Archives for September 2015

'The Patriots have done a solid job against Dareus in the past, and that will have to continue on Sunday in order to keep Tom Brady upright. In seven previous games, the defensive lineman has just 1 1/2 sacks on Brady.'

'What was surprising in the Bills' opener was the play of quarterback Tyrod Taylor.'

'Patriots 24, Bills 17.'

'Well, it wouldn't be anywhere near as entertaining if there wasn't some Ryanesque bluster thrown into the mix. But the fact of the matter is that while the Bills appear to be a vastly improved team in the dawning days of the Rex Era, they still are newly formed and led on offense by a four-year backup to Joe Flacco in Baltimore that barely got off the bench while there – and now, the immortal Tyrod Taylor is about to face a Bill Belichick-authored defense for the first time.'

'Patriots 27, Bills 12.'

'LeSean McCoy is questionable because of a hamstring injury, but he was ineffective in week one and yet the Bills still attempted 36 runs against 19 passes. If the Pats line isn't better at the point of attack, the Bills will keep ramming the rock down their throats. At the same time, if the Patriots aren't disciplined, they'll leave themselves vulnerable to big plays outside.'

'What would we do without Rex Ryan? The AFC East would be even more boring than it already is.

'“I don’t classify him as a young quarterback at all,’’ said defensive end Chandler Jones of Taylor. “As far as playing experience, yeah, but this guy’s been in the league for a long time and he’s a veteran, and we have to prepare for him like he’s a veteran.'

'“We have a confident group of guys in their ability, and we have confidence in our coaches,” four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kyle Williams said. “If we continue to follow the blueprint that we’ve had leading up to the preseason and the first week, just putting the work in that we need to put in, I think we can be really successful.”'

'Patriots 27, Bills 21…Bills 24, Patriots 20.'

'"Yeah, if your blitzes don't work then absolutely you feel like that," Ryan told me earlier in the week about the danger of the Patriots using aggressiveness against the Bills. "You don't go in there just tap dancing if you come after him than so be it. You understand there is always risk involved especially against a quarterback of that stature. But at the same time you don't want to make it a seven-on-seven where he just sits back there all day and he throws it wherever he wants, you don't want that either."'

'So much of their game plan this week is centered around slowing the quarterback, and if they can’t get pressure on Brady, it’ll make things tough for Buffalo. The Bills would also love to control the clock and keep Brady away from the action for long stretches of time through a still-burgeoning ground game. If they can’t do that, it significantly lessens their chances of winning.'

'Although Ryan was not sending text messages to U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman lobbying (begging) him to uphold Brady’s four-game suspension — I have been unable to acquire his phone records — his life would be a lot easier if he was preparing for Jimmy Garoppolo. Even so, if the Bills win, it will mean a lot more beating Brady. Ryan has the Bills fans all worked up and it’s going to be a madhouse.'

'“He’s a true leader, man,” Hosley said. “A guy that works hard, man, that’s humble. He pushes the guys around him. He’s a true leader, man, and a helluva player. And the people are getting to see that now around the league.”'

x