Archives for December 21, 2016

'"One game is too many when you're giving up 200 rushing yards," defensive lineman Leger Douzable said. "But we know what we have to do. In both of those games, it was the same determining factor — it was missed tackles. Versus Ajayi, we had three or four guys missing tackles on one play. And you can't do that, because the next thing you know he's in the secondary and he's off to the races."'

'"I always felt that coaches, when you sign coaches, unless they do something crazy like trade their best player, other than that …" McCoy trailed off, to a chorus of laughter. "No serious, I think that coaches, they deserve some years to kind of get their culture, get their players and kind of change things. I think it takes time. It’s hard, the next year or the year after that to flip it. I’m not a coach. I can only imagine how hard it is to control a group of guys to do what you want them to do. It’s a tough job. I think it takes time."'

'“Hmm. I can’t really say,” Williams said. “I’m gone to Miami. And gone to what we’re doing down here.”'

'"I don't think I should keep my head on a swivel," he said. "I definitely think it should be vice versa. As a true professional, you shouldn't do those things. We got families. We got kids. We got a livelihood. the last thing you want to do is target somebody and take them out."'

'Whaley has been predictably absent in all this. The Bills tell us that Whaley and Ryan have a strong working relationship, that they're joined at the hip, but in Rex's time of crisis, the general manager hasn't uttered one word.'

'McCoy has rushed for 1,129 yards and 12 touchdowns this season while ranking second in the league in yards per attempt (5.5 average). Alexander's 11.5 sacks are tied for third in the league.'

'It was real tough to watch, but you’ve got to give that kid credit. I mean, he took it to us. [Their] whole team did. It’s not like it was a Timmy Smith thing – a once in a lifetime deal. The guy did it the previous week, so the guy’s a quality back. There’s no question about it. Very physical, downhill-type runner with good vision.'

'They are considered CBS’ third team, behind the No. 1 team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms and the No. 2 team of Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts. Bills fans will have seen all three of the teams in the last four weeks of the season.'

'• Lorenzo Alexander: He played every defensive snap, along with 17 on special teams, and got his first sack since Week Nine. Alexander now has 11.5 sacks on the season. That's more than Khalil Mack has.'

'Lynn knows the players, the players know and like and respect him. He already has a good idea of what works and what doesn't with the current roster, and what changes he wants to see going forward. He is offensive-minded, which would be the logical type of replacement for the defensive-oriented Ryan. Lynn also is known for being strict and demanding with players, and detail-oriented, which is the exact opposite of Ryan's approach.'

'Canadian chef Matty Matheson from the TV show "Dead Set on Life" on Viceland visited Orchard Park earlier this season to dig his teeth into some of Bills tailgaters' best dishes and soak in the experience from the famous Hammer's Lot.'

'“We built a team that wants to be physical, and they took it to us,” Ryan said. “They took our blueprint and outperformed us. They ran the ball, did a great job.”'

'McCoy was named to the Pro Bowl last season, his first with the Bills, but it was a somewhat dubious honor as he missed four games with injuries and rushed for only 895 yards. This year, there was no doubt about his inclusion on the team.'

'"Probably this year I probably deserve it more than last year," McCoy said. "It's a collective type of achievement. I think the guys up front blocking away for me week-in-week-out. Tight ends and wide receivers and Jerome Felton, so it's all together type of achievement."'

'"I missed eight weeks, so I can't really say too much," Watkins said Tuesday. "I can say, I think that we can be one of the best passing teams. We have all the weapons and guys, I think it's more-so we have to put more effort into passing than running and mixing everything up, which we've been doing a good job of. We've got to do better at passing. It takes passing to win games. Like I said, our rushing's been, we've been rushing for 300 yards, but this league is changing. It's a passing league, so in order to win those tough games against the Raiders or Kansas City or New England, I think we're going to need to pass the ball against those guys."'