Getty Lee Smith #85 of the Buffalo Bills carries the ball against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on December 28, 2020.
Fans are understandably frustrated following the Buffalo Bills‘ crushing 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Divisional Playoff game. Amid a season that was Super Bowl or bust, the Bills failed to get into any sort of rhythm on offense, leading to quarterback Josh Allen‘s first postseason loss at home in Orchard Park.
Much of Bills Mafia’s ire turned toward offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, begging for him to be fired. Former Bills tight end Lee Smith saw the fans’ strong reaction on Twitter and during a recent appearance on the “SHOUT!” podcast, ripped them all for whining about a team that earned first place in their division and finished second in the AFC Conference.
“Now we’re bitching about 13-win seasons, so it’s like give me a break,” Smith said. “I’m anti-fan sometimes. I watched Josh Allen get booed off the field when I first came back (in 2019). So it’s like give me a break. Stay on your couch and worry about how you make a living and not about Ken Dorsey. He’s a really good coach. He’s a really good man.”
Smith, who’s stayed in contact with several current Bills players added, “Any player in that locker room is going to stand up for Dorse.” The 35-year-old retired NFL player of course still loves Bills Mafia and believes they’re the most passionate fan base in the world, but he also wants them to be a bit more patient because the best is yet to come with this franchise.
Under Dorsey, Buffalo Will Be ‘Terrifying Next Year,’ Smith Said
GettyBuffalo Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey looks on during warm ups before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on September 25, 2022.
The former fifth-round pick from the 2011 NFL Draft initially played for the Bills between 2011 and 2014, during which the team finished 6-10 for three consecutive years. His first winning season with the Bills was in 2014 (9-7) under then-head coach Doug Marrone, but they failed to make it to the playoffs. Upon his return in 2019, the Bills went 10-7 during the regular season but lost to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round.
This current Bills team has a better chance to win the Super Bowl than he ever did during his tenure with the franchise and believes fans might be getting a bit spoiled in the Allen era. According to Tipico Sportsbook, Buffalo has the second-best odds to hoist the Lombardi Trophy next season.
“Ken Dorsey, Josh Allen the combination of those two dudes man, just take a deep breath. Relax,” Smith said. “Dorse will fix (it). It’s his first year being a coordinator man… Nobody wants to fix those little inefficiencies more than Ken Dorsey does. Let him attack this offseason. Let Buffalo heal.”
Between the Buffalo supermarket mass shooting, Bills co-owner Kim Pegula’s health scare, Damar Hamlin’s medical emergency, the deadly blizzard, etc., Smith said everyone looked “mentally and physically exhausted” during that Bills-Bengals matchup. “I mean imagine being Dawson Knox,” Smith said of the 26-year-old tight end whose younger brother died just before the season started.
“Watch what Dorse and Josh (Allen) do next year together. It’s gonna be scary guys,” Smith stated. “I’m telling y’all right now the Buffalo Bills are going to be terrifying next year with the rejuvenation and the healing that hopefully takes place this offseason. Just from this crazy tragic eight months.”
Fred Jackson Shared a Similar Setiment Regarding the Bills Coaching Staff
GettyBills running back Fred Jackson #22 and tight end Lee Smith #85 warm up before the game against the Cleveland Browns at Ralph Wilson Stadium on November 30, 2014.
In an exclusive interview with Heavy Sports, former Bills legend Fred Jackson, whose time in Buffalo overlapped with Lee, agreed that the blame for the team’s playoff collapse can not be squarely placed on the coach’s shoulders.
“Obviously, you have a talented team, you want to get to the Super Bowl and you want to win it. And if you don’t do that, it’s a disappointment,” Jackson told Heavy. But the Bills’ third-all-time leading rusher explained that firing defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Dorsey, or head coach Sean McDermott would be “totally unfair” after what transpired this past year.
“I have always said coaches get a lot of blame when that’s not necessarily where the blame should be placed. As players, it was always our job to protect our coaches. It was our job to overcome coaching so to speak. I think those guys did a tremendous job coaching this team. I think the coaching staff, along with the players, also had to deal with all these external things going on during the season and to be where everybody was as a unit and get to where they got in the season, I think is a testament to everybody in that organization.”