Bills GM Brandon Beane Says Team Will React the Right way to Playoff Collapse
The Buffalo Bills' egregious malfunction over the final 13 seconds of regulation and in overtime of their playoff loss at Kansas City last January is not expected to carry over into this coming season, general manager Brandon Beane on Monday told Mike Florio on Pro Football Talk PM.
He was asked what the Bills must do to avoid joining the likes of teams that have never recovered from similar playoff flashpoints, such as the Seattle Seahawks throwing an interception at the goal line in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XLIX against New England, and the Atlanta Falcons blowing a 28-3 lead to the Patriots in the Super Bowl two seasons later.
"I think you have to have honest, open conversations and, just like we dissect the Draft like we were talking about, you know, go back and dissect the finish of that game in regulation and overtime," Beane said. "And you have to be honest, and and if you made a mistake in that process, whether it was a play call, whether it was a player, whatever your role in it was, you've got to own up to it. And I think that's been the process. "It's hard because it's an abrupt end and you go through that, but open, honest dialogue ... [about] what are we taking from this? You've got to learn from it or you're going to repeat it. And I think our culture is strong here.
"Those things can cause issues, there's no doubt. You pointed out some places that may not have recovered, but we feel with [quarterback] Josh Allen, Josh is just one of those guys — he obviously played very well in that game — he's got the mindset that we're not going to let that bother us."
Beane also pointed to the perspective veteran free-agent and two-time Super Bowl champ Von Miller will bring.
"You try and add some pieces, guys that can instill confidence and different viewpoints," Beane said. "And last year was last year. Only one team is going to be happy at the end of the year, in my mind. You either win it for you don't. We had our opportunities. We had our opportunities the year before and we didn't do it. And we came back.
"So new year, new team, new season, and we're excited about where we're at."
The Bills have just been extremely careful to keep the culprit(s) from being identified publicly.
Said coach Sean McDermott at the NFL Meetings in March: "I just think that taking the high road is the right approach."
Every Bills fan knows that "nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills," thanks to ESPN's Chris Berman.
Well, that's what they're doing again here.
Will it work?
Seems we're all just going to have to tune in and find out if the Bills can bounce back from a series of heartbreaks, not just their most recent.
Under McDermott, three of the Bills' four playoff losses — all on the road — have featured blown leads, with two decided in overtime.
Nobody seems terribly bothered by that at the moment. Nor should they be, given all the coach has done to turn the franchise around.
But if that trend continues much longer, either the players or the people who sign McDermott's paychecks will eventually stop buying in.
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Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.
