Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘The collision took place during a fourth-quarter touchdown pass that sent the 230-pound wide receiver into Cottrell on live television. With a television camera in hand, Cottrell, 26, tumbled to the ground.’

‘Moments later, McCoy’s fumble and the proceeding touchdown by Evans looked like a killer, but perhaps, just perhaps, this Bills team is a little different than so many past iterations.’

‘It’s commendable that White reacted this way. He felt the same way two weeks ago in Cincinnati when the Bills lost 20-16. That day, he had good reason to be harsh in his criticism of himself because A.J. Green burned him for a 77-yard touchdown, and a 47-yard catch that set up the Bengals winning touchdown.’

‘ “That was an incredible bounce back,’’ center Eric Wood said.’

‘But you know what? Maybe these aren’t the same old Bills we’ve come to loathe for the way they have managed, so often, to transform victories into incomprehensible defeats. Here was a game that certainly seemed ready to be downloaded into that ever-growing database of mortifying losses that have defined the Bills for 17 years, until Sean McDermott’s guys hit Control-Alt-Delete.’

‘What if I told you guys named Thompson, O’Leary, Thomas, Ducasse, Jones, Davis, Milano and Johnson were among the stars wearing Buffalo blue and white?’

‘Full marks for the way the Bills hung in there when things went sideways, but this was a bit of a mess. The Bills wasted, by my count, three timeouts because they didn’t know what play they were calling, twice on offense. The defensive staff never found a way to slow down Tampa Bay’s passing game, and the scheme was bailed out by three turnovers, none bigger than the one by White. I’ll give offensive coordinator Rick Dennison this: His run game package was a little more comprehensive, and they gashed the Bucs pretty good.’

‘Bills 24, Bucs 17.’

‘The Bills’ defense continues to play well and it still leads the NFL in fewest points allowed per game (14.8). As part of that start, the Bills have given up just six touchdowns which is the third-best start through five games in team history.’

‘“Let’s just say I know that’s not what I want to do,” Pericak, a member of the Bills’ practice squad, said of his job as a corporate accountant with Janis Capital Group in Denver, a gig he accepted a couple years ago when no NFL general managers were buzzing his iPhone. “The real world sucks, and any amount of time you get to be in the NFL, that’s a dream come true. You have to take advantage of it every single day.”’

‘Buffalo’s run game, No. 1 in the NFL the past years, is currently ranked 29th in the league in average yards per attempt at 3.4, which is actually better than LeSean McCoy’s individual average of 3.2 yards, shockingly 2.2 yards lower than his average last year, 1.5 yards below his career mark.’

‘Fitzpatrick is more than capable of beating the Bills, and all we have to do is look at his record for proof. He beat Buffalo in 2014 playing for Houston, and he did it twice last season playing for the Jets when he threw for a combined 584 yards. But it looks like he won’t get the chance.’

‘“It’s definitely a badge of honor for me,” Fitzpatrick said via phone Wednesday, and even without a Skype hookup, you knew he was smiling on the other end.’

‘ That’s kind of his grandson’s method of operation, too, slipping into an opponent’s secondary undetected to make a big catch, going about his backup role as quietly and professionally as one can, not seeking the spotlight.’

‘“I don’t necessarily hear it,” Taylor said Wednesday. “I stay away from the media. I’m a focused guy and I know what it takes to get myself mentally prepared for a game, so I’ll continue to do that each week.”’