Archives for September 2010

‘…to which all I can say is you can wait for divine intervention in Buffalo if you want, but you’d probably have better luck re-signing Billy Joe Hobert.’

‘”With Fitz or Trent, you know both of those quarterbacks are going to compete hard and do all they can to win,” Evans said. “Fitz just has that different demeanor about him than Trent does. I think we have a very good rapport. We know who each other are and it’s just about making plays and having the opportunity to make plays.”‘

‘"They all did a pretty good job when they played (in preseason games), so if it had been a huge difference in the two, it might have made a difference. But in our minds there wasn’t, so give (Fitzpatrick) a shot to do what he can do."’

‘”Obviously things weren’t moving the way we expected them to,” Evans said. “So they felt like they had to make a change. I think it’s one of those things where we know what we have offensively and we’re trying to get there. The coaches are doing whatever they can to help us get there. They felt like this move was the key to doing it. I guess better early than late. We still have a chance to do a lot of good things and we’ve got a big one this week.”‘

‘”We did have the vote, and we did vote in favor to give the players association the option to decertify our union in the event that no collective bargaining agreement is reached before the March deadline,” said Bills union representative George Wilson. “This is not to say that we’re going to decertify. This is just an opportunity to keep our options open. This is a move we could possibly use in order to challenge the league’s antitrust exemption in the court system.”‘

‘But it’s not as if Evans came to life with Fitz at QB last season. He had just eight catches in one five-game stretch with Fitzpatrick at quarterback. Oh, and in 12 career games against the Pats, Evans has 31 catches and one TD. He hasn’t had a 20-yard catch against them since 2005.’

‘It may not have a significant effect on the offense, since the Bills only used a “regular” formation (with two receivers, two backs and a tight end) on 10 plays against the Green Bay Packers. Nevertheless, Johnson said changes to the lineup, at quarterback in particular, should not come as a surprise given the way the Bills have played the first two games.’

‘”When he got to the regular season, that first game he was just going extremely fast,” Bills coach Chan Gailey said yesterday. “I was probably unfair to him to throw him in there. We backed him back a little bit this past week.”‘

‘”I got a General Studies degree from Michigan, barely,” Brady laughed. “He’s one of those Harvard guys . . . we’ve had a few of those around here. We’re not getting into a math contest, thank God.”’

Backfield emotion (Boston Globe)

Bagging Buffalo is a key in hunt for division title (Boston Globe)

Hard hit; no hard feelings (Boston Globe)

Kevin Faulk has not left the building (Boston Herald)

Teammates respond to Faulk’s injury (Boston Herald)

Danny Woodhead looks like he’ll be able to help (Boston Herald)

Tom Brady: Blind ambition? (Boston Herald)

Bills in no rush on C.J. Spiller (Boston Herald)

Faulk says season-ending injury just another test he will have to pass (Providence Journal)

Morris, Woodhead say they’re ready to help pick up the slack (Providence Journal)

Patriots must contain Bills’ Spiller (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)

The big hurt (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)

Patriots look for answers in backfield (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)

Pats’ Faulk will be missed beyond the field (Metro West Daily News)

Woodhead only looking forward (Metro West Daily News)

Pats’ Faulk admits a tear led to tears (Brockton Enterprise)

After being cut by Jets, Woodhead hopes for a happy landing in New England (Brockton Enterprise)

Taking a stand (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)

Opportunity knocks for RB Woodhead (Attleboro Sun Chronicle)

Tom Brady talks about losing Kevin Faulk and his struggles against the Jets (Springfield Republican)

Patriots to place Kevin Faulk on injured reserve today with torn ACL (Springfield Republican)

Without Faulk, this could get ugly (Lawrence Eagle Tribune)

Faulk’s built legacy based on respect (Portland Press Herald)

Bad news on Faulk hits hard (Manchester Union Leader)

Faulk opens up (Nashua Telegraph)

‘Unique talent’ on sidelines for Pats (Nashua Telegraph)

Adjustments coming for Patriots (ESPN)

Patriots RB Faulk out for year with knee injury (AP)

P&G extends stadium deal to 2031 (AP)

Patriots’ Faulk out for year with torn ACL, placed on IR (The Sports Network)

Brady’s not quite dialed in yet (CSN New England)

Patriots smart to be wary of Buffalo’s backup (CSN New England)

Tiny Woodhead could fill big-time need for Patriots (CSN New England)

Door Opens for Danny Woodhead in Patriots’ Backfield After Kevin Faulk’s Injury (NESN)

Kevin Faulk Keeps Spirits High, Will Remain With Team to Fulfill Captain’s Duties (NESN)

Patriots Need to Take Down 16-0 Banner Before 2031 (NESN)

Inside slant (The Sports Xchange)

Strategy and personnel (The Sports Xchange)

Inside slant (The Sports Xchange)

Patriots place RB Kevin Faulk on injured reserve (Patriots.com)

P&G extends naming rights for Gillette Stadium through the 2031 season (Patriots.com)

C.J. Spiller Conference Call (Patriots.com)

Chan Gailey Conference Call (Patriots.com)

Tom Brady Press Conference (Patriots.com)

Bill Belichick Press Conference (Patriots.com)

‘”(He’s a) strong-armed guy and can throw it down the field. He seems like he has good presence, good leadership in the huddle. The team rallies around him and that kind of thing. We’ll be ready for everybody, whoever they put in there at quarterback, running back or wherever else and we’ll have to prepare for everybody and whatever decisions they make, they make. We’ll prepare for all of them.”‘

‘Meanwhile, it appears that Roscoe Parrish has replaced Steve Johnson as the team’s No. 2 receiver for this week when the team uses two-wide sets. When it goes three-wide, Parrish will move into the slot and Johnson will play outside opposite Lee Evans. Johnson had two drops against Green Bay last week.’

‘So just how bad are things offensively for the Bills? In 23 possessions so far, 12 series have ended in punts and they’ve had nine series end three-and-out. Buffalo hasn’t had a QB who started and finished the game post a 100 or better rating in 24 consecutive games.’

‘Buffalo Bills players have voted unanimously in favor of giving the NFL Players Association the right to decertify in the event of a lockout next year.’

‘Just be patient and don’t try to force [anything] and then just stay calm on the sideline. You never know what’s going to happen through the game. I’m more of a guy who is going to get the guys going when things aren’t going right but it’s a long game and things are going to happen.’