Getty Bills quarterback Josh Allen on November 05, 2023.
The Buffalo Bills fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey following their 22-24 loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.
The move wasn’t a huge surprise considering the Bills offense has been a disjointed mess for most of the season. However, because Dorsey was Bills quarterback Josh Allen‘s top pick to take over as offensive after Brian Daboll’s exit, there was concern over the move.
Speaking to reporters for the first time since Dorsey was fired, Allen appeared heartbroken. “I love Dorsey. As a human being, he’s one of the good ones. ” While he’s clearly sad Dorsey is gone, Allen also admitted that he feels guilty for his firing.
When asked if Dorsey would still have his job if the offense played better, “Without a doubt,” Allen said. “I take that very personally. It hurts. It hurts a lot to see someone you care about go through a situation like that.”
Josh Allen: “I love Dorsey. As a human being, he’s one of the good ones”
Allen said that if they play better, this probably doesn’t happen, but he spoke with Sean McDermott and understands the thought process.
“I feel like I owe him a lot of the success I’ve had in my career. He’s been a huge part of that. Sad to see him go. The fact is if we play better as a team, we probably don’t have to make a move like that,” Allen said.
“He’s a big part of what we’ve been doing here in the last few years. I talked with Coach McDermott, and I understand the thought process of why we’re doing it. It’s unfortunate. But at the same time, we’ve got a game against a division rival on Sunday and we still have time to turn this thing around.”
Josh Allen Called Joe Brady’s Promotion ‘Not a Congratulations Move’
BREAKING: The #Bills have fired OC Ken Dorsey, per @AdamSchefter. Joe Brady will be the interim. Changes underway in Buffalo.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters that Allen had nothing to do with Dorsey getting canned. “Josh and I speak daily and this decision was made by me and me alone,” McDermott said.
“Beyond that, it’s Josh’s responsibility and job to come out and help coach [Joe] Brady formulate the game plan and to come out and execute the game plan, and take care of the football and be our offense more than anything.”
Allen is obviously familiar with Brady, who’s served as his quarterbacks coach since 2021. As a person, “He’s got a lot of juice to him,” Allen said. “There’s a lot of faith in him.”
“He’s an extremely hard worker. He’s always in the building. First one in, last one out,” Allen added. “I doubt he got any sleep last night. Obviously, kinda being thrown into a role like this. It’s not a ‘congratulations’ move. He’s in there because we didn’t do our jobs.”
While the quick turnaround will be difficult, “We gotta follow [Brady’s] lead and make sure we got his back.”
McDermott told reporters on Wednesday that Allen has been “receptive” to the coordinator change. “That connection [between Allen and Brady] is important, particularly in this role,” McDermott said.
Josh Allen Is Focused on Beating the New York Jets in Week 11
Josh Allen was asked about his confidence level moving forward.
Here’s his answer:
When Allen asked how much of a difference the coaching change can make, “I honestly don’t know,” he answered. “I’ve never been in a situation like this… We just gotta rally around each other right now. We have to come together as a team and offensively, we have to play better football.”
While the future looks unpromising, Allen hasn’t given up all hope. Statistically speaking, Buffalo can still make the postseason “The clock is ticking on what we can do this season. Our backs are against the wall. It starts this Sunday,” he said.
If the Bills want to keep their playoff hopes alive, they must defeat the New York Jets (4-5) on November 19.
“We’re not a broken offense. We’re not a broken team. But the splits that compare to when we win and when we lose is massive. That’s on my shoulders. We gotta be better. I have to be better.”