Archives for January 2016

'"Ultimately, the management makes that decision," Taylor said. "I think I've shown what I can do. I'm going to continue to get better. I love working with the guys we have there and I love being around my team and the coaches so I just have to continue to keep working."'

'“Ted had a vision," Reed said, "and the vision was he wanted to have a fast-paced offense and we just happened to have the right players in the right places. We were innovators and Ted was a big innovator of that offense."'

''On film, this resembled a confused unit at times. Marcell Dareus dropped into coverage on two Kansas City touchdowns. Then, the final two weeks, things were simplified as Preston Brown said. Compromise helped with Ryan letting the Bills front four rush. However you slice it, the Bills are giving Ryan everything he wants/needs in 2016.'

'The popular explanation is that most of the problems stemmed from the drastic change from the scheme that former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz employed to the one Rex Ryan introduced when he became head coach. The linemen complained publicly and so did at least one linebacker: Brown.'

'“It’s the classic question: Is he an athlete who can throw or a quarterback who can run? Right now, based on what they’ve asked him to do, he’s an athlete who can throw.”'

'Finally (or, at least for the moment) he adds Ed Reed to his staff as an assistant defensive backs coach. Reed is football royalty, one of the greatest safeties in NFL history, but he has never been a coach. And there's the fact that whatever is going to be done to allow the Bills to improve from their disappointing finish in 2015 will primarily be done with the same roster because the team doesn't have the salary cap room to spend much in the offseason.'

'The Bills will have to eliminate some players from their roster rather than just Mario Williams. However, Williams is clearly the biggest fish, and by releasing him the Bills would save $12.9 million on the 2016 cap. His days are numbered with the Bills. From there, the Bills have some options, but the main players to keep an eye on are three others: cornerback Leodis McKelvin, safety Corey Graham, and running back Boobie Dixon.'

'In the end, there wasn’t a clear-cut understanding of how it all unraveled, although the popular theory is that Ryan made a mistake by forcing the defense to adapt to his ways – by trying to fix something that wasn’t broken and breaking it.'

'"With Mario Williams' situation, do you find somebody to bring in there? Obviously, you look at the defensive end spot," Kiper said. "They want a big guy who can stop the run. … You look at Jonathan Allen – outstanding pass rusher, 280, 285 pounds – he can stop the run. Underrated player all the way through his career. It was always A'Shawn Robinson, and then it became Jarran Reed, and then there was Allen, showing up big in key moments of just about every game. So (it would be good) if you can get a guy like that at that point. We have to see what happens, these underclassmen still making some decisions there."'

'We’ll never know how Wilson would have voted when the NFL approved the St. Louis Rams’ relocation to Los Angeles, but history suggests he would have argued against the move. Twenty years ago, he was one of only two owners who opposed the Browns leaving Cleveland for Baltimore.'

'Yes, Donnie Henderson did a very, very solid job developing young talent on the Bills roster. But many players in the league say they love working with former players, players who were the best at their profession. McDonald and Reed bring a ton of clout to that defensive backs room.'

'One season into his five-year, $38 million free agent contract — a lucrative deal that his former team, the Dolphins, had the right to match via their transition tag designation and chose not to — I would have to say Clay was a bit underwhelming, and certainly not the difference maker the Bills thought they were getting.'

'“The fact that he didn’t bring his guys with him hurts,” Scott told The Post’s Justin Terranova last month. “When he came to New York he brought [me], Jim Leonhard, Marques Douglas, guys that have been in his system and understand his message and were able to push that message to the rest of the team during hard times. Right now, there’s nobody to stand up for him in the locker room because they don’t have that kind of history and know where he’s coming from and [what] his vision for the team is.”'

'Taylor’s first season as a starter was a rousing success. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman brought him along steadily as Taylor attempted the fewest number of pass attempts per game among quarterbacks who made more than 10 starts this past season (27.1). Supported by the league’s top-ranked rushing attack, Taylor did not have too much on his plate and that allowed him to make consistent progress.'

'Most Valuable Player: Tyrod Taylor.'