Archives for October 13, 2015

'Afterward, Ryan maintained, “(Our) quarterback’s got the biggest heart. Man, it was tough sledding, but he’s got guts, he’s got heart. He wasn’t playing great, but at the end of the day he’s the reason we won the game.” How often have the Bills been able to say that about a quarterback over the last decade-and-a-half, especially given Sunday’s situation with offensive personnel?'

'Yet when the Bills slip into these offensive funks, offensive coordinator Greg Roman probably should feature Taylor's mobility. How many quarterbacks resemble a real-life Willie Beamen?'

'Dalton is no Tom Brady. He’s a well-chronicled 0-4 in playoff games. But the Bengals figure to be as challenging a test for the Bills’ defense as Brady’s Patriots were in Week Two. As of Monday, they were first in the NFL in total offense, first in yards per pass, second in yards per play, third in passing, seventh in rushing.'

'The Bills were fined $20,000 during the 2012 season for not properly reporting a wrist injury suffered by Mario Williams to the league. Although Williams played every game and took every rep in practice, the league determined the injury was significant enough to merit being listed.'

'This guy is really playing well, and I would have to believe some of the Gilmore hate will start to subside. For some reason fans have really ridden the 2012 first-round draft choice, and while he may not have been an instant star his first two years, he was tremendous last year, and he's been even better this year. He had three more pass breakups against the Titans, plus the game-securing interception with 1:32 left to play.'

'For those keeping score at home, Pro Football Focus has Gilmore and Darby as their No. 2 and No. 3 ranked cornerbacks in the entire NFL this season. Pro Football Focus doesn't have the definitive word on the matter, but considering Gilmore and Darby are the top two cornerbacks in the NFL in passes defended with 10 and 11, respectively, it's safe to say they are playing pretty well.'

'"It's always a concern, there's no question," Ryan said. "I can tell you this: He is beat up right now. He's sore. You ought to see him. He is sore. We knew he would be. Guys, he hasn't been 100 percent all season. He's had an ankle even through training camp. We really haven't seen the 100 percent Tyrod Taylor. Of course, you're always concerned when you're quarterback takes off with it."'

'Consider this: The Bills' offense mustered only 209 yards, and the Titans had the ball for 11 minutes longer than the Bills on Sunday. Normally that's not a formula for winning football games, but that's the benefit of having a dominant defense. And yes, this Bills group has shown plenty of signs in the first five weeks that it can be that type of defense.'

'I don't know why this is, but doesn't it seem that it takes a team two weeks to actually miss missing players. Buffalo was without playmakers Sammy Watkins, LeSean McCoy and McCoy's replacement Karlos Williams. The Bills made do a week ago but Sunday they were inept without them.'

'As for Williams, Ryan said the rookie was still taking part in the NFL's concussion protocol. However, Ryan indicated Williams is expected to be cleared after saying the Bills had no plans to add a running back; Cierre Wood went on season-ending injured reserve Monday.'

'Starting running back LeSean McCoy (hamstring) is out indefinitely. Backup Karlos Williams (concussion) has a chance to return Sunday, when Buffalo (3-2) hosts Cincinnati (5-0).'

'The Buffalo offense is a mess without wide receiver Sammy Watkins and running backs LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams. With no one really stepping up to fill those voids, Taylor's burden has been enormous. He couldn't make it work in Week 4 against the Giants, and he was probably fortunate to be playing a young Tennessee team that hasn't figured out how to close games.'

'Enemkpali was signed by the Bills on Sept. 11, the same day he was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the season stemming from the incident in which he punched and broke the jaw of former New York Jets teammate quarterback Geno Smith. Enemkpali's roster exemption expired Monday.'

'Starting running back LeSean McCoy has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. Ryan said it’s too early in the week to tell if Williams or McCoy will be available to play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, he said he is “encouraged” by the progress of wide receiver Sammy Watkins and his chances to suit up next weekend.'

'But to be unhappy with this Bills defense after this win over the Titans seems at best misguided. On the field most of the first half because of the inability of the offense to even get first downs, let alone touchdowns, they limited Tennessee to only three points. A special teams turnover set the Titans up for their only touchdown in the third quarter. There was one more field goal drive and that was it.'