It was a different game with the same preseason results for the Buffalo Bills in Saturday's 27-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an offensive struggle capped off by boos raining down from the seats of Ralph Wilson Stadium at the end of the first half.
The first-team unit failed once again to tally a touchdown in the first two quarters of play, turning the ball over three times and ending four other drives with punts.
Even a pep talk by veteran running back Fred Jackson seemed to fall on deaf ears, as the team went 2-of-7 on third downs and committed seven penalties before heading into the locker room.
"There were a lot of people that just weren’t on the same page, we’ve got turnovers, we’ve got penalties, things like that that’s not going to allow us to win football games," Jackson said after the game, via buffalobills.com. "I just told everybody that we had to calm down, let everything take care of itself, and don’t try to do anyone else’s job, just try dot do your job and we’ll get back in this thing."
The first-teamers played through the third quarter, though they were only able to muster six points after Tampa swapped in their second-team defense. Coach Doug Marrone didn't mince words after the embarrassing offensive effort, saying, “When you play poorly, you should get booed." He did, however, tout Jackson's attempts to shake the offense from its funk.
"I’ll take all the help we can get," he said. "I didn’t know that. I didn’t see that because, obviously, I was watching on the field. Hey, whatever it takes. It’s a good thing.
"Fred’s a good football player and he’s respected. I have a lot of respect for Fred, so I would think that his teammates respect the heck out of him. It’s good to see that. That’s what you want to see."
The Bills will make a slew of cuts from now until 4 p.m. Tuesday, as it works to get its roster down to the league-mandated 76 players. The team will then play its final preseason game Thursday at home against the Detroit Lions prior to making its final preseason cuts, which need to happen by 4 p.m. Aug. 30.
The Bills will make a slew of cuts from now until 4 p.m. Tuesday, as it works to get its roster down to the league-mandated 76 players. The team will then play its final preseason game Thursday at home against the Detroit Lions prior to making its final preseason cuts, which need to happen by 4 p.m. Aug. 30.
