Bills offensive Brian Daboll could leave the team to become a head coach, eventually. He also could leave the team for other reasons.
After Monday night’s 14-10 loss to the Patriots, coach Sean McDermott was asked a very simple and direct question about Daboll: “Is he doing a good enough job to set this offense up for success?”
McDermott didn’t say, “Yes.” And, when asked a question like that, any answer other than “yes” is “no.”
“Well, I didn’t think honestly we took advantage of opportunities tonight,” McDermott said. “I really didn’t. I mean, the ball’s at the 40 yard line. You know? We’re one for four in the red zone. So we’ve got to figure that part of it out.”
Part of the problem, frankly, is that the Bills waited too long to trust Josh Allen to throw the ball in the wind. In the first half, Buffalo dialed up only 10 passes. In the second half, they threw it twice as many times. The sense of urgency that fueled the final two drives, both of which petered out in the red zone, should have shown up earlier -- because it was obvious Allen could deliver consistently and effectively.
Indeed, the success that they had throwing the ball later in the game shows that they should have been throwing it earlier. And that’s where the discussions behind the curtain become highly relevant. What was the game plan before the wind became an issue? Who decided to de-emphasize the pass early? Who decided to go heaving with passing the ball later? To the extent there was push an pull between McDermott and Daboll, who pushed and who pulled?
Frankly, it doesn’t matter. Unless the offense improves down the stretch, Daboll could end up being pushed out the door, based on the response McDermott provided after the fourth loss in seven games.