Two Bills Drive

Buffalo Bills News and Discussion

Archives for December 2021

Thursday’s Atlanta Coverage

Falcons’ Foye Oluokun settling in at middle linebacker (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Falcons’ outbreak up to 12 players on reserve/COVID-19 list (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Oluokun named NFC defensive player of the week (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Falcons’ Arthur Smith on Kitchings: ‘We’ll talk about that at the end of the season’ (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Bills’ Sean McDermott on the Falcons: ‘This is a good football team coming in here’ (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Falcons make a flurry of reserve/COVID-19 moves (AtlantaFalcons.com)
Examining the effects of COVID-19 spike for the Falcons (AtlantaFalcons.com)
Falcons injury report: Updating status Fabian Moreau of as Bills practice week begins (AtlantaFalcons.com)
The Falcons claim QB Matt Barkley off waivers (AtlantaFalcons.com)
Falcons LB Foye Oluokun named NFC defensive player of the week (AtlantaFalcons.com)
Bair Mail: On Kyle Pitts in the red zone, Matt Ryan and Arthur Smith partnership, Falcons role players and more (AtlantaFalcons.com)

Cole Beasley, Jon Feliciano among four Buffalo Bills players off reserve/COVID-19 list

‘The Bills were able to bring back those four players in part due to the new isolation time for players with COVID-19 agreed to by the NFL and NFL Players Association on Tuesday. Isolation time has now been set at five days for all players — vaccinated or unvaccinated — who test positive for COVID-19, so long as the player is asymptomatic or can demonstrate that his symptoms are resolving. This is in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.’

Bills activate four players from Reserve/COVID-19 list

‘Feliciano has missed the past two games for Buffalo after being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list just before kickoff in Week 15 against the Carolina Panthers. He will be a welcomed addition back to the offensive line, especially after Ike Boettger was lost for the season this past week due to an Achilles injury.’

Bills get Cole Beasley, Gabriel Davis back from Covid list

‘It will be interesting to see how the Bills split up play time this week at wide receiver. Isaiah McKenzie had a career day last week against the Patriots while Davis and Beasley were out, catching 11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.’

Buffalo Bills activate 4 players from COVID-19 list

‘In addition, McDermott says defensive tackle Star Lotulelei also returned to practice on Wednesday. However, McDermott did not specify whether Lotulelei would be playing this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons, saying they’re going to take it “one day at a time.”‘

Madden’s influence on the Bills + other things we learned from the locker room

‘”Everyone’s talking about the Madden game,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said. “That’s how I learned football, playing that game as a kid, learning the rules, learning the penalties. So that game has had a huge impact on me. And my heart goes out to his family because he affected so many people throughout his life for the better and he was one of the good ones.”‘

Behind the scenes of Matt Haack’s puntless day for the Bills

‘“I never said anything about it, just because I don’t want to jinx it,” Ferguson said. “It was certainly on my mind, but not in terms of setting a record. It was just on my mind more thinking about the fact that our offense was performing at such a high level, and that kind of reflects on the team as a whole.”’

Bills coaching staff could get raided this year as Daboll, Frazier may get interviews

‘Teams can now interview a candidate for its head coach position in the final two weeks of the regular season, under these rules: They do so with consent from the candidate’s current employer, provided their head coach who started the season is no longer in that role, or if their head coach has been told he won’t be retained once the season ends.’

Subtle adjustments, creativity help Brian Daboll evolve Buffalo’s offense for the stretch run

‘”I think he just continues to find ways to explore different types of plays,” said Josh Allen. “He’s constantly watching film from college, other NFL games and even sometimes high school games. He’s got a knack for it of just finding good play calls. He’ll switch things up where teams maybe lose focus on one guy and then bring him in or focus too much on the other guy. He continues just to watch a lot of film and he’s very open minded for different plays from everybody on the team. It doesn’t matter what position you play, he’s willing to take a look at it.”‘

In this game, Daboll got best of Belichick

‘”As far as no punting, I’m just glad we went out there and got a win,” Daboll said. “We tried to do the things we thought we could do and, ultimately, the players went out there and executed … the biggest thing was getting a win.”’

Upon Further Review: Bills’ much-maligned O-line takes big step forward in win over Patriots

‘At times, all those criticisms have been true this season. On Sunday, however, the line came through in a big way during the Bills’ 33-21 win at Gillette Stadium. Allen was not sacked for the first time since the Halloween win over the Dolphins, and frequently had plenty of time in the pocket to scan the field for open receivers. The result was a massive statistical performance for the quarterback (30 of 47, 314 yards, three touchdowns) in a victory that puts the Bills back atop the AFC East. The Bills can clinch the division by winning their last two games, against Atlanta and the New York Jets.’

‘It’s become expected of you’: How viral Dalton donations turned giving into Bills fans tradition

‘“Andy Dalton kickstarted it. That was amazing to watch. And since then, we’ve traded our bitterness and our pessimism for hope and optimism and these acts of charity,” said Daniel Konopski, whose Reddit post helped start a $553,000 flood of donations to Blessings in a Backpack in January after Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was concussed in a playoff game against the Bills.’

Sabato: It’s the Bills’ turn to be the bullies

‘Sean McDermott, bashed for being outcoached and outclassed by Belichick in the first meeting, opted not to cower by the benches next to the playground and put up a fight. McDermott ditched his punt-happy style and put trust in Allen. Opting to decline a field goal attempt on the opening possession and allowing Allen to rifle a touchdown pass to McKenzie on fourth down set the tone for the game.’

Bills Coach Sean McDermott on Coaching Against Bill Belichick: ‘He’s the Standard’

‘On Sunday, McDermott told The MMQB’s Albert Breer, “I’ll talk about that quote, first of all. I know what I meant to say, and I have the utmost respect for Bill. And it was more about what I and our team didn’t do. And things sometimes take on a life of their own, I guess. But look, Bill Belichick makes me a better coach. He’s the standard. And so he just … he challenges even the opposite coach to continue to grow. It’s so hard to beat his team.”’

Opinion: Bills take big step towards silencing doubters

‘This game marked the return of the dominant Bills offense from 2020. They moved the ball against New England’s defense all day. The Bills had eight drives, not including the kneel down at the end of the game, and they entered the red zone on seven of those eight drives. The offense produced 428 yards, four touchdowns, converted 50% on third down, had no turnovers, gave up no sacks and put up 33 points against what was the league’s number one scoring defense.’

Singletary’s second straight solid game adds to Bills offense

‘His final numbers don’t jump out on paper. He finished with 39 rushing yards and a touchdown, and had 39 receiving yards as well. While the numbers aren’t overwhelming, it’s the way he helped the rest of the team with solid runs and the fight he had on each carry that helped the rest of the offense.