Archives for November 13, 2006

‘No, Lindell was going to miss for a very simple reason, one that has nothing to do with talent and everything to do with psyche. That kick was going to float outside the goalposts because that’s the sort of thing that happens to bad football teams. No matter how well they play up until the decisive point in a game, something is almost always going wrong once they get there.’

‘Villarrial aggravated a right ankle injury during the first half and did not return. It’s the same ankle Villarrial hurt in Week 4, which forced him to miss the next game. Neufeld injured his left foot in the third quarter. The blocking tight end who also doubles on special teams was spotted Monday walking on crutches, with his left foot in a protective boot.’

‘Angelo Crowell: Remember when this guy was a backup? Crowell finished with 12 solo tackles, two pass deflections and a huge forced fumble in an impressive performance. Crowell’s play at linebacker has been one of the season’s best-kept secrets.’

‘For the second straight game Buffalo did not turn the football over to the opposition. The Bills have successfully protected the ball in five of their nine games this season. This is the second time in 2006 that the team has gone two straight games without a giveaway. The Bills are a plus-six over their last two contests. On the year Buffalo has a record of 3-2 when not committing a turnover.’

‘Hamburg Town Prosecutor’s office has received a request to drop a charge of harassment from the woman who filed it, against Bills Safety Donte Whitner. It is now up to the town to officially drop the single charge.’

‘I can’t say the Bills have the worst passing offense in the league, because there’s always Oakland…but they are 31st in passing offense, without much of a chance of climbing.’

‘Buffalo, like every team in the NFL, cannot win consistently without a quarterback the team can turn to when it is bleeding and on the ropes late in the fight, a quarterback they can give the ball to and say, “It’s all yours, baby, go get ’em.” It is painfully evident that the Bills don’t have one and things are not going to get any better until they get one-either that or a defense that pitches a shutout every week.’

‘”Poor execution, poor execution, poor all around,” said disconsolate receiver Lee Evans.’

‘Clements and McGee had help from safeties Donte Whitner and Ko Simpson as the Bills used a lot of Cover 2 to avoid giving up big plays. But when Clements and McGee were isolated in man coverage, they came through most of the time. “That’s what we get paid to do,” Clements said. “It’s our job to cover those guys whether it’s in Cover 2, man or whatever.”‘

‘This isn’t a novel thing, the Bills blowing a game on the road. They’ve been doing it since the start of the millennium. But considering the circumstances, this might be the toughest road defeat since Home Run Throwback.’

‘”He’s been so good all year, you’re almost startled when he missed,” Bills coach Dick Jauron said of Lindell, who entered the game having made 11 of 12 field-goal attempts.’

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‘Lindell’s miss wasn’t the only reason the Bills lost the game. Buffalo got only 83 yards passing from J.P. Losman, and went backwards almost each time they got a sniff of the Indianapolis end zone, finishing with a woeful minus-eight yards inside the Colts’ 20-yard-line.’

‘”It’s a very painful loss, to come in here and be that close and not to take it at the end,” coach Dick Jauron said. “The guys played awfully hard. We played close to the kind of game that we needed to play, I thought, to win it. We just didn’t play right up to where we needed to be to win it.”‘

‘Wide right. Two of the most dreaded words in the Buffalo sports lexicon.’