I didn't remember this occurrence and was trying to guess what the "Most Harmful Play in NFL History" could possibly be as I read. That was WAY worse than I expected.
It really doesn't feel fair to Monday morning quarterback the sports equivalent of being crushed by a falling satellite, but why did the Bills start that play with their running back six yards back in the end zone? It's obviously going to be a sneak and it's pretty impossible for him to be helpful from there.
You're right. It was a really weak attempt at deception, but what they should've done is line Devin Singletary up in the tush push position, and threatened to sweep him around the edge, which is what teams do now. With hindsight being 20/20, this was such a disaster that it could've even been beneficial for the Bills to run a real play here if they weren't prepared to run a sneak, which it really looks like they weren't.
I just don't think the Bills were prepared for what was happening. The players didn't seem to know what was happening, and you're right that this is an extremely weird formation. Why would you come out lined up like this? All of these things adding up together is how you get the worst play the NFL has ever seen.
Great sports writing. You really have a flair for breaking down the game of football that I think appeals to not only ardent football fans, but also individuals (like me) who are not familiar with the nuances of the game and to help better understand it through your writing.
I try to tell these stories like stories, and not strictly like 'sports stories.' It makes me really happy that it gets across well enough that even people who are not die-hard fans of the game can feel like they have a solid understanding, at least of the story I'm telling.
Absolutely love articles like this. Every fan can recall soul crushing plays that happened in a game, plays that often made a huge difference in the outcome. Then the rational, inner coach speak takes over, no game is lost on one play, we had chances to make plays for 60 minutes…
I completely agree. The temptation to think like a coach is extremely strong, but sometimes games are lost on one play, and this was an example. Like I said, did this game need to be so close? No. This should've been a 10+ point win for Buffalo. However, they had weathered the storm, and done just barely enough to win. Not impressive, but in the end all wins are the same.
All that remained was the formality of kneeling the ball down. The game was (nearly literally) over, and then all of a sudden nine seconds later the Bills were almost certain to lose. It's literally the craziest swing in momentum the NFL has ever seen. It's almost unfathomable that anything like this ever happened at all. It's the exact kind of statistically interesting I shoot for on here.
I didn't remember this occurrence and was trying to guess what the "Most Harmful Play in NFL History" could possibly be as I read. That was WAY worse than I expected.
It really doesn't feel fair to Monday morning quarterback the sports equivalent of being crushed by a falling satellite, but why did the Bills start that play with their running back six yards back in the end zone? It's obviously going to be a sneak and it's pretty impossible for him to be helpful from there.
You're right. It was a really weak attempt at deception, but what they should've done is line Devin Singletary up in the tush push position, and threatened to sweep him around the edge, which is what teams do now. With hindsight being 20/20, this was such a disaster that it could've even been beneficial for the Bills to run a real play here if they weren't prepared to run a sneak, which it really looks like they weren't.
I just don't think the Bills were prepared for what was happening. The players didn't seem to know what was happening, and you're right that this is an extremely weird formation. Why would you come out lined up like this? All of these things adding up together is how you get the worst play the NFL has ever seen.
Great sports writing. You really have a flair for breaking down the game of football that I think appeals to not only ardent football fans, but also individuals (like me) who are not familiar with the nuances of the game and to help better understand it through your writing.
Thank you very much my friend!
I try to tell these stories like stories, and not strictly like 'sports stories.' It makes me really happy that it gets across well enough that even people who are not die-hard fans of the game can feel like they have a solid understanding, at least of the story I'm telling.
Absolutely love articles like this. Every fan can recall soul crushing plays that happened in a game, plays that often made a huge difference in the outcome. Then the rational, inner coach speak takes over, no game is lost on one play, we had chances to make plays for 60 minutes…
This one was that bad. Great article.
I completely agree. The temptation to think like a coach is extremely strong, but sometimes games are lost on one play, and this was an example. Like I said, did this game need to be so close? No. This should've been a 10+ point win for Buffalo. However, they had weathered the storm, and done just barely enough to win. Not impressive, but in the end all wins are the same.
All that remained was the formality of kneeling the ball down. The game was (nearly literally) over, and then all of a sudden nine seconds later the Bills were almost certain to lose. It's literally the craziest swing in momentum the NFL has ever seen. It's almost unfathomable that anything like this ever happened at all. It's the exact kind of statistically interesting I shoot for on here.