By Sean Quinn
Mike Mularkey’s plan backfired. Actually, it was more of a back draft. Rusted-out Ford Pintos backfire, but the second-year head coach’s unwarranted suspension of veteran Eric Moulds did something far worse – it didn’t fire up his team, instead, it engulfed and burned the soon-to-be former Buffalo Bills head coach.
And rightfully so.You don’t suspend the leader of this team, especially if that captain has done absolutely nothing wrong. No one will ever know exactly what happened on the sidelines last weekend against Miami, in which the Bills blew a 20-point fourth-quarter lead, but no one needs to know. All you need to know is that Eric Moulds has the right to be upset, and it is Mularkey, not Moulds, who is to blame for Buffalo’s 4-9 season – the sixth consecutive without a playoff appearance.
Moulds, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, has lost all three of his postseason games during his 10-year career, and like the rest of his teammates and their fans, he is fed up. And who can blame him for venting his frustrations to the head coach? It’s about time somebody did, considering Mularkey still believes his offensive strategy, which makes the Baltimore Ravens’ offense appear to be a juggernaut, works well in Buffalo.
The Bills are in the bottom five in total offense in the league. And no one has suffered more than No. 80.
He has just one play of 20-plus yards and hasn’t seen the end zone since October. Dick Vermeil has cried 10 times since Moulds’ last touchdown. He leads the team in receptions with 54, but it doesn’t look like he’ll get close to his 88 receptions he had last season or his career-high of 10 touchdown receptions he had in 2002.
He’s remained quiet as Lee Evans, Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish have taken receptions away from him. He’s kept his mouth shut when on seemingly every third down J.P. Losman makes his check-down receiver his No. 1 option. But when the franchise’s second-ranked receiver in almost every receiving category does not get the ball thrown his way, ending a team record of 121 consecutive games with a catch, he has to start screaming.
Moulds has the right to use a bullhorn to vent his frustrations after Mularkey singled him out. Mularkey could punish Willis McGahee, who was outrushed by Tom Brady in New England’s 35-7 thumping at Buffalo on Sunday. McGahee not once, but twice proclaimed himself as the best running back in the league…publicly. He hasn’t ran for more than 100 yards in six games and has three games this season of 50 or less yards rushing, including a season-low three yards against the Patriots. Why not suspend McGahee?
Mularkey would rather punish the last remaining tie between the pathetic present and the respected past of the Marv Levy era. He would rather publicly chastise the most respected leader in the locker room and the team’s most productive player in the last 10 years.
It was a decision, though, by the head coach and the team’s president/general manager. Tom Donahoe singled out Moulds to cover his own butt. If he frames Moulds as a selfish, arrogant teammate, the fans won’t be upset when they don’t re-sign him this offseason. Plus, it makes Donahoe look like a genius for drafting three wide receivers with the team’s first picks in the past four drafts.
Donahoe and Mularkey are now about as well respected as the realtor who is showing O.J. Simpson properties in Western New York.
It didn’t work, boys. The team didn’t give the head coach respect, instead they gave up before the game ever started Sunday.
That’s the only way to explain a loss that bad, in which the Buffalo defense gave up 32 first downs. This is the same Bills team that looked destined for a victory at New England in Week 8 until Kelly Holcomb fumbled away the game.
Perhaps there is one valid explanation – the star of that Week 8 loss, Eric Moulds, who had nine receptions for 125 yards and one touchdown, didn’t play Sunday. He didn’t show up and neither did his teammates. Well done, coach.