Archives for December 16, 2016

'Should the Bills win those last three games and be 9-7, the hope would be that as few AFC teams as possible also have that record. That applies to whichever teams don’t win the AFC North, South and West. The Bills aren’t going to win many tiebreakers at 9-7. In fact, Buffalo would only beat Miami and Denver on a 9-7 tiebreaker (more on that later).'

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'“It’s ok,” he said. “I have a lot of room for improvement. This offseason, I’ve got to go really, really hard. I’ve got to get my diet right, get my body right because next year, I hope the coaches are expecting a lot out of me, because I’m expecting a lot out of myself. My goal is to have a much bigger role on this defense next year.”'

'"He’s stayed in the pocket at times, he’s delivered the ball, and sometimes he’s gotten out a little quick," Lynn said. "But when you’re a mobile, athletic quarterback like him, sometimes what makes you special can sometimes hurt you in the passing game. It’s no question he depends on his legs sometimes too much. But that’s a learning process and that’s something you can do drilling over and over with footwork, getting the quarterback to stay in tune with his feet and how many hitches he takes, and can practice his reads and his progression."'

'"I don’t agree with that," he said. "I know last year, I wouldn’t even go to an interview until they interviewed a minority for that reason. So it has its pros and cons. If I didn’t do the interview in New York, maybe my name wouldn’t be circling right now, I don’t know. But I think it’s good to get in front of the decision makers, let them hear what you have to say – but at the same time, I think some people take advantage of it. I’m not for it. Hire the best man for the job. That’s all I want."'

'"I think the main thing for us is just to go out here and win. I think contracts and all that kind of stuff handles itself," he said. "Teams know what I can do, what we can do as players. People are always going to have their opinions, but the opinion that matters is upstairs and around the league. I think the biggest thing for us is finish strong and get these last three wins."'

'Well I think we’re going to get a lot more from that class as the years go on. In fact, I think it’s a tremendous rookie class. You know, however, you’re right. You know, we had the unfortunate injury. You know to Reggie (Ragland), to (Kolby) Listenbee. I mean so we’ve got no production out of—you know, no snaps out of those two. But especially Reggie, he’s going to be in my opinion, I think he’ll be an elite player, so we’ll see that in the future. And with Shaq and all of that, missing training camp and things, but I think he’s going to be a good one as well. So, you know, we might not have had the production and, you know, I think we were hoping for—you know due to all the injuries and stuff—man it’s going to be a good class.'

'The reason is simple: If Taylor suffers a serious injury that leaves him unable to pass a physical by March 11 – far from an impossibility for a running quarterback – the Bills could be on the hook for his $27.5 million 2017 compensation, even if they don't want to pick up his contract option. After watching Taylor fall on his face the past two weeks in must-win games, it seems baffling that the Bills would consider picking up that option. With hopes for a postseason spot all but gone, the Bills should start EJ Manuel or Cardale Jones the final three weeks and make Taylor inactive.'

'Western New Yorkers lament the plight of the Bills and for a very good reason — 17 years without a playoff berth. There seems no end to the despair this franchise inflicts on its loyal-to-a-fault fan base. But at least the good folks on the East end of Lake Erie don’t have to deal with what the good folks toward the West end are experiencing this season.'

'Alexander was in on five tackles, he had an interception and 28-yard return that killed a Pittsburgh scoring chance on the first series of the game, and he also registered the only quarterback hit on Ben Roethlisberger.'

'"It sounds weird, but I don't think there's any difference in the deal," Ryan said. "I know there's not any difference in the way I approach my job. I guess you guys don't believe me when I say it's just focus on this game. That's all you can do. This is probably not the safest occupation if you want stability and everything else. All you do is the best job you can, and the other thing too is I walk by faith, so it's easy for me. I'm at peace knowing I'm just going to do the best job I can and that's all I can do."'

'"There's no question, I think sometimes people do that to check the box, and I don't agree with it," Lynn said. "I know last year I wouldn't even go to an interview until they interviewed a minority for that reason. It has its pros and cons, and if I didn't do the interview in New York, maybe my name wouldn't be circulating right now, I don't know. I think it's good to get in front of decision makers and let them hear what you have to say, but at the same time, I think some people take advantage of it. I'm not for it. Hire the best man for the job."'

'"We know if we lose, something crazy might happen immediately," Watkins said. "We need to go out there and win this game. I want to move forward.I don't want to keep going through all this craziness. That kills a player and a team and an organization. I'm trying to move forward and trying to work on what I need to work on. I feel like with the coaches that we got, we can do it."'

'If you saw Brown finally emerging as a playmaking linebacker in his fifth season in the league, congratulations, you're smarter than just about every GM in the NFL.'

'But enough about teams making the playoffs. I’m as interested in the sports underbelly of teams that consistently don’t — led by the dubious grand marshal of failure, the Buffalo Bills.'