Archives for November 2006

‘Buffalo’s cornerbacks are more than capable of defending Jacksonville’s receivers with man-to-man coverage. After a strong performance last week that demanded a lot of man coverage against a mobile quarterback, the Bills corners may be asked to do a good bit of that again to enable Buffalo to put eight defenders in the box to defend the Jaguars’ potent rushing attack.’

‘Marcus Stroud and John Henderson of the Jacksonville Jaguars form one of the most dominant defensive tackle tandems in the NFL. Their massive presence inside is a big reason the Jaguars are ranked third in total defense and sixth against the run heading into Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.’

‘New England’s Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney combined for 159 of the Patriots’ 183 yards in the opener. Chicago’s Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson rolled up 157 yards. Indianapolis’ Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes totaled 150 yards. Houston’s Samkon Gado and Wali Lundy had 130 yards to spearhead a 188-yard attack.’

‘If you count third and 1 or 2, the Bills are 12 of 26, or 46.1 percent. That’s the third lowest percentage in the league, according to the NFL. Carolina (42.1) and San Francisco (45.4) are lower.’

‘”That’s just my personality,” Evans said in reference to the sideshows that players like Johnson, Terrell Owens and Randy Moss (remember him?) perform after they score. “Other guys do their thing as a way to express themselves, so that’s how they do it. You can’t be mad at somebody for that. I don’t do it, it’s not my thing.”‘

‘”J.P. has improved every week, and that’s not saying that he’s played well every week because he hasn’t,” Buffalo coach Dick Jauron said. “We’ve had weeks where it just didn’t go our way at all, and he contributed to that. But I do feel like – even in weeks when he hasn’t played well – that he’s learned from his mistakes and that’s really encouraging. “He’s a young quarterback, and you know that we’re going to suffer through some tough times with him.”‘

‘The Pittsburgh native, who now lives in New York, was in town to help raise awareness of and money for LifePath, a Bethlehem nonprofit that cares for more than 1,200 children and adults at Ridge Crest and more than 80 other locations in the Lehigh Valley and southeastern Pennsylvania.’

Buffalo QB gets wings (Florida Times Union)

Jags don’t want ‘MNF’ hangover (Florida Times Union)

‘Unknown’ talent steps in for Darius (Orlando Sentinel)

‘Quarterback J.P. Losman, who was struggling badly entering the game, dropped back to throw 41 times (including three sacks) and passed for 340 yards and three touchdowns. He and receiver Lee Evans, frankly, were why the Bills improved to 4-6.’

‘Bills 17 Jags 14.’

‘Jacksonville wins 23-13.’

‘McGahee said he’s still experiencing minor soreness. He added he felt fine after taking a few hits in practice while carrying the ball and in blocking situations.’

‘”We told the players this week that pass protection is a product of everybody,” said offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild. “It’s Robert Royal and the backs blocking, it’s J.P. (Losman) throwing on time, it’s a receiver being where he’s supposed to be. Obviously we’ve struggled in that area and we need to get better.”‘

‘Perhaps the most interesting thing about Marv Levy is that he started a new job this year as General Manager of the Buffalo Bills at age 80. And, of course, he was hired by 88 year-old Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson. Certainly Ralph C. Wilson Jr. and Marv Levy are proving that todays ’80s are yesterday’s 60s.’

‘”I did a lot,” he said after the Buffalo Bills completed practice Wednesday at Ralph Wilson Stadium. “I was probably a little winded, but other than that I participated pretty good. I did better than I expected I’d do. I’m all right. It’s painful, but hey, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”‘