By Anne EricksonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberThe Buffalo Bills closed out their journey in the NFL playoffs by falling to the Denver Broncos on Saturday in a 33-30 loss on the road.
The overtime game drummed up emotions from both sides. Though NFL coaches and players are expected to be fairly stoic, they're also human, and after this game, some feelings came out hard.
Even though players and coaches aren't supposed to publicly voice their thoughts about official's calls after the game, former Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who was still with Buffalo at the time, voiced his frustration over a late call -- a Brandin Cooks catch that was ruled an interception though Cooks nearly appeared to be down -- that didn't get a proper review in the Broncos loss.
"It's hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled," McDermott told reporters. "I'm saying it because I'm standing up for Buffalo. I'm standing up for us. Because what went on, that is not how it should go down.
"That play is not even close. That's a catch all the way. I sat in my locker and I looked at it probably 20 times, nobody can convince me that that ball is not caught and in possession of Buffalo. I just have no idea how the NFL handed it, in particular, the way that they did."
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McDermott concluded: "We're not just going to sit here and take it, is what I'm saying... I feel strongly as I've looked at it in review in my owner locker that it's a catch, possession Buffalo, and that the process should have been… handled differently."
Well, McDermott could have been punished and fined by the NFL for speaking out after the game, since it's against the NFL's rules to publicly criticize officials.
However, when the NFL released its list of weekly fines, McDermott's name wasn't on it.
On Saturday, the NFL announced that it's not punishing McDermott for his post-game actions. That's a good thing for him, especially because he was fired from the Bills the day after losing to the Broncos. Added punishment would have been pouring salt in the wound.
Now, the Broncos will play in the AFC Championship game on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High against the New England Patriots.
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