‘Most notably of all, Buffalo made the weather a drawback for the host. Combine that with the huge patches of Bills fans who didn’t mind a few hours of heat pain if it meant supporting their guys, and this team played like it had the home-field advantage.’
Archives for September 2008
No sweat
‘It was methodical and efficient. There was not a single moment of panic or confusion. They were calm and organized at the line of scrimmage. It was textbook quarterbacking under pressure against a playoff-caliber defense.’
Jackson in action for career-best day
‘”We look at Fred as just a very valuable 1-2 punch, he and Marshawn,” Bills head coach Dick Jauron said. “We think the world of him. We know he’s got talents in a lot of different areas and you saw them today. He makes plays. He’s got a great feel for the game, a tough guy. He’s just a really good football player.”‘
Schonert’s play-calling builds Bills’ confidence
‘Here we are, two games into a new NFL season, and I can’t think of a single negative thing to say about the Bills’ offensive coordinator.’
Hardy able to catch on with critical TD
‘”It’s easy to say throw it high, but until you’re actually in the situation and have to throw it high it’s pretty hard to do,” Edwards said. “James ran a great route, the two underneath [defenders] dropped off on him. It was just a matter of throwing it up high.”‘
Bills-Jaguars Report Card
‘Well prepared for the Florida heat, continued to attack on both sides of the ball and showed the mentality of a contender. Biggest road win for the team in many years.’
Jump start
‘The Buffalo Bills’ offense was not known for flying out of the gate last season. The Bills scored on their opening drive in three out of 16 games last season. They also gave up a sack in six of 16 games. So it was a welcome sign when they marched 82 yards in 11 plays after the opening kickoff to set the tone for Sunday’s game.’
Show stoppers
‘Good red-zone defense has been a staple of Dick Jauron’s tenure in Buffalo. The Bills’ defense rose up for big stops inside its own 20 at the start and end of the second quarter.’
Gambling Jags
‘Bills coach Dick Jauron said special teams coach Bobby April anticipated the tactic during preparations this week. “I can’t tell you how many times we ran it during the week,” Jauron said. “They just do a very good job of it. Jon [Corto] was the first one to it but just couldn’t field it cleanly.”‘
Sealing the deal
‘The Bills outscored the Jaguars 10-0 the rest of the way and held the ball for 10:44 over the final 15 minutes.’
Hardy’s catch clutch for Buffalo Bills
‘"I just wanted to go up and make the play," said Hardy, who finished the day with the first two receptions of his NFL career, totaling 12 yards. "Trent put it in the right spot and I just wanted to be able to come down with the ball and I was able to do that."’
Edwards’ act starting to win over skeptics
‘I’m always leery when it comes to the Bills. They’ve teased us before and I’ve learned to show restraint when things start looking good. In fact history says that the last two times they started 2-0 (2000 and 2003) they missed the playoffs. But this is starting to look a little different. This team might have something that recent Bills’ teams haven’t had: A competent quarterback who seems to be getting better every week, rather than stagnating or sliding back.’
The Buffalo Bills have some respect coming their way
‘It is not a stretch to think they can enter their bye week with a 5-0 record.’
Key plays, impact players and quotes from Buffalo Bills’ victory
‘Bills QB Trent Edwards: The learning curve for the second-year QB is starting to accelerate. He had one of the best games of his career as he completed 20 of 25 passes (career-best 80 percent and tied for fifth-best in team history) for 239 yards and led the Bills on a crisp game-winning TD drive in the fourth quarter.’
Buffalo Bills’ report card
‘With each game he plays, Trent Edwards seems to be more and more comfortable with his duties as an NFL quarterback.’