McDermott chalks up Bills struggles to ‘growing pains’
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. » Acknowledging the Buffalo Bills have much room to improve, coach Sean McDermott rejected the notion he is overseeing a team in turmoil following a tumultuous first two weeks.
“There’s growing pains going through this,” McDermott said, Monday. “Nobody said it was going to be easy.”
No one said it was going to be this difficult either for a team off to a 0-2 start following a 31-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Buffalo has been outscored by a combined 54-6 in the first halves of its two losses, and 78-23 overall.
McDermott has already switched quarterbacks, taken over the defensive play-calling duties from coordinator Leslie Frazier and also had to contend with veteran cornerback Vontae Davis quitting the team at halftime against Los Angeles.
McDermott said not all the issues and distractions are related, particularly when it comes to Davis. The offseason free-agent addition informed McDermott he was done during the first half, and then announced he was retiring after 10 NFL seasons a few hours after the game.
“His actions spoke loud and clear,” McDermott said, when asked if he’s had a chance to speak to Davis since Sunday. “I’m focused on my team right now.”
Browns trade receiver Gordon to Patriots
CLEVELAND » Josh Gordon’s strange, stuttering career will start anew in New England.
Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have a new offensive toy.
The Browns severed ties for good with the problematic wide receiver by trading him to the Patriots for a fifth-round draft pick on Monday, ending a relationship the team did all it could to save.
The deal came together two days after the Browns reached a breaking point with Gordon, who has been suspended numerous times by the NFL for drug violations since Cleveland drafted him in 2012.
“He is gone now,” coach Hue Jackson said.
Gruden says no regrets over Mack trade despite 0-2 start
ALAMEDA, CALIF. » Coach Jon Gruden was in no mood to rehash Denver’s final drive that handed the Oakland Raiders a second straight defeat to open his tenure as coach.
Case Keenum and the Broncos were able to move the ball down the field with little pressure in the heat and altitude of Denver and get a 36-yard field goal from Brandon McManus in the closing seconds of a 2019 victory Sunday.
A second straight game with no consistent pass rush raised an obvious question for Gruden about whether the decision to trade edge rusher Khalil Mack, who was holding out, to Chicago for a package of draft picks was a wise move.
“It doesn’t make me regret,” Gruden said Monday “We made the trade. We made the trade. There has got to be hindsight, 50-50, all that stuff. We would have loved to have him here and I’m not going to keep rehashing this. I would have loved to (have) coached him, loved to have him here, but he’s not here. Somebody’s got to step up.”
That hasn’t happened through two games so far this season as Oakland has just two sacks combined in losses to the Los Angeles Rams and Broncos in the opening two weeks.
Bruce Irvin, who used to be nicknamed Robin to Mack’s Batman, has been unable to deliver with the bigger responsibility of being the top pass rusher. He had one sack in the opener against the Rams but didn’t provide much this past week.
He committed a personal foul that extended a touchdown drive for the Broncos after Oakland had appeared to make a third-down stop and looked gassed on the final drive when Keenum moved the ball from his 10 to the Oakland 18 with under two minutes remaining.