Olean Times Herald

‘As for the price, it’s a bit steep. But, with the Bills having nine draft choices and general manager Brandon Beane insisting that not all of them would make the 53-man roster, Buffalo had some extra collateral. As it is, he still has seven draft selections, one each in Rounds 2-5, two in the sixth and one in the seventh.’

‘Clearly, Addison is seen as the replacement for end Shaq Lawson with Jefferson providing depth, and Butler will vie for the spot of Jordan Phillips while Klein is viewed as the heir apparent to retired strongside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander.’

‘The reality is, though, Orchard Park is an ideal compromise location from all directions. To be sure, road access directly around the stadium can occasionally be problematic on game day, but the Thruway and Route 219 get fans reasonably close and tailgating is helpful in that it extends arrival time. Rarely is there a monster traffic jam.’

‘“Last year I had to defend Buffalo,” Beane said. (But) I think people understand and see what we’re building here. People across the league see that we have a young quarterback that’s developing and growing. You look at what Green Bay did all those years with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. If you have a quarterback to build around, (that’s an) attractive thing.”‘

‘Bills fans probably don’t want to hear this, but it’s entirely possible Buffalo will be improved in 2020 and not get to 10 wins or return to the playoffs. This coming year’s schedule is as daunting as last season’s was soft.’

‘But he also admitted, “I don’t think we’re looking at an overhaul. Last year, offensively, was an overhaul. We’re going to look under every rock to find competition and upgrades where we can. But my philosophy hasn’t changed, we’ve got to draft, develop and sign our guys. Now we’re getting into the area where guys who have been here for three years are up for contracts. All those discussions will commence real soon — the guys who are potential free agents — whether we want them back and can we work it out with them?”’

‘“I get emotional because I feel bad for them that we didn’t win that game. You go back to Nashville (Titans), Miami (Dolphins), Houston (Texans). (At) Nashville, that was like a bowl game — their team does something good and you hear that side of the stadium, our team does something good (you hear our side), it was truly like a neutral field. To have the Bills Mafia, Bills Nation, support us that way all season long is unmatched. (Myself), our players, our entire building (are appreciative).”’

‘“Execution,” McDermott said when explaining the offense’s problem. “It doesn’t matter, regardless of what you do or who you have, at the end of the day you have to execute better than the defense executes to score points … we’ve got to score more points. Everybody knows that.”’

‘“It’s been a painful couple of days for all of us. My hope is, in time, if it’s handled the right way, the pain will turn into strength and that strength will turn into growth. That’s what really separates the winning organizations.”’

‘Oh, there were the obligatory “You need to retire” and “What are YOU watching?” emails, and that’s fine; part of the fun of sports is disagreeing. The bothersome comments were that I had something against Josh or held him responsible for the playoff loss in Houston. I don’t and I didn’t.’

‘Buffalo needed a “franchise quarterback” and, after two seasons, we have no idea whether Allen is it. Indeed, following his incredibly uneven performance on Saturday, the answer could well be “He isn’t.”’

‘Bills quarterback Josh Allen, on the game’s first series, had a 42-yard run, the longest rush for Buffalo this season and the longest by a QB in Buffalo playoff history.’

‘What do the Bills have to do to win today? Score at least 20 points.’

‘“Knowing a few weeks ahead that we made the playoffs is probably the biggest thing,” he said of clinching in Week 15. “Other than that, it’s preparation as normal. We understand we’re playing one game seasons at this point. As a staff, obviously, this is our third year together, for the most part, so that experience is good for us.”‘

‘The positive, as it relates to turnovers, is that after being intercepted 19 times in his first 17 games, he’s been picked off only twice in the last 11 starts.’