Archives for November 14, 2006

‘"I knew and saw what we were doing and it was there," said special teams coordinator Bobby April of the kick return unit’s potential. "But we just weren’t precise enough. I really felt if they just believed in themselves and what we were doing that it would come around. And Terrence is a tremendous returner. He makes things go, but he’s also been the beneficiary of good blocking. The guys have blocked well."’

‘It wasn’t as heartbreaking as Scott Norwood missing a field goal in Super Bowl XXV, but Buffalo kicker Ryan Lindell left Bills fans feeling a little nauseated on Sunday.’

‘"She wants to drop the whole thing," Gaughan said. "She said she didn’t want an order of protection; she wasn’t hurt, didn’t require medical attention and just wants the matter to go away."’

‘There’s a chance Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn will be available when the Buffalo Bills are on the clock in this year’s NFL draft. Same goes for Ohio State’s Troy Smith, and Louisville’s Brian Brohm. Here’s five words of advice for the Bills: Don’t even think about it.’

‘Here’s a closer look at what went wrong on four offensive drives…’.

‘Right guard Chris Villarrial left Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts in the third quarter with an injured ankle, the same ankle tendon that caused him to miss two games earlier this season. If Villarrial can’t play Sunday when the Bills take on the Houston Texans, second-year lineman Duke Preston will probably start at right guard.’

‘”When a team is able to give you the ball in those great situations, we have to take advantage,” said Losman, who has had less than 100 net yards passing in three of his last five games. “They (defense and special teams) did everything possible to help this offense be successful, and we need to pick it up. It starts with me making plays and managing the team. I don’t have the answers. If there were easy answers, we’d fix it.”‘

‘The more I see of him, the less I believe that will ever happen.’

‘It all comes down to smart decisions involving an unpredictable commodity, which is a human being playing a tough game with a funny-shaped ball. No, there’s no proof that Levy and Jauron have a championship formula, but their research lab is open 24/7. They won’t say it, but they know what they need to win: J.P. Losman proving he’s a better-than-average quarterback, another wide receiver, two more offensive linemen, another tight end, another defensive tackle and a healthy Takeo Spikes at linebacker.’

‘How bad are things offensively? “It’s glaring. We need to pick up our part,” Losman said.’

‘QB J.P. Losman attempted just 12 passes, completing eight for 83 yards and no touchdowns. There were no interceptions, but the Bills’ play-calling was very conservative, a reflection on how little faith there is in Losman to get the job done and the offensive line to protect him.’

‘The Bills fell to 1-4 in games decided by eight points or fewer this season. The Colts, meanwhile, are 7-0 in such games. Indianapolis is 31-3 the past four seasons against teams with losing records. Said DT Larry Tripplett, who played his first four NFL seasons with the Colts before signing with Buffalo as a free agent last offseason: “We had a great game plan coming in here, but it’s tough against those guys. You’ve got to play pretty close to perfect to beat them. Their whole thing is execution. The plays they run, they want to execute better than anybody else.”‘

‘For the Bills to have a chance at a second-half resurgence, their top two CBs will need to continue performing well. Neither Clements nor McGee have intercepted a single pass this year, which obviously isn’t going to get the job done.’

‘The real problem now, starting at Houston next Sunday, is that the Bills can not continue to virtually eliminate risk, and especially in the red zone, to give their team a chance to win. Against the Colts, the Bills ran 11 plays in the red zone and had a MINUS 8 yards. Losman did not throw a SINGLE pass into the end zone. Not one.’

‘Hamburg Town Prosecutor Dennis Gaughan said Monday he will make the recommendation after receiving a letter from Whitner’s girlfriend requesting the charge dropped. Gaughan said the girlfriend, who has returned home to Ohio, also wrote she did not require medical attention after police were called to Whitner’s home in suburban Buffalo on Nov. 5.’