Archives for October 26, 2015

'EJ Manuel threw two of the best passes he has in his entire career – a picturesque 16-yarder to Robert Woods on a rope for a score and another 58-yard bomb deep to Marcus Easley for a score. He also fumbled away a Jags touchdown, threw a pick-six, followed by another pick, missed several receivers high and low (Chris Gragg in the corner, then again deep middle), had another pick dropped in the end zone, didn’t see two open receivers in the end zone on a field-goal drive and also fumbled on a third and short. Supporters will point to the Bills’ rally, but the gift-wrapped 20 points and wild inconsistency buried Buffalo this game.'

'Gannon hit most of the controversial things that will undoubtedly be debated in the Buffalo media today and Monday, which is something any analyst would be proud of. He was understandably confused by the Bills decision to roll Manuel out to his left and make him throw difficult passes on a two-point conversion attempt and his final incomplete pass. Gannon also was confused by the Jags decision to stop running T.J. Yeldon in the second half when they had the lead and on short yardage plays.'

'What kind of coach did the Bills hire in Rex Ryan? With a 3-4 record through seven games, the Bills have been one of the bigger disappointments in the NFL. A large portion of that blame has to fall on the head coach. A few absolutes are true of Ryan at this point: 1. His team takes too many penalties – an NFL leading 72 through the first seven weeks. 2. His defense, which was supposed to challenge as the best in the NFL, has shown only flashes of that. The pass rush has regressed, players are openly questioning the scheme and the results – both in terms of total yardage and points allowed – are on pace to take a significant step back from a year ago.'

'The Bills looked completely out of it after a disastrous stretch of five minutes and 40 seconds early in the second quarter. Jacksonville scored four touchdowns, and Buffalo quarterback EJ Manuel literally handed the Jaguars 20 of those points as he turned the ball over three times, and Jacksonville scored a touchdown on every one.'

'In a game where 65 points were scored, you might think I'm crazy, but the play of the game to me was Nickell Robey's pass interference penalty with three minutes to go which kept alive the Jaguars' game-winning drive. That was an absolutely horrendous, vomit-inducing call by that official.'

'This was a loss that I have to categorize as deplorable. The Bills lost to Jacksonville, there's no excuse for that. I know the Bills are playing with half an offense, maybe less when you include the EJ calamity factor, but when you lose to the Jaguars, you can't possibly consider yourself a true playoff contender. Hey, the Bills are now in last place in the AFC East thanks to Miami's little two-game winning streak under new coach Dan Campbell. And guess who's coming to Buffalo in two weeks? Yes, those Dolphins who the Bills manhandled in Week 3.'

'This was a game that, when you looked at the schedule, had to be a Buffalo victory. If this team hopes to go anywhere this year, it can't lose to the Jaguars. Yet here we are, digesting this debacle of a loss as the Bills managed to give the game away. Simply inexcusable, injuries or not.'

'For the first time this season, the Bills were gashed in the running game. T.J. Yeldon was the first running back to go over 100 yards rushing against the Bills this season. The Bills spent most of the week taking heat for their pass rush, but the running helped the Jaguars control the clock for a bit of the second half, especially in the third quarter.'

'"I think it definitely meant a lot to him," Jaguars center Stefen Wisniewski said. "You know, he's got obviously a lot of ties to that team. You always want to win against a team you used to work for or play for, absolutely."'

'"He wasn't really tough to guard if you watch the film," Gilmore said. "He caught, I don't know how many passes. He wasn't tough to guard. If you watch the film it will tell you that."'

'"That one was tough, because I didn't see anything at all," linebacker Preston Brown said. "I didn't see (Robey) touch him. So that's something we have to live with. We know, we're the Buffalo Bills and we're going to get that call."'

'"It just felt like a west coast game," Jaguars defensive end Andre Branch said. "That's what it was. It was a little bit longer flight, but we treated it like a west coast game and it paid off."'

'As for Marrone, he was the field during pre-game warmups for only about 10 minutes. He didn't do much catching up with old Bills players or coaches and kept a relatively low profile.'

'Suddenly, the rumors of discontent in Buffalo's front office grow a little louder. Whispers about Percy Harvin's potential retirement seem a little fishier. Questions about Ryan's ability to coach this defense or Roman's scheming will be asked more frequently.'

'It was so bad at time that I actually double-checked my normally reliable internet connection to make sure I was receiving my typical 90 Mbps.'