Hall-of-Fame head coach's approach can prevent Bills' preseason overreaction

The Buffalo Bills suffered a lop-sided loss in their preseason opener, but history says not to worry.

Ralph Ventre | Aug 12, 2024

Aug 4, 2007; Canton, OH, USA; Marv Levy talks as he presents Thurman Thomas former Buffalo Bill from 1988 to 1999 during enshrinement ceremonies at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. / Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

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It's been awhile, but have Buffalo Bills' fans forgotten the Marv-elous 1990s and what preseason used to look like?

The Bills were annually underwhelming during the summer exhibition season while Hall-of-Fame head coach Marv Levy, who celebrated his 99th birthday earlier this month, was accused of presiding over a "country club" atmosphere every August.

After the stresses of long postseason runs, Buffalo's veterans benefitted from the lack of summertime intensity and were able to flip the switch once the games started to count.

With a seventh-year quarterback and an eighth-year head coach, these Bills should be able to do the same despite a decent number of new faces on the roster. Even those who believe preseason reps are important can't rationally fly off the handle over Saturday's stinker against the Chicago Bears.

Yes, the Bills lost 33-6 to a bad team and it was ugly. No, overreaction is not warranted.

First, and foremost, Josh Allen looked fine during his brief appearance and came out healthy.

When it comes to Buffalo's inability to establish the run, one must recognize that they went into the game without a plan.

"We only had three or four runs in. Again, we didn't game plan at all for what they were gonna do on defense," said quarterback Josh Allen.

As for the Bills' defense that was playing without defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano and both offseason safety additions, the unit limited the Bears to six first-half points on a pair of field goals.

"I felt like we did alright," said starting nickel cornerback Taron Johnson. "That screen got out on us, but I feel like we held them in the red zone and thought we played solid. Definitely some things to clean up, but it was a pretty small sample size, so just keep pushing.”

While first-year defensive coordinator Bobby Babich was making the calls from the booth, there was no real pregame strategic preparation for Chicago.

"There's no game planning whatsoever," said Johnson.

Now, instead of going all the way back to the 90s again, just dial it back to last summer when Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers diced up the Bills in an exhibition setting. Pickett looked like a potential Pro Bowler that day in Orchard Park, and he wound up losing his job before the season was done. Meanwhile, Buffalo's defense endured crucial injuries and finished as a Top 10 unit.

Use history as a guide and don't overreact to preseason results. If the approach worked for Levy, then maybe angry Sean McDermott should give it a try.

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