Archives for September 14, 2017

'Though the ground game may appear quintessential to the Bills' success based on these marks, it, of course, alone will not bring Buffalo back to the postseason for the first time since the 1999 season. They led all of football in total rushing offense in each of the last two seasons. They are the only team to lead the NFL in rushing and fail to make the postseason since the 2008 Vikings, whose rush offense was led by rookie running back, Adrian Peterson.'

'Hyde gave up three catches on four targets for 36 yards, and 25 of those yards occurred on one pass play. He also had a pass deflection and a pick. All that equated to a passer rating of 62.5 on passes thrown in his target area, the 29th-best out of those 70 safeties. Hyde was assigned with one missed tackle.'

'While Incognito was known for pulling from his guard spot last season and throwing lead blocks on runs to the right, he didn't pull once in Week One, Gaughan noted. Incognito simply excelled in their "more gap-oriented scheme."'

'Yes, ESPN moved the Bills down after winning. The Rams and Jaguars started below the Bills and made big gains after Week One, and beating the Jets didn't seem to impress ESPN's rankers.'

'Former Bills special teams ace and current CBS announcer Steve Tasker also chatted with Murphy and Jones, recalling the scene in Houston post hurricane and the celebration of the bravery of the first responders coinciding with the 9/11 anniversary weekend. Tasker also noted that highway 99 in Houston will be re-named, "J.J. Watt highway". Murphy also asked Tasker if he heard the infamous Doug Marrone quote post game, which was played for the audience. Tasker also talked about Bills-Jets, player superstitions and a brief chat on missing the celebration of the comeback game at New Era Field.'

'When I heard Wednesday he still wants to play safety after two serious neck injuries and a concussion, that he tried out for the Kansas City Chiefs, I asked him to join "The Tim Graham Show" on Sports Radio 1270 The Radio.'

'The terrific weather Sunday, the fact 70,000 fans were at New Era Field and the diminished expectations for the team may account for part of the 8 percent drop-off. The game started with a 28.5 rating at 1 p.m. and hit a high of 36.9 at 2 p.m.'

'“When it comes to what it takes to win a football game, I don’t think about those things,” McDermott said. “I think about what’s going to give us the best chance to win, and that’s keeping players fresh up front. That’s what we believe in, I don’t factor those other areas into it. I know some of this may be what people are used to seeing, and we’re focused on what we do, and how we win, and getting better every week. Whatever’s in that bucket, that’s what we’re focused on.”'

'“He was an MVP of the league for a reason,” McDermott said Wednesday morning during his press briefing at One Bills Drive. “I had a front row seat to watch him on a day-to-day basis. The size, the speed, the power, the arm strength. That’s what we’re up against, and you add the other weapons they have, that’ll be a huge challenge for us. We have a lot of work to do this week.”'

' Their front seven ranks with the very best, led by middle linebacker Kuechly, whose 729 tackles through last season were the most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2012 out of Boston College.'

'"I like the rotation. I like what we've got going on. I'm just going to play my role and do the best I can. It takes a little getting used to, but at the same time, we all feel fresh. We're ready for the fourth quarter. We think we'll be ready later on in the season."'

'"Just the athleticism overall," McDermott said. "He came from a good system, years ago at the University of Florida and some of the athletic attributes that we look for from our linebackers. He can run and he can diagnose. He's a very instinctive player, so those are some of the things we saw on tape."'

'Don't look now, but the Buffalo Bills are in first place in the AFC East. By themselves. It sounds weird. Buffalo controlled the Jets on Sunday, behind a steady defense and an offense that made enough plays. The Bills probably should have been blowing their division rivals out by the third quarter, but that didn't stop Sean McDermott from gushing about the win. Hey, getting your first career NFL win as a head coach is something none of us reading (or writing) this blurb will ever experience. But in the interest of staying on the level, the win over the Jets wasn't exactly a performance on par with the 1990 AFC Championship Game, either.'

'“I will say that’s definitely something that I feel like we can get a chance at, as far as the misdirection, but I feel like that with every team. The way we run the football, the way Shady is downhill, the way (Mike) Tolbert is downhill, the way we’re able to stretch fields laterally, I think that we can definitely get those types of plays. We have to go out there and execute,” Taylor said.'

'“(Newton) was league MVP for a reason, I had a front row seat to watch him on a day-to-day basis,” McDermott said. “I thought he did (have a bounce-back game). He put up 23 points. Anytime you can do that in the NFL, that’s saying something.”'