A common complaint among the sports media is that so many coaches at the collegiate and pro levels are guarded in their responses, speaking in cliches and bromides, designed to, in no way, antagonize an opponent.
That reality is particularly true in the National Football League where, with a mere 17-game schedule, each one takes on added significance.
Hence, the number of coaches without much of a filter, if any — think Rex Ryan, Jerry Glanville and Mike Ditka — are the exception … most don’t last. Hence the genesis of the phrase, “NFL means Not For Long.”
AND WHILE cautious coaches often don’t supply the colorful quotes that breathe life into stories, this season has provided a perfect example of why they’re wary.
Five NFL teams have four or fewer wins this season with two games to play, yet look what they’ve accomplished so far against playoff hopefuls:
— Jets (4-11) — beat the Titans (10-5) at the Meadowlands
— Texans (4-11) — beat the Chargers (8-7) at Houston and the Titans in Nashville
— Jaguars (2-13) — beat the Bills (9-6) at Jacksonville
— Giants (4-11) — beat the Raiders (8-7) and Eagles (8-7) at the Meadowlands
— Lions (2-12-1) — tied the Steelers (7-7-1) in Pittsburgh and beat Arizona (10-5) at Detroit
NO WONDER coaches are so careful.
And Buffalo finds itself in a difficult spot as, after a miserable first half against the Bucs in Tampa, trailing 24-3, has seemingly found its mojo. Over the past 2½ games, despite losing to the Buccaneers in overtime, the Bills have since soundly beaten Carolina and New England, outscoring the opposition 88-44 in the process.
Of course, Buffalo’s seeming return to its 2020 proficiency has caused the media to question coach Sean McDermott about possible complacency heading into Sunday afternoon’s game against Atlanta (7-8) at Highmark Stadium.
BUT WHEN asked about the mood after Sunday’s impressive win over the Patriots in Foxboro, McDermott pointed out, “It’s one win. I think the guys prepared really well (last) week, played hard and fundamentally we were stronger. It’s necessary to throw, catch, block and tackle well and take care of the football and I think we were really strong in those areas.”
But he added, “Self-awareness is important … this is part of the job where there’s going to be noise whether it’s really positive or really negative and you’ve got to learn to ignore it and do your job at a high level. That’s part of our focus this week.”
AND OFFENSIVE coordinator Brian Daboll, when asked about a possible letdown, was pointed.
“Not if you’re a professional,” he said. “The respect you have for this league goes a long way and that’s something that’s embedded in our culture going back to training camp to now … you’re constantly teaching that.
“There’s narratives every week. One week you’re on top of the mountain and the next you’re down in the valley … there’s ebbs and flows. That’s taking it one week at a time and teaching those guys how important it is to have that mindset of not to get too low when things aren’t going great and not to get too high when they’re going fairly well.”
Daboll added, “That’s how you keep an even keel and have great respect for the opponent that you’re playing (each) week because it’s such an even league. One or two plays can swing a game, regardless of the opponent that you’re playing.
“There’s never a week where you’re sitting there saying, ‘Aw, this is going to be an easy one’ … you don’t do that. You have as much respect (as possible) for the coaches you’re competing against, the players you’re competing against, the difficulty of their scheme, the situation you’re in — it’s January football now.”
The most important part of the season.
(Chuck Pollock, an Olean Times Herald senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)
