Archives for September 2, 2017

'Clearly, some decisions were easier than others.'

'Beane was given a blank canvas when he began. The Pegulas fired GM Doug Whaley, director of player personnel Jim Monos and ostensibly the whole scouting department the morning after the draft.'

'Here's an analysis of the scheme we're expecting to see this season from McDermott and his defensive chief Leslie Frazier, with a look at the many ways it differs from Ryan's underachieving scheme of the past two years.'

'"That was a process because what feels good before you have a job — and this goes on in league circles — is 'Hey, man, if I ever get a job I'm going to hire you.' That feels good to say that. There are a lot of people that overpromise and underdeliver on those, or they hire friends and things don't work out. I didn't want to go that route."'

'But as long as Tyrod Taylor's status is uncertain as he remains in concussion protocol, the focus must be on Sept. 10 and the New York Jets. Peterman showed Thursday night that his coach has a legitimate worst-case-scenario answer. Put another way, if Peterman had flopped badly, there would have been a whole lot more for McDermott and everyone else connected with the Bills to worry about for the next 10 days.'

'The three-hour game had a 20.7 rating on Channel 7, making it the highest-rated game of the preseason and the highest-rated local TV program of the summer.'

'Peterman looked good in Thursday's game. He shows some of the quick decision-making in the pocket that Taylor lacks. But he's a rookie. He's been facing mostly backups. He was average in the first two games. He hasn't completed a significant throw down the field.'

'As anyone who follows me knows, I don’t pay a lick of attention to what happens in preseason games, so this has nothing to do with Buffalo’s 1-3 summer record or the performances of any single player in the four games. This is just my gut feeling when I factor in several variables.'

'Tyrod Taylor’s status continues to be a mystery. He was seen on the field talking to a few of his teammates so one would assume that’s a good sign, but McDermott refused of offer any information on where Taylor stands in the concussion protocol, only to say he remains in it. Thus, the coach was asked if he would feel comfortable having to start Peterman in the season opener against the Jets if need be.'

'Dezmin Lewis was the Bills' seventh round pick in the 2015 NFL draft. He had the size you looked for in a wide receiver, but failed to make any impact with the Bills. Lewis was a member of the Bills' practice squad for the majority of the 2015 and 2016 season. He appeared in two career games with the Bills, but never recorded any receptions. Despite Buffalo having a wide open wide receiver competition, Lewis struggled to stand out on the field this offseason.'

'The Bills have to cut their roster down to 53 players by Saturday afternoon. So does every other NFL team. This is the first year in which the league skipped the 75-man roster cut down and went straight to 53. If you do the math, over 1,000 players will be cut from NFL rosters by 4 p.m. Saturday. That's an impossibly large number of players to sift through in real time, especially when coming to conclusions about your own roster. That's why Beane will be enlisting the public relations staff this weekend.'

'My thinking: They have to throw to someone. Reunited with his wide receiver coach from college, the rookie has impressed during camp and will be the Bills' No. 1 threat on the perimeter. More than 240 targets from last year are available, and the sure-handed Jones will see a significant portion of them.'

'The Buffalo Bills have until 4 p.m. on Saturday to trim their roster down to 53 players. Buffalo began the cut down process earlier in the week and have continued the process today. Keep track of the Bills' roster cut downs here.'

'Nathan Peterman showed on Thursday night that the team doesn't need three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. The quarterback completed 9-of-11 passes for 81 yards against Detroit. Peterman has a good grasp of the offense and can backup Tyrod Taylor as a rookie.'

'If the Bills get off to a poor start, say 1-4 before their Week 6 bye — which is entirely possible as they play the Jets, Panthers, Broncos, Falcons and Bengals with three of those games on the road — then McDermott should switch to Peterman at that point.'