Archives for October 2017

'I would guess McDermott is in a pretty exclusive club in that regard, because a depth chart – now minus injured Jordan Matthews – that includes Andre Holmes, struggling rookie Zay Jones, newly-signed Philly Brown, and Kaelin Clay doesn’t elicit much faith among the fan base.'

'Hyde has three interceptions to his name this year and is a big reason why the Bills rank so well at defending the deep ball.'

'In fact, since the AFC East realigned in 2002, the Bills being in first place has been a rare occurrence. The Bills' current hold on first place is only the 11th time the team has been in first since 2002.'

'"There's great competition on our roster right now, and I love that," McDermott said. "The players want that. That's why they work during the week. They understand what's at stake. We're only going to continue. Competition takes everyone's game up a notch. That's good for us."'

'Hauschka attended NCAA Division III Middlebury College in Vermont to play soccer and lacrosse. He was sent down to the JV soccer squad and he started to set his sights on becoming a dentist like his mom.'

'No I’m not concerned,” Taylor said. “We’ll continue to be persistent in our running game and Shady is a great back and our offensive line is doing a great job each week.”'

'“The great part about this team is that we have a ton of leaders on the team that make their presence known. Lead by example and verbal as well. Those guys have made it very clear what it was like years ago when the team had a good start and didn’t stay focused on the process,” McDermott said'

'Micah Hyde, S: A relatively unspectacular free-agent acquisition from Green Bay, the Bills believed in the 27-year-old strong safety enough to give him $30 million over five years. And Hyde has given the Bills defense a playmaker on the back end with three interceptions already (two against Ryan last week) and has broken up four passes.'

'"I'm growing and I'm learning and I know that," Jones said. "I've had a lot of advice, a lot of people talk to me. I've heard a lot of things positive and negative, but I just really don't care because it's a learning process for me.'

'"I believe it's a big challenge for our building to keep things in perspective," McDermott said. "If we're going to get addicted to anything, let's get addicted to the process of what leads to winning."'

'One can't blame long-suffering Buffalo fans for guzzling the kids' drink at this point, though. It's been a while since the Bills appeared to pay attention to detail. An argument can be made that the Rex Ryan teams of the last couple of years possessed far more talent but about one-tenth of the discipline this group has featured so far.'

'"Danny Crossman (special teams coach) does a great job of knowing his phase of the ball," head coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday. "We went through it in the offseason and Danny did a great job of identifying Stephen as a player that fit us. Certainly, the conditions we play in here, it was important that we had a leg the type that Stephen has. He's kicking well right now, and it's good to see. He's a guy who spent a long time in one place, and maybe was told he wasn't in (Seattle's) plans, like a lot of us in this building. Guys embrace that underdog role."'

'"The Bills are playing really good football," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. "They've been productive on third down. Tyrod Taylor is doing a fine job. He's able to scramble and get the ball down field. He delivers the ball on time. LeSean McCoy is such a good runner. They have good, sound people."'

'“It’s just like life,” he said while sitting at his locker after Wednesday’s practice as his 3-1 Bills get ready to travel to the 1-3 Cincinnati Bengals. “Some things go your way and some things don’t. You’ve just got to wake up every day and just keep working. I’m no longer going to get discouraged by what people say or what people might think. I understand that now.”'

'Defensive end Shaq Lawson, who missed last week’s game with a groin injury, will be limited Wednesday, as well. Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, who returned to the lineup after missing a game with a foot injury, is moving “in the right direction,” according to the head coach.'