Archives for November 12, 2015

'Ryan is coaching his first game against the team that fired him, after a six-year stint, last January. And if you think that’s not a factor, let me tell you how to get rich selling rotary phones.'

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'“It’s prime time,” Stephon Gilmore adds. “Everybody’s watching. I mean, who wouldn’t want to play in this situation? The guys who show up, that’s who they’ll be talking about. It should hype you up more to play in this game.”'

'Oh, and let’s not forget former Bills head man Chan Gailey, now calling plays as the Jets’ first-year offensive coordinator. Gailey got a lot out of some average offensive players during his time in Buffalo, but he and Fitz got run out of town after a third losing season in 2012.'

'How do you get to .500? By not being exceptional in most areas. And that has been the Bills through their first eight games.'

'But another Fitz reunion raises the question of whether or not the Bills would've been better off simply riding the Fitzpatrick wave. Hindsight is 20/20 and it was time for Buffalo to invest in a high draft pick at the most important position in sports. But the 2013 16th overall pick EJ Manuel has not panned out. Buffalo has switched gears again, this time, to Tyrod Taylor. He's a completely different player than Fitzpatrick, one who can throw the deep ball and mesmerize defenders on the run but might not be able to go through progressions on a Fitz-level.'

'“I think Buffalo Bills fans, and really sports fans in particular, won’t be disappointed,” said Dahl. “There is a lot here to experience.”'

'Bills 19, Jets 17.'

'Taylor has given the Bills some of their best play at this position in recent memory. He leads the league with a remarkable 71.8 completion percentage, though part of that stems from the fact that he has attempted just 149 passes. Still, it’s impressive, and if nothing else, Taylor has an unknown ceiling and that’s exciting. He has proven to be an accurate thrower and a pretty good decision-maker, and his ability to run out of trouble adds a new dimension to the Bills' offense. The grade would be higher, but I have to include EJ Manuel’s two-game 0-2 stint.'

'Scott Norwood made a field goal on the first play of the fourth, and John Hagy intercepted Rosenbach on the first play after the kickoff, leading to Beebe's TD reception on the next play. One play after the kickoff, Leonard Smith forced Johnson to fumble and Leon Seals recovered at the Cards 28. Mueller scored seven plays later, and Kenneth Davis scored late in the game after a pair of 12-yard Camarillo punts.'

'What makes it so hard to believe is how Ryan behaved up to this point. He's taken veiled shots at former Jets general manager John Idzik. He teared up in an HBO special when asked about his time with the Jets. Did those emotions just disappear? Ryan said he made Enemkpali a captain because it means something extra for a player to go up against his old team. So how can he claim the meeting means nothing to him?'

'The matchup with Rex’s old team, the 5-3 Jets should be a pretty good indicator whether his new one stays in the postseason derby for long.'

'So, while everybody’s talking about Ryan’s return to MetLife Stadium, and his desire to avenge his firing last December after coaching the Jets the previous six seasons, know that Gailey and Fitzpatrick probably want to avenge their firings from the Bills just as badly.'

'“He’s one of us,” Richardson said. “Me coming from a strict coach in college, overstrict, I always said — Rex is the completely opposite. First thing he said is, ‘I don’t work for you, you don’t work for me, we work for each other.’ He made himself one of us.”'

'Ryan is fun to be around and I like him personally. But he lost me by choosing Enemkpali as a captain against the Jets. That’s not just Rex being Rex. That’s a slap at doing what’s right.'