Archives for December 9, 2015

'"One thing about myself, I would never take back nothing I say. I have my own reasons to feel how I felt. I think it's the difference between me and other players — [that" target="_blank"> other players will only say how they feel. I'm different. I'll speak how I feel, but I really don't want to relive that."'

'“You know, when it means something, the intensity is up. Guys prepare more and harder. And even morale is higher. Not only just in the locker room and in the facility, but Buffalo in general. We can tell and we can feel the anxiousness of what’s to come, so it makes our job fun.”'

'What compounded that was the jelly roll jiggling around his midsection after last year. McCoy spent part of the offseason in Miami supposedly training. Apparently that didn’t include the weight room, numerous sources confirmed. Kelly supposedly didn’t like the fact that McCoy wasn’t taking the offseason conditioning program as seriously as everyone else on the team.'

'“I was good friends with Shady,” said Johnson. “I think he’s a good dude. He played hard. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. I’m sure he’s going to be all fired up.”'

'But have things in Philly gone the way he had hoped? “Yeah,” said Alonso, who is a man of few words and, recently, few plays.'

'"It's definitely going to be exciting. [Philly" target="_blank"> is my other home," McCoy said. "It's a little weird. It really is. Just the small things like driving to the stadium, not being the home team, the fans; they've been so good to me for so long."'

'Few teams can overcome such losses when they're trying to establish their identity. The Bills were hurt even more by those setbacks because their once vaunted defense has underwhelmed this season. A unit that ranked fourth in the NFL in points allowed in 2014 now stands at 16th this year. That equates to more pressure on those offensive stars to raise their games and take this team to new heights.'

'“We were able to spend a lot of time together, obviously competing against each other and getting each other better,” said Jaylen. “There were no hard feelings in the competition, it was just really hard work like we were back at home.”'

'“I know he has a specific skill set and really, I think he’s the only back in the league with what he has,” safety Malcolm Jenkins said. “He’s probably one of the most elusive runners in the game. He just has a knack for finding holes and making holes, making guys miss and making big plays, hitting the home run. But (he’s) consistent and patient enough to take the 4 or 5 yards here or there. He’s a mismatch in the pass game when you put him on linebackers. He just creates plays. That’s why he’s who he is.”'

'“Yeah, I was surprised," Alonso said. “That, honestly, is the best way that I can describe it. … It was the first time I’d ever been traded before. I just wasn’t expecting it.”'

And so the Bills continue on in their quest for the playoffs, fueled by hope. If they play more games the way they played on Sunday, possibly with an even tighter defense, the Bills might stand a shot at the postseason

'O’Leary had a lackluster preseason mainly due to lack of opportunity. Known as a pass catching tight end in college at Florida State, O’Leary registered just one reception for eight yards on four total targets in the preseason. Only once during the preseason did he get more than half the offensive snaps in a game.'

'Buffalo will have to make hay in the NFC East, because they’ve only got one AFC game left on the schedule, the season finale against the Jets. And even though they’re focused on their game in Philly, Bills fans are likely to also keep an eye on the other AFC Wild Card Contenders, who are also going to be playing at 1pm Sunday.'

'“When you look at our team I think we have the ability to run the ball and be successful running to our standards, and if we do that we’re going to be successful in games,” said Ryan. “If you can run the football and stop the run in December and January you’ve got a great chance to win.”'