Archives for September 23, 2017

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'Josh Barnett, the new executive sports editor of The Buffalo News, recently solicited questions from the readers of TwoBillsDrive.com about Bills coverage and the new BNblitz.com. Here is a sample of the questions and his responses.'

'Long before he joined the Bills, he was introduced to Pilates, a conditioning program focused on building core strength, flexibility and endurance through low-impact stretches and movements. Since then, he’s adopted a new lifestyle, shed more than 80 pounds, switched positions and emerged as a trusted asset on the field and inside the Bills locker room. It showed Sunday, when he recorded a sack, two tackles for loss and nine tackles overall in Buffalo’s 9-3 loss to Carolina.'

'"Well, number one, he’s come in and endeared himself to his teammates, in the way that he’s approached (the job), with his approach in the meeting room, in the weight room and then on the field," McDermott said. "He’s 100 miles an hour all the time, plays with a flat back, plays with good leverage. He’s picked up the system extremely fast, credit to him. He’s done a good job so far, and I think he’s looking forward to more and more opportunities, which is what happens when you play and bust your tail."'

'Later, a Bills PR man told me it's not as if Taylor can't call audibles. He has the authority to do so. But when the QB says they're "getting to that" and needing to progress to a "comfort level," it seems evident that his ability to change plays is limited right now in the new offense.'

'But I watched Darnold lead USC over Texas last weekend and can see why many of the draft gurus, including Mel Kiper, see him as the best of the bunch — assuming he comes out after his redshirt sophomore year. Darnold is 6-4, 225, has a strong, accurate arm and has the poise and command you want from an NFL quarterback.'

'"I'm happy for (Watkins)," McDermott said. "Any time you develop relationships with guys, I'm happy for him. That said, I'm focused on our team. But I'm happy for Sammy and the other guys that went on to have big nights (Thursday) night."'

'Lawson practiced fully Friday, along with running back LeSean McCoy (wrist), tight ends Charles Clay (knee) and Nick O'Leary (hamstring), linebackers Deon Lacey (hamstring) and Matt Milano (hamstring), wide receiver Kaelin Clay (foot), and safety Colt Anderson (foot).'

'If the Buffalo Bills aren't trying to send a message to Colton Schmidt, it's hard to imagine the punter feeling all that comfortable this week. That's because the team has worked out not one, not two, but three free agents at his position.'

'“The football fans out here are just unreal and you hear about it around the league,” Poyer said on the day he signed. “This is one of the best opportunities I think I’ve ever had in my whole entire life.”'

'Dennison broke into the league as an offensive assistant with Denver in 1995 and worked his way up to offensive coordinator. He went to Houston in 2010 and then coached quarterbacks with Baltimore in 2014, which is where he worked with Tyrod Taylor, before returning to Denver for their Super Bowl run in 2015. He became available for the Bills when Gary Kubiak retired from coaching after last season.'

'The Bills could be in for a similar nightmare this Sunday against the exceptional defense of the Denver Broncos. With no playmakers in the passing game, Buffalo's offense is susceptible to being smothered for a second week in a row.'

'“It’s important that safety remains our No. 1 priority and we always stress the safety and playing with proper technique,” he said before heading out to practice. “That’s really a big part of our coaching, a big emphasis of our coaching. In fact with the first team meeting (we said): ‘Hey, your head is always up.’ I always talk about your chin being up because it brings everything up. Everything we do is focused on the safety of it and protecting the game that way.”'

'Bills TEs/RBs vs. Denver LBs: Denver's linebackers had a lot of trouble covering backs out of the backfield last season. The Bills should test to see how much they've improved. Inside backers Todd Davis and Brandon Marshall return from last year. Strong side outside backer Shane Ray (8.0 sacks) is out with a wrist injury. His stand-in, Saquil Barrett, has looked good the first two weeks. He entered the NFL as an undrafted, Steelers-style stand-up rusher. What about the rest of his game? It will be interesting to see who Denver opts to keep on the field to defend LeSean McCoy.'

'Siemian is no Captain Checkdown. His toughness in the pocket in waiting for deep routes to develop won him the job last season. But he is taking what defenses give him. Siemian was 21 of 25 with four TDs on passes of 10 yards or less against Dallas. Above is a play Denver ran against a San Diego two-deep defense in Week One. All five receivers ran a 6-yard stop route. Siemian (13) picks the soft spot. Like any young QB, Siemian will make a wrong pre-snap read on occasion. On this play he threw to the running back on the far left, rather than to Thomas (88), matched with a linebacker. It was almost picked off. Maybe the Bills can lure Siemian into a mistake.'