Archives for September 11, 2017

'The Buffalo Bills' season opener at New Era Field against the New York Jets is just minutes away. Leading up to the game, the Bills gave fans a chance to take their aggression out on an actual jet. Here's a look at some pictures and videos of Bills fans in action.'

'"I am told he is in a make-or-break year for the Buffalo Bills, needs to show this administration he is in fact all in, to stay with this team," Rapoport said of Dareus on NFL Network's Gameday Morning. "This is the same Marcell Dareus who got sent home for the third week of the preseason for violating a team rule. He does have a tough contract to get out from under, but this is a player — a really good player — who needs to show the team a lot during this 2017 season."'

'On Saturday, DeGroat wrote a post that said, "How I invite the kids over to watch the Bills game. Lol." Under the post was a parody video of DeGroat singing about the Bills' 2017 season opener against the New York Jets to the song Bennie and the Jets.'

'“I’ve been playing this way for a long time, I’ve always been undersized, but I’ve always been one of the better guys on the field, whoever is on the field with me. So you know I’m used to it I embrace it and that’s just something I’m used to doing,” he added.'

'Strong defensive start: The Bills defense has been viewed as the stronger side of the ball for quite some time, which is the opposite of the past two seasons. Having said that, if an offense lead by Josh McCown came out and made them look bad it would be a long season ahead. But McCown didn’t do that. Buffalo’s defense in the first half only allowed a field goal and forced two three-and-outs to start the game. The Bills will need to have strong starts from the defense throughout the season to keep up with stronger teams on their schedule.'

'The bread and butter for Bills football looks to continue under McDermott. McCoy had 22 carries for 110 yards, while Mike Tolbert had 12 carries and 42 yards rushing. Taylor used his mobility to add 38 yards on eight rushes. The Bills, who were the best overall rushing team for the past two years, surpassed the Jets’ adaptations on defense to keep the ball on the ground.'

'In this case, Jets fans are desperate to land the best of a handful of glistening quarterback prospects projected to headline the 2018 draft, led by Southern Cal’s supposed can’t-miss phenom Sam Darnold. The Jets have needed such a young superstar quarterback since Joe Namath’s ankle-length fur coat started falling apart.'

'The Jets looked much like a team in the midst of a makeover after making numerous offseason moves to purge talent.'

'The Bills got off to a winning start in coach Sean McDermott's debut by leaning on a ground game that has led the NFL in yards rushing. And they combined for 190 yards rushing against a Jets defense that was the NFL's fourth-best against the run last season.'

'The running back tandem of Bilal Powell and Matt Forte's sputters aside, the Jets surrendered 190 yards rushing to the LeSean McCoy-led Bills. That's nearly 100 more than what they gave up per game in finishing fourth in the NFL last year, though New York did allow 248 yards rushing to San Francisco.'

'Hall-of-Fame members Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed were among the approximately 25 members of that Bills team along with key contributors in the win wide receiver Don Beebe and kicker Steve Christie whose 32-yard field goal in overtime secured the 41-38 victory.'

'The Bills totaled 408 yards of offense and never trailed, but didn't put the game away until late in head coach Sean McDermott's debut.'

'"Just got to keep pushing man, keep pushing, get more wins," McCoy said. "With wins, numbers come with it. And that's the mindset, man. Just trying to lead this team in the right direction."'

'During the next Jets drive, Bills cornerback E.J. Gaines went down with a shoulder injury. Gaines was evaluated by the trainers and did not return to the game.'

'One thing that played out as anticipated was a larger role for Charles Clay. The tight end has a key role in Rick Dennison’s offense, and Clay led the team with nine targets. In addition, it isn’t surprising that Taylor would feel more comfortable with Clay than newcomers Zay Jones, Jordan Matthews and Andre Holmes. His chemistry with them and the trust factor with that group is still a work in progress.'