Archives for September 14, 2017

'“I’m not out there playing, so that’s hard to say, ‘an advantage,’” McDermott said. “We’ve got to put in our time and earn the right to win, which we plan on doing. I’m aware of strengths and weaknesses, that’s the part that’s there. (But) the players will be on the field making the plays. It’s about us growing as a football team and making the trip down there.'

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'"I mean, all you've got to do is look at just the physical attributes, the talent that he has," veteran defensive tackle Kyle Williams said Wednesday, as the Bills began preparing in earnest for the Panthers. "The tough thing about playing a veteran like McCown is he knows what's going on, he knows where to go with the ball and different things like that. And Cam does as well, but it's a different challenge and it's a big challenge.'

'The schedule includes five games against quarterbacks rated in the top 10 in NFL HISTORY: Tom Brady (twice) is third all-time, Drew Brees seventh, Philip Rivers eighth and Matt Ryan, the reigning MVP, is 10th. Last year, Buffalo faced only two QBs who rated in the top 10 in 2016 (Brady, Derek Carr).'

'But beneath the surface, under all of those clichéd responses and rehearsed lines, lies the truth behind the awkward relationship between Dareus — a talented player who can’t seem to get out of his own way at times — and an organization that has shown itself to only be committed to him financially.'

'"A lot of the newer guys get a lot of the hype," McCoy said. "The last two years it was the kid from the Rams, Todd Gurley. "Zeke, he's like the new presence. You know he's getting it done."'

'Tight end Charles Clay (shoulder), offensive tackle Cordy Glenn (foot), safety Colt Anderson (foot), and linebacker Tanner Vallejo (knee) were also limited in Wednesday's practice.'

'"Just the athleticism overall," said McDermott, who has yet to determine whether Jenkins will be active for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers. "He came from a good system years ago at the University of Florida (before joining the Miami Dolphins as a fourth-round draft pick in 2013) and (has) some of the athletic attributes we look for in our linebackers. He can run and he can diagnose and he's a very instinctive player, so those were some of the things we saw on tape."'

'I’m aware of strengths and weaknesses, if you will. That’s the part that is there. I acknowledge that. The players will be on the field making the plays. We’ve got to have a great week and we’ve got a lot of work to do, like I said, coming off of last week’s game and really, for us, it’s about us growing as a football team and then making the trip down there. That’ll be a big challenge for us.'

'Panthers 24, Bills 17.'

'The Bills' secondary that played so well in twice intercepting Josh McCown is going to have a tougher time with Newton's impressive combination of power and athleticism. Newton's decisions on where to go with the ball were mostly good in the San Francisco game, but his delivery was slow at times. Still, his arm is far more powerful than McCown's, something the Bills' defenders will have to respect in deep coverage.'

'Though Dareus came off the field multiple times on third down, he still made an impact as a pass-rusher. Among 71 qualifying interior defensive linemen in Week One, Dareus' pass-rushing grade of 82.0, via Pro Football Focus, ranked sixth. That's a good sign for the top-five selection after 2015 and 2016 seasons in which he underperformed as a pass-rusher.'

'He better be careful throwing between the numbers against Carolina middle linebacker Luke Kuechly.'

'Newton is a career 58.4 percent passer. That is not elite. He does not get the ball out of his hands fast. He doesn't execute the underneath passing game superbly. He's not precise enough on the kind of horizontal quick-game throws that make Tom Brady great.'

'Coleman has a narrow edge on Poyer athletically, but the two have nearly the same linear speed. Coleman also has a more compact frame than Poyer. Coleman was signed by the Panthers in 2015 — when current Bills General Manager Brandon Beane was the assistant GM in Carolina — and had seven interceptions in Sean McDermott's defense. In 2016, Coleman had four picks. There's a chance the Bills signed Poyer this offseason partly because McDermott saw some Coleman-like ability in him.'