Archives for August 2017

'"The Sean McDermott Show" will be simulcast at 11 a.m. Sunday on WKBW-TV (Channel 7) and MSG WNY.'

'Sure, his wife and two children, his parents, and his brother and his family will be at the game, but outside of some hugs and kisses and small talk, this is a business trip for McDermott and the mission is crystal clear.'

'“We’ve got some depth at that position, which is nice to have and critical to have at that position," said McDermott. "Dion would potentially move over if we got that far. At this point and time, we’re not going to do that; we want him to get comfortable at the right (tackle) position. But we do need to have a contingency plan in place and we feel like the reps that Dion has built up over the spring should serve him well if needed."'

'Montgomery only coached Jones for his final season at ECU, but he saw enough to know Jones should hit the ground running in the NFL. Jones learned five wide receiver positions as a senior for the Pirates. It was a necessity for ECU given their shortcomings at the position, but Montgomery also considered it necessary for Jones to transition to the NFL. He needed to play more than just the slot, so he had him learn both outside positions in the offense. Then the other two slot positions.'

'"Four things that I require from an intangible standpoint: Accountability, work ethic, discipline and spirit," Connors said. "Zay's always been at the highest level of all four of those categories. I believe those are the things that get you to the next level. Those are the things scouts have asked me about for 25 years. Always accountable. Never late, never missed anything. Always 100 percent effort. Not 98. No matter what you do, he always knew one speed.'

'The players expected to be the Bills' No. 1 wide receiver and top cornerback in 2017 are gone after two trades last week. Will the losses of Sammy Watkins and Ronald Darby affect the team's play on offense and defense? Watkins was targeted early and often against the Vikings and the team may be rolling out a few players across from Tre'Davious White. How the team responds in their first game since the trades is something to watch on Thursday night.'

'"Hand-picked by Rex Ryan, Ragland was identified as an ideal fit for the ex-Buffalo coach's 3-4 scheme. In Sean McDermott's 4-3 operation, though, the hard-hitting Alabama star has failed to click, riding with the third-team defense in recent days. Ragland's rookie season was washed away by a knee injury, but the 2016 second-rounder is filled with promise as an old-school, aggressive defender who fearlessly seeks out ball carriers. I'd love to see him grow in Kansas City, where the team could use an understudy to Derrick Johnson, who turns 35 this November. Few teams do a better job of developing young defenders — the kind of attention Ragland desperately needs."'

'It would be more notable if Matthews was playing. Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is Matthews’ close friend who drove the wide receiver to the airport Friday to catch a flight to Buffalo. He said after the trade that it’s “going to be really weird” and “is not going to be fun” to see Matthews come out of the visitors’ tunnel at Lincoln Financial Field. Matthews’ injury means Wentz won’t see him in a different jersey.'

'"It’s an aggressive defense," Bradham said. "[Schwartz] is all about being aggressive up front and using your speed, and focus in on getting the ball out, creating turnovers. Pretty much being physical and having a lot of aggression. As a defensive player, he’s pretty much just telling you, ‘Go!’ and that’s what we’re doing."'

'Peterman worked with the second unit all week and feels he's getting a chemistry, “It’s been good. I’ve gotten to throw with them a little bit, but I think we’ve got to keep building the chemistry, building the timing with the double moves and things like that. Just got to keep working on it.”'

'However, the Bills are now faced with the task of evaluating Peterman over the next three games, and to decide if he warrants being the main backup to Tyrod Taylor throughout the 2017 regular season — which would be a pretty big responsibility given his draft position this past season. If he puts together another solid performance like he had last week, he could even close in on locking down the backup job.'

'“I think it always starts out with being physical,” Brown told Buffalobills.com. “Handle the backs in the flats. We let them leak out too much in the last game. Make sure we keep getting better with our tackling. Tackling can always get better because you don’t get that many live opportunities. And win. That’s what we need to do. Make sure we get more plays in our system and run to the ball.”'

'Brown said that he went back and watched film of the Panther’s defense from the past couple years. He said that he wanted to understand how the linebackers were successful in the scheme, and carried the unit. He said that he was impressed in how they diagnosed formations, and understood schemes. Brown said that being a middle linebacker means that he carries the responsibility of calling out formations, and making sure that his teammates understand their assignment.'

'The Buffalo Bills' head coach halted practice to give his team a "butt chewing," according to guard Richie Incognito, and came away satisfied with the results – even if it meant some extracurricular activity after the whistle.'

'Seldom have you heard a discouraging word about the Buffalo Bills trade of Sammy Watkins to Los Angeles for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a second-round draft choice.'