‘The Nebraska native is glad for the exposure for the work he does in the community, knowing the publicity can lead to more. Phillips also loves to meet other nominees and learn about their approach to giving back.’
Archives for December 9, 2021
Position grades: Forecast for next three weeks is tough sledding for Bills’ RBs
‘Rookie right tackle Spencer Brown had a rough game. Besides having trouble with Lawrence Guy in the run game, he gave up a couple of second-half hurries to Kyle Van Noy and one in the fourth quarter to Judon. Daryl Williams was partially to blame, along with Allen, on both sacks, from The News’ perspective. Cody Ford played only three plays but couldn’t block Davon Godchaux on a tough reach block then gave up a hurry to Christian Barmore on a third down. Dion Dawkins’ pass protection was good.’
Former Bills special teams ace Mark Pike dies at 57
‘Pike most recently attended the Week 4 home game against Houston as the Bills’ Crucial Catch honoree – an NFL program to fight cancer through early detection and risk reduction. Pike’s battle against cancer was complicated by a recent Covid-19 infection and a pneumonia diagnosis.’
Jim Kubiak: Patriots smartly used one extra blocker to slow Allen, Bills’ passing game
‘Again, the defense can always bring one more defender than an offense can block. This principle was utilized to perfection as the Patriots showed they were rushing three defenders. The Bills had Knox stay in from his tight end alignment to block and Singletary was in protection to Allen’s left. Seven of the eight rushers were blocked, and the free Patriots’ rusher, safety Devin McCourty, applied pressure on Allen to make his final throw off balance as Allen was falling away.’
Bills’ Micah Hyde discusses exchange with reporter that went viral after Patriots loss
‘“Damn right I’m a sore loser. Show me a sore loser and I’m gonna show you a winner,” he said. “We want to win. Everybody in this damn locker room should be a sore loser.”’
NFL rumors: Buffalo Bills’ Leslie Frazier has ‘fair bit of smoke’ connecting him to potential HC job
‘According to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, there is a “fair bit of smoke” with Frazier going to the Chicago Bears if the team parts ways with Matt Nagy.’
Thursday’s Tampa Bay Coverage
The giving never stops for Bucs’ Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Times)
Injury bug takes a bite out of Bucs coaches (Tampa Bay Times)
Get ready to gulp: Tom Brady has thrown for 100,000 career yards (Tampa Bay Times)
Early Christmas gift? Bucs can wrap up NFC South on Sunday (Tampa Bay Times)
Bucs’ Gronkowski still shows love for hometown Buffalo ahead of Bills match-up (WFTS-TV)
Bucs Preparing for ‘Playoff Caliber’ Matchup with Bills | Carmen Catches Up (Buccaneers.com)
Richard Sherman, Justin Watson Return to Practice (Buccaneers.com)
Bills-Buccaneers Injury Report Dec. 8: Jamel Dean, Will Gholston, Ryan Jensen, Jordan Whitehead Sidelined (Buccaneers.com)
Former Dixie Heights, Buffalo Bills football standout Mark Pike dies at age 57
‘Pike lived in Northern Kentucky after his playing career ended and owned fitness centers in the area.’
Former Bills Special Teams Standout Mark Pike Dies At 57
‘Pike is survived by his wife Sharon, their sons Ezekiel and Malachi, and daughter Kramer. Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.’
Buffalo Bills’ all-time leading special teams tackler Mark Pike dies after having cancer, COVID-19
‘For seven of the last eight years he played in Buffalo, Pike led the team in special teams tackles. He remains the team’s all-time leading special teams tackler with 255, which ranks second in NFL history behind former Patriots player Larry Izzo (298).’
Mark Pike, special teams standout on Buffalo Bills’ Super Bowl teams in the 1990s, dies at 57
‘A seventh-round pick out of Georgia Tech in the 1986 NFL Draft, Pike — listed as a defensive lineman — would become one of the greatest special teams players in the history of the Bills and an integral part of their dominant units of the 1990s. On a special teams unit that starred the legendary Steve Tasker, Pike’s speed and ability to run combined with his size as a defensive lineman made him especially effective at running through blocks and making plays as part of Buffalo’s coverage units.’
Bills Special Teams Great Mark Pike Has Died
‘“It had been such a great privilege for me to have been his coach with the Buffalo Bills during the 1990s when Mark had been such an integral part in contributing to the success our teams enjoyed during our four trips to those Super Bowl games and beyond,” Levy said. “Mark was not only an outstanding defensive lineman, linebacker and special teams standout, but he was the epitome of all that I had ever hoped our players would be like.”’
Bills, Bucs first injury reports
‘For the Bills, four players were listed as limited participants due to inquires, including fullback Reggie Gilliam, who missed Monday night’s loss to the Patriots with an ankle injury, and defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, who is dealing with a toe injury.’
Bucs’ Rob Gronkowski shows love for Buffalo ahead of Sunday matchup with Bills
‘”The Bills do mean a lot to my family and I,” Gronkowski told reporters on Wednesday. “We grew up in Buffalo, 25 minutes from the stadium. I was a big Bills fan growing up.”‘
Former Buffalo Bills special teams standout Mark Pike dies at age 57
‘Pike died of complications due to COVID-19 and pneumonia.’
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen and Nike pledge $100,000 to Oishei Children’s Hospital
‘The announcement was made in a new Nike commercial featuring Allen that focuses on the donations from Bills fans to Oishei Children’s Hospital in honor of Patricia Allen, Josh’s grandmother, following her death.’
Bills trying to get run defense ‘really figured out’ ahead of facing Leonard Fournette and Bucs
‘“This league is a copycat league so teams watch all the film they can to see how to beat this defense. Obviously if you look at where our defense is successful with, look at the stats, when the ball’s in the air we’re doing pretty well. So teams are trying to find weaknesses of this defense and they’re gonna copycat whatever the other teams were able to be successful on us and that’s the type of stuff that we know, we’re working on,” Bills safety Micah Hyde said after practice on Wednesday.’
Mark Pike, former standout Bills player, dies at 57
‘Pike is still the franchise’s all-time leading special teams tackler, with a total of 255 career takedowns.The total ranks second all-time in NFL history to former New England special teamer Larry Izzo (298).’
Bills in search of identity as regular season begins to wind down
‘”Every season is different, as you know,” Frazier said. “You’ve been around a long time, you go through some different things as you’re trying to find your identity. Sometimes, it takes December to really find out who you are as a team. I think we’re just about there. I think there are some things that will reveal over the last couple of weeks that will help us in the long run. You don’t want to be win one, lose one, you don’t want to be that. You really got to focus on that one game and for us this week, it’s Tampa Bay.”‘
What will it take to stop familiar foe Tom Brady and the Buccaneers offense
‘”He still has a really good arsenal of receivers and one of the best tight ends in pro football in Gronkowski, Frazier said. So, it’s going to be a challenge for sure, but we’ve got to find a way. We’ve got to find a way to be able to put ourselves in a position to make some plays on the back end. And we look forward to the challenge. It’s a game that we need for a lot of reasons. And we’ve got to find a way to slow that passing attack down and give us a chance to get a W.”‘
Top 5 storylines to follow for Bills vs. Buccaneers
‘A win won’t come easy though and Buffalo’s defense will be tasked with slowing down Tampa Bay’s high-powered offense that ranks near the top in many categories. The Buccaneers have the best scoring offense averaging 31.4 points per game and the second-best total offense averaging 403.7 total yards per game.’
Bills special teams stalwart Mark Pike passes away
‘”Mark was really the centerpiece of our league-leading coverage units,” Tasker said. “I was kind of a wide guy. I was a gunner, and I was an L-2 on the outside. I wasn’t in there with the threes, fours and fives very much. Mark was. So, the physicality of special teams was his wheelhouse, and he would routinely blow people up. So, while I would draw some people out and they would have to defend my speed and my ability to keep leverage and cut the field off, he was a freaking bulldozer man. He was an absolute freight train.”‘