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Nick Sabato
@nicksabatognn.bsky.social
660 followers 110 following 940 posts
Sports editor/#Bills reporter for the Niagara Gazette and Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. Co-host of Buffalo Press Box. Email: [email protected]
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 17h
• Why did the #Bills play so poorly?
• Biggest team needs: WR, CB or S?
• #Sabres start their season
• @billhoppe.bsky.social's new specs.
share.fireside.fm/episode/sMvb...
Buffalo Press Box Episode 91: The sky hasn't fallen
The Buffalo Bills had their first offensive clunker in their first loss of the season, but the sky hasn't fallen. Why did it happen? What are the team's biggest needs? And the Buffalo Sabres are set ...
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 12h
1. They are getting open. 2. They need to understand disguises better. 3. They need to play their best players more frequently.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 15h
So we're having the separation conversation again with #Bills receivers, eh? There's a lot more to the story than adding a new receiver.
www.niagara-gazette.com/sports/do-bi...
Do Bills receivers have issues separating? The numbers say they don't
ORCHARD PARK — Have we gone back in time? Is it 2024 or 2025?
www.niagara-gazette.com
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nicksabatognn.bsky.social
Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 17h
• Why did the #Bills play so poorly?
• Biggest team needs: WR, CB or S?
• #Sabres start their season
• @billhoppe.bsky.social's new specs.
share.fireside.fm/episode/sMvb...
Buffalo Press Box Episode 91: The sky hasn't fallen
The Buffalo Bills had their first offensive clunker in their first loss of the season, but the sky hasn't fallen. Why did it happen? What are the team's biggest needs? And the Buffalo Sabres are set ...
share.fireside.fm
1 2
nicksabatognn.bsky.social
Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 1d
#Bills average separation (league rank in parenthesis) from NFL Next Gen Stats:

2025: 3.7 (6)
2024: 3.6 (11)
2023: 3.6 (8)
2022: 3.5 (14)
2021: 3.5 (11)
2020: 3.6 (7)
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 1d
A torn ACL and a torn Achilles, which is worse. I never saw the vision they did. And if Hairston is healthy and they thought the competition in the spring was close, they should be doing everything they can to prepare him to start Week 8.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 1d
I don't know where he ranks, but I just wrote a story about how neither of their cornerbacks have been good. I've also been openly skeptical from the jump about White starting. But White was better in camp than Strong.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 1d
What is the PFF formula? How did they get that grade? How do they know what his assignments were? PFF has a lot of terrific information but the general consensus in media and amongst league personnel is that grades are not to be trusted.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 1d
A team that knows it can make a deep playoff run isn't going to play a younger player unless he's better than the veteran or close to being better and they think he'll be better by time it matters. It's not even a debate.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 1d
That's what bad teams do because they can afford to do it. If a good team is going to do it, the competition has to be close. It wasn't.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 1d
White was better than Strong in training camp. It wasn't even close. And Hancock isn't a boundary corner.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 1d
The #Bills have a problem with their pass defense, a rarity under Sean McDermott. And it's a two-part problem.
www.niagara-gazette.com/sports/tale-...
Tale of the tape: Bills aren't getting enough from their secondary after being scorched by Stefon Diggs
ORCHARD PARK — Stefon Diggs torched the Buffalo Bills.
www.niagara-gazette.com
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 2d
Turnovers, penalties and predictability were all baked into a recipe for an offensive dud for the #Bills.
www.niagara-gazette.com/sports/turno...
Turnovers, penalties, predictability plague Bills offense in sloppy loss to Patriots
ORCHARD PARK — Frustrated.
www.niagara-gazette.com
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 3d
"Where else would you rather be?" The #Bills had plenty of chances to humble #Patriots QB Drake Maye and didn't. Instead #Buffalo learned that just showing up isn't enough to win.
www.niagara-gazette.com/sports/sabat...
Sabato: Bills can't play with their food every week without expecting to choke
ORCHARD PARK — Drake Maye and the New England Patriots are coming. At some point they are going to be the top challengers for Buffalo Bills AFC East throne.
www.niagara-gazette.com
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 3d
Connor McGovern ran to the locker room with a trainer. #Bills
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 3d
Four offensive penalties and two fumbles. #Bills are lucky to be down three.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 3d
Dawson Knox appeared to be early on that play. First time this season the #Bills haven't scored a touchdown on their opening drive.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 3d
#Bills won the toss. They deferred to the second half.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 3d
Let's get this show on the road. #Bills
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 3d
With Oliver and Sanders out, there's a chance the #Bills mix up their pass rush and kick some defensive ends inside on passing downs. Rousseau has played rush DT in the past. Solomon played the Hoecht hybrid role in camp. Maybe Landon Jackson gets some chances inside.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 3d
The games that he didn't get carries could have been going to the wrong hole, missing a protection call, not understanding what was happening during the week. Or Dorsey being pass happy. But for every Cook there is White, Rousseau, Oliver, Kincaid, Dawkins, Allen, Torrence, Coleman, Davis, Brown etc
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 3d
And his snap count ballooned the last quarter of 22, which says he started to understand running/blocking assignments. Cook is also a better zone runner and Dorsey ran 60% gap scheme. But his lack of early playing time had nothing to do with just being a rookie.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 3d
They wanted him to be a third down back early, but he had drops. And he also couldn't pass protect. It's not like he was a workhorse at Georgia.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 3d
Cook fumbled five times and had nine drops his first two seasons. Turning point was Denver in 2023 when he got benched and came back possessed. It's hard for rookies to play on good teams.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 3d
Jackson isn't ready. Neither was Cook. He struggled in pass pro and couldn't hang onto the ball.
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Nick Sabato @nicksabatognn.bsky.social · 3d
Hoecht will have a higher snap count than Solomon, especially on early downs. That's an issue right now. Solomon is still more of a rusher but he's not better than Bosa, so someone has to play run downs.
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