Buffalo Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie was inactive for Monday night’s game against the New England Patriots, and he may not have known the specific reason why until his coach’s postgame press conference.
With winds gusting up to 50 mph, Bills coach Sean McDermott chose to have safety Micah Hyde field punts and running back Matt Breida handle kick returns. McDermott was asked after the Bills’ 14-10 loss about McKenzie and Marquez Stevenson, two return specialists, not being active. He said he didn’t trust either to field kicks in the terrible weather.
McKenzie seemingly came across his coach’s explanation on Twitter, and he had a one-word response.
McDermott pointed to the play where Patriots wide receiver N’Keal Harry had a punt go off his helmet, giving the Bills the ball deep in New England territory. He said he wanted someone “that I trusted” to return punts.
McKenzie is in his fourth season with the Bills. You can understand why he felt that was a bit harsh.
In addition to delivering some back-handed criticism of his own players, McDermott also took offense to a question about Bill Belichick. He was understandably in a salty mood following the tough loss.
Photo: Oct 13, 2020; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie (19) runs after a catch during the second half against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Bill Belichick implemented a very simple and specific gameplan to help the New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. Those who saw what the coach was wearing on his face before the game may have known it was coming.
Belichick wore a face mask featuring the Navy athletics logo prior to his team’s 14-10 win.
Navy is known for its triple option offense. The Midshipmen rarely throw the ball. Some wondered if Belichick was hinting that he was going to take a similar approach against Buffalo, but that probably was not the case.
Belichick is a huge supporter of Navy football, and Saturday is the big Army-Navy showdown. His father was an assistant coach at Navy, and Belichick spent a lot of time around the program at a young age. He often wears Navy apparel the week of the rivalry game. It just so happens that he got to rep Navy on a night where there were blizzard-like conditions and throwing the ball was almost impossible.
We knew passing would be at a premium because of the weather in Buffalo, but no one expected Mac Jones to attempt just three passes all night. Belichick’s approach was yet another reminder of how hard he prepares for everything, even if the coach on the other side didn’t want to give him credit.
Michelle Beadle revealed recently that LeBron James openly wanted her to be fired from her job with ESPN before she left the network, and she says LeBron and his camp hold a grudge against her to this day.
Beadle made the surprising claim last month that James tried to get ESPN to fire her. She said it was awkward and that she was “honored” to even be on LeBron’s mind. As for why the Los Angeles Lakers star had an issue with her, Beadle speculated that it was because she mocked him over “The Decision” like so many other members of the media.
Beadle elaborated further on the “House of Strauss” podcast with Ethan Strauss this week. She said LeBron wanted her removed from “NBA Countdown” and had a specific person whom he wanted to replace her. Beadle also claimed LeBron’s longtime business partner, Maverick Carter, has given her the cold shoulder.
“He had a person at the network who he wanted. He wanted her to be the host of [NBA Countdown]. He does not like me, and I honestly have stopped trying to figure out why,” Beadle said, via Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post. “For some reason, it goes back years. I’ve been around Maverick Carter. He refuses to shake my hand.”
As Glasspiegel noted, LeBron likely wanted Beadle to be replaced with Rachel Nichols, which happened after ESPN bought out Beadle’s contract in 2019. Of course, that eventually led to more drama when Nichols bashed ESPN in a leaked audio recording.
James would probably say “who?” if he were asked about Beadle, but she seems pretty adamant that he wanted her gone. For what it’s worth, Beadle once drew the ire of another global sports icon.
Back in September, Peyton Manning took aim at legendary announcer Joe Buck during an early episode of the “ManningCast.”
During the stream, Peyton said he would prefer a co-host who doesn’t know as much about the game of football as he does. Specifically, Peyton said, he’d want someone alongside of him that doesn’t understand defensive coverages. Someone like Joe Buck.
On Monday night during a wintry game between the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots, the Manning brothers welcomed Buck as their latest guest. And as time expired in the game, Buck returned fire on Peyton when asked if he’d like to have guests to interview during blowout games.
Following a brief pause, Buck hit Peyton right where it hurts.
“Hey, Joe. When y’all have a blowout game, do you ever wish you could have a guest on there that you and Troy (Aikman) could interview?” Peyton asked.
“Yeah, you know the last time I thought about that? It was when you guys played Seattle in the Super Bowl,” Buck answered.
“Oh! Shots! Shots fired,” Eli remarked. “Yes!”
If you’ve ever watched “That 70’s Show,” you can hear Michael Kelso in your head: “Burn!”
Sick burn, in fact. Buck seemed like he had that comment locked and loaded, and was waiting for just the right moment to unleash it. It was so harsh, in fact, it took both Manning brothers a second to absorb what he said and react.
If only Buck showed that much life during his actual broadcasts.
Image: Jan 14, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; FOX analyst Joe Buck before the NFC Divisional Playoff football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon needs a new head football coach, and they have interest in a notable coach.
The Ducks have reportedly shown interest in interviewing Kalani Sitake for their vacancy.
Former Salt Lake City-based radio host Tim Montemayor reported the news on Sitake Monday night.
Montemayor tends to have good information regarding teams in Utah, including BYU and Utah.
Sitake, 46, is a former BYU fullback and has been the Cougars’ coach since 2016. He went 9-4 in his first season but then went 18-21 over the next three seasons.
Sitake has received increased attention thanks to his teams’ performances the last two seasons. BYU went 11-1 last season, led by Zach Wilson. This season they are 10-2.
Oregon is 10-3 this season and went 35-13 under Cristobal. They have plenty of brand recognition, nice facilities, and the backing of notable boosters. They should be able to attract a strong coach. They even reportedly have some interest in a very interesting name besides Sitake.
Photo: Oct 30, 2021; Provo, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake walks on to the field prior to their game against the Virginia Cavaliers at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots’ 3-pass victory led to all sorts of jokes and questions after their 14-10 win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday.
According to reporter Jeff Howe, Patriots center David Andrews said he hadn’t been part of a game with so few passes since maybe he was six years old. He then jabbed teammate Shaq Mason, suggesting Mason maybe had been part of a game with so few passes.
The joke has to do with where Mason played college football.
Mason, an offensive guard, played at Georgia Tech from 2011-2014. The Yellow Jackets were coached by Paul Johnson at the time, who ran a triple-option offense. Unusual for the 2010s, Georgia Tech’s offense was extremely run-heavy. They only attempted around 14 passes per game in 2014, which was Mason’s senior season. Despite their heavy run focus, the Yellow Jackets actually went 11-3 that year and won the Orange Bowl. They’ve transitioned away from the triple option and have struggled recently. By comparison, Andrews’ Georgia Bulldogs are thriving, so he probably takes enjoyment in throwing jabs Mason’s way.
Photo: Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia via CC BY SA 3.0
Sean McDermott definitely does not want to hear that he got beaten by Bill Belichick, even if that is exactly what happened on Monday night.
Belichick’s New England Patriots put on a situational football clinic against McDermott’s Buffalo Bills, using throwback schemes to grind out a 14-10 victory in very poor weather conditions at Highmark Stadium.
After the game, a reporter asked McDermott about the psychological impact of having Belichick on the other sideline. McDermott did not appreciate the question or the suggestion that Belichick did anything special to beat them.
“Let’s not give more credit than we need to give credit to Bill Belichick in this one,” replied McDermott, per Zack Cox of NESN. “Whether it was Bill or anyone else, they beat us right? But you sit here and you tell me when we start with an average starting field position of the 40-yard line and he starts with the 23-yard line — I’m rounding up in both cases — and we were 1-for-4 in the red zone and they were 0-for-1 in the red zone? You give me that ahead of time, I’d say I like my chances.
“I don’t think, with all due respect, it’s not a Bill Belichick-type thing,” added McDermott. “It’s what are you doing with the opportunities you got? What ae you doing with the opportunities you got? We turned the ball over on the plus-30-something yard line. Sloppy football. Sloppy football. I’m very comfortable in that situation.”
McDermott also made a big stink about a mistake that Belichick made in the first quarter with receiver N’Keal Harry, who was back to return a punt but misplayed it and gave the Bills great field position. McDermott emphasized that he was not going to let the Bills make a mistake like that.
While McDermott obviously believes that the Bills beat themselves more than Belichick and the Patriots beat them, you can’t deny that Belichick did a much better job of adapting to the weather. New England’s run-everything strategy was an ugly one. But it bled the clock, moved the ball, and kept the Bills offense off the field. Meanwhile, McDermott had Josh Allen throw 30 times (he completed 15 of them) in a situation where the aerial conditions could not really be trusted.
It is fair for McDermott to take exception to the reporter’s suggestion that Belichick had a psychological impact on him. But with salty quotes like these (on top of McDermott’s apparent dislike of the Patriots already), McDermott makes it seem like that is exactly what Belichick is doing — living in his head rent-free.
Photo: Jan 4, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott before the AFC Wild Card NFL Playoff game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots left Buffalo with a huge win on Monday night, and that left them comfortable enough to joke around afterwards.
The Pats won 14-10 despite throwing just three passes in the game. They ran the ball 46 times and went old school in the windy conditions.
Matthew Judon had three tackles, a sack and two passes defended in the victory. He complimented the Patriots’ offense for getting the job done, but he included a zinger for quarterback Mac Jones, who had a light load.
“Hats off to the offense. Really everybody. Probably besides Mac (Jones). He really didn’t do nothing besides hand the ball off,” Judon joked.
The Pats linebacker received some deserved laughs for his crack. Jones’ final stat line was: 2/3 for 19 yards.
Jones won’t take any offense to the joke either. There are times when the Patriots need to go heavy on the run to win a game, and other times where they’ll go heavy on passes. As long as they’re winning, very few people in their locker room will complain.
Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer were incensed with a question asked by a Buffalo Bills reporter after the team lost 14-10 to the New England Patriots on “Monday Night Football.”
The Patriots went old-school football and ran the ball 46 times against the Bills, choosing to pass just three times due to the heavy winds. New England ran the ball successfully too, piling up 222 yards on the ground.
After the game, Bills defensive players Hyde and Jordan Poyer answered questions from the media. WIVB’s Jerry Sullivan asked the players whether they were embarrassed by the Patriots beating them while throwing so few passes.
Both Hyde and Poyer were offended by the question.
“What kind of question is that?” Poyer asked rhetorically.
“What are we doing, bro?” Hyde chimed in.
Then after their press conference ended, Hyde sent a message to Sullivan.
“Don’t do that, don’t do that,” he told Sullivan as he walked out.
The players had a right to be upset with the question, but it’s not like it wasn’t a fair question. New England’s three pass attempts were the fewest by a team in an NFL game since 1974. And the Pats won!
The media’s job isn’t to coddle the players, but to ask them tough ones when it’s called for. Essentially asking them why they didn’t defend the run better despite knowing it was coming was a fair question.
The New England Patriots pulled off a 14-10 win at the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, playing through heavy winds and blizzard conditions. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick really threw it back to the old school to pull out a victory.
Belichick came well-prepared for the storm and had his offense focus on the ground game almost exclusively.
The Pats attempted just three passes while running it 46 times. Quarterback Mac Jones went 2/3 for 19 yards, yet he came out victorious.
As a team, the Pats rushed for 222 yards (4.8 ypc). Damien Harris broke for a 64-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and the Patriots made a 2-point conversion. From then on, it became about game and clock management, while trying to limit the turnover risk that could come from the harsh winds.
Belichick seemed to narrow his focus like his high school team did:
While New England dialed it back to the 1920s with almost exclusively running plays, the Bills tried to pass the ball through the elements.
Josh Allen went 15/30 for 145 yards and a touchdown. Buffalo rushed 25 times for 99 yards.
One player who needs to be recognized is Nick Folk making both of his field goals in the conditions, including a 41-yarder.
New England is now 9-4, including 6-0 on the road. They have won seven straight games and are in control of first in the AFC East.
Tom Brady showed last season how incredible of a player he remains even without Belichick. Belichick is reminding everyone of how good of a coach he is, and how well he can prepare for any game type or situation.
Photo: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
