Stefon Diggs was looking for answers against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. He just went about it in a much more emotional way and it ended up not being the best look.
During the contest, Diggs was spotted yelling toward quarterback Josh Allen on the Bills sideline. Then after the game, the team captain stormed off and would not speak to the media.
While emotions are understandable, things could’ve been handled in a different manner.
But his team still had his back.
Diggs did not talk. Allen and Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott did after the 27-10 loss. They both credited his emotions for why he’s talented.
“He’s a fiery competitor, he wants the ball and whatever it was that we couldn’t get him the ball tonight we’re gonna have to learn from,” Allen said via video conference. “You want to win them all, that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
McDermott backed Allen’s assessment of Diggs.
“He’s a competitive guy. That’s what makes him good is what you saw. He’s very competitive like we all are. We work extremely hard at these jobs to be the best we can possibly be, and it hurts,” McDermott said via video conference. “I wouldn’t want a guy that doesn’t hurt, right? So when you put it all on the line out there, we put it all on the line, and tonight it wasn’t good enough. That’s the part that stings.”
Regardless, expect McDermott to have a chat with his No. 1 receiver.
The coach won’t be happy with his actions both on and off the field. McDermott previously has had chats with Diggs during games including one earlier this year against the Cleveland Browns. That took place for a similar reason.
Not to mention, Diggs being upset does have the targets factor attached to it. He led his team with the most balls thrown his way (10) from Allen, his emotions should not involve his lack of involvement in the game plan. However, Diggs only managed to haul in four of those–Naturally, ball placement and other things factor into that as well.
In terms of not speaking to the media, Diggs is a team captain and probably should do so instead of leaving it to others. That’s part of the job.
In an even bigger sense, McDermott won’t like Diggs’ decision because now we’re all talking about him and the team in such a light. It’s a crack in the coach’s culture.
Unfortunately, the Bills have plenty of time to repair that now as they enter the offseason in disappointing fashion.
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