Archives for November 2021

‘I’m not sure how many people considered the Bills the favorite in the AFC after the loss to Indianapolis, but they’re definitely not the favorite without White.’

‘Harris, 26, most recently was on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad. He also played one game for the Browns. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder spent a week on the Bills’ roster in August before being released. Last year, he saw action in two games for the San Francisco 49ers. Harris was originally a sixth-round draft pick of the 49ers in 2019. He spent his rookie season on injured reserve.’

‘”Once you get into it, you know, people begin to say: ‘Well, wait a minute, what about my tradition of tailgating?’ ” Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat, said. “I’m not a tailgater, but it’s a thing.” Downtown bar owners may be pushing for a downtown stadium to boost their business, “but is that the experience that people want?” the congressman added.’

‘Metzelaars played 16 seasons in the NFL, 10 of them with the Bills. He was named to the Bills’ 50th-anniversary team, and no one since has surpassed him. “I’m thrilled to be thought of that way,” he said. “But if Dawson keeps rolling, he may bypass me. As of right now, I guess I’ve still got the title.”’

‘Phillips, who has started the last three games in place of Star Lotulelei, who remains out on the reserve/Covid-19 list, played his best ball of the season in the Bills’ 31-6 victory against the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving in the Superdome, according to the analytics website Pro Football Focus.’

‘But the sticking points are complicated. Among the biggest: Where will the stadium be built – across the street from Highmark in Orchard Park, or on the outskirts of downtown Buffalo? In the public-private partnership that will fund the stadium, how much will the Bills – and perhaps the NFL – be expected to contribute? And how ironclad will this deal be? If Bills management wanted to break the lease and move the team, how easily could it do it?’

‘Great receivers love to have the freedom to set up defenders. Here, Daboll anticipated man-to-man coverage and gave Diggs the time and freedom to create separation from his defender Marshon Lattimore.’

‘Diggs is the latest edition to the Riding Bobblehead Series, manufactured by FOCO, and his bobblehead will be released Monday to coincide with his 28th birthday.’

‘“We are grateful for the overwhelming amount of support and well wishes Tre’Davious had received from teammates, players and executives from other teams around the league,” the agency said. “This tells you the level of respect he has earned as a class act both on and off the field.’

‘It’s also good news for P.U.N.T. In October, Knox announced a season-long initiative, Knox Sox, in which he’ll donate $1,000 for every touchdown and $100 for every catch. He’s coupling that money along with proceeds from Bills-themed socks that fans can buy, all of it going toward custom non-slip socks for pediatric cancer patients.’

‘Let’s put a Bills spin on this. Last season, Josh Allen went 396 of 572 (69.2%) for 4,544 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed 102 times for 421 yards and eight touchdowns, and even caught one pass – a 12-yard touchdown. That gave him 4,977 total yards and 46 touchdowns. Marino in 1984 threw for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns – absolutely amazing numbers looking back on them. He also threw for 4,746 yards and 44 touchdowns in 1986, but those are the only two seasons of his career that statistically are in the same category as Allen’s 2021 season. Elway topped 4,000 passing yards just once in his career – in 1993 – and his single-season high for touchdown passes is 27, set in 1997. In 1991, Kelly threw for 3,844 yards and 33 touchdowns, which marked career highs in a single season. All three of those quarterbacks are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but only Marino had even one year that touched Allen’s 2020 season statistically. As Rich alludes to, that’s driven more by the change in how the game is played. Today, Marino would put up numbers the way Drew Brees has, while Kelly and Elway would be not too far behind.’

‘One Democrat said Hochul is still going to face opposition from some of the more left-leaning state lawmakers over public subsidies for an NFL team owned by a billionaire, regardless of how much she promises in funding for other areas.’

‘The injury also probably will mean active duty on the roster for second-year cornerback Cam Lewis. He has been inactive the past three games. He was on the practice squad the four games prior to that. He played 47 snaps in place of White in the game against Houston.’

‘Jackson was needed in the Week 2 victory at Miami when Levi Wallace was injured. He had five tackles in playing 64% of the defensive snaps in a 35-0 victory.’

‘Hyde and his teammates can wear out the back button on their TVs keeping tabs on a couple of big games in the AFC. Thursday’s win elevated the Bills back into first place in the AFC East with the same 7-4 record as New England (Buffalo owns the tiebreaker with a better divisional record), but the Patriots can retake a half-game lead with a win against the visiting Tennessee Titans, who lead the conference with an 8-3 record, but are coming off a horrid home loss to the lowly Houston Texans.’

‘Give special teams coordinator Heath Farwell a nod here, too. Kicker Tyler Bass has a big leg and probably could have kicked off for touchbacks close to every time being in a dome, but the Bills saw something that made them think they could kick short of the goal line and cover it before the returner reached the 25-yard line – the spot the ball goes after a touchback.’

‘Oliver had a season-high six pressures on the quarterback and broke his sackless streak by sharing a sack with Efe Obada. Oliver ranks 15th among NFL defensive tackles in pressures on the season – he has 26 – according to Pro Football Focus.’

‘But I’m sure many Mafia members probably forgave Brees because of the key thing he brought to the Thanksgiving party: He isn’t Cris Collinsworth.’