Archives for November 1, 2016

'So which Bills ‘D’ is it … the one that surrendered 19-or-fewer points in five of the first six games, or the one that has shown fatal flaws the last two?'

'“They kept getting first downs,” inside linebacker Preston Brown said. “It was as simple as that. They outplayed us on third down. I don’t know what the percent was, but I kept looking up and it seemed like it was 7 for 8, 8 for 9. … You’re not going to win any games if you keep doing that.”'

'“Well, I think the season as a whole was kind of up and down, and maybe in the game it was as well,” Ryan said of Gilmore, motioning his hand up and down like a wave. “Two or three holding calls and obviously had a big mistake on that Hogan touchdown, whether it was communication or whatever the breakdown was. So it wasn’t a great performance on his part. I’m sure he’d like to have some plays back.”'

'If the Bills aren’t able to complete a trade for a wide receiver, one possibility is to activate sixth-round pick Kolby Listenbee (hernia) from the reserve/non-football injury list. Listenbee, who was also a Division I sprinter in college, tweeted after Sunday’s loss that he’s “Ready to make plays downfield … It's needed.” He followed that up Monday by tweeting, “Just waiting for God to give me that 'Go,'” along with a picture of himself in a Bills jersey.'

'Whaley should absolutely inquire about the price. The Bills desperately need receivers with Sammy Watkins and Greg Salas on injured reserve and Marquise Goodwin and Brandon Tate currently in the league's concussion protocol. When Tate, who was acquired to be the team's returner, being out hurts the offense, it's a good indication that depth is needed at the position. De facto No. 1 receiver Robert Woods is also playing at less than 100 percent with a foot injury, which is all the more reason Whaley should try and address the position.'

'"Right now, we're exactly where we are: a mediocre team," Graham said. "We've got to be a lot better. Especially defensive-wise, we've got to make a lot more plays. We have to play better. Right now, we just have to fix it. … A lot of those big plays and big passes that you saw, pretty much all but probably one of them were communication errors."'

'CBS’ second announcing team has a nice chemistry together and doesn’t take everything too seriously.'

'They are an average team, with an average record, average coach and average players.'

'Maybe that's why those two seem so unwilling to accept any blame for their shortcomings on the football field. In the aftermath of Sunday's 41-25 loss to the Patriots, both Gilmore and Taylor offered weak, self-serving explanations for their subpar play in the biggest game of the year.'

'They’re here (I’m looking at the sky) and the Bills are down there (I’m looking at the ground) and it just never seems like it will ever change, at least not while Tom Brady is flinging footballs all over the place.'

'Think what you want about Gronkowski, but he was gracious in victory, saying he counts his blessings getting to play with Brady. He even had nice things to say about the Bills and their fans who like to give him the business.'

'"I think it's just getting back to the fundamentals and getting back to what he did in training camp. He was physical, he was aggressive and when the ball thrown his way you were wondering if he was going to come down with it. It was almost like a 50-50. So we have to get back to doing those things."'

'Goodwin is first in touchdown receptions (3) and yards per reception (21.5) among active players on Buffalo's roster. He has 12 receptions on the season for 258 yards.'

'There's a distinct difference between putting pressure on the quarterback and blitzing the quarterback. Sending extra rushers on the blitz does not always lead to pressure. When the Bills blitzed on Sunday, Brady completed seven of his 10 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. He was also sacked once. On the other hand, when Brady was pressured, he was 1-for-8 passing for 18 yards and was sacked four times. Three of those sacks came without the blitz.'

'Specifically, Ryan was extensively asked about the play of cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who was beat for a touchdown by former Bill Chris Hogan on Sunday. However, Gilmore’s frustration indicated the play was a blown coverage from a safety, Jonathan Meeks. Ryan said Gilmore might simply have to get back to basics.'