Here's the Bills news of note for Dec. 16th.
1 - Whaley gives analysis on Taylor
At the close of his first season as starting quarterback of the Bills, there were a couple of specific areas where GM Doug Whaley wanted to see Taylor take strides in his second season as Buffalo's primary signal caller. With that second season winding down, Whaley was asked if Taylor has improved in those two specific areas, as he made his weekly appearance on Bills flagship station WGR Sportsradio 550.
"For me I think the things he's improved on are timing routes and the total command of the offense," Whaley said. "Now consistency in all areas of play, not only with Tyrod, but with our whole team is what is holding us back. I think he's shown the ability to use the middle of the field, and brought us back in the Jacksonville. The consistency part is something our whole team has to get better at."
Whaley did maintain that the offense has to be more balanced so they can turn to the run or the pass depending on the situation.
"I think we have to be multiple," Whaley said. "You really have to throw to score points, but you run to win games. We have to be multiple enough to do both and adapt to what the situation dictates. We have to be multiple, but the most important thing is to be consistent." When asked if they need to throw more often and more effectively, Whaley indicated that it's not that simple.
"That's a quandary we have because if you look we're 10th in the league in scoring," Whaley said. "We're at 25 points per game. (Anthony) Lynn has done a great job of balancing that, the run and the pass and putting our offense in situations to be successful. It shows in the stats and we're pretty happy with that."
**2 - Alexander, Hughes, Lawson rotation to continue
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The Bills seem poised to continue to rotate their three edge rushers heading into Sunday's tilt against the Browns.
Shaq Lawson got his first career start opposite Lorenzo Alexander last week against the Steelers, while
Jerry Hughes disclosed this week that he was dealing with a stomach issue that contributed to him playing a season-low 30 snaps.
Lawson played in a season-high 46 snaps, while Alexander was on the field for 54. The pass rush as a whole struggled, as they didn't register a sack for the second consecutive game.
The Bills are still tied for the fifth-most sacks in the NFL and are going against a Cleveland team that has given up the most sacks on the season.
Ryan said last week that he had grown confident enough in Lawson to use the rotation, and was pleased with his contributions last week and what he's done after missing the first six games of the season.
"I think there's a great deal more to come for him," Ryan said. "When you miss all that time in practice that obviously hurts your growth. He's obviously not where he should be if he was in training camp, but I think the kid is going to be a heck of a player for us."
For the season Alexander has 10 sacks, Hughes has five and Lawson has two.
"We're a little nicked up, Ryan said. "Bumps and bruises along the way for all three of those guys, but I think at this time of the year you want three guys that can man those two positions."
3 - Anthony Lynn to be in NFL head coaching mixAnthony Lynn's ascension from running backs coach to offensive coordinator may take another step in the offseason.
Lynn is primed to be a hot head coaching candidate this offseason after what he's been able to do with Buffalo's offense since he took over the reins after Week 2.
He helped the Bills win four in a row to turn their season around, and guided the offense to 25 points or more in four consecutive games.
Even with the passing game struggling this year, the Bills are 10th in points per game in the NFL and still have the league's number one rushing attack.
"He gives you a player perspective," Ryan said. "He's been around this league a long time, with two rings as a player. I think he can relate to the players. I think he does a great job of knowing the game. He does a good job motivating, I think he's a team builder. So I think there's a lot of things to like about Anthony Lynn."
Lynn spent six years in the NFL as a running back, and has held various coaching roles since 2000. He has been with Rex Ryan since 2009, and like Ryan, advocates a "ground and pound" offense. Lynn has coached and developed running backs such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Fred Taylor, Jamal Lewis and Chris Ivory.
Lynn interviewed with two teams in 2015, and is rumored to be a candidate for the now vacant L.A. Rams coaching post. Now adding playing calling experience to his coaching resume only boosts his attractiveness as a head coaching candidate.
"He does a great job as a play-caller. Even his delivery of plays is good. There is a confidence thing there, and it's been impressive. I think about the one knock everybody would say about him was that he hadn't called plays, but you can't say that now. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out in the near future."
