Archives for October 11, 2017

'"The great part about it is, if there’s a silver lining if you will, is that we had five rookies on the field (Sunday) getting significant experience," McDermott said. "Whether they started or played, that’s important for our future, and as we continue to build, there’s a silver lining in some of this."'

'The results were not inspiring. The Bills punted before reaching midfield on their first possession. The offense was gifted a drive start on the Bengals' 12-yard on the second possession but only gained 2 yards and had to settle for a short field goal. Tyrod Taylor airmailed Zay Jones and the final drive and was intercepted.'

'The Bills quarterback had a yards-per-attempt average of just 4.45, the lowest YPA he's had in a single game during his time in Buffalo. Before the sloppy effort in the rain, Taylor had a YPA under 5.0 in two of 33 starts for the Bills.'

'The Buffalo Bills were called for six accepted penalties against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week Five, and half of them were very impactful.'

'Frightening as it may be for Buffalo fans to see their beloved Bills sitting on that same 3-2 record that they began each season since 2014—seasons all ending in futility—their defense ranks first with 14.8 points-per-game allowed, Buffalo ranks second with a +8 turnover differential, they have the fifth best pass blocking offensive line according to The Pro Football Focus “Pass Blocking Efficiency” rating, which measures pressure allowed on a per-snap basis, weighting toward sacks allowed at 82.2—up from 21st last season at 76.2—Tyrod Taylor progression, and the hope that McCoy will find his perennial Pro Bowl stride, there remains hope that this year will be different.'

'“This community is really lucky to have him,” said Justin Gilmore, a Niagara-Wheatfield graduate and former teammate of Brown’s at the University of Louisville. “Preston is really Buffalo. He’s a blue-collar worker. He comes from a great family that has instilled really good values. And he’s really passionate about kids. That’s his big thing.”'

'Through five games, the Bills defense has recorded 300 tackles, according to the team’s online Tackle Tracker, putting them on pace to donate another 19,200 cans of soup.'

'Logan Thomas is next on the depth chart, and the converted quarterback is far from polished at the position. His athleticism is certainly enticing; he’s 6 feet 5, weighs 250 pounds, runs well, and showed good hands during training camp and the preseason.'

'No question Buffalo will be facing Oakland at a good time. The Raiders’ offense has tailed off from sixth to 30th in yardage and seventh to 16th in points scored without a healthy Carr and receiver Amari Cooper struggling. Tampa Bay is a different story.'

'It’s not hyperbole to call the Bills crew of wideouts the worst and least productive in the National Football League … and that was even before they lost trade acquisition Jordan Matthews to a broken thumb.'

'Yet, despite having needs at various offensive positions, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported on Tuesday that Buffalo is trying to acquire a player at a position of strength. According to Garafolo, the Bills have interest in acquiring a running back.'

'There might not be a more dissimilar challenge a defense could face from two backs on the same team. McCoy is one of the best make-you-miss backs in the league — he forced the third-most missed tackles last season (61) according to Pro Football Focus — and Tolbert is a bulldozer. Tackling Tolbert is a business decision for defenders. McCoy is gifted as a receiver and has a team-high 21 receptions through Week 4, while Tolbert can polish off drives with his no-frills style. Buffalo is a ground-and-pound offense with the requisite ingredients to be so.'

'Sunday showed they've got thin margin of error. Tyrod Taylor's INT ended streak of 18 quarters without a turnover and sealed second defeat.'

'"I thought he did a good job," McDermott said. "The first thing we look at is really the look in his eye and we talked about that. I've talked about that with Coach [Bob] Babich, our linebackers coach, and he said he had the right look in his eye on the boundary and I thought he handled himself well. It wasn't too big for him and now, knowing Matt, he'll continue to improve. He just, he puts a lot of time into his job and again, another young guy that was out there on the field and did good job at times for us."'

'Find a new tight end: Nick O’Leary could be serviceable with Charles Clay out of the lineup, who is expected to miss ‘multiple weeks’ per Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott. Without Clay, McDermott likes O’Leary. But the team could benefit from adding a new tight end. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor likes his tight ends no matter who it is. When Clay went down last week, O’Leary led the Bills with five catches for 54 yards. If the team was to add another that’s a viable pass catcher like Gary Barnidge, it could help the passing game without Clay. When Clay returns, Tyrod still likes his tight ends, so the more, the merrier.'