Olean Times Herald

‘They come into tonight 3-5, one of those losses to the Bills on the road in the season opener. But after an 0-2 start, the Jets won three straight and could easily have doubled that streak. They were absolutely shafted when the NFL’s reviewers in New York nullified an obvious Jets’ TD late in a 24-17 loss to New England. It’s the consensus worst call of the year.’

‘“As a younger player you tend to go out there and be a little shook. But we didn’t see that … we’re teaching ‘next man up’ and these guys are going out there to ball.”’

‘Of the current 53-man roster, 29 are new faces.’

‘However, on this day, though the Bills played three backups on defense — linebacker Matt Milano, cornerback Shareece Wright and safety Trae Elston — they held Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr in check. Yeah, he was 31-of-49 passing for 313 yards — the third straight 300-yard passer against Buffalo — but he managed only a 4-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Washington and threw a pair of interceptions to Elston and fellow safety Micah Hyde, his NFL-leading fifth of the season.’

‘Mack shifted between both sides of the line out of Oakland’s defensive huddles, sometimes standing up, sometimes in a three-point stance against Buffalo right tackle Jordan Mills or left tackle Cordy Glenn. But he only reached the vicinity of Taylor on a handful of plays and hit him once.’

‘The surprise isn’t that he’s gone … but rather that a trading partner emerged saving the Bills millions of dollars and ridding themselves of a player who doesn’t know or care about a team concept.’

‘The Bills didn’t allow a touchdown pass for the first 15 quarters of this season, but in Game 5, Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton threw for 328 yards and a TD in a 20-16 victory and, last Sunday, in beating Tampa Bay 30-27, they let Jameis Winston throw for 384 yards and three scores. That’s 712 yards and four touchdowns passing the past two games.’

‘General managers and coaches are judged by their team’s performance over a 16-game schedule … for mere job security they don’t want a tanked season on their resumes.’

‘“The great part about it for us is, where we are and what we’ve done and what this team and this group of players have done, and these coaches … every week someone new is stepping up. I’m excited to see who steps up this week and that’s why the preparation, the process is so important. That you respect what it takes every week to get yourself where you need to be in order to put yourself in a position to win.”’

‘“It’s just the confidence level … I trust him,” Taylor said.’

‘It will be interesting to see how long Jones, whom the Bills seem determined to prove belongs on the first team, remains a starter.’

‘And, offensively, Buffalo totaled season-highs in yards (434), passing yards (268) and just missed in rushing yardage (173, the best was 190).’

‘When asked about the atmosphere, McDermott allowed, “I love playing here … these fans, what more could you ask for? The fans love it, we love it … to me, this is the place to play. I came here a couple of times as an opponent and I remember how hard it was. It’s like heaven for a home team, in my mind. It’s fun to coach here, it’s fun to play here. It’s a great environment … this is what football is supposed to be about right here.”’

‘“I’ve had limited opportunities to go against him and that’s a little bit unique being around the league as long as I have and as long as Ryan has,” McDermott said. “But (he’s) a good quarterback. We all saw what happened when Jameis went out … how he brought that team back. He’s a very capable player … his career speaks for itself, what he’s done over the years and how long he’s played.”’

‘“It really does (feel like coming home) … I don’t want to say it’s a weird feeling, but it doesn’t feel like that anywhere else I played,” he said. “Part of it is that I was in Buffalo for four years … longer than anywhere else. (It’s) a special team (for players), the guys appreciate it, the fan base is always going to get behind their team.’