Category: Bills

The Buffalo Bills might want to calm down on defense!

The Bills’ defense is clearly out for blood. But they might want to tone it down just a little bit.

To whatever degree you buy into the “Team X is REALLY unhappy about the way their previous season ended, and now, they’re out for blood” theory, it would certainly appear that the Buffalo Bills, whose 2021 season ended in overtime of the divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs, have had all offseason to marinate in that particular heartbreak — and now, they’re seeing red all over the place.

That may not always be a good thing — in football, controlled aggression is the ideal. Wild aggression can lead to busts and penalties, and as on point as Buffalo’s defense has appears at times against the Broncos in Saturday’s preseason game against the Denver Broncos, there are other times when it’s been less than optimal.

One thing the Bills might want to go through on teach tape is knowing your lanes — or, at least knowing where the other guys wearing uniforms similar to yours are.

There was this impressive spin move by running back Mike Boone which caused linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano to crash into each other as opposed to tackling the opponent:

And there was this 19-yard pass from quarterback Josh Johnson to receiver Montrell Washington. Safety Jaquan Johnson and cornerback Taron Johnson were so hyped to make Washington pay for going over the middle, they wound up half-colliding.

Then, there was this facemask call on rookie cornerback Kaiir Elam, which also could have been pass interference.

This was all in the first half. Okay, Bills — we get it. You’re out for revenge. But maybe slow it down just a hair?

Bills QB Josh Allen hits Gabriel Davis for amazing 28-yard scramble drill TD

Josh Allen to Gabriel Davis for a touchdown? This could be a thing in 2022 as it was in 2021.

Last time we saw Josh Allen connecting to Gabriel Davis, it was the infamous divisional game against the Kansas City Chiefs, which the Buffalo Bills lost in overtime, 42-36. That game led to a long-overdue change in the NFL’s overtime rules, and all the Bills could do was to wait for the new season to start.

Davis became the only receiver in pro football history to catch four touchdown passes in a playoff game, so the loss certainly wasn’t on him. It was his breakout game, and as it turned out, there were no fluke elements to that. When Allen got back on the field for the first time in the 2022 preseason in Saturday’s game against the Denver Broncos, the first Bills drive ended with this incendiary 28-yard touchdown pass to Davis.

It was impressive enough for Allen to elude pressure and re-set himself for the throw, — which went a log way in a big hurry — but watch how Davis gets vertical against cornerback Damarri Mathis. There was no way nobody not named Gabriel Davis wasn’t going to get that ball, and it augurs well for the Bills’ 2022 campaign.

Bills fans donate more than 120K to charity in support of Dawson Knox after brother’s death

The Bills Mafia is rallying to support a charity backed by Dawson Knox after his brother’s death

The Buffalo Bills fans — Bills Mafia — are about as loyal and driven a group as there is anywhere in sports.

They have come through again, donating more than $120,000 to a charity — P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative — that tight end Dawson Knox has supported.

The donations are being made in memory of Luke Knox, Dawson’s brother, who died this week at the age of 22. Luke Knox was an FIU football player and had spent 4 years at Ole Miss, teaming with his brother in 2018.

From the Buffalo News:

Fans have been donating in denominations of $16.88 for the two players’ numbers. Luke wore No. 16 at college and Dawson wears No. 88 for the Bills.

To support the cause, click here.

Luke Knox, younger brother of Bills TE Dawson Knox, dies at 22

Florida International football player Luke Knox died at the age of 22

Tragedy struck the college and NFL universe as Florida International linebacker Luke Knox died Wednesday at the age of 22.

Luke Knox is the brother of Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox.

“Our hearts go out to Dawson and his family at this time,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said Thursday. “We’re right there with them in supporting him and his family. Tragic news that I woke up to this morning. We love him and we support him.”

Cause of death was not revealed.

Florida International coach Mike McIntyre addressed Luke Knox’s death in a statement released by the school.

“Words cannot express the heartfelt sorrow we feel because of the passing of our teammate and friend Luke Knox,” MacIntyre said. “I had the honor of coaching Luke at Ole Miss and FIU. While I admired his passion for football, his genuine love for his family and teammates is what I will always remember. He had a special way of making everyone around him feel comfortable and confident. Luke’s family is special to me, and they will continually be in my heart and prayers during this difficult time.”

Luke Knox spent four years at Ole Miss before transferring to FIU. He was a college teammate with his brother in Oxford, Mississippi, in 2018.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin sent condolences through a tweet.

Rookie Matt Araiza booms 82-yard punt for Bills

Matt Araiza’s first NFL punt went a mere 82 yards

Matt Araiza gained national attention at San Diego State for his incredible punting prowess.

“The Punt God” lasted until the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft before the Buffalo Bills selected him.

He is going to become a folk hero with the Bills Mafia if his first boot in the preseason is any indication.

Araiza took the snap against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday and unloaded an 82-yard punt. It bounced deep in Colts territory and into the end zone for a touchback.

That would be a net of 62 yards. Imagine how much of a weapon Araiza will be if can somehow combine this kind of distance with direction to pin foes deep.

Araiza averaged 51 yards per punt at San Diego State over two seasons.

If you are wondering how he lasted so long before being chosen by Buffalo, there were concerns about outkicking the coverage.

Araiza allowed 10.5 yards per return. He also had 14 touchbacks.

Bills turn strip-sack into touchdown against Colts

Terrel Bernard picks up a fumble after a sack and races 69 yards

They were playing bakery football between the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills on Saturday with turnovers the specialty.

The AFC East champs turned the ball over three times in the first quarter and a half and somehow managed to hold the Colts to three points.

Nick Foles replaced Matt Ryan and he was victimized on a strip-sack by Boogie Basham. The ball was picked up by Terrel Bernard and he was off the end zone.

Sixty-nine yards later the Bills had six points. The PAT made it 7-3.

The ball continued to be elusive for the offenses to hold onto in the first 30 minutes. Foles followed his fumble with a pick and the Colts’ defense responded by picking off Case Keenum.

There had been 6 turnovers with plenty of time left in the half.

Touchdown Wire’s NFL power rankings podcast with Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield get you ready for the 2022 NFL season through the view of Doug’s recent power rankings.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield get you ready for the 2022 NFL preseason and regular season with a look at every NFL team through the view of Doug’s recent power rankings, and where every team stands as they come into the new campaign. We have separated teams into tiers:

  1. Total rebuilds: Falcons, Bears, Jaguars, Panthers, Seahawks, Giants, Lions.
  2. Feisty, but not there yet: Jets, Texans
  3. WTF? Patriots, Cardinals, Dolphins, Commanders
  4. Possible playoff teams with major concerns: Steelers, Vikings, Colts, Titans, Saints
  5. The Deshaun Watson category: Browns
  6. Great, if everything goes right: Eagles, Raiders, Cowboys
  7. One potentially fatal flaw away: Chargers, Ravens, 49ers, Packers
  8. Have to take them absolutely seriously: Chiefs, Buccaneers, Bengals, Broncos, Rams
  9. Who’s going to stop them? Bills

Check it out in the link below, and enjoy the new season!

On BlogTalk Radio:

Preseason power rankings: Is this finally Buffalo’s season to win a Super Bowl?

Doug Farrar’s preseason power rankings have the Bills headed to (and winning) Super Bowl LVII. Which teams could knock them out of that dream?

Legendary head coach Marv Levy is justifiably in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and one primary reason is that, from 1990 through 1993, he led the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowls. No other coach has ever done that.

The problem, of course, is that the Bills lost all four of those Super Bowls. The Bills capped off the old millennium with a handful of wild-card and divisional round losses under Levy and then Wade Philips, and then entered a postseason drought that started in 2000. and lasted until 2017.

Now, things are different. With perhaps the most stacked roster in the league and a superstar quarterback in Josh Allen, there’s little doubt that the Bills are Super Bowl-ready. They may have been last season were it not for a heartbreaking loss and defensive implosion in the divisional round to the Kansas City Chiefs, but in our preseason power rankings, we have the Bills as the NFL’s best team — and 2022 as the season in which the Bills win their first league championship since 1965, in the old American Football League.

Of course, there are all kinds of teams who could knock them from that dream. On the other side of things, there are NFL teams rebuilding, just trying to tread water, confident but with concerns, and on the precipice of something special.

As the 2022 preseason begins, here are our first power rankings of the new NFL campaign.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Sports Info Solutions, Pro Football Focus, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).

One stat that matters for every NFL team

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar brings forth one stat that matters for every NFL team coming into the 2022 season.

When you ask NFL coaches, executives, and scouts about analytics, you’ll get all kinds of answers which tend to reveal which teams value them — and which teams are paying lip service, because they don’t really consider advanced metrics, but they don’t want to be pilloried on social media as dinosaurs.

The teams that don’t value analytics, or don’t want you to know that they do, will tend to give more generic answers. Teams that are all in will be more specific.

Whether you believe that analytics can help your player evaluation process or not, the simple fact is that they represent a tool that can be helpful in the right hands. In the wrong hands, it’s just statistical noise.

We’re not sure if my hands are the right ones or not, but in this article, I have endeavored to find one specific metric for each NFL team that reveals a larger strength or weakness each team will either benefit from, or must address, in the 2022 season.

So, get your tape-repaired glasses, dust off your pocket protectors, and let’s nerd out with one stat that matters for every NFL team!

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Sports Info Solutions, Pro Football Focus, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).

2023 NFL Mock draft: How the first round might go after Miami’s forfeited pick

Mock draft alert! Now that the NFL has taken one of the Dolphins’ two first-round picks in 2023, here’s how the first round might look.

While we’re pretty sure that the rest of the NFL isn’t too happy about the Miami Dolphins barfing all over themselves as a franchise with the embarrassment of an unprecedented tampering scandal, there is the matter of the 2023 first-round pick the Dolphins were forced by the league to forfeit as punishment. That was estimated as the 15th overall pick at this time, and that means that a whole lot of teams get a one-pick bump in the 2023 NFL draft.

The Dolphins still have a first-round pick next year courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers in the trade that allowed Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch to move up and select Trey Lance with the third overall pick in 2021. But Miami obviously has much less leverage to move up next year if the idea was to nab one of the star quarterbacks in the 2023 class, should things not work out with Tua Tagovailoa. Right now, that has the Dolphins sitting with the 23rd pick, and by that time, the highest-profile quarterbacks will obviously be out the door.

How might the 2023 NFL draft look with 31 picks instead of 32, and more than half the first round moving up? Here’s one person’s estimate.