Archives for October 17, 2006

‘The Bills supposedly satisfied themselves that Hargrove isn’t a malcontent, but he’s an odd acquisition for a team that preaches character in its players.’

‘Detroit manhandled Buffalo’s offensive line, sacking Losman a total of five times. Bills left tackle Mike Gandy was treated like a rag doll and gave up each of Hall’s sacks. The Lions entered the game ranked last in the league in sacks, and had just one in its previous four games. Losman has a tendency to hold the ball and wait for players to come open before safely opting to throw the ball away. He certainly paid the price for it against Detroit, and will have to learn quickly from it this Sunday, against a better Patriots team than the one he faced in Week 1.’

‘"We just have to be responsible in our gap fits and hold one another accountable," said Chris Kelsay. "It’s an 11-man defense and if one guy is out of his gap or out of his place it can hurt the entire unit and it’s shown up the past few games. It’s something we have to get corrected."’

‘It all starts with stopping the run. Buffalo ranked 29th last season, and after a promising first month this year is starting to slip fast.’

‘No amount of rationalizing can change the fact that this was a major setback for Dick Jauron, whose team couldn’t match the Lions’ emotion, protect Losman, or do anything defensively. To be outgained by nearly 200 yards at halftime and trail 12-3 in first downs was mystifying.’

‘The teacher got the better of the student in Sunday’s matchup of offensive coordinators. Buffalo’s Steve Fairchild played in college and coached in the NFL under Detroit’s Mike Martz. In the first half, the Lions outgained Buffalo 253-57 and Buffalo was 0-for-6 on third down.’

‘There was plenty of blame to go around.’

‘Hargrove will be added to the rotation behind Aaron Schobel, Ryan Denney and Chris Kelsay and while he’ll be used primarily at end, Jauron didn’t rule out moving him inside to defensive tackle on passing downs.’

‘Because the Bills had to commit strong safety Donte Whitner at the line to help out against the run, there were fewer players in coverage. That allowed quarterback Jon Kitna and wide receiver Roy Williams to appear as though they were playing catch against cornerbacks Terrence McGee and Nate Clements. Williams caught a career-high 10 passes for 161 yards and a 28-yard touchdown.’

‘”Bill Kollar coached him there and thought a lot of him,” Bills coach Dick Jauron said. “He’s got great work ethic, which fits in well with us. He’s got speed to the ball, athletic ability. “He’s a young player, 23 years old, so he has a future in front of him, a good one. We think that he’ll fit into our rotation. We look at him primarily as an end, but I wouldn’t rule the inside out.”‘

‘As I said at the top, the Bills losing this game shouldn’t surprise anyone. I predicted they’d be a five-win team at the start of the year, then I got a little giddy there after they beat Minnesota and altered my thinking. What a dummy! Common sense is smacking me between the eyes now after watching Sunday’s game. The Bills are what I originally thought they were: A team that will be picking in the top 10 of the 2007 draft.’

‘Cornerbacks Terrence McGee and Nate Clements have fallen off their pedestals faster than Floyd Landis. They may be the two most overrated players on the Buffalo defense, and that’s saying a lot considering the team also employs Aaron Schobel, London Fletcher and Larry Tripplett.’

‘Perhaps this just adds more fuel to the thought that the Bills should have either drafted or signed a legitimate offensive tackle in the offseason. This would have at the very least given Gandy some competition during camp.’

‘”I really honestly think the world of Tony,” Linehan said. “He’s a real likable guy. He’s got a lot of talent. He’s been fighting with the level of consistency that we command and want to reflect as part of our program.” That “level of consistency” applies both on and off the field.’

‘If Buffalo’s coaching staff was as smart as they’re given credit for, they’d move Williams into a No. 1 nose tackle role. That’s really the only change that can be made on the current roster as far as the D-line is concerned.’