Archives for December 2016

'But they also did some things that explain why they aren’t a playoff team. On a day when they limited Big Ben and Brown, they were getting pulverized by running back Le’Veon Bell. He didn’t bowl a 300, but he did bowl them over, rushing for 236 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries and adding 62 yards on four catches. That’s 298 yards of total offense. Talk about getting your Bell rung.'

'This loss will put an end to the silly talk of the Bills being in the playoff hunt. Now the talk comes off the field and on to the front office turmoil. We no longer are gonna be talking about Xs and Os but if Ryan is going to get fired or if Taylor is going to get benched. It feels like the movie Groundhog Day. How many times have we been here? Just the same old medicority over and over again is just maddening. I wasn't thinking about Rex getting fired until the reports came out before the game that it may happen. Now I feel it's just a matter of time. His defenses have been awful and there is no discipline with this team. Problem is that means another rebuilding project. A terrible December loss, coaching and quarterback changes, and another rebuild on the horizon. At this rate it is hard to imagine this team getting to the playoff before this drought hits 25 years.'

'Rex Ryan had his team let him down. The defense was awful, the communication was bad as players were running on and off the field very late many times.;

'Pittsburgh RB Le’Veon Bell rushed for 236 yards, the most ever by a back against Buffalo in team history as Bell had 298 all-purpose yards.'

'“Usually we start off fast and put up points, and then later in the game we can’t score,” Sammy Watkinssaid. “Today, first half we were flat, and second half we showed flashes and driving on the field. Three-and-out, three-and-out in the first and I don’t know why. That’s for the coaches to tell us. We have to watch film and go over it.”'

'I think they just made some great plays on us. Obviously we knew we were going to be really challenged. Ben (Roethlisberger) had a great pass on one but (LeVeon) Bell’s a hell of a running back obviously. They out-executed us and they deserved the game.'

'This will be the first game that Williams misses. He started in each of Buffalo’s 12 games prior to today. By most accounts the defensive lineman was playing at a Pro Bowl level. Second on the team in tackles for loss, tied for third in sacks and fourth in tackles, the 11-year vet has been a key cog in the team’s third-ranked pass rush.'

'That doesn’t mean that McCoy won’t be on the field when the team is in the red zone. He had a seven-yard touchdown run just a couple of weeks ago against Jacksonville. But when they’re inside the opponent’s five-yard line, Gillislee will be the back on the field as was the case last Sunday against the Raiders when he had a pair of goal line touchdown runs.'

'And, they’ll try to to give CPR to their playoff hopes in a stadium that could well host as many as 30,000 Steelers fans, many of whom bought their tickets from disgruntled members of Buffalo nation who have already quit on the season.'

'In the easiest scenario, the Bills need to win out and hope Denver loses at least two of those games. Most specifically, New England and Oakland, as the Bills played both of those teams, so a common games tiebreaker would come into play. Because Buffalo beat New England, this tiebreaker wouldn’t be a factor. Both teams would be 7-5 in conference play, so that option gets skipped.'

'Can Tyrod Taylor rise to the occasion? The Bills' quarterback has come under the most intense scrutiny of his two-year career in Buffalo after a miserable performance against Oakland left the team's playoff hopes dangling by a thread. The excuses are all gone Sunday for Taylor. He's expected to have Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods and Charles Clay in the lineup at the same time. The pressure will be on the Bills' quarterback to produce in a must-win game. If he can, it will go down as his best win since coming to Buffalo.'

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'Over the last two decades, bad things have occurred when the Bills and Steelers get together. It's been especially nightmarish for quarterbacks, who have suffered some defining negative moments against the Black and Gold defense.'

'"I did track in ninth and 10th grade. I tried wrestling, but didn’t like it. I tried basketball. I made the team, but it wasn’t for me. They begged me to play, so that’s the only reason I did it. Track I did shot put and discus, big-man relay …"'

'Since the end of the Oakland loss, I’ve made it perfectly clear how I feel about Tyrod Taylor: I’ve seen enough, and I don’t think he’s the answer to Buffalo’s never-ending quest to find a franchise QB. He has regressed from last year when he was raw but showed promise, and he has the same problems that I think will always be prevalent in his game.'