Archives for December 17, 2016

'It’s hard to imagine Rex being fired if he goes 9-7 and ties for the best record in the past 17 years.'

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'“It’s a big difference. You gotta be more of a leader,” he added. “You gotta see the whole field, not just half of it. You gotta know the whole defense, what the linebackers do, the lineman. I can take it. I knew the whole defense even when I was a corner, but that’s the biggest challenge, just getting the defense down. Everything else is just football.”'

'"He wasn't just a regular African-American quarterback," Robey-Coleman said. "I felt like, when he came into the league, he had the mental capacity as a Tom Brady-type guy. When you hear him talk, he's so articulate, he's very intelligent, and I'm like, 'Well, he's the new generation of quarterbacks that's coming in the league.''

'If Denver beats New England, that would get the Broncos to 9-5. Assuming the Bills won out and the Broncos lost out the rest of the way, they’d both finish 9-7. They haven’t played head-to-head, and in the second tiebreaker, conference record, they’d be tied at 6-6.'

'But the Pegulas, who need to believe in someone, think otherwise. Presumably, Whaley is on solid ground with ownership, maybe because he's so good at schmoozing them in public settings. Whaley has a roster that's top-heavy in overpaid players, lacking in depth, and short on value picks from his drafts.'

'Glenn has been limited by a back injury the last few weeks but had to leave last week's game temporary when the issue flared up. Cyrus Kouandjio replaced Glenn for part of the Steelers game and is expected to start in his place.'

'It's well known within the Bills that Terry and Kim Pegula have a great affinity for Whaley. They enjoy his company in social settings, and there have been almost no instances when Terry is on the sidelines before a game or at training camp when you don't see Whaley right by his side. One franchise insider told me Whaley "walks on hallowed grounds" with the Bills' owners, and that was at least partly why it took little convincing from team president Russ Brandon to give Whaley a contract extension after last season.'

'If only EJ had panned out and become the franchise quarterback the Bills thought they were drafting No. 16 overall in 2013. Never mind all the other lackluster play by countless players; the draft picks or free agents who didn’t pan out; the coaching of Doug Marrone and Rex Ryan; and all the injuries and general bad mojo this franchise has endured since Manuel joined the team. If only EJ had panned out, so goes an oft-repeated mantra, everything would have been OK.'

'Offensive tackle Cordy Glenn missed practice for the third straight day on Friday with a back injury. He missed some time in the game last week, and Bills coach Rex Ryan said there's a good chance he won't be on the field on Sunday. He's listed as doubtful for the game.'

'"Cardale can literally do this and throw the ball like 70 freaking yards," Robey-Coleman said. "He can do that, so like, that's the closest thing to Ben (Roethlisberger) to me. Ben can do the same thing, that stupid little, 'I'm about to fall, I'm wobbly, I'm half drunk but I'm throwing it anyways type,' but I swear that's how Ben throws the ball sometimes. I'm like, 'Is he drunk? Or falling? Or fake falling?' He does the same thing. He's got a gun. They've both got some pretty big guns on them to throw the ball down field."'

'“It’s almost like having a Wildcat offense because you have to account for the quarterback, where normally, traditionally, you don’t have to account for him being an active runner versus a scrambler,” Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton said.'

'“That is just people being fans of football, but sometimes, they throw out reports like they are factual and I don’t think a lot of times things are factual. I don’t let it bother me. I just focus on what is right in front of me and try to do the best job I can and avoid the distractions of it. I am a guy that walks by faith. That helps me get through things, as well.”'

'“He’s special. He’s hard to put a hand on,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “The guy is like lightning in a bottle. He can do things with his legs and his body that other people can’t do. He has that ability and it’s special. He’s a really good player.”'

'Williams has been dealing with a back injury, which forced him to miss the Bills' Week 14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 11-year pro has been one of Buffalo's most consistent defenders this year, with 55 tackles and 3.5 sacks.'