Archives for December 28, 2015

'The chance to affect the postseason picture motivates guard Richie Incognito. "This will be a playoff game for us," he said.'

'Williams, Buffalo's fifth-round selection in this year's NFL Draft, rushed for 76 yards on 17 carries and had a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter that came after Gillislee's 15-yard catch-and-run.'

'Easley was injured while running down field to cover a punt. He left the field with his leg immobilized and a towel over his head.'

'The Bills may not have won enough games to be in playoff contention, but they have found a formula for victory. They lead the NFL in rushing, and when they are 7-0 when they have more runs than pass plays.'

'"We're not going to the playoffs, so the Super Bowl is next week for us. I know we're gonna have a lot of guys jacked. We already know what's on the line."'

'The Bills woukld tack on another touchdown late in the fourth on a 50-yard run by Mike Gillislee to bring the score to 16-6. That's where the score would remain as the Bills improve to 7-8 on the season with one game remaining next week from Ralph Wilson Stadium when they'll take on the NY Jets.'

'For those of you who think the Bills should dump LeSean McCoy and go with Karlos Williams and Mike Gillislee as their top two running backs, I’d say slow down. While I do believe running backs good enough to be productive in the NFL can be found anywhere, I also think McCoy is a special back and a dynamic weapon. I’d rather see the Bills keep him on the roster. The only way I’d get rid of him is if his big contract becomes a hindrance to making other off season moves of importance. There are a number of other guys I’d dump to free up salary cap space before I even thought about moving McCoy off the roster.'

'I could have listed Mike Gillislee, Karlos Williams, Tyrod Taylor, and the offensive line individually, but they all contributed mightily to a ground game that produced 236 yards and ran for 5.9 yards per carry. It was the second game in a row and third times this season the Bills ran for at least that many yards. Gillislee had 93, Williams 76, and Taylor 67. A true three-headed monster offensive coordinator Greg Roman loves to use. The Bills lead the league in yards rushing per game (148.8) and per play (4.89).'

'However, they did need to rely on quarterback Tyrod Taylor at times. It wasn’t a ton, but enough to develop an opinion on how much he contributed to the winning effort.'

'That list only grew on Sunday, as John Miller, Marcell Dareus and Marcus Easley each headed to the locker room and did not return throughout the game.'

'But Williams is just a piece of the puzzle. LeSean McCoy also had a pro bowl season, justifying what Buffalo gave up for him in the trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, also meriting the team’s parting of ways with C.J. Spiller.'

'With their 16-6 win over the Cowboys, the Bills have locked themselves into the 3rd place spot in the AFC East.'

'The return of former Bills starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and former Bills head coach Chan Gailey (now the Jets offensive coordinator) also add to the intrigue. At age 33, Fitz is having a career year with 3,724 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. This is the first time in the journeyman quarterback’s career that he’s recorded more wins than losses as a starter. Entering this season, he had a 33-55-1 record. After throwing three touchdown passes, including the game-winner to Eric Decker in overtime to beat the New England Patriots Sunday, Fitz improved his starting record to 43-60-1.'

'I know many will say a loss would have been better. Logically that is true, a loss gives them a better draft position but I always want the Bills to win and I'll have an extra pep in my step tomorrow because they got the win no matter how ugly it was. Now the Jets come to town and you know Rex Ryan would love to knock them out of the playoffs now that they can get in with a win.'

'Tyrod Taylor threw a bad interception to take points off the board in the final seconds of the first half. He used his legs an awful lot running 14 times for 67 yards while completing only 13 passes for 179 yards. Grade B: He may not be the franchise QB but he is fun to watch.'