Archives for January 2021

‘“We don’t feel that pressure, this team,” Allen said. “We love each other. We love playing this game. At the end of the day, it is a game, so we love having fun, but our guys work extremely hard in practice because they don’t want to let each other down. The type of atmosphere that’s been built here in Buffalo, it really is family like. I can honestly say I love all my guys here. When I’m on the field, I’m playing for those guys as much as anybody that I’m playing for. … We’re going out there and playing this for each other and trying to win football games, but we’re having fun doing it, too.”’

‘The Ravens’ offensive line is the modern version of the Washington Redskins’ “Hogs” (although the Hogs were better). They are Big Uglies. They are People Movers. They are all about vertical displacement, knocking the line of scrimmage backward. Violently.’

‘McDermott said they have not made a decision on whether to elevate Antonio Williams from the practice squad. Williams scored two touchdowns in the regular season finale against Miami.’

‘Wide receiver Cole Beasley was again limited by a knee injury but does not have an injury designation for the game.’

‘Josh Allen’s poor performance in the 2019 Week 14 game between these clubs ultimately was the difference in a close Baltimore win. That isn’t going to happen Saturday night, even against a solid defense that will look to pressure him into mistakes. Allen is many times better and more mature. Plus, the Bills have a component they were lacking last year: Stefon Diggs, the NFL’s top receiver. The Ravens have no one who can cover him. Bills, 24-21.’

‘However, we can’t overlook Baltimore’s 11-6 straight up and 13-4 against the spread record in playoff road games since 2001 – the best in the league – including 9-0 against the spread when not coming off a win of 17 or more points.’

‘Whatever he’s done to improve his accuracy, it’s uncanny. It’s unbelievable. And I saw a lot of him in the Mountain West, because my son Brian was the head coach at Nevada. I saw Josh Allen steal two games right out from under the Nevada Wolfpack, as well as watching a lot of film of him.’

‘”But now, when you look at the four games – and not to take anything away from (Tom) Brady and (Drew Brees) – but now everybody’s saying, ‘The game we really want to see is Baltimore-Buffalo.’ So we’re excited about this.”‘

‘My first Bills postseason game was that heartbreaking loss by coach Chuck Knox’s 1980 team to the Chargers in San Diego. With quarterback Joe Ferguson playing on a injured ankle, the Bills had built a 14-3 lead over favored Air Coryell. Buffalo was still clinging to the lead 14-13 when the Bills came up short of first-down yardage on a Joe Cribbs run late in the fourth quarter and punted. The ending seemed inevitable because Fouts passed for 314 yards, while the hobbled Ferguson and the Bills managed only 244 against a defense led by Fred Dean, Louie Kelcher and Brad Edwards.’