1 - NFL's top tackler is Preston Brown
Bills linebacker, Preston Brown, was on fire to finish the regular season. He posted 37 tackles in the final three games of the year. He'll enter the playoffs as the NFL's leader in tackles.[
Brown's 144 tackles were the most in the league, according to the Bills official team stats. He just edged out Blake Martinez and Joe Schobert, who each tallied 142 tackles on the season.
"Yeah it's cool. I always try to be around the ball, jump on the piles, and get extra tackles," said Brown. "Whatever I can do to help the team."
Brown was consistently in the top-10 all year in tackles, but really climbed in the rankings in the final quarter of the season. His 37 tackles in the final three games was his best three-game stretch on the season.
Tackling has been Brown's bread and butter since he entered the league in 2014. He's posted 100-plus tackles in all four of his seasons in Buffalo. Though, his production has steadily increased each year. In 2014, he tallied 108 tackles. In 2015, he had 117. In 2016, he posted 135. And in 2017, he notched a career-high with 144 tackles.
Brown can put his tackling on display this Sunday against the Jaguars in the team's Wild Card game. The Jags coach is Doug Marrone, who was the Bills former coach from 2013-2014. Brown's rookie season was Marrone's final year in Buffalo.
"I've only seen him from this year and I think he's done a great job," said Marrone. "He's made a lot of plays. He's a three-down linebacker. He can play the run, the pass, can cover, and can make plays from sideline-to-sideline. It's going to be a challenge for us to make sure we know where he is."
2 - Where Tre' White ranks in the MMQB awards
With the NFL's regular season in the rearview mirror, it's time for the 2017 awards to come out. Rookie cornerback, Tre'Davious White, made a strong case for Defensive Rookie of the Year. While a handful of other Bills players made appearances for their efforts leading to a postseason berth.
The MMQB came out with their awards from the regular season. For the Bills, head coach Sean McDermott, LeSean McCoy, Micah Hyde, and White all received recognition.
For White, he only received one first place vote for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Though, he led with 11 second-place votes. In the end, Marshon Lattimore of the Saints squeaked by White.
Lattimore won by a comfortable margin, though White was the only defensive rookie to appear on all 15 ballots.
White finished the regular season with 69 tackles, 18 passes defended, four interceptions, and two forced fumbles. He led all rookies in passes defended (18), followed by Lattimore (17), Adoree Jackson (15), and Shaquill Griffin (13).
Aside from White, his head coach, McDermott, finished in sixth for Coach of the Year. The top-six included: Sean McVay, Mike Zimmer, Doug Pederson, Doug Marrone, Bill Belichick, and McDermott.
Buffalo's running back, LeSean McCoy, was featured in a few of the awards. He finished eighth in Offensive Player of the Year, just ahead of Travis Kelce, Julio Jones, and Adam Thielen. Additionally, McCoy finished 21st in the voting for MVP.
Rounding out the team's awards was safety, Micah Hyde. In a season where he earned his first Pro Bowl selection, he ranked eighth for Most Improved Player in the league.
"I feel like I can play a lot better. Week in and week out I watch the film. I'm hard on myself," said Hyde. "It's not just myself. We hold ourselves to a high standard. It's a blessing to be here and have that accomplishment, but at the same time it's not the finish line for me. I've got a long way to go and I want to help this team out a lot more than I was able to this year."
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3 - Bills fans impress Andy Dalton
Bengals quarterback, Andy Dalton, threw a last-minute touchdown against the Ravens on Sunday to help the Bills clinch their first playoff berth since 1999. Buffalo's fans returned the favor, as they've donated over $200,000 to Dalton's foundation.
Dalton joined the John Murphy Show on Wednesday to discuss the Andy & Jordan Dalton Foundation.
"We started this back in 2011. The main part of what our foundation does is we work with sick children and kids with special needs. We provide financial aid for medical expenses," said Dalton. "It could be a treatment, chemo, radiation, and a bunch of different areas. These families will apply through our foundation and then we'll be able to provide them money to help cover these treatments."
As of Wednesday, Bills fans donated $218,000 from more than 9,500 donors. A lot of the payments have come in $17 increments, as that represents Buffalo's 17-year playoff drought.
"I know with all this money that we're raising right now we're going to be able to help a lot of families," said Dalton. "We feel fortunate that we were able to throw that touchdown and Bills fans are all on board. It's been great to have the support from them."
Dalton and his wife, Jordan, were grateful for the overwhelming amount of support. To show their appreciation, they bought five digital billboards to scatter around Western New York. The billboards read, 'Thank You Buffalo & Good Luck!'
"It just shows a lot. They're taking a good thing and making it even better," said Dalton. "Making the playoffs, but they're also going to be helping so many families in need. It really says a lot about the city of Buffalo and all of the fans that are donating."
SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF THE DAY
