Archives for December 2009

‘”Personally, I haven’t really played up to my standards,” said Owens. “As I’ve said all year long there are a lot of things that factor into that, but at this point it is what it is. I’ve tried to remain focused and positive and tried to go out on a winning note. That’s the best you can do at this point because you know you’re not going to the playoffs.”‘

‘ Well, it’s sort of like assessing how a car missing its wheels drives. The kid had no blocking, no running game, lazy receivers and was handed a conservative game plan from the coaches. Engine runs, but the car isn’t going anywhere.’

‘The Colts are treading dangerous ground here. You can’t just turn it on and off in the NFL. By shutting their stars down for two weeks (three counting the first-round bye), you have to wonder if they will lose their competitive edge.’

‘The Colts are far from perfect. They’re not deep. They’re overly reliant on a handful of elite players. They have a fragile defense, an average run game, a narrow margin of error. The fact they got to 14-0 is a tribute to Manning and an indictment of a watered-down NFL.’

‘"Fitz was close Sunday, but just couldn’t protect himself with turns and things like that," said Fewell. "He has until Wednesday and we think he’ll be better on Wednesday. We just have to see him practice."’

‘Without a running game, Brohm — who has been a Bill for just six weeks and knows only the basics of the offense — was ill-equipped to move the ball through the air as the Buffalo offensive line can’t hold up in protection long enough to give any quarterback time to throw. The Falcons blitzed Brohm frequently in difficult down-and-distance situations, and the only thing that worked even remotely were short passes into the flat.’

‘Not a good day for head coach Perry Fewell. His decision to punt late in the first half from the Falcons 37 was lame, and kicking a field goal in the third quarter down 24-0 was even worse. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt tried to devise a short passing game for Brohm, but the Bills are just inept on offense and nothing really worked, especially once the running game was stymied by Atlanta.’

‘Owens caught some flak for trimming his fingernails on the sideline during a break in the action. The CBS announcers, Bill Macatee and Steve Beuerlein, poked some fun at T.O. when the cameras focused in on what he was doing, and he was perturbed by the fuss. “What about it? What’s new?” he said. “They’re going to make a big deal out of that, let ’em make a big deal out of it. It’s nothing new. My nails were too long, what about it? You guys want to nitpick at everything I do? Find something else to talk about. It’s pointless. Sometimes you get hangnails or the ball bends your fingernail back so that’s why I felt like I needed to cut them. It’s part of football. Anybody want to nitpick about it, go ahead. What’s new?” Of course, Owens could have cut his nails before the game, right?’

‘Their hopes that Brian Brohm would represent an upgrade at quarterback over Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick went unrealized.’

‘”Dude,” T.O. likes to say, “that’s not what I play for.”‘

‘”Fitzpatrick is still day to day in his pursuit to get back,” said interim head coach Perry Fewell Monday. “We just have to evaluate that. We expect him to practice on Wednesday. But we’ll just have to see him.”‘

‘Saying “we think he’ll be better,” interim head coach Perry Fewell was optimistic that Fitzpatrick can play on Sunday after missing one game, a 31-3 loss to Atlanta this past weekend. With Fitzpatrick and backup Trent Edwards both nursing ankle injuries, the Bills (5-10) started Brian Brohm, a second-year player, who made his NFL debut against the Falcons.’

‘”When you get sacks you always feel good about it. But like I’ve told you it’s sort of a silly stat. It doesn’t guarantee a win, it doesn’t do anything like that,” Schobel said. “It’s almost better to get a pressure that forces a quarterback to throw and get an interception.”‘

‘"I know fans are frustrated, coaches are frustrated, players are frustrated, but I just don’t think there was any laying down," defensive tackle Kyle Williams said.’

‘Dick Jauron could have made both those calls. Fewell is part of the old, and this team needs a lot of new.’