Getty Former Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey in Orchard Park on August 05, 2022.
The Buffalo Bills‘ 21-19 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, September 25 was a most bizarre and frustrating defeat.
The final few minutes were the most stressful to watch. While the Dolphins seemed to have the game in the bag, after Miami’s punter kicked the ball into his teammate’s bottom, which meant quarterback Josh Allen only needed to get the team within field goal range for a comeback win.
Allen was able to complete a pass to Isaiah McKenzie on 2nd and long, but the receiver couldn’t get out of bounds and the clock ran out. It was a heart-palpitating finish that caused Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey to lose his mind on national TV. NFL analyst Warren Sharpe tweeted a video of Dorsey’s postgame freak out and wrote, “MELTDOWN.”
In the video, which quickly went viral on Twitter, Dorsey throws his headset down, along with his Bills hat, smashes his papers on the table, and then picks all the items back up only to thrash them back down.
Bills analysts felt for Dorsey. USA Today reporter Bradley Gelber tweeted, “CBS shows Ken Dorsey absolutely destroying the booth after the #Bills lose at the end. Hard to blame him,” while News8 reporter AJ Feldman wrote, “Ken Dorsey was not pleased with the way the game ended,” an understatement to say the least.
Dorsey in the coaches box!!! 😬
Ken Dorsey just LOST it in the booth
Buffalo Rumblings analyst Matt Warren tweeted, “Ken Dorsey is me right now.”
The Bills put up quite an effort but with a depleted defense, and what became a decimated offensive line by the fourth quarter, along with poor clock management and several mistakes, the Dolphins were able to snap their seven-game losing streak to their AFC East rival.
Allen Previously Joked That Dorsey was a ‘Psychopath’
Dorsey, who took over Brian Daboll’s job after he left to become head coach of the New York Giants, previously served as the Bills’ quarterbacks coach. Throughout training camp and preseason, Dorsey earned a reputation for being an incredibly fiery and animated offensive coordinator.
Before the season started, when the team was still deciding whether it was best for Dorsey to coach games from upstairs in the coach’s box or on the sidelines, Allen said the ignitable coach should absolutely stay in the booth.
The quarterback said with a smile while speaking to the media on Monday, August 22, “When OCs are up in the box I think they see things a little bit better. Coach McDermott said there is quite a hefty fine for any flags from the refs from the coaching staff so I think that also entices Dorsey to go up in the box. He gets fiery, man!”
The following day, Allen’s statement was reiterated to Dorsey, who laughed and said, “I’d like to think I’m not too much of a psychopath.”
Later that day, Allen saw the video clip from Dorsey’s press conference and trolled the coach on Twitter. “Exactly what a psychopath would say 🤔,” he tweeted,.
During an interview on Colin Cowherd’s show on Tuesday, Allen made it clear that he loves working with Dorsey. “The relationship that we have is, by far and away, the best that you can have between a first-year signal caller and a quarterback,” he said.
On Wednesday, August 23, Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott was asked if he thought Dorsey was a “psychopath” and couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not going to get in the middle of that,” McDermott told reporters, chalking up the discourse between his offensive coordinator and quarterback as “good fun banter.”
A friend of me just reminded me that Sean McDermott is no stranger to booth tantrums after losses.
Of course, McDermott is no stranger to postgame meltdowns, and video his booth reaction resurfaced on Twitter following Sunday’s loss. The Bills, now 2-1, will look to turn things around when the Bills take on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4.
Allen Took Responsibility for the Loss, Said ‘Breathing Was Tough’ Playing in Such Extreme Heat
Definition of exhaustion.
Allen’s level of exhaustion following four quarters playing in 110-degree heat with high humidity was on full display once the final whistle blew. Allen, who threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns, couldn’t help but plop his head onto Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s shoulder before exiting the field.
“On the offensive side of the ball, we didn’t take care of business and it starts with me,” Allen said during the postgame press conference. “We beat ourselves tonight.”
As for the extreme weather, Allen offered no excuses even though several of his teammates were forced to exit the game due to heat-related illnesses.
“It was warm. Breathing was tough at some times, ya know we had some really, really long drives,” Allen said. “Cramps are going to happen in this heat. You can do the best you can to prepare for it all week, drink as much water and Gatorade and this that,.. but it’s different during game time and the adrenaline starts going. There’s no way to really simulate that. Just gotta do the best we can to stay on the field.”