Archives for December 21, 2015

'“Let him beat us with his arm,” Hatcher said. “We know that with his legs, he can do some damage to a defense, but with his arms, he’s just going to have to prove it to us. With the great secondary we’ve got and the disciplined players, it was going to be hard for him to move in and out of that pocket the way he wanted to.”'

'"We did have some designed runs in there for Tyrod," Ryan said. "And we did want to start escaping the pocket more. Protection obviously wasn't as good as we wanted. We got beat a few times, but he does have that escapability, and I was happy to see the way he created and made some big runs for us to keep drives going."'

'“I think any time you don’t reach your expectations or whatever, you’ve got to look deep into why things happen,” Ryan said. “It’s easy to point to injuries. A lot of teams go through it. It’s ridiculous the amount of injuries we’ve had. Is that a contributing factor? Of course, and it would be ridiculous if you don’t think it is. However, we’ve got to look at other things as well and everything has to be looked at. We have two games to prove that we belong here. That’s every coach, every player, everybody and that’s just the reality of the business.”'

'The former No. 1-overall pick, Williams had racked up an astounding 38 sacks the last three seasons in Buffalo, terrorizing quarterbacks and backing up the six-year, $96 million deal that he signed in 2012. This year, though, under 12 games of Ryan’s tutelage, the number dropped to four, with a measly 13 total tackles.'

'One of the keys to his evolving success is trust. As Robert Griffin III’s backup for three years, Cousins mainly took reps with the second- and third-string players. It wasn’t until the week before the 2015 season began when he was named the starter that he began practicing with the other first-teamers. Building chemistry with targets Jordan Reed, Pierre Garcon and Jackson took time, but it’s becoming apparent that things are clicking. And at the right time.'

'Making first-year Bills head coach Rex Ryan's defense look inept, and aided by a key fourth-down encroachment penalty, the Redskins scored TDs on each of their first three possessions of a game for the first time since September 1999, grabbing a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter.'

'Ryan's beloved defense looked inept for long stretches Sunday, allowing Washington's Kirk Cousins to equal a career high with four touchdown passes, and the Redskins officially eliminated the Bills from postseason contention by beating them 35-25.'

'Quarterback Tyrod Taylor hit on 16-of-27 attempts for 235 yards and two touchdowns for Buffalo (6-8), which has lost four of five games and saw its already slim playoff hopes extinguished.'

'McCoy made an 8-yard reception on the second play of the third quarter and was hit on the knee as he was tackled by a pair of Redskins. The running back remained down in obvious pain, holding his knee as the team trainers came onto the field.'

'Defensive end Mario Williams isn't happy. After dismissing a report from an anonymous source that the Bills doubted him when he called in sick this week, Williams was also asked about the communications problems surrounding the defense. "It's crazy. You're trying to switch personnel as they're coming out of the huddle. I don't know who in the world's saying what personnel they're in, or how it's that confusing, but apparently it is because like you said, it's game in, game out," he said. "My mindset is, if you're an attack defense, if you're going to be a bully on the field, you don't let anything else dictate what you do."'

'"Like I said, you can change. People are scared of change and so forth. I'm all for it, because at the end of the day, if it works, so be it. Because I don't need to sit here and say: 'Yeah, I wish Jerry [Hughes" target="_blank"> had 15 sacks. I wish Marcell [Dareus" target="_blank"> had 15 sacks. I wish I had 15 sacks,' across the board.'

'The friction between Whaley and the coaching staff is well known throughout the Bills' offices, and Whaley also had clashes with the staff of former coach Doug Marrone. Pegula came very close to hiring Bill Polian to oversee his front office a year ago and has continued to mull options for a football czar to oversee personnel, with his franchise still in transition in his first full season owning the team.'

'The Redksins would again respond with 13 play, 80 yard drive to put a nail in the coffin midway through the fourth quarter and would bring the score to 35-17. The Bills would get another Sammy Watkins touchdown and a Tyrod Taylor two-point conversion in garbage time to bring the final score from Washington to 35-25. The Bills fall to 6-8 on the year and will face Dallas next week at Ralph Wilson Stadium.'

'The first half was uninspiring with the Bills defense surrendering three total touchdowns to Kirk Cousins, while the offense sputtered amassing 93 total yards and just three points.'

'The mundane malaise of mediocrity has hovered over One Bills Drive for the past decade and a half, and now, it’s here. For the 16th straight season, that dark cloud remains over Orchard Park.'