Archives for September 30, 2008

‘Barnes’ release comes after he sprained his right foot in Buffalo’s 24-23 win over Oakland on Sept. 21 and missed last weekend’s game at St. Louis.’

‘McIntyre may have been viewed by the Bills as a more valuable commodity than Barnes due to his versatility on special teams where he’s played on all four units and served as a special teams captain.’

‘Winning your first four games, an accomplishment Buffalo achieved with Sunday’s 31-14 win in St. Louis, does not guarantee a great season. Over the nearly half-century since the creation of the current Bills, though, it comes pretty close.’

‘”It’s big for a guy the caliber of Stroud to come out, and somebody else to step in and make plays,” Johnson said. “There can’t be a drop-off there, and that’s what we think we have here. That’s what we know we have here.”‘

‘Now, if the blockers can get their act together during the first 15 minutes instead of the third, the Bills can maintain a lead both late and early. That will make the afternoon that much more enjoyable for that much longer.’

‘”We were our own worst enemy in the first half,” Bills middle linebacker Paul Posluszny said. “But in the second half, we made some adjustments and just stopped making the mistakes that hurt us earlier in the game.”‘

‘OK, I’m getting carried away. They’ve had an easy schedule. All four of their opponents were compromised by injury or a coaching crisis. Now they might catch Arizona without Anquan Boldin, who leads the NFL in TD receptions. But they’re winning games and learning how to finish.’

‘Like Barnes, McIntyre is a journeyman who played for three teams during his four years in the league. The 6-foot, 258-pounder was the Atlanta Falcons’ special teams captain last season. The Falcons cut him at the end of training camp.’

‘”We’ll know more after today,” Jauron said. “He was uncomfortable today. He’s not getting around very well. We’ll just have to see where this goes.”‘

‘"We tend to forget how young he is in the NFL game," said Jauron. "He missed almost the whole year a year go, but he’s really playing well. He’s getting more and more in command of our schemes and making all the calls and the adjustments. He’s one of many guys who we like having on this team."’

‘Other than the opener against Seattle, we’ve yet to see a complete 60-minute game from these Bills, but we know they’re capable.’

‘”There’s ‘wide right,’ four straight Super Bowl losses, the ‘Music City Miracle’ – there’s just too many instances of heartbreak to get fully emotionally involved in the team this early in the season. And they haven’t yet played a full four quarters of good football yet.”‘

‘Still, Bills fans have been burned, and the reluctance of some to give their hearts away to another group is understandable. If they just remember the journey can be almost as much fun as the final destination, then once again, the emotional investment will be well worth it. So why not put on the red, blue and white paint and have some fun!’

‘McIntyre has played one season each with the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, where he was special teams captain last year. The Falcons released him at the end of training camp.’

‘”Really, honestly, I think it comes from the last couple of years of losing a lot of close games and learning from it,” Evans said Monday. “We’re having a lot of fun doing it.”‘