Archives for December 3, 2009

‘When asked if he’d prefer to play tonight’s game at “The Ralph,” wide receiver Lee Evans admitted, “Absolutely. A lot of people made a big deal last year because it was the Dolphins up there instead of here. But the reality of it is, it’s a division game, and it’s going to be a tough game regardless of where you play it. Obviously we’d like to have them in Ralph Wilson Stadium, but regardless of where it is, you still have to play well to win."’

‘Bills fan Matt Irving grabbed a few of the freebies Sunday. Friend and fellow Bills loyalist Joshua Fitzgerald scanned a copy and posted it on the fan message board at TwoBillsDrive.com.’

‘Neutralize Thomas Jones: Completely shutting down the Jets’ feature back might be a bit unrealistic, but if they can hold Thomas Jones to around 100 yards and not give up any long runs, similar to their performance last week they’ll have a good chance of coming out on top. Yes, Ricky Williams rushed for 115 yards last week, but his longest carry went for just 11. That kind of performance by Buffalo’s run defense could be enough to put the Bills in position to win.’

‘Many a cry has been made for the Bills to consider Bill Cowher, and those cries are appropriate. He is a leader and when he speaks, the locker room listens. Plus, his experience just gleams success.’

‘The atmosphere: Maybe it’s the lack of widespread alcohol- fueled tailgating. Or the more polite nature of the Canadian sports fan. Or the lack of passionate rooting. Whatever the reason, the atmosphere hasn’t seem charged for the two previous Bills games, according to multiple reports.’

‘"Fans have to come in and decide that they’re going to cheer for the home team," Wilson continued, "and we have to come out and give the fans a spark and something to cheer for as opposed to coming out flat and have everyone turn against us."’

‘But if you have cable in the Rochester market, you’re not allowed to watch tonight’s game on your own TV.’

‘Does Perry Fewell have any more tricks up his sleeve? The interim head coach has showed an aggressive nature in his first two games, particularly last week against Miami. Is that because he’s trying to impress the Bills’ hierarchy, or is this who he is?’

‘"I just think the players had an attitude," he said of Sunday’s wild finish. "We’ve been talking about finishing. We’ve been practicing to finish offensively, defensively and special-teams wise and that’s what we did. We were very fortunate that the guys rose up to the challenge."’

‘The Bills were flat out fortunate to edge the Jets with an overtime field goal in October and will need a much better offensive game to earn the series sweep. The Jets held a 414-296 edge in yardage, including 318-142 on the ground, but they gave the game away with 14 penalties and six interceptions. QB Mark Sanchez will be much more careful with the ball this time around and coach Rex Ryan a lot less likely to abandon the run if it’s working. As it proved against Miami last Sunday, Buffalo’s defense can take a game over in the fourth quarter if it has been rested. Putting together some well-balanced, clock-eating drives early by the offense will be critical. The Jets are without star NT Kris Jenkins, who was injured against Buffalo, and establishing the run will be a lot easier. Buffalo still needs to be sharp as the Jets still boast the league’s No. 2 overall defense that beat up Carolina last Sunday with four interceptions.’

‘After playing two games in Toronto last season, including a preseason contest, the Bills have their Toronto routine down, which is about the only "home-field" edge they have. Otherwise, this is a neutral-site game with the majority of fans in Toronto NFL fans and not necessarily Buffalo fans. That was clearly evident last year when Miami had just as many supporters during their 16-3 victory. "We know that there’s a lot of fans up there that are pulling for us but there’s also a lot of fans up there that are just fans of the league and fans of the game, so we’ll just have to see how it works out," WR Lee Evans said.’

‘"We’re here to set a new future. And, our new future is the New York Jets and this (AFC East) divisional game."’

‘Peter Morris, OFSAA’s project coordinator responsible for football, said Wednesday the tickets were made available through sponsors and were intended for players, coaches, volunteers and others involved in the recent series of high school Bowl games.’

‘”If we can get the New York Jets, we’ll move on to the next one. The past is the past for us. We’re here to set a new future.”‘