Archives for September 16, 2016

'This team is awful. There’s really no other way to put it. Two games into what is already quite possibly a lost season, the Bills have looked pathetic on both sides of the ball. Last week it was bad offense, good defense; this week, pretty good offense (at least based on points) and embarrassingly bad defense. Once again, your January will be uneventful. Thinking about a playoff berth right now would be a silly waste of time because this team isn’t going to come close to making it.'

'The Bills “shutdown” cornerbacks — Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby — combined to make former Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick look like the second coming of Joe Montana and Quincy Enunwa, Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker appear to be a reincarnation of Jerry Rice, Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon.'

'It might have been only one night, but “Fitzy” the perceived career back-up while with Buffalo was validated as Fitzy the starter on Thursday, and was so on a team that appears to be much more serious about a playoff push than the oftentimes woeful Bills.'

'“Some folks are never given the opportunity or the chance to really get a chance to see me for who I really am. I’ve always been a caring and emotional guy. But there was a side of me that I had to be strong, I had to be bold playing in a small market. The things that we did as a team, strengthened us individually, and that’s carried into life after football. The way I approach things today, I’m a little older, a little more mature, and this maturation process is still going on. I’m 53 now, I look at the world now, and I look at things a little bit differently.”'

'"You just have to keep him in the pocket and make him be a quarterback," Jets safety Calvin Pryor said. "We gave up a couple big plays. One was a broken coverage where the receiver got behind us, but other than that, I thought we did a great job."'

'"I mean, he was hot and they were making plays," Ryan said. They were throwing them up there, they were throwing jump balls up there and their guys were coming down with it. … You know, (Jets wide receiver) Brandon Marshall told me. He said he's going to kick something out and he's going to kick my butt today and he was right, he did."'

'Hughes returned to the field after his tongue stopped bleeding, but he hasn't been able to stop the bleeding on the field for the Bills defense. New York scored on its first four drives of the first half and leads the Bills 20-10 at halftime.'

'"To be honest with you, I think our defense played so poorly that I couldn't tell you about that," Ryan said.'

'The numbers were particularly ugly for Gilmore and Darby. According to Pro Football Focus, Darby allowed six catches for 97 yards. Gilmore was worse, allowing seven catches for 129 yards. Combined, the two accounted for 13 catches and 229 of Fitzpatrick's 374 yards.'

'"I don't know if I'm worthy or lucky enough to deserve all of this, but I'm trying to enjoy it," Smith said after fighting off tears. "My family's here. I had some folks put their heart and sole into making this go down smoothly."'

'"It's been tough, but I am encouraged," Smith said Thursday night before the Bills' game against the Jets. "We have great ownership. Terry and Kim Pegula I think are going to get this team together. I think they're going to move it in the right direction for the future. It may take a year or two. But No. 1, we have to keep our guys healthy, we have to tell them to make smart decisions and I think that will get us on the right track."'

'In total, Fitzpatrick went 24/34 for 374 yards and a touchdown, the first time in his career he threw for more than 300 yards against a Rex Ryan defense.'

'After waiting 16 years for the end of a playoff drought, the Bills may very well be looking at a 17th. Teams in the 0-2 hole notoriously have a tough time making their way out. Since 2011, only 6.67 percent of the 60 clubs to make the playoffs started 0-2.'

'In a word, horrendous. Fitzpatrick picked apart this unit. He had his way with Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby. Both of the Bills' top defensive backs had the worst games of their respective careers. Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall posted 100-yard performances.'

'With their next two games coming against two of the best teams in the league last year — the Arizona Cardinals, here a week from Sunday, and at New England the Sunday after — the Bills face the real, dismal prospect of an 0-4 start.'