‘Bodine played his first four years in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals, but was signed by the Bills as a free agent this past offseason to a two-year, $5 million contract after losing Eric Wood to retirement. He then won the starting center job over Groy after a lengthy training camp battle.’
WGR
McDermott: “Would’ve liked to see [Charles Clay] come back to Josh a little bit”
‘”What you probably didn’t see was Zay Jones coming open over the middle. Josh [Allen] had to escape the pocket… Our protection broke down too early… Josh had to go off schedule… Just one of those opportunities we weren’t able to take advantage of.”‘
Williams: “[Josh Allen] is only going to get better”
‘”What’s exciting is what he can do with his arm, with his legs and what he can do while on the run. Plays break down, and one spy is not enough to bring him down. He’s a hard guy to play man coverage against… He can do a lot of different things at a high level. He’s only going to get better.”‘
The Bills fall one play short, fall to Miami 21-17
‘Miami’s offense didn’t get many yards throughout the afternoon, but hit the Bills where it mattered most with 3 touchdown passes from Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill was 16-of-24 for 137 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Buffalo limited the Dolphins to only 60 yards rushing, with Kenyan Drake leading the way with 31 yards. DeVante Parker led Miami wideouts with 4 catches for 43 yards and 1 touchdown.’
So close!!!
‘I really felt bad for Allen who gave it everything he had in this game but came up painfully short. He will go to bed not only thinking of that final pass to Clay but I’m sure he will want the throw behind Jones in the end zone and the over throw of Foster on that bomb back.’
Sal’s Sticks: Bills at Dolphins
‘Far too often this has been an issue and written on this side of the Sticks this season. No doubt there were several calls that were questionable, to say the least (see below). But even with that said, 13 penalties for 120 yards is just unacceptable and several of those were critical blows to either the offense or defense.’
Bills at Dolphins: Sal’s keys, notes and stats
‘The last time the Bills either threw an interception or lost a fumble to the Dolphins was on December 22, 2013. Remarkably, Buffalo has not turned the ball over to Miami in eight straight games. It’s a big reason they’ve won five of those contests and have averaged over 29 points per game over the last six against their AFC East rivals. If the Bills can continue that turnover-free streak, it will give them a great shot at winning their third in a row over Miami.’
Bills’ guard Miller ruled out Sunday against the Dolphins
‘John Miller has officially been ruled “out” of this weekend’s game against the Miami Dolphins with an oblique injury. Jeremiah Sirles could very well get the start at right guard in his place.’
McDermott: The rookie wall “is real”
‘“Yeah, that’s real. The ‘rookie wall’ is real,” McDermott said Wednesday as he team prepares to travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins. “Just being around the league a number of years, that thing’s real. You balance it out a little bit with we try to adjust the schedule, as you guys have seen with our start time, our practices and their start time and then the reps so that we get these guys as fresh as possible this time of year. We’ve cut down our meetings as well now that the ownership then falls on them to make sure they’re doing the things outside of what’s on the itinerary to get the information they need to prepare and play well.”’
Orlovsky – I was impressed with how Allen played
‘”I just liked what I saw from him when it comes to getting to the line and going ‘okay, what’s really the problem with this coverage?’ or ‘where is the opportunity with this coverage?’ and he was decisive with the football.”‘
Bills swap out punters, sign Matt Darr and release Colton Schmidt
‘For Schmidt, it is the second time this season he has been released by the Bills. Schmidt was cut in favor of rookie Corey Bojorquez one week before the start of the season, but was brought back to the team after they had to place Bojorquez on injured reserve on October 31st. In three games this season, Schmidt had a net punting average of only 33.8 yards on 16 punts, with 4 pinned inside the 20.’
Pegula Sports and Entertainment to begin comprehensive study of venues
‘Over the coming months, CAA ICON will guide PSE through a stadium feasibility analysis to identify the needed improvements to all aspects of the fan and team experience at either a new football stadium or renovated New Era Field. According to the Pegulas, the study will equally focus on modernizing the more than 23-year-old KeyBank Center.’
McDermott on Robert Foster: “You don’t often find his combination of size, speed and toughness”
‘McDermott on if he’s a brass knuckle guy: “I’ve been in a few fights in my life.”‘
Bills survive a flag filled game, beat the Jaguars 24-21
‘The Bills defense was gashed on the ground in the first half, allowing Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette to run for 95 yards and two scores on 18 carries. Buffalo did limit the passing game, as Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles was 12-of-23 passing for 127 yards and one touchdown, but was also intercepted twice by the Bills defense.’
Allen’s first game back is a success
‘The passing number don’t look pretty for Allen after that but trust me when I tell you he passed the eye ball test. After that first quarter, Allen was just 4-14 for 35 yards. But a couple of third down passes that were good for first downs were wiped out by penalties and a beautiful 35 yard throw to Deonte Thompson was knocked out of the receiver’s hands by a Jags defensive back.’