‘If Henderson can’t go Sunday, that leaves the 5-3 Bills with rookies Dion Dawkins and Conor McDermott, along with Jordan Mills as the only healthy tackles on the active roster. McDermott has suited up twice this season, playing on some special teams, but he has yet to play an offensive snap in an NFL game.’
Archives for November 2017
Scouting Report – Week 10 – Bills-Saints
‘Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. He’s going to get his yards, especially against a pass defense that has struggled against elite quarterbacks. The key will be getting stops in the red zone to force the Saints to take field goals instead of touchdowns. Buffalo’s red zone defense ranks 10th in the NFL and second in yards per play allowed in the red zone (2.1).’
Quick Hits: Clay and Gaines questionable for Sunday
‘The odds look better for Clay at this point to be back on offense Sunday. He’s now five weeks removed from a knee scope after getting injured at Cincinnati in Week 5. Meanwhile Gaines is only two weeks out from the time he sustained a hamstring injury against Oakland in Week 8.’
Bills Today: Saints HC has respect for McCoy
‘“He is very elusive and you don’t see a lot of hard contact hits on him and I think he is someone that can quickly get to top speed, his acceleration, his burst,” Payton said. “He has very good instincts and I think with him there’s that dimension of flexibility where in the passing game he can hurt you, in the running game he can hurt you.”’
The Master Manipulator: Bills safeties under the gun vs. Drew Brees
‘”He’s skilled at what he does, and throwing off DBs is just one of the many skills that he has,” Hyde said. “He uses his vision to hold the safety in the middle of the field. He does a lot of things to try to keep you from not being able to get a jump on the ball. That’s why he’s one of the best in the league.”‘
Adolphus Washington works his way out of ‘doghouse’ and into starting role for Bills
‘“Once I talked to coach McDermott, the way he explained it to me, he was behind me 100 percent,” he said. “He told me to just stay honest with him, let him know everything that’s going on.”’
7 observations from Bills practice Thursday
‘The Bills aren’t giving up hope on rookie receiver Zay Jones playing Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, but Thursday was not a step in the right direction. Jones missed his third practice of the week as he deals with an ankle injury suffered in Week 9 against the New York Jets.’
Mark Gaughan’s X’s and O’s: Which improved D is more legit, Bills or Saints?
‘The defense has been ranked in the bottom five in points allowed three years in a row – 31st in 2016, 32nd in 2015 and 28th in 2014.’
Adolphus Washington has earned Bills starting job in place of departed Marcell Dareus
‘“I’m thinking the worst,” Washington said the other day. “I played well the week before (against Denver), then I was inactive and the first thing that pops into my head is they want to cut me or they want to trade me. I called my (family), talked to them, talked to my agent (powerful Drew Rosenhaus), and at the end of the day, the only way I could get those thoughts out of my head was to go out there and be seen, be like Kyle.”’
What Sean Payton, Drew Brees said about playing Buffalo Bills on the road
‘”What more can you ask for when you’re an owner of an organization or a head coach or a player for an organization? The passion there is fantastic,” Payton said of Buffalo. “There’s a niche. It’s special. It’s unique. Just did a power point here for the stadium, the history there so (the players) understand. So many of these younger players are coming into the league and they may not have that same appreciation for some of these different venues. We try to point out that these are historic places where there’s been a lot of great games and teams over the years.”‘
Buffalo Bills injury report Week 10: Updates on E.J. Gaines, Cordy Glenn, Zay Jones
‘Both offensive tackle Cordy Glenn and wide receiver Zay Jones missed practice for a third consecutive day on Thursday. Both are dealing with ankle injuries, while Glenn also has soreness in his foot. At this point, Sean McDermott said both are day-to-day but didn’t sound particularly optimistic about their chances for Sunday. He and the team will know more after they practice on Friday.’
Why Saints’ RB Alvin Kamara poses as big a threat to Bills as Drew Brees
‘”He was someone that we worked out outside of his official workout and there were a lot of things that we saw as a receiver,” Payton said. “There’s some things you can’t measure. He split time like a lot of these runners do at these big programs. But he is smart, he picks things up very quickly. He blocks well. I think there’s been a good balance there with he and Mark Ingram. There’s a handful of things that he was able to pick up right away. I think his football instincts and learning were things that jumped out in the individual workout.”‘
Will weather help Buffalo Bills and 7 more things to watch versus New Orleans Saints
‘Buffalo’s Week 9 matchup with the New York Jets was the Bills’ first decisive loss of the year. How they respond will be intriguing to watch on Sunday. The Bills are coming off of 10 days of rest so they should be well prepared for the New Orleans Saints. Sunday will give the Bills an opportunity to prove that their lopsided loss to the Jets was simply a bad day at the office.’
Nick’s six-pack of Bills – Saints facts
‘Opposites attract: New Orleans lives by offense and Buffalo, with defense. In terms of top-10 rankings, the Saints’ offense falls in that margin for average points scored (27.6 – 6th), total offensive yards per game (392.5 – 2nd), rushing offense (122.8 – 7th), and passing offense (269.8 – 4th). Buffalo’s defensive stats in the top-10 includes points allowed (18.6 – 5th), run defense (94.4 – 8th) and turnover margin (plus-11 – 1st).’
Buffalo Bills 2017 Midseason Report Card: Is Sean McDermott’s way working?
‘The Bills need to get its offensive line figured out or it could be the biggest reason why they don’t make the playoffs. This unit has been inconsistent. The rushing attack has struggled because of poor run blocking and while the pass blocking has been slightly better, Taylor has been under siege at times. (He has been sacked 26 times this season. Only Jacoby Brissett has been sacked more.)’