Archives for October 30, 2018

Bills-Pats notebook: Thomas’ 34 retired in halftime ceremony

‘The halftime ceremony to retire Thurman Thomas’ No. 34 began with the stadium lights turned off and the only lighting provided by the fans cellphones. ESPN’s Chris Berman was emcee with team owners Terry and Kim Pegula on the stage. Fireworks accompanied the ceremony with the number 34 projected on both ends the darkened field. There was also a recorded scoreboard message from former Houston and New Orleans running back Earl Campbell, who wore a No. 34 Thurman jersey. The two Hall of Fame backs shared the same number.’

Bills vs. Patriots in Week 8: Buffalo’s upset bid falls apart (11 observations)

‘Matt Milano has had a breakout season in 2018, but there have been times he’s looked like a second-year player. In the first half, Milano looked like a potential Pro Bowl linebacker. He made an electrifying tackle on the Patriots’ opening drive, bursting through the line of scrimmage and bringing down ball carrier Cordarrelle Patterson for a four-yard loss. Then he had a pass breakup on the next drive as the Patriots were driving deep into Buffalo territory while in coverage against Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski. Milano’s development continues to be one of the few bright spots for this 2018 Bills team.’

LeSean McCoy says Bills offensive struggles ‘not fair’ to defense

‘The Bills offense, under direction from veteran quarterback Derek Anderson, seemed stuck in the mud again this week against a Patriots defense that surrendered 31 points to the Chicago Bears last week. Buffalo finished with more than 300 yards of offense for the second straight week, but it came with New England employing a bend-but-don’t-break game plan. Anderson threw for 290 yards but completed just 56 percent of his passes, and the Bills went 4-for-14 on third downs in the game.’

Report card: Buffalo Bills offense not ready for Patriots in prime time

‘Buffalo’s mismanagement of the quarterback position continues to be the biggest storyline of the 2018 season.’

Buffalo Bills hosting WR Terrelle Pryor on free-agent visit (report)

‘Although Pryor has not been able to build off of his 2016 campaign with the Browns, the wide receiver would be a welcome addition to Buffalo. The Bills currently field one of the worst wide receiver depth charts in the league.’

Brandon Beane: Buffalo Bills aren’t actively shopping anyone at trade deadline

‘Of course, that does not mean that the Bills won’t part ways with a few players on Tuesday. It just sounds as though Beane will wait for teams looking to make a playoff push to contact him with offers he can’t refuse.’

How does ESPN get ready for Buffalo Bills MNF game? With Applebee’s boneless wings

‘Heading into the Buffalo Bills’ Monday Night Football matchup with the New England Patriots, Monday Night Countdown featured a segment called “What’s your sauce?” It makes sense as Buffalo is the home of the chicken wing. What didn’t make sense was the fact that ESPN used Applebee’s boneless wings in the segment.’

Buffalo Bills Week 8 Report Card: Offensive struggles continue as Bills lose to Patriots 25-6

‘Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll made a mistake by not going to Chris Ivory more against the Patriots. He had success running the ball against this Patriots defense that isn’t so great against the run. Ivory finished with six carries for 34 yards, while LeSean McCoy was bottled up. He had 12 carries for 13 yards. It wasn’t a good game for the Bills’ rushing attack, even with the gadget plays in the first quarter that allowed them to pick up some good yardage.’

Buffalo Bills Postgame Transcripts 10/29

‘Yeah, it’s clearly not good enough. I thought the defense came out and played well at times. Offensively, we shot ourselves a little bit in the foot there at times and just couldn’t get it going enough. We had some first downs but couldn’t get it going enough, in particular when we started to get it going to your question. We’ve got to continue going back and find answers, find solutions.’

Tuesday’s New England Coverage

McCourty’s pick-6 seals Patriots’ 25-6 win over Bills

‘The Bills offense continued its anemic ways in being held to under 7 points for the fourth time this season — once more than that’s happened from 2013-17. Buffalo has scored just two touchdowns in its past five outings, a stretch in which it has been outscored by a margin of 116-37.

McCoy laments 13-yard outing in Bills 25-6 loss to Patriots

‘”I’ve had bad games, but this? The flow of the season and everything is bad,” McCoy said following a 25-6 loss to the New England Patriots. “I’m 30 years old. I’ve been playing since high school. This stuff has never happened to me. Yeah, it’s tough.”‘

Bills honor Thurman Thomas by retiring No. 34

‘”When I look up and see the No. 34 retired under my name, I’ll be reminded that number doesn’t just belong to me,” Thomas said. “It belongs to the Bills fans everywhere.”‘

AP source: Terrelle Pryor visits with Buffalo Bills

‘Pryor has been used as mostly as a receiver at the NFL level, and had 14 catches for 235 yards and two touchdowns with the Jets. He also has experience at quarterback, which is the position he played during a three-year career at Ohio State.’

Patriots do just enough to defeat Bills

‘The only two Buffalo quarterbacks who had more wins than Brady in Orchard Park were Jim Kelly (66), Joe Ferguson (43) and Drew Bledsoe (18). It speaks to Brady’s success in Buffalo and the Bills’ history of quarterbacks who struggled throughout his career.’

09/08	CARDINALS	1:00 PM
09/12	@ Dolphins	8:15 PM
09/23	JAGUARS	7:30 PM
09/29	@ Ravens	8:20 PM
10/06	@ Texans	1:00 PM
10/14	@ Jets	8:15 PM
10/20	TITANS	1:00 PM
10/27	@ Seahawks	4:05 PM
11/03	DOLPHINS	1:00 PM
11/10	@ Colts	1:00 PM
11/17	CHIEFS	4:25 PM
12/01	49ERS	8:20 PM
12/08	@ Rams	4:25 PM
12/15	@ Lions	4:25 PM
12/22	PATRIOTS	1:00 PM
12/29	JETS	1:00 PM
01/05	@ Patriots	TBD