Archives for September 19, 2017

'DE Jerry Hughes: Let's talk about that spin move Hughes put on Matt Kalil. That deserves its own wing in the Albright-Knox. Hughes was an absolute beast, finishing with six tackles and two sacks that went for a total loss of 24 yards. Is there anyone happier to be back in a 4-3 scheme? Even when he didn't get the sack, Hughes harassed Cam Newton. The website Pro Football Focus credited him with four quarterback hurries.'

'If you thought Tyrod Taylor had trouble moving the ball against Carolina, just wait for next Sunday. The Broncos owned the NFL’s best defense in each of the last two seasons, according to the analytics website Football Outsiders. They ranked fourth last season in total yards allowed and first against the pass (185.8 yards per game), which is why the unit is nicknamed the “No Fly Zone,” thanks in large part to the cornerback duo of Talib and Chris Harris. Then there’s Von Miller, who ranks second in the NFL in sacks since entering the league in 2011, trailing only J.J. Watt. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips did leave for the Rams after coach Gary Kubiak retired from coaching this offseason, but the Broncos promoted from within, elevating secondary coach Joe Wood.'

'The game had a 36.1 rating on WIVB-TV (Channel 4), the local CBS affiliate. It peaked at a 43.0 in the final minutes when the Bills were driving for a potential winning touchdown that never happened.'

'The show began with a review of the prior game, and it was underlined that fans should appreciate the quality of the Carolina Panthers defense to stymie the Bills' offense. Donald Jones in particular highlighted surprise that the Bills attempted to base their run game into the teeth of the Panthers' strongest aspect – the defensive tackles. Audio from postgame was heard throughout the show, as well as a great explanation by Donald Jones on the corner route on fourth down.'

'We knew the 2017 Bills were going to be improved on defense (one TD allowed in the first two games), and the only question was going to be could the offense hold up its end of the bargain? We were given some evidence Sunday on how that might play out. The defense will keep the Bills in most games, and the offense, sadly, probably won’t be able to take advantage.'

'“No, Tyrod is our starter,’’ McDermott said. To be clear, Taylor is your starter? “Yes, clarity, Taylor’s the guy. Not making a change,’’ McDermott said.'

'The only team ranked below the Bills were the Jacksonville Jaguars. After a promising Week 1, the Jaguars were blown out by the Tennessee Titans.'

'"I have complete confidence in him," Dennison said. "I thought he did some good things even though he did some bad things. He did some good things. He managed the team when things weren't going well but kept us in the game. Some people might have gone south. He kept us all rolling. Had to make some plays with his feet when things weren't there. And he's coachable. You tell him to do something, he'll do it right. He'll fix it."'

'The Bills only went up 7 percent in value, according to Forbes. The franchise is worth $1.6 billion, and the biggest factor holding the team back might be the lack of a new stadium. Forbes estimated that the Falcons’ new stadium increased the franchise’s value by 19 percent.'

'"Those can go either way," McDermott said. "What I was looking at really there was real estate. I felt like we had some real estate, a significant amount, to cover. I felt like if we could get the ball into the medium, red-zone area and then get it down to take one more shot, so I wanted to make sure at that point we could save the timeouts if we needed them. If you look at the film, you would see what I was seeing during the game was Tyrod and the routes were close enough I felt like that we could get back and get the play snapped."'

'Tyrod Taylor attempted three passes that traveled more than 15 yards in the air. In the first half, nine yards was the farthest one of Taylor's passes traveled in the air. The lack of a deep passing game is a bit alarming.'

'Tyrod Taylor completed a high percentage of his passes, but many of them were drop-offs and short passes. Buffalo's longest reception against the Panthers went for 15 yards. The Bills showed no ability to stretch the field against Carolina and future opponents will quickly learn from how the Panthers defended Buffalo.'

'And finally, perhaps the most confusing statement was the way Dennison describe the play of Taylor, stating Taylor “kept us in the game,” despite not scoring a touchdown.'

'While the number for the passes to wide receivers simply isn’t there, neither are the numbers on first down. Buffalo ran 20 first-down plans and averaged 2.5 yards-per-play on first down. Of those 20, four went for negative yardage while only six gained five or more yards.'

'"Just overall, you know, just better execution," McDermott said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win and next time I expect us to win. That's what we're looking for moving forward. It's that belief and the execution. You hope you're not in that situation, you hope you're ahead of it at that point of the game and that's where we're trying to grow as a football team."'