Archives for January 5, 2017

'Taylor ranked 25th in the NFL in passing yards (3,023) and 24th in touchdowns (17), although he did lead the league at his position in rushing yards (580) and touchdowns (six). Whoever the next coach ends up being will have a big say in whether the Bills pick up Taylor’s contract option, tying him to the team for at least the next two years.'

'The poll, while unscientific, was voted on more than 18,000 times as of Wednesday morning. The Bills ranked third with about 10 percent of the vote. Here are the full results, rounded to the nearest whole number…'.

'Non-candidates, at least so far, include former Giants coach Tom Coughlin (link) and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.'

'Beginning in McDermott’s second season in Carolina, his defense posted four consecutive top-10 finishes in total yards allowed, including a second overall finish in 2013 while giving up just 15.1 points per game. The Panthers regressed this year, though, finishing 21st in yards and 26th in points per game.'

'McDermott is one of four known candidates the Bills hope to interview. The others are current interim head coach Anthony Lynn, Arizona offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin, and Philadelphia offensive coordinator and ex-Bills quarterback Frank Reich. No schedule has been announced for those interviews.'

'Well, in 2015, the Bills ranked 15th in points allowed, 19th in total yards, 16th against the rush, and 23rd on third down. In 2016, they were 16th in points, were again 19th in total yards, 29th against the rush, and 19th on third down. We got a load of it, and we didn’t like it.'

'"If it's me and I'm a coach looking for a team to play with it all starts with one person, the quarterback," said Kelly. "Do you have a quarterback that can lead you to the next level? We do not have one as of right now. Tyrod Taylor, he did a lot of things this year and last year that a lot of quarterbacks in the NFL cannot do, but consistently he just wasn't what we needed. He had to be more consistent on his throws. When we needed a first down to move the chains, to win games, when we needed a first down to move chains to continue to control the ball to take time off the clock, we just didn't have that there."'

'Around the league, the performance of GM Doug Whaley at his Monday press conference was not well-received, particularly the part about how he was informed by ownership that Rex Ryan was being whacked and he (Whaley) had no say in it. The reaction was, if I may translate, Who wants to work for that guy?'

'Same old EJ: The Bills used the ‘business decision’ excuse not only before the game, but after as well. According to general manager Doug Whaley on Monday, he wanted to see if EJ had it. Well, he doesn’t. In approximately three quarters of play, Manuel went 9-for-20, with 86 passing yards. That doesn’t tell the whole story as EJ missed a wide open Charles Clay for a touchdown at one point and then tossed a pass so far away from one of his own receivers that Deadspin and Barstool Sports had a field day with it.'

'Remember Ralph? The guy who owned the team for more than 50 years and whose name was on the stadium? That's who the Pegulas are becoming, owners that don't know how to run their football team.'

'Lynn is also considered the front-runner for the job in Buffalo. A person with direct knowledge of the Bills coaching search told The Associated Press that the team is scheduled to interview Lynn on Thursday. The person spoke to the AP on Wednesday on the condition of anonymity because the team has not revealed its interview schedule. The Bills do announce who they're interviewing once the meeting is taking place.'

'Whoever becomes the new coach will have a monumental task on his hand trying to get the Bills pointed in the right direction.'

'Here’s a look at the Buffalo Bills head coaching candidates either confirmed by the team or reported by the noted media outlet (coaching bios provided by each candidates' Wikipedia page)…'.

'Goodwin has spent the past three seasons as the Cardinals' offensive coordinator under head coach Bruce Arians. Goodwin went to Arizona with Arians after he was hired by the Cardinals as their head coach in 2013. Goodwin was with Arians in Indianapolis when served as the offensive coordinator and interim head coach with the Colts in 2012.'

'McDermott, 42, has spent the last six seasons as the man in charge of the Panthers defense — a unit that has finished as a top 10 defense in the league in four out of his six years there. In 2015, the Panthers had a remarkable season in which they ranked sixth in both points allowed and yards allowed, along with a league-high 39 turnovers forced.'