Archives for October 2017

'But also as Taylor has shown during his time in Western New York, he's been smart with the football and rather efficient when throwing it. He has just one interception on the season and is averaging 7.5 yards per attempt, the 10th-highest figure in football.'

'Taylor’s high passer rating this season is emphasized by his strong touchdown-to-interception rate of 5:1. Joining Joe Ferguson as the only Bills’ quarterbacks in franchise history to have at least five touchdown passes and no more than one interception thrown through the first four weeks of a given year – Ferguson accomplished this feat four times, in 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1979.'

'Only a 10 percent probability of isolated showers in the region. Likely rain-free.'

' Suddenly, the rest of Buffalo’s schedule has massaged itself into something that appears a lot less daunting than when the season kicked off. More like an Adirondack High Peak to climb instead of something you’d find in the Himalayas.'

'Clay is thriving early this season in Rick Dennison's tight end friendly offense.'

'Thomas is a new face for the Bills, but he played college football just down the road at Syracuse University. Thomas spent the first four seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the team drafted him in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. The Jets signed him this offseason but cut him prior to the start of the regular season.'

'While Buffalo was once a haven for SU products under former head coach Doug Marrone, Thomas becomes the lone Orange product on the team's roster. Assistant strength and conditioning coach Hal Luther and assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington will be familiar faces.'

'One. That's how many passing touchdowns the Bills have allowed through four games. It's no wonder Buffalo has allowed the fewest points per game and currently owns sole possession of first place in the AFC East.'

'Andy Dalton's struggled the first two weeks of the season, but he's shown signs of improvement in the last two weeks. In Week 3, Dalton completed 77.8 percent of his passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was even better against the Browns. Dalton completed 83.3 percent of his passes for 286 yards and tossed four touchdowns.'

'"I cannot speak for any service members other than myself, but personally I believe it is disrespectful to our flag and to those who fought and died for it," Ortt said in a statement. "I fully support the freedom of speech and expression. But the moment that we all come together as a country and a people does not seem to be an appropriate moment for political protests by professional athletes."'

'Darn it, Buffalo, just when I was out, you pulled me back in.'

'Brown returns to Buffalo after being among the team's final cuts last month. The Bills (3-1) are in need of help at receiver with starter Jordan Matthews sidelined indefinitely after he broke his right thumb in a 23-17 win over Atlanta on Sunday.'

'Making the strong defensive start even more impressive is that the average drive for a Buffalo opponent has started on the 29.3-yard line; that may not seem all that great but it's actually the ninth-worst average defensive starting field position in the league. The Bills have made up for that field position by forcing turnovers. They have seven takeaways on 44 drives by their opponents, good for a 15.9 percent turnover rate that ranks fourth in the NFL. They've also clamped down defensively in the red zone, allowing only four touchdowns on opposing offenses' 12 trips inside their 20-yard line. That's the second-lowest red zone touchdown rate in the league.'

'There’s not an abundance of pass rushers on this roster, and for the Bills to keep winning the way they have, there must be. The Bills’ three wins are certainly legitimate, and remember that in their lone loss the defense gave up all of nine points to Carolina. But are those three wins also came against a Falcons team that was missing starting receivers Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu in the second half (Atlanta’s backup receivers could not separate against Buffalo’s third down man coverage). Other wins were against the Broncos when Trevor Siemian had a second half meltdown and the Jets, who have receivers that our own Peter King could cover. (Not really, but you get the idea.)'

'Thomas is a former fourth round pick in 2013 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, mostly as a backup safety and special teams player and appeared in 48 games with the Steelers. Thomas signed with the New York Jets this past offseason, but was released before the start of the 2017 season.'