Archives for September 2008

‘Despite the good news head coach Dick Jauron is choosing to reserve judgment until he sees how his starting fullback’s foot feels come Friday. “We’ll just see how things move along through the week,” said Jauron of Barnes’ condition.’

‘Coach Dick Jauron says Parrish was hurt during the fourth quarter of a 24-23 win over Oakland last weekend. Parrish continued playing and scored on a 14-yard catch, which cut the Raiders lead to 23-21 with 4 minutes left.’

‘Parrish suffered the injury in last week’s game and had surgery on the thumb Tuesday, which could keep him out until the Bills first meeting with the Patriots on Nov. 9. There is the benefit of a bye week in Week 6 for Parrish to recover.’

Bulger out, Green in (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

On the good ship Rams, there is no captain, no rudder, no hope (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

Linehan announces Green to start Sunday; Bulger off to a slow start (Belleville News Democrat)

With Bulger benched, it’s desperation time for 0-3 Rams (USA Today)

Rams will start Green on Sunday against Bills (AP)

Rams make change at QB (The Sports Network)

Rams Name Green Starting QB (StLouisRams.com)

‘"We have to show up this weekend in St. Louis," Bills running back Fred Jackson told me Monday. "A lot of people are going to say we’re supposed to win. They’re 0-3; we’re 3-0. But we know they can beat us just like New England got beat. It tells you to show up and play because they’re going to show up."’

‘”It shows the chemistry and character of this team,” said Bills defensive end Chris Kelsay, a sixth-year veteran who had a sack and a forced fumble against the Raiders. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve been on the other side of this situation many times, but this year’s there’s just something different about this team to find a way to get it done.”‘

‘Under former offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild, Bills quarterbacks weren’t given the chance to go downfield. Schonert is selecting his long calls wisely and they are working: Lee Evans, who is moving around on the line of scrimmage to draw away some double-coverage, is averaging better than 20 yards a catch. “We tried about six downfield throws against the Raiders,” Schonert said. “We had one completion called back and a couple that just missed. But we’re going to go deep.”’

‘”It’s kind of amazing, really,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “It’s his second week of training camp, actually less than that because we practice a lot more in training camp than we have now to get ready for games. Jason has played very well. He’s had a couple bad plays. Unfortunately, the bad plays hurt us, but other than that, he’s played pretty dominant football with very little practice. Our feeling is that he’s just going to get better as we move along.”‘

‘Peters got playing time without earning it thanks to his Pro Bowl stature, and it’s much easier to make him an example if he’s not going to live up to that. He can spend the ensuing weeks proving he deserves to start in Buffalo’s sixth contest instead of being extended the luxury of struggling during live games to the detriment of teammates who bothered to train. Like most grownups, they get a handful of weeks off per year, not numerous consecutive months; Peters can learn that harsh reality while still getting time to relax — on the next two Sunday afternoons.’

‘The Bills are the best in the NFL on third downs, allowing a mere 17.9 percent conversion percentage. Their success on third down has translated into success in the red zone. Opponents have only two touchdowns on eight trips inside the Bills’ 20-yard line, a 25 percent rate that is second best in the league.’

‘”A year ago, you look at it, and unfortunately, we weren’t on the right side of those games,” Reed said. “We just remember what that feeling was like.”‘

‘He might not have picked the best time, but his tackle sent a message: This is our house and you don’t pull that stuff here.’

‘”We want to use that same rage, everything that we felt at the time when we were losing and guys were beating up on us,” Whitner said. “We want to use that in our game. That’s how we show our attitude.”‘

‘”Everybody’s getting involved for us, and the players are seeing that,” said Schonert, whose offense ranks 9th overall in points, with 26 per game. “It’s not just a one-man show any more, throwing to Lee. We’re using everybody, and everybody’s making plays. When that happens for a team, everybody gains confidence and starts believing.”’

‘”Right when we’d get something going we’d have a penalty or a fumble or an interception or we had some big play that their offense made,” said Trent Edwards of Sunday’s game. “It didn’t really seem like everything was going in our direction. We could have sat there and thought it was just not our day and took it on the chin. But it goes back to our head coach.”‘