Buffalo was 1 of 3 teams not to have a player named to the Pro Bowl.
By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
The Buffalo Bills were one of three NFL teams that didn’t get a single player in the Pro Bowl. It’s the first time since 2012 that’s happened to the Bills.
Only defensive tackle Kyle Williams and defensive end Jerry Hughes were named first-team and fourth-team alternates. A day later, the news was still fresh and it appears so were a few wounds in the Bills (5-9) locker room.
With that, here’s what various Bills players said about no one on the team being named a starter to the AFC roster:
Bills CB Tre’Davious White
“That is [disappointing]. I want guys like Lorezno (Alexander), guys like Jordan Poyer, Matt Milano, those guys deserve to be in that, man. We’re the No. 1 defense in the league, you know? It’s crazy that we didn’t get at least one guy on it. It’s definitely disappointing.”
Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott
“We’re about winning games. Sometimes, when you have the year that we’ve had, sometimes you don’t get the recognition. We’ve had guys that have had some really good individual performances. Usually, those are coming out of what somebody else is doing in the pay that’s a factor for them. I’m happy that the guys that did get recognized, albeit alternates, got recognized [and] deservingly so. As we continue to build this roster, those are things that will come as we move forward.”
Bills LB Lorenzo Alexander
“Obviously, you know, we have a great defense. You want guys to get rewarded. There’s a couple of factors that go into that, obviously us not having a great record ourselves. And then, there are a lot of good football players. You look at the list and go… who do you replace? You replace them with some of our games and it’s an up-cry for that same guy that got repalced. It’s hard, we’ve got good talent, that’s what the NFL is all about. Obviously next year when guys have a chance, we’ve got to win. When you win, you get the fan vote up, because everyone’s happy about what you’re doing. And then people around the league recognize winners and then they’re more likely to vote you over another guy.”
Bills WR Zay Jones
“I think it’s BS, to be honest. If you look at the production that our guys have had and the numbers. As a whole, our defense has played phenomenal and it’s one of the top-ranked defenses in the league. I know that Kyle (Williams) and Jerry (Hughes) were alternates, and not to say that that’s anything to look down on, but to have guys not be in the Pro Bowl, I think is crap. In my personal opinion, Tre’Davious White should be in the conversation, Jerry should be in the conversation, Kyle and Lorenzo (Alexander) should definitely both be Pro Bowlers. Jordan Poyer – I know Micah Hyde was previously. It’s frustrating because I see the work these guys put in day in and day out and to get snubbed like that, I don’t agree with that at all. I wish there was a better way that it could be done and handled. I want to see Bills players in it. I feel like we’re overlooked.”
Bills FB Patrick DiMarco
It stinks. We have plenty of players that are Pro Bowl worthy. Zo, Jordan Poyer, I think Kyle and Jerry both got alternates, but shoot they could have been first round ballots. It stinks but we embrace our role here and we know what we got to do. Honestly, we don’t want to be playing in the Pro Bowl because we want to play in the Super Bowl. That’s our primary goal.”
Bills DE Eddie Yarbrough
“Guys like Zo, Kyle, Jerry, Milano, Po (Poyer) – like, I even take it back to last year when Po had five freaking interceptions and not even an alternate? Like, that’s mind boggling to me. But at the same time us as a defense and us as a team, we’re working while we wait. … You have to work while you wait. That’s all we’re doing. We know all this hard work and effort that we’re putting in is going to come to fruition. All this momentum that we’re carrying is going to be going into next season. We can feel the buzz. And if anybody outside these walls can’t feel it, everybody inside these walls, we can feel it.”
Bills S Micah Hyde
“A lot of the guys on the defense had been consistent all year and I think consistency is the number one thing you can do in this league. Week in and week out, come in and compete. On defense, we’ve been doing that, but unfortunately, you know, on defense, a lot of guys didn’t get the recognition they deserve and it’s unfortunate. But we have the last two games to go out there and compete and try to build something for the future.”
** Yarbrough, DiMarco & Jones spoke via NYUP.com. Hyde spoke to the team’s radio station.