Archives for October 8, 2017

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'“Every part of your life has to be in line to play well. To have balance in your life and to be able to be comfortable where you are and have a good relationship with all of your teammates and have a good culture, all of that goes hand and hand.”'

'They were unbeaten at 3-0, flying high to Ohio. It was the height of Ryan Fitzpatrick's time in Buffalo. He was lighting up the league and was featured in a Sports Illustrated story about the NFL's "Fitzmagic" craze.'

'Bills 24, Bengals 23.'

'I'm impressed by how the Bills look so far. Nobody expected them to be 3-1 at this point. They are one Tyrod Taylor-to-Zay Jones missed connection away from being 4-0. Regardless of what happens against the Bengals, the Bills come out of next week's bye with three of their next four games at home, and the road game in that mix is against the New York Jets, whom the Bills defeated on opening day. The Oakland Raiders look far more manageable Oct. 29 if EJ Manuel is at quarterback.'

'This will be another significant test for the Bills' first-round rookie cornerback, even though he will be matched on the Bengals' top threat only some of the time. The Bills' cornerbacks play sides rather than match up on specific receivers. The Bengals' star moves around, so he will see E.J. Gaines and Leonard Johnson, as well. The Bengals figure to feed Green. He caught 10 of 13 passes thrown in his direction against Green Bay two weeks ago. He was targeted only seven times last week against Cleveland, but it was a blowout and the Bengals didn't need him.'

'Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton has taken a couple deep shots per game on first-down plays per game this season. His pass protection has been inconsistent, and the first-down, play-action fake gives him a bit more time. This one went for 50 yards to star A.J Green against Houston in Week Two, despite the fact the Texans essentially had Green triple-covered in a three-deep zone.'

'Tre’Davious White, CB, Buffalo. In the last two weeks, he was clearly targeted from the very start by Denver’s Trevor Siemian and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan. Each time, White not only held his own, but he wound up holding the thing the quarterbacks previously had in their hand: The ball. White, the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Month for September, intercepted Siemian and knocked down four other passes. Against the Falcons, he picked up a Ryan fumble and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown. White plays with the poise and savvy of a long-time veteran. He carries himself with a great deal of confidence, but maintains the team-first philosophy that Sean McDermott wants his players to have.'

'Tolbert's stats this year – 34 carries for 119 yards, two catches for 14 yards – project out to a season in which he would have 136 carries for 476 yards, eight catches for 56 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. Last year, Mike Gillislee had 101 carries for 577 yards and nine catches for 50 yards, with nine total touchdowns. Everyone knew the Bills were going to take a step back when it came to production from the backup running back when Gillislee left.'

'"I'm enjoying it," Alexander said. "I knew it was going to be a change for me. I knew I wasn’t going to have as many opportunities to rush. But if we continue to progress like we’re going defensively, I don’t care if I have 50 more tackles than I did last year and maybe four or five less sacks. That doesn’t matter to me. It’s all about winning games and getting to the playoffs."'

'Currently, Leslie Frazier's unit boasts a red-zone DVOA of -24.2 (negative is better for defense), the second-best in the NFL. Splitting that, Buffalo is third in red-zone pass defense DVOA and 13th in red-zone run defense DVOA.'

'"You can replace Dalton," the billboard read, referencing the Bengals' quarterback. "You can't replace Harambe."'

'The Sunday morning tailgate party will be held in a free parking lot under the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge in Covington, Ky. Chili, wings, and Sahlen’s hot dogs with Weber’s mustard will be served, along with whatever is cooking on the hood of the famous Red Pinto. Tailgaters will be able to take a $1 shuttle ride to Paul Brown Stadium for the game.'

'Defensive line coach Mike Waufle loves working with Hughes, and he said his numbers don’t do his performance justice. He has three sacks, but he has been a nightmare for opposing offensive lines to deal with. Last week against the Falcons, for instance, Hughes had one sack and it resulted in a forced fumble and a touchdown for Buffalo, plus he had five other pressures on Matt Ryan.'

'Which Andy Dalton will show up? The Bengals quarterback is a wildly polarizing player. There are some observers who think he’s been a career-long mediocrity, and other believe he’s been a solid NFL quarterback for most of his six-plus years in the league. The answer is probably somewhere in the middle, and this season, he has been the very definition of polarizing.'