Archives for December 9, 2010

‘The bottom line is Buffalo just needs to get themselves a better run defense and what I mean by that is they need to improve the talent base among the front seven. Last Sunday was the sixth time the Bills have given up more than 200 yards on the ground. It’s really something that has to be addressed sooner rather than later in terms of offseason priorities. It’s not the scheme, the Bills just don’t have the personnel to stop the run game right now.’

‘"Well, you’re putting your head in the sand if you sit there and say it doesn’t matter and they’ll just pick up where everybody left off," Gailey said. "You have to consider that. You have to think how much communication can go on, what can they handle, what can’t they handle, and you have to adjust from there. Making all the calls will be a little different, but he’s handled it before."’

‘Gailey said he expects rookies Cordaro Howard and Ed Wang to split the duty at right guard against Cleveland. Howard, the undrafted free agent from Georgia Tech, made three starts at right tackle this year and has seen spot duty at guard. He missed the Bills’ ninth and 10th games with a sore shoulder. Wang, a fifth-round draft pick, saw his first action on offense Sunday in Minnesota when he played left guard after Urbik got hurt.’

‘Woods went back to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and worked out at their training facility twice a day. He also took a part-time job as a groundskeeper at the college. “I was a groundskeeper, going around, cutting grass, trimming, picking up trash, whatever they asked us to do,” Woods said before his first Buffalo practice on Wednesday.’

Cleveland Browns punter Reggie Hodges enjoying the winter of his NFL content (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Denver’s busted Broncos reinforces wisdom of Cleveland Browns’ restructured front office (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Jake Delhomme preparing for third straight start at QB (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

With 4 games left, a look at what’s behind Mangini’s best work (Canton Repository)

Eric Mangini knows just how Josh McDaniels feels (Canton Repository)

Hodges’ hot foot (Canton Repository)

Peyton Hillis heats up Browns’ running game (Willoughby News Herald)

Mangini deserves an extended stay with Browns (Willoughby News Herald)

Punter Hodges has been valuable weapon (Willoughby News Herald)

Abram Elam’s impact with Browns tough to miss (Elyria Chronicle Telegram)

Browns QB Colt McCoy out today, could practice this week (Elyria Chronicle Telegram)

Watson having solid season (Warren Tribune Chronicle)

Hillis, Watson react to firing of McDaniels (Warren Tribune Chronicle)

Browns relish bad weather (Akron Beacon Journal)

Hodges punts on award from NFL (Akron Beacon Journal)

Browns DB Haden shining (AP)

Browns QB McCoy remains sidelined (AP)

Inside slant (The Sports Xchange)

Strategy and personnel (The Sports Xchange)

Notes, quotes (The Sports Xchange)

Six Browns miss practice (ClevelandBrowns.com)

Player Quotes – 12/8 (ClevelandBrowns.com)

Mangini press conf. transcript – 12/8 (ClevelandBrowns.com)

Browns Deck the House (ClevelandBrowns.com)

Mangini: ‘Bills are resilient’ (ClevelandBrowns.com)

Hodges named Player of the Week (ClevelandBrowns.com)

What to Watch For: Browns-Bills (ClevelandBrowns.com)

‘”I’m excited to come back and play center, that’s more of a natural position for me,” Wood said. “I played it all through college. Guard is a lot of fun; you get to throw your weight around a little bit more. But center is a position I loved in college and I’m excited to get back to playing it.”‘

‘With a 60 percent chance of snow or freezing rain in the forecast, both teams better have their running games in order. Buffalo’s 32nd-ranked run defense must find a way to slow down Cleveland RB Peyton Hillis, the kind of big, bruising back that usually tops 100-plus yards with ease. Stopping Hillis and putting the game in QB Jake Delhomme’s hands would be a good move. Delhomme, who will start if rookie Colt McCoy (high ankle sprain) remains sidelined, has completed almost 70 percent of his throws in McCoy’s absence but was also intercepted three times by Buffalo in a 20-9 Carolina loss a year ago. Buffalo’s running game has sputtered of late and needs more of a contribution from rookie C.J. Spiller. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick needs an error-free game and can’t be such a risk-taker in what figures to be a close, low-scoring game.’

‘Rookie RB C.J. Spiller, a native of Florida, is getting used to all the snow that’s already fallen in Western New York. “This is the most snow I have seen, (but) it’s nothing that I’m freaking out about it,” he said. “This will be my first time if it does snow Sunday, of course it will be my first time playing in the snow. It’s something that you can’t control and it’s something that I can’t let distract me on how I perform. I still have a job at hand and my teammates expect me to go out there and get my job done and that’s what I’m expecting as well.”‘

‘”There are some little nuances of the position that are different than any other spot,” he said. “Obviously, playing your hand between your legs is one of them. (I’m) just getting used to that and getting adjusted to coming back to playing.”‘