Archives for October 20, 2009

‘Owens is rarely double-covered – the myth notwithstanding – and hasn’t gotten near the separation that marked his younger days. His greatest attributes now are size and strength … he’s effectively a big possession receiver.’

‘The blossoming Byrd will have to keep up the good work for a team that has been beset by injuries on defense during its 2-4 start. “He makes unbelievable plays on the ball and terrific ball skills,” said Jauron of the Oregon product, “Just a really good player.”‘

‘A shake-up is needed and since Ralph Wilson won’t fire Dick Jauron, this will have to do.’

‘Everyone could just tell by looking at the Buffalo sideline how thrilled this team was to win a game like this, when no one gave them a chance. These types of games have not gone the Bills way for a long time, and they found a way to hang together and pull out a stunner.’

‘”I thought it was great,” Van Pelt said. “I actually liked it. I came down for a few reasons, one to communicate faster to the quarterback. Two to talk to the quarterback in person and make sure we’re seeing things the same way.”‘

‘"Hunter’s legacy will live on through this program," said Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, a co-sponsor of the bill. "While Jim Kelly is routinely remembered in Western New York for his passes on the football field, his leadership pushing for passage of the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act is arguably his greatest victory – one that children and families will benefit from for generations to come."’

‘"We were upset with the amount of rushing yards they had, but the vast majority was on just two plays," said middle linebacker Paul Posluszny, whose return from a broken arm did little to shore up the run defense. "On both of those plays we knew we just made mistakes. We got out of our gaps and we knew it was something we could easily correct."’

‘But let’s not get carried away. Fitzpatrick is an average quarterback, a backup. He’s not leading anyone to the promised land. He reminds me of Kelly Holcomb, a serviceable but limited backup who briefly roused the masses simply because he was an alternative to the other guy (in that case, J.P. Losman).’

‘Anybody that’s injured, you’re really concerned for him and Trent’s no different," Jauron said. "We’ll take that day to day and just see how he comes out of this thing."’

‘It will be interesting to see who gets the bulk of the first-team snaps on Wednesday. Typically, NFL teams want their starter to get about 80 percent of the reps during the week and if Fitzpatrick is the lead guy, he would probably start.’

‘That’s two straight weeks of just dreadful football the Bills have been involved with. They’re like a plague, infecting all they come in contact with. The Jets and Bills were a combined 8 of 31 on third down, 0 of 4 in the red zone, and got flagged for 22 penalties. Opponents should be wearing surgical masks when they play Buffalo.’

‘Lombardi said the Bills typically go for undersized players, and that’s why they don’t hold up through a whole season. That theory makes more sense than the Bills simply having an incredibly bad string of luck over the past two years.’

‘Buffalo ranks last in the league against the run, allowing an average of 181.8 yards per game, 10 yards per game worse than 31st-ranked Tampa Bay.’

‘The Bills nearly blew this game with some questionable end-of-regulation strategy and Lindell missed a 46-yard field goal. The Bills let the clock run down rather than give a better effort to move the ball closer and it was costly. On the plus side, despite some obvious disappointments, the Bills kept fighting and rallied for a hard-fought victory. Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has to get the run defense on track because it’s horrible. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt did a nice job nursing Fitzpatrick through the game and splitting the running carries between Lynch and Jackson.’