs are penalized, the Bills have first-and-goal at the 1-yard line and very likely win the game. As referenced above, it did not seem like the calls went both ways, which adds to the feeling of the Bills being cheated.

Shoutout to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun for digging up this wild fact this season: The Bills have been flagged for defensive holding 14 times this season, while that call has gone against a defensive player playing against the Bills just twice (interestingly enough, both calls have been against Miami cornerback Xavien Howard – one in each of the games against the Dolphins).

Al asks: Conspiracy? I know the coaches’ take – we can’t control the penalties (not) called. What is nice is that finally it’s being mentioned in the media and by commentators doing the game. What is your take on the lack of penalties not being called?

Jay: My take is with the amount of attention this issue has received this week in Buffalo, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Bills benefit from at least a couple of questionable calls this weekend against Carolina. To answer the first part of the question, though, no, I don’t believe there is some sort of grand conspiracy at work against the Bills. The league just has an issue with poor officiating. It could take a step toward fixing that issue by making all officials full-time employees, but it so far has refused.

Paul Basinski asks: Why not sit Josh Allen on Sunday against the Panthers? He played his heart out last week, lost in spite of it, and is dinged up, as well. Better to let Mitchell Trubisky start against a Carolina team that he can probably beat and rest Allen for the big rematch against the Patriots in two weeks?

Jay: Because the Bills can’t afford another loss, and playing without Allen, brings that into the equation. If the Bills had nine or 10 wins, I’d entertain the idea. They don’t. They very well might need to win every game the rest of the way just to get into the playoffs, because their conference record (5-5) is not strong. Allen, of course, gives them the best chance to win. If the medical staff determines he’s healthy enough to get on the field, that’s exactly where he needs to be Sunday.

Jim asks: Do you think it should have been four-down territory when the Bills were at the 2-yard line with less than 2 minutes to go? Tom Brady's record is 35-4 against the Bills!

Jay: Let’s correct a few things here. No. 1, Brady is now 33-3 against the Bills. Still pretty good. No. 2, the Bills had a fourth-and-2 from the Bucs’ 7-yard line, with 25 seconds and no timeouts remaining. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats Decision Guide, Sean McDermott made the right decision to kick the tying field goal. Here is the official explanation, from nfl.com: “The NGS Decision Guide strongly agreed with McDermott's decision to kick a field goal, favoring it by 3.4 percentage points in expected win-probability value. The Bills had a 53.6% chance of picking up the first down if they went for it, but a failed conversion would have ended the game in a Buffalo loss. Plus, even if the Bills had successfully converted, they were out of timeouts, meaning Josh Allen and Co. would have needed to rush to spike the ball and stop the clock, assuming they didn't score on the play. The upside of going for it was limited, given that the Bills would still only have a 73% win probability if the offense gained the necessary yards to gain without scoring, while the downside was a guaranteed loss.”

That’s what the numbers say. The gut feeling here is that McDermott also made the right call. It’s possible the fourth-down failure in Tennessee was on his mind. It’s also true the Bills have generally struggled in short-yardage situations, so running the ball was likely not an attractive option. McDermott also had to feel pretty good about the way his offense was moving the ball and the way his defense was playing in the second half, so extending the game, in my mind, was a defensible position for him to take.

Alan Camhi asks: The debate rages on about a new stadium, but one issue never seems to come up, but is vital to any argument that this region's identity is tied to the Bills: naming rights. If, as is universally acknowledged, we taxpayers will be paying for the lion's share of the cost, then why do the Pegulas retain naming rights – as well as being able to pocket the money from the sale of these? Does it really enhance this region's identity on a national broadcast when the venue is named after some obscure corporate entity? The people who pay for the stadium should have the final say. My proposal, hardly original: return to naming it after the team's original owner, with one small addition. … What seals the deal for me is what his foundation, under the direction of his widow, has done to transform the cultural and recreational landscape of this region with unparalleled generosity, most recently the gift of $100 million in grants. So, going forward, how about the Ralph and Mary Wilson Stadium?

Jay: It’s a nice thought on your part, Alan, and you won’t get any disagreement from me, given the generosity of the Wilson foundation. Truthfully, though, most have been preoccupied on where – and how – a stadium will get built. If those questions are answered, then it will be time to turn our attention to the name. We’ll have to see the breakdown of public-private money, but the Pegulas will most likely retain naming rights, which will then most likely be sold to the highest bidder. I’d say it’s unlikely the stadium will be named after the Wilson family, but your heart is in the right place with the idea.

David Strack asks: We agree on the debacle that is the offensive line. What makes this an even larger failure is the trade of All-Pro Wyatt Teller for a ham sandwich to the Browns. How can he justify that?

Paul in Glendale, Ariz. asks: It appears the weakest part of the Bills' roster is the offensive line. Why did we get rid of Wyatt Teller? He's been one of the best guards in the AFC, and would really help our line right now.

Jay: We’ve covered the Teller trade several times in the mailbag, so I’ll make this quick. The Bills traded up in the second round to draft Cody Ford in 2019, the year after Teller’s rookie season (it should be noted Ford was drafted as a tackle – not a guard). The team also signed Mitch Morse, Quinton Spain, Spencer Long and Jon Feliciano in free agency that offseason, so Teller slid down the depth chart. Because of those additions, Teller wasn’t going to make the 53-man roster. Getting something for him in a trade at the time looked like the right move. Hindsight being what it is, it was an obvious mistake, although it shouldn’t be pinned solely on General Manager Brandon Beane. The offensive coaching staff has to take some responsibility for not seeing Teller's potential. Let’s also not discount the possibility that the player simply improved after leaving the Bills, too. Perhaps being traded was the spark he needed to ignite his career. No matter what happened, it’s tough for the Bills seeing what he’s become.

Mark from Depew asks: What are your thoughts on trying a more straight-ahead, power runner – Antonio Williams – to try to get the running game going? As of now, the running backs we are using aren’t getting the job done.

Norm Hummel asks: With the Bills’ run game totally ineffective, why, why, why, won’t they give Antonio Williams a shot? Can it be any worse?

Jay: It’s not a bad idea. The issue is, the Bills have needed players at other positions. For example, last week against the Bucs, the team promoted linebacker Joe Giles-Harris and defensive tackles Brandin Bryant and Eli Ankou from the practice squad. Giles-Harris was called up in part because A.J. Klein was on the reserve/Covid-19 list, while Bryant and Ankou came up because Star Lotulelei was out with a toe injury. That didn’t leave room for Williams.

Jeff Miller asks: What makes a good returner? Obviously catching the ball every time without fumbling, but what do the coaches look for in a player, even going back to training camp, in deciding on that player? Let’s turn the Panthers into toothless cubs.

Jay: As you mentioned, Jeff, ball security is McDermott’s No. 1 priority. After that, speed and vision are huge factors. A good returner has to have an ability to correctly read blocks to see where the open space is going to be, and then needs the speed to hit that hole and outrun defenders. The shiftiness to make the first tackler miss in the open field is also a must.

Tim Rzeznik asks: I may be too optimistic and definitely showing my age, but this season has a feeling just like the 1989 season. The Bills had just come off playing in the AFC championship and were a chic pick of the pundits. They were known as the "Bickering Bills" but most of that was a result of the inconsistencies they displayed, particularly along the O-line. The Tampa game had a feel like the playoff game versus the Browns. What came of it was the birth of the no-huddle offense and a renewed sense of purpose by the players that they understood, play all in or go home. Am I foolish, or are there games or game situations that "open" the players to respecting the necessary preparation and effort that it takes to win in the NFL?

Jay: I wouldn’t call you foolish at all. It’s hard to shake the feeling the Bills thought they could show up this season and waltz into the playoffs. For all the talk about how the NFL is a “one week at a time” league, the Bills still lost to the Jaguars. Given what was expected of this team this season and seeing what has happened in Jacksonville since, that’s on a very short list of the worst regular-season losses in franchise history. A game like that doesn’t happen unless there is a part of the Bills that thought simply showing up that week would be enough. The Bills have said all the right things about preparing the right way this season, but that result gave me serious pause.

Jack Meara asks: Bills got fat after last year. Paid everyone to stay – no hunger. Can we beat Kansas City? Obviously, yes. Can we beat anyone else elite in the AFC? No. If we miss the playoffs in a 17-game schedule with the same personnel, heads need to roll! No settling for almost. Our payroll and staffing dictate otherwise!

Jay: Let’s pump the brakes a bit. Yes, missing the playoffs would be a huge setback, but the Pegulas recently signed McDermott and Beane to contract extensions. The last thing the Bills’ owners need to do is pay another coach and general manager not to work for them. The Bills have their franchise quarterback in place. They’ve had a bizarre statistical season, and it’s true, put themselves in real danger of missing the playoffs. While that would be a massive disappointment, it would not erase the good McDermott and Beane have done since coming to Buffalo. They have more than earned next season to get things going in the right direction.

Herb asks: Matt Haack seems to be getting his punts off faster recently. Are there stats available on time to punt? Might his style have changed due to the wind against New England?

Jay: There are no stats that I’ve been able to find for time to punt, which is somewhat surprising given that there are no shortage of analytics sites that track all sorts of statistics. I checked after Haack had his punt against the Steelers blocked in the season opener. It definitely feels like it takes him a long time to get punts off, so it’s possible Haack has made changes in his mechanics to speed up the process.

Glenn Gaviller asks: Why are the Mannings yapping during my football games? They have 165 other hours in the week to talk nonsense. They are like the drunk guy you watch the games with who won’t shut up during plays. Can ESPN simulcast the actual game on one of their several other stations for fans tuning in to watch actual football?

Jay: Well, we’ve found our Scrooge for the week. Glenn, the “regular” broadcast is on ESPN. The Manning Cast is on ESPN2. Just flip the channel.

Thank you, as always, for the questions. They can be submitted via email to jskurski@buffnews.com or via Twitter, @JaySkurski. Merry Christmas to all!