Archives for December 2016

'There is little doubt that Bills General Manager Doug Whaley is trying to convince the Pegulas to fire Rex Ryan as the head coach, presumably so they can elevate offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn to the top position.'

'The loss mathematically eliminated Buffalo from the postseason, but Saturday provided a glimpse of how Taylor might've excelled if Sammy Watkins hadn't missed eight games or Robert Woods hadn't missed three games or Marquise Goodwin hadn't missed two games or Walter Powell/Greg Salas/Percy Harvin hadn't gone to injured reserve.'

'Who would have guessed that defense, which won him a Super Bowl in Baltimore and turned him into a genius, which his father turned into the standard for all others with the ’85 Bears, which gave his brother a career in football and made Rex a wealthy man, would ultimately lead to his undoing?'

'Rex Ryan made an awful decision to punt with 4:09 left in overtime, because, having missed a field goal, the Bills gave the Dolphins the opportunity to either tie or win the game. Both scenarios would have eliminated the Bills from the playoffs. Coaching also failed the Bills when they ended up with only 10 men on the field as Jay Ajayi ripped off a 57-yard game on the Dolphins' first play after the punt to set up the winning field goal.'

'Dan Carpenter missed wide right from 45 yards in OT in what likely will be his last game at New Era Field.'

'Miami defensive end Mario Williams was on the field for just 11 plays, by The News’ unofficial count. Williams is making $8.45 million this season. That’s $528,000 a game. So the 31-year-old, 11th-year veteran made roughly $48,000 a play on Saturday. Nice work if you can get it.'

'Good grief, Dan Carpenter. What was that? The Bills’ kicker likely kicked his way right out of Buffalo, missing a 45-yard field goal in overtime and a 46-yarder in the first half. Even worse than that was his disappearance before the locker room even opened. Way to stand up and face a few tough questions, Dan.'

'The Bills' slim playoff hopes officially died with the loss, extending the longest postseason drought in North American sports to 17 years. So, too, possibly, is Rex Ryan's time as their coach. Stay tuned.'

'The Dolphins zipped around and sometimes through the Bills' defense.'

'Ryan's position seems even more tenuous after this setback. His defense had yet another miserable day, giving up 494 total yards and four plays of 40 yards or more – including a 57-yard dash by Jay Ajayi to set up the winning score in overtime.'

'The Bills had a franchise-record 589 yards of total offense Saturday, and it still wasn’t enough to beat the Dolphins. Their defense buckled and allowed a game-tying field goal with six seconds remaining. Jay Ajayi gashed them for 206 yards rushing, including a 57-yard run in overtime.'

'Simply put, he should be fired for his call to punt with just over 4 minutes left in overtime. The scenario was this: The Bills faced a fourth-and-2 from their 40-yard line. A tie would eliminate them from playoff contention. Knowing that, Ryan simply can not punt the ball there.'

'Moore was thoroughly unimpressive. But the Bills’ defense kept taking him off the hook. Terrible tackling basically gave Miami three scores. You’d think by Week 16 of the season the defenders would make basic form tackles. But no. The Bills continually threw shoulders into Miami ball-carriers, which allowed them to bounce away for big gains.'

'The Dolphins had no timeouts remaining but were able to get close enough for a long field goal attempt. The Bills tried to call timeout when it appeared they were short a player, but the play went off and Franks squeaked the ball through to force overtime.'

'On the Dolphins’ first drive after halftime, cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman whiffed on a tackle that allowed DeVante Parker to run free for a 56-yard touchdown.'