26CornerBlitz

REPORT: Bills Workout Eight Players on Tuesday The Buffalo Bills worked out a handful of players on Tuesday afternoon. Numerous different sources via Twitter helped piece together the puzzle, as the list kept growing larger. Three quarterbacks were checked out by the Bills in Garrett Gilbert, Logan Woodside and Bo Levi Mitchell. Gilbert, who last suited up this preseason with the Carolina Panthers, is the son of former NFL quarterback Gale Gilbert, who spent two seasons in Buffalo in 1990 and 1993. Woodside was a 7th-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals this past April, while Mitchell lines up under center for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League. Mitchell went undrafted during his draft year back in 2012, and has been in the CFL ever since. A pair of tight ends also worked out at One Bills Drive. One was Evan Baylis, who last played in 2017 for the Houston Texans. The other was Erik Swoope, who was last in game action on December 9th of this year with the Indianapolis Colts. Swoope caught a touchdown pass back on October 21st in the Colt's 37-5 win over the Bills. As for the wide receivers, they both came from the CFL. Diontae Spencer currently plays for the Ottawa Redblacks. He is also a return specialist for Ottawa. Spencer was previously a member of the St. Louis Rams in 2014. D'haquille Williams is a 25-year-old receiver for the Edmonton Eskimos. Williams was at one time a Ram as well (2016) and played his college ball at Auburn. Rounding out the list was outside linebacker Cory James, a former Oakland Raider who played 26 career games in the NFL between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Notably, he suited up for all 16 contests for the Raiders in 2016.

If the Bills can build a passing game that features isolation routes (slants, quick outs, skinny posts and comebacks) outside the numbers with some basic play-action passing concepts (post/dig/shallow cross) over the middle, Allen can become a competent passer with the capacity to succeed despite a low completion rate. Now, in order to enhance Allen's game, I would advise the Bills to add a speed receiver (vertical threat) and a big-body pass catcher (possession receiver) to the lineup this offseason. In the running game, Buffalo would be wise to steal some of the designed quarterback runs and option plays the Panthers have used in the past with Newton, thus making Allen a more dangerous weapon in the backfield, particularly in third-down, short-yardage and goal-line packages. Considering Allen's success running quarterback powers and sweeps near the goal line as a rookie, it's a move that could pay huge dividends for the Bills.

Linus Ullmark was absent from the team's morning skate due to an illness, but he's still expected to serve as Hutton's backup tonight. Housley made a few changes to his forward lines in an effort to jumpstart the offense, most notably swapping centers Casey Mittelstadt and Vladimir Sobotka. "I just think we're trying to look for some chemistry and balance," Housley said. "Obviously Jack's line has been terrific for us, contributing offensively. We're just trying to give a different look, a fresh look, and see where it plays out. I think they're very well-balanced." Here's how the Sabres are expected to line up: 53 Jeff Skinner - 9 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart 71 Evan Rodrigues - 37 Casey Mittelstadt - 29 Jason Pominville 43 Conor Sheary - 17 Vladimir Sobotka - 21 Kyle Okposo 71 Evan Rodrigues - 22 Johan Larsson - 28 Zemgus Girgensons 6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen 26 Rasmus Dahlin - 4 Zach Bogosian 45 Brendan Guhle - 48 Matt Hunwick 40 Carter Hutton 35 Linus Ullmark

12-18: Bucky Brooks on One Bills Live (16:07)

Catching a lot of heat for this decision.

12-18: Bills' RB Keith Ford on One Bills Live (11:03)

Tread is a word so burn rubber!

12-18: Former Bills' Defensive Tackle Ted Washington on One Bills Live (13:19)

Housley: McCabe, Pilut, Could Return to Sabres' Lineup this Weekend By Lance Lysowski The Buffalo Sabres' defense could be closer to full strength when they return to Washington for a Friday primetime matchup against the Capitals in Capital One Arena. Jake McCabe and Lawrence Pilut, both on injured reserve, could return to the lineup either Friday against the Capitals or Saturday when the Sabres host the Anaheim Ducks in KeyBank Center, coach Phil Housley told reporters Tuesday morning. McCabe, who has missed the past eight games with an upper-body injury, joined the Sabres for Tuesday's morning skate and has participated in on-ice workouts with Dennis Miller, the Sabres' rehab and development coach, for eight of the past nine days. Pilut, meanwhile, has missed the past two games with a lower-body injury but did not skate with the team Tuesday. Additionally, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu, who was injured in the second period of a 4-3 shootout loss in Washington Saturday, remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and Casey Nelson has yet to resume skating with the team. Winger Scott Wilson has yet to rejoin the team since breaking his ankle before the season opener but is expected to resume practicing soon. "It’s good to see," Housley said Tuesday. "A lot of guys are starting to get close. Good to have Jake back in our pregame skate. It’s going to be good to get him back in some live practices."

Bill Belichick 12/18: 'I'm not going to second guess Tom's decision making' Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick addresses the media during his conference call on Tuesday, December 18, 2018. Josh McDaniels 12/18: 'We have a tremendous amount of confidence in our group' Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels addresses the media during his conference call on Tuesday, December 18, 2018. Josh Boyer 12/18: J.C. Jackson 'has made the most of his opportunities' Patriots Cornerbacks Coach Josh Boyer addresses the media during his conference call on Tuesday, December 18, 2018. News Blitz: Brady, Offense Looking for Answers All of the day's Patriots news in one convenient place. Cover 2 12/18: Sebastian Vollmer; Week 15 Recap; Week 16 Preview Don Banks and Nick Stevens are joined by former Patriots Offensive Tackle Sebastian Vollmer to talk about soccer and American Football in Germany and his efforts to help grow American Football there. We recap NFL Week 15 and discuss the abundance of parody in NFL this season. Plus, our NFL Week 16 preview.

Matt Prater is still mystified.