Archives for December 21, 2015

'Jason La Canfora, CBS Sports Insider, reported Sunday that Whaley is "at odds with the coaching staff over several key issues, and a showdown between him and Rex Ryan's assistants is likely looming in the offseason."'

'The Buffalo defense looked unprepared, uninterested, and incompetent for much of the day as Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins threw four touchdown passes and rushed for another, and the Redskins piled up 433 yards.'

'Tyrod Taylor wasn't terrible, but Kirk Cousins was way better. Cousins looks like a guy who is really starting to flourish after a slow start to his career when he had to sit behind Robert Griffin III. There are still questions about some of the decisions he makes, but none of those concerns were apparent against a Bills defense that had no answers. He completed 22 of 28 passes for 319 yards and four TDs, plus he ran for a score. It was the best quarterbacking performance against the Bills this season by a guy not named Tom Brady.'

' Kirk Cousins looked like Sonny Jurgensen, Joe Theismann, and Mark Rypien rolled into one. Oh, and with his sixth 300-yard passing game of the season, he broke the team record of five which was shared by Theismann, Rypien, and Jay Schroeder. Cousins was 22 of 28 for 319 yards, with DeSean Jackson on the receiving end for 153 of those yards. "We couldn't stop them on defense," said Rex Ryan.'

'Way to show up for the game that was going to determine whether your ridiculously slim odds of making the playoffs at least remained intact. Instead, the Bills were awful almost from start to finish, and worst of all, they didn't even look like a team playing for its playoff lives. A 10-point margin? It wasn't nearly that close.'

'On a day when the future of Bills general manager Doug Whaley was called into question by various reporters, it was again Rex Ryan's coaching that proved to be the biggest detriment to the Bills.'

'"I'm going to step up and talk," Watkins said. "I'm going to make sure things get changed. I'm pretty sure the staff is, the organization, the coaches, we've got to address every problem. Whatever the problem is, we've got to address it. I think once we do that we'll be alright. We've just got to keep fighting as a team. We can't get down on ourselves. We have to build off these next two games and keep fighting. I think we can't quit on ourselves. We've just got to keep winning.'

'"If we don't get better, the reality of it is this: This is professional," Ryan said. "This is the National Football League, and unless we get a heck of a lot better, there's going to be changes. That's what I told them: There's going to be drastic changes."'

'"That's like saying we're insurgents," Williams said. "Are we insurgents around here? I mean, how old are we around here? I don't know. I guess there's a bunch of younger people that I didn't realize in that office in the building. I don't see how that happened. But like I said, if you can't say a name then … I don't go off of no names. That's not adults, so I'm not worried about that."'

'The Bills will now miss the playoffs for a 16th consecutive season, the longest such drought in professional sports. Meanwhile, the rest of the AFC is still a crowded mess. The Chiefs, Steelers and Jets are battling it out for the final two wild card spots in the conference.'

'"You know, here's the thing: I want to be wherever we can go and win," Williams said. "That's how I see it, and I know we can win here. That's 100. I mean, I know that. I know we can win here. Now me personally, if I don't fit in the scheme, if it's just me, if it's obvious it's just me, then so be it. But if it's continuity across the board as far as how things are unfolding, then that's not my decision still. But hey, you can blame me for everything. That's fine."'

'"It wasn't the lack of effort," Ryan said after the team. "There was no quit in anybody on this team in that locker room."'

'Williams called in sick early Wednesday morning and missed two practices, but according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, not everyone at One Bills Drive believed that Williams was sick. He returned to practice Friday, was listed as questionable on the injury report and is expected to play when the Bills take on Washington at FedEx Field.'

'Ryan did plenty of talking, but not much of what he said actually came true. His defense was underwhelming, his team was an undisciplined mess at times, and the Bills came up well short of the playoffs.'

'“It was like a race, like a 40-yard dash, to see who could get to him first,” Francois said. “Against their offensive line, who could get to them first without him getting outside of containment. If he’s going to run up the middle, let him. We were going to make sacks, but we just had to make sure we had to rush him smart and not scared. Most teams are going to rush him scared, not sending blitzes. No. We still did just to show that we’re not afraid to send a blitz after you.”'