Archives for November 2009

‘Let’s start with something positive and go from there; don’t worry, this won’t take long.’

The Houston Texans overcame three first quarter turnovers, including two more interceptions by Jairus Byrd, and took control of the game in the second half to beat the Bills 31-10. The already depleted defense lost Aaron Schobel and Keith Ellison to injuries and the overmatched unit just wore out in the second half as little known RB Ryan Moats ran for three fourth quarter touchdowns and 126 yards.

‘Dick Jauron has yet to find an identity for his offense at the season’s halfway point. Alex Van Pelt used more motion in this game to little success. They faked Owens on a reverse on way too many plays. Perry Fewell’s defense tried to hang in there but wilted in the end. Bobby April’s fake punt was one move too many. It basically took the Bills out of the game and it was the wrong call to do a reverse there. Grade D: Too much work for this team to do over the bye week.’

‘The Bills took a 10-6 lead into the locker room at halftime, but Buffalo’s offense could not put a sustained drive together in the second half. Ryan Fitzpatrick and company went three-and-out on their first two second half possessions. In the fourth quarter in an attempt to lengthen their third offensive series Buffalo went for it on 4th-and-2 at their own 40-yard line, but the attempted end around failed giving the ball to Houston on downs.’

‘Bills FS Jairus Byrd and Texans LB Brian Cushing have both hit the ground running and been productive in their short time on an NFL field.’

‘Houston ranks third in the NFL in passing. The Bills are 28th.’

‘Bills, 23-20.’

‘"A lot of it comes from my father," Jairus said. "He’s done this before. So I’ve got to follow what he’s done. He’s been a great example to me growing up on how to be a man, and how to carry myself, the things a man does."’

‘The ongoing argument among restless fans is, "How many bad teams are there in the NFL and which one is the worst?" Despite their two road victories in succession, which came under bizarre circumstances, the Bills remain a candidate.’

‘"I think that it says a lot about the team and our head coach in terms of the resiliency," said Fitzpatrick. "We are fighting, we are pushing, and that is the kind of guys we have in this locker room."’

‘Are the Bills truly on a roll, or has the two-game win streak been a tease?’

‘”[The past two games] have not been pretty at times obviously, but we made the plays that had to be made to win the games,” Bills offensive co-ordinator Alex Van Pelt said. “The defence has done a great job keeping us in it for the last three weeks and that is huge for us. We still have to execute better. We are leaving a lot out there on the table right now. As we get going, hopefully we will have one of those games where everything comes together for us consistently on offence.”‘

Confronting Buffalo curse (Houston Chronicle)