Archives for October 12, 2016

'But his ability to run, as well as throw, figured to make him a better fit for the up-tempo offense that came with Kelly when the Niners made him their coach after last season.'

'As Nickell Robey-Coleman pointed out, Rob Ryan makes a point of devoting time each day in practice and the meeting room to red-zone defense. Not a segment on Friday, which is commonly done throughout the league, but every single day. Besides sharpening the players’ skills, the approach goes a long way towards reminding them of the importance of keeping the opponent out of the end zone. If they can’t score, they can’t beat you.'

'Following their road win over Los Angeles, here's a look at where Buffalo stand on various power rankings.

'He hasn't started a game since 2015, but the 49ers will make the switch to the former second-round pick after starting the season 1-4 with Blaine Gabbert at quarterback. Kaepernick hasn't started a game since Week 8 of last season. He led the 49ers to the Super Bowl back in 2012 but has struggled to recapture that form since.'

'In addition to their playoff odds currently sitting at 65 percent, FiveThirtyEight has Buffalo winning 10 games on average in their simulations and the site gives the Bills a 41 percent chance of winning the AFC East.'

'"I buried the Bills and coach Rex Ryan a few weeks ago," Prisco said. "But after three consecutive victories, including a tough road win against the Rams in Los Angeles, the Bills are 3-2 and in second place in the AFC East."'

'Buffalo hasn't won when trailing by more than 3 points this season. And the Bills have won just twice under Taylor when tied or trailing in the fourth quarter.'

'“A lot of people had told me about Crossman and I was fortunate enough to be around a guy named Mike Westhoff,” Ryan said, referring to his former coordinator when he was head coach of the Jets. “And Mike Westhoff, if there was ever going to be a hall of fame special teams coach it would probably be Mike Westhoff, and just ask him, he will tell you. But either way I love the guy, he is an awesome dude. He knows his stuff, and he knows Danny Crossman is a great football coach. The organization thought a lot of Danny and I think that told me all I needed to know. And so when I got here and met with him for five minutes, I just, this guy knows his stuff, I am great with it. He has done a great job.”'

'Colin Kaepernick will make his first start of the 2016 season, taking over for Blaine Gabbert, who is 9-31 as a starting quarterback in the NFL.'

'While Lorenzo Alexander stole the statistical show, the man that was setting the pace on defense for the Bills was Jerry Hughes. It’s become quite a familiar sight, having Hughes at or near the top of the rankings, seeing as how he has been the best Bills player through five weeks — and it really hasn’t been that close.'

Because the Bills have been so mediocre in the playoff drought period, I tend to be skeptical and favor a “show me” approach before I get too excited about the team. For now I think I’m going to sit back, enjoy some football and let the Bills continue to surprise me – hopefully in a positive way.

'Make no mistake, there were definitely times where the game was just sitting there waiting for someone to step forward and grab control of it with the game tied twice and four lead changes. Buffalo had squandered an early 10-point lead and there were certainly instances where the Bills could’ve folded up in a road atmosphere like L.A.. The point here is they didn’t.'