Archives for August 14, 2011

‘”Two or three things that stood out to me about the game:” said Bills coach Chan Gailey, “One on special teams we let too many returns go out there. The second thing is I felt like our first defense played strong. We let a draw and a quarterback scramble get out and that was about it. … The understatement of the evening is I thought Merriman was impressive on his return.”‘

‘”We feel like we should be able to continue to improve from where we left off and make a quantum leap in some other areas,” Martz told reporters this week. “With the number of receivers we have and the quality there, I would think we’d be much better there. Kellen [Davis, the starting tight end] has stepped to the forefront and established himself not just as a blocker, but also a pretty dynamic receiver in practice. There are some things coming out of this that you get pretty excited about.”‘

‘Dealing Evans for a fourth-round draft pick is the sort of money-saving move the team’s frustrated fans have become accustomed to.’

‘”We are in the last year of the deal, but I think we are committed to working through it with (Fisher President Donald) Bain,” said Bills CEO Russ Brandon, a graduate of Fisher. “We’ll do everything in our power to make it work. But as we go through the negotiation and discussions, this camp will help us define what we need moving forward.”‘

Bears’ offense fails to impress in 10-3 victory (Chicago Tribune)

Knox makes big impression – with 70-yard return (Chicago Tribune)

Soldier Field sod gets passing grade (Chicago Tribune)

At least grass held firm in Bears opener (Chicago Tribune)

O-line needs a lot of work (Chicago Tribune)

Forte’s cameo appearance doesn’t last long (Chicago Tribune)

O-line struggles, but D-line, Barber are bright spots (Chicago Tribune)

3rd quarter observations (Chicago Tribune)

2nd quarter observations (Chicago Tribune)

1st quarter observations (Chicago Tribune)

Bears quotes (Chicago Tribune)

Photo gallery (Chicago Tribune)

Bears’ offensive line fails to impress in 10-3 win over Bills (Chicago Sun Times)

Bears RB Marion Barber impressive in debut (Chicago Sun Times)

Slimmer, trimmer Jay Cutler appears to care more (Chicago Sun Times)

Demoted Johnny Knox makes big impact (Chicago Sun Times)

Photo gallery (Chicago Sun Times)

Bears O-line a work in progress (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

Bears’ Smith still counting on Knox (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

Photo gallery (Arlington Heights Daily Herald)

Offensive line leaves us with plenty of questions (Northwest Herald)

Room for improvement (Northwest Herald)

Bears win, but many miscues, sacks stand out (Rockford Register Star)

Tough to buy the company line (ESPN)

Zack Bowman, Marcus Harrison hurt (ESPN)

Bears kick off 5 yards deeper than rule (ESPN)

O-line shaky, ‘D’ shines in preseason victory (CSN Chicago)

Experience is what matters (CSN Chicago)

Bears’ Bowman leaves with head injury (AP)

Forte available for Bears (AP)

Run game, defense fuel Bears to win (ChicagoBears.com)

Line experiences mixed results in opener (ChicagoBears.com)

Photo gallery (ChicagoBears.com)

Photo gallery (BuffaloBills.com)

Photo gallery (AP)

‘The Bills had to like what they saw from Merriman and Dareus, the third pick in the draft.’

‘Linebacker Shawne Merriman, who was picked up on waivers by Buffalo last year but did not suit up for a game, had two sacks, recorded on consecutive plays in the first.’

‘Dareus wasn’t the only Buffalo rookie to show up on the defensive stat sheet. Corner Aaron Williams, second-round selection out of Texas, made an acrobatic interception in the red zone, picking off Bears QB Nathan Enderle.’

‘So there was some improvement on the football field Saturday night, but there’s still a lot more that needs to be done.’

‘Marcell Dareus looks like a major player. A man amongst boys. Dareus didn’t look like a rookie at all. Like I mentioned before — he got a sack. But that’s not my favorite Dareus play of the night. Not even close. It was on a run play to the left side for the Bears. Dareus was lined up against Bears lineman Lance Louis. Right at the snap of the ball, Dareus exploded off the line of scrimmage and knocked Louis completely off his block and he stumbled backward in to the backfield. Yeah, this guy is pretty good. Bills fans should be excited about him.’

‘It’s along those lines that I think the Bills should have gotten more for Evans. Teams tend to grow more desperate as the preseason goes on and injuries mount. As Gilbert said on the phone Saturday, “the Ravens are desperate now… they would have been more desperate in a couple of weeks.”‘

‘”I felt like our first defense played strong,” said Gailey. “We let a draw and a quarterback scramble get out and that was about it. Merriman was pretty impressive coming back in his debut. He only played nine snaps. We’re going to take it slow. I’ve always said with him it’s September 11th not now. So we’ll work him in a little bit more next week and let him keep getting better. He hasn’t played in a couple of years so we need to be smart in how we handle him, but he was very impressive rushing the passer.”‘

‘It took all of one drive to remind me that the Bills will be fine with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. He’s decisive, has an adequate arm and more than enough pocket presence. I think as a Bills fan you have to prepare yourself for this season as a judgment on whether he can be a starting quarterback for three years or more. Remember, the Bills need to make the decision ASAP. While Fitzpatrick is the ideal team guy, if he makes it through the season to unrestricted free agency, it may be hard to turn away from the dollars that will likely be offered by big spenders in better-regarded organizations.’