Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Four carries isn’t a big body of work, but rookie running back Devin Singletary made the most of it with four rushes for 70 yards. That’s the third-most yards by a Bill in his NFL debut.’

‘It was a minor miracle that the Bills were even in this game, let alone able to win it, after a first half of offensive football that could only be described as tragic.’

‘“I always say give us 17 points,” the safety said Sunday afternoon as he dressed with a knowing smile splashed across his face following the Bills’ 17-16 come-from-behind victory over the New York Jets. “This is not anything the defense has talked about; it’s just my personal belief with the defense we have, you give us 17 points, we can work from there.”’

‘Left to digest some good, some bad and a whole lot of ugly.’

‘Full credit to defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier as his group played an outstanding game in limiting the Jets to 223 yards and a 3.4-yard average per play. The defense kept the Bills in the game and eventually, the offense emerged from its coma and did its part to deliver the victory. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll made it clear that he wanted to get Allen on a roll and he called 18 straight pass plays to start the game before settling into a more balanced approach in the second half. When he started to get Singletary involved, that’s when the Bills’ offense took flight because his big runs also allowed Allen to look downfield a bit more, particularly on the game-winning 38-yard TD pass to Brown.’

‘When it comes to passing, the Bills have been playing Donkey Kong while the rest of the league has been playing Madden.’

‘Bills 21, Jets 20.’

‘“We want to show growth in a lot of areas,” said general manager Brandon Beane. “Last year our defense probably carried our team, we weren’t good enough in offense or special teams. We want to be more competitive. We want our offense to win some more games for us and not have to put too much on the defense. We want to be a balanced team. We want our special teams to improve and control, win the field position game. If you win enough of those I think the win total will be where you want it at the end of the season.”’

‘But here’s the thing. While very few think the Bills will be a playoff team this season, there is a growing consensus among NFL observers who are hinting that Buffalo’s time is nigh because, “The Bills are a team that is doing it the right way.”’

‘He’s 5-7. He played at Florida Atlantic, a Football Bowl Subdivision school. He rushed for 4,299 yards and 66 touchdowns in his college career. And he’s the man who made veteran star LeSean McCoy expendable, well, that and McCoy’s $9-million salary cap number. The Bills have just three active running backs and the venerable Frank Gore and T.J. Yeldon will get their share of touches. But Singletary is being handed a golden opportunity to be the Bills’ No. 1 running back as time goes on. Is the NFL too big for him? Or do big things come in small packages? We’re about to find out.’

‘“It’s always bad when you can’t finish out the season with your team, not only myself but just to help the team out, so I’m trying to get back to where I was last year,” he said. “We’ve got some juice going into the first game, everyone is communicating, flying around, ready to make some plays, so we’re excited.”’

‘For a while in the preseason, Ford was playing right guard and Ty Nsekhe was at right tackle, and it looked like that might be the best way to open the season. That’s how they lined up to start the preseason opener against the Colts.’

‘As for who would be deep on kickoff and punt returns, Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott said, “We’ll just see. We’ve got guys that can do it back there, so we’ll see how today goes.”’

‘“When you look at the grand number of them, you get over the fact that, if you take care of yourself, and I do everything the right way, I know for a fact that I’ll be fine in the future,” Morse said after participating fully in practice for the first time since the first padded workout at St. John Fisher College in late July. “If it happens again, I’ll be fine, and if it happens again after that, I’ll be fine.”’

‘Singletary, who changed his number from 40 to 26, showed in training camp and the preseason games many of the traits that led the Bills to select him in the third round of the draft out of Florida Atlantic. He’s quick, he has great vision, he’s tougher up the middle than you’d think for a player who stands just 5-foot-7, and he showed an ability to catch the ball.’