Archives for October 18, 2016

'The Bills signed both players as free agents … and for clearance sale prices. Brown, the NFL leader in tackles, signed a 1-year deal for $1.25 million and Alexander got $885, 000 for the season, basically the league veteran minimum. For that expenditure of just over $2 million, Buffalo got two players who are performing at a Pro Bowl level. And there’s no way the Bills would have gotten similar production from Lawson and Ragland, had they been healthy, if only because of their lack of experience.'

'According to rankings kept by the website Football Outsiders, the Bills ranked No. 12 in the NFL on special teams through the first five weeks of the season, but that is likely to rise into the top 10 after Sunday’s win. The Bills were nearly flawless against the 49ers, with the highlight for the special teams coming in the fourth quarter, when cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman forced a fumble on a kickoff return by the 49ers’ Keshawn Martin, with safety Jonathan Meeks scooping it up for the Bills.'

'"He’ll have an opportunity to get in there and play and hopefully [he] can spell Jerry [Hughes] and Lorenzo some in base situations and then probably contribute heavily on the sub team as well, our pass rush team," Ryan said, adding that it remains to be seen if he'll play Sunday against Miami.'

'Four times in this millennium, the Bills have traveled to Miami with a winning record. They've lost every time. A quick recap of those forgettable visits…'.

'The Bills improved to 4-2 Sunday with 45-16 win over the San Francisco 49ers, which would currently give them the second wild card position.'

'Buffalo has now won four straight games for the first time since 2008, and if the season ended today, would qualify for the postseason. After the 0-2 start, that’s an amazing turnaround.'

'Well I think we are doing a lot of creative things when we do run the football. Multiple formations, personnel groupings, tackles overs, unbalanced lines, all kind of things, direct snaps, options. So you are getting the whole gambit there. I think that has been really good for us, keeps defenses off balance. And then I think we are doing probably a better job than maybe it looks like yardage wise in throwing the football. So I think we have been efficient and I think we are protecting the ball as well.'

'Surely, his late father Buddy is smiling from above.'

'The 49ers and Bills had spent the third quarter of the game trading punts. The first five drives of the half had ended with a punt. With just over four minutes left in the third quarter, the 49ers had 4th-down-and-1 at the Bills' 40 yard-line. The Bills were leading 17-13, and Kelly decided to go for it. With Carlos Hyde out of the game, the 49ers ran Mike Davis up the middle, and Preston Brown was there to make the stop.'

'Gil Brandt, a senior analyst for NFL.com, revealed quite the interesting tidbit about Buffalo and four game winning streaks during presidential election years on Monday. As it turns out, the Bills have had four game winning streaks during seven of the last eight presidential election years.'

'"I don't know if we can say for this week," Ryan said. "But I think moving forward, it's get in there and spell some guys and then maybe can he play in the sub team? Can he do different things? We're going to find out. But we know he's a really good talent, and I think combined with the players we have I think he'll be good. You know, I think as far as saying well, is he a starter? No. He's not going to start now. I think Lorenzo Alexander's earned that. But we are going to work Shaq in there."'

'Jones, a 2015 Pro Bowl safety and one-time All-Pro, was having another strong season for the Dolphins. Through six games, Jones has 51 total tackles, four passes defensed, 0.5 sacks and one interception. Losing Jones for any amount of time is a significant blow for the Dolphins.'

'The formula for winning seems simple. Buffalo is 4-0 when McCoy has over 100 total yards in a game and 0-2 when he fails to reach this total. In Week 7, Buffalo will play the Miami Dolphins on the road. Miami's run defense is currently 31st in the league and allows 147 rushing yards per game.'

'Adding a first-round pick and a dominant nose tackle to one of the NFL's most productive front sevens? That certainly sounds like fun for Rex and Rob Ryan. It doesn't sound all that amusing for opposing quarterbacks.'

'Since Lynn became the lead offensive coach, McCoy has 73 carries for 470 yards and five touchdowns. He's had three 100-yard rushing performances in four games since the coaching change. In each game he's surpassed the century mark, the Bills have won.'