‘On WGR550 this morning, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said TE Dawson Knox, S Micah Hyde, T Spencer Brown, LB Terrel Bernard, edge rusher Leonard Floyd would all participate in practice. CB Tre’Davious White was held out with a designated veteran rest day. After Friday’s practice, all players have been taken off the injury report and will play on Sunday.’
Archives for September 2023
Inside the Bills: As Sean McDermott reaches milestone 100th game, a look back at his top moments as coach
‘McDermott will coach his 100th game in the regular season when he leads the Bills into FedEx Field to face the Washington Commanders. That total has only been reached by Marv Levy (182 games from 1986-97) and Lou Saban (117 games from 1962-65 and 1972-76).’
PlayAction column: Good tackling is taken for granted and will be key for Bills vs. Commanders
‘“Tacking is an art,” said John Butler, Bills defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator during an interview with The News last month. “If you look across the board, everything about football in practice nowadays is minimizing the amount of tackles you can make in practice. Yet you go in the game and you’ve got to tackle the best athletes in the world.’
Bills Notebook: Christian Kirksey to retire; Taylor Rapp responds to Davante Adams
‘“He is a class act, and he made us better while he was here,” said Bills coach Sean McDermott. “Certainly understand his, you know, the situation. He’s played, he’s used to playing, and he has, obviously, his reasons for it, and I respect him for it.’
How we see it: News writers make picks for Bills vs. Washington
‘This group of Commanders scraped past a bad Arizona team and spotted a bad Denver team an 18-point lead before winning on a failed Broncos two-point conversion to force overtime. The Commanders are punching up in class Sunday against the Bills.’
View from Vegas: Bills have dominated NFC East against spread
‘Prediction: Bills by 10.’
Bills face test against Commanders D-Line, linebacker informs team he’s retiring
‘If you were building a team from scratch, this is the defensive line you would craft. Young is 6-foot-5, Sweat is 6-6 and with their length, power, athleticism and speed, they not only can create havoc in the pocket, they tighten the throwing lanes with their wing spans. On the inside, Payne is a 320-pound brick wall against the run, and Allen is a 6-3, 300-pounder who excels against the run but also pushes the pocket as his 34.5 career sacks since 2017 would attest.’
Buffalo Bills’ veteran option at middle linebacker retires; team brings back familiar face
‘The belief was that Kirksey, 31, would just need some time to get acclimated to the playbook. Kirksey’s experience playing for Bills senior defensive assistant Al Holcomb in Cleveland would likely help him get up to speed with the new system. After that, the veteran could take over at middle linebacker or at least see some playing time in a rotation with second-year linebacker Terrel Bernard.’
Commanders OC gushes over Buffalo Bills defender for over one minute: ‘He is a beast!’
‘“First of all, let me give Mr. Milano his flowers,” Bieniemy told the media via a video shared by WHAM-TV’s Jenna Cottrell. “He is a beast! I am a fan of his. He’s made, over the years we’ve played, I mean, I can’t speak enough volumes about him. First of all, he probably doesn’t get the respect that he should. He flies all over, he makes a number of tackles throughout the course of the game. On top of that, he can cover.”’
Bills defense looking for holes amid new challenge presented by Washington QB Sam Howell
‘“He’s been very impressive to this point,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “And it doesn’t appear that it’s too big for him. That’s what you read about in articles about him and who he is as a person and what his teammates say about him. So it looks like they’ve got a good one on their hands.”’
Friday’s Washington Coverage
The Commanders’ offense isn’t just functional. It’s explosive. (Washington Post)
Lofty standards push Commanders’ defense in strong start to season (Washington Times)
Measuring stick game; the Washington Commanders looking to level up against Buffalo (WJLA-TV)
‘A long time coming’: Chase Young looked disruptive in 2023 season debut (Commanders.com)
Practice notes | Pass-rush discipline will be key for Commanders against Josh Allen (Commanders.com)
Bills sign linebacker Klein to practice squad after Kirksey informs team he plans to retire
‘Klein was a candidate to be signed to the practice squad to start the season before the Bills elected to sign Kirksey, who became available after being cut by Houston last month.’
Allen and the Bills are back on track and want to keep rolling at the 2-0 Commanders
‘“Staying within the system, not trying to do anything too crazy,” said Allen, who’s set to play his first game at FedEx Field. “Just making sure we’re being smart and methodical with what we’re doing … and win football games.”’
Bills are visiting Washington for the first time since 2015. The Commanders are 2-0
‘Key Matchup: QB Sam Howell vs. Buffalo’s defense. Howell, who’s set to make his fourth NFL start, bounced back from two turnovers in the season opener to throw for a couple of touchdown passes at Denver without an interception or a fumble. The Bills pass rush could spell trouble for the Commanders remade offensive line. Since 2019, the Bills are 18-2 when facing a QB with 16 or fewer career starts.’
LB Christian Kirksey informs Bills he’s retiring from NFL
‘Drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round in 2014 out Iowa, Kirksey, 31, spent the first six years of his career with the Browns. He started 54 games and had two seasons with 135-plus tackles in Cleveland. He then spent one season with the Green Bay Packers (2020), starting 11 games, and the following two years with the Texans, starting 29 games. In Houston, Kirksey was a team captain in 2022 and the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. He dealt with a strained hamstring in Texans training camp this year.’