notacon
01-08-2024, 01:09 PM
The Bills showed their superior depth on Sunday when several starters went down (on top of Milano and Tre’ White early in the year).
These five players were recognized by Peter King in his FMIA article.....
FMIA Week 18: Buffalo’s $4-Million Division Title and Green Bay’s 10-Percent Playoff Bid (https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/fmia/news/buffalo-josh-allen-green-bay-jordan-love-nfl-playoffs-peter-king-fmia-week-18)
Buffalo’s 48th Men
So Allen’s a big-play machine, of course. But I thought the Bills won this game because of the flotsam and jetsam of their complete roster. And it’s why they may be able to withstand a big injury or two, even though they’ve already done so.
Bill Parcells used to spend so much time churning the bottom of his roster. Back in his days coaching the Giants, even when the Giants were winning big, he’d have director of pro scouting Tim Rooney bring in four or six or eight players for workouts Monday and Tuesday, just so the team could have an updated “Ready List” of players weekly if injuries struck. I asked him why he was so paranoid about the depths of the roster. “Because every year you’re going to have games decided by the 48th player on the roster,” he said. “You want to devote time to finding the best players possible down there. They’re crucial to success.”
The Buffalo contributors Sunday night:
Cornerback Christian Benford, a sixth-round pick in 2022, picked off a Tua Tagovailoa throw targeting Tyreek Hill on the first series of the game. Benford’s salary: $870,000.
Wide receiver Trent Sherfield, the former Dolphin, Buffalo’s fifth receiver, was playing significant snaps because Gabe Davis went down with a leg injury. With four minutes left in the first half, Allen fired a pass toward Sherfield in the end zone. It ricocheted off a helmet high into the air and looked like it might go out of the end zone. Sherfield caught the ball as he fell out of the end zone, each foot barely staying in contact with the ground. Touchdown. Sherfield’s salary: $1.42 million.
Returner Deonte Harty brought back a punt 96 yards early in the fourth quarter, knotting the game at 14. Harty’s salary: $2 million.
Receiver Khalil Shakir, with the score still tied at 14 midway through the fourth quarter, took an Allen pass 28 yards to the Miami three-yard line, setting up the winning touchdown. Shakir’s salary: $870,000.
Running back Leonard Fournette played a different Lenny than he has in his NFL life. On fourth-and-one with four minutes left at the Buffalo 35-yard line, the December free-agent signee grabbed Allen from behind and, in his personal Tush Push, thrusted Allen forward for a two-yard gain and the first down. “This is a different role,” Fournette said post-game. “I’m older. Just anything I can do to give us a chance to help us win a game.” Fournette’s partial season salary: $289,400.
Those five players—total salary: $4.17 million—were crucial in Buffalo winning the AFC East Sunday night.
“It says a lot about our team,” Allen said. “Those guys, some of them, might be a little frustrated about their roles or their playing time. But you don’t see them upset. You just see them with the attitude of, ‘What can I do to help us win?’”
Vital trait for a championship team.
“It’s a hard ingredient to find anymore,” McDermott said. “Good teams have that. The good teams I’ve been on have that. But it’s a hard trait to find.”
Last point about the 2023 Bills: You can find fault with Allen and his penchant for turnovers. But this team will go as far as Allen takes them. There’s not a single guy in that locker room who begrudges Allen for taking the game into his hands in the fourth quarter, figuring he trusts himself more than he trusts anyone to make a play with the game on the line. It’s a gift to have that quarterback. It’s the gift that gives Buffalo a good chance in every game it plays for the rest of this season, and for seasons to come.
Well said Mr. King. Well said.
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These five players were recognized by Peter King in his FMIA article.....
FMIA Week 18: Buffalo’s $4-Million Division Title and Green Bay’s 10-Percent Playoff Bid (https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/fmia/news/buffalo-josh-allen-green-bay-jordan-love-nfl-playoffs-peter-king-fmia-week-18)
Buffalo’s 48th Men
So Allen’s a big-play machine, of course. But I thought the Bills won this game because of the flotsam and jetsam of their complete roster. And it’s why they may be able to withstand a big injury or two, even though they’ve already done so.
Bill Parcells used to spend so much time churning the bottom of his roster. Back in his days coaching the Giants, even when the Giants were winning big, he’d have director of pro scouting Tim Rooney bring in four or six or eight players for workouts Monday and Tuesday, just so the team could have an updated “Ready List” of players weekly if injuries struck. I asked him why he was so paranoid about the depths of the roster. “Because every year you’re going to have games decided by the 48th player on the roster,” he said. “You want to devote time to finding the best players possible down there. They’re crucial to success.”
The Buffalo contributors Sunday night:
Cornerback Christian Benford, a sixth-round pick in 2022, picked off a Tua Tagovailoa throw targeting Tyreek Hill on the first series of the game. Benford’s salary: $870,000.
Wide receiver Trent Sherfield, the former Dolphin, Buffalo’s fifth receiver, was playing significant snaps because Gabe Davis went down with a leg injury. With four minutes left in the first half, Allen fired a pass toward Sherfield in the end zone. It ricocheted off a helmet high into the air and looked like it might go out of the end zone. Sherfield caught the ball as he fell out of the end zone, each foot barely staying in contact with the ground. Touchdown. Sherfield’s salary: $1.42 million.
Returner Deonte Harty brought back a punt 96 yards early in the fourth quarter, knotting the game at 14. Harty’s salary: $2 million.
Receiver Khalil Shakir, with the score still tied at 14 midway through the fourth quarter, took an Allen pass 28 yards to the Miami three-yard line, setting up the winning touchdown. Shakir’s salary: $870,000.
Running back Leonard Fournette played a different Lenny than he has in his NFL life. On fourth-and-one with four minutes left at the Buffalo 35-yard line, the December free-agent signee grabbed Allen from behind and, in his personal Tush Push, thrusted Allen forward for a two-yard gain and the first down. “This is a different role,” Fournette said post-game. “I’m older. Just anything I can do to give us a chance to help us win a game.” Fournette’s partial season salary: $289,400.
Those five players—total salary: $4.17 million—were crucial in Buffalo winning the AFC East Sunday night.
“It says a lot about our team,” Allen said. “Those guys, some of them, might be a little frustrated about their roles or their playing time. But you don’t see them upset. You just see them with the attitude of, ‘What can I do to help us win?’”
Vital trait for a championship team.
“It’s a hard ingredient to find anymore,” McDermott said. “Good teams have that. The good teams I’ve been on have that. But it’s a hard trait to find.”
Last point about the 2023 Bills: You can find fault with Allen and his penchant for turnovers. But this team will go as far as Allen takes them. There’s not a single guy in that locker room who begrudges Allen for taking the game into his hands in the fourth quarter, figuring he trusts himself more than he trusts anyone to make a play with the game on the line. It’s a gift to have that quarterback. It’s the gift that gives Buffalo a good chance in every game it plays for the rest of this season, and for seasons to come.
Well said Mr. King. Well said.
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