WGR

‘”It was kind of a little blessing in disguise. I got to step back and see the game from a different perspective. The game was moving pretty fast before I got hurt. After I got hurt, it seemed like it slowed down just a little bit. I was seeing things a little better, and that’s when I was making better decisions, and just feeling better playing the game of football.”‘

‘Crossman had been with the Bills through six seasons and three head coaching regimes, hired by Doug Marrone in 2013. Rex Ryan retained him when he was hired in 2015, as did McDermott when he took over in 2017. However, the Bills made several glaring special teams mistakes this past season.’

‘The first round pick became the youngest player in NFL history to record an interception when he picked off New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold in Week 14. He had another interception in the Week 17 finale against the Miami Dolphins.’

‘The rookie went 17-for-26 (65.4%) for 224 yards and three touchdowns passing, then added another 95 yards and two touchdowns running. It was, arguably, his best day as a pro, putting his running and throwing together for a full 60 minutes, and it came at a great time, to end the season on a high note.’

‘Beane chose to do something about it. From the day he was hired, he began shedding players and taking big contracts off the books for the long-term, knowing full-well, and willing, to take the short-term hit of the “dead money” the team would have to incur.’

‘The Bills had a tough time running the football in 2018, finishing 21st in the NFL in yards per-carry with 4.24. They did finish ninth overall in rushing yards per-game at 124.0, however, the bulk of those numbers came from quarterback Josh Allen, who led the team with 631 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per-carry.’

‘”He is a part of our plan. It was our entire run game that struggled, not just one person. I think if we can improve in others areas, that will help LeSean. That being said, he will come back in 2019. I’m not a believer that LeSean is done. If he gets back to form, I think he’s still a weapon.”‘

‘”There’s an overall optimism about where we are as a team. The players understand where we are with this football team. I encourage them to watch the playoffs and the intensity.”‘

‘There were also some ejections in the third quarter of this game, when Allen took a late hit from Miami linebacker and former Bill Kiko Alonso. Alonso’s hit sparked a scuffle, which led to the ejections of Bills tackle Jordan Mills and defensive end Robert Quinn and Alonso for Miami.’

‘Williams is what Buffalo is all about. He is loved in this town because he’s blue collar. Whether he was on the field, in the meeting room, in the weight room or in the community this man never gave less than 100 percent. You always knew what you were getting from him in every single minute of every single day.’

‘I give full marks to head coach Sean McDermott and the organization for sending out one of the most beloved players in the history of the franchise the proper way. It all started with the pre game introductions. The Bills entire team came out on the field but Williams stayed back so he could be introduced to his adoring fans. Unbeknownst to Williams, McDermott had arranged for Kyle’s wife and kids to be waiting with his teammates around midfield. After the game Williams admitted he began to cry once he noticed his family was on the field.’

‘But now it’s time to take that step forward. Maybe even a giant leap. They have roughly $85 million in salary cap space available to them this off-season, a top-10 first round pick and some extra draft picks on top of that. They’ll have an ability to use plenty of assets to improve the roster and, mostly, give Allen protection and weapons. But they can’t be foolish about it. Beane still has to spend his money and draft picks wisely to really take the next step.’

‘I felt this was Lawson’s best game of his three-year career. He dominated from his defensive end position, finishing with two sacks, another tackle for loss, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble on one of those sacks. The Bills recovered it and that led to a touchdown.’

‘Williams will retire. But there are plenty of questions surrounding other players’ futures, as well. Running back LeSean McCoy has had a very frustrating an mostly unproductive season. The team may choose to move on from him this offseason. Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, also a 35-year old, thirteen-year veteran, has indicated he’d like to continue playing, but needs to sit down with his family to discuss that. He’s also an unrestricted free agent in March. Tight end Charles Clay was a healthy scratch last week and could be a salary cap casualty. Other players, such as defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, guard John Miller, and tackle Jordan Mills will also be unrestricted free agents this offseason.’

‘Sunday will be the seventh time in his career that he has dressed for all 16 games in a season, and it will be the sixth time that he will have started in all of those games.’