Archives for October 2008

‘Well, the statement has been made. It’s clear and resounding, like the plaintive voice of the preacher, like a gunshot in the night. The Bills are for real, a legitimate force in the league, a young team that’s capable of big things this year.’

‘”It was a play we worked on in practice,” Mitchell said. “No. 86 [Brandon Manumaleuna], the tight end, ran a crossing route and I knew to look to No. 85 [Antonio Gates]. … That’s just the play that we worked on. They didn’t run it all game and we finally got it and I was supposed to make a play on it so I did.”‘

‘According to New York State Electric & Gas, the problems were caused by helium-filled party balloons that tangled in power lines that serve the stadium. The balloons also affected a second service line. NYSEG had to deal with a pole fire about a mile from the stadium that caused another interruption. Randy Edwards, NYSEG’s regional public relations manager, said the company is investigating the incident.’

‘Both teams were called for delay of game despite the fact the quarterback had no view of a play clock. Rivers was livid that he did not get a heads-up from the officials that the clock was winding down. We don’t blame him.’

‘Lee Evans did his best David Tyree impersonation to put the Bills in the lead at halftime. The Bills’ star wideout made a great one-handed catch along the right side of the end zone with 5:20 left in the second quarter to put Buffalo ahead, 10-7.’

‘The exclamation point of the third quarter came with 40 seconds to play, when Marshawn Lynch ran 9 yards around right end for a touchdown to put the Bills ahead, 20-14.’

‘For a change, the Bills entered the fourth quarter with a lead. Could the defense hold it? The answer was a resounding yes.’

‘Coaching: A: Terrific in all phases. Jauron had team well-motivated. Coordinators Fewell and Schonert clearly made the most of the bye week.’

‘So much for the supposed edge the Chargers were going to have at quarterback. Rivers came in as the No. 1 passer in the league with a rating of 109.4, yet he lost two fumbles and threw a calamitous interception with 6 minutes left that may have cost his team the victory.’

‘”In the midst of dealing with the problem that was caused by the balloons, about a mile from the stadium there was a pole fire that caused an additional brief interruption,” Edwards said.’

‘”We are gaining a lot of confidence,” he said. “This definitely is a statement game for us. We can look back on it and say we played a pretty good opponent and beat them by nine points. You never know. We may face them later in the year.”‘

‘So while helium balloons errantly released into power lines caused Sunday’s electrical problems, Bills coach Dick Jauron should send Mitchell a balloon-a-gram today. His team is 5-1 with as good a claim to representing the AFC in the Super Bowl as anybody in this season of unrepentant parity.’

‘One of the sure signs of a good team is winning in the face of adversity. The Bills faced some adversity Sunday, but they were able to overcome it because they now have a deeper pool of players who can make meaningful contributions on game day, and that might be the most notable aspect about this statement victory.’

‘Bills LB Kawika Mitchell: The free agent acquisition had been relatively quiet the past few games, and hadn’t done a whole lot in this game, but what a fourth quarter he had with an interception and a forced fumble – two plays that cemented the victory.’

‘Dick Jauron’s staff did a fine job adjusting to injuries and a power outage at the stadium that knocked out their headsets and hampered communications. They didn’t miss a beat. Turk Schonert called a near perfect game (32 runs, 30 passes) and attacked the soft middle of San Diego’s defense. Perry Fewell stayed aggressive and got pressure on Rivers that paid off with two big turnovers. With a 5-1 record, anything’s possible for these upstart Bills.’