Archives for September 2015

'“As a defensive player, we love it,” Graham said. “That’s our mentality. We want to go out there and fight. That fits what we’re trying to do as a defense.”'

'Ryan wouldn’t reveal the specifics of how the Bills intend to deal with Gronkowski, although he did acknowledge “there will probably be some snaps when three guys are on him.”'

'Ryan’s teams tend to take on his personality: Brash, outspoken, aggressive, maybe over the line at times. Rex talked about the “hated Patriots.” Suddenly, Bills players were speaking openly about their disdain for the Pats.'

'Chances are, Bill Belichick does not play Taylor the way he did Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger. Coach Rex Ryan doesn’t expect to see as much two-man – two deep safeties with man coverage underneath – as the Patriots used in the season opener. The Bills are more apt to see Patriots defenders crowd the box to stop LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams and the Bills’ ground game.'

'Patriots 28, Bills 24.'

'Hannah Storm will anchor the show, with reports from Britt McHenry.'

'“It all came to me when I went to the Colts game,” said Campbell, whose voice still was raspy Wednesday morning. He said he thought, “Oh my gosh, I’ve never felt this kind of energy in the stadium before.”'

'"I'll say this, I respect them probably as much as any team in the league, but I don't fear them, I'll tell you that much," Ryan said of the Patriots, Sunday's opponent at Ralph Wilson Stadium in what is already shaping up as a critical AFC East game, even though it's only Week 2. "We don't fear anybody. In fact we're looking forward to it. I get it, they've got the trophies, the records, but we have the same record in that stadium on Sunday. I'm excited about this game. It's a personal challenge because you want to go against the very best. I'd rather have a win against a first-ballot Hall of Fame coach in Belichick than a slappy coach."'

'"We'll probably chip in or something," Williams said. "If we do, they have to promise us, they better have no voice at the end of the game.'

'Brady and the Patriots are 11-4 against Ryan-coached defenses, including wins in seven of their last eight matchups. Brady is 332-for-564 for 3,916 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions lifetime against Ryan. His passer rating, meanwhile, drops from 96.1 to 88.9 when he plays against Ryan. Those numbers aren't too shabby, especially considering the record.'

'"All I said is I expect to win, I don't care who we play," Ryan said. "I expect to win. Sound different? … I'm just being me. The game's at our place on Sunday. Let's see what happens. This year's a different year. We'll see who's the king of the mountain at the end of the season."'

'As my own family grew, we continued the tradition of gathering around the tube on Sundays to watch football. The only difference was we rooted for the Bills instead of the Giants. Our children, Paul, Eric and Melissa, are grown up with kids of their own now. They, too, gather in front of the TV on Sundays to cheer on the Bills, as the roots of this generational custom deepens.'

'As shots go, that might be as close as Brady will come. Subtle. The Bills have made this personal. Caustic. Ryan — like Bills fans and players — would like to get back a little braggadocio they can back up with numbers, and winds, rather than words.'

'Ryan was asked if the Bills might even be overconfident going into Sunday’s game. After laughing for a few seconds, he said, “That’s good. Hey, don’t worry about that. That’s not going to happen. Come on. Trust me, we know we’re not the hunted. We know who is the hunted. We get it. Don’t think for a second we don’t get it.”'

'Though he unabashedly loves the blitz, Ryan knows that it cuts both ways and that Brady is adept at reading schemes (even disguised schemes) and getting rid of the ball in an instant. “You don’t go in there tap-dancing,” said Ryan.'