Archives for September 16, 2016

'The mistakes were not limited to the offense and activation decisions. Rex and his brother/defensive coordinator Rob neglected to change their defensive strategy all night, even while their cornerbacks were being brutally exposed by Jets wideouts Brandon Marshall (six catches, 101 yards), Eric Decker (six catches, 126 yards), and Quincy Enunwa (six catches, 92 yards). Stephon Gilmore, Ronald Darby and Nickell Robey-Coleman found themselves over-matched all night long, and the Ryans did nearly nothing to adjust. It was astounding to watch. That the Bills only lost by six was a minor miracle.'

'Anything less than that won’t suffice in Buffalo, where the playoffs-or-bust pressure hangs over Rex Ryan like a military drone flying above its target. A sobering reminder of the club’s 16-year absence appeared on a fan banner hung outside New Era Stadium that read, “Our Teams’ Playoff Drought is Old Enough to Drive.”'

'The Bills would try an onside kick to get the ball back with 1:17 to go in the game, but Carpenter's kick was long and Jets receiver Brandon Marshall recovered the kick. New York would go three-and-out and punt with 10-seconds left to go in the game. The Bills would try for one more play, but the Jets hold off the late rally for the 37-31 win.'

'Stephon Gilmore and Ron Darby were horrendous, Kyle Williams is playing like the years of injuries have caught up to his body. Really they looked nothing like the group that played in Baltimore last week. They looked a lot like the failure Ryan put out on the field last season.'

'Darby was the target of almost every single Ryan Fitzpatrick pass in the second half. They picked on him time and time again. I will give him credit for continuing to compete and making a few plays, but he gave up far, far too many of them. Sometimes he was just beaten cleanly and sometimes he did not look for the ball when he had decent coverage. Either way, the Bills need better – much better – out of both of these players.'

'Ikard will wear number 61 with the Bills.'

'When a team begins the season 0-2 there is a 10 percent chance that squad will make the postseason.'

'The main problems all started with the cornerbacks. Both Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby have carved out a reputation as two of the better young cornerbacks in the league, but that reputation wasn’t held up in the least bit against the Jets.'

'“I don’t know if I’m worthy or lucky enough to deserve all of this,” an emotional Smith said. “But I’m going to try and enjoy all of this."'

'"You can't change Buffalo. We've been through it all. We're fans through it all," said a group of fans.'

'To borrow an old line from a friend, Buffalo cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Stephon Gilmore couldn’t cover a sauce pan.'

On opening day the offense was pathetic but the defense looked good. In this game the defense was absolutely awful while the offense showed signs of life albeit in spurts. The bottom line is the Bills are now 0-2 and the season is in jeopardy of being over before hockey season even begins. The terrible summer this team had has carried over into the regular season and now it looks like another lost year in Buffalo.

Secondary: Grade F-: Worst performance by a Bills secondary I can remember.

'The Bills are also a boom-or-bust team offensively. After being totally shut down in Baltimore, Buffalo was too reliant on the big play Thursday night. Despite his fantasy stats, Tyrod Taylor looked shaky for most of the night with his slow trigger. He is the type of quarterback that needs to see his receivers open and Buffalo doesn't have enough receivers that win early in the down. Which leads us to Buffalo's biggest problem.'

'The Jets offense was humming from the start and closed strong en route to a big Week 2 division win over the Bills 37-31 on Thursday Night Football. Ryan Fitzpatrick led a Jets passing game that could not be stopped as he threw for 374 yards and a touchdown.'