Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘“Unfortunately, it took a little while, but I came through it. The first 5-6 days I couldn’t get right, I had some things going on I couldn’t shake. We went through everything, made sure the doctors said, ‘You’re going to be OK, this isn’t something with long-term effects’ and after that I was good with it. Obviously, I have kids and stuff that I have to worry about, too.’’’

‘“I think every game is such a unique situation,” said Daboll, who admitted he doesn’t pay much attention to completion percentage. “Everybody would like to be 80, 78, 75, 71 percent, but you kind of need to peel it back and figure out the reasons why. At the end of the day the quarterback really needs to be judged on leading his team down to score points and taking care of the football and giving us an opportunity for us to have success. The most important thing is that letter (W or L) at the end of the day.”’

‘“It comes down to my health and still having my legs underneath me,” Alexander said. “There’s been a change in the dynamic of what I consider to be old in this league because with the CBA, there’s no two-a-days, there’s limited padded practices, and there’s a shift in psychology in sports science where they maximize guys and not grind us all the time. All of that has allowed me to keep my speed and my legs and now my mind, I’m mature and experienced so I’ve seen a lot of things and I can go out there and play fast.”’

‘The Patriots are riding a two-game losing streak and not likely to be feeling any Christmas spirit.’

‘“Got a soft spot for him, the way he works,” Daboll said. “One hundred percent all the time, out at practice on the look team. Gives great effort, one of the guys that kind of stands in the background when we’re working on our reps and is asking a lot of questions. Just a young guy that’s trying to develop the best he can, and you appreciate guys like that.”’

‘The Bills’ offense hadn’t done much of anything since scoring its other touchdown in the second quarter, but with a drive start at their own 40, the Bills made quick work of the winning possession.’

‘It’s way too early to dare to think Josh Allen and Robert Foster could ever get close to the same ZIP code Buffalo’s all-time greatest pass duo occupied, but it sure has been fun watching the two rookies grow together in 2018.’

‘“Coach always says, ‘Always prepare like you’re playing this week,’” said Ford, who himself tweaked an ankle but was clearly feeling no pain as he celebrated Buffalo’s hard-fought 14-13 victory over Detroit. “From the beginning of the year, my eyes were on the prize and they moved me up. Injuries are just part of the game and you need to be ready.’’’

‘The Bills found a way to win a game that very easily could have gone the other way, and that’s another step this team needed to take in its development. The Bills took a fourth-quarter lead, but there was much work that needed to be done, and for the most part, it got done. The defense held off two Detroit possessions forcing a missed field goal and a punt, and the offense needed to melt the remaining clock away. It didn’t succeed after the missed field goal, but given a mulligan and taking possession with 2:50 remaining, Josh Allen picked up two first downs and kept the ball away from Matthew Stafford to secure the 14-13 victory.’

‘“We’ve eliminated ourselves from the playoffs, but there’s a bigger purpose,” said coach Sean McDermott when asked what his team has left to play for. “The bigger purpose is how we develop into that team that we’re trying to become. I’m really looking at the quality of our play and how we develop. Certainly, we want to win games, don’t get me wrong. We’re trying to sustain success over the course of time. That’s what we want to do, that’s how you win a world championship. In order to get there, though, there’s evaluating our roster, knowing who we like, who can help us moving forward and who may not have taken advantage of the opportunity, quite frankly.”’

‘“Josh is the leader,” coach Sean McDermott said the other day. “That’s a little bit different for a rookie to be the leader, but the position that he plays and the way that he’s played and earned their respect, he’s the leader on the offense.”’

‘“I said, ‘Listen, I’ve been doing this for a long time,’’’ Williams said. “’I look at you and see someone who is going to be a cornerstone here for a long time, and you play the MIKE position where at the end of the day, you need to be a bell cow, so let’s get this started early, I’ll help you,’ and he did a great job. Tremaine is great with questions and great with communicating with us. He lives by the-less-is-more philosophy, which isn’t always a bad thing.’’’

‘“I just feel like Josh Allen oozes so much potential and so much ability,” said Quinn during an appearance on a CBS Sports podcast. “First off, he’s 3-5 as a starter on the Bills. We’re talking about the Bills! Like, they are so far removed from what they were as a team last year with the things they’ve done and changed. He has given that team, that city, hope. He is so good and he has so much upside.”’

‘“I’m not really looking to run the ball,’’ said the kid who is making people forget about Doug Flutie and Tyrod Taylor. “When option 1, 2 and 3 aren’t there, that’s when I try to exploit the defense with my legs. It’s been working the last few weeks, but I know it can’t keep happening repeatedly.’’’

‘The Bills would be foolish to retain McCoy. Cutting him is the right move for him, as it might give him a chance to flourish at the end of the line and make a final push for Hall of Fame consideration, and it’s the right move for the team, particularly from a financial standpoint given his $9 million cap figure in the last year of his contract.’