Tag: devin singeltary

Joe Schoen: Giants ‘can win with’ Devin Singletary

General manager Joe Schoen believes the New York Giants are capable of winning with Devin Singletary instead of Saquon Barkley.

The most anticipated decision for the New York Giants this offseason was what they would do with Saquon Barkley. Would they renew his contract? Would they slap the franchise tag on him? Or would they let him go?

We didn’t have to wait long before learning that Barkley would test the free agent market, and it seemingly took even less time for Barkley to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a major loss for Big Blue, one there’s still debate around.

One person who isn’t speculating, however, is Giants general manager Joe Schoen. He believes that the Giants “can win with” Devin Singletary.

“I was in Buffalo when we drafted Devin Singletary, Motor. Great kid. He’s been productive. He’s been durable. Had a really good season last year for Houston,” Schoen said on the Hard Knocks Podcast.

“So he was a guy we had on our — on our radar the last four years. He’s been the leading rusher on whatever team he’s been on. And the last four years, those teams have won a playoff game. So he’s good enough to win with. He’s healthy, he’s durable, and he’s good enough to win playoff games. So he’s a guy at the price point, the type of kid he is, the work ethic, again, the durability, the availability, that we’re excited to get.”

Singletary was drafted in 2019 but has yet to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. He rushed the most last season with Houston, recording 898 yards on the ground and four touchdowns. Still, he has been a workhorse on every team he’s played for, and he’s only missed a handful of games in his five-year career.

After last season, you better believe durability matters.

The Giants will rely heavily on Singletary early in the season. That pressure could ease if Tyrone Tracy adapts to the NFL as well as is expected, but Singletary will bear the brunt of the load.

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Instant analysis: Bills put Dolphins on ice late in Week 15

Instant analysis: #Bills put #Dolphins on ice late in Week 15 (via @jdiloro):

The Buffalo Bills won a critical game against the Miami Dolphins, 32-29, in Week 15 action.

Buffalo clinched a playoff berth with the victory over their long-time divisional rival.

The contest was quite the roller coaster ride for the Bills (11-3). Miami (8-6) and Buffalo traded the lead multiple times, with the Bills taking the lead for good with Tyler Bass’ 25-yard field goal as time expired.

Quarterback Josh Allen continued his stellar play against the Dolphins, going 25-of-40 for 304 passing yards and four touchdown passes.

With the Bills floundering in the second half, Buffalo shifted their focus and put the ball in Allen’s hands. The MVP candidate did not disappoint, leading the Bills back.

Allen led the Bills in rushing with 77 yards on 10 carries.

The game was not easy for the Bills, as they struggled to match the speed of the Dolphins. Miami’s skill players found space throughout the game, breaking tackles and entering Buffalo’s secondary. Raheem Mostert ran for 136 yards on 17 carries. Salvon Ahmed added 43 yards on seven carries and a touchdown run.

Wideouts Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill both found the end zone on the evening. Waddle smoked the Buffalo defense on a crossing route, going 67 yards untouched to the end zone. Tyreek Hill led the Dolphins in receptions, catching nine passes for 69 yards.

Buffalo matched Miami’s scores throughout the game. Buffalo scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives, taking a 21-13 lead into half time. Tight end Quinton Morris, running back Nyhein Hines, and running back James Cook were on the receiving end of Allen touchdown passes.

The Bills were outworked in the third quarter. The aforementioned Waddle touchdown pulled the Dolphins within two points. Late in the fourth quarter, Hill added his score to put Miami ahead.

The Bills shifted their game plan as the game entered the fourth quarter. Buffalo went back to its tried and true formula of riding their MVP candidate to the bitter end. Allen played some sandlot football and extended plays to give the Bills a chance to get back into the game. Allen connected with Dawson Knox on a familiar play, one in which Allen rolls to his right and throws against his body just before going out of bounds.

The magic continued when Allen rushed for the two-point conversion. He fumbled just after breaking the plane of the goal line. The play, which was originally ruled a fumble, was overturned. It was not a guessing game at all, as both teams loaded up on their respective lines for the play. Allen went over the top of his linemen to complete the two-point conversion.

The Bills defense put more pressure on Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the closing drives of the game. Buffalo relinquished only a field goal in the fourth quarter. It was a massive positive swing for Buffalo’s front four, as they had trouble getting into the backfield throughout the game. They showed up when Buffalo needed it the most.

Buffalo also shifted to a run-heavy focus on their final drive. The Bills run game sputtered for most of the game. However, the offensive line took control in the trenches, and Devin Singletary ground out multiple runs that put Buffalo in a good spot. As the time ticked down, it was apparent that Tyler Bass would be on stage as the hero.

Buffalo’s revival in the fourth quarter was massive, as it ultimately put the Bills in a position to take home the victory. Buffalo travels to Chiago to take on the Bears on Christmas Eve next week.

With the playoff-clinching victory, the Bills now shift their focus to maintaining the top spot in the AFC playoff race.

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Report card: Bills ground Jets 27-10 to win AFC East

Report card: #Bills ground #Jets 27-10 to win AFC East (via @NateMendelson):

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The Bills are going back to the playoffs as division champions. Last time they made it to the AFC Championship game, this time they hope it’s the Super Bowl.

Buffalo will be the third seed in the AFC after defeating the Jets, 27-10, and going 11-6 in the NFL’s first 17-game regular season.

Here’s how Bills Wire graded the team in Week 18:

Bills ground game has historic breakout in Week 10

#Bills ground game has historic breakout in Week 10:

The Bills are winners once again, bulldozing the Jets on Sunday in a lopsided 45-17 victory following an off-performance against Jacksonville.

While seeking consistency as they prepare for the remainder of their regular-season opponents, the team had a game more like the kind fans have grown accustomed to seeing from Josh Allen and company.

There was also a significant development that stood out during the win, one in an area of offense that has been criticized often over the past year.

The Bills ground game came alive. And they did so in historic fashion.

A week after Josh Allen and the offense failed to make it into the endzone, they did just that and more. While the QB went 21 of 28 for 366 yards and two passing TD’s, it was the personnel that got it done on the ground who turned some heads.

This year’s kickoff return man, McKenzie got in on the action, taking the ball for an eight-yard TD capping a 75 yard, five-possession drive to start the second half. 

Then, also in the third quarter, Matt Breida and Zack Moss joined him, as did Devin Singletary in the fourth quarter, all adding touchdowns of their own.

The four different player carries for scores was a Bills franchise first.

And that wasn’t the only franchise mark set, as the Bills’ total points on the season increased to 280 setting a new team record for the first nine games of a season (278 in 1964.)

In the winning effort, Buffalo’s 54 offensive plays had an average of 9.1 yards for a season-high 489 yards. It was the second-highest single-game yards per play total in team history (9.3 ypp at Seattle on 12/23/2000, 579 yards on 62 plays.)

Hopefully, this encouraging development is a sign of things to come.

Moss and Singletary had previously struggled to perform to the level many have expected. Shaking off some of the rust and criticism, the two third-round picks from consecutive NFL Drafts each made an impact in the final score.

And another name that jumped off the stat sheet paper was Matt Breida’s.

The free-agent signee and former 49er was active for the first time since Week 2. In those first two contests, he only had four carries. On Sunday he had six total carries and two TD’s for 15 yards each, one of which was a first-quarter pass from Allen.

Head coach Sean McDermott spoke complimented their performance. “We ran the ball I thought effectively, in particular in the second half, mostly in the third quarter, ” McDermott said while addressing the media after the game.

He also noted Breida was a part of their plans for Sunday all along. “He [Breida] was gonna be in the plan it was just a matter of how much,” Mcdermott added. “He gave us a spark.”

Josh Allen spoke about how the RB’s speed was a big factor in his ability to make plays.

“He’s able to make one cut and go. You see it in the passing game too,” Allen said alongside Breida during the postgame press conference. “First drive, saw what I saw, darted upfield, and we were on the same page there. This is a guy that hasn’t had many opportunities throughout the year, but he made the most of it today. It was good to see.”

The Bills will now turn their attention towards facing the Indianapolis Colts, against whom they will look to find similar success at home in Orchard Park next Sunday.

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Brian Daboll talks position flexibility factor in Bills win

Brian Daboll talks position flexibility factor in #Bills win:

The Bills had a big bounce-back win on Sunday, putting up 489 total yards of offense against the Jets.

Following an uncharacteristic loss to Jacksonville the previous week, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll came forward to own his share for the loss.

He did so following some very public criticism for an offensive performance against the Jaguars in which Buffalo didn’t make it into the end zone.

This week, the Bills offense looked back to form.

A key feature of the Bills culture in player scouting and development also played out on the field during the game. Position flexibility, to be exact.

“The more position flexibility the players have on your roster the easier it is to do,” Daboll said while addressing the media. “I think every week is such a different week. I think our backs had 17 carries this week, so we had some other people carry the ball for us, Emmanuel [Sanders] carried it, “Little Man” [Isaiah McKenzie] carried it.”

Under Sean McDermott, Daboll has flourished since the team drafted QB Josh Allen and gave him offensive weapons and playmakers. The OC’s offense frequently has incorporated trick plays, notably position players with prior quarterback experience in their playing background throwing touchdown passes.

But as the roster depth has expanded, so has the playbook.

Anyone who has watched the Bills regularly since Daboll became the offensive coordinator may have noticed he frequently runs trick plays, often involving players from the receiving corps and other positions.

It’s also not uncommon for him to use players with experience at quarterback in their background, or for those trick plays to end in touchdowns.

Over the past year, there has been an increase in running plays with non-RB players such as Dawson Knox and Isaiah McKenzie.

“What you have to be in this league is consistent because it can get you pretty quick,” said the Bills offensive coordinator. “A bad performance, if you let it, can weigh you down and a good performance can get you too high.”

Buffalo’s consistency has paid off, and their diverse offense ranks second in the NFL in points per game. The creative playmaking on Sunday helped to add to those numbers and caught the eye of the team’s head coach Sean McDermott.

“I thought Brian Daboll called a great game. I really did,” McDermott said to the press following the game. “Changed the look enough and changed the profile of the offense, and I thought that was well executed and good to get stuff going there. [The offense] gives us tons of energy.”

Mckenzie took over as the kickoff return man this year for Pro Bowler Andre Roberts and his experience getting playing time on kickoff returns and running plays is growing.

The added versatility that players like McKenzie bring to the roster came in handy in a game where Buffalo looked to shake off the funk of their loss to Jacksonville.

“That what makes teams really good is how you handle adversity,” added Daboll. “It’s easy to sit there on cloud nine when you’ve got six wins in a row but adversity builds character if you handle it the right way.”

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Report: Devin Singletary now taking part in Bills OTAs

Buffalo Bills RB Devin Singletary now taking part in organized team activities (OTAs).

Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary has evidently decided to join his team for organized team activities this week.

According to Syracuse.com, Singletary is at OTAs now after not taking part in the workouts last week:

Previously Bills head coach Sean McDermott said during last week’s workouts that the team had somewhere around 70 to 75 players that did participate. Later on, multiple reports surfaced that Singletary was among the few not there.

Others included Vernon Butler, Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison, Daryl Williams, Taiwan Jones, Stefon Diggs, Star Lotulelei, and the recently-signed Emmanuel Sanders.

But it’s important to note that OTAs are voluntary workouts. Players do not need to attend them. Things don’t become mandatory until minicamp, which will occur on June 15-17 for the Bills.

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5 takeaways from the Bills’ 17-3 win over the Ravens

Five takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ win over the Baltimore Ravens in AFC Divisional round.

The Buffalo Bills are going to the AFC Championship.

A 17-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens, as the score suggests, wasn’t exactly a high-flying offensive showcase that we’ve come to expect during the 2020 season. A win is a win, though.

With that, here are five takeaways from the Bills’ win over the Ravens in the AFC Divisional round:

Bills’ Devin Singletary. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

What is running the ball?

A big headline coming into the game was the Bills’ backfield situation. What would happen without Zack Moss in the lineup? In the Wild Card round against the Colts, the Bills lost the rookie due to an ankle injury. Upon further review, his season was deemed over.

Devin Singletary was dubbed the guy that would step up in his place… but he didn’t exactly do that.

Scratch that, he didn’t really even get a chance to do so.

The Bills decided to nearly take the rushing game out of their offensive playbook completely, especially in the first half of the game. In the first 30 minutes of the game, Singletary was given the ball once on the ground which came just before the half.

This was no slight against Singletary, though. This was the plan by Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. He decided that the Ravens run defense, who held 2,000-yard rush for the Titans, Derrick Henry, to 40 yards was too good.

While the game was tight early, it paid off.

Singletary finished the game with seven carries and 25 yards. Quarterback Josh Allen, often mobile himself, only had three yards rushing. Overall for the game, the QB had 37 pass attempts and was 23-for-37 passing with one score in the air. For once, the Bills didn’t win because of him, but they didn’t need to.

Who knew that’d be such a welcoming sight?

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Devin Singletary, Zack Moss have room to climb in backfield ranking

Buffalo Bills running backs in Bleacher Report’s backfield duos rankings.

There’s optimism surrounding the Buffalo Bills backfield in regard to the future.

But currently, it’s not very high, according to Bleacher Report.

B/R ranked every backfield duo in the NFL ahead of 2020. The Bills’ duo of Devin Singletary and Zack Moss landed way back at No. 25 overall.

While the future could look bright for the Bills in this area, that’s really just on paper though, so B/R’s listing is justified. Singletary has only played 12 games in the NFL. Moss is a rookie. The Bills have one of the most inexperienced groups in the entire league at the position.

Overall, the Bills have the lowest-ranked group in the entire division as well. The veteran-led Jets are among the best in the rankings at No. 3. But that just goes to show you that the running game goes way beyond just running backs. The Jets and Le’Veon Bell had a terrible 2019 season. That fell mostly on their offensive line play. A lot of moving pieces here.

But to round out the AFC East: Patriots at 14 and Dolphins at 21.

 

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Bills 53-man roster projection, post-2020 NFL Draft

A 53-man roster projection for the Buffalo Bills following the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Buffalo Bills 2020 NFL Draft is well over with now. We’re still waiting for the team to announce their class of undrafted rookie free agent signees and well…we just got tired of waiting.

It’s time for a way, way, way-too-early 53-man roster projection for the Bills ahead of the 2020 season… and way before the team does any sort of actual… workouts, practices, preseason games, and all that stuff.

Let’s just have some fun then, shall we?

Way-too-early roster projections here:

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Quarterback (2)

Josh Allen, Jake Fromm

Cuts: Matt Barkley, Davis Webb

The Bills could certainly keep both Matt Barkley and Jake Fromm on their final roster behind Josh Allen. But one thing Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott loves to do is keep two quarterbacks on the roster and another packed away on the practice squad. Could that third be Davis Webb or even somebody else?

On Barkley, two thoughts: he’s been viewed as the “veteran” to Allen. While yes, he is older, Allen is far the elder in terms of game experience, having started 27 NFL games to Barkley’s seven and Barkley could save the Bills near $1.5 million against the salary cap.

 

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