Two Bills Drive

Buffalo Bills News and Discussion

Archives for September 15, 2020

5 takeaways from Bills’ Monday media availability

‘Coach Sean McDermott said it does not appear that any of his linebackers who were hurt during Sunday’s season-opening, 27-17 victory over the New York Jets appear to have suffered long-term injuries. That list includes starters Tremaine Edmunds (shoulder) and Matt Milano (hamstring), as well as backups Tyrel Dodson (undisclosed) and Del’Shawn Phillips (quadriceps).’

Upon Further Review: Trent Murphy occupies his usual spot on Bills’ D-line

‘“Trent’s a great teammate, just by the way he comes in and the way he works week in and week out. The way he prepares, the way he sets the tone for our young guys. He would probably be shocked to see how many young guys watch the way he works, and then when he comes out there on the field he’s relentless, getting after the quarterback, making plays.’

Contract details are out: Tre White to get $37 million over next two years

‘It helped the Bills that White was willing to structure the deal favorably so the team might navigate would could be a difficult salary cap in 2021. Because the NFL will lose revenues due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league’s salary cap tentatively has been set at $175 million in 2021, a $23 million decrease from this season.’

Josh Allen lost two fumbles but otherwise was as good as he’s ever been

‘Allen was everything the Bills want him to be for most of Sunday’s season-opening victory. He was in complete control of the offense, directing traffic almost exclusively from three, four- and even five-receiver sets, spreading the ball to everyone, eight different receivers catching at least two passes.’

Good news on Bills’ injuries at linebacker

‘The Bills had only six linebackers active for the game and, at the end, that translated to only outside starter, A.J. Klein, the free agent from New Orleans, and former Steeler Tyler Matakevich, a kicking team specialist.’

Josh Allen was Bills offense vs. Jets; Stefon Diggs enjoyed the show

‘Buffalo’s 31 first downs in the game compared to just 15 for the Jets was the result of consistent playmaking. Josh Allen connected on eight passes to Stefon Diggs for a team-high 86 yards to help catapult the 23-year-old quarterback to his first 300-yard passing game in the NFL.’

Brasky: Upon review, Daboll, Bills’ play-calling not to blame for number of Allen’s rushing attempts

‘Ideally, Daboll’s call to conclude the Bills’ first scoring drive is the type of Allen run that I can live with. That’s an example of a play that suits Allen’s strengths and minimizes his greatest weakness – losing the football while he is on the run, a prime example of which being his second fumble of the afternoon. The key for Allen to find success in the run game without fumbling, in my opinion is to get him out in space and away from the oncoming surge near the line of scrimmage.’

McDermott on Allen running: “It’s got to be a good balance”

‘”I’ve been around those conversations before, albeit in a different position, but very close to the topic nonetheless,” he said when asked about being on teams with those QBs. “It never goes away. Just from my experience, you’re always trying to find that sweet spot. What’s not enough? What’s too much? It takes everyone. It takes us as coaches and Josh, to find that right balance.”‘

Edmunds and Milano considered day-to-day

‘Edmunds left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury, while Milano exited just before halftime with a hamstring injury. Neither returned to the field of play, although Edmunds was on the sidelines later without his helmet or shoulder pads.’

Josh Allen passes his first test

‘As opposed to 2019 when the Bills had some slow starts, the offense put up a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter and had 21 points on the board by halftime. That was more than they averaged per-game last season (19). The Bills could have hit the 40-point mark were it not for Allen’s two fumbles, which both happened in scoring territory, and a pair of missed field goals from rookie kicker Tyler Bass.’

Here we go

‘It would be tough to ask for a better start to the first game of 2020. At least as far as the scoreboard and stat sheet go, anyways.’

‘It’s gotta be a good balance’ when it comes to Bills QB Josh Allen running the ball

‘“It is a weapon of his game, it’s gotta be a good balance, you know a healthy balance and that’s what we shoot for every week. It’s something that we do take seriously for a lot of reasons which I’m sure you know I thought overall we did some good things in the run game, we could have been better in other areas in the run game,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said.’

The Josh Allen saga: To run or not to run?

‘Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said some of Allen’s carries were designed runs while others are zone reads, where he has to make a split-second decision on whether or not to give the ball to the running back.’

Bills vs Jets: 10 topics for More on Monday

‘I have covered somewhere around 450 Bills games in person, from preseason to the Super Bowl. There was nothing like what we saw and heard yesterday. I compared the atmosphere on the field to the sounds of a JV football game. On television they pump in crowd noise to try to make it feel normal. But in Bills Stadium it was nothing like that. The players deal with it and find a way to focus on their jobs. But even Tre White told me he was talking to his teammates on the sidelines during the game and they were saying how strange it was to not have fans.’

Bills linebackers on the mend

‘”They don’t appear to be long-term injuries at this point, based on what we know, so we’ll put them in the day-to-day category and we’ll continue to update you guys as we get information,” McDermott said.’

What we learned about the Bills from the head coach and coordinators | Week 1

‘”Tyrel did a terrific job,” defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. “That sack that he got on Darnold, I mean, that was a great job of finishing the play. He had great composure and poise during his time out there, so it was encouraging to watch his performance. It really encourages you going forward.”‘

8 numbers to know from Bills vs. Jets | Week 1

‘John Brown has played in seven season openers in his NFL career. In those seven appearances, the receiver they call ‘Smoke’ has five touchdown receptions. Sunday’s 18-yard touchdown catch and run from Josh Allen, was his fifth in a Week 1 game.’

Eric Wood | 10 opinions on the Bills 1-0 start to the 2020 season

‘It was a great start to the season, and to get a win against a divisional opponent but if you’re at home and you’re favored, you should get that win. It was also a great start to the game. The Bills defense started off strong forcing three consecutive three-and-outs. The Jets got one first down during their fourth drive, but then they had to punt, so the Bills defense smothered them early in the game. The Bills offensively had a good first drive although it ended in a fumble, they then went back-to-back-to-back drives ending in a touchdown.’

Bills Today | Heavy rotation for the defensive line

‘”It should help us over the course of a four-quarter game,” Frazier explained. “so, when you get to the fourth quarter and it’s a tight game, you still have your best players fresh because you have a good rotation going. It also keeps everybody involved in the game, you don’t have guys standing around in between series, waiting and wondering when they’re going to get in the game. Eric Washington has done a great job in training camp of making the guys aware that we’re going to have a rotation and how it’s going to work. They weren’t surprised on Sunday when he kept his word, and there they are in the second series and we got a fresh group out there. Those guys are playing as hard as they can trying to get more snaps, so it should be good for us in the long term.”‘