Archives for September 2017

'Coach Sean McDermott said he is "very confident" that McCoy will be able to handle a full workload in Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers. McDermott added that he was anticipating giving McCoy a veteran rest day Friday before the groin issue.'

'The Bills have officially ruled out DT Jerel Worthy for their game at Carolina Sunday. Worthy has been out with a concussion since the team’s preseason finale. The team also listed CB Leonard Johnson as “questionable” after being limited Thursday and Friday with a quad injury.'

'The Carolina front seven is one of the most talented in the league, but Buffalo has proven they can run against just about anyone. It will be tough sledding, but the Bills don’t quit on their run game even when they don’t have early success.'

'“It’s a rest day,” said head coach Sean McDermott of McCoy. “He’s got some groin soreness, but nothing to be concerned about. It was a scheduled rest day and we’re going to do that once in a while with our veteran guys.”'

'“I mean, we’ve been working all offseason to try and build that chemistry and things like timing with Tyrod,” said Clay. “I come and try to pick his brain to figure out, that way he’s comfortable with me and knowing where I’ll be and I’m comfortable knowing what he’s thinking.”'

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'The Bills have only 16 of their own draft choices on the team. No other team had fewer than 20 to start the season, and the league average is 27.4, based on a News review of NFL rosters. Buffalo has only 18 homegrown players. The league average is 34.6.'

'Whenever you sign a contract like that, expectations come with it, acknowledged Clay, whose first two seasons in Buffalo were slowed by a knee injury. He knows there are fans who view him as a disappointment, but he insisted he’s more focused on putting in the work on the practice field to help the Bills win on gameday and reach the playoffs for the first time in almost two decades.'

'“He's going to continue to do that,” said fellow linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, who showed last season that a player’s breakout season can come when it’s least expected. “There's certain guys that you know when you play with, you're like, 'he's probably just a teamer.' But then there's other guys like, 'this dude can ball no matter what.' He's one of those guys that we trust. We're not out there like, ‘oh, that's a weak link.’ That's Ramon. We know he's got it. He's going to lock it down.”'

'"Well, hopefully with that comes wisdom, really," coach Sean McDermott said. "In my experience, I've been around some older teams, and they were pretty good teams. Really, you know, it's just trying to win now and sustain in the future with building a good foundation."'

'It's doubtful the addition of Jelani Jenkins will impact Alexander's role at all in the short term. Jenkins still has to learn the defense. I don't disagree that rushing the passer is Alexander's strength – he showed that last year with 12.5 sacks. Perhaps in time, Jenkins could take some of the linebacker snaps away from Alexander, who could then be used elsewhere. But that's not happening soon.'

'"So when you say that I've deteriorated, I'll prove to you that I'm not. At that time, I was 263, 264 pounds. I'm 247 now. I'm ready to run. I'm ready to play. I'm obviously doing a good job here. They like it. I'm going to show you and the rest of the league I haven't deteriorated."'

'Both Holmes and Britt have small hands relative to their height, but it hasn't been a huge hindrance to their ability to reel in the football. Per SportingCharts.com, Holmes had three drops in his last 58 targets entering this season (5.1% drop rate, which isn't great, but not terrible), and Britt had dropped six passes out of his last 183 targets since the start of 2015 (3.2% drop rate). These receivers essentially have the same athletic ability with a slight edge going to Britt in the speed and vertical-leap departments.'

'1. Tyrod Taylor. The starting quarterback is always going to be No. 1. Rookie Nathan Peterman's rise to No. 2 on the depth chart over the summer captured the imagination of Bills fans starved for a franchise quarterback, but the reality is we have yet to see him take a snap in a game that matters. If Taylor were to get hurt, there's no guarantee Peterman would be an upgrade, or even play at the same level. Taylor might be polarizing, but he's been a competent starter for three years now.'

'Jim Kelly had more wins for the Bills (101) than any Bills quarterback since has touchdown passes. The only quarterback in Bills franchise history with more touchdown passes than Kelly had wins is Joe Ferguson, who threw for 181 touchdowns. Kelly is the franchise leader with 237 TD passes. Ryan Fitzpatrick is third with 80.'