Former Buffalo Bills tight end Lee Smith was baffled to learn on Monday that offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has received plenty of criticism for the way his offense struggled against the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional-round playoff loss.
Smith, who appeared on the “SHOUT!” podcast, said he remembers back in his first stint with the team from 2011-2014 how just simply making the playoffs would have been a reason to celebrate.
“Now we’re bitching about 13-win seasons, so it’s like give me a break,” Smith said on the show. “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.”
A few sentences later Smith made sure to say that he loves Bills fans. He said football is so special because fans are as passionate about all the things that go into the sport and the teams.
Smith was fired up because the Bills finished with 13 wins and had the no. 2-ranked offense in the NFL, the no. 2 scoring offense, and the no. 6-ranked passing offense last season. He refused to make an excuse for Josh Allen because he said the quarterback would be mad if he did. But he did say playing quarterback with a torn elbow isn’t ideal.
Smith returned to the team on a free-agent deal in 2019 and played two seasons with Allen while Brian Daboll was the team’s offensive coordinator. Daboll’s last game with the Bills was an all-time classic against the Chiefs when the Bills scored 36 points and had over 400 yards of total offense. Smith said it’s hard to get better when the previous season ended the way it did and the Bills’ offense was as good as it was in 2021. He implored Bills Mafia to give Dorsey time.
“Ken Dorsey, Josh Allen the combination of those two dudes man - just take a deep breath, relax,” Smith said. “Obviously Daboll was really, really good. Dorse will fix (it). It’s his first year being a coordinator man. Go back to Brian Daboll’s first year being a coordinator. I’m not sure if it was great or bad or anywhere in between - I wasn’t with Dabes his first year as a coordinator but give (Dorsey) a break. Nobody wants to fix those little inefficiencies more than Ken Dorsey does. Let him attack this offseason.”
Brandon Beane said last month that he thought the offense did some good things under Dorsey, who probably felt like he was drinking out of a fire hose at times managing everything in his first season as OC.
“Ken will be very self-critical. We’ll all put our heads together, (and say) hey, these things went well and these are some areas maybe we want to grow,” Beane said. “Sean (McDermott) talks about, it’s about having the growth mindset, and I believe Ken does have that. And we will continue to look for ways to help him and that’s our job to kind of support him in that as he enters year two.”
Smith said that if you think about everything the 2022 Bills team went through, the NFL could be in big trouble in 2023 once everyone has the time to heal and recharge for next season.
“Watch what Dorse and Josh do next year together. It’s gonna be scary guys,” Smith said. “I’m just telling y’all, 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.”
Listen to Smith entire interview at the top of the page. If you’d like to listen to it in audio form, you can find it on Apple or Spotify.
What else did Lee Smith talk about? Here’s a rundown of the topics:
- Smith discusses the training performance center and podcast he’s started since retiring from the NFL
- What does Smith miss about NFL life that has surprised him in retirement?
- After watching what the Bills went through in 2022, what’s his takeaway from the season?
- Smith breaks down the Bills’ offensive line
- Is there a problem between Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs?
- What makes Sean McDermott and Brian Daboll different?
Mock Draft Monday: Experts predict Buffalo Bills first round pick following Super Bowl LVII
Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin to attend Syracuse-Duke basketball game
Bills could face former head coach in 2023
Super Bowl LVII: 3 free agent targets for Buffalo Bills on Eagles & Chiefs
Ant-Man star and Chiefs diehard fan Paul Rudd ‘genuinely loves the Bills’
Be sure to check out and subscribe to “SHOUT! The Buffalo Football Podcast” with beat writers Matt Parrino and Ryan Talbot. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly updates about Bills news in your inbox. Check out the links below.
Newsletter | YouTube | APPLE | SPOTIFY | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023).
Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information
© 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.
Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.
YouTube’s privacy policy is available here and YouTube’s terms of service is available here.