Archives for December 2009

‘Scalpers were feeling neglected before the game, though, indicating they’d part with their ducats for considerably less than (pricey) face value but finding few takers. One sidewalk entrepreneur said the market had been saturated by giveaways and promotional tickets.’

‘And while Rogers Centre was another sellout for the game, there was no doubting that the crowd, unlike last year’s indifferent gathering, was solidly behind the Bills.’

‘Outside, on the streets surrounding the Rogers Centre in the hour before the Buffalo Bills played the New York Jets last night, it wasn’t wildly atmospheric. A lot of the bells and whistles laid on last year by organizers, the huge hospitality tents and such, were dramatically scaled back, and of course anyone attempting to tailgate on their own had to remain extremely discrete or else deal with local constabulary (a half hour before kickoff, a couple of cops-on-bikes were diligently questioning a group of irresponsible youths, who may or may not have been smoking illegal substances, almost at the door of the dome).’

‘Why on Earth would any right-minded person become a fan of the Buffalo Bills now? There are plenty of people in Toronto who love the NFL, but Buffalo is just one of 32 teams. And, frankly, not a terribly appealing one.’

‘"They definitely had some good plays there where they got a lot of cutback yards," said Bills middle linebacker Paul Posluszny. "We’re a fast-flow defense. We try to get downhill as fast as we can. Sometimes the ball does come back. We have to be disciplined."’

‘But whether it was deep balls or short throws, everywhere Owens went Revis was right there to disrupt the play.’

‘The Bills are looking for a head coach, in case you’ve forgotten. This was a chance to dazzle any prospective employees out in the field. But if Ralph Wilson is looking to find a quality coach, and perhaps some good personnel people, this was a pretty sorry want ad for Buffalo Bills football.’

‘”They had a really good scheme,” said Bills coach Perry Fewell. “They did some things a little bit differently than they did the first time and we didn’t tackle well in the first half. We missed some opportunities to get off the field and they got some drives going, which let them continue to run the ball and pound the ball at us.”‘

‘Run defense: Looked like an extension of the game in October. Gave up repeated runs of 10-plus yards. Greene the latest young back to exploit this run ‘D’. Grade: D.’

‘And as the Bills have proven time and again since Jim Kelly left, a mediocre-to-poor quarterback is a surefire recipe for missing the postseason.’

‘While sitting at St. Louis Wings and Ribs, a restaurant across the street from Rogers Centre, roughly 20 percent of the patrons were wearing Bills gear, 30 percent were wearing gang green and the other 50 percent were talking about the Maple Leafs’ road game at Columbus against the Blue Jackets in the National Hockey League.’

Jets Gain Some Hope but Lose Sanchez (New York Times)

Rex irked as Mark hurts knee on dive (New York Post)

Stickin’ it to Braylon (New York Post)

Revis dominates Owens — again (New York Post)

Jets’ Jones hits 1,000-yard mark for 5th straight season (New York Post)

Ignoring Joe Girardi’s advice, Mark Sanchez hurts knee, jeopardizes season in New York Jets’ win (New York Daily News)

Mark Sanchez puts season, New York Jets’ playoff chances in doubt and deserves dunce cap (New York Daily News)

Jets get big win, but did they lose Sanchez? (New York Newsday)

Ryan furious Sanchez didn’t slide and got hurt (New York Newsday)

NY Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez injures knee in 19-13 victory over Buffalo Bills (Newark Star Ledger)

NY Jets running back Thomas Jones eclipses 1,000-yard mark in 19-13 victory over Buffalo Bills (Newark Star Ledger)

NY Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis shuts down Bills receiver Terrell Owens again (Newark Star Ledger)

Mark Sanchez hurt in Jets’ victory (Bergen Record)

Jets QB Sanchez hurts right knee against Bills (AP)

Jets QB Sanchez leaves game with knee injury (The Sports Network)

Jets Run Again, Top Bills, 19-13, in Canada (NewYorkJets.com)

‘”We just didn’t get it done, bottom line,” Fewell said. “But we had an opportunity to win the football game in the fourth quarter.”‘

‘”(The Jets) have a good defensive scheme,” Bills head coach Perry Fewell said. “They brought a lot of pressure on our offensive line, we didn’t handle the pressure very good. Our third down conversions were not very good; we converted only 1-of-11 on third down, and when you don’t convert on third down, you don’t have a good night.”‘

‘Down by six points, Buffalo still had a chance to pull out a win when got the ball back with under three minutes to play, however Ryan Fitzpatrick was intercepted by Darrelle Revis on a long pass down the near sideline that was intended for Terrell Owens.’