Archives for November 2010

‘With two vacancies on Buffalo’s eight-man practice squad, the team’s personnel department set to work on filling those two spots signing free agent G Marc Dile and free agent CB Trae Williams.’

‘”We’ll see,” Gailey said indicating he’ll make the decision later this week. “Leodis is playing a lot of corner right now. He’s playing a lot of defense. He’s earned the right (to return). He’s obviously a great returner, but we’ve got to be smart about how we handle all those guys. Maybe we’re smart with C.J. not putting him out there to run those kind of things the first week back from a hamstring too. There are a lot of things to consider going into this ball game.”‘

‘But now it’s a viable question facing Gailey and GM Buddy Nix, isn’t it? When you talk about a nucleus, you are usually referring to quarterback, left tackle, pass-rushing defensive end or linebacker. Then you sprinkle in the pieces – running back, wide receivers and defensive backs.’

‘Entering this season, Buffalo was the NFL’s second-best team in overtime, with an 18-9 (.667) record from 1974 through 2009. The only team with a better winning percentage in OT was Jacksonville (.700; 7-3 record).’

‘The Bills did a good job of using the Steelers’ aggressiveness against them. None of Bills coach Chan Gailey’s play calls worked with the perfection of the middle screen pass to running back Fred Jackson that went for a 65-yard touchdown in the third quarter on third-and-10.’

‘At his current pace, Evans would finish with 46 catches for 736 yards. That’s better than last year, but not what you’d expect from the highest-paid player in Bills history. Who’s the real No. 1, Evans or Johnson?’

‘”He cares. He wants to do well. He wants to help himself and he wants to help the team. From that perspective, I don’t worry about him coming back and being a really good player,” Gailey said. “Everybody has to run through the gamut of emotions dealing with success and failure. … He’ll deal with it and he’ll come out strong. He’s a good man and he’ll come out fine.”‘

‘”As Ralph has gotten older, he has realized the importance of nursing and the caregiver,” Mary M. Wilson, wife of the Buffalo Bills owner, said at an event at the DeGraff Memorial Hospital Adult Day Care Center in North Tonawanda.’

‘Wilson’s foundation selected Kaleida Health due to the health care organization’s partnership with the Buffalo Bills. In a prepared statement, Ralph Wilson said: “It is an honor to support Kaleida Health and the tremendous work it does to provide care for the residents of the Buffalo-Niagara region. “We hope to make a positive impact on the quality of people’s lives, today, particularly during a time of so much need.”‘

‘”I only know one thing to do and that’s to continue to work hard,” said eight-year Bills linebacker Chris Kelsay. “It’s going to turn around. I’ve been saying it for a long time, but you got to believe that. If you don’t, you don’t give yourself a chance at all, but it’s very frustrating because there are so many games that have been decided like this in my career as a Buffalo Bill.”‘

‘”You’re going to drop a few,” Reed said. “The great players drop them. Rice dropped them. Sharpe dropped them. Brown dropped them. Carter dropped them. We all dropped ’em. We’re not perfect, man. The irony is that it came so fast for him. It’s hard to get to that level. He’s got to let it go. It’s hard to let it go. Believe me!”‘

‘Chan Gailey called an excellent game on offense, and his aggressiveness in the overtime wasn’t rewarded by his players, who failed to make big plays when they were right there for the making. The offensive line was coached up well and they did a good job against the zone blitz. On defense, the Bills were unable to hold up against the run, as they gave up 206 yards, but they came up with a solid pass rush package that resulted in a season-high five sacks. Once again, the Bills were competitive against a good team, and once again, after a slow start, they stayed with it and nearly won.’

‘With Edwards out, the Bills may have some shuffling to do. It could mean that John McCargo may be active for the first time all year when the Bills visit Minnesota. Rookie Alex Carrington is likely to see some additional playing time, as he did against Pittsburgh when he recorded his first NFL sack. The Bills could move Chris Kelsay to his more natural defensive end position and use rookies Arthur Moats and Antonio Coleman more at outside linebacker. Aaron Maybin might even get on the field. Maybin played a whopping three snaps against the Steelers, and he drew a holding penalty from tackle Jonathan Scott, an ex-Bill.’

‘With five games left, Gailey hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Edwards being placed on season-ending injured reserve because he may not recover in time. Edwards was hurt in the first quarter of a 19-16 overtime loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday.’

‘Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick says he’ll still keep throwing the ball to Johnson. Center Geoff Hangartner says everyone makes mistakes.’