Archives for December 2016

'Bills kicker Dan Carpenter doinked another extra point off the post, putting the cherry on top of a lousy day for the Bills.'

'But patience was only one attribute Bell had on display Sunday. He also showed power, speed and elusiveness, dodging Bills defenders all over the field to put up 239 combined rushing and receiving yards through 45 minutes.'

'The rest of the second quarter was ugly. The next three drives all resulted in punts before the Bills took over with 32 seconds left before halftime. They had all three timeouts left, trailing in a must-win game, but went conservative with a screen pass and were content to run out the clock.'

'Robert Woods got open on a third and 13 deep in the Bills’ end, but Tyrod Taylor’s pass somehow bounced off his facemask and was easily intercepted by William Gay, who returned it for a touchdown. That would’ve made the score 14-0 before the Bills had a first down, but the play was wiped out by Dupree’s penalty.'

'Defensive tackle Kyle Williams headlines Buffalo's list of inactive players. Williams is out because of a back injury he suffered Thursday night. He was unable to practice Friday, with coach Rex Ryan saying Williams' back "locked up" on him.'

'The Bills were pathetic, almost from start to finish, a fitting display from a team that was pretty much doomed since mid-September when it lost its first two games in a span of five days. There was the tease of that four-game winning streak, but then they started playing good teams, and reality set in with consecutive losses to Miami, New England, and Seattle. Since then, they’ve been on life support, and the plug has now been pulled.'

'The vision laid out by Ryan when hired two years ago was to play offense with an efficient quarterback who would be complemented by a strong running game and an elite defense. The Bills, ranked No. 1 in rushing two years running, have gotten the running game part right. Until a day like Sunday when a line missing two starters couldn’t open a tin can let alone holes for Shady McCoy, who could’ve used better blocking or better snow tires.'

'This game will weigh heavily on the evaluation of coach Rex Ryan and Taylor. But if team owners Terry and Kim Pegula are really paying attention, they need to evaluate GM Doug Whaley’s work as well. Enough is enough.'

'WHAT WENT RIGHT: Nothing, really. The Bills had the ball twice and gained a mere 25 yards. The only positive is that they didn’t turn it over.'

'No one can be surprised by the result, right? This is what the Bills do almost every time they have to face a quality opponent in a game they must win. They fail. They have one quality win all season, against New England, and even that was highly dubious with Jacoby Brissett at QB. They are 1-6 against teams who are still alive in the playoff race. Never mind the final score, this game was never really close, even when Ben Roethlisberger was personally trying to keep the Bills in it with three interceptions.'

'"No," Ryan said. "I'm focused on the team, guys. That's about the whole thing. I'm trying to win a game. Obviously it didn't go our way. That's where our focus is.'

'Following Buffalo's 27-20 loss, Gilmore went on Instagram and called out Brown over the Gilbert comment while showing a photo of his interception in coverage against the receiver.'

'The criticism of Taylor continues to grow louder. As the Bills fell to 6-7 and likely let their playoff hopes slip away in the process, it's fair to wonder whether the Bills would consider benching Taylor for rookie Cardale Jones to see what they have. Taylor, however, believes those at One Bills Drive are behind him as the quarterback.'

'"That is disgusting when you say that stat out loud," Hughes said. "We understand that is not what you can do to get to the playoffs. We got to be better. Today, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the better team, they came out and they executed on all phases and we didn't. We just got to come out and play better ball, especially late in the year when all the chips are on the table."'

'Ryan is 14-14 in 28 games as the Bills head coach, and according to La Canfora, his relationship with general manager Doug Whaley has remained contentious. Ryan isn't the only one who has an uncertain future in Buffalo. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who has a club option on his contract for 2017, could follow Ryan out the door unless he play dramatically improve in the final four games of the season.'