Archives for August 2017

'Questions abound as the Bills inch closer to their regular-season opener against the New York Jets on Sept. 10. And in some ways, the third and most important preseason game, raised more questions about the state of the Bills, Taylor’s health, cohesion on the offensive line, and Dareus’ future in Buffalo.'

'"He broke a team rule," General Manager Brandon Beane explained a little more than an hour before kickoff. Coach Sean McDermott "and I, you know, we're going to do things the right way. Everybody. Players, coaches, staff, everybody's got a level of expectation, and he didn't meet that. So he won't be on the sidelines tonight."'

'It’s very disappointing. Any player that you have to send home, this is not the norm. This is not what you’re looking for. Obviously, a guy with his contract status, you would hope that we would be a better leader than that and hopefully he learns from it and moves on and just be a Buffalo Bill.'

'His ridiculously bloated contract — thank you, Doug Whaley — make him virtually impossible to trade.'

'Baltimore — If the the third preseason game is supposed to serve as a dress rehearsal for the regular season, the Buffalo Bills have to feel uneasy about the performance they had against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night.'

'McCoy is 29 years old. He needs the preseason like he needs a hole in the head. He's one of the best running backs in football, so a day after the Patriots lost wide receiver Julian Edelman to a knee injury in a useless football game, it felt particularly important to keep him healthy.'

'If this is indeed the end of Taylor's preseason, he finished completing just 14 of his 29 passes for 100 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked four times.'

'"We started that a couple weeks ago with his representatives and kind of came down – we were hoping, you're always hoping to get it done as quick as you can," Beane said. "The contracts happen, I think I said before, when they're supposed to and this afternoon, things came together with he and his agent and we were able to get it done and get it inked before he got on the field tonight."'

'"There's no trade talks," McCoy said Thursday. "I talked to my coaches. I talked to Sean (McDermott) and Brandon (Beane), the GM. I have a lot of respect for the guys. We had a great conversation. I'll leave it at that. One thing about it is everybody can have their own opinions or make up things. Nowadays with social media everything is blown out of proportion. At the end of the day, the only thing I can do is control what I can control and that's being one of the best players in the NFL like I've been doing since I've been in the NFL. That's the only thing I can do. Trade me or not. Keep me here. Whatever it is. I talked to them guys and they said that's not on their radar and that's not in the plans. Only thing I can do is gear up for the Ravens and get ready to have a good year like I do every year."'

'"Anytime it's your premiere player like that, it sends a message to the team," Bills guard Richie Incognito said. "We mean business. You have to uphold your end of the bargain and you'll be treated like a professional.'

'"It's very disappointing," Beane said. "Any player that you have to send home, this is not the norm. This is not what you're looking for. Obviously a guy with his contract status, you would hope that he would be a better leader than that, and hopefully he learns from it and moves on and continues to be a Buffalo Bill."'

'Dareus is currently in the second year of a six-year contract that carries $60 million in guaranteed salary. He signed the contract in 2015, but it's one the Bills won't be able to get out of without a serious penalty for at least another year.'

'Peterman's night wasn't one we'll remember for ages. Nobody who was at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday will be telling their grandkids about the time they saw Peterman come in for the Bills and establish himself as the starting quarterback. He went 11-for-23 passing for 93 yards. He led one touchdown drive, but it wasn't enough to incite a quarterback controversy.'

'After Taylor went down, the rookie fifth-rounder Nate Peterman stepped up for the first time with the starting offense. Peterman finished 11-for-23 for 93 yards. Not the best numbers and some were certainly misses. However, Peterman had four passes batted and a few drops, both of which will also need to be addressed. Combined with Taylor’s uncertainty with his concussion, Peterman’s situation will be the one watched under a microscope over the next couple of hours and days. I would anticipate Peterman starting on Thursday as the Bills host the Lions. '

'Linebacker Matt Judon sacked the Bills quarterback on third-and-7 during the second series the starting offense took in the game. Taylor was rolled up and the back of his head smacked the turf behind him.'