Archives for January 4, 2010

‘”We left at halftime,” he said. “To tell you the truth, we were cold. The game didn’t mean anything. . . . I was glad I could get home and get rid of that pile of clothing.”‘

‘”They were in a position where they could do whatever they wanted, and they could play their backups, but we played a lot of ours, too,” said Buffalo defensive tackle Kyle Williams, pointing out that only 12 Bills who started on opening night against New England four months ago started the season finale. “All I know is it’s a good win, and it was nice to give our fans something to cheer about; a good taste going into a new year.”‘

‘Bills fans may be hugely dissatisfied with their quarterbacks, but they can take solace in the fact that Curtis Painter isn’t on their team. Whoa, how is he collecting an NFL paycheck?’

‘The same goes for spotting Jim Kelly and Will Wolford visiting with Indianapolis Colts assistant coaches Frank Reich and Pete Metzelaars in the Buffalo Bills locker room, former teammates sharing a timeless bond.’

‘ Is Brian Brohm going to be glued to the bench? Yes, until the final two minutes when he was allowed to come onto the field and protect Fitzpatrick from having to take two dangerous kneeldowns. Fitzpatrick played a nice game against Indy’s backups, but wouldn’t it have been so much more prudent to get Brohm into this game, especially once the Bills opened a 24-7 halftime lead and it was clear the Colts were going through the motions? It was a wasted opportunity to get him some much-needed playing time.’

‘ It was all Fred Jackson all the time and deservedly so as Buffalo concentrated on getting him to the 1,000 yard mark for the season. He carried 33 times for a career-high 212 yards, giving him 1,062 for the year. He consistently burned the Colts on change-of-direction moves on the slick field. Marshawn “Can’t Get an Inch” Lynch is now officially trade bait.’

‘It could be argued that Buffalo’s loss to Tennessee in the Music City Miracle on Jan. 8, 2000, was an omen for what the rest of the decade would bring.’

‘A crowd of about 45,000 braved frigid temperatures and some heavy snow squalls to see the Bills finish their season 6-10. There were 69,848 tickets sold. Indianapolis, which pulled quarterback Peyton Manning early in the second quarter, dropped its second straight and fell to 14-2.’

‘”I feel like we haven’t played this well since the New England game to start the season,” rookie left guard Andy Levitre said. “The opening game of the year was pretty good for us, but other than that I thought we kind of struggled the whole year on offense, putting up points. It was a good way to end the season.”‘

‘Asked if he would return next season, Guy said, “My contract is up in May. I’m here now and I expect to be here.”‘

‘It’s still widely viewed as unlikely that Cowher will strike a deal with the Bills, for a variety of reasons. The Bills will be a big building job for any coach, they have no proven starting quarterback and they are one of the lower-spending teams in the NFL.’

‘Sometimes I wonder why people bother, why Buffalo fans continue to support this team despite the losing and the chronic dysfunction of upper management. But on a day like Sunday, when people could just as easily have stayed home, you were reminded that for a die-hard Bills fan, every game has meaning.’

‘”That’s not something that we set out to do,” Manning said. “It was all about trying to get the ball down the field to try to get points, and if those guys happened to get catches along the way, that was an added bonus. But that was not the goal or the intent.”‘

‘Say what you will, but Bills played hard for Fewell in his seven-game stint. His defense held up well despite rash of injuries this year.’

‘Rooke safety Cary Harris made his presence on the team felt in the first quarter.’