Archives for September 2015

'"Chandler Jones is a great. … The first thing you notice is that length and the motor he plays with," Ryan said. "Obviously you don't want to get in a martial arts fight with him. You know because the bloodlines with Jon Jones and all that. So you know you make note of that too."'

'"I don't even want to think that way, but yeah, it would be definitely (next man up)," Ryan said. "But like I said, I'm not giving up on McCoy playing."'

'"I think we're going to break the record," safety Aaron Williams said. "Last week, besides the Green Bay game, was one of the loudest games I've seen at the Ralph. The game has to be sold out. We have the craziest fans in the league. I would be shocked if we didn't break the record."'

'"He's an excellent player, real smart and long," Glenn said. "Definitely going to have to do a lot of studying and homework on him. But we've played. I know he's going to bring his 'A' game, I'm going to bring my 'A' game. I'm looking forward to it really."'

'But the Bills have a better pass rush than the Steelers and a better secondary, suggesting they can have more success taking away Brady's safety valve when Ryan and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman get their blitz packages rolling.'

'Ryan’s outgoing, shoot-from-the-lip manner is not his biggest detriment. The biggest detriment for Ryan is that he has never had anything close to a franchise quarterback at his disposal.'

'“This dude, he’s going to make catches,’’ said Ryan of Gronkowski, the NFL’s biggest nightmare matchup. “His size, his speed, his strength, this just in — he’s pretty good. We’re not going to ask one guy, ‘Hey, this is your guy [to cover].’ Shoot, he’d have to look like King Kong or something. ‘You got him! You’ve got the Gronk!’ Put Kong on him.’’'

'“I think that’s something that maybe when I’m done playing I’ll think about more,” Chandler said. “Right now, like I said, I’m just focused on doing what I can do to help the Patriots win on Sunday.”'

'It seems fair to say, then, that Ryan spends a reasonable amount of time leading up to the season scheming for his early-season matchups against the Patriots, and that New England’s early-season offense has had its fair share of misfires against those defensive designs. The Patriots provide Ryan with an opportunity to try to make a statement – an opportunity from which he rarely shies.'

'“Spin the wheel, see what’s out there. We’ve got to expect that,” he said. “From zone, to man, blitz zero to drop into coverage. With his defenses, you’ve always got to be prepared, you’ve always have to be ready for any type of situation because he always has his players prepared very well for any type of situation, too.”'

'Dareus and Kyle Williams have six Pro Bowls between them because they possess the strength and quickness to create havoc inside. If you add the kind of tricky stunts and delayed (and sometimes not-so-delayed) blitzes Ryan will throw at the Patriots’ young interior with three aggressive linebackers and two fast safeties you have the possibility of a nightmarish afternoon.'

'“If you make it about yourself, you’re taking the wrong approach,” he said. “It’s a team game. I’m excited to go back and compete against a divisional opponent this week. I’m focused on helping the Patriots, not worried about me.”'

'“I think I’m just trying to approach it like every other week,” Chandler said. “I’m really excited to be here in New England and just going about my business doing my job.”'

'Had the Colts linebackers not lost track of Taylor on the 31-yard scramble (below), or lost track of McCoy (a pair of swing passes went for 22 and 20 yards, respectively), this could have been a different game. Both plays led to touchdowns. And while both McCoy and Taylor deserve credit for making those big plays in space, it seems Indianapolis had defensive breakdowns and miscommunications on both.'

'"Hopefully they can go out there and my family can represent me," he said. "That'll be cool. They always wear my jersey, so it's up to them if they want to. I always enjoy going back, especially where you grew up. It's always great to go back, play in front of your friends and family."'