Archives for November 23, 2010

‘The talk of who the Bills might draft in 2011 has dominated this season, but right now is looks like the team is set at wide receiver. Johnson is showing that it’s not all bad for the Bills, who might actually have some talented parts after all.’

‘”I think that’s part of our identity, kind of the no names,” said Fitzpatrick. “We’re all in it for each other and that’s fine with us. My job is to put them in a position to make plays. All the guys out there are pretty much the lower level guys in terms of draft status or national attention. We’re out there trying to make plays. Obviously we don’t get any hype or the national stories. I guess we’re the no names that are doing well.”‘

‘To quote coach Chan Gailey, "We don’t have any superstars or prima donnas." The Bengals sure have plenty of both and that’s a team impossible to root for. I think talent wins in the NFL over the long haul, but on any given Sunday there’s still a place for heart.’

‘"It was in the game plan," Jones said. "The way [the Bengals] play defense, the way they like to blitz, we figured we could catch them on one. The first one wasn’t too successful. But we ran it again and the offensive line picked up the blocks and I made a good run."’

‘I’m still not sold on Gailey as a head man. He did start 0-8. The better Ryan Fitzpatrick plays, the harder it is to fathom Gailey’s decision to anoint Trent Edwards as the starter. How could he have felt Edwards was better-suited to run his offense, which requires the QB to take chances?’

‘Told he didn’t sound confident Merriman could eventually play, Gailey responded: “Well, I’m not. There’s got to be something that gives me confidence. Nobody’s said, ‘OK, you can expect him in two weeks.’ Nobody’s said that yet.”‘

‘One of the best stories of the NFL season has been the emergence of Stevie Johnson, a 2008 seventh-round pick who had just 12 receptions in his first two seasons in the league. In Buffalo’s 49-31 victory over Cincinnati on Sunday, Johnson enjoyed his third 100-yard game of the season (eight catches for 137 yards), and he set a career high with three touchdowns’

‘ Chan Gailey gets high marks for keeping his team on task after it fell behind 28-7. Several players admitted the halftime locker room was rattled, but the Bills regrouped, and much of the credit goes to Gailey. The offensive plan was smart, especially when the Bengals lost three defensive backs to injury during the game. The Bills attacked, and it worked. On defense, the Bills were getting shredded early, but they adjusted well and played great in the second half, so kudos to George Edwards for some nice work.’

‘Free safety Jairus Byrd continues to struggle, and he was benched in the second half in Cincinnati. Byrd made nine interceptions as a rookie in 2009, but like the rest of the Bills’ defensive backs, he had zero going into the 10th game of the year. The man who took over for him in the second half, George Wilson, wound up making the Buffalo’s first pick by a defensive back, and it was one of the biggest plays of the game. Cornerback Drayton Florence later had a pick. Byrd has been out of position frequently, and he was at least partly culpable for the Bengals’ first two touchdowns, passes over the middle to Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco.’

‘”At some point, man, it’s enough. We’re not going to find a new way to lose a game,” Torbor said with a smile, before going down the list of how the Bills bumbled through losing their first eight games of the season, including twice in overtime.’

‘Coach Chan Gailey expressed that concern Monday in all but formally ruling out Merriman from playing Sunday, when the Bills (2-8) play host to Pittsburgh (7-3). Gailey says he’s not received any timetable on when Merriman will be cleared for practice since aggravating a right Achilles’ tendon injury two weeks ago.’

‘”In our film study we saw this week we saw the vulnerability and the inconsistency of the ball security with their running backs,” said George Wilson. “We all talked about the first guy going in and wrapping up and hold him up and the next two or three guys come in and rip the ball out.”‘