The Buffalo Bills recent decision to part ways with offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey carries a personal weight for quarterback Josh Allen on various levels.
Dorsey has been an integral part of Allen’s development, having worked with him since 2019, initially serving as the team’s quarterbacks coach. Following the Bills’ playoff defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in January 2022, Allen advocated for Dorsey to be promoted to the position of offensive coordinator.
However, after the team’s recent downturn with a 5-5 record, including a Monday loss to the Denver Broncos, Coach Sean McDermott made the decision to relieve Dorsey of his duties. This move follows the team’s worst winning percentage through more than two games since their 6-10 finish in 2018. The decision to part ways with Dorsey reflects the team’s efforts to address performance concerns and seek a turnaround in their current season.
Buffalo now sits outside of the playoff picture heading into a Week 11 matchup against the New York Jets, who defeated the Bills in Week 1. The Buffalo Bills
Allen on Wednesday said that if the Bills had played better, Dorsey would still be employed.
“Without a doubt, and I take that very personally,” Allen said. “It hurts a lot to see someone you care about go through a situation like that and to know that if I could have done more, if this offense could have done more, we wouldn’t have had to do something like that.
“… It’s an unfortunate series of events that have led up to it, but, again, as much as you can sit here and feel sorry for yourself and you can sulk on what’s going on, we got a game to prepare for and it’s four days away, so we can’t pay too much attention to it.”
The Bills would’ve won against the Broncos on Monday night, but a penalty for having 12 men on the field negated a missed field goal as time expired, allowing Denver another attempt that resulted in the 24-22 victory.
McDermott said the decision to fire Dorsey was based on what took place over the season. Quarterbacks coach Joe Brady was named interim offensive coordinator in Dorsey’s place.
“Obviously not a set of circumstances you want to be in, especially during the middle of the season,” said Allen, who said that he talked to McDermott about why the move was made. “I love Dorsey as a human being; he’s one of the good ones. He’s been in this room with me for a very long time.
“I feel like I owe him a lot of the success that I’ve had in my career, and he’s been a huge part of that, so it’s sad to see him go. The fact is, we play better as a team, we probably don’t have to make a move like that. He was a big part of what we’ve been doing here in the last few years.”