Archives for December 2015

'As for what – or who – will change in regards to the process, Ryan refused to get into specifics.'

'"It's like Tyrod said when he pulled me aside after the game, 'We've got to pull the guys back into it. The season is not over with,'" Hughes said. "He said it best. We just had a quick little one on one. He told me to pull the guys aside. He saw my head down because he knew how badly I wanted to win this. For him to do that and tell me to pick my head up, and let's pull the guys up so we can finish the season up strong, that speaks tremendous volumes to the character we have leading this team.'

'Wondering why defensive tackle Marcell Dareus was biting his tongue afterward? Here’s one theory: On both of Smith’s scoring strikes, the 6-foot-3, 331-pounder who inked a $108 million contract extension dropped into coverage… against air.'

'The list goes back to the 2004 season. There were some guys on the first list who weren’t no-names, but had their biggest games against the Bills. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane…'.

'His performance against the Chiefs apparently made the coaching staff not comfortable with that idea. Tarpley was noticeably out of place on a 35-yard rush by Chiefs running back Spencer Ware in the fourth quarter. Earlier, he let Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce get behind him – leading to Kelce being wide open on the play – although it’s impossible to know whether Tarpley was supposed to pass Kelce off to the safeties. Given that he was cut, that could be an indication he wasn’t.'

'It's hard to remember a worse performance by a head coach when it comes to using his challenge flag.'

'Sadly, the second half resembled the Watkins we've seen far too much of in his time with the Bills: No catches, ignored by the quarterback, a non-factor as the game got away from the Bills. This wasn't his fault. Roman cowered to the Chiefs once they decided to roll coverage toward Watkins in the second half, and thus he was thrown to just one time. Why would Roman be spooked? He let the Chiefs dictate what the offense would do, and that can't happen, especially when you've got a weapon like Watkins who could not have been hotter.'

'Rex Ryan's defense, the one known for attacking the quarterback, sat back and let Smith beat them for 290 total yards and two touchdowns. The only sack the Bills recorded came when Smith was chased out of bounds late in the game. Pro Football Focus credited Buffalo with just five quarterback hurries.'

'One aspect of the Bills' system that was called into question Sunday is why James Trapp, who is listed as the team chaplain, was standing next to Ryan and seemingly advising him on the Hogan play.'

'This is the guy the Bills hired in January, and Bills fans already seem to be growing tired of him. Twitter became the breeding ground for the "Fire Rex" campaign after the latest 30-22 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. While it's clear Ryan hasn't coached well enough to live up to the hype he created all offseason, he's also not in any danger of losing his job.'

'"I didn't like it again," Robey said. "Again, I think it was a bad call. I'll see the film later on tonight when I get on the plane and see if it really was a pass interference. I don't think it was pass interference. I feel like I had some contact, but I wasn't holding him, none of that. I was running down the field. I looked back for the ball, stuck my hand out and did the best I could. I felt like the ball was overthrown, actually. But they had a different opinion about it. I was disappointed about the call but just had to keep playing football."'

'"It's frustrating, without question," he said. "It's my responsibility to get a process in place that's effective."'

'Defensive tackle Jerel Worthy is a candidate to be promoted off Buffalo's practice squad. The Bills have also opened another roster spot by releasing rookie linebacker A.J. Tarpley.'

'They tried to flood the coverage zones and rush three or four, and what happened was Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith had plenty of time to pick the Bills apart. Incredibly, the Bills never recorded a quarterback hit on Smith, let alone sack him.'

'Carrington reportedly tore a quad tendon in Sunday's 30-22 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and will need surgery. NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported that Carrington will have surgery on Monday to repair the injury, ending his season.'