Archives for December 3, 2017

‘Belichick has cut potential future Hall of Famers, including Reggie Wayne, John Lynch and Ty Law. Belichick released Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch and Heisman Trophy quarterbacks Vinny Testaverde and Tim Tebow.’

‘”On paper, no,” Alexander said. “He’d probably tell you the same thing. But he has mastered the athleticism you need to be a pocket quarterback. He has great feet, great awareness, he moves around the pocket very well. That’s really all you need.”‘

‘Patriots 40, Bills 21.’

‘It’s the No. 87 double-header for the Bills. Fresh off a coverage victory over a great tight end wearing 87 (Travis Kelce), Buffalo faces New England’s No. 87. This will be tougher, because New England has more weapons than Kansas City. The expectation is the Bills will rely mostly on zone coverage. When they go man, Hyde is the better option because he’s bigger and a bit more athletic than Jordan Poyer. The Pats have a great play-action game. They sometimes sell it by pulling a guard, getting the linebackers to bite, and creating more room for a pass to Gronk in front of the deep safety.’

‘The Pats line him up alone on one side with three receivers to the opposite side. It forces single coverage. Gronkowski’s size and great hands make him a mismatch for anyone. If the defender overplays the outside, Gronkowski can run an isolation slant and box out to catch the pass. Gronkowski ran this play on Houston safety Corey Moore (43) for a 5-yard TD in Week 3. He ran it for a TD against Tampa last season. He ran it out of the slot for a TD vs. the Jets in Week 6. He ran it for a 22-yard TD on Seattle’s K.J. Wright in Super Bowl XLIX.’

‘New England’s base defense is the 4-3, but the Patriots will line up in more diverse fronts on all downs more than most teams. Against the Bills last season, they used some “bear fronts” as a way of clogging the running lanes for LeSean McCoy. The Jets successfully used similar condensed fronts, with a head-up nose tackle flanked by two linemen squeezing in the middle in 3-technique positions.’

‘According to the New York Times’ playoff simulator, the Bills currently have a 35 percent chance of making the playoffs. Beating New England and then handling their business in the games they will be favored puts the Bills’ chances at 95 percent to end a 17-year playoff drought. So, yes, there is plenty at stake Sunday for the Bills.’

‘I’d expect Rosen and Darnold to be top-five picks, which likely takes them out of the running unless the Bills are willing to pay a significant price to move up. But that still leaves players like Baker Mayfield, Mason Rudolph, Allen and Jackson potentially available to the Bills. Another factor to consider is who the offensive coordinator will be. Rick Dennison hasn’t made a convincing case for sticking around so far.’

‘“This is a great way to allow guys to express themselves, show some of the good they’re doing in the community,” Buffalo Bills center Eric Wood said. “Everybody focuses so much on the negative attention, you know, one guy gets arrested in the offseason … but that doesn’t define all of us. This sheds some light on guys in this league doing incredible things.”’

‘There have been conflicting media reports about whether the agreement in principle between the NFL and the Players Coalition included a clause requiring all players to stop the protests. ESPN said there was no such stipulation and that the eight-year-old league policy that requires players to be on the sidelines during the anthem but does not say they must stand remains in place.’

‘“Everyone is there usually with a coffee in one hand and Labatt Blue in the other,” Leathersich said. “It’s the only bar in the city where you can get a Labatt Blue.”’