Archives for December 2010

‘There are no talks yet of bringing the Bills to China. But Brandon said he’s "open" to the possibility if the NFL considers it.’

‘Fitzpatrick takes great pride in having graduated from one of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions, but here’s why his teammates sometimes find it unbelievable that he went to Harvard: "I don’t mind it, it’s not a bad thing to be known for," Fitzpatrick said, "but I’d rather be known as a winning NFL quarterback, that’s for sure."’

‘In the blizzard game of ’07 in Cleveland, the Browns were much better in the conditions. The Bills long ago lost their home-field advantage in poor weather.’

‘"I pretty much check it from Monday morning on and then keep looking to see if there are any changes," the Buffalo Bills’ punter said this week. "But you know how it is around here. You can’t really forecast that far out. So I never really believe what I see until Sunday morning."After 10 years of punting in Buffalo, Moorman is a master at handling whatever the elements give him. The elements might be a handful today when the Bills face the Cleveland Browns at Ralph Wilson Stadium, because the forecast calls for cold rain turning to snow.’

‘Bills, 15-13.’

‘Blackout? The Bills should have bought out the remaining tickets and handed them out for free at the gates. They could have tossed in free vouchers for team merchandise, maybe signed photos of Wilson and the players, anything to show their gratitude for anyone who made the trip.’

‘If the Buffalo drafters do finally see the light on the importance of tackles next spring, they will have to move quickly to end up with one of the best. It is not rare to see several of them drafted early in the first round and the finest among them are rare. In the last draft just four were selected in Round One and two in Round Two. It’s not the time for vacillating.’

‘”I said something to him after the ballgame,” said Gailey. “I’m one of those that believes if you go in and talk to him and bring him into the office every day and go out to the practice field and pat him on the back every day — if you don’t treat him the same, all of a sudden they feel like, ‘Uh, oh, something must really be wrong.’ I tried to talk to him after the game and then I tried to treat him like I would every other week.”‘

‘”He’ll skip the ball off your helmet with his low delivery,” Cleveland’s defensive coordinator said of Buffalo’s passer. “We ought to take advantage of that … we will. I’ve never seen anybody take as many hits as this poor guy has, but he’s one helluva competitive guy.”‘

‘”You have certain bad-weather plays just in case,” he said. “If it’s a swirling wind, it doesn’t matter which way you’re going. There’s a game plan for plays with the wind. You make the game a little longer when you’re against the wind. You won’t know what you’ll get until you get there. You might wake up and find it’s sunny and 30 degrees. We practiced in the elements. If you get something you didn’t expect, you’re prepared for it.”‘

‘Browns 17, Bills 13.’

‘A 6-foot-2, 202-pounder, Johnson has given the Bills the legitimate threat they need lining up opposite Lee Evans. Going into the game today against the Browns, Johnson’s 832 receiving yards rank 11th in the NFL. Among players with 60-plus catches, his average of 13.6 yards per catch stands fourth. He’s got a shot to break the Bills’ single-season record for touchdown receptions (11). Forty-four of his 61 receptions have resulted in first downs. His 23 catches on third down are tied for fourth in the league and his 350 yards on third down puts him second behind Roddy White (420) of the Atlanta Falcons.’

On precipice of 1,000 yards, Peyton Hillis just wants another win for Cleveland Browns (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

In The Spotlight: Bills receiver Steve Johnson (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Upon further review, Art Modell’s case for Canton gets weaker every year (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Who would be the best next addition for the resurgent Browns? (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Terry Pluto’s talkin’ … about a dangerous Buffalo Bill (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Browns plan cold hello for Buffalo QB (Canton Repository)

NFL preview – Browns at Bills (Canton Repository)

Weather will be big factor in game plan (Willoughby News Herald)

Jeff Schudel’s scouting report: Browns at Bills (Willoughby News Herald)

Browns GM Heckert sees plenty of positives in debut season (Elyria Chronicle Telegram)

Watson having solid season (Warren Tribune Chronicle)

Weather advisory (Warren Tribune Chronicle)

Browns-Bills scouting report (Warren Tribune Chronicle)

Dawson’s true value evident in bad weather (Akron Beacon Journal)

Browns facing receiver on rise (Akron Beacon Journal)

Keys to the game: Browns vs. Bills (Akron Beacon Journal)

Story lines: Browns vs. Bills (Akron Beacon Journal)

Continuing to lead (ClevelandBrowns.com)

Growing confidence (ClevelandBrowns.com)

Hillis nears milestone (ClevelandBrowns.com)

Elam continues to emerge (ClevelandBrowns.com)

Inclement weather lies ahead (ClevelandBrowns.com)

A Look Back: Browns-Bills 1984 (ClevelandBrowns.com)

‘”For the three weeks prior to that, we would’ve said we weren’t that far away,” Gailey said. “So if it was a one-game anomaly, then that’s what it was. If we continue to slide then, yeah, it probably is a reminder that we’re not there yet.”‘

‘Cleveland 19, Buffalo 13.’