Archives for September 21, 2016

'Still, their early success is still worth noting considering how quickly they started compared to how quickly the Bills have fallen. It’s not a coincidence that the two teams are trending in opposite directions. The Eagles have good people in charge while the Bills are charging into one another.'

'“Any specifics, I’m going to kind of just leave blank,” Wood said of what Lynn might have planned. “It’s almost a little competitive advantage having a little mystery heading into Sunday.”'

'"Our investigation has confirmed that (officers) Darnell Jessie and Roland Butler were viciously attacked and beaten by LeSean McCoy and the additional defendants," Fortunato N. Perri Jr., the attorney for the police officers involved in the fight, told ESPN. "As a result of the violent assault, both men have suffered serious and permanent injuries."'

'Put unrelenting pressure on Carson Palmer. The Bills' biggest defensive blunder in last Thursday night's loss against the New York Jets was pulling back on their pass rush because, as Rex Ryan later explained, their defensive backs were unable to hold up in man-to-man coverage.'

'Adam Schein, an NFL.com columnist and Syracuse University alum, was the latest to talk about the move. According to Schein, the Bills are a "comedy show" under Rex Ryan.'

'McCoy, Curtis Brinkley, Tamarcus Porter and Christopher Henderson are all listed as defendants in the law suit in addition to the Recess Lounge, where the fight occurred. The lawsuit claims the bar was negligent in not providing adequate security and in over-serving McCoy and his friends.'

'McCoy's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, declined comment, the Associated Press reports. McCoy's attorney has said his client was only trying to break up a fight between the officers and his friends over a $350 bottle of champagne. Police have said the fight broke out over a misunderstanding about who had bought the bottle.‚Äã'

'The civil suit says McCoy beat and kicked one officer while he was on the ground and punched another officer in the eye. The suit was filed Tuesday in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.'

'The altercation began over a bottle of champagne and according to the police report one of the off-duty officers was punched and knocked to the ground, and then was punched, kicked, and stomped on.'

'The Recess Lounge also is named as a defendant. Officers Jessie and Butler allege the club was negligent in failing to provide adequate security and for continuing to serve alcohol to McCoy, Brinkley, Porter and Henderson, "who were already visibly intoxicated."'

'An investigation took place shortly after the altercation, and in April, Philadelphia district attorney Seth Williams said that there would be no charges due to inconclusive proof of who initiated the fight. Police say that the fight broke out over a misunderstanding about the purchase of a $350 bottle of champagne, and McCoy's attorney Dennis Cogan told ESPN back in July that McCoy was trying to break up the fight between the officers and his friends.'

'Taylor deserves credit in this game for two plays in particular — both of which being touchdowns. He had the two deep TDs to Marquise Goodwin and Greg Salas, and delivered a near perfect pass to get them in that position. You cannot take those plays away from him by any means. However, the Bills have seen a similar problem creep back into Taylor’s game: he’s not taking advantage of the middle of the field in the intermediate areas.'

'“As anybody who watched the Cardinals play this past week, realizes the task at hand,” said Bills head coach Rex Ryan. “We’re playing against, if they’re not the best team out there, they’re certainly one of them in all three phases. I think they’ve led the league in offense a couple of times. Their defense is right there at the top. We know what we’re facing and I’ll be honest it’s an impressive group. Bruce Arians does a great job and he has those guys humming right now.”'

'It all means that the Bills offense has had trouble staying on the field, which puts added pressure on a defense that struggled against the Jets. Buffalo is 31st in the league in the percentage of three-and-out offensive series. The challenge for Lynn will be to find a consistent way to move the ball, primarily on the ground. The Bills also have to make better use of their big playmakers on offense. And they’ve got to find a comfort level for quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who may have been overloaded with options in the previous offensive playbook.'