Archives for September 7, 2017

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'"I think we've grown just as a unit since OTAs, coming into training camp, throughout training camp," Poyer said. "I think we've just grown together, a lot closer, kind of understanding each other. And the communication part has been huge. If we're just able to all communicate, all understand what to expect, I think we're going to be OK. I think we've got to continue to grow and continue to learn off of each other and to just play together as a secondary."'

'"Look him in the eye, say, 'How you feel? Feel good. Let's go.' No different for LeSean."'

'"From being around Sean and knowing what we're trying to do, I've grown to trust him and what we're doing," Williams said. "I think that's the first part of guys buying into being part of a good football team. What players you have or don't have, I can't control. It's not part of my job title."'

'I’m sure there will be some newness to that, just like there was in the preseason. But I’m such a guy that’s focused process-wise that, for me, getting myself ready between now and then, that’s really my routine. I’m getting into my routine for the regular season and the players are getting into their routine. I’ll be very, I think, humbled by the opportunity and thankful. This is one of the reasons why we came here, was to win football games. To be able to perform in front of these fans and the passionate fan base that we have. To get this stadium back to where it belongs, in terms of our home field advantage, and we look forward to getting out there this weekend in front of our fans. We look forward to making this a very hostile place and a place that people really don’t want to come to and when they travel down One Bills Drive that they know what this is about. Our guys understand that.'

'“We look forward to making this a very hostile place, and a place that people really don’t want to come to, and when they travel down One Bills Drive that they know what this is about. Our guys understand that.”'

'"I definitely felt like I played well, but being a vet in the league, I know how it goes with preseason," Gaines said. "Everything steps up a notch from preseason to regular season to the playoffs, so I'm just trying to step up my game for these next 16 weeks."'

'"That kind of shows you who he is," Chuck Peterman said. "So long as there's daylight, he's going to keep fighting. He has that inborn competitiveness, temperament, whatever you want to call it. He has a deep fire burning down there in the furnace, where he says, 'I'm going to keep coming at you so long as I can stand.' "'

'"When you get cleared from concussion protocol, that's the first step, an indication to me of where he is from the medical standpoint," the coach said. "Then, it's the dialogue, 'Hey, you're feeling good,' from a human standpoint, that interaction. And then, as a player, you go out and watch him execute and certainly we'll continue to do that and to this point, he's done a good job of that."'

'There's no question that McCoy is a dynamic back, one who ran for 1,267 yards and 13 TDs last year and averaged 5.4 yards a carry. But McDermott has to be careful not to overuse him this season. Teams will be keying on the Bills' top-rated running game, especially with the lack of downfield receivers for Tyrod Taylor.'

'Now, with Rick Dennison his offensive coordinator, how will Taylor play? Which of Dennison's trends will hurt the quarterback? Which philosophies will help him?'

'The Bills' 100 big plays led the league, however, just 23 of their 100 big plays came via the pass, the NFL's fifth-lowest figure. Buffalo did boast the best "big play percentage" of 9.88 in the NFL. The Cowboys had 96 such plays, and the Falcons came in third with 93. The Dolphins' big play percentage of 9.76 was the second-highest in football.'

'That time has come. The Bills can no longer keep McCoy in bubble wrap. While the team will still have to be smart in regards to his work load, it’s clear they need him on the field as much as possible.'

'"Are they tanking like the Jets? They've made a lot of moves that make it look that way," Pete Prisco wrote.'

'"… Obviously if we would’ve put a second-round tender on there we probably still would’ve had him. But the fact we didn't, they were able to come in and they snagged him for money that we couldn’t pay."'