Buffalo Bills PLAYERS ONLY OFFENSE MEETING, time to PANIC? Scheme or execution, what's to blame?

Summary

Buffalo Plus Podcast: Buffalo Bills PLAYERS ONLY OFFENSE MEETING, Time to PANIC? - Summary

Date: November 10, 2023
Hosts: Jenna Cottrell, Dan Fetes
Notable Guests/Comments: Latavius Murray (audio), Sean McDermott (audio)

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Main Theme

The episode provides an in-depth analysis of the Buffalo Bills’ recent “players only” offensive meeting, the reasons behind it, and whether fans should be concerned about the team's trajectory. Jenna and Dan break down the current issues plaguing the Bills offense, from scheme vs. execution debates to questions about leadership, confidence, and upcoming challenges for the team.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Players Only Offensive Meeting

• Latavius Murray led a players-only meeting for the offense.
  • The meeting was not team-wide but focused on the offensive unit, sparked by a sense of underperformance and the need for ownership.
  • Latavius, though in his first year with the Bills, stepped up as a veteran voice.
  • Quote: “I want to win... I’m just trying to find answers, I think, like everybody else.” — Latavius Murray (00:00)
• Clarification and reaction:
  • Initial confusion over whether it was a full-team or offense-only meeting.
  • Both hosts noted it's concerning this is the second such meeting this season, which is not typical for recent Bills teams.
  • Jenna: “The fact that you’ve had to now, a couple weeks later, have to have another offensive-only meeting is very much concerning.” (03:48)

2. Leadership Dynamic

• Latavius’s role highlights leadership questions.
  • Notably, Josh Allen did not call the meeting.
  • Allen’s leadership style is described as “more of someone who does things by action.”
  • Khalil Shakir’s comments after the meeting highlight the offensive talent available but underscore ongoing issues in “putting all these pieces together.” (03:29)
• Sense of ownership:
  • Murray’s motive: “...the players need to take ownership... we have to go out and execute.” (05:16)

3. Scheme vs. Execution: Dorsey’s Offense Under Fire

• Offensive scheme critique:
  • Ken Dorsey’s offense is described as more “option-based,” forcing players to read and react rather than dictate and attack.
  • Compared to Brian Daboll’s prior offense, which was more aggressive and allowed players to play fast, Dorsey’s system leads to hesitation.
  • Dan: “It’s hard to play fast when you’re reacting... instead of saying, I’m running a slant, I’m going to beat you to the spot.” (07:04)
• Identity crisis and rhythm:
  • Repeated references to players talking about lacking rhythm, and the offense not playing “fast and free.”
  • Jenna: “I feel like they have been handcuffed... as opposed to just run out there and go show off the athleticism.” (07:32)
• Execution and coaching:
  • Debate over whether it’s bad roster construction or misapplication of talent.
  • “Is the coaching staff using the players to the best of their abilities?” — Dan (10:12)
  • Jenna suggests the coaching staff may have too much belief in the players (“maybe that is also to a fault.”) (10:18)

4. Analytics vs. The Eye Test

• Analytics say the offense is still highly ranked, but the eye test does not match.
  • Bills are still top of the league in advanced stats like EPA and DVOA, “even though they’ve had this rough stretch.”
  • The hosts are skeptical about drawing comfort from analytics:
  • Jenna: “No one who actually watches the games, including the players... [believes] this team is fine.” (11:50)
• Fan & social media divide:
  • Debate is reflected in fan sentiment; social media split sharply between optimists and skeptics.

5. Locker Room & Team Confidence

• McDermott’s perspective:
  • Coach Sean McDermott remains confident in the team despite adversity and says there’s work still to do.
  • Memorable quote:

    “Confident. Confident in our team, confident in our coaches, confident in our players, confident in our staff. Doesn’t mean we don’t have work to do... doesn’t mean we don't have a gap to close.” — Sean McDermott (16:39)

  • On adversity: “Every year is hard... you come out of it and you’re saying, hey, dang it, we were pretty good... So it’s never easy, but the belief is important.” — Sean McDermott (17:09)
• Are players accepting mediocrity?
  • Dan notes post-loss body language looked resigned more than angry.
  • “Maybe they’re at acceptance... past bargaining, past anger. It’s just acceptance.” (16:14)

6. Urgency and Upcoming Schedule

• Bills are 5–4, currently out of the playoffs.
  • Jenna: “If the season were to end, they would not be in the playoffs. And this is an unfamiliar spot...” (04:10)
• Tough upcoming stretch:
  • Consensus that confidence level is low (Dan: 3/10, Jenna: 5/10) for the team’s ability to adjust in the short term. (14:39–15:23)
• Urgency to change:
  • Dan: “Banging your head against the wall and expecting a different result is not working for me. So I would love to see some sort of change.” (21:44)
• Injuries on defense add to pressure:
  • Updates on Terrell Bernard and others missing practice. Defensive depth is being tested. (19:22–20:24)

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “I want to win... I’m just trying to find answers, I think, like everybody else.” — Latavius Murray, on leading the meeting (00:00)
• “The fact that you’ve had to now… have another offensive only meeting is very much concerning.” — Jenna (03:48)
• “It’s hard to play fast when you’re reacting... That’s the difference.” — Dan (07:04)
• “I feel like they have been handcuffed... as opposed to just run out there and go show off the athleticism.” — Jenna (07:32)
• “Is the coaching staff using the players to the best of their abilities?” — Dan (10:12)
• “No one who actually watches the games… [believes] this team is fine.” — Jenna (11:50)
• “Confident. Confident in our team, confident in our coaches, confident in our players, confident in our staff... but we have a gap to close.” — Sean McDermott (16:39)
• “Maybe they’re at acceptance. Maybe this is where they are.” — Dan (16:14)
• “I want to see loose cannon Josh again. I want to see ... the cockiness.” — Dan (19:05)
• “Banging your head against the wall and expecting a different result is not working for me. So I would love to see some sort of change.” — Dan (21:44)
• “You don’t have a players only meeting when the sun is shining.” — Jenna (17:17)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Latavius Murray Audio & Meeting Context: 00:00–02:57
• Leadership & Josh Allen Discussion: 02:57–04:10
• Scheme vs. Execution Analysis: 05:16–10:31
• Analytics/Eye Test/Offensive Identity: 10:31–12:58
• Locker Room Health & McDermott Quotes: 14:25–17:42
• Team Confidence & Urgency: 14:39–15:36; 18:15–18:58
• Injury Updates & Defensive Outlook: 19:22–20:24
• Closing Thoughts on Urgency, Schedule, and Changes Needed: 20:58–22:03

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

• The hosts' tone is urgent, candid, and at times frustrated—reflecting concern over the team’s trajectory.
• There is skepticism about relying on analytics to summarize the Bills’ struggles, and repeated calls for visible change (philosophically and personnel-wise).
• The mood is one of “wait and see”—the team still has top-tier talent, but must prove it now, and the upcoming games are pivotal.

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Conclusion

This is a critical moment for the Buffalo Bills, with a mounting sense of urgency inside and outside the locker room. A players-only meeting led by a newcomer signals grave concern on offense. The show unpacks the roots of these struggles—both schematically and in execution—and lays out what needs to change, all while providing insight and some humor. The message: It’s time for the Bills to deliver, or risk a lost season.

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For more insights, follow Buffalo Plus on YouTube and check out full episodes for locker room interviews and extended analysis.

Transcript

[Latavius Murray]

I want to win. You know, that's the only place that it's coming from. And I mean that. So, you know, I'm not just trying to be, you know, a guy that's just talking. I'm really not. I'm just, I'm trying to find answers, I think, like everybody else. And so, you know, it was on my heart to speak and I think it was received well and I hopefully it can, you know, again, take us, you know, take us to another level.

[Dan Fates]

This is the Buffalo plus podcast, brought to you by Connors and Ferris.

[Jenna Cottrell]

All right, welcome into the Buffalo plus podcast, presented by Connors and Ferris, Dan Fates, I am Jenna Cottrell. We are here in Orchard park today.

[Dan Fates]

Double dipping. It's the post practice recap and. And the podcast.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Because we have a lot to talk about today, Dan.

[Dan Fates]

We have a lot to talk about.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Latavius Murray was talking to us today. Players only meeting, the second one for the offense. Oh, please be sure to like comment and subscribe as we get started. But the second doozy. Players only meeting of the season.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, we talked to Trent Sherfield who inadvertently, advertently, I don't know, kind of just said they had a team meeting which kind of perked up all of our ears to know like what? Yeah, what team?

[Jenna Cottrell]

Players only meetings.

[Dan Fates]

Yes. Now let's clarify. The players only meeting was just for the offense.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Correct.

[Dan Fates]

It was not a team wide thing. It was just the offense. We found that out after because Vaughn talked about it.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, well, he talked about the. He liked the idea of it because of the ownership aspect, how this team can play better. But then Khalil Shakir told us, well, it was just the offense that had the meeting.

[Dan Fates]

And that was after we had also talked to Latavius Murray who never specified that it was just the offense. So we all kind of had this impression and we tweeted out things of just the fact that the Bills had a players only team meeting. Just to clarify, it was just the offense and it was led by Latavius Murray. He's the one that came in today that felt the need to step up and initiate it. And his kind of points were the fact of what they have to do for the offense to make a difference and improve. Very telling that it's from a first year guy in Buffalo.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yes. Who is a longtime veteran, long time.

[Dan Fates]

Veteran, but he felt like that was trying to find his place is something that's difficult, he says, being a new player. But he felt the need to kind of step up and say something, especially based on wanting to win. And he knew that those guys talked, that he knew that he was stepping up because he wanted to win. And the other thing I asked him was, why now? Why did you feel the need to have a team meeting with just the players now? And he said coming off of another game on Sunday night where he said they can play with anybody, he believes they can beat anybody. But it was once again another instance on Sunday night in Cincinnati where he felt like they beat themselves and what can they do to make a difference and stop that? Interesting.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I think that's very fair, though. And I'm not surprised. I'm a little surprised that it's Latavius Murray leading that. Josh Allen was asked about his style of leadership and he said he's more. He's a little bit less vocal, more of someone who does things by action. Now, this was before we knew that they had an offensive only players meeting. But at the same point, I am a little bit surprised that Allen wasn't the one calling that meeting. But Latavius Murray brings up the points that are very important of this team has. And here's what Khalil Shakir said he talked about. You know, I looked to my left and I looked to my right and I got Gabe Davis on one side and I got Stefan Diggs to the other. We got dogs, we got all this talent. It's just about putting all these pieces together. My concern is you had a offensive meeting a couple weeks ago that was.

[Dan Fates]

Telling Shakir, saying this wasn't the first one they've had.

[Jenna Cottrell]

That's what I'm saying. The fact that you've had to now, a couple weeks later, have to have another offensive only meeting is very much concerning.

[Dan Fates]

I got a text message just before we started recording from a Buffalo plus friend. Some would argue one of the best guests we've ever had on this podcast. He's the goat guest. And he said, you know, rut row like problems. And I was like, it's not the first one.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, I think this is where this team is at 5 and 4 right now. If the season were to end, they would not be in the playoffs. And this is an unfamiliar spot for this Josh Allen team that kind of just last year. Last year was super bowl favorites and this year is on the outside looking in, trying to get into the playoffs. But it goes to show just how offensively disjointed that they have been. And I gotta tell you, at practice today, I did feel like there was more of a sense. I felt like there was A little bit of buzz even after practice. You know, we have the, the podium here where players will speak. There are a ton of players getting in the extra work. But it's like, yeah, you, you need to do that. You need to make a statement. You need to prove that this team is the team that everyone thought they were. Josh Allen said November is when. I can't exactly remember how he worded it, but essentially like November matters. This is when it really is meaningful football and the team needs to play like that.

[Dan Fates]

I just can't remember a team, especially as Bill's team in the last few years that has had one of these players only meetings. They don't usually scream everything's fine.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, no, it's obviously an indicator that things are wrong.

[Dan Fates]

And Latavius also added that he wanted to do this without the coaches because the players need to take ownership, they need to take growth of. He goes, we believe the coaches are going to put us in the best positions. That's their job. We know they're going to put us in a great game plan. Those are his words. And he goes, we have to go out and execute. And I think that's part of it. And that kind of leads us into our next point. And something we wanted to talk about was playing fast and free. Yeah, I think there's something to this. And yeah, I tweeted yesterday, the fact of like where is the fine line? I crafted a tweet yesterday, workshopped it with multiple people. The fact of where's that fine line between analytics and the eye test? Because it seems like Bill's mafia, especially on social media, is divided very, very sharply. And there is a gray area for a guy that's all about hot takes. There absolutely is a gray area. And it's the fact of, look, the Bills are still top, one of the best teams in EPA per play and dvoa, they're in the top two. And all these things, even though they've had this rough stretch recently, there's a fine line to it. And I was actually talking to Eric Turner of COVID 1 yesterday and I thought it was very telling. And the difference between a Day bowl and a Dorsey offense and one of them is, and this is what is enlightening was when you talk to the people that know things like shout out Cover one, great channel, totally different than what we do, they crunch a lot more, film all these things that Dorsey's offense is much more option based. The players have to read the defense and it's almost designed to beat any defense on any Play if everything's perfect. The problem is not everything's perfect right now. And so the players are having to. The ball is snapped and instead of Dable, who is very attacking, this is what we're going to do to defenses and they're going to have to handle it. Dorsey's is more read and react. So the trouble we've seen is it's hard to play fast when you're reacting.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Instead of when you're thinking. When you're thinking. So instead of saying, hey, okay, the defense is doing this, so I got to go here and okay, now I got to move. Instead of saying, I'm running a slant, I'm going to beat you to the spot.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

That's the difference. And that's also why you're seeing players end up on the same spot. You're seeing two players that are reading the defense differently.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Which is a big problem. And that's why everything feels off. It's a lot of read and react with this Dorsey system that's designed to have answers for every play. The problem is they're getting the questions wrong.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I will say no, they're getting the answers wrong. They're reading the questions wrong and therefore getting questions, answers. Everything's wrong. I get in concept why you would think this would be so effective. Because you take an offense that has had a lot of the same pieces and you're asking them to continue to evolve, continue to adapt and be able to, like you said, read and react. But we have seen on the field that that is not the case. There is. And you've heard the players, Gabe Davis talked about it, Stefan Diggs about getting into a rhythm for one. And also the fact of that fast and free and just being able to play the way that they know how. This, this. I do still believe that there is a lot of talent on this offense, but I feel like they have been handcuffed by having to, as opposed to just run out there and go show off the athleticism. And I even asked Sean McDermott that today, like, you know, your players are talking about being fast and free. How do you help enable them to be that? And he said it's like, yeah, that's got to be our forefront of what we're doing. Because not only that, but you show your athleticism, your personality and I think all of those things, it's the trickle down effect of that confidence as well coming into that. So I get why initially it would be the idea of like this is a great con concept. Concept. But then in execution It's. It has been an issue, but that's.

[Dan Fates]

Also what lacks the identity because it's much more of a reactionary offensive game plan than it is a dictating game plan. It's something we've talked about of like, throw your best punch. Don't be so worried. And Josh said it, remember, a few weeks ago.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Well, he said today, even, it's like, we got to attack more.

[Dan Fates]

Well, it was also, we need to stop worrying about what defenses do, and we need to do what we do best and force it on defenses and, like, dictate. Yeah. And like, that's just where I'm sitting here going, man, you got to just kind of push the envelope and be that team. And it's very tough to play fast when you're thinking.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I will say, though, Josh kind of. We asked him about his shoulder. He says, you know, things are going well.

[Dan Fates]

He threw today.

[Jenna Cottrell]

He did throw today, which I think is obviously a positive. But he did talk about the players and how they need to execute. And he said, I know, you know, Dorsey's getting a lot of steam. So he still was coming to the defense of his offensive coordinator. Now, that is to the public and to us, company line. But I'm curious how it would be by behind closed doors. But at the same point, I think even Sean McDermott alluded to this. There's route concepts, and then there's the ability of players to do what they do, and something along the way is not adding up.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. So. And that's circling back to.

[Jenna Cottrell]

But also, if you think about it, if it's the players not being able to execute, then it goes also to roster construction, which that means that there is a whole slew of issues. And I think it could be, you know, meeting in the middle. Shocking. I know me saying it's nuance involved, but at the same point, I think there is.

[Dan Fates]

But I think that it's roster construction. It's also. Is the coaching staff using the players to the best of their abilities?

[Jenna Cottrell]

I think. No, no, I agree. I think this coaching staff, as we, like, whisper. I know. I'm like, I think this coaching staff has an abundant belief in their players, and maybe that is also to a fault.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. And this goes back to where it's funny. There's so many people in analytics and I get it. And it has its place in the game and all of those things. But. But you can't tell me, based on EPA or DVOA or whatever thing you want to look at and listen to the players talk about the offense and believe and somebody responded. Do you think Josh gives a flying anything about DVOA or the Bills epa? He cares about points, he cares about winning. And Benjamin Solak made a good point. It sucks right now because the Bills aren't winning. All this stuff sucks because you're not winning. Literally that they're 5, 4 for the first time since 2018, Josh's rookie year. This is unfamiliar territory. And I know you can look back to say, hey, at other times they've turned it on. They've been seven and six, you know, lost at Tampa Bay and turned it on. That feels like a very far way away from where we are right now.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I mean that to me is best case scenario. Obviously that's oh them pulling it together, them figuring it out. Here's what I do want to say. Analytics is the application of stats. And you said in your tweet they can be reckless in terms of interpretation. I just think going off of that they can be very misleading and they can lead to tremendous blind spots. So here's my thing. If you look at the stats hot take Jenna and you say, oh, this bill. You, you're essentially your box score scouting. You're like saying, oh, this team is fine. No one who actually watches the games, including the players who are watching the.

[Dan Fates]

Players and coaching staff.

[Jenna Cottrell]

But that's my thing. I. I don't. When people tell me, oh, well, the Bills are fine because xyz, I say, okay, but you are not watching the games, clearly. So your opinion on what this team is doing doesn't matter because you are not being latavious.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. Latavia stands up and somebody's like, hey, guys, what are you. Latavius, sit down. We're first in epa.

[Jenna Cottrell]

See, but I feel like you're giving too much stock to people that say that. Because to me, when people say like, oh, it's fine, guys, look at the dvoa, it's like you're not paying attention. So why does your opinion matter?

[Dan Fates]

Because you can't pinpoint. Because they're trying to explain that it's not the offense. You're trying to point the finger at something else. That the problem is the defense. The problem is.

[Jenna Cottrell]

But I'm saying, like, if you think that the defense is the issue of this team, that I don't think you know football. I mean, are we watching. You could say, hey, they haven't turned the ball. I feel that's how, that's how I feel too. Now you can say that there's a.

[Dan Fates]

Big piece a lot of people on X that disagree with you.

[Jenna Cottrell]

This defense is far from perfect, obviously.

[Dan Fates]

But I think it's Josh Norman on the field. And they only allowed three points in the second half against the Bengals.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Making. He had meaningful snaps. He was playing it. There's a lot of things to pick out on this team, but I think it starts for first and foremost, obviously, with the offense.

[Dan Fates]

I agree.

[Jenna Cottrell]

People are gonna yell at me in the comments. I've had people yell at me on Twitter all day today.

[Dan Fates]

I love it.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I hate it. Stop yelling. I'm just telling you what they said. Don't yell at me.

[Dan Fates]

Hey, they don't yell at nobody's. When you tweet and nobody says anything, it's not a good tweet.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Actually. That's pretty funny.

[Dan Fates]

I'm just saying that's funny.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I'm not built for this dude.

[Dan Fates]

No, that's. That's. That's the difference. I don't like that you right now want to throw your phone in a river.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I literally muted so many conversations on Twitter. I was like, I don't want to be a part of this. That's cool.

[Dan Fates]

All of this is. Is because the Bills are five and four.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, the Bills are mad.

[Dan Fates]

Bills are seven and two and nobody cares. We wouldn't be having an angry debate about one thing.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I think we would say, hey, we want to see style points wins. We want to see domination.

[Dan Fates]

But, yeah, so players only. Players only. Offensive meeting. We talked about the offense, the difference between, again, shout out to cover one and talking to Eric Turner yesterday. Go check them out. Like, comment, subscribe, like, again, informative stuff. They do different stuff than what we do. And it was insightful to, again, see that perspective. To see that perspective. I don't want to sit here and put my head in the sand and go, no, it's this. And talking to somebody else who's seen it from a different way. And we can go, hey, yeah, by the way. Like, by the way, remember when Gabe talked about playing fast? And remember when this is kind of happening, we got players running into each other. Like, there's a lot of things that are going on. And when everything is clicking with Dorsey's offense and the scheme and the philosophies, we've seen what it can do against Miami. Everything worked well. We are not at that point right now. And just wondering if there will be a change.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Sean McDermott, though, I want to ask you something before. How confident are you in this team in their ability to adjust?

[Dan Fates]

Not very confidence. If I was 10, I'd be super confident. I'd say a three.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Wow. That low.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. And because it's not just these nine games we're going back to again, I'm looking at the whole Ken Dorsey era of this offense. I'm going back to. I'm going back to Stefan Diggs.

[Jenna Cottrell]

27 games that he's.

[Dan Fates]

I'm going back to Stefan Diggs being very upset in the sideline in Cincinnati, Wondering where. Where the answers are. Yeah, that back half of this offense. And it just seems like, again, there ain't any injuries. Dawson Knox. Yeah, that's the only injury.

[Jenna Cottrell]

But Dalton Kincaid has been able to kind of flourish because of that. I know he had the fumble, but still.

[Dan Fates]

So all of these things, that. That's where I'm at. Three out of 10 for me, I.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Would say I'm out of five.

[Dan Fates]

You would. That's such a. Jenna Andrew right in the middle. Oh, my God. Yeah. It's so good.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I feel like that's so funny.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. And you didn't even realize it. You're like, no, it's five. Yeah. Oh, yeah. It's back to.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Haven't been. It's because maybe it is lower because they have a tough stretch coming up.

[Dan Fates]

Very tough stretch.

[Jenna Cottrell]

But I do believe that this team can play with anyone.

[Dan Fates]

Josh Allen.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. So.

[Dan Fates]

Other things. Sean McDermott, after the podium on Sunday night, I thought he was very. I thought the Bills, again, this is Dan the therapist reading, you know, into their body language. I thought Josh and Sean seemed very like, we lost. The Bengals are better than us. Like, we didn't see despondent Josh. We didn't see Josh saying, I played like shit. And all of a sudden in these things and him being like, I suck and all these things, it was like, yeah, we didn't make plays. And that I was angry because the players seemed to just accept it.

[Jenna Cottrell]

We literally talked about the stages of grief.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, they're just like, maybe they're at acceptance. Maybe this is where they are.

[Jenna Cottrell]

They're past bargaining.

[Dan Fates]

They're past bargaining. Like, they're past anger. It's just acceptance. But this was. I thought Sean McDermott was very stoic. He was a leader today. I thought when he was asked, why do you have or where do you feel you are at? 5 and 4 running out of room for margin, for error. And he said, I'm confident.

[Sean McDermott]

Confident. Confident in our team, confident in our coaches, confident in our players, confident in our staff. Doesn't mean we don't have work to do. Doesn't mean we don't Have a gap to close, and there's different things that make up that gap. And so we've got to continue to drill down on those areas and play better as an overall team, complementary, wise, and reset some things that we need to reset.

[Dan Fates]

The next question was, well, how do you feel the locker room is? I thought he gave an even better answer to that.

[Sean McDermott]

You know what I've learned? Just being around the NFL is. Even being 14 and whatever we were 14 and zero years ago and going to the super bowl is every year it seems like you're banging your head against the wall. Every year is hard, and you come out of it and you're saying, hey, dang it, we were pretty good. And. And we learned some lessons all the way through it. So it's never easy, but the belief is important.

[Dan Fates]

This team wasn't expecting to have this. And last year was different kind of hardships and it was different challenges.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

The difficulty was he goes, but I think this team, I think goes, I know we're ready for the challenge because that's what the Buffalo Bills do. I liked it. I thought there was a little bit of piss and vinegar in his delivery of, hey, we're gonna write this ship, you guys. And again, how often have we talked about this? How often have we talked about this? This team loves when everybody counts them out.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Oh, 1000%.

[Dan Fates]

Well, there ain't. People aren't jumping off the bandwagon. The bandwagon has crashed, burned, lit on fire, and there's nobody left. This is now. This is a team where they go, you guys all count us up. That's fine.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Watch.

[Dan Fates]

Just watch. Maybe this is it.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Maybe this is it. But maybe I will say, too, when you take a look like, I feel like the Bills have been able as a franchise to move the goalpost back pretty much every season. Last year, at the end of it, you could say, obviously, some off the field things, you know, this team was emotionally just exhausted. This is the kind of season where you get to see, all right, what is this team made of? And I will say I think the players only meeting is a kind of a red flag of where this team is at in the season, obviously. But at the same point, maybe that will evoke some type of change and maybe the team will be pissed off, because they should be. But we haven't seen, like, you talked about that kind of anger in a couple weeks. Yep. I want to. I want to see that anger. I want to see that reaction.

[Dan Fates]

I want to see loose cannon Josh again. I want to see I know. You know what I loved? I loved about the touchdown in Cincinnati. I loved the cockiness.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Oh, I love the point.

[Dan Fates]

I want. I love that. That is what it. That's what I think this team needs. And again, for the most part of the last few. Last month, it's just kind of been ho hum.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Walk around like you were the Buffalo Bills, like you were the super bowl contenders and move forward. And lastly the injuries.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. So Terrell Bernard, concussion protocol. But he is. He was eliminated today at practice.

[Dan Fates]

Good to see him out there.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Good to see him out there. We did not see Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Christian Benford or Leonard Floyd with a sickness. Yeah. So that something to monitor. This team on defense is beaten up.

[Dan Fates]

That's an understatement.

[Jenna Cottrell]

They certainly are.

[Dan Fates]

But hopefully give another more an extra day with Riswell Douglas, Linval Joseph. Just a massive human being.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Just a mountain of a human being. And again, I thought him and Rasool Douglas played very well considering coming off the street. And I asked Dane about that or I asked Taran about that today, about just the fact of you're so banged up to begin with, then you go into Cincinnati, you lose Bernard, you lose Benford, you lose Micah, you lose all these pieces. You're looking around going, who the hell is on the field? And you're still playing well. And he goes. I think that that says a lot about this. This team. You know, the toughness, the mental edge that they have. So this is just next man up. It's just becoming a dumb cliche, but it really is.

[Jenna Cottrell]

It is. And I will say to people that are talking about the defense, did they get punched in the. In the face when they first started out? Yeah, obviously the Bengals went down, drove down the field, score, Dr. Field and score. But you saw the adjustment and you're just not seeing the adjustment from the offense. I want to hear people's where they think this team's at in terms of their confidence level, people's confidence level and how this team can get it turned around if that will be the case. And just what your thoughts are as we head into a seemingly must win next two games. Must win Monday night football game against the Broncos. And then you have the jets after that.

[Dan Fates]

And right now the Bengals or the. The Broncos have the best defense the last two weeks.

[Jenna Cottrell]

They're playing well. They're coming off the buy, they're rested. They beat the Chiefs. They had a win before that as well. So the team definitely has confidence and that will be something.

[Dan Fates]

Do players only meetings worry You.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I mean, I think that's like, yeah, you don't have a players only meeting when the sun is shining.

[Dan Fates]

Right. But some people think like, hey, that's good, they're taking the initiative again. I'm saying that there needs to be.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I think this players only meeting will have an effect.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. Because I've also been sitting here saying something needs to change offensively. I would love to see Ken Dorsey come down to the sideline. I would love to see something different. Banging your head against the wall and expecting a different result is not working for me. So I would love to see some sort of change.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Whether that is Dorsey, whether that is somebody else doing something different. Because I'm sick and tired of sitting here going, well, they got to do this and then it doesn't happen.

[Jenna Cottrell]

You know, I should ask Josh Allen next time we talk to him. Just about like, he is very demanding of himself. Does he need to be more demanding of the players around him? I'd be curious what he would say to that.

[Dan Fates]

I would like that.

[Jenna Cottrell]

We'll see. All right. Thank you for joining us on here. I'm so scared for these comments. All right, please be sure to, like, comment your comment in terms of do you think players only meeting will affect this team in a positive way and your confidence level and if this team can get things turned around for Dan. I'm Jenna.

[Dan Fates]

Find your podcast this wherever you're listening.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Wherever you listen to your podcast. Spotify. Spotify, obviously on YouTube. Share with a friend.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. Like comment. Subscribe.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. We always appreciate it. Have fun. It's cathartic. Let's be real.

[Dan Fates]

Let's be real.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I was gonna say. All right, thank you for joining us. We will see you next time.

[Dan Fates]

In the time it takes you to actually board a flight from Group 8 now.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Boarding Premier Altitude Elite club members.

[Dan Fates]

You could have bought a Hyundai on Amazon. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. Limited availability pickup through participating Hyundai dealer in select markets.