‘With the luxury of early playing time, the Avenel, N.J., native has showed signs of shedding the criticisms again. Pro Football Focus ranked his performance against the Chargers No. 1 in its Week 11 rankings. He had another strong outing Sunday against the Chiefs, protecting Tyrod Taylor’s blind side in a game where the Bills only gave up two sacks.’
Archives for December 2, 2017
Bills Notebook: McCoy doesn’t practice, but expected to play
‘”Does not look like he will miss it at this point; looks good that he’ll play,” the coach said.’
Vic Carucci’s Take Five: McDermott needs another masterful defensive plan if Bills are to upset Patriots
‘McDermott schooled Reid with two-deep coverage looks and disguises that didn’t show up on the Bills video the Chiefs studied before the game, and that prompted Smith to repeatedly hesitate on throws and hold the ball long enough for pressure to get to him. McDermott also repositioned tackle Kyle Williams and linebacker Lorenzo Alexander in ways that helped create favorable matchups for them. It will be much harder to gain a similar edge against Brady, who has seen every coverage and disguise imaginable.’
Sully’s Mailbag: Nathan Peterman’s meltdown the most surreal
‘Which was more incredible to witness in person: The first half of EJ Manuel in London, or Nathan Peterman experience in LA?’
What He Said: Sean McDermott on Friday’s Bills practice
‘John Miller, he’ll be out for the game; Cordy Glenn will continue to be out; Mike Tolbert will be out as well; Seantrel Henderson [has] a little bit of an illness right now, so we’re going to list him as questionable.’
Voice of the Fan: Winter is coming and fans are increasingly polarized
‘Will this Sunday against the Pats, and this coming December/January become the winter of our discontent, or will it be dashing through the snow full of holiday cheer?’
Should Bills’ offensive coordinator Rick Dennison be on the hot seat?
‘I understand the limitations Dennison inherited – a game-managing risk averse quarterback, zero playmakers at wide receivers after Sammy Watkins was traded, and some soft spots on the offensive line, but it was on Dennison to make things work, and he hasn’t. This was a team that needed a creative mind to squeeze every drop out of the sub-par talent, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Dennison hasn’t done it.’
Buffalo Bills injury report Week 13: Updates on LeSean McCoy, Kelvin Benjamin
‘Benjamin has missed the last two games after tearing the meniscus in his right knee against the Los Angeles Chargers. He did not have surgery and said earlier this week that he plans to get back on the field before the season is over.’
Can Buffalo Bills pressure Tom Brady, and 7 more things to watch vs. Patriots
‘The Bills won their Week 12 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs thanks to a great defensive effort. Buffalo’s offense was average at best. Even if Buffalo’s defense plays as well as they did against the Chiefs, it won’t be enough for the team to knock off the Patriots. The Bills need to be great on offense to pull off the Week 13 upset and it starts with Rick Dennison.’
How would Belichick catalog Peterman’s assets?
‘But it sure sounds as if Belichick likes Taylor more than the Bills do. While his presence makes for a more interesting matchup, it’s almost too bad Taylor is starting this week. I’d love to hear Belichick try to talk up Peterman.’
Patriots notebook: Defensive end Eric Lee makes immediate impact after being signed off practice squad of Buffalo Bills, this week’s opponent
‘“That’s been my preparation up to this point, my role here, how I execute, being a team player. I appreciate my time in Buffalo, but that has nothing to do with everything going on here.”’
Tom Brady’s dominance over Bills is unfathomable
‘Brady’s winning percentage in Buffalo is even more impressive than his number of victories. He is 14-2 up north, which is good for an .875 figure. Taylor possesses the second-best winning percentage with a 13-7 record (.650).’
Saturday’s New England Coverage
Jonathan Jones proves to be a special player on defense, too (Boston Globe)
Tom Brady has a message for Jimmy Garoppolo and Eli Manning (Boston Globe)
Patriots’ keys to victory over the Bills (Boston Globe)
Bill Belichick misses working with Phil Simms (Boston Globe)
How would Belichick catalog Peterman’s assets? (Boston Globe)
Tom Brady utilizes diverse collection of skill players (Boston Herald)
It’s December, and Tom Brady knows the games mean more now (Boston Herald)
Patriots notebook: Defensive end Eric Lee makes immediate impact after being signed off practice squad of Buffalo Bills, this week’s opponent (Boston Herald)
New England Patriots injury news: Eight players questionable for Week 13 vs. Bills (Springfield Republican)
Tom Brady: San Francisco 49ers are ‘lucky to have’ Jimmy Garoppolo, who makes 1st start Sunday (Springfield Republican)
Bill Belichick explains his wild reaction to Patriots TDs: Fans cheer, I coach (Springfield Republican)
Patriots vs. Bills anti-analysis: 15 random observations that may make the game more interesting (Springfield Republican)
Rex Burkhead’s emergence with Patriots was predictable: ‘Don’t let this guy get in the hands of New England’ (Springfield Republican)
Patriots to be without Marcus Cannon and Chris Hogan against the Bills (Providence Journal)
Patriots notebook: Does Fleming have the right stuff? (Brockton Enterprise)
What to watch for when the Patriots play the Bills (Brockton Enterprise)
Valley Tech’s Zach Snyder gets Tom Brady to send uplifting message to coach battling cancer (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)
Here’s Tom Brady’s Footwear For ‘My Cause, My Cleats’ Game Sunday (NESN)
Bill Belichick Once Grilled Rob Ninkovich For Being Too Candid With Media (NESN)
U2 Lead Singer Bono Details Tom Brady’s ‘Low Key’ Philanthropic Efforts (NESN)
Patriots Injury Report: Tom Brady, Danny Amendola Good To Go For Bills Game (NESN)
Patriots Notes: Nate Ebner Injury Left Hole At Key Position For New England (NESN)
Tom Brady Explains Why He Never Criticizes Patriots’ Offensive Line (NESN)
Tom Brady Wishes Jimmy Garoppolo Luck Ahead Of 49ers QB’s First Start (NESN)
Patriots Practice Report: Two Starters Remain Out Ahead Of Bills Game (NESN)
Even Phil Simms Fan Bill Belichick Has Been Impressed By Tony Romo On CBS (NESN)
Why Kyle Van Noy Is Able To Take On Difficult Role In Patriots’ Defense (NESN)
Bill Belichick Explains Stoic Non-Reactions To Patriots Touchdowns (NESN)
Patriots Mailbag: Can Malcolm Mitchell Return For Postseason Run? (NESN)
#FridayBag: How do the Patriots know which RB to go with? (NBC Sports Boston)
Tom Brady responds to Eli Manning being benched (NBC Sports Boston)
Brady, Amendola off injury report; Hogan, Cannon out (NBC Sports Boston)
Tom Brady feels for Eli Manning, happy for Jimmy Garoppolo (NBC Sports Boston)
Chris Hogan, Marcus Cannon miss full week of practice (NBC Sports Boston)
Packers reportedly trying to collect portion of Martellus Bennett’s signing bonus (NBC Sports Boston)
Trey Flowers, Kyle Van Noy among 8 Patriots questionable vs. Bills (WEEI-AM)
Tom Brady praises Jimmy Garoppolo in advance of first start with 49ers (WEEI-AM)
Rob Ninkovich, Michael Lombardi on OMF explain what it’s like to be called out by Bill Belichick (WEEI-AM)
Tom Brady’s dominance over Bills is unfathomable (WEEI-AM)
Bill Belichick seems to like Tony Romo with CBS (WEEI-AM)
Duron Harmon on OMF explains why he believes player protests have led to real progress (WEEI-AM)
Packers reportedly file paper work to try to get Martellus Bennett signing bonus back (WEEI-AM)
Patriots-Bills Injury Report: Hogan, Cannon Out; Brady Removed (WBZ-FM)
Brady Wishes Garoppolo ‘Best Of Luck’ In First Start For 49ers (WBZ-FM)
Tom Brady Praises Patriots’ Offensive Line: ‘They’re Doing A Hell Of A Job’ (WBZ-FM)
What To Watch For When Patriots Take On Bills In Buffalo (WBZ-FM)
Toucher & Rich Play ‘Name That Soundbite’ With Crazy Bills Fans (WBZ-FM)
Despite Showing No Reaction On Sideline, Bill Belichick Is Indeed Happy When Patriots Score (WBZ-FM)
Patriots-Bills Week 13 Predictions (WBZ-FM)
Familiar face designs Andrews, Hoyer’s cleats (Patriots.com)
Patriots – Bills Injury Report: Week 13 (Patriots.com)
Keys to the Starting Lineup presented by CarMax: At home in Buffalo (Patriots.com)
Presser Points: Belichick – CBS’ Romo ‘inquisitive guy with a good history of the game’ (Patriots.com)
T.F. Green Airport to give away two pairs of tickets to Patriots game in Miami (Patriots.com)
Transcript: Tom Brady Press Conference 12/1 (Patriots.com)
Transcript: Bill Belichick Press Conference 12/1 (Patriots.com)
Kelvin Benjamin out; LeSean McCoy ‘looks good’ to play
‘In addition to Benjamin, the Bills also ruled out left tackle Cordy Glenn (foot/ankle), backup guard John Miller (ankle) and running back Mike Tolbert (hamstring) for Sunday’s game against New England.’
The Crying Hour: In an Unorthodox Team-Building Exercise, Bills Players Share Their Life Stories
‘As Mills related the tale of his upbringing to his teammates, he didn’t realize it was the start of new Bills tradition under McDermott: concluding team meetings by having a player talk about his life—personal stories of his upbringing, his motivations, his influences, what’s most important to him. Mills was nervous sharing a vulnerable part of his past, but when he was done he felt closer to his teammates. “It’s created a bond that I feel like no other team around this league has,” he says. “It’s really like we are brothers.”’