Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Sean McDermott has his team ready to play every week, and the execution on both sides of the ball is so much more crisp than it has been in recent years around One Bills Drive. The Bills just know what they’re doing, and that comes from being well-schooled during the week. On offense, Rick Dennison continues to revamp the running game and it looks like the Bills are back on track after a slow start. On defense, Leslie Frazier is extricating quality performances from a number of no-name players, and while they’re still giving up too many yards in the air, the Bills aren’t breaking at the end.’

‘Things are starting to get serious in Buffalo now that the Bills are 4-2 and alone in second place in the AFC East, just a half-game behind the Patriots. In the next five days, Buffalo has two key AFC games that it must take care of business in. First up are the Raiders, a team that will certainly be in the mix for, at the very least, an AFC wild-card berth.’

‘This will be the 39th regular-season meeting, and the Raiders hold a 21-17 series lead, but the Bills have won the only two playoff games between the teams.’

‘“Sean and I aren’t into just getting our guys on the team and getting rid of guys who aren’t,” Beane said when asked about these moves. “You come to a new city, look at the roster and he’s a guy you flag. High-salary guy and he had a prior history with a suspension, so you do want to see how those guys fit. He’s not a bad person. At the end of the day I wish him the best as does Sean and the whole organization.”’

‘Burdensome because that much money was tied up into a defensive tackle, but especially so because Dareus, just 27, had become a shell of his former self on the field.’

‘“Mack is maybe the top pass rusher in the NFL,’’ Wood said. “He’s crazy good. You chip him and he fights through it and gets the tackle so yeah, that’s demoralizing when you’ve devoted two guys to him.’’’

‘After the Bills won the 1964 title, they traded Gilchrist to Denver prior to the 1965, and the Bills went on to win a second championship without him.’

‘“I knew the faster I get back to work the quicker I’d get my mind off it,” Thomas said Friday. “Only reason I wouldn’t is to be with my wife, be there for her, but thankful we have family coming up to be with her. She’s doing good, she’s healthy. Obviously, like anybody else out there that’s going through the same thing, it’s an emotional fight, something that we have to push through. It will be a little bit of a recovery, but she’s tough, she’s my rock. She’s a fighter.”’

‘“Man, Matt has really done a heck of a job,” said defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. “There are obviously some things that he needs to clean up as he goes forward, but for a rookie to come in and step in and play the way he has, it’s really been encouraging for us.”’

‘Memo to all four clubs: The Buffalo Bills have an abundance of offensive tackles, and for the right price, the majority of them are available.’

‘ Poyer, Gaines, strong safety Micah Hyde and rookie corner Tre’Davious White have combined for 105 tackles and eight interceptions. It was White’s strip fumble and recovery that set up the winning field goal last Sunday and Hyde is tied for the NFL lead with four interceptions.’

‘ “Our fans create a fun atmosphere for us to go out and play,’’ Taylor said. “One thing we preach is defending our dirt, and we’ve done that thus far this year. We gotta keep doing that moving forward.’’’

‘ “I love playing here, I really do,’’ said McDermott, who enjoys engaging with fans as he enters and exits the tunnel. “These fans, I mean, what more could you ask for? I came here a couple of times as an opponent, so I know how hard it was. It’s like heaven for a home team. It’s fun to coach here, it’s fun to play here. It’s a great environment and what football is supposed to be about.’’’

‘Think about that for a second. Since their inception in the old AFL in 1960, the Bills have now won 245 home games, and what we saw Sunday had never happened in the first 244 of those victories. The Bills have pulled out a few of these late-game turnarounds on the road, but the last one occurred in 1991 when they roared back to beat the Los Angeles Raiders at the Memorial Coliseum.’

‘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.’