Archives for September 2017

'In this case, Jets fans are desperate to land the best of a handful of glistening quarterback prospects projected to headline the 2018 draft, led by Southern Cal’s supposed can’t-miss phenom Sam Darnold. The Jets have needed such a young superstar quarterback since Joe Namath’s ankle-length fur coat started falling apart.'

'The Jets looked much like a team in the midst of a makeover after making numerous offseason moves to purge talent.'

'The Bills got off to a winning start in coach Sean McDermott's debut by leaning on a ground game that has led the NFL in yards rushing. And they combined for 190 yards rushing against a Jets defense that was the NFL's fourth-best against the run last season.'

'The running back tandem of Bilal Powell and Matt Forte's sputters aside, the Jets surrendered 190 yards rushing to the LeSean McCoy-led Bills. That's nearly 100 more than what they gave up per game in finishing fourth in the NFL last year, though New York did allow 248 yards rushing to San Francisco.'

'Hall-of-Fame members Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed were among the approximately 25 members of that Bills team along with key contributors in the win wide receiver Don Beebe and kicker Steve Christie whose 32-yard field goal in overtime secured the 41-38 victory.'

'The Bills totaled 408 yards of offense and never trailed, but didn't put the game away until late in head coach Sean McDermott's debut.'

'"Just got to keep pushing man, keep pushing, get more wins," McCoy said. "With wins, numbers come with it. And that's the mindset, man. Just trying to lead this team in the right direction."'

'During the next Jets drive, Bills cornerback E.J. Gaines went down with a shoulder injury. Gaines was evaluated by the trainers and did not return to the game.'

'One thing that played out as anticipated was a larger role for Charles Clay. The tight end has a key role in Rick Dennison’s offense, and Clay led the team with nine targets. In addition, it isn’t surprising that Taylor would feel more comfortable with Clay than newcomers Zay Jones, Jordan Matthews and Andre Holmes. His chemistry with them and the trust factor with that group is still a work in progress.'

'It was nice to see a defense on the field that wasn’t standing there with their arms outstretched wondering what the call is. There was never a play where half the defense had their backs turned to the line of scrimmage as the ball was being snapped because they had no idea where they should be.'

'I thought Poyer was the best player on either defensive side of the field Sunday, and his stat line reflected it. 3 tackles, 1 for a loss, 1 sack, 1 QB hurry, 1 interception, 2 passes defended. That’s a full day’s work. And a really good one. Poyer was all over the field, used as a run-stopper, a blitzer, and a centerfielder. And he played each role well.'

'The Bills defense was key in the win on Sunday. They recorded two interceptions in the final quarter of play, the last of them sealed the win after Micah Hyde picked off a pass with less than two minutes to go.'

'He may be a 29-year old running back, but he certainly doesn’t look it.'

'Taylor also became the Bills all-time leading rusher for a quarterback, passing Joe Ferguson with 1,174 career yards.'

'In a nutshell, you gather up as many snakes as possible, put them in a big bin and auction them off. That's pretty much it.'