After nearly eight hours, we’re finally at the end of the road for this week’s Morning Aftermath.
And that’s fitting, since Bills coach Dick Jauron is also near the end of the road.
Since starting last year with a 5-1 mark and earning a new three-year deal in what began as lame-duck season, the Bills have now lost 12 of 15 games.
The $6.5 million investment in receiver Terrell Owens has been squandered, and the team is now in shambles.
How bad is it? Browns Derek Anderson completed only two of 17 passes for 23 yards, the Bills still lost.
Running back Jamal Lewis provided the punch on offense for Cleveland, rushing for 117 yards, his first 100-yard game since 2007.
In the end, it was Billy Cundiff’s 18-yard field goal with 23 seconds to play that delivered the win.
Even then, there were still a few anxious moments, thanks to Cundiff’s kickoff that went out of bounds.
“Are you kidding me? Are you kidding
me? Are you kidding me?” coach Eric Mangini said of the errant kick, which gave the Bills the ball on their own 40. “That’s all that was going through my head. That
ball should not be out of bounds. Wind, rain, sleet, act of God, it
stays in bounds.”
But the key player for the Browns was punter Dave Zastudil, who put seven kicks inside the Buffalo 20 and three inside the five.
Zastudil’s last punt was muffed by Roscoe Parrish, giving the Browns a short field for the winning points.
In a game where field position was critical, Parrish had another blunder in the second half, taking a punt at his own 42 and losing 15 yards while trying desperately to break free.
The effort reflects Parrish’s efforts to break free from Buffalo, something that he likely wants more than ever after having a big role in the team’s plunge to 1-4.
That was 3 hours of my life I would like to have back. Incredibly bad football teams. Browns will get beat by 30 in pitts next week.
Glad I didn’t have to watch this boring-ass game. Damn, it’s even boring to read about it.