By Tim Schmitt
For insisting he’s one to play the percentages, Bills coach Dick Jauron certainly has an odd sense of timing when it comes to slipping on his riverboat gambler costume. Sunday’s choice to allow the Titans to kick a 51-yard field goal rather than push the ball back 10 yards and hope his defense could force a longer kick proves Jauron has little faith in his stop unit.
And it also sped up the Bills’ downward spiral.
So rather than subject us all to a full DVR rewind of yet another excruciating loss, we took just a single slice this week — a microcosm of the Bills’ season. Here’s how it unfolded:
• Tennessee’s Chris Johnson tried to get around the left end on a third and six from the Buffalo 29, but Drayton Florence was there to drop him for a loss of four. Tight end Bo Scaife is flagged for holding, meaning the Titans were to face a third and long before Jauron’s decision to decline the penalty.
Realize the game management vitals here — the Bills were down seven with 3:23 left on the clock. They’d struggled to move the ball after the intermission and their last series was a three and out that netted one yard. There’s little indication Buffalo could muster two scores in the final 203 seconds. Also, consider that Bironas entered the game 8 of 14 on kicks of 50 yards or more, even though he’d missed a 60-yarder earlier in the game.
Still, Buffalo declined the penalty and Bironas buried a low kick that had leg to spare.
• The Bills get the ball back, and the Titans now know Buffalo can’t be clever — Trent Edwards will have to throw.
On first down, the Bills do everything they can to help Edwards and an offensive line that now has Andy Levitre at left tackle and Seth McKinney at left guard, so Freddy Jackson and Marshawn Lynch stay in to flank Edwards in the shotgun. Although Jackson releases when he doesn’t have blocking responsibilities, Lynch stays and helps against the four oncoming Titans.
Edwards has ample time, steps up and throws the ball five yards over Terrell Owens’ head.
Owens, understandably disgusted, slowly swaggers back to the huddle, and as analyst Rich Gannon said, “his body language to me is horrible.”
No problem, the Bills try the same play on second down, since Owens was clearly open on the outside. Again, Jackson and Lynch stay in to help block. Again, Edwards has time.
Again, he unleashes a quick-motioned, horrible throw. This time, he short-hops it well behind Owens. The receiver’s body language gets more harsh.
On to third down — again plenty of time, Edwards looks dead left the entire time, finally throwing to Josh Reed. Vincent Fuller has a bead on Edwards’ throw, and waltzes in with a pick six.
If the game wasn’t already over, Fuller’s play officially sealed it.
Again, not to belabor the point that Jauron’s decision sped things up, but putting his team in a tough spot spelled certain doom.
As soon as the lead got above a single score, the Titans defenders started salivating.
“It’s something we picked up during the week,” Fuller said. “In the 2-minute (offense) and a lot of third-down situations, the Buffalo Bills like to run certain routes. You work hard all week to be able to make plays like that.”
Contact sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.
