Olean Times Herald

‘But this game might well determine the direction of the rest of the season for both teams.’

‘“I told (offensive coordinator Brian Daboll) if I can’t see the picture in my brain (the play) is not in. By (today), I see a picture of an overlay on the field, that visual, and if I can’t see that picture, I don’t feel comfortable with it, I’m just going to (tell him), and he’s OK with that.’

‘A player with no discernable ego, he never lusted for a starting job but rather approached the game with a coach’s mind … being that was his father’s occupation. The two quarterbacks had a remarkable relationship, Kelly the unbridled party guy, Reich the religiously-committed homebody.’

‘How do you go over 30 percent of the season without a veteran in reserve at that position knowing you’re one injury to your first-round draft choice from replacing him with a second-year pro whose most obvious flaw is a penchant for throwing interceptions?’

‘Ever since the roster cut to 53, plus the practice squad, I’ve been critical of the Bills’ folly of going with only two quarterbacks … especially a pair of young ones. Beane and McDermott determined that rookie first-round draft pick Josh Allen and Peterman, who came into this season having thrown exactly 49 passes — five of them intercepted — with the worst one-half performance by a Buffalo quarterback in franchise history on his resume, were adequate to man pro football’s most demanding position.’

‘uffalo sacked Watson seven times with veteran tackle Kyle Williams getting two, 1 ½ of those on consecutive plays. Backup safety Rafael Bush, shared the sack with Williams, the first of his NFL career.’

‘But Watson has been dumped 18 times – he’s thrown 70 more passes than Allen – but the concerning number is that he has been hit over 50 times by pass rushers. That combined with the sacks and his 34 rushes, means the second-year pro has absorbed an average of 21 blows per game … hardly a prescription for longevity.’

‘Of the way Allen performed with the game on the line, coach Sean McDermott maintained, “There’s quarterbacks out there that have a nice resume already, but haven’t led a team on a drive to win a football game at the end. Josh can say that he’s done that.’

‘Some myopic Bills apologists suggest he could command a second-round pick from Philadelphia … a laughable suggestion. Buffalo would be lucky to get a third-rounder … more like a fourth or fifth.’

‘But the real point is that the Bills have major work to do offensively as they head into consecutive road trips to Houston and Indianapolis.’

‘After being blown out in their three losses, the Bills, now 2-3, resorted to smash-mouth offense and bend-but-don’t-break defense to beat one of the conference’s better teams while creating interesting standings in the AFC East.’

‘“We didn’t do a good enough job of stopping the run when we had to (Buffalo ran for 144 yards on 43 carries),” Vrabel, the former Patriots linebacker, added. “So it’s no secret why you lose. If you don’t play good in this league every week you’re going to lose.”’

‘BUT, OVER the years, the Bills have lost dozens of games via mistakes and/or bad fortune, and this time they parlayed the breaks into a victory over a team that was 3-1 and coming in off an overtime victory against the Super Bowl champion Eagles only a week earlier.’

‘The touchdown the Bills scored after the takeaway was the first points the Titans had surrendered in the opening period this season.’

‘To be sure, this isn’t the cliched “must win” for the Bills as it’s already clear this season is headed nowhere. But a strong performance would be helpful to general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott who, despite last year’s totally unexpected playoff berth, have become increasingly scrutinized by the fan base as Buffalo has stumbled out of the gate and next faces road tests in Houston and Indianapolis followed by home meetings with New England (3-2) and Chicago (3-1).’