Archives for October 30, 2017

‘Sean McDermott’s defense created its second and third turnovers of the game in the quarter, with Mike Tolbert recovering a Jalen Richard fumble on a punt and Micah Hyde intercepting a Derek Carr pass that was tipped by Preston Brown. The Bills were only able to get field goals off of both possessions, but they gave them needed breathing room before the touchdown drive pushed the lead to 20.’

‘Cornerback Leonard Johnson jarred the ball loose from running back DeAndré Washington after a completed pass, and Milano, a fifth-round pick, caught the ball in the air and returned it 40 yards to the end zone for the Bills’ second touchdown of the quarter.’

‘They were forced to punt on both of their first-quarter possessions, with LeSean McCoy running three times for 5 yards.’

‘Well, I thought Leslie Frazier and the defensive staff put a good game plan together. It starts there, and then the players put the time in during the week. We really embrace the ‘next man up’ approach. You saw that with [Matt] Milano making another big play or two [and] Trae Elston making another big play, so it was good team defense, I thought, throughout the game. You know, they do have weapons.’

‘So much for that Tank Bowl: Buffalo may have known the Bills weren’t tanking this season, but that didn’t stop New York outlets from referring to the Bills-Jets Week One matchup as the Tank Bowl. So much for that. The Bills are 5-2 and right on the heels of the Patriots, who can’t seem to figure out their defense but still have Tom Brady. The Jets have lost three straight but played the Patriots for first place in the division in Week Six while the Bills were on the bye. They own wins over the Dolphins (4-3), Jaguars (4-3) and Browns (0-8). They may not be a playoff team, but they’re certainly not as bad as anyone expected.’

‘”The people of Buffalo are fun-spirited, loyal people, hard-working, blue-collar people and it was always a good time,” said Mack.’

‘There was a pregame ceremony that included law enforcement officers, and owners Terry and Kim Pegula presented Lehner’s mother, Kathy, with a game ball. The ceremony also included Shield, the 4-year-old German shepherd who was Lehner’s inseparable partner.’

‘It was a slightly quieter game day for Orchard Park Police, who reported they responded to more than 75 calls before, during and after the Buffalo Bills-Oakland Raiders football game Sunday, rather than topping 100 calls as they have during previous games this season when the weather was warm and sunny.’

‘Kim Tatasciore said the Raiders have been “my team forever,” but Richard quickly added, “I love Buffalo.”’

‘In place of the DAREUS nameplate, McLaughlin taped a piece of paper reading, “6 Rounder.”’

‘Mack visits Elmo’s whenever he is back in Western New York and did so again Saturday. Mack, along with his parents Sandy and Yolanda and younger brother LeDarius, a junior linebacker currently redshirting at UB, stopped in to eat lunch and watch the Bulls’ away game on TV. They caught up with former UB quarterback Joe Licata and were later joined by about a dozen Raiders defensive players.’