Archives for January 19, 2016

'"I always tell people," Boykin said, "I went from four minutes away from playing for a Super Bowl last year against Seattle to not even playing a snap this year. So it just lets you know to never take anything for granted. And once it’s taken from you, you miss it a whole lot more.”'

'How did they do it? Despite Carpenter's malaise and no stability returning punts/kicks themselves, the Bills forced opponents to start deep in their own end most of the season.'

'Over the Bills’ first 54 seasons, through snowstorms and subzero temperatures, through painful 1-13 and 2-14 seasons, through his own honeymoon and the birth of his children, Jimmy Nydahl missed only two Bills home games, one because of a serious back injury in 2008, and the other as a teenager when his family couldn’t afford the price of American Football League championship game tickets.'

'In his first season in Buffalo, it didn’t work. In fact, it failed miserably, mainly because the Bills never seemed to buy in, led by the disgruntled defensive line that collectively felt that Ryan’s defense sapped them of their ability to perform at peak efficiency.'

'The strange thing, though, is that for a team with as much talent as they have, they also have some glaring holes on the roster that will need filling ahead of the season. There still needs to be answers to multiple questions in the offseason before their draft needs are finalized, but, with the deadline passing, it’s time to take a preliminary look at what they could be targeting come April.'

'“I think that was one of the main reasons we led the league in rushing,” said head coach Rex Ryan. “It was the talent that we had a running back. We draft Karlos Williams in the fifth round, we pick up Mike Gillislee, ‘Touchdown Mike’ as a free agent. Then you add a Greg Roman system with tremendous coaches that we have and it just works.”'

'Ted was beloved not only by the players and coaches, but also everyone in the administrative building, from executives to cafeteria workers.'