Archives for January 2010

‘”I have to give all the (credit) to my teammates,” Jackson said. “The offensive line did a great job of blocking and (wide receivers Lee Evans and Terrell Owens) did a great job getting on the safeties. They wanted it just as bad as I did.”‘

‘Here’s hoping 70 is the new 52. Or the new 46.’

‘There are a number of factors impacting Schobel’s decision and none of them involve money. Naturally a new head coach and a new defensive scheme will play a role in whether or not he returns for a 10th season with Buffalo. With a lot of change anticipated for the Bills’ roster and coaching staff it’s never easy to pull all of those new pieces together and be dramatically more successful in the span of one season.’

‘”Well, who knows. I think I’ve addressed that enough the last few weeks. I know everyone is wanting to know, and I think under the right set of circumstances and situation, then yeah. I’ve always said that I’d be willing to come back,” he said. “I think the situation has to be right and I think they’ve taken a step in that right direction by hiring Buddy Nix as general manager. So that’s a start, and this is the start of the offseason for us and we just have to see where it goes from there.”‘

‘"I’ve had season tickets for 13 years, and I’ve only missed two games – never because of weather," Atkinson said. "I just love the Bills. I keep hoping they’re going to get good again someday."’

‘”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.”‘