National Football League

Bills complain about unfair schedule

Published Nov. 13, 2013 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Quick, call the wahmbulance. The Buffalo Bills have a complaint.

The Bills are just 3-7 this season, losing three straight and five of their last six games, and have suffered through a string of bad luck. They’ve started three different players at quarterback this season, even losing first-round pick EJ Manuel for a month during their drought. Apparently the organization believes its struggles are a result of more than just bad luck, though.

Bills president and CEO Russ Brandon said Wednesday that the Bills have called the NFL offices to complain about what the Bills say is unfair scheduling, namely with teams having extra time to prepare for them.

“We certainly have talked to the league about this, because it’s been disappointing where teams are coming off a bye or a long week,” Brandon told WGR radio in Buffalo on Wednesday. “This [Sunday] is the second time we’re playing the Jets coming off a Thursday night game and now we’re playing them coming off a bye.

“We lead the league in amount of games coming off of extra time or a bye week. It is a very, very tough job what they have in scheduling with all the different things that go into the formula and the stadium commitments and TV schedules, but it’s certainly something that needs to be addressed.”

Sunday’s game with the Jets will be the third time this season that the Bills have played a team directly off their bye week (Dolphins in Week 7, Saints in Week 8). As Brandon referenced, earlier this season they also had to play the Jets, who were coming off a long week after a Thursday night game with the Patriots. The Bills will face two more teams coming off Thursday night games this season when playing Atlanta in Week 13 — although, the Bills have a bye the week before — and the Jaguars in Week 15.

While complaining about your schedule seems like another form of throwing a temper tantrum, the Bills’ schedule does seem to give their argument at least some credence.