Archives for October 29, 2017

‘Buffalo took Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins. Oakland drafted Mack fifth.’

‘Throw in the 2015 first-rounder that Doug Whaley gifted the Browns to overdraft Watkins and Buffalo has nothing to show for its first-round pick in five consecutive drafts. Add Ronald Darby (second round in ’15), and they no longer have the first man they drafted from 2011 to 2015.’

‘Raiders 30, Bills 23.’

‘It will not just be the Bills’ right tackle against the Raiders’ superstar edge rusher. The Bills often will have a running back or a tight end on Mack’s side of the field. Mack rushes off right tackle 75 percent of the time and off left tackle 25 percent. One of the few times Mack was one-on-one with Mills in last season’s game, Mack hit Tyrod Taylor and forced an interception. He also had a sack and forced fumble on Taylor after beating a double-team of Mills and Mike Gillislee. Mack has 4.5 sacks, six QB hits and 20 hurries this season, according to Pro Football Focus.’

‘In a game against Carolina last November, the Panthers used slot receiver Kelvin Benjamin (13) to shove Mack, then had the tackle and running back double-team him. Raiders edge rusher Bruce Irvin (51) gets a lot of one-on-one matchups, as a result. On this play, Mack didn’t get to Cam Newton (1). But Irvin sacked him for a 6-yard loss.’

‘San Diego had to stay in its base defense because of the extra tackle and a fullback on the field. Pre-snap motion signaled to QB Derek Carr (4) it was man coverage, with a single safety high. That’s a green light to go to Cooper.’

‘”We looked at some things in the bye week,” McDermott said. “One of the parts that I loved in the game was when we got our hands on the ball in the first quarter we came away with points, a field goal this past weekend. Then after half we were able to score out of the locker room the first series of the second half. I thought that was a positive step.”‘

‘Cookie’s name should have been on the Wall a long time ago.’

‘Here’s why I’ll pick the Hughes deal as being the better trade. Everyone knew McCoy was a great player. He has lived up to expectations in Buffalo. Hughes, on the other hand, has blown them away. Before he came to the Bills, he was on the verge of being a bust as a first-round draft pick. Stuck behind Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney with the Colts, he had just seven starts over his first three seasons. Credit the Bills’ former front office for making both deals, but particularly seeing something in Hughes that perhaps few others did at the time.’

‘“Everybody has this vision of what an NFL career could and should look like. Mine doesn’t look like what I dreamed up,” Kelley said. “But I think I went through all this to be able to serve guys down the road. The doors have opened up to allow me to be in the position to help guys.”’

‘The season is nearing its midpoint and there doesn’t appear to be a dominant force anywhere. Sure, the New England Patriots still have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. But predictions of their going 19-0 on the way to back-to-back Super Bowl victories died quickly, along with the notion no one need even bother trying to knock them from their perch because it won’t happen.’

‘“I like what I’m seeing from Tyrod Taylor. I think people forget that Tyrod Taylor is a good passer, in addition to being a really good runner. We go overboard on Cam Newton and Russell Wilson, well he’s rushed for more yards the last three seasons than those two guys have. Most people forgot that, they think, well, it’s just Tyrod Taylor. But when you watch him play when you have to play against him, you realize that you have to account for him.”’

‘Banyard, who was signed in March and made the team out of training camp, was released Oct. 18 when the Bills signed wide receiver Deonte Thompson.’

‘• TV: CBS. Announcers: Andrew Catalon (play by play), James Lofton (color analyst).’