Archives for September 27, 2017

'"The bottom line is they get it, they understand that we're in this all together," Kelly said. "It bums me out when I see the negativity toward me. And I've talked to Jerry, I've talked to (fellow Hall-of-Famers) Bruce (Smith) and Thurman (Thomas). We all get it. And you know what? This might even bring our team closer."'

'Gray area has been there all along when it comes to Kaepernick and other players who joined him in protest. Most baffling to me in this steady diet of controversy has been the willingness of people to swallow the entire side of an argument without realizing that most complex issues are served a la carte.'

'His press conferences are boring. His ultra-measured responses and constant use of coach-speak are maddening to those of us asking the questions. Ryan might not have excelled at much when it came to meshing the right scheme with his defensive personnel or pushing the correct buttons on game day or keeping track of all of those pesky details that are an essential part of the job description, but, man, was he ever entertaining.'

'"It's not about the flag or the anthem … just like someone doesn't have to have their lord and savior be Jesus Christ," Thomas said.'

'The Bills have room to add one player to their 53-man active roster.'

'McCoy is currently averaging 1.93 yards per route run (131 yards on 68 pass routes run), the 13th-best out of 41 running backs who've played at least 25 percent of their respective team's snaps thus far. Of the 17 backs who've run at least 50 pass routes, McCoy's 1.93 yards-per-route-run figure is fifth-best.'

'White is currently PFF's No. 10 cornerback out of 110 qualifying players at the same position.'

'Among teams with a winning record, the Bills are among the least likely to make the playoffs, according to the site: Rams (23.4 percent), Bills (31.8 percent), Redskins (33.4 percent).'

'Greg Gumbel will handle the play-by-play, Trent Green will be the game analyst and Jamie Erdahl will report from the sidelines.'

'Tailgate forecast: Comfortably cool start. Mostly sunny, with temps starting in low 60s. Light east wind.'

'“There was anywhere from 15 to 20,000 Bills fans tailgating in the parking area before the game,” said Todd Zielinski. “It definitely looked like we had more Bills fans than Carolina fans. I think a lot of people came out for the tailgate and wanted to represent Buffalo.”'

'Kelly, a Bills employee and goodwill ambassador, was the on the field when current team members chose to lock arms during the playing of the national anthem before Sunday’s game against Denver. About a dozen Bills players chose to kneel, joining others around the NFL, a movement that was started a year ago by then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.'

'Matt Ryan is among the NFL's best quarterbacks, but that doesn't mean he won't make mistakes on the field. Ryan threw for nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions, but he also tossed three interceptions against Detroit. Buffalo's secondary will have opportunities to make plays against Ryan.'

'For the second week in a row, defensive end Jerry Hughes tops the list as the best player on the field for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.'

'Alexander will meet with fans from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in support of his foundation, the A.C.E.S. (Accountability, Community, Education, Sports) Foundation.'

'Zylka says law enforcement meet with Bills officials a few times a week to see what they could do better on game day. But he says no matter what they do, there’s always going to be a delay.'

'Here’s why Buffalo’s win over Denver bothers me. Don’t get me wrong – I was happier than anybody that the Bills won on Sunday, but it also got me thinking. Thinking about how a win like this was supposed to happen LAST season – you know, when the team was trying to rebuild AND win. Buffalo’s been trying to rebuild and win at the same time for 17+ years and we all know how that’s worked out – it hasn’t. As I wrote in my first article this season, this is supposed to be a rebuilding year and it’s something I’ve prepared for. My thought was that the Bills would probably be a 4 or 5 win team this season but that pain would be repaid at draft time. Instead, with this improbable win over Denver they look like they’re on yet another relentless march to about 8 wins (stop me of you’ve seen this before).'

'The release of Coleman likely means either Dareus or Worthy are close to a return.'

'… Bills fans are probably pretty thrilled with the way their new kicker, Steven Hauschka, performed against the Broncos. Hauschka went 4 for 4 on field goals, which includes conversions from 49, 53 and 55 yards. That's a dramatic improvement from Carpenter, who went 5 of 11 on fields from 40 yards or longer last season. Hauschka wasn't the only player for the Bills who was nearly perfect in this game. Tyrod Taylor, who finished 20 of 26 for 213 yards with two touchdowns, led two clutch touchdown drives in the game, and they both game when the Bills were trailing by three points.'

'But out of nowhere, Joe Webb, who disengaged from his downfield block at the 17-yard line, turns around and closes a three-yard head start by Latimer running full speed in 13 yards and wraps him up from behind at the 30 before dragging him to the ground at the 36-yard line.'

'“It’s huge. Obviously we play half the games at home and you have to have that mentality to defend your dirt. You have to get the crowd into it and make this place a tough place to play. Not only when it’s cold but days like Sunday when it was hot. We understand that and coach has been stressing since OTA’s and that’s our number one goal to play at home and defend our dirt,” Micah Hyde said.'