Archives for September 2009

‘Buffalo did a lot of things well, but got a shocking loss.’

‘Buffalo sat out wide receiver Steve Johnson, defensive backs Ellis Lankster and Drayton Florence, linebacker Ashlee Palmer, tackle Kirk Chambers, tight end Derek Fine and defensive end Chris Ellis. Gibran Hamdan was the third quarterback.’

‘”We got the fumble out on the previous kickoff, we just didn’t get it,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said. “It’s a situation where you’re behind you’re always looking to pull the ball out. It was a head’s up play.”‘

‘Brady tosses another touchdown pass to Ben Watson for 16 yards to take the lead 25-24. They were unsuccessful with the 2-point conversion, but left the Bills just 50 seco0nds to playcatch for the first time in the game.’

‘I have no — let me be clear, zero — problem with him taking the kick out of the end zone with his team up 24-19. There was 2:06 to go, and he could eliminate the two-minute warning. But to not go down when hit, like you’re going to break four consecutive tackles with one hand on the ball? Did Bobby April not relay the “Don’t fumble” message? You have got to be kidding me. This team continues to find ways to slice open my soul and pour battery acid into it.’

‘”That group of guys got out there and fought for sixty minutes,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “It tears my heart out that that’s the way the game ends. You’ve got to finish. You’ve got to finish games in this league particularly against teams as talented as this team is with the experience they have. You’ve got to tip your hat to them, but just an awful feeling in that locker room.”‘

‘The Bills found another way to lose in heartbreaking fashion as they lost again on Monday night by a 25-24 loss and in the same terrible fashion as they did against Dallas in 2007. The Bills had a 24-13 lead when Fred Jackson scored on a 10 yard pass with 5:32 to go. The Patriots scored two touchdowns in 1:16 seconds sandwiched between a Leodis McKelvin fumbled kick return when the Bills were looking for an onside kick.’

‘Coaching: Grade B: Did better than anyone expected but got to give Jauron a shot at the mental softness of this team.’

‘When asked about that offensive line situation, facing an experienced team like the Patriots, Jauron admitted, “There’s a lot of worry. (But) you worry about everything though in this position (as head coach). So yeah you worry about it. I think we’ve come a long way and we’ll find out (tonight) how far we’ve come. It’s not going to be easy.”‘

‘Belichick is 16-3 all-time against Buffalo, including 0-1 in Cleveland, and has won 11 straight. But during his mid-week conference call with the Bills’ media, he showed as much reverence for tonight’s opponent as he would in a meeting with the World Champion Steelers.’

‘When scanning through the major preseason NFL publications, it was rare to find an analyst forecast even a .500 record for Buffalo. Among Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News and ESPN: The Magazine, none had the Bills finishing better than 6-10. All three of those well-respected magazines projected a second, last-place AFC East finish in a row.’

‘Stupar returned to the practice squad on Sept. 6 after being released a day earlier. The 6-3, 254-pound Virginia product spent the first 12 weeks of the 2008 season on Buffalo’s practice squad before being promoted to the 53-man roster on Nov. 28.’

‘The move was necessary to bolster the tight end position as Derek Fine is out for tonight’s game due to a hamstring injury. It would have left the Bills with just a pair of healthy tight ends for the game in Derek Schouman and rookie Shawn Nelson.’

‘Patriots 33 Bills 13.’

‘”Xavier has been running like he’s been running all year in our OTAs and our preseason,” said Jauron. “He’s run well, found the holes, stayed low, showed power, moved some people. He’s made some people miss. I’ve been really pleased with Xavier Omon.”‘