By CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun Senior Sports Columnist
The Bills have an interesting personnel issue evolving.
Last week, against the Patriots, it was hardly noticed, but wide receiver Keon Coleman was benched for the first series.
When asked about it the next day, McDermott could have said it was part of the game plan, a coaches decision etc.
But he didn’t.
Bills’ Head Coach Sean McDermott admitted it was disciplinary.
So, for the second time since he was selected with the first pick in last year’s second round, the former Michigan State and Florida State wideout was benched for disciplinary reasons, the first time for a quarter of the Jacksonville game.
A season ago it was for being late for a meeting. This year, though it hasn’t been revealed on the record, that would be a good guess again.
“We expect more,” McDermott said of the benching. “He has shown growth this year. (But) we’re looking for more consistency.”
And that’s not asking much.
After all, Coleman’s career isn’t yet 25 games old and his production numbers have hardly early him carte blanche to adopt the fabled wide receiver diva posture.
And while his transgressions aren’t particularly egregious, McDermott is absolutely right in addressing them NOW. After all, Coleman has begun leaving the locker room before it’s even open to reporters.
“Growth, maturation, that leads to consistency, more than anything,” McDermott added. “Like anything else, you have winning habits, it leads to winning on the field. So that’s really what we’re trying to create and that’s what we’re here to do, is help young men, in this case, grow and mature and develop and become professionals. That’s part of the process.”
To which Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady added, “Just being where he’s supposed to be. When he’s there, doing his job, doing his 1/11th and just being accountable to the 10 other guys in the huddle with him at any given moment.”
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
