The Buffalo Bills are still deluding themselves that they are in the playoff race. After falling to 4-7 when the Carolina Panthers defeated them 13-9, the Bills are two games behind the 6-5 New England Patriots, who also lost on Sunday.

Sure, the Bills made a game of it, but in the end, it was the defense that couldn't stop Jake Delhomme and his Carolina Panthers when it counted the most. With the Bills up 3 field goals to 2, the Panthers drove down the field 68 yards on 14 plays that ate up 7:48 off the clock. Delhomme swung a 3-yard pass to Michael Gaines for a touchdown to clinch it for the Panthers.

Bottom line in this game and the entire season for that matter is that the Bills are still shooting themselves in the foot time and again. There were several glorious opportunities where they could have really advanced their cause, but instead dropped the ball. The coaching staff is still getting too cutesy in its play calling and the defense couldn't halt the long Panthers drive in the end.

SAM ADAMS - BOTTOMS UP

The Bills under GM and President Tom Donahoe have been going backwards. And they have a way of getting their veterans ticked off at the organization. Remember the Reuben Brown fiasco? The guess here is back then former Bills head coach Gregg Williams got ticked off when Brown was late for a practice and then they benched him for the last game. He was gone the next year without compensation. And now Sam Adams. 

Adams was placed on the deactived list and had a spat with Mularkey about it. Then, before leaving  Ralph Wilson Stadium before the Carolina game, he conferred with a Fox sideline reporter that Mularkey told him that the Bills had a better opportunity to win without him in the lineup. Since then, Adams has apparently gone back home and may be the next Terrell Owens.

"He was disappointed that he didn't get to dress, and I'd be upset if they, all the inactives, aren't," put in Mularkey. "One of the worst parts of the job is you've got to not dress guys when most of them practice during the week. I know he was disappointed and he just said, "I'd feel better if I was not on the sidelines.' I said, "If you feel like that's going to be best for our team, which all these decisions are, then I'm OK with that.' And he's not the only one I've done that with."

From these cheap seats, it certainly seems that the Bills staff needs a lesson in team unity and motivating the players. The coaching staff is losing more respect every week with this kind of treatment of the veterans.

You have to try not to lose your veterans by being too judgmental or strict. There are ways to sooth out the rough feathers. Marv Levy was good at that. Not Mularkey or Donahoe.

Donahoe has continued to drop the ball where it concerns the offensive line. This is getting downright offensive! He has gone out and addressed the receiver and running back positions ... probably when the offensive line needs were more pressing. He traded up to get JP Losman when they already had Drew Bledsoe. They drafted receiver Lee Evans with their #1 overall pick last year when they had Eric Moulds. Donahoe got Willis McGahee when they already had Travis Henry. Sure, those picks appear to be good ones, but the most crucial need has been not been addressed.

Donahoe has never built up the offensive line which is the key ingredient to any offense. You start on the line and work out. Instead, he's put in castoffs and most of them wouldn't even be backups on most teams. Drew Bledsoe is performing much better now in Dallas since he has an adequate line to protect him.

According to some, Donahoe has wrecked the Bills franchise and should be run out of town. But we all know that won't happen in light of Ralph Wilson's age and the fact that he's comfortable with Donahoe running the show. However, the fact remains that the Bills have not made the playoffs since 1999 and this year it will be 6 years straight being on the outside looking in.

There Bills were once a proud franchise and had the never give up attitude. Now, you see the defeatist spirit on a weekly basis.

Other things that have been allowed to happen are disturbing. Letting Pat Williams go in free agency was a huge mistake. Now the Bills are letting Sam Adams pull a T.O. as he was deactivated on Sunday and left town, probably never to play in a Bills uniform again. This certainly smells like what happened with Rueben Brown, who became disgruntled in the Bills organization under Donahoe's watch. Brown would have been much better playing on the offensive line than any of the current wannabes.

One of the biggest complaints I've had since around 1995 is the failure of the Buffalo Bills to address their offensive line. The Bills that went to the Super Bowl 4 straight years had an outstanding O'line. Since then, it is been allowed to deteriorate to the point where it has offensive linemen that wouldn't even be backups on most teams.

The Losman can't get the ball to Evans if he's constantly being harassed by the blitzers constantly getting through the porous offensive line. McGahee would probably have 500 more yards if he had a decent line in front of him. Meanwhile, Donahoe has allowed his only true attempt at improving the offensive line, Mike Williams, to move from being a tackle to being a backup guard on the team. Williams was the #4 pick overall a couple years ago and he appears to be the biggest bust in the Donahoe era.

If the Bills continue to ignore their leaking levee of an offensive line, then the flood water will come rushing in and drown any quarterback they put in there.

Copyright © 2005 Bills Thunder & Rick Anderson, all rights reserved.