Archives for October 10, 2017

'“We’ve just got to keep plugging at it,” McCoy said. “It’s hard, but it’s like respect. There are certain routes, certain bracketing in coverages, and all the attention is on the back. So as much as I want to be angry, we’ve just got to adjust to it and figure out a way to beat it. We’ll get there.”'

'These next few days will provide ample opportunities for self-reflection and self-scouting, not only for players but for the coaching staff as well. Their rushing attack has been abysmal since Week One, their quarterback play has mostly been mediocre, and their wide receiver production has been nonexistent. Star running back LeSean McCoy — who’s currently averaging 3.1 yards per carry — admitted after Sunday’s 20-16 loss in Cincinnati that he is angry at himself, while quarterback Tyrod Taylor shouldered the blame for squandering another defensive gem.'

'Clay was hurt in the first quarter of Sunday's 20-16 loss to Cincinnati when he was hit by Bengals safety Shawn Williams at the end of a 24-yard gain. Pro Football Talk reported Monday that Clay suffered a torn meniscus and sprained MCL, although McDermott did not confirm those details, saying he had yet to get a full report from the Bills' medical staff.'

'Ideally, the Bills would have played more smash mouth with the Bengals. But Buffalo ran 13 times for 70 yards on first down, a 5.5-yard average. The pass game needed to move the chains more to give the run game more cracks.'

'The two most obvious trade chips for the Bills happen to be the team's highest-paid players on each side of the ball – Marcell Dareus and Cordy Glenn.'

'In the loss to the Bengals, Dawkins received a -1.9 pass-blocking grade, the eighth-worst score out in Week Five out of 54 qualifying offensive tackles.'

'Next man up, that’s what we do. That’s what happens in the league, sometimes this happens. We’ve gotten hit a little bit by the injury bug. The great part about it is, if there’s a silver lining if you will, is that we had five rookies on the field yesterday getting significant experience. Whether they started or played, that’s important for our future, and as we continue to build, there’s a silver lining in some of this. Although, I never want to see a guy get hurt, in particular, any player, let alone a player of Charles’ caliber.'

'“I thought Nick did a good job yesterday in the passing game,” McDermott said. “In particular, made some key catches for us. He’s a guy that (quarterback Tyrod Taylor) trusts, obviously, and he’s made some big plays this year so far. I like the direction that he’s heading in right now."'

'The Bills woke up Monday ranked second-last in yards gained per game and yards per play, 29th in passing yards per game and 16th in rushing yards.'

'Bills wide receivers have averaged 4.8 receptions on 10.2 targets for 63.2 yards through five games, lower numbers than any NFL receiving group has put up for a full season since 2001, according to data from ESPN Stats & Information.'

'LT Dion Dawkins: The rookie was charged with two sacks and another quarterback hit, according to PFF. He looked slow off the snap in pass blocking, and PFF also graded his run blocking poorly. After playing a good game in Week Four, Dawkins took a clear step back in Cincinnati.'

'He was pressured on 40.9 percent of his dropbacks and 33.3 percent of those pressures turned into sacks. In Week Two against the Panthers, he was pressured on 47.1 percent of his dropbacks but was sacked on just 25 percent of his pressured dropbacks.'

'It is hard to say if the slightly lower rating is a response to the number of Bills protesting during the National Anthem before the Denver game, illustrative of Bills fans not buying into the belief that this team has playoff possibilities, a combination of those two scenarios, or something totally unrelated.'

'I'm generally not a fan of a three-man booth and they are extremely rare these days. But Beuerlein and Tasker see different things and often see things differently, which alternatively can enhance — and annoy — viewer enjoyment.'

'Clay, in his third season in Buffalo, is the team’s only tight end to record back-to-back seasons with 50 or more catches and 500 or more yards. He has 20 catches for a team-high 258 yards and two touchdowns this season. He had two catches for 31 yards when injured against the Bengals on a play along the sideline.'

'Taylor, who had 30 rushes in the Bills’ first four games, had just one carry for three yards against the Bengals. It wasn’t by design. Cincinnati’s strong defense did a better job than most keeping Taylor in the pocket and making him one-dimensional. He completed 20 of 37 passes for just 166 yards with one pretty TD pass and one killer, game-ending interception.'

'The Bills head into their bye week at 3-2 after a Week 5 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. There are issues to correct, most of which are on the offensive side of the ball. Both the running game and the passing game disappeared against the Bengals.'

'"Charles underwent a scope this morning and he'll be out multiple weeks," Sean McDermott said Monday.'

'Before we even get to Vlad Ducasse's play, let's start with Buffalo's decision to start the right guard and make John Miller inactive. Miller has been far from perfect, but Ducasse's career is full of lackluster play. Sean McDermott said the team was looking at combinations, but this was a bad decision from the get-go. Ducasse struggled mightily on Sunday in what should come as no surprise. The Bills hurt themselves by making Miller inactive on Sunday.'

'Clay consistently missed practices due to a right knee injury, but he did not miss any playing time last season because of the right knee. Clay's current injury is in his left knee and one report states it could be a pretty big blow.'

'Buffalo is down to four healthy receivers , with fifth-year player Andre Holmes having the most experience. At tight end, the trio of Nick O’Leary, Khari Lee and converted quarterback Logan Thomas began this season with a combined 11 catches for 158 yards.'

'Clay has been the Bills' most dependable and productive receiver. He's second on the team with 20 catches and leads Buffalo with 258 yards, and tied for the team lead with two touchdowns.'

'Actually, what the Bills need to do is scour the waiver wire and line up as many tryouts as they can during their bye week. It might also be worth giving practice-squad receiver Brandon Reilly a look. They cannot succeed with a passing game this terrible because not only can't the Bills throw the ball, that ineptness has affected the running game as well. The Bills rank 25th in the NFL in points per game, 31st in yards, 29th in passing, and 27th in average yards per rush.'

'While McDermott said that had yet to speak to doctors about the severity of the injury, multiple outlets reported that Clay sustained a torn meniscus and MCL sprain following a low hit from safety Shawn Williams during Sunday's 20-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.'

'A source confirmed to ESPN's Adam Schefter that Clay had a torn meniscus and MCL sprain. The news about Clay's diagnosis was first reported by Pro Football Talk.'

'With Clay missing time the team is down to O’Leary, Logan Thomas, and Khari Lee at tight end. They may have to make a roster move to add another player to the position. The Bills have a bye week coming up before taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home in two weeks.'

'Considering how little the Bills are really getting out of their running game it almost blows my mind that they have a 3-2 record. Getting more out of their passing game is going to be even more challenging with Clay hurt. I’m fresh out of ideas to jump start their passing game. The best I think you can hope for is what you got last week in Atlanta, when the Bills didn’t exactly impress through the air but found their way to a couple of big throws down the field to Clay. Those plays were nowhere to be found against the Bengals, maybe in large part because Clay left the game so early.'

'The head coach was unsure if Clay’s injury would be season ending adding he hadn’t met with team doctors yet.'

'“Charles underwent a (knee) scope this morning and he’ll be out multiple weeks,” said head coach Sean McDermott.'

'“I knew around that time of the game it was time for a play. Me personally I thought I started slow. I told the coaches I have to play better,” Tate said. “I made a play, but just came up short today.”'