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Buffalo Bills News and Discussion

Archives for November 8, 2017

Vic Carucci’s Bills analysis: Emphasis on takeaways is still a sustainable formula for success

‘Ask any player who was on the defense before the arrivals of first-year coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, and they’ll tell you that forcing takeaways has never been emphasized as much as it is now. A player even standing at practice with a football in his hands must constantly be aware that someone could come along at any moment to try to swat it loose.’

Charles Clay may return for the Bills after missing several weeks

‘“He’s a receiver that makes our offense better,” McDermott said. “If you want to go one-on-one on the outside (against Benjamin), that’s on you, and that opens up the run game. It’s a nice little dynamic there and you look at what we already have in the run game, with Charles potentially coming back, Tyrod (Taylor), the other receivers, now we’ve got some things a defense must contend with. I had confidence in the group of receivers before we brought in Kelvin. Now, I see the group improving because of Kelvin. We’ve got a couple of pros in that room and they have their effect on Kelvin and Kelvin has his effect on them.”’

For Bills, Saints represent toughest test yet from NFC South Division

‘ “They’ve always been aggressive offensively but probably the biggest improvement I’ve seen from their team, just having faced them over the years in the NFC South, is the defense and what they’ve been able to do,’’ McDermott said. “Going from, I think it was 28.4 points per game down to 19 in just a year’s time, is a tremendous improvement on that side.’’’

Saints’ Sean Payton thinks the world of Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott

‘”I’ll tell you what, he’s tough,” Payton said then in Arizona. “I think the world of him. I’ll go all the way back to his predecessor back in Philadelphia when I was in the Giants and you had Jim Johnson, who he trained under, is an outstanding coach. I think Sean’s done a great job taking that defense and applying it to today’s football. I know he’s a great worker and I’m kind of glad he’s out of the division really. He’s a good coach. He’s a real good coach.”‘

What are the Buffalo Bills’ biggest needs heading into 2018?

‘After trading Marcell Dareus, the Bills have a huge need at defensive tackle. Kyle Williams isn’t getting any younger, so the need for youth at the position is glaring. Cedric Thornton and Adolphus Washington are decent depth players, but they should be playing a more limited role.’

Bills Today: Pass rush must increase the pressure

‘“Most teams come into it with the idea of being able to get pressure to him. I know going into Sunday’s game there had only been seven sacks, they were leading the league in fewest sacks allowed,” he said. “It’s a plan, but he gets the ball out so fast that you may not necessarily sack him. You have to find ways to at least pressure him. It’s going to be important. He’s a future Hall of Fame quarterback and you don’t want it to be seven-on-seven for him.”’

Buffalo Bills midseason awards: Biggest studs, duds, surprises of first half

‘This award could have gone to Tyrod Taylor or LeSean McCoy, but Buffalo’s top free agent target earns the nod at midseason. Hyde has done a terrific job all season of making sure the defense is in place and he’s made quite a few significant plays early in his Bills career. The safety has recorded five interceptions in Buffalo’s first eight games. Buffalo is 3-1 when Hyde records an interception. The Bills’ secondary has been a bright spot for the team and Hyde deserves plenty of credit for their overall play to date.’